Tortellini Primavera

This delicious and creamy casserole is perfect for a weeknight dinner. 

Tortellini Primavera – Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 T minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 C diced/sliced carrots
• 2 C cauliflower florets
• 1/2 C chicken broth or stock
• 1 1/2 C frozen peas
• 1/2 C diced, cooked ham
• 2 C frozen tortellini
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 C whipping cream
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Directions

Start the tortellini cooking in a large stockpot following the package directions.  Drain and rise when al dente.  Set aside. 

Meanwhile, sauté the carrots, onion, cauliflower and broccoli over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.  If needed, add a spray or two of olive oil.  Then, add in the chicken stock and simmer for 4-5 minutes until crisp-tender. 

Add in the diced ham and peas.  Simmer for 2-3 additional minutes.  Then, add in the tortellini. 

Season with basil, salt and pepper.  Top with the 1/4 C heavy cream and stir until combined and warm throughout. 

Mmmmm…  Serve warm and enjoy! 

Beef and Barley Soup

Honestly, we don’t eat a lot of red meat around here.  We’re not big fans, but occasionally, it does taste good, especially in a soup.  Paired with barley, this veggie-filled beef soup is perfect for a chilly winter day. 

Vegetable and Barley Soup – Adapted from Good Cheap Eats

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. stew beef, cubed into small bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 C sliced carrots
• 1/4 C diced celery
• 1/4 C diced onion
• 1/2 C barley (not quick cook)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 4 C chicken broth
• 1 tsp. herbs de Provence seasoning
• 1/2 C peas, frozen
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by browning the beef on all sides in the bottom of your stockpot.  Add in carrots, celery and onion, sautéing for about 5 minutes. 

Add in the barley and bell pepper and sauté another 2-3 minutes until barley is slightly toasted. 

Pour in the diced tomatoes, chicken broth and tomato sauce.  Stir well. 

Stir in the herbs de Provence seasoning and salt and pepper.  Reduce the soup to a simmer and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes.  Stir occasionally. 

Add in the frozen peas, and continue simmering for 10 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and serve warm. 

Enjoy!

Skillet Lasagna

With school back in session, quick weeknight dinners are a must.  This one is quick, and requires just one pan and the leftovers (if there are any) are a huge win too.

 

Skillet Lasagna – Adapted from The Apple of My Eye

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. ground Italian sausage (or turkey sausage)
• 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. minced onion
• 1/2 C shredded carrots
• 2 cans (14oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• pinch of cinnamon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
• 1/3 C water
• 1/2 C shredded Mozzarella cheese and/or 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 6 T ricotta cheese
• Parsley for garnish

Directions

Brown the ground Italian sausage in the bottom of a large skillet until cooked through.  Drain the grease and set aside for a moment.  Add the mushrooms, onions, garlic and salt and pepper, sautéing until the mushrooms are soft and the excess liquid has evaporated. 

Add in the shredded carrots and the sausage.  Stir well.

Place the broken apart lasagna noodles over the meat mixture.  Then pour in both cans of diced tomatoes (undrained), and the can of tomato sauce. 

Top with 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano along with a pinch of cinnamon.

Pour over 1/3 C water. 

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring 1-2 times during the cooking process. 

Meanwhile, shred the mozzarella cheese, or slice it if you are using fresh.  Set aside. 

When noodles are al dente, remove the cover and dollop on the 6 T of ricotta cheese as well as the mozzarella and/or Parmesan. 

Garnish with parsley, if desired. 

Serve warm. 

Roasted Red Pepper & Carrot Pasta

A simple and rustic pasta, filled with flavor and vegetables! 

It’s an adult version of a childhood comfort food.  Serve grilled chicken and green veggies along side of it and you have a filling and wholesome meal. 

Roasted Red Pepper and Carrot Pasta – Inspired by Bell’alimento

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium carrots (or ~1/2 bag baby carrots)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 C vegetable broth or extra pasta water
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Olive oil
• 10 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• Parmesan cheese, garnish

Directions

Begin by placing the carrots on a tinfoil lined cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil.  Slice open the bell pepper and remove the stem and seeds.  Place each half cut-side down on the cookie sheet.  Lightly mist all veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place the cookie sheet in the oven and roast at 450 for 15-20 minutes.  When the veggies are tender, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and carefully (tinfoil will be hot) fold the tinfoil together over the veggies creating a sealed pocket where the bell peppers and carrots can steam for 5-7 minutes. 

Meanwhile, start the pasta to boil according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 C pasta water. 

After 5-7 minutes, open the sealed tinfoil packet and remove the skins from the bell peppers.  Place the bell peppers and carrots into a blender, or into a large glass container to be used with your immersion blender. 

Add in up to 1/2 C pasta water or vegetable broth, 1/4 tsp. minced garlic, and blend until a smooth puree is achieved.  You may find you need slightly more or less liquid depending on how cooked your veggies are, the blender you use and the desired thickness/consistency of your sauce. 

Pour over the pasta and season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy!

Leftover Ham Bone, Potato & Pepper Soup

What do I do with a ham bone?!  While I’ve made soup after soup using chicken and turkey carcasses, until recently, I’ve never found myself with a ham bone. 

We do eat ham occasionally, but I usually don’t cook a full bone-in ham.  Since I recently did cook one, I wanted to try making a ham bone soup. 

But, I’ve never really even had a ham broth based soup before, so this was a true experiment for me.  I based it off of two of my favorite ham recipes – this tasty ham and cheese potato casserole and this ham and cheese soup.  I skipped the cheese, although I think a cheese sauce added at the end would be spectacular.  The result was a delicious way to enjoy leftover ham. 

Ham Bone, Potato, and Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ham bone, with scrap ham remaining on the bone
• 7-9 C of water
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 C shredded or diced cooked ham (leftover)
• 3 medium red potatoes, cubed
• 1 can (14 oz) Great White Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/3 C barley

Directions

Begin by placing your ham bone in a large stockpot and covering it with water.  For me, that took about 7-9 C of water.  Use more or less depending on the size of your ham bone.  Season the water with salt, pepper, leftover tops of celery stalks and and 1/4 of the onion.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the meat begins to fall off the bone.  At this point, remove the stock from the heat and carefully strain the hot broth.  Allow the broth to cool down and skim the fat off the top. 

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies.  Dice the bell peppers, cube the potatoes, slice the carrots and quarter the onion. 

Arrange all the veggies into a 6-quart crockpot.  Sprinkle in the 1/3 C barley.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Carefully pour the ham stock into the crockpot.  Season well with 1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning.  Add in the diced or shredded ham and beans.  Stir. 

Note: I do not recommend using the ham from the bone, unless you’ve tasted it and it still has flavor!  After making stock, the good flavor from the ham often has been picked up by the stock and therefore the remaining ham tastes pretty blah.  So, I recommend “fresh” leftover ham. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, until veggies are tender, or on low for 6-8 hours. 

Serve warm and enjoy. 

Creamy Broccoli, Carrot & White Bean Soup

For a quick soup, this one packs a flavorful bite.  It’s a great side soup for lunch or dinner. 

The color is fun too – for March and all things green…. St. Patrick’s Day, or say, March Madness and the Green & White! 

Creamy Broccoli, Carrot & White Bean Soup – Adapted from What Megan’s Making

Ingredients

• 16 oz. frozen broccoli
• 3 C shredded carrots
• 2 T minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 can (15-oz) white beans, drained
• 3 C chicken stock
• salt & pepper, to taste
• Monterrey Jack or Colby Jack Cheese

Directions

In a large stockpot, sauté the shredded carrots, onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil. 

After 3-4 minutes, add the 3 C chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add in the frozen broccoli and cook until tender (~7 minutes). 

Add in the white beans, rinsed and drained, to the simmering soup.  Heat 2-3 more minutes. 

Then, using an immersion blender, blend the soup smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup to your blender in small batches.  Use caution when blending the hot soup because of the steam! 

Serve topped with cheese.

Enjoy!

Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole

The Sloppy Joe tradition in our family goes back a long way.  Frog Prince’s grandmother has a killer recipe that we love.  We took that recipe and added a whole bunch of veggies to it, and adapted it for the crockpot.  It has become one of our family favorites. 

When I saw the recipe from Emily – this delicious filling for a deep dish pizza, I knew we couldn’t go wrong.  Yum-o, I say! 

Deep Dish Sloppy Joe Casserole – Adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients

• 1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough
• 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef or turkey sausage
• 1 T minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 4 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. dried mustard
• 2 T ketchup
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T brown sugar
• salt & pepper
• 4 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Begin by preparing the whole wheat pizza crust according to directions found here.  Set aside, covered, until ready to use. 

Meanwhile, brown 1/2 lb. each lean ground turkey and ground beef or Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in Montreal Steak seasoning, onion and garlic, along with salt and pepper, as needed.  Drain grease. 

Mix in finely chopped carrot, bell pepper (we used green), and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes until veggies are tender. 

Stir in 1 can tomato sauce, 1 tsp. dried mustard, 1 T brown sugar, 2 T ketchup, 1 T apple cider vinegar and 1 T brown sugar.  Simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.  Stretch the pizza dough into a rectangle and press it in the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.

Pour the filling into the pan, spreading it evenly over the dough. 

Sprinkle with cheese. 

Bake at 420 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the tops of the crust are slightly browned. 

While you have the oven hot, toss some veggies (frozen or fresh  -- e.g. broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.) with olive oil, salt and pepper, and basil.  Arrange on a tinfoil-covered cookie sheet and roast them, stirring once.  Serve these alongside your casserole. 

Serve warm.  

Note: To re-heat, feel free to use the microwave, but don’t over heat (45-60 seconds is ideal) or the crust will become tough.