Tag: easy

Soup, Stew, Chili

Italian Sausage and Spinach Tortellini Soup

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This soup is the perfect way to warm your family up on a cold, busy night. You only need 5 ingredients, one pot, and less than 30 minutes. It was so good, we fought over the leftovers!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
  • 23 to 25 oz Jar of Marinara Sauce (make sure it’s a good quality sauce that you love!)
  • 32 oz Chicken Broth
  • 2 Cups Water
  • 20 oz fresh Cheese Tortellini  (frozen would work too!)
  • 3 to 4 Cups Fresh Spinach

Directions:

In a large soup pot, brown the sausage over medium heat. Cook until browned, then drain grease if needed.

Add the marinara sauce, the broth, and water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Carefully add the tortellini and turn the heat down to medium. Simmer 7 to 10 minutes, until the tortellini is tender. Add the spinach and stir just until the spinach starts to wilt.

Main Dish

Simple Pork Tenderloin

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This pork tenderloin is a staple at our house! It’s so simple (this is more of a method than a recipe, I guess), and can be used in a variety of ways. The kids love to dip it in BBQ sauce. It’s great over a salad, or you can slice it up and add to any sort of stir-fry or pasta dish. The leftovers make great sandwiches too!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon Oil
  • Pork Tenderloin
  • Salt & Pepper
  • BBQ sauce for serving (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large oven safe skillet, heat the oil until it’s rippling hot. Add the pork tenderloin and season with salt and pepper. Cook several minutes, flipping until browned on each side.

Carefully transfer the skillet into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pork sit a few minutes before slicing.

Instant Pot

Instant Pot Beef, Cabbage, and Rice

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This Instant Pot recipe is super easy! Just brown the meat, throw everything else in the pot, and set the timer for 5 minutes! It took about 35-40 minutes total (including prep time, coming to pressure, and releasing pressure). The best part- only one pot to wash! Woo hoo!

This is my version of the Ground Beef & Rice Shawarma recipe from Two Sleevers. I’ve never had Shawarma, (actually, I’d never even heard of it until it was mentioned in the Avengers movie), so I can’t compare it to a traditional shawarma recipe, but my whole family enjoyed it! If you don’t think you’d like the spices, change them up! I think this would be great with more of a stir-fry flavor too! Maybe instead of the spices listed below, just use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and then serve with soy sauce! I think I’ll try that combo next time!

Instant Pot Beef, Cabbage, and Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1 cup diced onion (I used frozen onions to save time!)
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1.5 cups jasmine rice- rinsed
  • 1.5 cups broth
  • 16 oz bag of shredded coleslaw mix

Directions:

Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and turn it on high. When it’s hot, add the oil. Add the meat, and cook a few minutes, stirring and breaking it up with a spoon. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and spices. Stir well.

Add the rice, broth, and coleslaw. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.

Recipe Adapted from Two Sleevers Instant Pot Ground Beef Shawarma Rice. I used jasmine rice instead of basmati, increased the amount of cabbage, and changed the spices up a bit. 

Main Dish

Sausage Potato Sheet Pan Dinner

Whitney1 Comment

I love sheet pan dinners! They’re easy to throw together, plus clean up is a breeze! The amount of each ingredient it totally up to you, depending on how many people you are feeding! I make it a little different each time, depending on what I have available, and if I want to have leftovers for the next day, or not (yes, yes you do want leftovers…especially if it involves a fried egg on top!).

I love the Aidells Chicken Sausage because it has good ingredients, no nitrates, and no added hormones, but any kind of cooked sausage would be just fine!

Sausage Potato Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients:

  • Onion, roughly chopped
  • Bell Pepper (any color), roughly chopped
  • Potatoes (yukon gold, or red), chopped into 1 inch pieces (I leave the peel on!)
  • Oil
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Chicken Sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Place the onions, bell peppers, and potatoes on the sheet and drizzle with oil. Toss around with your hands. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are softened, stirring once during cooking.

When the potatoes are softened, add the chopped sausage and stick back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until the sausage is hot.

 

 

Instant Pot

Steel Cut Oats (Instant Pot)

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My kids are oatmeal fanatics! They’ll eat if for breakfast, packed up in a thermos for lunch, and occasionally even for dinner! We prefer the texture of steel cut oats over regular oats, but cooking them on the stove can be tedious…bring the water to a boil, add the oats, return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. With the Instant Pot  you can just dump everything in , set the timer, and go do something more productive with your time! We like our oats with a sprinkle of  cinnamon & chia seeds, a splash of milk, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and served with fresh fruit, or frozen berries. Or my favorite is with sliced bananas and a spoonful of natural peanut butter 😋.

This recipe can easily be doubled, or even tripled in the 5 qt Instant Pot- keep the cooking time the same (if you triple it, be extra careful when releasing pressure, because it may spatter a bit!)! Make a big batch and keep it in the fridge to have on hand through out the week!

Oatmeal in the Instant Pot

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
  • 3.5 Cups water

Directions:

Melt the butter in the Instant Pot insert, using the saute button. Add the oats and stir for 3 minutes. Add the water. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. After it’s done cooking, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.  Lit sit for 5 to 10 more minutes to thicken.

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slow cooker

Chicken Curry (Slow Cooker)

Whitney2 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with my slow cooker.  I love the idea of having dinner waiting for me when I get home, but I’m the worst at actually getting the slow cooker going in the morning before I leave for work. This Chicken Curry is so easy and requires minimal prep. To make it even easier, I like to go ahead and put everything, minus the chicken, in the slow cooker insert the night before, then stick it in the fridge. The next morning, all I have to do is take the insert out of the fridge and add the frozen chicken. We like to eat it with naan, rice, quinoa, or roasted cauliflower.

  Chicken Curry (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, frozen
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes- stewed (or diced work fine too!)
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Shred the chicken before serving.

 

Recipe slightly adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe