Tag: parmesan

There will be no ‘crisp’appointment at dinner with these potatoes

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date December 15, 2022

Parmesan encrusted potatoes take baked potatoes to a new level with crispy parmesan, garlic and some salt and pepper. This simple side dish packs a big wow factor.

When it comes to the holidays and cooking, it’s so often about all of the traditional recipes.

We have Thanksgiving down to a science at our house, making sure we have everyone’s favorite dishes on the table.

And at Christmas, it’s all about the snack table for me. Dinner was always kind of a rotating menu, but the snack table was the old favorite.

That being said, I think trying out a new recipe at the holidays is fun. It’s a way to share a new experience with family and friends and change things up a bit. After some looking around, I think I found my holiday experiment for the year: parmesan encrusted potatoes.

This recipe takes baked potatoes to a whole new level, and they are perfect for the holidays, when most of us aren’t too worried about counting calories.

This comes from the blog “Audrey’s Apron.” You can find the original post at https://audreysapron.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/parmesan-upside-down-baked-potatoes/. I added extra cheese and seasonings to my version.

Parmesan Encrusted Potatoes

Parmesan encrusted potatoes take baked potatoes to a new level with crispy parmesan, garlic and some salt and pepper. This simple side dish packs a big wow factor.

Course Side Dish

Keyword baked potatoes, easy side, garlic powder, parmesan, potatoes, red potatoes, yellow potatoes

Ingredients

about 6 medium-sized yellow or red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the butter in a nine-by-13-inch baking dish and place it in the oven while it preheats. Preheat to 400 degrees.
While the oven preheats, halve the potatoes, lengthwise.
When the oven is hot, carefully remove the baking dish and tilt it to coat the entire bottom as evenly as possible with the melted butter.
Evenly sprinkle the parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper over top of the melted butter. (Use just a touch more of each of the seasonings than you think you might want.)
Place the potatoes, cut-side down, onto the parmesan mixture, pressing them down just slightly.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Serve the potatoes immediately, using a spatula to cut the crispy parmesan between each potato before scooping them out of the dish.

These potatoes were almost magical. They were delicious. The combination of the fluffiness of the potatoes with the crispiness of the cheese, the flavor pop of seasoning and the saltiness—it was so, so good.

We tried this recipe out with some delicious smoked chicken Joey made, and it felt like we were having a mini feast at our dining room table. We both agreed that this was a recipe to make for Christmas this year.

The other nice thing is it’s easy to expand or contract, depending on how many folks you’re serving. Really, if you can fit more potatoes in your baking dish, you don’t even need a whole lot more of the other ingredients. Just squeeze ’em in.

I will say that while these do reheat OK, they’re not the greatest leftovers. The cheese gets a little soggy, and trust me, the crispy cheese is the best part. They’re still good as leftovers but not nearly as awesome as the first serving.

As Christmas approaches, I’ll be mixing up my annual double batch of peppernuts and probably coating something in almond bark, but I’m also looking forward to sharing a new dish with my family. For me, that’s what the holidays are all about.

This piece first appeared in print on Dec. 15, 2022.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Tags baked potatoes, easy side, garlic powder, parmesan, potatoes, red potatoes, yellow potatoes

Side Dish

Don’t fritter away dinner this week; try a new side dish

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 29, 2022

Chickpea fritters are really easy to make, using a base of canned garbanzo beans, along with plenty of herbs and spices. They are a fantastic side dish to add to your next dinner.

I’m going to need all of you to mentally prepare yourself for the mood I found myself in recently: pantry clean out mode.

Once or twice a year, I find myself staring into the abyss that is my pantry and wondering where all of these random food items came from.

Because I love to try new recipes, I often fall victim to clearance items that look “interesting” or just having loads of extra ingredients leftover from whatever my last experiment happened to be.

This week, I found myself staring down a can of chickpeas that has been taking up space at the back of a shelf for longer than I care to even guess.

I bought a few cans for a recipe experiment that went terribly, and I never ended up using the last one. I kept assuming we’d make a batch of hummus or they would end up in a curry or soup sometime, but they’ve just become a permanent resident instead.

But not any more, thanks to this week’s successful experiment: chickpea fritters.

This comes from Yumna Jawad of the “Feel Good Foodie” blog. You can find her original post at https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/chickpea-fritters/. I added extra seasoning in my version.

Chickpea Fritters

Chickpea fritters are really easy to make, using a base of canned garbanzo beans, along with plenty of herbs and spices. They are a fantastic side dish to add to your next dinner.

Course Side Dish

Keyword chickpeas, cumin, garbanzo beans, garlic powder, parmesan, parsley

Ingredients

15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, mash the chickpeas until they’re nice and crumbly. Add in the flour, parmesan, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and water, and stir until the mixture starts to come together.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat, and add the canola oil.
While the oil heats, form six patties—about one-half-inch thick—out of the chickpea mixture, making sure to compact them with your hands so they stay together.
When the oil is hot, carefully add the patties and cook for one to two minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
Serve hot as a side to your favorite Mediterranean, Indian or Middle Eastern dish, or just eat them by themselves with a good dipping sauce. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

I recommend eating these with something—maybe as a side to a curry, along with a gyro or at least with a good sauce—because the are a bit dry on their own.

That being said, they have great flavor, and I really liked these. Plus, they were super easy if you’re looking for a quick side dish.

I know that removing a single can from my pantry is nowhere near the triumph I’m trying to pretend it is (and you would definitely be saying that if you saw the mess I’ve gotten myself into), but as they say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

I suppose the cleanup of a thousand ingredients starts with a lone can of chickpeas.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 29, 2022.

Tags chickpeas, cumin, fritters, garbanzo beans, garlic powder, parmesan, parsley

Main Dish

Make a ‘rigaton’ of food with this sausage pasta bake

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date March 3, 2022

Sausage and cheese rigatoni is a delicious baked pasta with deep Italian flavors from marinara, roasted red peppers and plenty of cheese.

We decided to have a few friends over for dinner this past week, and I decided it was finally time for me to try this amazing-looking recipe for a baked Italian dish.

Joey was gracious enough to help me out by manning the saute pan. He was busy cooking the sausage and onion and asked, “When do I add the garlic?”

I looked at the recipe and paused.

“Well…um…you don’t,” I said.

“The garlic? What do you mean?”

“I mean, there is no garlic in the recipe.”

He looked at me, appalled, and I laughed and pointed to the large jar of minced garlic I already pulled from the refrigerator.

“Yeah, there’s no garlic in the recipe, but we’re totally adding some in anyway,” I said.

“No garlic. That’s just dumb,” he said.

You have to give the people what they want.

In this case, we ended up with a hearty, cheesy and delicious baked pasta, and it made so much that not only was I not sure it was going to actually fit in my casserole dish, but it barely looked like we even made a dent after enjoying big helpings at dinner.

This recipe comes from the blog “Foodie Crush.” You can find the original post at https://www.foodiecrush.com/baked-sausage-rigatoni/. I added garlic and some other herbs and spices to my version.

Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni

Sausage and cheese rigatoni is a delicious baked pasta with deep Italian flavors from marinara, roasted red peppers and plenty of cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, fennel seeds, garlic, Italian parsley, marinara, oregano, paprika, parmesan cheese, provolone, ricotta cheese, rigatoni pasta, roasted red peppers, sweet Italian sausage, yellow onion

Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausage ground or removed from casings
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 small yellow onion diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
12 ounces roasted red bell peppers drained and diced
25 ounces marinara sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon paprika
16 ounces rigatoni pasta
15 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
6 to 8 slices provolone cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a three-quart baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, fennel and onion and saute until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and saute for another two minutes or so.
Dump in the diced red peppers, marinara sauce, oregano, basil and paprika to the pan and stir to combine.
While the sauce is warming through, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the rigatoni for just five minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to coat it.
In another bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan and parsley. (At first, you’ll wonder how it’s going to come together with all that parmesan, but just keep stirring. It will.)
Pour half of the pasta/sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top it with half of the ricotta, and then place a single layer of three to four slices of provolone on top.
Finish it off with the rest of the sauce, the rest of the ricotta, and another layer of provolone.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Let the bake sit for five minutes before serving with some garlic bread.

Holy moly, you guys, this was delicious. It had great flavor, made a ton of food, and it was almost even better as leftovers the next day. It was also really easy to put together, which was nice for feeding a group. It also reminded me how underrated fennel seeds are as an ingredient. I can’t remember the last time I used fennel in a dish; I’ll have to make sure to do it more often.

I’m still not sure why it didn’t make the cut in the original recipe, but garlic was an excellent addition to the final product. And that was a good thing, considering I’m pretty sure I would have had to tackle Joey to keep him from adding it to the pan.

This piece first appeared in print on March 3, 2022.

Tags basil, casserole, fennel seeds, garlic, Italian, Italian parsley, marinara, oregano, parmesan, pasta bake, provolone, ricotta, rigatoni, roasted red peppers, yellow onion

Crockpot Main Dish

There are ‘polenta’ of options for this pork dish

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 21, 2021

Slow-cooked pork ragu is served over a creamy polenta to create a delicious, warm dinner with tons of flavor.

It’s amazing how much variety we have at our fingertips at our local grocery stores.

There are so many options and ingredients that you’d think no one could ever miss out on finding something they wanted, but as is sometimes the case, I hit a brick wall with this week’s recipe.

I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a pork ragu served over creamy polenta, but when I looked at our grocery store, the only polenta I could get was the pre-made kind that definitely isn’t creamy.

So I turned to the Internet to find a solution. Surely there had to be a locally available ingredient I could use to make creamy polenta.

Of course, someone had the solution: coarse grind cornmeal. And I figured out that Bob’s Red Mill makes just such a product, and it was available right here! The website I found claimed that you just used coarse grind cornmeal the same way you use polenta, so I immediately bought a bag.

And it worked…sort of. If you can’t find actual polenta like I couldn’t, here’s my advice: buy the coarse grind cornmeal, but double the amount of it rather than substituting it one-to-one with the polenta.

I was so ready to eat when I took the lid off my pot of polenta and realized it was more in the “soupy” category than the “creamy” one. So, if you decide to make the swap, I highly encourage you to use three cups coarse cornmeal so you can get dinner on the table on time.

This comes from the blog “White Plate, Blank Slate.” You can find the original at http://whiteplateblankslate.com/pork-ragu-with-creamy-polenta. I modified the recipe by changing up the spices a bit and by using a crockpot instead of the stovetop for the bulk of the cook time.

Pork Ragu over Creamy Polenta

Slow-cooked pork ragu is served over a creamy polenta to create a delicious, warm dinner with tons of flavor.

Course Main Course

Keyword asparagus, bay leaves, creamy polenta, crockpot, crushed tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, pork butt, pork shoulder, rosemary, thyme

Ingredients

Ragu Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 yellow onion diced
6-8 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine I used a Cabernet-savignon
28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes
3 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 bay leaves

Creamy Polenta Ingredients

2 cups milk I used skim
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 cups coarse polenta or 3 cups coarse grind cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup parmesan grated, plus more for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut any excess fat off of the pork shoulder and then cut it into three large pieces. Season them with salt and pepper.
Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven and saute, turning each piece to evenly brown each side.
Remove the pork from the pot and place in a large crockpot and drain off any accumulated fat.
Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and saute for about five minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze it. Cook for another five minutes and then add the tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, smashing the tomatoes as you stir.
Add the mixture, along with two cups of water, to the pork in the crockpot. Cook for two and one-half to three hours on high or five to six hours on low.
When the pork is done, shred it with two forks, and stir it back into the sauce, adding salt and pepper to taste and removing the bay leaves.
For the polenta, add the milk and chicken stock to a stock pot or Dutch oven and bring to a very low boil. Add the polenta or corn meal, whisking constantly as you add it. Once the polenta is well-combined, place a lid on the pot and remove it from heat. Don’t open it again until 20 minutes have elapsed.
Remove the lid and add the butter and parmesan cheese, whisking until everything is well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the ragu over top of the polenta in bowls, topping with a bit more parmesan.

This was so, so good, and it made a ton of food. We’ve been enjoying lots of leftovers over the past week, and the ragu would be great as a freezer meal, as well.

I’m sure plenty of polenta purists would say that I didn’t really come up with a worthy substitute, but I’d say that being able to swipe my credit card locally instead of online made it worth it. Plus, it was darn delicious, so polenta or not, this recipe earned an A-plus in my book.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 21, 2021.

Tags bay leaves, creamy polenta, garlic, onion, parmesan, pork butt, pork shoulder, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes

Main Dish Side Dish

Want to be a French chef? You can d’ouille’ it!

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 14, 2021

Ratatouille is a vegetarian dish with lots of color, deep flavors and makes for a hearty meal or side dish.

In an online article, author Ossiana Tepfenhart explains that there are lots of foods we now consider “fancy” that were once “poor man’s food.”

Dishes that fit the bill include lobster, oysters and even caviar.

Another dish that she could have included? Ratatouille.

The summer stew, native to Nice, France, was once considered a humble dish for humble folks, but now (probably thanks, in part, to the animated movie with the same name), it’s a meal that sounds luxurious and expensive.

I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely not expensive (or it shouldn’t be), and it’s actually deceptively easy to make, as long as you’re ready to do a lot of vegetable chopping.

It’s also a great dinner if you have a vegetarian eating at your table and can also suit vegans, as long as you substitute vegan parmesan into the recipe.

And I know this is technically a summer dish, but I can tell you there were still enough veggies hanging around at my local grocery store to accomplish this one, and as a hearty, warm meal, it suits these early fall days perfectly.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe from Bianca Zapatka. You can find it on her blog at https://biancazapatka.com/en/best-ratatouille-recipe/. I mostly used a video by the blog “One Dollar Kitchen” you can find on Pinterest. I added extra garlic in my version and replaced fresh herbs with dried.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a vegetarian dish with lots of color, deep flavors and makes for a hearty meal or side dish.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine French

Keyword basil, bell pepper, crushed tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, parmesan, rosemary, thyme, vegan, vegetarian, yellow onion, yellow squash

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 yellow onion diced
1 red pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
6-8 cloves garlic minced
28 ounce crushed tomatoes
4 teaspoons dried basil
1 small eggplant sliced
2 small yellow squash sliced
2 small zucchini sliced
6 roma tomatoes sliced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and saute until they’re soft. Add the garlic and saute until it’s fragrant.
Add in the crushed tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper, and cook for a couple minutes.
Arrange the eggplant, squash, zucchini and tomatoes in a spiral in the skillet, starting around the outside edge and working your way in. (Stand the slices up on their ends, rather than laying them flat, and arrange them tightly.)
Mix the remaining olive oil with the rosemary and thyme in a small bowl, and spoon or brush the mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the vegetables. Top with more salt and pepper.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.
Serve alone, with pasta or as a side dish and sprinkle servings with grated parmesan.

This has great depth of flavor, and we had an absolute ton of leftovers after making this for just two of us, so I would caution you to plan accordingly.

And after you make ratatouille at home, you can officially say you’ve practiced your French cooking. You don’t have to tell anyone its origins. After all, considering the prices nowadays of lobster, oysters or caviar, I think it’s safe to say things can change.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 14, 2021.

Tags basil, eggplant, French, garlic, olive oil, parmesan, red bell pepper, Roma tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, vegan, vegetarian, yellow bell pepper, yellow onion, yellow squash, zucchini

Main Dish

This Greek pasta dish ‘itsio’ good, you have to try it

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 9, 2021

Pastitsio is a pasta dish that incorporates two different kinds of meat in a tomato sauce with warm spices and a delicious bechamel sauce on top.

It’s not often I can stump Joey with a recipe.

He’s the king of the spice cabinet and my go to when I know a recipe needs “something,” but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

So when I managed to completely confuse him this week, I was a little proud of myself. Well, I was actually proud of TV chef Ina Garten, but who’s counting?

The dish I put in front of my husband? A delicious, tomato-y pasta. The secret ingredient? Cinnamon.

Now, I know that sounds insane, but trust me when I say it gave this dish a deep, fall-like flavor profile that made it tough not to want seconds, and it is definitely worth a try, although I will warn you this is not a quick recipe. Be ready to have a couple hours to blow on creating this amazing dish.

While this week’s recipe is Garten’s creation, I found it on the blog “Vodka and Biscuits.” You can find the original post at http://www.vodkaandbiscuits.com/2016/10/07/ina-gartens-pastitsio/. I added extra garlic, oregano and thyme and used pork in my version.

Pastitsio

Pastitsio is a pasta dish that incorporates two different kinds of meat in a tomato sauce with warm spices and a delicious bechamel sauce on top.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Keyword cinnamon, dry red wine, garlic, ground beef, ground pork, oregano, parmesan, thyme, tomatoes, yellow onion

Ingredients

Meat Sauce Ingredients

1 large yellow onion diced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound pork
1/2 cup dry red wine I used pinot noir
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
28- ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper

Bechamel Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk I used skim
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan divided
5.3- ounce container plain fat-free Greek yogurt
3/4 pound tubular pasta I used penne

Instructions

In a large pot or deep skillet, cook the onion, ground beef and pork (crumbling the meat as you go) until the meat is cooked through and the onions are soft. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
Stir in the wine and saute until it is absorbed into the mixture. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and cayenne and saute another two minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly and squishing the tomatoes so that they break down into a sauce.
After the sauce has been simmering around 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the bechamel, start by melting the butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Once it is melted, stir in the flour and cook for about two minutes. Whisk in the milk and continue stirring constantly, raising the heat to bring the mixture to a low simmer (just below boiling).
Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of the grated parmesan. Once the cheese melts, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt.
While your bechamel comes together, boil your pasta according to package directions to al dente. After draining, mix it into the tomato sauce.
Now it’s time for assembly. In a deep nine-by-13-inch pan, spread the tomato/pasta mixture evenly. Drizzle the bechamel over the top, and then finish off with the rest of the grated parmesan. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is browned and the mixture is bubbly.
Serve with some crusty bread.

This does take quite awhile to come together, but it makes plenty for a big family meal, and it got rave reviews at our table. It also reheated great for leftovers.

It may have a few surprising ingredients, but it was still a home run for dinner at our house.

Plus, if you have a spices expert, it might be fun to play your own version of “stump the chump.” Even if they lose, they’ll still win with a great meal.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 9, 2021.

Tags casserole, cinnamon, dry red wine, garlic, Greek, ground beef, ground pork, oregano, parmesan, pasta, thyme, tomatoes, yellow onion

Main Dish

A one-pot meal won’t take up ‘mushroom’ in the kitchen

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date June 3, 2021

This one-pot recipe for creamy mushroom pasta is a great dinner for the whole family.

Joey and I have completely different styles when it comes to cooking.

I’m a measurements person. He’s an “add it until it tastes right” person.

I subscribe to the “clean as you go” philosophy. He waits until the meal is over.

I search cookbooks and online for ingredients that meld well. He goes with his gut.

So, it was a little out of character for me when he walked into the kitchen to me scrutinizing a video on my phone while furiously scribbling down notes.

I watched a video of a person with the online handle of “Everything Delish” make what appeared to be an amazing creamy mushroom pasta, but after a long search, I realized that if I wanted to recreate the recipe, I was going to have to figure it out for myself.

I found her through her Pinterest page, if you’re interested in watching the video as well, and she has a website at everything-delish.com, although I couldn’t find this particular recipe on it. So, for the most part, the following is my interpretation.

One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta

This one-pot recipe for creamy mushroom pasta is a great dinner for the whole family.

Course Main Course

Keyword chicken, creamy, garlic, linguine, mushrooms, parmesan-reggiano, pasta, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken breasts cut into two-inch cubes
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
16 ounces mushrooms sliced (I used baby bellas)
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk or cream
12 ounces linguine pasta dry
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup parmesan-reggiano cheese grated
6 ounces parmesan shredded
2 cups fresh spinach leaves

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large pan with a lid over medium heat.
Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Don’t worry about cooking it all the way through. Add in the garlic, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, basil, onion powder, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes, letting the garlic brown slightly.
Add in the chicken broth and milk. Raise the heat to a low boil.
Add in the dry pasta. Stir to incorporate it. A bit, then lower the heat to a simmer and place the lid on the pan. Let the pasta cook for about eight minutes or until it is al dente.
Remove the lid and stir. Stir in the flour, then add the cheeses and continue stirring regularly for five to 10 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom to keep the cheese from sticking. Once the sauce reduces into a thicker, creamier consistency, stir in the fresh spinach. Let the pasta continue to heat through until the spinach is wilted, and serve.

This was so, so good. I was really nervous at first that the sauce wasn’t going to thicken, but after being patient, it finally got to a great consistency.

It also reheated really well out of the fridge, and Joey and I got several meals out of it.

When Joey figured out I was winging a recipe, he seemed a bit proud of me. I think maybe after a decade of marriage, he might finally be rubbing off on me.

Except for the whole kitchen cleaning thing. I’m not quite there yet.

This piece first appeared in print on June 3, 2021.

Tags creamy, fresh spinach, garlic, linguine, mushrooms, one-pot meal, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes

Main Dish Side Dish

Huge casserole will make you say, ‘Cheese, Louise!’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date April 22, 2021

This over-the-top version of macaroni and cheese makes a huge amount of the creamy, decadent dish.

As the extremely proud aunt of a fantastic three-year-old, I have been around for quite a few meals of macaroni and cheese the past several years.

I definitely can’t argue with her taste in good food. Joey makes fun of me for ordering mac and cheese regularly, and while my niece’s dish of choice is generally a cup of the single-serving microwaveable kind, I tend to opt for a more grown up version.

After I recently saw a recipe online for a batch that claimed to be the “world’s best” and featured three types of cheese, I decided to forgo any boxes of Kraft and try my own version from scratch.

I will warn you, before we even launch into this, that this makes an absolutely huge dish of macaroni and cheese. I would highly recommend halving or even quartering the recipe if you aren’t feeding a crowd or don’t want a lot of leftovers.

The recipe I used comes from the blog “Mom on Timeout.” You can find the original post at https://www.momontimeout.com/best-homemade-baked-mac-and-cheese-recipe/. I ended up adding extra pasta to my version, because it was way too soupy for my tastes. I also added garlic powder and extra paprika.

Over-the-Top Macaroni and Cheese

This over-the-top version of macaroni and cheese makes a huge amount of the creamy, decadent dish.

Course Main Course

Keyword garlic, gruyere, macaroni, panko, parmesan, sharp cheddar cheese

Ingredients

24 ounces elbow macaroni cooked al dente
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups sharp cheddar shredded
2 cups gruyere shredded
1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
4 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup parmesan shredded
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a three- or four-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
While the pasta cooks, combine the shredded cheddar and Gruyere in a large bowl and set it aside.
When the pasta is finished and drained, add it to another bowl and drizzle it with the olive oil and mix to combine. Set it aside.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt six tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and continue to stir for one minute. Whisk in the milk and heavy cream until the mixture is smooth. Continue stirring regularly until small bubbles start to form on the surface. Whisk in the salt, pepper and garlic powder and continue cooking, stirring regularly, for about two more minutes. Reserve two cups of the combined cheddar and gruyere, and add the rest to the pot, a handful at a time, whisking in between additions until the sauce is smooth. Once all of the cheese is melted into the sauce, add the pasta. Stir to fully coat the pasta and dump half of it into the prepared baking dish.
Add the rest of the cheddar and gruyere in an even layer and then top with the rest of the macaroni mixture.
In a bowl, combine the panko, parmesan, four tablespoons melted butter and paprika, and stir until all of the bread crumbs are moistened.
Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on the top of the dish and bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is browned and the cheese is bubbling.

This was so rich and really delicious, and while gruyere is not a cheap cheese to buy, it really did add some complex flavors I wouldn’t have been able to get with just the sharp cheddar.

Two things I would add as tips are, first, you might want to bake this on a baking sheet in case it spills over. My baking dish was just over three quarts in size, and I could barely fit the entire batch into it.

Second, if you want the best results, shred the cheddar and gruyere yourself. Pre-packaged shredded cheese often doesn’t melt as easily because of additives put in to keep it from clumping together.

I was amazed at the size of this batch of macaroni and cheese by the time I was done. I ended up giving away quite a few helpings so that it would all get eaten.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to enjoy this one with my niece. We’ll have to have a mac and cheese date sometime soon; although, I suspect that my use of “fancy” cheese won’t impress her too much and with her three-year-old appetite, we’re bound to have a lot of leftovers.

This piece first appeared in print on April 22, 2021.

Tags garlic, gruyere, macaroni, panko, paprika, parmesan, sharp cheddar cheese

Main Dish

Spring is time to come out of your shell

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date April 1, 2021

Chicken Alfredo stuffed shells can be made easily with a rotisserie chicken and jarred Alfredo sauce.

With the weather finally warming up, it’s about the time of year when you begin meeting yourself coming and going, it seems.

There are so many activities outdoors, and staying inside after the harsh winter on top of a pandemic makes me want to spend every moment I can out in the yard or taking a walk instead of standing in front of the stove. If you’re a fan of a kiddo involved in spring sports, your life is about to get pretty busy, too.

This week’s recipe pays homage to that. You can make it as complicated or as easy as you like.

If you’re in a hurry, I’d definitely recommend using jarred sauce, shredding up an already-cooked rotisserie chicken and maybe even skipping the pasta shells and cooking some lasagna noodles to layer in there instead.

Regardless of how much time you spend, though, this dinner is a really yummy one.

I found this on the Julie Evink’s blog, “Julie’s Eats and Treats.” You can find her original post at https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/chicken-alfredo-stuffed-shells/.

Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Chicken Alfredo stuffed shells can be made easily with a rotisserie chicken and jarred Alfredo sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Alfredo sauce, basil, chicken, garlic, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, stuffed shells

Ingredients

30 large pasta shells cooked according to package directions
1 pound chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella divided
1 cup shredded parmesan divided
1 egg beaten
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh Italian parsley optional
15 ounces garlic Alfredo sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
While the shells are boiling, combine cottage cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella, 3/4 cup parmesan, egg, garlic, oregano, basil and salt and pepper, stirring well. (If using the fresh parsley, dice up 1/4 to 1/2 cup and add it in, too.) Add in the chicken and stir until everything is well mixed.
In the prepared dish, add about one cup of the Alfredo sauce to the bottom.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the drained, prepared shells and place them, crowded tightly but in a single layer, in the dish.
Evenly distribute the remaining Alfredo sauce over the shells, along with the reserved cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and the dish is heated through.
Serve garnished with more parsley, if using.

This is a great casserole to create ahead of time and slip into the freezer or fridge to bake later. While you’re busy cooking one, why not go ahead and assemble a second one, too?

I often love cooking from scratch and taking some time preparing food, but when the birds are chirping and the temperature is rising, sometimes it’s OK to just go easy on yourself.

Grab a plate, go eat outside, and enjoy the arrival of April.

This piece first appeared in print April 1, 2021.

Tags Alfredo sauce, basil, chicken, freezer meal, garlic, Italian, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, stuffed shells

Main Dish

A gift of casserole is not easy to ‘spaghett’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 18, 2021

Baked spaghetti is an easy-to-assemble casserole that can be baked right away or frozen for a future meal.

Whenever a friend or family member is under the weather or hurt or grieving, one of my first inclinations is to try to feed them.

An article from 2016 by Adam McDaniel lays out the reasons human beings love to share food—part of it being sharing culture and part of being sociology.

“Food has a knack for bringing people together, forging bonds and creating conversation,” he wrote.

Sharing food is a way for us to help understand one another, and in the case of a sick or injured friend, I would argue that it’s one of the few ways I feel like I can nurture someone—since I’ve decided to forgo getting a medical degree.

That desire to care for someone is the reason this week’s recipe is absolutely perfect. It’s not only an easy weeknight dinner that is a true crowd pleaser, but it’s easy to toss in the freezer to enjoy later—making it a great gift when someone might need an extra meal at their house.

This comes from the blog “The Cozy Cook.” You can find the original post at https://thecozycook.com/baked-spaghetti/. I changed up some of the amounts of ingredients and the herbs and spices in my version.

Baked Spaghetti

Baked spaghetti is an easy-to-assemble casserole that can be baked right away or frozen for a future meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, bell pepper, casserole, cream cheese, freezer meal, garlic, green onion, ground beef, ground sausage, marinara sauce, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, parsley, ricotta, spaghetti

Ingredients

16 ounces spaghetti
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground sausage
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 medium green bell pepper diced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
32 ounces marinara sauce
8 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (If you’re baking this right away. It can also be prepared for the fridge or freezer.). Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
In a large skillet, brown the hamburger and sausage over medium heat until cooked through, crumbling as you cook. Drain any excess fat.
Add in the onion, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper, and saute until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the garlic and saute for about one more minute.
Add the marinara sauce, ricotta, parmesan and cream cheese. Reduce the heat to low, and stir constantly until the cheese is melted and all of the ingredients are well-combined.
Add the cooked, drained pasta and stir to coat all of the pasta with the sauce.
Add half of the pasta to the prepared dish, and top it with half of the mozzarella. Add the other half of the pasta, and finish with the rest of the mozzarella.
If refrigerating or freezing, cover the dish with a double layer of aluminum foil. If not, bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown around the edges. Let the casserole sit for about five minutes before digging in.
If you’re baking it later, let it thaw in the refrigerator, and then bake for 25 to 30 minutes covered and then uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown around the edges.

This was cheesy and warm and very simple—everything I look for in a quick weeknight meal. In my case, I made a double batch, baking one for Joey and I that night and assembling another to deliver to someone I thought could use a night off from cooking.

If you decide to follow suit, I highly recommend using a large stock pot to cook in. I ended up having some trouble with fitting all the ingredients in my large skillet.

And even if you don’t have someone to deliver this to, you might make a double batch and freeze one for yourself for a future evening that you need a night off.

Sometimes a gift to yourself can be just as comforting.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 18, 2021.

Tags basil, casserole, cream cheese, freezer meal, garlic, green bell pepper, ground beef, ground sausage, marinara, mozzarella, onion, oregano, parmesan, parsley, ricotta, spaghetti