Main Dishes Archives

Category: Main Dishes

22
Jan
2021

Pasta in Wine and Garlic Sauce

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals

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Make delicious pasta in wine and garlic sauce in under 15 minutes! SIMPLE to make, then garnish with Parmesan cheese for a tasty main dish!

Do you enjoy pasta dishes? We sure do… especially my husband! Today I want to share a super simple, but “oh so tasty” recipe for Pasta in Wine and Garlic Sauce. It is sooo good, and I’m confident you’re gonna enjoy it as much as we do.

I love this recipe, because while fresh (or dried) pasta is cooking, you whip up a flavorful, EASY sauce to coat the pasta with as soon as it is finished. We try to have a meatless meal about once a week, and this one is pretty amazing! The sauce truly only takes a couple minutes to make while the pasta cooks, so the recipe definitely is “LOW MAINTENANCE!”

That’s why this is such a great recipe. This pasta (and sauce) tastes wonderful, and is the perfect solution when you don’t have much time, motivation or energy to make dinner. We’ve all been there, right? You can even add cooked shrimp or chicken to this pasta if you need some added protein! Trust me, you really can’t hurt this dish!

Do I Have To Use Fettucine Noodles For This Recipe?

No. You do NOT have to use fettucine pasta. Use whatever type of pasta you have, fresh or dried. For these photos I used homemade fresh fettucine, but the recipe works perfectly with any type of fresh or dried pasta. I recently used a Christmas gift card to purchase pasta rolling attachments for my stand mixer, so I made some fettucine pasta to try the attachments out to “show off” this simple pasta in wine and garlic sauce recipe. Here’s how easy it is to make this dish:

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

Prepare The Pasta

Cook the pasta you will be using (dried or fresh) in boiling, heavily salted water, according to package directions. Continue until the pasta is cooked al dente. Please remember that fresh pasta takes less time to cook than dried pasta. You can make the sauce quickly while the pasta is cooking.

Make The Wine And Garlic Sauce While Pasta Cooks

Using a large saucepan or skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. To the oil, add minced garlic, and red pepper flakes, and stir to combine. Cook this mixture for one minute, stirring often so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add butter (cut into chunks), white wine, salt and black pepper. *NOTE: Use any type of dry white wine you want, including chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, etc.

Stir well as the butter melts, to combine the ingredients. Cook the sauce for two minutes on medium heat, and then remove the pan from the heat. BOOM! It’s DONE!

Time To Serve The Pasta In Wine And Garlic Sauce

As soon as the pasta is done, drain off the water, and then pour the hot pasta back into the saucepan or skillet. Immediately pour the wine and garlic sauce over the hot pasta, and toss really well, to coat the noodles with the sauce.

The pasta will not be “swimming” in the sauce- just make sure it’s all coated, so mix it well. Place the pasta in wine and garlic sauce into (or onto) serving bowls (or plates). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley to garnish. If desired, you can also sprinkle on a few more red pepper flakes (if you want more “heat”), but that is optional!

Because the pasta is not “doused” in sauce, it will tend to cool fairly quickly, so serve it immediately. TIP: Once pasta has been garnished with Parmesan and parsley, I like to put each portion into the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make sure it is served HOT!

I sure hope you enjoy this delicious pasta dish. We really do, and my husband loves to request this for dinner. What more could you want in a simple, meatless recipe? Full of flavor, filling, and easy to make in a flash… it’s a keeper!

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few pasta recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so. If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
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Original recipe source: julieblanner.com/white-wine-sauce/

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Pasta in Wine and Garlic Sauce

Prep Time

3 mins

Cook Time

4 mins

Total Time

7 mins

Make delicious pasta in wine and garlic sauce in under 15 minutes! SIMPLE to make, then garnish with Parmesan cheese for a tasty main dish!

Category: Main Course, Meatless Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta in wine and garlic sauce

Servings: 6

Calories Per Serving: 488 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For Sauce:

¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic (fresh or jarred)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
5 Tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
½ cup dry white wine (chardonnay/pinot grigio/sauvignon blanc)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

For Pasta:

1 pound pasta (fresh or dried, any type) See NOTE below.
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook pasta (dried or fresh) in boiling, heavily salted water according to package directions. Continue until pasta is cooked al dente.

Make Sauce While Pasta Cooks:

Heat olive oil on medium in a large saucepan or skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil; stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often so garlic doesn't burn. Add butter (cut in chunks), white wine, salt and black pepper. Stir as butter melts, to combine ingredients. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, then remove pan from heat.

To Serve:

When pasta is done, drain off water; pour pasta back into saucepan/skillet. Immediately pour sauce over hot pasta; toss well to coat pasta with sauce. Portion pasta into (or onto) serving bowls (or plates). Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. You can also sprinkle with a few red pepper flakes (if you want more "heat"), but that's optional! Serve hot, and enjoy. *Store any leftover pasta in a sealed container for up to 5-7 days. Reheat in microwave.

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Fresh pasta cooks the quickest, and is reflected in the cooking time. Dried pasta (any type may be used) will take longer to cook to al dente firmness, but is perfectly okay to use!

Nutrition Facts

Pasta in Wine and Garlic Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 (1/6th of total))

Calories 488 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g32%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 30mg10%

Sodium 566mg25%

Potassium 210mg6%

Carbohydrates 58g19%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 600IU12%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 89mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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15
Jan
2021

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

categories: Mexican / Southwestern, Sauces and Dressings

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Make a batch of Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce in 10 minutes to use to make your favorite enchiladas, with this step by step EASY tutorial.

Do you like enchiladas? We sure do in our family! I typically keep a large can of store-bought enchilada sauce (for backup) in our pantry, but many times I forget to buy another one once it’s gone. If you’re like me, you don’t want to stop everything and run to the grocery store for one item (especially during Covid-19, right?). Have no fear!

It is so very simple to make it right at home. It’s a cinch to make 4 cups (32 ounces) of easy homemade enchilada sauce in only a few minutes! A LARGE can of enchilada sauce at the store is 28 ounces, so this recipe will give you a bit more that that (and it freezes well), so it’s a win-win.

Today I want to show you, step by step, how EASY it is to make this flavorful enchilada sauce. I found the handwritten recipe in my old recipe box, but there was no source noted to give credit where it is due! I’ve had the recipe for many years, and let me tell you, this is one great tasting red enchilada sauce! Here’s how to make it:

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

What Ingredients Will I Need To Make The Sauce?

The ingredients you will use to make this delicious enchilada sauce are olive oil, flour, cocoa, tomato paste, sugar, water, and fresh garlic. You will also use the following spices to add the perfect flavor: chili powder, salt, oregano, basil, thyme, and ground cumin.

How To Make Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan on medium-low heat. Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, chili powder, sugar, minced fresh garlic, oregano, basil, cumin and thyme into a large saucepan. Stir these ingredients together until blended.

The mixture will be very thick and will be dark brown in color. Perfect! Cook for 1 minute on medium-low heat, stirring often.

Whisk or stir a small (6 oz.) can of tomato paste and 3 cups of water into the mixture until fully combined. Cook the easy homemade enchilada sauce on medium heat (uncovered) for 5-6 minutes. Stir often while it cooks. The enchilada sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks.

Once the sauce is slightly thickened, it is ready to be put to good use in a favorite enchilada recipe. That’s it! See how easy it is to make this sauce?

Time To USE Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce!

I like to use a good flavored red sauce for my Easy Cheesy Enchiladas, and this sauce is perfect for that! Simply pour a base of the sauce on the bottom of the dish, add rolled filled enchiladas, and top them with more sauce, cheese and onions before baking. YUMMO!

After baking, I serve enchiladas (made with my easy homemade enchilada sauce) with dollops of sour cream and some chopped fresh cilantro. They’re delicious, and this wonderful homemade sauce plays a large part of that.

I hope you will consider trying this easy to make homemade enchilada sauce. It really does taste GREAT! Any leftover sauce freezes well, so even if I only make 4-5 enchiladas for my husband and myself, I know I always have sauce ready for another round in our freezer.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with love, laughter, and encouragement. Please come back for another visit soon to find more delicious recipes to make for those you love.

Looking For More MEXICAN-INSPIRED Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few Mexican-inspired recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Original recipe source: unknown (old recipe found written on a recipe card from years ago)

0 from 0 votes

EASY Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Make a batch of Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce in 10 minutes to use to make your favorite enchiladas, with this step by step EASY tutorial.

Category: Sauce

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: easy homemade enchilada sauce

Servings: 12 (1/3 cup per serving)

Calories Per Serving: 66 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
6 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
1 Tablespoon chile powder
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar
6 ounces tomato paste (canned)
3 cups water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat olive oil on medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add flour, cocoa, salt, chili powder, sugar, garlic, oregano, basil, cumin and thyme to pan. Stir until blended. Mixture will be thick and dark brown in color. Cook for 1 minute on medium-low heat, stirring often.
Whisk or stir tomato paste and water into the mixture until fully combined. Cook sauce on medium heat (uncovered) for 5-6 minutes. Stir often while it cooks. The enchilada sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks.
Once sauce has slightly thickened, remove from heat, and use in your favorite recipes. Sauce may be frozen, if stored in a sealed, airtight container. Thaw fully before using.

Recipe Notes

The recipe makes approx. 4 cups enchilada sauce. Caloric calculation is made based on using 1/3 cup per portion.

Nutrition Facts

EASY Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 (1/3 cup portion))

Calories 66 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 708mg31%

Potassium 169mg5%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 414IU8%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 12mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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04
Jan
2021

Easy Baked BBQ Chicken

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes

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Easy Baked BBQ Chicken is just that… EASY! The homemade BBQ sauce is simple to make, and compliments the browned, baked chicken perfectly!

Today I want to share a recipe (from my trusty old recipe box) that I’ve had for years and years, for easy baked BBQ chicken. I don’t know the source of the original recipe, because I jotted the ingredients/directions down on an index card over 20 years ago, but it is very easy! Basically, you will cook a quick and delicious BBQ sauce, lightly pan-sear chicken pieces, then douse the chicken with the sauce and put it all in the oven to bake.

This recipe is a perfect way to enjoy good BBQ chicken when it’s just too cold, rainy or snowy to get out and cook BBQ chicken on the old family grill.

The prep time is only about 20 minutes total, and then the chicken bakes for about an hour, filling your kitchen with a delicious aroma as it cooks. You can start watching a Hallmark movie, remodel your house, or play with the kids while the chicken bakes… yahoo! The end result? Absolutely DELICIOUS easy baked BBQ chicken, with minimal hands-on time! Here’s how easy it is to make:

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

What Ingredients Will I Need?

First and foremost, you will need approx. 8 pieces of chicken. Use whatever type of pieces you want (legs, thighs, breasts, skinless, skin-on, bone-in, boneless, or any combo, etc.). IT’S YOUR CHOICE.

The ingredients you will need for the easy BBQ sauce are: onion, butter, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, water, salt and pepper.

Make The BBQ Sauce

In a medium saucepan, sauté chopped onion in melted butter. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring often, then add the rest of the ingredients (except for the chicken). Let the sauce simmer (uncovered) on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, set aside.

TIP: If you are a multi-tasker and like to save time, you can brown the chicken pieces (see below) while the sauce cooks. That way they will be done about the same time.

Lightly Brown The Chicken Pieces Before Baking

Pat each of the chicken pieces you will be using with paper towels to absorb extra moisture before cooking. Pour just enough oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat the oil on medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking.

Carefully add the chicken pieces in a single layer to the hot oil and do not move them once they hit the pan. You may find it necessary to brown the chicken in batches, but it doesn’t take long at all to brown them, so nor worries! Brown the first side for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over each piece to lightly brown the other side.

Place the lightly browned chicken pieces in a single layer in a 13″x9″ baking dish. Repeat browning process with 2nd batch, if necessary. I cooked mine in two batches. You do not want them to be fully cooked or very brown, just enough to lightly brown and to help seal the juices in the meat.

Time To Cook Easy Baked BBQ Chicken

Once all the chicken has been browned and added to the baking dish, pour all of the BBQ sauce over the chicken. Turn to make sure both sides are fully coated in that yummy BBQ sauce!

Bake the chicken (uncovered) at 350°F. for 1 hour, or until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Once done, remove from oven. Let chicken “rest” for 3-4 minutes, and then the easy baked BBQ chicken is ready to be served.

Time To Eat Some Easy Baked BBQ Chicken!

Place chicken onto a platter or individual plates. Before serving, spoon some of the extra sauce from the baking dish over the top of each piece of chicken.

That’s it! With minimal prep, and a lot of “inactive” baking time, this meal is ready to be enjoyed. The flavor of the bbq sauce-coated chicken is wonderful, in my humble opinion. We enjoyed our meal of easy baked BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes and a spinach salad (with warm bacon dressing) on the side. It was wonderful!

I truly hope you have the opportunity to make this easy chicken recipe for those you love. It doesn’t matter what kind of chicken pieces you use (breasts, legs, thighs or a combo); the result will be delicious. Have a great day, and thank you for visiting. Come back again soon!

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my chicken recipes (there’s a LOT) in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. There are many delicious chicken recipes there, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

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

Original Recipe Source: unknown

0 from 0 votes

Easy Baked BBQ Chicken

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 20 mins

Easy Baked BBQ Chicken is just that... EASY! The homemade BBQ sauce is simple to make, and compliments the browned, baked chicken perfectly!

Category: Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy baked bbq chicken

Servings: 8

Calories Per Serving: 217 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For BBQ Sauce:

3 Tablespoons butter
⅓ cup chopped yellow onion
¾ cup ketchup
⅓ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
3 Tablespoons brown sugar , light or dark
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
1½ Tablespoons worchestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For Rest of Dish:

8 pieces chicken (breasts, thighs, legs)
vegetable oil (enough to cover bottom of large skillet)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium saucepan, sauté chopped onion in melted butter. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often, then add remaining ingredients (except for chicken). Let sauce simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, set aside. TIP: If you are a multi-tasker and like to save time, you can brown the chicken pieces (see below) while the sauce cooks. That way they will be done about the same time.
Pat each of the chicken pieces you will be using with paper towels to absorb extra moisture before cooking. Pour just enough oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat oil on medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Carefully add chicken pieces in a single layer to hot oil. Do not move them once they hit the skillet. Brown first side for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over each piece to lightly brown other side. Place chicken in single layer in a 13"x9" baking dish. Repeat browning process with 2nd batch, if necessary.
Pour all of the BBQ sauce over chicken. Turn to make sure all sides are fully coated with sauce before baking. Bake chicken (uncovered) at 350°F. for 1 hour, or until chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Once done, remove from oven. Let chicken "rest" for 3-4 minutes. then place chicken on platter or individual plates. Spoon extra sauce from baking dish over each piece, then serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

***PLEASE NOTE: This caloric calculation is an estimate only, because the sizes/weights, and variety of chicken pieces (bone-in or boneless, skinless or skin-on) YOU use will be different. The caloric calculation for this recipe was made using boneless, skinless chicken breasts as a point of reference. Using thighs and legs or any combination of pieces/sizes, will result in a different caloric value per serving.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Baked BBQ Chicken

Amount Per Serving (1 breast)

Calories 217 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 84mg28%

Sodium 493mg21%

Potassium 530mg15%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 24g48%

Vitamin A 281IU6%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 19mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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08
Dec
2020

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

categories: Holidays!, Main Dishes, Pork

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Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).

My husband LOVES ham! We don’t have it that much during the year, but wow, does he ever love it at Christmas time and at Easter. In the past we’ve bought pre-glazed hams (at Honey-Baked using gift certificates).

We’ve also bought hams at the grocery that come with the cute little glaze package attached (where all you add is water).

Those are all wonderful options, but truthfully, it is sooo easy to make your own homemade brown sugar glazed ham. Today I will show you how you can make your own sauce to baste your holiday ham.

The “recipe” is incredibly simple, and the ham tastes wonderful after being fully glazed at 3 different points during the baking time.

The recipe as written is for a six pound ham, but can be easily adapted for a much larger one, too! Here’s how easy it is to make this delicious glazed ham:

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

Make The Brown Sugar Glaze

Simple, simple, simple. The sweet glaze is super easy to make! Basically it involves placing the ingredients in a pan and cooking for a couple minutes. That’s it!

Place brown sugar, orange juice, honey, white vinegar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Whisk the ingredients together. Once combined, bring the sauce to a simmer on medium-low heat.

Let it cook for about 2 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until the sauce has slightly thickened, then remove the pan from the heat source.

Time To Glaze The Ham – Glaze #1

TIP: Take the ham out of the refrigerator about an hour before beginning, so some of the “chill” can be take off the meat. *It will cook more evenly if you do this.

Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil on counter (overlapping slightly in middle). Place your ham right in the middle of the foil. Use 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze to cover the entire outside surface of the ham.

If you are using a spiral sliced ham, let some of the glaze drizzle down between slices, if desired. Wrap up the ham tightly with the aluminum foil, until it is well sealed.

Place the ham in a large baking dish, flat side of the ham facing down in the dish, then place the dish into a preheated 325°F oven (on a middle rack).

Baking The Brown Sugar Glazed Ham – Glaze #2

Bake the brown sugar glazed ham at 325°F for 15 minutes for every pound of meat you are cooking, OR until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 100-110°F. For example, this 6 pound ham was cooked for 90 minutes. As the weight of your ham may vary, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure a juicy ham!

Remove the ham from the oven, but TURN up the oven temperature to 400°F, as you remove it. Carefully open the foil wrap, and brush the ham with another 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze all over. Place the ham STILL UNCOVERED back into the now 400°F oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes more. Keeping it uncovered will help the sugar to slightly caramelize on the ham.

Glaze # 3- The Final Glaze

Remove the ham from the oven after 15-20 minutes OR when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Brush the remaining glaze over the surface of the ham, then tightly seal the foil back up, and let the ham rest for 10 minutes (covered), before slicing.

The ham’s internal juices will redistribute throughout the meat during this 10 minute “resting” time. This will help it to stay juicy when serving. Once “rested”, the ham is ready to slice and eat.

Ready To Eat

Slice the ham and serve to your hungry family or guests. This boneless brown sugar glazed ham sliced easily, the meat was fully cooked and juicy, and the glaze added extra flavor!

You can also use this glaze for your spiral-sliced bone-in hams, too. The simple, but sweet glaze adds a wonderful layer of extra flavor to any ham.

We enjoyed our delicious ham slices with French-style green beans and maple cinnamon sweet potatoes. It was a simple, but absolutely delicious meal.

The ham leftovers were pretty incredible too, and were used to make ham and cheese scrambled eggs, ham sandwiches, and more. YUM.

I hope you will consider trying this simple brown sugar glazed ham. I’m confident you will enjoy it on your favorite variety of ham.

Thank you so much for visiting this blog. May God bless and keep you, and make His face shine upon you. Have a GREAT day, friends.

Looking For More HAM Recipes?

You can find my recipes that use ham (or pork) in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some delicious recipes, including:

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Recipe adapted from: Melissa, at: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/brown-sugar-glazed-ham/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 50 mins

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham is perfect for dinners or holiday feasts! A honey, brown sugar, OJ and spice glaze coats the ham (boneless or bone-in).

Category: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown sugar glazed ham

Servings: 12

Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

6 pound ham (bone-in or boneless) pre-cooked (intact or spiral cut)
½ cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)
¼ cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1½ Tablespoons honey
⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove ham from fridge 1 hour before beginning, to take chill off. Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk together, to combine, and bring to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cook for 2 minutes (stirring occasionally) or until sauce has slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat source.
Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil on counter (overlapping slightly in middle). Place ham in middle of the foil. Brush 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze on, to cover surface of ham. If using spiral sliced ham, let glaze drizzle down between slices. Wrap ham with foil, until well sealed. Place ham in a large baking dish, flat side down. Place dish on middle rack in 325°F oven.
Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes for every pound of meat you are cooking, OR until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 100-110°F. As ham weights vary, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure juicy ham! Remove ham from oven, and TURN up oven temperature to 400°F. Carefully open foil, and pull it slightly away from the meat (but leave it in pan); brush ham with another 1/3 of the brown sugar glaze.
Place ham (STILL UNCOVERED) back into 400°F oven. Cook 15-20 minutes more. Remove ham after 15-20 minutes OR when the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Brush ham with remaining 1/3 glaze; seal the foil back up, and let ham rest for 10 minutes (covered), before slicing to allow juices to redistribute through meat. Once "rested", it's ready to slice and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Amount Per Serving (1 (8 ounce slice))

Calories 598 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Fat 38g58%

Saturated Fat 14g88%

Cholesterol 141mg47%

Sodium 2709mg118%

Potassium 671mg19%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 49g98%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 23mg2%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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23
Nov
2020

Creamy Avgolemono Soup

categories: Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Soups

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Creamy Avgolemono Soup is a classic Greek dish (with rice) that is delicious, rich and lemony, and very easy to make in under 30 minutes.

For many years I have read about, looked at recipes, and wondered about Avgolemono soup. It sounded quite unusual. I was tempted many times to give it a try, but never did, until last month. Whoa! I LOVED this soup! Who knew that a lemon-flavored creamy rice soup could taste so incredibly GOOD?

Creamy avgolemono soup is a classic Greek beloved soup, one of their signature dishes, to be sure. “Avgolemono” comes from the Greek language. “AVGO” means egg, and “LEMONO” means lemon. This light and creamy simple soup only uses a few ingredients, is EASY to make, and tastes wonderfully bright and fresh! I hope you will give it a try… it will surprise you, most likely. Here’s how to make it:

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

How To Make Creamy Avgolemono Soup

Heat six cups of chicken broth in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, and then pour in a half cup of uncooked long grain rice. Stir well, to combine.

Cook the broth and rice, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat, until the rice becomes tender. Stir the rice occasionally while it is cooking, to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Temper The Egg Mixture Before Adding To Hot Soup

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk four egg yolks lightly, and then add fresh lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest, whisking to combine. Now it’s time to “temper” the egg mixture. This is a VERY important step!

*Tempering the eggs means slowly adding in hot broth VERY SLOWLY. This raises the temperature of the eggs, so that when they’re added to very hot soup, they won’t become “scrambled eggs”. Here’s how to temper the egg mixture:

Slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you add it. Continue whisking until all the cup of broth has been added. Turn the heat down to medium-low under the broth in the pan , and then slowly add the warmed egg mixture back into the hot broth in the pot, whisking as you add it.

Finish Cooking The Soup

Let the soup continue to cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. DO NOT LET THE SOUP COME TO A BOIL! The creamy avgolemono soup will thicken up a little bit as it continues to cook. Once it has fully heated through (about 3-4 minutes), remove the pan from the heat. Season lightly (to suit your taste) with salt and pepper.

Ready For A Bowl Of Creamy Avgolemono Soup!

Once heated through, the creamy avgolemono soup is ready to eat! Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls, and garnish each serving with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (and strips of lemon peel, if desired).

The parsley and lemon peel add a “pop” of color, and another layer of flavor, but are not absolutely essential if you don’t have them handy! The soup is thick and creamy, bursting with lemon flavor, and the rice is very tender (and filling). We enjoy this soup with crusty slices of garlic bread on the side. YUM!

I truly hope you will give this creamy avgolemono soup a try- it’s quite delicious! The leftovers were microwaved for lunch the next day, and were wonderful, as well! Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you will come back soon. Take care.

Looking For More SOUP 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 soup recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

Mom’s Old-Fashioned Chili
Grandma’s Southern-Style Chicken n’ Dumplings (my #1 pinned recipe)
Chicken Noodle Soup
Garden Vegetable Chowder

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

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Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Original recipe source: The cookbook: “Williams-Sonoma Soup Of The Day”, by Kate McMillan, published by Weldon Owen, Inc. 2011, page 15

5 from 3 votes

Creamy Avgolemono Soup

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

25 mins

Creamy Avgolemono Soup is a classic Greek dish (with rice) that is delicious, rich and lemony, and very easy to make in under 30 minutes.

Category: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: creamy avgolemono soup

Servings: 4

Calories Per Serving: 200 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup long grain white rice , uncooked
4 large egg yolks , slightly beaten
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (finely grated lemon peel)
salt/pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley (flat leaf) , chopped for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat broth in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; add uncooked rice. Cook uncovered, 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat, until rice is tender. .Stir occasionally while it cooks, to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks lightly. Add lemon juice and zest, whisking to combine. "Temper" the egg mixture. *Tempering eggs means slowly adding in hot broth VERY SLOWLY. This raises the temperature of the eggs, so that when added to hot soup, they won't scramble. Here's how: Measure out, then slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you add it. Continue whisking until the entire cup of broth is added.
Turn the heat down to medium-low under the broth in pan; slowly add the warmed egg mixture back into the broth in pan, constantly whisking as you add it back in. Let the soup continue cooking on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. DO NOT LET THE SOUP COME TO A BOIL! Soup will thicken up a bit as it cooks. Once hot (3-4 minutes), remove pan from the heat.
Season lightly (to suit your taste) with salt and pepper. Ladle hot soup into bowls, and garnish each serving with chopped parsley (and strips of lemon peel, if desired). Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Avgolemono Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 200 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 184mg61%

Sodium 117mg5%

Potassium 376mg11%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 414IU8%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 45mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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06
Nov
2020

Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops

categories: Main Dishes, Pork

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Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops are a cinch to make and bake! These tasty, juicy, boneless or bone-in chops are ready to eat in under 30 minutes!

Have some pork chops and are looking for a quick and EASY way to fix them? May I suggest these simply-seasoned pork chops? They are ridiculously SIMPLE to make, but have great flavor!

If you don’t have much time to fix a fancy dinner, these simply-seasoned pork chops are the way to go! Season them, and toss ’em in the oven until done. BOOM! A delicious main dish is ready to go in under 25 minutes! Here’s how to whip up this recipe:

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

Make The Spice Rub

Before making the spice rub, make sure to preheat your oven to 400°F. This recipe comes together quickly, so you want your oven to be ready. Now… on to the simple seasoning, which is a CINCH to make. Simply mix together paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano in a small bowl. This is the spice rub for the simply-seasoned pork chops!

Prepare The Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops

Place the pork chops on a work surface. I use boneless pork chops for this simple recipe, but have included a cooking (timing) tip in the printable recipe card (below) in case you are using bone-in chops. Bone-in will take just a tiny bit longer to cook.

Drizzle HALF (1 Tablespoon) of the olive oil over the chops, on BOTH sides. Rub it in, to cover. Sprinkle the prepared spice mix over both sides of the pork chops. Rub the spice mix into the pork with your fingers and press to ensure it sticks to the meat. Make sure all sides of the meat are covered with spices.

Bake The Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops

Place the pork chops into a small baking dish that is just big enough to hold the pork chops in a single layer. Juice will tend to accumulate in the pan during baking. You want the meat juices to “pool together” so they don’t evaporate in a larger baking pan while baking. Drizzle the chops with the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil before baking.

Bake the pork chops at 400°F for 18 minutes, OR until they reach an internal temperature of 140° F. See my note in the printable recipe card below. Make sure to NOT overcook the chops, because that will dry them out!

When done, remove the pork chops from the oven, and let them REST in the baking dish for 5 minutes. They’ll continue to cook as they rest (safe internal temperature for pork chops is 145°F), and the juices in the meat will time to redistribute through the meat, for juicier chops. As you can see from the photos below, some juice from the meat has accumulated in the dish. You can use that, if desired, to drizzle on a veggie side dish OR as the base for a quick gravy, because it has GREAT flavor.

Time To Eat!

Once the simply-seasoned pork chops have rested for 5 minutes, they are ready to serve. Transfer to individual serving plates and serve with your favorite side dishes. We enjoyed the simply-seasoned pork chops with creamy mashed potatoes and baked praline acorn squash slices.

The pork chops were nice and juicy inside, perfectly baked, and had wonderful flavor. It was nice to enjoy such simple, tasty pork chops that didn’t require a lot of effort to prepare. Hooray!

I truly hope you will have the opportunity to make these delicious pork chops for yourself or those you love. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I sincerely hope you will come back again. Have a blessed day!

Looking For Other Recipes Using PORK CHOPS?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few pork chop recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Original recipe source: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/juicy-baked-pork-chops/

0 from 0 votes

Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

18 mins

Total Time

23 mins

Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops are a cinch to make and bake! These tasty, juicy, boneless or bone-in chops are ready to eat in under 30 minutes!

Category: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: simply-seasoned pork chops

Servings: 4

Calories Per Serving: 285 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 boneless pork chops (1¼" thick)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Make Spice Mix: Combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano in a small bowl.
Prepare Chops: Drizzle HALF (1 Tablespoon) of olive oil over chops, on BOTH sides. Rub it in, to cover. Sprinkle spice mix over both sides of chops. Rub spices into pork to ensure it sticks to meat. All sides of the meat should be covered.
Place pork chops into a baking dish just big enough to hold the chops in a single layer. Drizzle chops with remaining Tablespoon of oil. Bake at 400°F for 18 minutes (see note below), OR until they reach an internal temperature of 140° F. Make sure to NOT overcook them, because that will dry them out! When done, remove them from oven; let meat REST in baking dish for 5 minutes. They'll continue to cook as they rest (safe internal temperature for pork chops is 145°F), and the juices in the meat will time to redistribute through the meat, for juicier chops. After resting, they are ready to serve. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

BAKING NOTE: At 400°F, as a general guide, boneless chops should be baked approx. 6-7 minutes per 1/2" thickness (as thickness of chops will vary). Bone-in chops will require an additional 1 minute of cooking time per 1/2" thickness.

Nutrition Facts

Simply-Seasoned Pork Chops

Amount Per Serving (1 pork chop)

Calories 285 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 90mg30%

Sodium 649mg28%

Potassium 567mg16%

Carbohydrates 3g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 862IU17%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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17
Oct
2020

Sweet Spicy Salmon

categories: Main Dishes, Seafood

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Sweet Spicy Salmon is an easy-to-make, delicious seafood dish! Seasoned fillets are covered with a pineapple/Asian-inspired sauce and baked.

I really think you’re gonna love this totally EASY salmon dish. It is so simple to prepare in only a few minutes, and then into the oven it goes.

The end result is a flaky and delicious, baked salmon fillet, covered in a “not too sweet and not too spicy” delicious sauce. YUM! This recipe as written serves two, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

Basically you will lightly season the salmon, cover it with a simple flavorful sauce, bake it, and then put it under the broiler to crisp it before serving. Truly, it could not be any more simple than that!

We love salmon, and love this recipe for it, too, so I wanted to share it with you. Here’s how easy it is to make sweet spicy salmon:

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

Prepare The Salmon For Baking

Preheat your oven to 425° F. Line a baking dish (or small cookie sheet) with a large piece of aluminum foil. You will want the piece of foil to be much larger than the pan, so the edges can be turned up to “hold the sauce in” later.

Spray the foil lightly with non-stick baking spray. **NOTE: If doubling the recipe, you can use a rimmed cookie sheet to have room for the additional pieces of salmon.

Place skinless salmon fillets in the prepared dish, leaving about an inch between each one. Lightly sprinkle the top of the salmon fillets with salt and black pepper.

Drain pineapple rings, RESERVING THE JUICE FOR LATER. Slice pineapple rings in half. Place the halved rings around the long sides of the fillets, and in between the pieces.

Pull the foil up to “snuggle” the salmon so that any “runaway” sauce will be “held captive” in the pan, once added. Set the salmon aside while you make the sauce.

Make The Sauce

The sauce is a cinch to make. Place sweet Thai chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy), rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and pineapple juice (reserved from the can) in a small bowl. Whisk well, to combine the ingredients.

Spoon or pour the sauce over the top of each piece of salmon, to fully cover the surface of the fish. The foil will help “catch” any runoff sauce. Now the sweet spicy salmon is ready to bake!

Cooking The Sweet Spicy Salmon

BAKE the sweet spicy salmon, uncovered, at 425°F. for 12-15 minutes. This amount of time will vary due to the thickness of the fish YOU use. Check it at 12 minutes. The fish should be easily flaked with a fork when finished baking. Immediately switch your oven to the BROIL setting.

Place the pan under the broiler heating element. Broil the fish for 2-3 minutes or just until the top and edges begin to blacken and crisp up slightly. Remove the pan from the broiler.

If desired, garnish the salmon with chopped cilantro before transferring to serving plates. I recommend this, as the cilantro not only adds color, but additional flavor to this dish, as well.

Time To Serve The Sweet Spicy Salmon

Carefully transfer the sweet spicy salmon fillets (use a spatula) to serving plates when ready to serve. Place pineapple rings around the edges of the salmon. Spoon some of the sauce from the pan over each piece of salmon.

The salmon will be nice and flaky, and is so yummy I think you will gobble it up! You will also find that the fish (with the sauce) isn’t too spicy, after all.

The first time I made this dish, I thought it would be really spicy… NOPE! It’s perfect, and the sweet/spicy sauce compliments the salmon very well.

I really hope you have the opportunity to try this recipe for sweet spicy salmon. The recipe can be EASILY DOUBLED, and has a wonderful flavor.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful day, and I sincerely hope you will come back again soon. Take care, and may God bless you and those you love.

Looking For More SALMON Recipes?

You can find all of my salmon recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have quite a few (we love salmon!), including:

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Original Recipe Source: Danelle, at: https://letsdishrecipes.com/sweet-and-spicy-pineapple-salmon/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes

Sweet Spicy Salmon

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

Sweet Spicy Salmon is an easy-to-make, delicious seafood dish! Seasoned fillets are covered with a pineapple/Asian-inspired sauce and baked.

Category: Entree, Main Dish, Seafood

Cuisine: All Cuisines

Keyword: sweet spicy salmon

Servings: 2

Calories Per Serving: 335 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

2 6 ounce salmon fillets , no skin
salt/pepper, to season
4 canned pineapple rings , cut in half (JUICE RESERVED)
chopped cilantro (Optional, for garnish)

For Sauce:

¼ cup sweet Thai chili sauce (I used Mae Ploy)
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
½ Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
⅛ cup reserved pineapple juice (from can)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking dish (or small cookie sheet) with a large piece of aluminum foil (larger than pans so edges can be turned. Spray lightly with non-stick baking spray. **NOTE: If doubling recipe, use rimmed cookie sheet to have room for additional pieces.
Place salmon in prepared dish; leave 1" between each one. Lightly sprinkle salmon with salt/pepper. Drain pineapple rings, RESERVING JUICE FOR LATER. Slice rings in half. Place halved rings around long edges of fillets, and in between. Pull foil up to "snuggle" salmon so that any "runaway" sauce will be "held captive" in foil, once added. Set aside.
Make sauce: Place sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and pineapple juice (reserved from can) in a small bowl. Whisk well, to combine the ingredients. Spoon or pour sauce over the top of each salmon fillet, to cover surface.
BAKE, uncovered, at 425°F. for 12-15 minutes. Cooking time may vary slightly, due to thickness of fillets used. Check it at 12 minutes. The fish should easily flake with a fork when done. Immediately switch oven to the BROIL setting. Broil salmon for 2-3 minutes or just until the top and edges begin to blacken and crisp up slightly. Remove pan from oven. If desired, garnish each piece with chopped cilantro before transferring to serving plates.
Carefully transfer salmon (use a spatula) to plates to serve. Place pineapple rings around the edges. Spoon sauce from the pan over each piece. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Sweet Spicy Salmon

Amount Per Serving (1 fillet)

Calories 335 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 94mg31%

Sodium 529mg23%

Potassium 853mg24%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 21g23%

Protein 34g68%

Vitamin A 68IU1%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 20mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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02
Oct
2020

Black Beans And Rice

categories: Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Mexican / Southwestern

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Black Beans and Rice is a scrumptious, budget-friendly, meatless meal for the family! A lot of flavor, fiber, and protein in this easy dish!

If you’re looking for a “meatless Monday” kind of meal, may I suggest this easy recipe for black beans and rice? Not only is it meatless, it is fairly inexpensive to prepare, and tastes fantastic! My husband and I recently began setting aside at least one night a week for meatless meals. We are true meat-eaters, but find it to be a wonderful break for us. I originally found this recipe while searching for meatless meals online. I only “tweaked” the original recipe I used very slightly.

This recipe features black beans, brown rice, veggies and spices, which are great options in any tasty meal. Black beans are a wonderful source of protein and have lots of fiber, which helps add to a feeling of fulness. Brown rice also has more fiber, antioxidants, vitamins & minerals than white rice, so it will also help “fill you up”. That’s a win-win, in my book. Here’s how to make black beans and rice:

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

Prepare The Spice Mixture

Before beginning to cook this simple dish, I start by getting the spices together, so they’ll be ready to dump into the skillet later! The spices used add wonderful flavor (and is not too spicy) to the black beans and rice.

The spices you will need for this dish are dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Measure them into a small bowl, and give them a stir, to combine. Set the spice mixture aside until later.

A Note About Cooking The Brown Rice

You will need to cook the brown rice in broth (vegetable OR chicken). Brown rice tends to take a bit longer to cook than white rice, so plan a bit ahead on this one, ok? I try to get the rice almost fully cooked before preparing the rest of the dish. You can make it ahead to save time, and then fluff it with a fork before adding it to this dish, if that’s more convenient.

Cook the rice according to the package instructions, but substitute vegetable or chicken broth for the water needed. The broth adds another layer of flavor. It is not absolutely essential to do this, but I highly recommend it! Once the rice is fully cooked, and the liquid has been absorbed, remove it from the heat source, fluff it with a fork, and set aside.

Preparing The Black Beans And Rice

Now it’s time to put this meal together. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet until very hot. Add chopped green peppers and yellow onion to the hot oil. Sauté the veggies for 4-5 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking or burning.

Once done, add drained black beans, minced garlic, diced fresh tomatoes, and the spice mixture to the skillet. Stir well, to fully combine all the spices with the ingredients. I was happy to be able to use a jar of my homemade canned black beans in this meal (YAY).

Add one more cup of vegetable or chicken broth to the skillet. Cook the mixture, uncovered, on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. This just adds in another layer of flavor. When finished cooking, the liquid should be reduced/absorbed.

Add the cooked brown rice to the skillet, and stir well, to incorporate it into the veggies. Cook on medium heat for a couple minutes, stirring often, until the black beans and rice are heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat source.

Time To Serve The Black Beans And Rice

Now the black beans and rice are ready to serve immediately, while hot. The recipe make 3 good sized servings, or 4 smaller servings, and can be easily doubled. When we enjoy this meal, we like to top each portion with a few fresh avocado slices, and a dollop of sour cream (optional). These toppings add color, extra flavor, creamy texture and taste to perfectly complete this yummy, filling meal!

We really love flavor-filled black beans and rice, and I hope you have the opportunity to try this meal soon! Pretty sure you won’t even miss the meat! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come back for a visit again soon.

Looking For More MEATLESS MEALS?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a variety of meatless meals you might enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

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

Original recipe source: Ginny, at https://veganinthefreezer.com/acadian-black-beans/

0 from 0 votes

Black Beans and Rice

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

35 mins

Black Beans and Rice is a scrumptious, budget-friendly, meatless meal for the family! A lot of flavor, fiber, and protein in this easy dish!

Category: Entree, Meatless Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: black beans and rice

Servings: 3

Calories Per Serving: 352 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

Spice Mix:

½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

For Remainder Of Dish:

1¾ cup vegetable or chicken broth , low sodium
¾ cup uncooked brown rice
½ Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ medium yellow onion , peeled and chopped
½ medium green bell pepper , seeded and chopped
15 ounces canned black beans , rinsed and drained
¼ cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 large garlic clove , minced
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth (additional) , low sodium

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Measure spices into small bowl. Stir to combine/set aside.
Cook rice according to pkg. instructions, substituting 1¾ cups vegetable or chicken broth for water called for. Once done, and liquid has fully reduced, remove from heat; set aside.
Heat olive oil (medium heat) in a large skillet until hot. Add green peppers and onion. Sauté 4-5 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking/burning. When done, add black beans, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, and spice mixture to skillet. Stir well.
Add one add'l. cup of broth to skillet. Cook uncovered, on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. When finished, liquid should be fully reduced/absorbed. Add brown rice. Stir well. Cook on medium heat 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until heated through.
Serve immediately, topping each portion with avocado slices/sour cream dollop, if desired, Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Black Beans and Rice

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 352 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 936mg41%

Potassium 641mg18%

Carbohydrates 66g22%

Fiber 13g54%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 246IU5%

Vitamin C 22mg27%

Calcium 71mg7%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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15
Sep
2020

Chicken Pasta Casserole

categories: Casseroles, Chicken, Main Dishes

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You’ll enjoy this Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rotini pasta, zucchini, onions, red bell peppers, Parmesan and mozzarella, in a creamy sauce!

I don’t know about you, but we enjoy a tasty casserole every now and then. Casseroles seem to have a little bit of everything in them, feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great the next day! THAT’S a win-win, in my book. This chicken pasta casserole (which is also easy to make) is no exception to that theory. Years ago I made a few changes to the original recipe, and have been happy with the results.

Filled with chicken breast, veggies, curly rotini pasta, spices and two kinds of cheese, it practically has all the food groups represented (except for fruit or dessert, wink wink!). I found my handwritten recipe on an index card in a very old recipe box.

I made this casserole several times many years ago (at least 15), and had written “GREAT” on the recipe, so I decided to cook it again, photograph the process, and share it here on my blog. Here’s how to make this delicious casserole:

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

Prepare The Pasta

Cook rotini pasta (or rotelle) according to the package directions in boiling, salted water. Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain the pasta, and then set it aside. TIP: Make the sauce for the casserole while the pasta is cooking, to save time!

Make The Sauce For The Chicken Pasta Casserole

To make the sauce, first melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions, red bell peppers, and sliced zucchini halves to the skillet. Sauté the veggies just until they become crisp/tender (approx. 3-4 minutes). Stir in flour until it’s combined with the veggies.

Cook The Sauce Until Thickened

Now add milk, chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to the skillet. Stir to combine all ingredients. Continue cooking, stirring often, on medium heat until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Once thickened, add 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, and stir again, to combine.

Stir in the cooked pasta and the chicken. Make sure to get everything covered with the sauce. Now you’re ready to put it all in a greased casserole dish, and bake!

Bake The Chicken Pasta Casserole

Spread the casserole mixture into a greased 3 quart casserole dish evenly. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, followed by the grated mozzarella cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake, in a preheated 400°F. oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the foil, and continue baking for 15 additional minutes. It’s done when the cheese has melted and the casserole is fully heated through.

That’s it! Once it comes out of the oven, the chicken pasta casserole is ready to serve, and eat! You can add additional Parmesan cheese to the top as a garnish (if desired), but it really isn’t necessary. This dish is really quite tasty, fresh from the old oven!

I truly hope you enjoy this delicious casserole. You can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave for a quick lunch the next day!

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you come back soon for more family-friendly recipes! Have a wonderful day.

Looking For More CASSEROLE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few delicious casserole recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Original recipe source: unknown

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Pasta Casserole

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

40 mins

You'll enjoy this Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rotini pasta, zucchini, onions, red bell peppers, Parmesan and mozzarella, in a creamy sauce!

Category: Entree - Casserole

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken pasta casserole

Servings: 5

Calories Per Serving: 428 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

8 ounces rotini pasta , cooked and drained
1 cup yellow onion , chopped
1 large zucchini , sliced, then slices cut in half
½ cup red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
3 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
½ cup lowfat milk
1 Tablespoon tomato paste *See note
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon basil
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese , divided
2 cups cooked chicken breasts ,cut in bite-sized pieces
⅓ cup grated mozzarella cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once done, drain pasta; set aside. TIP: Make the sauce for the casserole while pasta cooks, to save time!
Melt butter in large skillet. Add onions, red peppers, and zucchini. Sauté veggies until crisp/tender (approx. 3-4 minutes). Stir in flour.
Add milk, chicken broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and basil to skillet. Stir to combine. Continue cooking on medium heat, stirring often, until mixture thickens and is bubbly. Add half (2 Tbsp.) of grated Parmesan cheese, and stir again. Stir in cooked pasta and chicken until ingredients are coated with sauce.
Grease a 3 qt. baking dish with non-stick baking spray. Spread casserole evenly in dish. Sprinkle pasta with remaining 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese, followed by grated mozzarella. Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated 400°F. oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the foil, and continue baking for 15 additional minutes. When done, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: You can substitute spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce if you do not have access to tomato paste, but increase amount needed to 1.5 Tablespoons.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Pasta Casserole

Amount Per Serving (1 1/5 of total))

Calories 428 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 74mg25%

Sodium 864mg38%

Potassium 623mg18%

Carbohydrates 47g16%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 993IU20%

Vitamin C 39mg47%

Calcium 171mg17%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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04
Sep
2020

Easy Chicken Jalapeño

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes

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Pin37

Yum

Easy Chicken Jalapeño is a delicious entree, with seasoned pan-seared chicken breasts topped with a brown butter, sweet & mild sauce for serving.

If you’re looking for a simple, but delicious chicken dish with very few ingredients, may I suggest this recipe for easy chicken jalapeño? Seasoned, boneless chicken breasts are pan-seared in butter, then covered with an amazingly SIMPLE, but delicious slightly sweet, and mildly spicy sauce to serve. It can be made in under 20 minutes, too. Hooray!

I have used homegrown and store-bought jalapeños in several recipes over the years, including my Jalapeño Cheddar Bagels and Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread. I like the little bit of spice and “oomph” they give a dish (remove the seeds for less spicy peppers).

When I saw the words jalapeno chicken in one of my old cookbooks, I was afraid it was going to be spicy. It is not! There is a wonderfully flavored, simple sauce that covers the cooked chicken, and it is FAMILY-FRIENDLY! I think you will enjoy it, like we do! Here’s how to make this yummy chicken dish:

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

Prepare The Chicken Breasts

NOTE: The recipe (as written) yields 4 chicken breast servings, but my photos will only reflect the two that I made just for my husband and myself. I also used a huge chicken breast (about 12 ounces), and sliced it horizontally in half, which gave me two cutlets, each about 6 ounces.

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Lightly season each chicken breast ON BOTH SIDES with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap, sealing edges. Pound the chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet (or heavy skillet) until about 1/2″ thick, but still hold their shape.

Pan-Sear The Chicken Breasts

In a large skillet (I used cast iron), melt butter on medium-high heat. Once melted, add the chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, without moving the chicken.

Carefully turn the chicken over, and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes, or until fully cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F.). The thickness of the chicken will determine how long they take to cook through. Once done, transfer the chicken from the skillet to a plate, and cover with foil to keep it warm. **Do NOT clean the skillet out!

Make The Sauce For Easy Chicken Jalapeño

To make the sauce for the easy chicken jalapeño, you will need all the leftover browned butter and little browned “bits” left in the skillet from the chicken.

Turn the heat to medium. Add the pepper jelly to the skillet, and whisk or stir to incorporate the jelly into the browned butter. Bring the sauce to a boil, continuing to stir until the jelly is fully incorporated, and the sauce is smooth. Remove the sauce from the heat. Now you’re ready to serve this dish!

Serve Easy Chicken Jalapeño

Once the sauce is smooth and hot, it’s time to serve the easy chicken jalapeño! Place a piece of chicken onto each serving plate, and spoon the sauce over the top of each portion. If desired, you can garnish the chicken with jalapeño slices (seeds removed), and then add a spoonful of colorful salsa.

NOTE: You do NOT need jalapeño slices OR salsa for this dish to be perfect, but they DO add some color, and additional flavor. If you do not want to garnish… no worries! The chicken, served with only the yummy sauce on top tastes absolutely wonderful as is!

A Quick Note About Jalapeño Pepper Jelly

I used my own homemade jalapeño pepper jelly, which you can see in the photo below. However, many stores carry it (Walmart, Target, etc.), and it can also be ordered online (Amazon) or found at many farmer’s markets. It can also be used as a topping on cream cheese and crackers (yum!), so it’s a perfect idea for a way to use any leftover jelly!

I hope you enjoy this recipe for easy chicken jalapeño. It really is quite delicious, and is incredibly simple to prepare. Thanks for stopping by… have a great day!

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my CHICKEN recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of them, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

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

Original recipe source: Juanita Alexander, in “Southern Living Cookbook 1992”, page 310, published by Oxmoor House, 1992.

0 from 0 votes

Easy Chicken Jalapeño

Prep Time

7 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

17 mins

Easy Chicken Jalapeño is a delicious entree, with seasoned pan-seared chicken breasts topped with a brown butter, sweet & mild sauce for serving.

Category: Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southwest

Keyword: easy chicken jalapeño

Servings: 4

Calories Per Serving: 317 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

For Chicken and Sauce:

4 medium chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) (approx 6 ounces per breast)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to lightly season meat on both sides
2 Tablespoons butter melted
½ cup jalapeño jelly

Optional Garnish: (sliced jalapeños, salsa)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pat chicken breasts dry. Lightly season ON BOTH SIDES with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet (or heavy skillet) until about 1/2" thick, but still hold their shape.
In a large skillet, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, without moving chicken. Carefully turn the chicken over, and cook other side for 4-5 minutes, or until fully cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F.). The thickness of the chicken will determine how long they take to cook through. Once done, transfer the chicken from the skillet to a plate, and cover with foil to keep it warm. **Do NOT clean the skillet out! The remaining browned butter and "browned bits will be used for the sauce.
Make Sauce: Turn heat to medium. Add pepper jelly to skillet; whisk or stir jelly into browned butter. Bring to a boil, continuing to stir until the jelly is fully incorporated, and sauce is smooth. Remove sauce from the heat.
TO SERVE: Place chicken breast onto individual serving plate; spoon sauce over the top. OPTIONAL: garnish with jalapeño slices (seeds removed), and colorful salsa. NOTE: You do NOT need jalapeño slices OR salsa for this dish, but they DO add color and additional flavor. ENJOY!

Recipe Notes

The caloric calculation was made based on using 4 chicken breasts (approx. 6 ounces each) AND a commercially prepared jalapeno pepper jelly with approx. 300 calories per 1/2 cup. Because pepper jellies widely vary in caloric counts, yours may differ, and will impact the total calorie count per portion.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Chicken Jalapeño

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 317 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 124mg41%

Sodium 839mg36%

Potassium 629mg18%

Carbohydrates 19g6%

Sugar 17g19%

Protein 36g72%

Vitamin A 429IU9%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 9mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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