 When Cooking Light magazine publishes a recipe for a vegetable skillet lasagna - I feel compelled to try it. I love lasagna - I'm obsessed with vegetables and EVERYONE loves dinners that you can make in a single pan. I made a few modifications to the original recipe but I definitely have to give a shout out to Cooking Light for the inspiration behind this amazing meal.  I'm not sure that I would give this meal "guilt free eating" status but I do love the 21 grams of protein in this lasagna. I also love the nutritional boost and from all the vegetables. Just in case your curious ... this is the nutritional information on this recipe. Calories 384 Fiber 7g Fat 15g Sugars 5 g Satfat 5g Added Sugars 0g Unsatfat 9g Sodium 548 mg Protein 21g Calcium 39% DV Carbohydrate 44g Potassium 17% DV  Skillet Vegetable Lasagna 2 Tablespoons oil 1 zucchini, cut into 1/4" thick slices 1 1/2 cups onion, thinly sliced 8 ounces sliced mushrooms 4 cups baby spinach 3 cloves garlic, minced 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 4 1/2 no boil lasagna noodles 1 cup mozzarella cheese 1 cup ricotta cheese
Cover and simmer 20 minutes.  Sprinkle mozzarella over lasagna and broil until lightly browned.   You probably noticed from the pictures that I didn't follow my own recipe exactly. I didn't have a can on crushed tomatoes on hand but I did have an opened jar of marinara that I had to use up soooo I decided to substitute. I poured the marinara over the zucchini and then I opened a can of diced tomatoes to pour over the noodles. I really should have drained my tomatoes though because it added a little too much liquid to my lasagna. I ended up simmering it - with the lid OFF - for an additional 15 minutes to get some of the liquid to evaporate.
I would say that this recipe was a success. Ben had 3 helpings!!! In the world of me - that is a big compliment. This one is definitely going to be on our short list of quick and easy dinners. I'll just have to keep a can of crushed tomatoes on hand! Ciao!
0 Comments
 I felt like I was channelling my mom last week when I made this Turkey Barley Soup recipe. My mom is the MASTER of using every ingredient to it's fullest. She doesn't waste ANYTHING in the kitchen. We actually tease her quite a bit about her extreme resourcefulness but the truth is - she can squeeze more meals out of one bag of groceries than anyone I know. I think we would all be better off if we took a lesson from mom and reduced the amount of waste coming out of our kitchens. Since Thanksgiving is around the corner, consider making a batch of homemade turkey stock instead of just tossing that turkey carsass into the garbage after dinner. I know that it takes more time to make stock from scratch but it's easy to make, it tastes better and in my opinion - it's better for you than store bought turkey stock. Not to mention the fact that it's cheaper than buying it in the grocery store and it's reusing something that I would otherwise toss into the trash.
I love that this Turkey Barley Soup is truly homemade - none of the ingredients came from a box or a can. I used the leftover turkey and carcass from the Apple Cider Turkey that I made last week to make this yummy soup. I also love the barley but if you're not a fan - swap it out for noodles or rice.  Turkey Stock carcass from 12-14 pound turkey 10 cups water Soup 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme pinch of red pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 cups turkey stock 3/4 cup pearled barley 1 bay leaf 2 celery rib, cut into 1/4" pieces 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces 2 cups shredded turkey 1 Tablespoon lemon juice salt and pepper To make turkey stock, place turkey carcass in dutch oven. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 4-5 hours. Pour stock through strainer to remove bones.
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. 
 Inevitably, at some point this winter, we will all end up with a cold or a cough - or both - and this soup is going to be my go-to meal. I still believe that homemade turkey soup is the best medicine. My mom gave it to me when I was a kid and I still feed it to my family when they're feeling under the weather.
Thanks mom for sharing your love of cooking and for the endless bowls of homemade soup. Love you. Ciao!  Maybe it's because of the fact that I was driving around using the air conditioner earlier this week but the 40 degree reading on the thermostat this morning felt EXTRA cold. I really don't mind the cold weather - fuzzy scarves, cozy sweaters, hot chocolate, big bowls of soup - all things that I like to enjoy when the temperatures drop. Last we warmed up over giant bowls of Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. It definitely hit the spot on a cold November evening.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup 5 slices bacon 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup thinly sliced carrot 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery 8 ounces sliced mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups chicken broth 1 cup water 4 cups spinach 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 6 ounces shredded rotisserie chicken breast 1 cup wild rice, cooked 1 cup half and half 1/3 cup flour
Ladle into bowls and top with bacon. 
Starting with a rotisserie chicken really makes this soup come together quickly. I was a little skeptical of adding the spinach but even the green-phobic eater in the house ate it up. This really was a tasty soup and thank goodness we have plenty leftover to reheat for lunch today. Stay warm friends.
Ciao!  What's a Fall loving girl to do when temperatures spike into the 90s in the middle of October? Turn down the air conditioner, make some hearty soup and pretend like it's cool outside. That's what.  I love soup weather but I'm not about wait any longer for the thermostat to cooperate. I've launched into full blown Fall soup mode - despite the ridiculously warm temperatures. This Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup is a great way kick off my Fall soup season. It's warm and hearty and delicious.  Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup 1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces chicken thighs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 onion, diced 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 2 stalks celery, diced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 4 cups chicken stock 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/2 cup half and half 1 sprig rosemary
Garnish with rosemary and parsley.  Serve with toasted whole grain bread or crackers.   In case you're wondering what happened to the half and half that was listed in the ingredients but not in the recipe - I left it out for the pictures. I did actually add a little to the soup AFTER the pictures however. The choice is yours really - enjoy the soup without the half and half or stir some in at the last minute for a creamier version of the delicious soup. As for me, I thought the soup was plenty flavorful without the extra fat and calories but I wanted to taste it both ways. It was super tasty with the added half and half too. Try it both ways and decide for yourself.
Ciao!  To all my Atlanta followers: I am officially inviting you to join me in pretending that it's winter while sweating over steaming hot bowls of soup. I collected a bunch of new soup recipes that I wanted to try out this winter and since we didn't exactly have much "soup" weather this winter, I still have all of these unused soup recipes sitting on my kitchen counter. Now that it's March, I feel like I better get a couple of these soups made - before the temperatures get even warmer. This Chicken Tortellini soup really was delicious. And even though I prefer to eat my hot soup while sitting in front of a roaring fire, I liked this soup a lot. The tricolored pasta and yellow bell peppers really make this soup look more like a "Spring" soup anyway.  Chicken Tortellini Soup 1 tablespoon Olive Oil 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped 2 cups sliced carrots 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (2 large breasts) 8 cups chicken broth 8.8 ounce package Cheese Tortellini 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper Salt and pepper
Stir in cream and parsley. Season as necessary.  Maybe it's a good thing that I didn't get this soup made this winter because it is the perfect way to welcome in an early Spring. I loved this yummy, hearty meal.
 I stored the leftover soup in the refrigerator for a couple of days and I was afraid that the tortellini would get too swollen and soggy but happily - I was wrong. We enjoyed this soup for several meals and eat time I warmed it - it seemed to get even better.
This was a super easy soup to put together and everyone in my family liked it. I think you will too. Ciao! |
