Jun
2025

Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars

categories: Bar Cookies, Desserts
3 Shares
Pin3
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Make 16 Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars in about 30 minutes! Packed with oats, coconut, nuts, brown sugar and marmalade, they’re DELICIOUS!
Make 16 Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars in about 30 minutes! Packed with oats, coconut, nuts, brown sugar and marmalade, they're DELICIOUS!

If you’re looking for a quick and easy to make treat, I hope you’ll take a look at this recipe for crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars. These dessert bars are an absolute CINCH to make and taste great!

If you can stir ingredients, pack them into a baking dish and bake them, then you can make this ridiculously SIMPLE recipe! The recipe can be easily doubled if you want or need to make more. Here’s how to make 16 crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars! 

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Ingredients

Before starting, preheat your oven to 400°F. These dessert bars come together really, really fast, so you want your oven ready to go to save yourself some time!

To make these dessert bars you will need old-fashioned oats, walnuts (or pecans), brown sugar, coconut, salt, butter, and orange marmalade. Measure all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

The ingredients for crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars are measured into a large mixing bowl.

Stir very well until all the ingredients are fully combined and the oats are fully coated. The mixture will be slightly crumbly and fairly sticky.

All ingredients are well-stirred until fully combined and coated.

Pack The Greased Baking Dish

Pour the oats mixture into a well-greased (or sprayed) 8″ by 8″ baking dish. Use your hands to FIRMLY press the oat mixture out to fully cover the bottom of the dish.

Continue pressing down on the entire surface, a little bit at a time, until the oat mixture is solid and packed down in the dish. Once that’s done, they’re ready to bake! (I told you it comes together FAST… ha ha).

The mixture for the oatmeal bars is poured into a greased baking dish.All of the oat mixture is pressed firmly down into the greased baking dish.

Time To Bake!

Bake the crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars at 400°F. for 18-22 minutes. When they’re done, the bars should be well-browned, and they should be firm to the touch.

I typically cook mine for the entire 22 minutes to ensure the best crispiness, but your time may vary, due to fluctuating oven temps.

Once baked the bar cookies are well-browned and very crispy on the outside.

Slice And Serve The Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars

Once they are finished baking, remove the baking dish from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Let the bars cool completely, then slice them into 16 portions (each about 2″ x 2″).

A pan of crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars sliced into 16 pieces.

To serve, transfer the crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars to a serving plate (or platter) and serve, at room temperature. The bars should be crunchy on the exterior and slightly chewy on the inside!

A stack of crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars on a white plate.

Store any leftover bars in an airtight, covered container on the counter. You can also freeze these dessert bars, if you want to save some of them for another time.

Holding one of the crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars over a white plate.

I hope you have the chance to make these dessert bars and trust you and those you love will really like them, too! They are so easy to make, taste great, and the recipe can easily be doubled.

Thank you for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.

Looking For More BAR COOKIE Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of bar cookie recipes you may want to check out, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source: unknown (found written on a 3″ x 5″ index card in an old recipe box)

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
22 mins
Total Time
32 mins
 

Make 16 Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars in about 30 minutes! Packed with oats, coconut, nuts, brown sugar and marmalade, they're DELICIOUS!

Category: Bar Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: All Cuisines
Keyword: crunchy oatmeal marmalade bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 176 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • ¾ cups chopped walnuts (or pecans)
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 6 Tablespoons orange marmalade
  • 6 Tablespoons butter melted
  • ½ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400℉. Grease or spray an 8" x 8" baking dish (bottom and sides). Note: If doubling the recipe use a 10" x 15" baking dish.

  2. Measure all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir very well until the ingredients are fully combined, slightly crumbly and sticky.

  3. Pour oat mixture into prepared baking dish. Use your fingers to FIRMLY press the oat mixture out to fully cover bottom of the dish. Continue pressing down on oats a little bit at a time, until firmly packed down in the dish.

  4. Bake at 400°F. for 18-22 minutes. When done, bars should be well-browned, crispy and firm to the touch. I typically cook mine the entire 22 minutes to ensure crispiness, but your time may vary, due to fluctuating oven temps.

  5. Remove baking dish from the oven; place on a wire rack to cool. Let the bars cool completely, then slice into 16 portions (each 2" x 2"). Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
Calories 176 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 11mg4%
Sodium 114mg5%
Potassium 90mg3%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 137IU3%
Vitamin C 0.5mg1%
Calcium 21mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make 16 Crunchy Oatmeal Marmalade Bars in about 30 minutes! Packed with oats, coconut, nuts, brown sugar and marmalade, they're DELICIOUS!


May
2025

Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls

categories: Breads
3 Shares
Pin3
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Make a dozen delicious Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls to serve with a favorite meal. Light, buttery and slightly sweet, they taste amazing!
Make a dozen delicious Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls to serve with a favorite meal. Light, buttery and slightly sweet, they taste amazing!

Several years ago, I found a delicious recipe for dinner rolls in a cookbook and want to share this recipe with you today. If you enjoy homemade yeast rolls and don’t mind a bit of prep while you wait for the dough to rise, etc., then I think you will LOVE oatmeal molasses dinner rolls!

These absolutely amazing rolls are so delicious and with their lightly sweet molasses flavor, they’re hard to describe. The first time I made them, my husband and I both said “WOW!” and were blown away by how decadent they are.

Yes… as anyone who works with yeast breads or rolls know, they do take a bit more prep due to the time necessary for the rising of the dough. All that said, I’m not kidding when I say these rolls are worth your time! I typically start the rolls early on the day we want to enjoy them with our dinner. Here’s how to make a dozen oatmeal molasses rolls.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Batter

Stir together active dry yeast, lukewarm water (110°F.) and a small pinch of brown sugar in a small bowl until combined. Set the bowl aside and let it rest until the mixture develops bubbles on top (about 5-10 minutes).

The bubbling on the surface indicates you have “good, active” yeast. If no bubbles form, the yeast is not working (too old, etc.), and you should discard and try again with new yeast!

Yeast mixture bubbling, indicating it is active and good to use.

Pour milk into a small saucepan and scald the milk. “Scalding” involves heating the milk on Medium-Low until you see it beginning to steam slightly and it starts bubbling around the edges. 

Do not let the scalded milk come to a boil, so remove it from the heat once it has been scalded. Pour the heated milk into a large bowl and immediately add slices or cubes of butter. Stir to combine and let the butter melt.

Milk is scalded in a small saucepan, with bubbles forming around the edges.Butter chunks melt in the hot, scalded milk.

Add Additional Dough Ingredients

Once the butter has fully melted, add the rest of the brown sugar, old-fashioned oats, molasses and salt. Stir these ingredients together and once fully combined, set the bowl aside. Let this mixture cool down until it is only lukewarm. 

When the mixture has cooled down to be only lukewarm, add a large egg and stir well, to combine. IMPORTANT: If you add the egg while the butter mixture is too hot, it might scramble the egg, so please don’t rush that step!

Once the egg has been mixed in, pour in the bubbling yeast mixture and stir it in until combined with the other ingredients. 

Brown sugar, oats, molasses and salt are added to the melted butter mixture in bowl.Yeast mixture is added to the melted butter mixture and stirred in until combined.

Add The Flour

Stir in most of the flour (2½ cups) until it has been fully combined with the liquid mixture. Mix until the dough for the oatmeal molasses rolls loses its sheen. If necessary, add up to ½ cup more flour, to reach this point.

Let the dough rest in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes, then turn the dough out into a large, greased or sprayed bowl (greased on bottom and sides). Turn the dough ball over so all sides are coated with the grease.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and put the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight, if necessary, because it won’t rise too much.

All-purpose flour is stirred into the batter for the oatmeal molasses dinner rolls.Dough is turned out into a well-greased large bowl and refrigerated for 2 hours.

Knead And Shape The Chilled Dough

Before shaping the rolls, grease or butter a 9″ cake pan very generously on the bottom and up the sides. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface then knead the dough 4-5 times.

Cut the dough into 12 pieces, trying to keep them all approximately the same size, rolling each piece into a tight ball.

Four photo collage showing the shaping of the dough into rolls.

Shape the dough balls by place a piece on your palm and flatten the dough. Once flattened, roll the outer edges into the center and then pinch the edges together tightly to seal.

Put the rolls SEAM SIDE DOWN in the buttered cake pan in a single layer. The rolls will be touching each other.

Use a pastry brush to spread HALF of the melted butter (1 Tbsp.) all over the surface of each of the rolls, then sprinkle the tops with a small amount of old-fashioned oats. Cover the pan with a towel and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 2 hours, OR until the rolls have doubled in size.

A 4-photo collage showing the rolls shaped and topped with butter and oats before baking.

Time To Bake The Rolls

Preheat the oven to 350°F. during the last few minutes of the dough rising. You can see in the photo below how the rolls rise up in the pan, leaving hardly any space in between each one.

Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes, until they are well-browned on top. If you have an instant-read thermometer you can test the internal temperature, if desired. The oatmeal molasses dinner rolls should have an internal temp. of 190°F. once they’re done. Don’t they look AWESOME? 

Oatmeal molasses dinner rolls have fully risen in a butter baking pan.Baked oatmeal molasses dinner rolls are well-browned after coming out of the oven.

Serve The Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls

Remove the rolls from the oven and let them sit for 1-2 minutes in the pan, then run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the rolls. Lightly brush the top of the rolls with the remaining HALF of the melted butter (1 Tbsp.).

Carefully turn the pan over so the rolls release from the pan and place them on a wire rack. The rolls should come out in a solid, cohesive unit (if the pan was well-greased beforehand). Let the rolls cool slightly (still on the rack) for about 5-6 minutes before serving them.

The pan of baked rolls is turned out of the pan to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Transfer the warm buttery rolls to a serving plate or platter, serve them and let your family or guests pull apart the individual rolls, as they wish.

A green plate holds the dozen oatmeal molasses dinner rolls, ready to be served.

The rolls are amazingly light, buttery, DELICIOUS and full of flavor! They are sooooo GOOD I’ll bet you can’t stop with eating only one of them!

We love having the rolls served along with a hot bowl of soup or other main dish for our dinner and always enjoy EVERY SINGLE BITE!

A peek inside the dinner rolls after a roll or two have been removed.

I hope you have the opportunity to try these oatmeal molasses dinner rolls and anticipate that you and those you love will love them, too! Yes, they take a while to make, but the end result is fabulous and worth every minute of time it takes to make them.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.

Looking For More BREAD or ROLL Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious bread and roll recipes to choose from, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source: “The Food 52 Cookbook”, by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, pages 89-91, published in 2012 by Harper Collins Publishers.

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Inactive prep time (rising + refrigeration)
4 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs 5 mins
 

Make a dozen delicious Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls to serve with a favorite meal. Light, buttery and slightly sweet, they taste amazing!

Category: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: All Cuisines
Keyword: oatmeal molasses dinner rolls
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 225 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup lukewarm water (110℉.)
  • 1 pinch dark brown sugar (for yeast)
  • ¾ cup milk low fat or whole
  • 8 Tablespoons butter (=1 stick) cut into cubes or thin slices
  • ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats + more for sprinkling on rolls
  • 2 Tablespoons molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar (for dough)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour + add'l. ½ cup, if necessary
  • 2 Tablespoons butter (melted) *Divided Use* for brushing on rolls
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Stir together yeast, lukewarm water (110°F.) and pinch of brown sugar in a small bowl. Set bowl aside until bubbles form on top (about 5 minutes). If no bubbles form, the yeast is too old. Discard/ try again with new yeast!

  2. Scald milk in small saucepan, heating until you see it begins to steam and is bubbling around edges. Don't let milk boil; remove it from heat once scalded. Pour milk into a large bowl; immediately add butter, stir until butter melts.

  3. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, oats, molasses and salt. Stir until combined; set bowl aside. Let mixture cool until it's lukewarm. Add egg; stir to combine. IMPORTANT: If you add egg while butter mixture is too hot, it can scramble the egg, so don't rush that step! Pour in yeast mixture; stir until combined. 

  4. Stir in 2½ cups flour until combined with liquid mixture. Mix until dough loses its shine. If necessary, add up to ½ cup more flour, to reach this point. Let dough rest in bowl 10 minutes, then transfer dough into a large, greased or sprayed bowl (bottom and sides). Turn dough over so all sides are coated with grease. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. NOTE: You can also refrigerate dough overnight, if needed.

  5. Grease or butter a 9" cake pan very well on bottom and sides; set aside. Turn chilled dough onto a well-floured surface and knead dough 4-5 times. Cut and divide dough into 12equal-sized pieces.

  6. Shape dough into balls by placing a piece on your palm and flattening the dough. Roll outer edges into the center, pinch edges together to seal. Put rolls SEAM SIDE DOWN in greased pan in single layer. Use a pastry brush to spread 1 Tbsp. melted butter over the rolls, then sprinkle lightly with oats. Cover pan; let rolls rise in warm place for 2 hours, OR until rolls are doubled in size.

  7. Bake in preheated 350℉. oven for 35-40 minutes, until well-browned on top and rolls have an internal temperature of 190°F. Remove rolls from oven; let them sit 1-2 minutes in the pan, then run a butter knife around edges of the pan. Lightly brush rolls with remaining 1 Tbsp. of melted butter.

  8. Carefully turn pan over so rolls release from the pan. Place them right side up on a wire rack. Rolls should come out of pan in a solid unit if pan was well-greased). Let rolls cool slightly on rack for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls
Amount Per Serving (1 roll)
Calories 225 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 0.4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 477mg21%
Potassium 133mg4%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 343IU7%
Vitamin C 0.002mg0%
Calcium 39mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a dozen delicious Oatmeal Molasses Dinner Rolls to serve with a favorite meal. Light, buttery and slightly sweet, they taste amazing!


May
2025

Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes
2 Shares
Pin2
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is a one-skillet meal for 2 that’s delicious and easy to make! Chicken cooks in a simple lemon garlic wine sauce.
Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is a one-skillet meal for 2 that's delicious and easy to make! Chicken cooks in a simple lemon garlic wine sauce.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE chicken and constantly keep my eyes open to find and try “new” chicken recipes. My husband is my willing guinea pig and has taste-tested way too many chicken recipes I’ve made over the years to count!

Today I want to share a recipe that I’m pretty sure originated with Ina Garten. Somewhere along the way I forgot how, where, or from who I got the original recipe (handwritten on paper) but do know I made a few slight changes to it, to suit our tastes. If you like garlic, then you’ll be happy with this dish!

This is a one skillet recipe, so there’s not a lot of cleaning up to do, which always makes me deliriously happy (wink, wink)! The finished chicken breasts have a LOT of lemony garlic flavor which we love, and I’m confident you’ll enjoy it, as well. Here’s how to make lemon garlic baked chicken.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Lemon Garlic Sauce

In a medium-sized oven-safe skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil on low heat. Once the oil is WARM, add minced garlic and cook it, stirring often, for about 1 minute. Be careful to not let the garlic burn or it can become bitter.

Minced garlic cooks in warm olive oil until fragrant.

Add white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, dried oregano, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the garlic mixture. Stir to combine these ingredients and you’ll have the flavorful sauce for the chicken ready to go!

White wine, lemon juice, lemon zest and spices are added to the garlic mixture.This is the lemon garlic wine sauce the chicken will bake in.

Pat two boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry using paper towels, then season lightly with salt and black pepper on both sides. Lay the seasoned breasts in the lemon garlic sauce in the skillet.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are seasoned then laid in skillet with lemon garlic sauce.

Spoon some of the lemon garlic sauce on top of each piece of chicken. Now the chicken is ready for the oven.

The lemon garlic sauce is spooned over the top of the chicken before baking.

Bake The Chicken

Place the skillet (uncovered) on a middle rack in a preheated 400°F. oven and let it cook for about 15 minutes, then remove the skillet from the oven.

Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken cooks in an oven-safe skillet on the middle rack.

Quickly place thinly slices of a fresh lemon around the edges of the chicken breasts and put the skillet right back in the oven again.

Lemon slices are wedged around the chicken breasts during the baking time.

Continue baking the chicken for another 15-25 minutes until it is cooked all the way through or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

Turn the oven to BROIL and let the chicken sit under the broiler (about 6″ away from the heat source) for 2-3 minutes to lightly brown it. Keep an eye on it while broiling!

When done, remove the skillet from the oven, spoon some of the remaining sauce over each piece of chicken, and let the chicken “rest” for 2-3 minutes so the internal juices can redistribute through the meat.

Chicken (and lemons are finished by putting skillet under a broiler for a couple minutes.

Garnish And Serve The Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken

When the chicken has “rested” for 2-3 minutes it is ready to be served. Place the lemon garlic baked chicken on individual plates and drizzle the sauce over the top. Garnish each serving with 1-2 baked lemon slices and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

We enjoyed this dish served with a baked stuffed sweet potato and a small portion of spinach apple quinoa salad on the side. Everything was so delicious and flavorful!

Lemon garlic baked chicken is served with a sweet potato and a small salad on the side.

I hope you have the opportunity to try this recipe for lemon garlic baked chicken, and trust you’ll enjoy it, too! Thanks for stopping by, and please come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of fantastic chicken recipes to choose from, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe adapted from: Ina Garten (at least I think that’s where it originated)

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is a one-skillet meal for 2 that's delicious and easy to make! Chicken cooks in a simple lemon garlic wine sauce.

Category: Main Dish
Cuisine: All Cuisines
Keyword: lemon garlic baked chicken
Servings: 2
Calories Per Serving: 340 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 lemon ZEST from 1 lemon (yellow peel only for zest)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 10 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts (2) =2 breasts (approx. 5 oz. each)
  • salt and black pepper enough to lightly season chicken
  • ¾ medium lemon cut in thin rounds
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish OPTIONAL
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400℉.

  2. In a medium oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil on low heat. Once the oil is WARM, add minced garlic and cook it, stirring often for about 1 minute.

  3. Add white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, dried oregano, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper to the garlic in skillet. Stir to combine.

  4. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper (both sides). Lay chicken breasts in the lemon garlic sauce. Spoon sauce on top of each piece.

  5. Place skillet (uncovered) on middle rack in oven. Bake at 400℉. for 15 minutes, then remove skillet from oven. Place lemon slices around edges of the chicken and put the skillet quickly back in the oven. Continue baking for 15-25 minutes until cooked through or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.

  6. Turn oven setting to BROIL; leave chicken under the broiler (about 6" away from the heat source) for 2-3 minutes to lightly brown it. Keep an eye on it! When lightly browned, remove skillet from the oven. Spoon sauce over each piece of chicken; let chicken "rest" in skillet 2-3 minutes before serving. Place on plates, drizzle with more sauce, garnish with chopped parsley and baked lemon slices.

Nutrition Facts
Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 340 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Cholesterol 91mg30%
Sodium 169mg7%
Potassium 662mg19%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 84IU2%
Vitamin C 32mg39%
Calcium 53mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken is a one-skillet meal for 2 that's delicious and easy to make! Chicken cooks in a simple lemon garlic wine sauce.


May
2025

Chocolate Energy Balls

categories: Chocolate, Cookies
2 Shares
Pin2
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Chocolate Energy Balls are a great tasting, really easy to make snack with dates, nuts, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla and sea salt.
Chocolate Energy Balls are a great tasting, really easy to make snack with dates, nuts, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla and sea salt.

If you’re looking for a new snack recipe that isn’t loaded with extra sugar, may I suggest this recipe for chocolate energy balls? I found the original recipe online after a dinner conversation with a dear friend about recipes using dates that she had tried.

After making a couple slight tweaks to the original recipe, I was hooked on these wonderful little treats! We keep them in our refrigerator and grab one whenever we have a “chocolate craving.”

They are made very quickly using a food processor, require zero cooking time, taste great, and can be finished and ready to eat in about 10 minutes! I consider that a good thing! Here’s how to make delicious chocolate energy balls.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Process Ingredients Using A Food Processor

Place pecans (or walnuts), cashews, pitted medjool dates, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sea salt into a food processor fitted with a standard S-shaped blade. NOTE: I start using 10 dates, then add 1or 2 more later, if necessary (see below).

Process these ingredients until they’re finely “chopped”, fully combined and the mixture looks like it is beginning to stick together. Stop the processor and test it.

A food processor is used to finely chop and combine energy ball ingredients.

Test The Date And Nut Mixture

To test it, remove a teaspoon of the mixture and press it together firmly with your fingers to see if holds together in a cohesive unit. This is important for the texture of the energy balls, so make sure to do this!

Add a couple more dates and/or a teaspoon of water if you find the mixture is still a bit too crumbly. I usually need to add 2 more dates (which makes 12 total). Process the mixture again until it all sticks together when pressed and tested. 

Pressing the date and nut mixture with fingers indicates if it will hold together firmly or not.

Add Chocolate Chips

Place chocolate chips (1½ Tablespoons) into the food processor, then pulse the ingredients 2-3 more times. this will help distribute the chocolate chips in the date and nut mixture.

Chocolate chips are added to the processed chocolate energy balls mixture.

Unplug the food processor and remove the cutting blade once you’re done. Now the mixture is ready to be shaped and finished into a lovely snack! 

After processing, the mixture is ready to be shaped into balls.

Shaping The Chocolate Energy Balls

Remove about 1 Tablespoon of the mixture at a time from the food processor. Roll it between your (clean) hands to form a firmly shaped ball.

The mixture doesn’t really stick to your hands, so it’s quick and EASY to shape the entire batch in a very short amount of time!

A Tablespoon of date mixture is used to form each energy ball.

As you finish shaping each energy ball, place it on parchment paper, leaving a little space between each one so they don’t stick together.

Chocolate energy balls are shaped and place on parchment paper.

Each batch will yield about 15 chocolate energy balls, which are shown in the photo below. It is very easy to double or triple the recipe if you require a larger quantity.

NOTE: If you plan on doubling this recipe, I recommend making one batch at a time, so the food processor doesn’t become overcrowded. 

Each batch will produce about 15 chocolate energy balls.

Enjoy Them Right Away Or Refrigerate

When you’ve formed all of the chocolate energy balls, they can be eaten immediately! How’s that for a fast snack that your family and/or friends will enjoy? My favorite way to eat them is to chill them first, because I think the flavors really come together that way.

To store the chocolate energy balls, place them in an airtight container. I put a layer of parchment paper down and then put the energy balls on top. Store them in the refrigerator (they’ll last for days if you don’t gobble them all up first!)

This treat is nice and sweet thanks to the dates, slightly chewy and chocolate-flavored, and really, really good! When I first made them, my husband was a bit apprehensive to try them, but he ended up loving them, too! Hooray!

Holding up one of the energy balls for a closeup photo.A closeup picture of the inside of one of the chocolate energy bites.

I hope you have the chance to make these little bites of yummy goodness and trust you and those you love will really enjoy them, too!

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

Looking For More SNACK Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious snack (or appetizer) recipes to check out, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source, and with thanks to Brittany Mullins at: Brownie Energy Balls – Eating Bird Food

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Chocolate Energy Balls
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Chocolate Energy Balls are a great tasting, really easy to make snack with dates, nuts, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla and sea salt.

Category: Appetizer/Snack
Cuisine: All Cuisines
Keyword: chocolate energy balls
Servings: 15 (approx.)
Calories Per Serving: 101 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 10 pitted Medjool dates (approx. 1 cup)
  • ¾ cup pecans (raw) or walnuts
  • ¼ cup cashews raw or roasted
  • 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder or cacao powder
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1½ Tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon water (only if needed)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Fit a food processor with a standard "S-shaped cutting blade."

  2. Place pecans (or walnuts), cashews, dates, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt in food processor. Process until finely "chopped", fully combined, and mixture has begun to stick together. Stop processor and test it.

  3. To test, remove a teaspoon of the mixture; press it together firmly with your fingers to see if holds together. Add 1-2 more dates and/or a teaspoon of water if the mixture is still a bit too crumbly. Process until mixture sticks together. Add chocolate chips; pulse 2-3 more times to distribute chocolate chips. Unplug food processor; remove cutting blade.

  4. Remove 1 Tablespoon of the mixture at a time from the food processor. Roll it between your hands to form a firmly shaped ball. Place each formed ball on parchment paper, leaving space between each one.

  5. Chocolate energy balls can be eaten right away or serve chilled! To store, refrigerate them in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Energy Balls
Amount Per Serving (1 energy ball)
Calories 101 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 0.001g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 0.1mg0%
Sodium 39mg2%
Potassium 165mg5%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 27IU1%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Chocolate Energy Balls are a great tasting, really easy to make snack with dates, nuts, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, vanilla and sea salt.


May
2025

Simple Fried Green Tomatoes

categories: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
5 Shares
Pin5
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Make a batch of classic Southern style Fried Green Tomatoes as a side dish or appetizer! They’re crispy, tangy, delicious, and easy to make.
Make a batch of classic Southern style Fried Green Tomatoes as a side dish or appetizer! They're crispy, tangy, delicious, and easy to make.

In the Spring of 2024, my husband and I flew to Tennessee (Nashville and Franklin) to explore the area for a few days before we drove down to northern Georgia to visit my sister and my Mom.

It was our first night in Tennessee, so we went “all in” on “Southern” food. We had a fantastic dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe, a well-known Southern restaurant located in several states. It was our first time ever going to this restaurant, and wow! We wish we had one here in Oregon because we loved it so much!

My husband and I ordered panko-crusted fried green tomatoes (served on goat cheese grits) for an appetizer, then ordered a “Mac-n-Cheese Waffle with Asheville Hot Fried Chicken” and “Tupelo Shrimp and Grits” for our main dishes. We absolutely loved it all (and the great service) and were amazed at how tangy (but oh so good) the fried green tomatoes were!

I came home from that trip determined to make fried green tomatoes (using our garden tomatoes), but only a simple recipe without grits, etc. A couple months later I picked several GREEN, unripe tomatoes from our little garden and turned to a “Southern” cookbook I’ve owned for many years for a basic recipe.

This is the result… simple fried green tomatoes (no frills) that taste wonderful! Here’s how to use unripe green tomatoes (from your garden or a farmer’s market) to make them.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Prepare The Green Tomatoes

Rinse and de-stem 3 firm, unripe green tomatoes, then pat them dry with paper towels. Slice each of the tomatoes into 4″ round slices. Set the tomatoes aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together an egg, milk, salt and black pepper until they are fully combined. Set this mixture aside.

Unripe, firm green tomatoes are rinsed, de-stemmed, and sliced into rounds.Milk, an egg, salt and pepper are combined in a medium bowl.

On a large dinner plate, stir yellow cornmeal and all-purpose flour together until they’re fully blended.

All-purpose flour and yellow cornmeal are mixed together on a white dinner plate.

Dip And Coat the Tomato Slices

Now it’s time to get the green tomato slices ready for frying! Preheat oil to 350°F. in a large skillet (or electric skillet if you have one). While the oil preheats, prepare the tomatoes for frying.

Doing ONE AT A TIME, dip a tomato slice into the egg mixture and turn it until it’s covered. Lift the slice up, letting any excess egg mixture drip back into the bowl.

Immediately lay the tomato slice in the cornmeal/flour mixture and dredge it in this coating, turning until all sides of each slice are covered. Place the prepared slice on the rim of the plate and repeat the process with the other slices.

TIP: Use the same hand for dipping and dredging, because it creates less messy hands! I use a plate for the flour mixture, so I can place coated slices on the rim to rest until they’re all ready to be fried.

Tomato slices are coated with the egg mixture (one at a time).Egg-covered tomato slices are then dredged in flour/cornmeal mixture until fully coated.

Time To Fry The Tomatoes

When the oil has reached 350°F (or 180°C.), it is hot enough to fry the tomatoes. It’s extremely important the oil is at this temperature before beginning so it can crisp and brown the coating on the tomatoes!

Carefully place the tomato slices into the very hot oil (you may have to fry them in batches because you do not want to overcrowd the skillet!

Fry the tomatoes for a total amount of 3-5 minutes per batch, making sure to flip them to the other side about halfway through the frying time. When done, the outer coating should be golden brown in color on both sides and the coating should be crispy.

Fried green tomatoes are cooked in hot oil, flipping them over, halfway through frying time.The fried green tomatoes are cooked until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

Remove the fried green tomatoes one at a time from the hot oil with a slotted spatula, to let oil drip back into the skillet. Lay the fried green tomatoes in a single layer on several thicknesses of paper towels, to absorb any remaining oil.

TIP: If you’re making lots (more than one batch), keep the fried green tomatoes warm while you fry up any additional batches. You can do this by placing them on a baking sheet and keeping them warm in a preheated 200°F. oven until you’re done frying and ready to serve all the tomatoes.

After frying, the tomato slices drain on paper towels before serving.

Serve The Fried Green Tomatoes

After the fried green tomatoes have rested briefly on the paper towels to absorb any remaining oil, they can be served. Carefully arrange the tomato slices on a serving plate or platter.

If desired, sprinkle them with additional salt or pepper (to taste), then garnish the tomatoes with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Serve them while they are still hot and enjoy! They should be crispy on the outside and have a slight lemony tartness in each bite.

Note: If you follow the recipe below as written, there should be enough fried green tomatoes for three per serving, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to suit your needs.

Garnished with fresh thyme leaves, the fried green tomatoes are served.

I hope you have a chance to make these delicious fried green tomatoes, whether you serve them as an appetizer or a side dish! They really are quite simple to make, and I trust you’ll enjoy them as much as we do!

Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

Looking For More VEGGIE SIDE DISH Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of delicious veggie side dish recipes to choose from, including:

Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original recipe source: “The SOUTH – The Beautiful Cookbook”, by Mara Reid Rogers, page 147, published by Harper Collins Publishers in1996

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Simple Fried Green Tomatoes

Make a batch of classic Southern style Fried Green Tomatoes as a side dish or appetizer! They're crispy, tangy, delicious, and easy to make.

Category: Side Dish, Vegetable Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: simple fried green tomatoes
Servings: 4 (3 slices per serving)
Calories Per Serving: 214 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3 medium firm, unripe green tomatoes cored, each cut into 4 round slices
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoons black pepper
  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
  • vegetable oil, for frying ½" depth in large skillet
For Garnish (optional): Additional salt/pepper and thyme sprigs
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Rinse/ de-stem tomatoes and pat dry. Slice tomatoes into 4 slices. Set aside.

    2. In a medium bowl whisk egg, milk, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.

    3. On a dinner plate, combine cornmeal and flour. Set aside.

    4. Preheat oil to 350°F. in large skillet (or electric skillet). While oil preheats, prepare tomatoes. ONE AT A TIME, dip tomato slice into egg mixture; turn until it's coated on both sides. Lift slice up, letting excess liquid drip back into bowl. Immediately place tomato slice in cornmeal/flour mixture, turning until both sides are covered. Place prepared slice on the rim of the plate; repeat process with remaining slices.

    5. When oil is 350°F (or 180°C.), it is hot enough to fry the tomatoes. Carefully place slices in hot oil (don't overcrowd skillet-fry in batches, if necessary). Fry tomatoes 3-5 minutes per batch, making sure to flip them over halfway through this time. When done, coating should be golden brown on both sides and crispy.

    6. Remove fried tomatoes from the oil with a slotted spatula, to let oil drip back into the skillet. Lay tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels, to drain.

    7. To serve, arrange tomato slices on a serving plate or platter. Sprinkle with salt or pepper (to taste), then garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme. Serve warm and enjoy!

    Nutrition Facts
    Simple Fried Green Tomatoes
    Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total-approx. 3 slices))
    Calories 214 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Trans Fat 0.01g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 1g
    Cholesterol 47mg16%
    Sodium 325mg14%
    Potassium 332mg9%
    Carbohydrates 39g13%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin A 675IU14%
    Vitamin C 22mg27%
    Calcium 33mg3%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make a batch of classic Southern style Fried Green Tomatoes as a side dish or appetizer! They're crispy, tangy, delicious, and easy to make.


    May
    2025

    Greek Chicken Salad Wrap

    categories: Chicken, Sandwiches
    4 Shares
    Pin4
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Make an easy Greek Chicken Salad Wrap with chicken, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, tomato, spices and salad dressing in under 10 minutes!
    Make an easy Greek Chicken Salad Wrap with chicken, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, tomato, spices and salad dressing in under 10 minutes!

    Today I want to share a recipe for a quick and easy lunch wrap I originally found online about 9 years ago. I only made a few slight tweaks to the original recipe and really enjoy this yummy wrap for a quick lunch occasionally.

    It’s a Greek chicken salad wrap that is delicious and filling and best of all it is made in under 10 minutes! Whoo Hoo! The recipe is simple and if you can chop, stir, and roll up a filled tortilla (or flatbread) you can make this dish, too! Here’s how to make a Greek Chicken Salad Wrap!

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Prepare The Ingredients

    The ingredients for one Greek salad wrap are pre-cooked chicken breast, onions (green or red), feta cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers (unpeeled). Using a rotisserie chicken is extremely quick and yummy, so that is what I used this time!

    You can use either red onion or green onion, to suit your personal taste. Red onion would be the more traditional “Greek” ingredient, but I enjoy green onions, too, so that is what I used when I photographed this recipe.

    Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then finely chop the onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. Crumble feta cheese (regular or low-fat) into small pieces. This will only take a couple of minutes, so you can see how quick and easy this dish is to make!

    Chopped chicken, onion, feta cheese, tomatoes and cucumber for the wrap.

    Place these “salad” ingredients in a small bowl, then set it aside while you whip up the salad dressing.

    Wrap ingredients are combined in a small bowl.

    Make The Salad Dressing

    In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano and garlic powder until they are fully combined, then season the dressing to taste with salt and black pepper.

    Ingredients for the Greek salad dressing are combined in a small dish.

    After all the salad dressing is fully combined, pour it over the chicken salad mixture in the bowl.

    The salad dressing is poured over the chicken mixture and tossed to combine.

    Toss the salad really well, until all the ingredients are nicely covered with the Greek salad dressing. This mixture is the filling for the tortilla or flatbread you are using.

    Greek salad dressing is added to the chicken wrap filling.Chicken salad filling is covered with salad dressing and is ready for the tortilla wrap.

    Fill And Roll The Tortilla Or Flatbread

    Lay an 8″ flour tortilla (or flatbread, if using) on a flat surface. Spoon the chicken salad filling evenly down the middle of the tortilla stopping about 1″ from each end.

    Wrap the tortilla tightly like a burrito by pulling one side of the tortilla up and over the filling and tucking it in tightly against the mixture. Next, fold both sides in securely and finish tightly rolling the tortilla until it resembles a burrito. Place the wrap seam-side down on a cutting surface.

    the seasoned chicken filling is laid down the middle of the tortilla.One Greek Chicken Salad Wrap rolled up tightly like a burrito.

    You can eat the wrap just as it is OR you can slice it (that’s what I do!) Place the filled wrap seam side down. Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the Greek Chicken Salad Wrap in half when you’re ready to enjoy this meal.

    Sorry you can’t see those beautiful red tomato chunks in this photo below, but trust me, they’re in there! REALLY!

    A serrated knife is used to slice the wrap in half before serving.

    Serve And Enjoy The Greek Chicken Salad Wrap

    Serve the Greek Chicken Salad Wrap with your favorite sandwich sides. I enjoyed the wrap with some apple slices and a few cheddar sun chips and was very full and satisfied once I was done!

    The sandwich has really good flavor thanks to the combination of fresh ingredients and the tasty salad dressing on everything! Those creamy soft feta cheese crumbles in the wrap provide a tang and creaminess which pair very well with the crunchy cucumbers!

    A white plate with two chicken wrap halves, apple slices and cheddar chips on the side.

    See? There really ARE tomatoes in the chicken salad wrap…ha ha! I guess they were hiding, so all I had to do was take a bite and lo and behold, there they were!

    A close look at the inside of the Greek Chicken Salad Wrap.

    Perhaps you will have the chance to make this delicious chicken wrap for yourself or for someone you love. I am confident you’ll enjoy this quick meal.

    The recipe as written below makes ONE wrap (or two very small halves), but it is ridiculously easy to double or triple the amount of ingredients to meet your needs.

    Thank you for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

    Looking For More SANDWICH or WRAP Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of sandwich or wrap recipes to check out, including:

    Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

    I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
    Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
    You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

    Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Recipe adapted from: Lisa Huff at http://snappygourmet.com/easy-chicken-greek-salad-wrap-sandwich/

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Greek Chicken Salad Wrap
    Prep Time
    7 mins
    Cook Time
    0 mins
    Total Time
    7 mins
     

    Make an easy Greek Chicken Salad Wrap with chicken, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, tomato, spices and salad dressing in under 10 minutes!

    Category: Lunch, Main Dish, Sandwich
    Cuisine: Greek
    Keyword: Greek Chicken Salad Wrap
    Servings: 1 wrap
    Calories Per Serving: 264 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • ½ cup precooked chicken breast chopped
    • ⅓ cup cucumber chopped
    • ⅓ cup fresh tomato chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons feta cheese crumbles regular or low-fat
    • 2 teaspoons green or red onion finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ¾ teaspoon red wine vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • salt and pepper, to taste
    • 1 8" flour tortilla or flatbread
    US Customary - Metric
    Instructions

    1. Chop chicken into small pieces. Finely chop onion, tomato and cucumber. Crumble feta cheese into small pieces. Combine in a small bowl, then set aside.

    2. In separate small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano and garlic powder until fully combined; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour it over chicken mixture and toss until well-combined.

    3. Lay tortilla (or flatbread) on a flat surface. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down the middle of the tortilla, stopping about 1" from each end. Wrap the tortilla tightly like a burrito by pulling one side of the tortilla up and over the filling and tucking it in tightly against the mixture. Next, fold both sides in securely and finish tightly rolling the tortilla until it resembles a burrito.

    4. Place seam-side down on a cutting surface. Use a serrated knife to slice the Greek Chicken Salad Wrap in half. Serve and enjoy.

    Nutrition Facts
    Greek Chicken Salad Wrap
    Amount Per Serving (1 wrap)
    Calories 264 Calories from Fat 126
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 14g22%
    Saturated Fat 6g38%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 5g
    Cholesterol 90mg30%
    Sodium 1226mg53%
    Potassium 416mg12%
    Carbohydrates 6g2%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 27g54%
    Vitamin A 691IU14%
    Vitamin C 10mg12%
    Calcium 201mg20%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make an easy Greek Chicken Salad Wrap with chicken, feta cheese, cucumber, onion, tomato, spices and salad dressing in under 10 minutes!

     


    May
    2025

    Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites

    categories: Air Fryer Recipes, Appetizers
    2 Shares
    Pin2
    Share
    Tweet
    Yum
    Email

    Serve yummy Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites with marinara dipping sauce and watch how fast they disappear! Crisp outside and melted cheese inside!
    Serve yummy Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites with marinara dipping sauce and watch how fast they disappear! Crisp outside and melted cheese inside!

    If you have an air fryer and enjoy “fried” mozzarella and sauce that is popular on restaurant menus, then check out the recipe today to see how to make them at home (for a fraction of the price)!

    There’s not too much prep involved, and these delicious appetizers or snacks can even be frozen for a later date, which makes them convenient to have around! I love to make them in my air fryer instead of frying them in a skillet full of hot oil.

    Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites come out crispy and golden on the outside, with warm, gooey melted cheese inside. They’re a favorite party food or game day appetizer to serve your family and friends. Here’s how to make them.

    Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

    Prepare The Mozzarella Cheese And Dipping Station

    Open 6 individual packages of mozzarella string cheese, discarding the wrappers. Cut each piece in half in the middle so you end up with 12 string cheese halves.

    6 sticks of mozzarella string cheese are removed from wrappers and cut in half.

    Set out 3 separate “cereal-sized” bowls for the seasoning and dipping “station”. It works well to place them next to each other on the kitchen counter, so the dipping process is easier to manage.

    FIRST BOWL: Place ½ cup of all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl and stir together until combined.

    SECOND BOWL: Place 2 large eggs and beat them well with a whisk or fork until fully combined.

    THIRD BOWL: Place 1 cup of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir until fully combined. 

    Three bowls with ingredients for the breading of mozzarella sticks for air-frying.

    Pat the mozzarella half-sticks well using paper towels, so they are fully dry, then put them right in front of the seasoning bowls. Now it’s time to get the mozzarella bites ready!

    Mozzarella halves ready with three bowls of breading ingredients.

    Time To Coat The Mozzarella Bites

    The best way I’ve found to coat the mozzarella bites is to do ONE AT A TIME! Place the mozzarella in the flour and turn it until it is covered on all sides.

    A stick of mozzarella string cheese is rolled in a flour mixture until coated.

    Put the flour-covered cheese in the egg mixture and use a fork (it’s messy!) to turn it until all sides are covered with egg. Lift the cheese up to let any excess egg drip back down into the bowl.

    The floured cheese is coated in an egg mixture.

    Lay the floured, egg-coated piece of cheese into the seasoned breadcrumbs and roll it in this mixture until it is well-coated on all sides.

    IMPORTANT: Now repeat this process again on the same piece of cheese! Dip it back in the flour, back in the egg, then give it a final roll in the breadcrumbs!

    Each piece of mozzarella needs to be processed this way (2 times for each piece of mozzarella!). As you finish each one, place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then go to the next piece.

    Flour and egg-coated cheese is rolled in seasoned breadcrumb mixture.

    Ready To Freeze

    When you’re done, you should have 12 mozzarella bites that have each been “covered” two times. Lay them with a space in between each one (in a single layer) on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 2 hours. This will “flash-freeze them. Don’t skip this step!

    This freezing time is very important so the air-fried mozzarella bites will be solid and hold together once they are in the hot air fryer! This recipe will yield 12 air-fried mozzarella bites. When they’ve been flash-frozen for two hours they can be removed and air-fried immediately.

    Breaded, seasoned mozzarella sticks are flash frozen on baking sheet for 2 hours.

    Can They Be Made Ahead?

    YES! You can pre-make the mozzarella bites, flash-freeze them for two hours and keep them in the freezer for several weeks or until you want to cook all or a few of them).

    If you will be doing this, transfer the frozen mozzarella sticks off the baking sheet and store them in a freezer-safe resealable bag or container.

    The flash-frozen mozzarella bites can be stored for weeks in a freezer before cooking.

    Time To Cook The Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites

    Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Spritz the mozzarella sticks lightly (on top) with cooking spray, olive oil or vegetable oil. Lay the frozen (do not thaw) mozzarella sticks in a single layer, spritzed side UP in the basket.

    Cook them for 3 minutes, then open the air fryer and gently turn the cheese bites over to the other side. Lightly spritz the other side with oil or cooking spray, then continue cooking for about 3 more minutes (approx. 6 minutes total time).

    When done, the air-fried mozzarella bites should be heated all the way through and should be crispy and golden in color on the outside. Some of the melted cheese could also be present on the surface as it oozes out very slightly while cooking.

    Eight mozzarella bites are cooked in air fryer basket in a single layer.The finished air-fried mozzarella bites are crispy and golden brown after cooking.

    Serve And Enjoy!

    Transfer the HOT mozzarella bites to a serving plate with a small dish of warm marinara sauce on the side, for dipping! TIP: Let the mozzarella bites cool very slightly before digging in because the cheese inside is very hot when they first come out of the air fryer!

    It is fun taking that first bite because the string cheese is gooey, melted, and has a good long “pull” of warm, stringy cheese! YUM!

    Air-fried mozzarella bites are served hot with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

    Lots of melted cheese inside each bite and dipping each air-fried crispy bite in marinara sauce adds to the overall great taste! YUM!

    The melted mozzarella inside is shown after a bite has been taken.

    I hope you have the opportunity to make these fun appetizers for those you love, and trust you’ll love them as much as we do! Thank for stopping by, and please come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.

    Looking For More APPETIZER Recipes?

    You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a wonderful variety of appetizer recipes (no air fryer necessary) to check out, including:

    Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

    I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
    Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

    There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
    You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

    Find Me On Social Media:

    Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Pinterest:     The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Instagram:     jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

    Author's signature

    Original recipe source: “Food Network Magazine”, January/February 2021 issue, page 41

    ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

    0 from 0 votes
    PRINT
    Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites
    Prep Time
    15 mins
    Cook Time
    6 mins
    Inactive FREEZING time
    2 hrs
    Total Time
    2 hrs 21 mins
     

    Serve yummy Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites with marinara dipping sauce and watch how fast they disappear! Crisp outside and melted cheese inside!

    Category: Appetizer/Snack
    Cuisine: All Cuisines
    Keyword: air-fried mozzarella bites
    Servings: 12 (1 per serving)
    Calories Per Serving: 100 kcal
    Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
    Ingredients
    • 6 1 oz. sticks mozzarella string cheese (part-skim) cut in half across width
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons salt (DIVIDED USE)
    • 2 large eggs beaten/whisked until combined
    • 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
    Dipping Sauce: Marinara Sauce (approx. ½ cup)
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Cut each piece of string cheese in half widthwise. Pat pieces dry with paper towel.

      2. Set out 3 small bowls side by side with the following ingredients. FIRST BOWL: Place flour and 1 tsp. of salt in bowl; stir together until combined. SECOND BOWL: Add eggs; beat with a whisk or fork until combined. THIRD BOWL: Stir seasoned breadcrumbs and 1 tsp. of salt together until combined.

      3. Place one cheese piece in flour mixture; turn until covered on all sides. Put flour-covered cheese in the egg mixture; use a fork to turn it until all sides are covered with egg. Let excess egg drip back down into the bowl. Lay floured, egg-coated cheese in the breadcrumbs; roll until well-coated on all sides. IMPORTANT: Repeat this process again on the same piece of coated cheese! Dip it back in the flour, back in the egg, then give it a final roll in the breadcrumbs! **Finish all remaining cheese pieces the same way (coating each piece 2 times)

      4. Lay each piece with a space in between each one (in a single layer) on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. You should have 12 mozzarella bites that have each been "covered" two times. Place them in the freezer for 2 hours. This will "flash-freeze them. Don't skip this step!

      5. To Cook: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Spritz each piece lightly (on top) with cooking spray, olive oil or vegetable oil. Lay frozen mozzarella bites (do not thaw) in a single layer, spritzed side UP in the basket. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn each piece over. Lightly spritz top side with oil or cooking spray; continue cooking for about 3 more minutes (approx. 6 minutes total time). When done, mozzarella bites should be heated through and crispy, golden brown on the outside.

      6. Transfer mozzarella bites to a serving plate with a dish of warm marinara sauce on the side, for dipping! TIP: Let mozzarella bites cool slightly before serving because the cheese inside is very hot when they first come out of the air fryer! Enjoy.

      Recipe Notes

      NOTE: This caloric calculation is an estimate only, made using an online ingredient calculation program. It does not include marinara sauce because the amount used, or varieties may differ greatly. Also- please note that the FULL calorie amounts for the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs are included in the caloric calculation, but you may not use the entire amount for the preparation.

      Nutrition Facts
      Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites
      Amount Per Serving (1 mozzarella bite)
      Calories 100 Calories from Fat 27
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 3g5%
      Saturated Fat 1g6%
      Trans Fat 0.003g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g
      Monounsaturated Fat 0.4g
      Cholesterol 38mg13%
      Sodium 641mg28%
      Potassium 40mg1%
      Carbohydrates 11g4%
      Fiber 1g4%
      Sugar 1g1%
      Protein 7g14%
      Vitamin A 64IU1%
      Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
      Calcium 24mg2%
      Iron 1mg6%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Serve yummy Air-Fried Mozzarella Bites with marinara dipping sauce and watch how fast they disappear! Crisp outside and melted cheese inside!


      May
      2025

      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad

      categories: Salads, Side Dishes
      2 Shares
      Pin2
      Share
      Tweet
      Yum
      Email

      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is an amazing, delicious salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and toasted pecans! It’s a great side dish or entree!
      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is an amazing, delicious salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and toasted pecans! It's a great side dish or entree!

      Hi, friends! If you’re looking for a fantastic salad, I’m confident you’re going to love the recipe for spinach apple quinoa salad I’m sharing today. I found the original recipe online about a year ago and only have positive things to say about it.

      This salad is packed with color, texture, crunch, protein, fiber and creamy goat cheese and it’s become one of my favorite salads! Topped with a delicious honey, lemon and Dijon salad dressing, it’s a wonderful side dish to compliment a variety of meals.

      The spinach apple quinoa salad is also wonderful served as a healthy light lunch too, because it’s filling AND the quinoa in it provides a good amount of old-fashioned protein!

      Apart from a tiny bit of prep (cooking the quinoa and toasting pecans), all it takes is “building the salad” layer by layer, adding salad dressing, and eating! Here’s how to make this scrumptious spinach apple quinoa salad.

      Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

      A Little Prep – Cook The Quinoa

      The first thing you’ll need to do is cook ¼ cup of quinoa and let it cool completely, before you can add it to the salad. Before cooking the quinoa, give it a good rinse and drain it well.

      Bring a ½ cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan, then add the rinsed/drained quinoa.  Stir to combine, then turn the heat down to Low (a simmer) and put a lid on the saucepan.

      Cook the quinoa (covered) for 10-12 minutes OR until all of the water has been absorbed. I recommend checking on it and giving the quinoa a quick stir once or twice while it cooks.

      Quinoa is cooked in boiling water until all water is gone.

      Once all the liquid’s been absorbed, the quinoa is done. Use a fork to “fluff” up the quinoa, then transfer it out of the hot saucepan and place it in a bowl. Allow the quinoa to cool until it’s at room temperature before adding it to the salad.

      The cooked quinoa is cooled to room temperature in a bowl.

      Toast The Pecans

      While the quinoa is cooking (and cooling), lightly “toast” the pecans. I prefer to roughly chop or break apart the pecans, but if you’d prefer to use intact pecan halves, feel free to do so.

      Place the pecans in a small skillet, and heat them on Medium, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes to lightly “toast” them. Keep checking them and stirring, because the nuts can burn fairly quickly if you’re not keeping an eye on them.

      When they become aromatic and are lightly browned, they’re done! Transfer the pecans out of the skillet and let them cool completely to room temperature before adding them to the salad.

      Pecan pieces are lightly "toasted" in a dry skillet until aromatic.

      Make The Salad Dressing

      The ingredients you’ll use for the salad dressing are extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. In a small bowl, combine these ingredients using a whisk or a fork until they have been fully incorporated together. 

      A lemon Dijon salad dressing ix mixed together for the salad.

      Time To Create The Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad

      Place clean, dry baby spinach leaves in a medium sized serving bowl. Make sure the leaves are dry to ensure the salad dressing will coat them well.

      Baby spinach leaves are placed in a large serving bowl.

      Fluff the cooked and cooled quinoa again with a fork, then add it on top of the baby spinach leaves in the bowl.

      Room temperature, cooked quinoa is added to baby spinach leaves in bowl.

      Top the quinoa with the toasted pecan pieces and dried cranberries. Now this yummy salad is starting to look nice and colorful, right?

      Toasted pecans, dried cranberries are added to the salad.

      Top the salad with thin unpeeled apple slices (or chunks) and then add creamy goat cheese crumbles. Now all that is left to do is add the salad dressing, toss and serve!

      TIP If you’re not going to serve the salad right away, toss the apple slices in some lemon juice before adding, so they don’t turn brown, once exposed to the air.

      Goat cheese crumbles and thinly sliced apples are added to the salad.

      Dress And Serve The Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad

      Give the salad dressing a final whisk, then add it to the salad. NOTE: Don’t add the dressing ahead of time- only add it right before you serve the salad, for best results!

      Gently toss the salad until all the ingredients are covered with the salad dressing. Gently re-arrange some of the apples, cranberries, pecans and goat cheese back on top of the salad for presentation (if desired).

      Lemon dressing is poured over the Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad before combining.The Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is ready to serve after the dressing is added.

      Serve and enjoy this delicious salad alongside a favorite main dish! We enjoyed it with a stuffed sweet potato and Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken and it was great!

      You could also enjoy having the Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad as a main dish, dividing the full amount of salad in half (2 servings).

      The quinoa packs enough protein and fiber that would make this tasty salad a wonderful and filling side dish or a “stand-alone” lunch meal.

      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is served with lemon chicken and a baked sweet potato.

      I really hope you enjoy this fantastic spinach apple quinoa salad, and trust those you share it with will like it, as well! The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to meet your needs, which is a great thing!

      Thank you for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

      Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

      You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of fantastic salad recipes (sweet, savory and main dish) to choose from, including:

      Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

      I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
      Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

      There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
      You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

      Find Me On Social Media:

      Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Pinterest:       The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Instagram:       jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

      Author's signature

      Recipe adapted from: https://kristineskitchenblog.com/spinach-and-quinoa-salad-with-apple-and-pecans/amp/

      ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

      0 from 0 votes
      PRINT
      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad
      Prep Time
      15 mins
      Cook Time
      10 mins
      Total Time
      25 mins
       

      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is an amazing, delicious salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and toasted pecans! It's a great side dish or entree!

      Category: Salad
      Cuisine: All Cuisines
      Keyword: spinach, apple, quinoa, salad
      Servings: 3
      Calories Per Serving: 324 kcal
      Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Ingredients
      For Salad:
      • ½ cup water
      • ¼ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed, drained
      • ¼ cup raw pecans (or walnuts) rough chopped or halves
      • 3½ cups fresh baby spinach
      • ¼ cup dried cranberries
      • ½ large apple (unpeeled) cored/thinly sliced (or cut in chunks)
      • 2 ounces goat cheese
      For Salad Dressing:
      • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
      • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
      • 1 Tablespoon honey
      • ¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
      • ⅙ teaspoon salt
      • 1 pinch black pepper
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add rinsed/drained quinoa. Stir to combine, then turn heat down to Low (simmer) and put a lid on pan. Cook quinoa (covered) for 10-12 minutes OR until all water has been absorbed. Check on it and give quinoa a stir 1 or 2 times while it cooks.

      2. Once all liquid is absorbed, quinoa is done. Fluff it with a fork, then transfer quinoa to a bowl and cool to room temp.

      3. Place pecans in a small skillet. Cook on Medium, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes to lightly "toast" them. Keep checking them and stirring (they can burn quickly). When they become aromatic and are lightly browned, they're done! Transfer them out of the skillet and cool to room temp.

      4. In a small bowl, combine salad dressing ingredients using a whisk (or fork) until fully incorporated. 

      5. To "build" the salad, put spinach in medium bowl. Top with (cooled) quinoa, dried cranberries, (cooled) pecans, apple slices and crumbled goat cheese. Right before serving, add salad dressing and gently toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!

      Nutrition Facts
      Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad
      Amount Per Serving (1 (1/3 of total))
      Calories 324 Calories from Fat 180
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 20g31%
      Saturated Fat 5g31%
      Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
      Monounsaturated Fat 11g
      Cholesterol 9mg3%
      Sodium 244mg11%
      Potassium 375mg11%
      Carbohydrates 32g11%
      Fiber 4g17%
      Sugar 18g20%
      Protein 7g14%
      Vitamin A 3506IU70%
      Vitamin C 16mg19%
      Calcium 80mg8%
      Iron 2mg11%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Spinach Apple Quinoa Salad is an amazing, delicious salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and toasted pecans! It's a great side dish or entree!

       


      May
      2025

      Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese

      categories: Instant Pot Recipes, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals
      2 Shares
      Pin2
      Share
      Tweet
      Yum
      Email

      Enjoy yummy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, with a creamy sauce of sharp white cheddar cheese, American cheese, butter, milk and seasoning.
      Enjoy yummy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, with a creamy sauce of sharp white cheddar cheese, American cheese, butter, milk and seasoning.

      I don’t know about your family, but ours LOVES macaroni and cheese! While macaroni and cheese is not known for being a really HEALTHY meal which is an understatement (*cough, cough), we still love it and have loved it since we were young kids!

      Today I want to share a recipe I make for us – Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, and it’s really good. The Instant Pot cooks the pasta so quickly and then everything else is simply added, stirred, melted, seasoned and then served! By the way, if you don’t own an Instant Pot, be sure to check out my recipe for delicious Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese! 

      If you are fortunate enough to have an Instant Pot (I was given mine and am grateful for it), I hope you’ll consider trying this yummy recipe. It can be served as a side dish or as a main dish (meatless). Here’s how to make Instant Pot macaroni and cheese.

      Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

      Cook the Macaroni Noodles

      Place uncooked macaroni noodles, chicken broth and butter in the inner cannister of the Instant Pot. Give them a good stir, then press the pasta down as much as possible into the liquid. NOTE: You can substitute water for the chicken broth, if desired. 

      Lock the lid in place, then flip the pressure release valve to SEALING. Now press the MANUAL button (high pressure) and set the timer for 4 minutes. It will take 5-10 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach full internal pressure and then the pressure gauge button will pop up.

      The cooking program (and timer) will begin pressure cooking once the machine has reached full pressure. When the cooking time is completed, the machine should beep. Perform a quick release of the steam inside the pot by flipping the pressure release valve to VENTING.

      When all steam (and pressure) has been fully released, the pressure gauge button should drop back down, indicating it is safe to open the lid of the Instant Pot. 

      Elbow macaroni, butter and chicken broth in Instant pot.Pasta is pressed down into chicken broth as much as possible before cooking.

      Add The Remaining Ingredients

      Press the CANCEL button to end the cooking program, open the lid and then press the SAUTÉ button. Add milk, Tabasco (or other hot sauce) and yellow table mustard to the cooked noodles in the pot.

      Milk is mixed with hot sauce and yellow mustard in a measuring cup.

      Mix the milk, mustard and hot sauce into the pasta very well, to combine them with the cooked pasta. Keep stirring, so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom while heating them on Sauté.  

      The milk mixture is added to the cooked pasta and stirred to combine.

      Add American cheese to the pasta and give it a quick stir to combine. I cut mine into small pieces so it will melt faster. The use of American cheese gives the macaroni a nice creamy texture once it melts.

      American cheese (in pieces) is stirred into the cooked macaroni.

      Stir in grated sharp white cheddar cheese and continue to stir constantly until all the cheese has fully melted and been “merged” with the noodles.

      Grated white cheddar is added and stirred into the pasta, to combine and melt.

      Final Step

      The Instant Pot mac and cheese should be hot, tender, and the sauce should be quite creamy and cheesy. Stir in a teaspoon of butter and add additional milk, if desired.

      The sauce will thicken as the cheese melts, so if you want the sauce to be creamier, add more milk (a little at a time) until the sauce reaches the consistency you prefer.

      Take a bite and then season the Instant Pot mac and cheese with salt and black pepper to suit your taste.  Continue to cook and stir, and once the pasta is fully heated through, it’s ready to serve. Remember to press CANCEL to turn off the heat for the Instant Pot.

      Butter, salt and pepper are added to Instant Pot macaroni and cheese and heated through.

      Serve The Instant Pot Macaroni And Cheese

      When the Instant Pot mac and cheese is hot, either transfer it to a large serving bowl OR scoop it straight out of the inner pot onto individual plates. Serve the mac and cheese immediately while hot and enjoy it as meatless main dish or as a side dish served with a favorite entree.

      The Instant Pot macaroni and cheese is served with BBQ chicken on a white plate.

      I hope you have the opportunity to make Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese for those you love. It really is a tasty side dish OR meatless main dish, and I trust you’ll enjoy it occasionally as much as we do, even if it is rather high in calories.

      Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

      Looking For More INSTANT POT Recipes?

      You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index which is located in the Menu at the top of the page. I have some wonderful Instant Pot recipes you might enjoy, including:

      Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

      I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
      Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

      There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
      You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

      Find Me On Social Media:

      Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Pinterest:       The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Instagram:       jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

      Author's signature

      ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

      0 from 0 votes
      PRINT
      Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
      Prep Time
      10 mins
      Cook Time
      4 mins
      Pressurization (Instant Pot) (approx.)
      10 mins
      Total Time
      24 mins
       

      Enjoy yummy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, with a creamy sauce of sharp white cheddar cheese, American cheese, butter, milk and seasoning.

      Category: Main Dish, Side Dish
      Cuisine: All Cuisines
      Keyword: Instant pot, macaroni and cheese, meatless
      Servings: 8 side dish servings (½ cup)
      Calories Per Serving: 485 kcal
      Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Ingredients
      • 2¼ cups low sodium chicken broth can substitute water
      • 16 ounces elbow macaroni uncooked
      • 2 TBSP. butter
      • ¾ cup low-fat milk
      • 1 TBSP. Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
      • 1½ tsp. yellow mustard
      • 8 ounces American cheese (or Velveeta) cut in small pieces
      • 8 ounces white sharp cheddar cheese grated
      • salt and black pepper, to taste
      • 1 tsp. butter + more milk (if desired) for creaminess
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Place macaroni, chicken broth (or water) and 2 Tbsp. butter in the Instant Pot. Stir, then press pasta down as much as possible into liquid. Lock lid; set pressure release valve to SEALING. Press MANUAL button (high pressure) and set timer for 4 minutes. It takes about 5-10 minutes to reach full pressure (pressure gauge button will pop up) and then cooking program will begin. When done cooking, perform a quick release of steam by turning pressure release valve to VENTING. When all steam (and pressure) is fully released, pressure gauge button should drop back down, indicating it's safe to open the lid. 

      2. Press CANCEL button, open lid then press the SAUTÉ button. Add milk, Tabasco and mustard to the cooked noodles. Stir well, to combine, so noodles don't stick to the bottom while heating.

      3. Add American cheese; stir to combine, then add sharp white cheddar. Continue heating, stirring constantly until all cheese is melted and incorporated.

      4. Mac and cheese should be hot, tender, and the sauce should be creamy. Stir in remaining 1 tsp. butter. Sauce thickens as the cheese melts, so if you want the sauce creamier, add more milk until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Take a bite, season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Continue to heat and stir until pasta is fully heated through. Serve hot and enjoy!

      Nutrition Facts
      Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
      Amount Per Serving (1 (½ cup))
      Calories 485 Calories from Fat 216
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 24g37%
      Saturated Fat 13g81%
      Trans Fat 0.5g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
      Monounsaturated Fat 6g
      Cholesterol 68mg23%
      Sodium 780mg34%
      Potassium 279mg8%
      Carbohydrates 46g15%
      Fiber 2g8%
      Sugar 3g3%
      Protein 21g42%
      Vitamin A 686IU14%
      Vitamin C 1mg1%
      Calcium 540mg54%
      Iron 1mg6%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Enjoy yummy Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, with a creamy sauce of sharp white cheddar cheese, American cheese, butter, milk and seasoning.


      Apr
      2025

      Mediterranean Butternut Squash

      categories: Side Dishes, Vegetable Dishes
      2 Shares
      Pin2
      Share
      Tweet
      Yum
      Email

      Mediterranean Butternut Squash is a flavorful side dish with roasted squash topped with tahini dressing, feta cheese, mint, and pistachios!
      Mediterranean Butternut Squash is a flavorful side dish with roasted squash topped with tahini dressing, feta cheese, mint, and pistachios!

      If you’re looking for a unique and flavorful vegetable side dish, I hope you’ll check out this recipe for Mediterranean butternut squash! I found the original recipe in a cookbook I own that features all Mediterranean-inspired recipes, made a few small changes, and really enjoy this vegetable dish.

      There are several unique ingredients used in this recipe which add some flavorful “zing” to “plain-old butternut squash”. I love roasted butternut squash, but the addition of Mediterranean-inspired toppings really takes this recipe up a notch or two and that’s awesome!

      I truly hope you enjoy this absolutely delicious and colorful winter squash recipe. Here’s how to make Mediterranean butternut squash, step by step.

      Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

      Prepare The Butternut Squash

      Slice the stem end and the very bottom end off of a 1½ pound butternut squash. Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to remove the peel. Peel enough of the outer skin until the orange flesh (not white) of the squash is showing.

      Slice the squash in half from top to bottom, then remove and discard the seeds and “stringy pith” from the cavity of each piece. Turn the squash over and place the squash cut side down. Slice each half into ½” thick “half-moon” shaped pieces. Repeat with the other half of the squash.

      A 4-photo collage showing the peeling and slicing of a butternut squash for this recipe.

      Place the squash slices in a large bowl and drizzle them with 1½ Tablespoons of olive oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss the slices until they’re evenly coated with the olive oil, then set the bowl aside.

      Butternut squash slices are tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

      Make The Tahini Dressing

      One of the primary ingredients for the dressing is tahini, which is a roasted sesame seed purée. It is thick in texture and must be stirred very well before using. Tahini looks a bit like peanut butter and can be found in most grocery stores nowadays.

      A jar of tahini paste which is used for this recipe is shown.

      In a small bowl, use a whisk to fully combine the tahini, fresh lemon juice, honey, 2 teaspoons of additional extra virgin olive oil, and a small pinch of salt.

      Tahini is whisked with lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and salt to make a creamy dressing.

      Once the butternut squash has been roasted, you’ll drizzle this tahini dressing over the squash, then garnish it with toasted pistachio seeds, crumbled feta cheese and chopped fresh mint.

      I like to get these toppings prepped and ready to go, so it’s really quick and easy to add them to the hot squash as soon as the slices come out of the oven.

      Pistachios, crumbled feta, chopped mint and tahini dressing ready to garnish baked squash.

      Time To Roast The Butternut Squash

      Lay the squash in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet and roast (on a middle rack) for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet in the oven and continue to cook for 6-10 more minutes.

      The butternut squash slices in a single layer on baking sheet, ready for oven.

      Remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to carefully turn each slice over. Put the pan back in the oven and bake 10 more minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

      When done, both sides of the squash will be nicely browned, and a knife can easily be inserted into the squash without meeting any resistance.

      After baking, squash slices are well-browned on both sides.

      Prepare The Baked Squash For Serving

      Arrange the hot squash slices on a serving plate or platter however you wish. I usually layer or “shingle” them in a single line on the serving dish so each slice gets some of the toppings.

      Roasted squash slices are "shingled" and arranged on a serving platter before garnishing.

      Drizzle the tahini dressing over the Mediterranean butternut squash, ensuring each slice gets a bit of the creamy dressing on top!

      Tahini dressing is drizzled over the top of baked butternut squash slices on platter.

      Garnish And Serve Mediterranean Butternut Squash

      Sprinkle crumbled feta cheese, pistachios and chopped, fresh mint leaves on top of the tahini dressing and squash slices. Distribute them evenly over the surface to bring a pop of color and crunch to every piece of squash.

      Mediterranean butternut squash is garnished with feta cheese, mint, and toasted pistachios.

      Serve this yummy side dish immediately after garnishing, to ensure the squash remains hot for serving. We enjoyed our Mediterranean butternut squash served as a side dish, with wild rice and salmon! Everything was absolutely delicious!

      The butternut squash is so creamy and delicious, the tahini dressing provides great flavor, and the feta cheese, mint, and crunchy pistachios make it taste amazing!

      A white plate with a piece of salmon, wild rice and Mediterranean butternut squash is served.

      I really hope you give this unique and yummy recipe a try, and trust you’ll enjoy it, too! We enjoy the fresh flavors and texture this Mediterranean-style recipe adds to a common winter squash!

      Thank you for stopping by today, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day!

      Looking For More VEGETABLE Recipes?

      You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious veggie recipes you may want to check out, including:

      Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!

      I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
      Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?

      There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
      You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.

      Find Me On Social Media:

      Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Pinterest:       The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Instagram:       jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

      Author's signature

      Recipe adapted from “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook”, page 227, published by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen in 2016

      ↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

      0 from 0 votes
      PRINT
      Mediterranean Butternut Squash
      Prep Time
      15 mins
      Cook Time
      31 mins
      Total Time
      46 mins
       

      Mediterranean Butternut Squash is a flavorful side dish with roasted squash topped with tahini dressing, feta cheese, mint, and pistachios!

      Category: Side Dish, Vegetable Dish
      Cuisine: Mediterranean
      Keyword: Mediterranean Butternut Squash
      Servings: 4
      Calories Per Serving: 239 kcal
      Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
      Ingredients
      • 1½ pounds butternut squash
      • 1½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
      • ½ teaspoon salt
      • ½ teaspoon black pepper
      For Tahini Dressing:
      • 1 Tablespoon tahini
      • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
      • 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
      • 1 teaspoon honey
      • 1 pinch salt
      For Garnish:
      • ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
      • ¼ cup toasted pistachios shelled
      • 2 Tablespoons fresh mint chopped
      US Customary - Metric
      Instructions

      1. Preheat oven to 425℉ (or 218.33℃).

      2. Slice stem end and bottom off of squash. Peel squash until the orange flesh (no white) is showing. Slice squash in half from top to bottom. Remove/discard seeds and "stringy pith". Place a squash half, cut side down, on cutting board. Slice into ½" thick "half-moon" shaped pieces. Repeat with remaining half.

      3. Place squash slices in a large bowl; drizzle with 1½ Tbsp. olive oil; season with salt/pepper. Toss until evenly coated with olive oil; set bowl aside.

      4. In a small bowl, use a whisk to combine tahini, lemon juice, honey, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and a small pinch of salt. Set aside.

      5. Lay squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425℉ on a lower rack for 20 minutes. Rotate baking sheet; continue to cook 6-10 more minutes. Remove pan from oven; use spatula to turn each slice over. Put pan back in oven; bake 10 more minutes, or until squash is very tender and well-browned.

      6. Layer or "shingle" squash slices in a single line on a serving platter. Drizzle with tahini dressing, ensuring each slice gets some! Sprinkle crumbled feta, pistachios and chopped mint leaves evenly on top. Serve hot and enjoy!

      Nutrition Facts
      Mediterranean Butternut Squash
      Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 of total))
      Calories 239 Calories from Fat 135
      % Daily Value*
      Fat 15g23%
      Saturated Fat 3g19%
      Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
      Monounsaturated Fat 8g
      Cholesterol 8mg3%
      Sodium 417mg18%
      Potassium 721mg21%
      Carbohydrates 25g8%
      Fiber 5g21%
      Sugar 6g7%
      Protein 5g10%
      Vitamin A 18263IU365%
      Vitamin C 38mg46%
      Calcium 149mg15%
      Iron 2mg11%
      * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

      Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Mediterranean Butternut Squash is a flavorful side dish with roasted squash topped with tahini dressing, feta cheese, mint, and pistachios!