Pasta. Sauce. Sausage. Baked. Four of my favorite words. This is my take on a recipe from The Recipe Critic. Manicotti is typically meatless, but I had a pound of Italian sausage and thought why not?! Enjoy some baked comfort food!
Ingredients
10 manicotti
1 lb ground Italian sausage (optional)
16 ounce ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup spinach, chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 large egg
1 jar (16 oz) marinara sauce
fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, brown the Italian sausage until thoroughly cooked. Drain grease and add marinara sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Cook the manicotti according to package directions and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine ricotta, one cup of mozzarella cheese, parmesan, spinach (optional), Italian seasoning, and egg.
In a 9×13″ pan, add 1 cup of marinara sauce and sausage mixture to the bottom of the pan.
Stuff the shells with the cheese mixture. Piping bags work great to fill the shells if you have them on hand, but if you don’t, I find that placing the filling in a large Ziploc bag and snipping a small corner of the bag works great to fill the shells. Line the bottom of the pan with the manicotti in an even layer over the sauce mixture. Cover with remaining sauce and cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired.
It’s fall and the cool weather and busy schedules have me pulling out all of the favorite slow cooker recipes. This one checks all the boxes: full of flavor, total meal in one pot, set and forget. This recipe is adapted from a Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes recipe from Wishes and Dishes.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs (I use frozen when I’m in a pinch sometimes and this recipe still turns out great!)
1 small bag petite red potatoes, whole
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut
3 ribs of celery, cut into pieces
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 (1 oz.) packet dry ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp butter
fresh thyme, for garnish
Directions
Spray a 6-7 quart crock pot/slow cooker with non-stick spray OR use a plastic liner.
Place cut vegetables and potatoes in the bottom of crockpot. Layer chicken on top of the vegetables.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cream of chicken and mushroom soups, dry ranch dressing mix, heavy whipping cream, and milk. Pour this mixture evenly over the chicken. Place butter on top.
Cover crock pot and cook on HIGH heat for about 4-5 hours OR on LOW heat for 7-8. All crock pots cook at different rates so be sure the chicken is cooked through.
I had a bunch of eggplant left after making ratatouille for the first time and thought what better dinner to make than eggplant parmesan? So here is a great eggplant parmesan recipe from Love & Lemons. The baked eggplant is so good right of the oven some of it didn’t even make it into the baking dish. I just might have to make some for a snack sometime without sauce and cheese!
Ingredients
2 large eggplant, cut into ¼-inch thick rounds
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp sea salt, more for sprinkling
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
28 ounces Marinara Sauce (I prefer tomato basil, but any variety will do)
2 large balls fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium-sized shallow dish, whisk the eggs and milk.
In another medium-sized shallow dish, combine the panko, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture and then into the panko mixture. Place onto the baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 18 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
In an 8×12 or 9×13-inch baking dish, spread ½ cup marinara, layer half the eggplant, and top with 1 cup of marinara and half the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, the remaining marinara, and the remaining mozzarella. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a few more pinches of sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 2 to 4 or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
Well, you’ve seen the movie, so now it’s time to make the dish. I wasn’t too sure about this one, but decided it was time to finally attempt this one. I’m SO glad I did! I found this recipe from Tasty. I went with this recipe because of the rave reviews and it did not disappoint! Find yourself a little rat chef to place under your hat, chop up these awesome vegetables, and get cooking!
Ingredients
Vegetables
2 eggplants
6 roma tomatoes
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
Herb Seasoning
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp fresh thyme
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚F.
Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch (1-mm) rounds, then set aside.
Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.
Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, (for example, eggplant, tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Serve while hot as a main dish or side. The ratatouille is also excellent the next day–cover with foil and reheat in a 350˚F oven for 15 minutes, or simply microwave to desired temperature.
Another top recipe straight from the mind of my brilliant should-have-been-a-chef friend. Seriously, girl, quit your day job and don your apron! Again, this girl COOKS, so this recipe isn’t the quick, throw it in and forget it weeknight meals I typically use, but if you’re hungry for the most amazing chicken soup with rice of your life, this one’s worth the work you put in!
Ingredients
Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice (with packet)
shredded rotisserie chicken or diced chicken breast
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic, more or less to taste
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 stick of butter, divided
1 32 oz carton of chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp chicken bullion powder or 2 bullion cubes
1/2 cup all purpose flour, as needed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp lemon zest (or lemon pepper)
Directions
Saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in 2-3 Tbsp of butter in large pot or dutch oven on medium-high until soft and fragrant.
Add chicken stock and 2 cups of water to skillet. Add seasonings and bay leaves and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium or medium low to simmer.
While simmering, cook Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice according to package directions and set aside.
Once rice is nearly finished, make a roux in a small pot with the remaining butter, flour, milk, and cream. Melt the butter slowly on medium, then slowly add the dairy products. Slowly mix flour into the melted butter, cream, and milk, and allow to thicken.
Add thickened roux to simmering soup pot and stir well until combined. If your roux creates lumps in the simmering soup, stir well until lumps dissolve.
Add cooked rice and chicken to the simmering pot until everything is well combined.
Remove bay leaves and add lemon zest or lemon pepper.
While we’re pumpkining all the things (yes, I just created a new word and made pumpkin a verb simultaneously… just roll with it), let’s throw in some amazing Crumbl cookies without the million dollar markup and insane lines. I adapted this recipe from Cooking with Karli. I modified the recipe a bit to make the dough a little thicker so they wouldn’t spread so much and added suggestions if you don’t want gigantic Crumbl-sized cookies. But, who DOESN’T want a giant Crumbl-sized cookie, really?
Ingredients
3/4 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
Use a wooden spoon to add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Mix all ingredients until well combined. The batter will have a thin consistency, don’t be alarmed!
Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed through the batter.
Refrigerate the batter for approximately 10-15 minutes. This will thicken the batter and create cookies that spread a little less and will puff up nicely.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon slightly less than 1/2 cup of cookie dough onto the sheet. Place only 6 spoonfuls of dough per sheet, as these cookies tend to spread. **Note**: If you prefer smaller cookies, use less dough per spoonful and adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-17 minutes. Cookies should bounce back when tapped in the center.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring to a place or container.
Serve warm or store in air tight container, although, I’m sure there won’t be any left to store for later! Enjoy!
Anything with a crust just seems daunting to me, so I avoid it at all cost for some reason. This recipe uses puff pastry, so it’s a win-win in my book. My very talented friend came up with this recipe and IT ROCKS! This entire skillet full of chicken pot pie was gone in one evening. I suggest using a 12″ or larger cast iron skillet so the ingredients don’t bubble over while baking in the oven. Don’t have a large cast iron skillet? No problem! Use a regular large skillet and transfer into a baking pan to bake.
I’m not going to lie… this recipe is pretty involved, so it’s not my typical easy weeknight meal. However, it’s worth the effort-trust me! Enjoy the comfort food goodness, all!
Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (I used diced, baked chicken breast this time since I had some on hand-either work great!)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp fresh thyme plus extra sprigs for garnish
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley (dried is also great if you don’t have fresh on hand!)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 puff pastry sheets, thawed and cut into rectangles
1 egg, lightly beaten
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat oil over medium high heat in a large (12″ or larger) cast iron skillet (if you don’t have a large cast iron skillet, you can use a normal skillet and transfer contents to a pie or baking pan for baking later). Add shallots, garlic, carrots, and celery and saute about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften and brown slightly. Season with a pinch of coarse salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the vegetables and place on a plate and cover to keep warm for later.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Once it’s foaming, add the flour and whisk until it’s smooth and becomes a golden brown color, about 30 seconds to one minute. Add fresh thyme and let bubble another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt and gently pour in the chicken stock, whisking as it becomes a smooth sauce.
Once all stock has been added to the skillet, pour in the heavy cream and whisk another 30 seconds. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer and gently bubble for ten minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Allow to simmer about 10 minutes to thicken.
While simmering, cut puff pastry into rectangle strips to use later.
After about ten minutes of simmering, place the vegetables back into the pan along with shredded chicken, frozen peas and corn, carrots, and fresh parsley. Stir until everything is well covered in sauce.
Arrange the puff pastry shapes on top of the pot pie, overlapping in places. Be sure to have some gaps to avoid contents overflowing out the sides. Brush the tops of the puff pastry with a very thin layer of the beaten egg. Bake 30-40 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown and lightly puffed.
Let rest about 10 minutes before serving. Add a sprig of fresh thyme for garnish. Enjoy!
I had old bananas and started right in on my usual banana bread recipe and realized I had no apple sauce left. I always hate using oil because it just doesn’t taste the same or have the same texture. I opened the pantry and BINGO! Pumpkin! Since it’s fall, pumpkin all the things! In the words of Plato:
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
— Plato
Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup mashed bananas (usually about three bananas)
3/4 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream together the eggs, pumpkin, and sugar and beat well.
Add flour, salt, nutmeg, baking powder, and soda which have been sifted together. Stir well.
Add the crushed bananas and nuts and stir in well.
Add the batter to a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with flour. Bake for 1 hour. Remove loaf from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
You can count me in on any recipe containing sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. This recipe is also GREAT with mushrooms if you happen to be a fan of the fungus! This pan fried chicken and sauce is excellent over pasta, with smashed red potatoes, or rice.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
4 small chicken breast fillets
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp garlic salt
1/3 cup and 1/2 cup chicken stock, divided
fresh baby spinach (as desired)
fresh basil leaves, torn (as desired)
pasta, smashed potatoes, rice, or other desired side for serving
Directions
Heat oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over high heat until butter is brown and foamy. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken fillets to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook the chicken approximately 5 minutes on each side until completely cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring continually for 1 minute or until garlic is aromatic. Add sun-dried tomatoes and stir to coat well. Add 1/3 cup of chicken stock and cook for 1 minute until reduced.
Add cream remaining 1/2 cup of stock, and garlic powder to the skillet and stir. Place the chicken back into the skillet for 5 minutes or until the liquid is slightly reduced. Stir in the spinach until just wilted. Season additionally if desired. Add basil leaves and serve with desired side.
Most of my recipes lately start with two questions: “What leftovers do we have?” and “How can I put all of this together and it not taste horrible?”. This is one of them. I had leftover diced chicken and whole wheat pasta. I was tired of plain pasta and sauce, so pasta salad sounded like a viable option. I had leftover Caesar dressing after making the pasta salad and this recipe is great with croutons or romaine lettuce to add a little crunch! The best part is if you don’t happen to have some of these ingredients, there is a substitute that you’ll likely have on hand.
Ingredients
Dressing:
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fish sauce (if you don’t have any fish sauce on hand, you can substitute 1 tsp anchovy paste or 1 tsp soy sauce)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta Salad:
8 oz pasta, cooked according to package directions and cooled
shredded rotisserie chicken or cubed chicken breast
hearts of Romaine, chopped (or any other salad greens)
croutons (optional)
shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Directions
Mix all dressing ingredients together until well combined.
Combine chicken and cooked pasta. Add small amounts of dressing and stir well until all pasta salad ingredients are well covered by dressing.
Serve over greens, with croutons, or tossed with chopped hearts of Romaine.
The Engineered Mama 