Category: Main Dishes

Meatballs Stroganoff

Easy, budget friendly, and absolutely delicious, meatballs stroganoff, in a creamy mushroom sauce served on top of egg noodles, is comfort food at it’s best!Easy, budget friendly, and absolutely delicious, meatballs stroganoff, in a creamy mushroom sauce served on top of egg noodles, is comfort food at it's best!

Does it seem like Summer is rushing madly by? It does to me! We’ve had family members visiting for a large part of the month of July, and I am stunned that it’s already August and almost time for FALL. You know what that means, right? IT’S time for “MEATBALLS STROGANOFF”!!! (ok, totally lame transition, but work with me here, folks!)

Here’s the backstory. I thawed out some hamburger meat, fully intending to grill burgers. However, it was so hot outside I didn’t want myself or my hubby to have to grill and sweat at the same time.

I decided to cook something on the old stove top. THAT’S why I made these scrumptious meatballs. Now we can all sleep better tonight, knowing all the intricate details, right? Guess what? This dish is inexpensive to make, and the recipe makes 4-6 servings (depending on just how many meatballs one can eat in a serving)!

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

How To Make Meatballs Stroganoff

First thing you will need to do is mix up the ground beef, milk, dry bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Easy, right? Right!

Ground beef, bread crumbs and spices in mixing bowl to make meatballs for meatballs stroganoff.
Shape this mixture into meatballs. Brown them in a small amount of butter in a large skillet.

Meatballs browning in oil in large skillet
Brown the meatballs on all sides. Once they are brown all over transfer them out of the skillet to a plate while the stroganoff sauce is being made. Drain the grease out of the skillet, and give it a quick wash (the skillet, NOT the grease!).

Browned meatballs for meatballs stroganoff are cooking in silver skillet.
Make The Stroganoff Sauce

To prepare the stroganoff sauce, cook the chopped onions, mushrooms, and paprika in a skillet with a bit of butter until tender.

Cooking mushrooms, onions and spices for stroganoff sauce for meatballs
Once the onions are tender, sprinkle the mixture with flour and stir to blend. Add the beef bouillon, salt and pepper to the skillet. Whisk it together to form a sauce.

Flour is added to mushrooms and onions in skilletBeef broth is added to stroganoff sauce in skilletStroganoff sauce (with whisk) thickens as it is cooked in pan
Add The Meatballs to the Sauce

Return the meatballs to the sauce, and cover the skillet.  Cook the meatballs stroganoff for 10-12 minutes on medium/low heat, until they’re completely heated through. Spoon the stroganoff sauce over the meatballs several times during this cooking process. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks.

While the meatballs stroganoff are cooking, combine the sour cream and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.

Cooked meatballs stroganoff with sauce in skillet.Cook the Egg Noodles

Cook the egg noodles in a separate pan, according to the manufacturer’s directions. When egg noodles are fully cooked, drain them. Add a little butter and some chopped fresh dill to the noodles if you want (optional).

Egg noodles are cooked to serve with meatballs stroganoff.
Add the blended sour cream/Worcestershire sauce to the meatballs stroganoff and stir, to fully combine. Continue to heat the meatballs stroganoff for a couple of minutes, so they are heated through. Be careful to not let the sauce come to a boil.

Sour cream is added to meatballs stroganoff and sauce at end of cooking time.
Serve the Meatballs Stroganoff

To serve, place the cooked and drained hot egg noodles onto individual plates. Top the noodles with the meatballs stroganoff. A serving size is anywhere from 2-4 meatballs, depending on how hungry you are!

Spoon the extra mushroom sauce over the top of the meatballs and noodles, then sprinkle the top of the meatballs with a bit of fresh or dried parsley.

Meatballs stroganoff is served on top of cooked egg noodles
We really love these “comfort food” meatballs stroganoff! Hope you will give ’em a try! I think you will like them, too. Have a great day!

Looking For More MEATBALL Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several recipes that feature meatballs, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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! 

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

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Author's signatureRecipe Source: Unknown. I wrote it on a 3×5 card many, many YEARS ago, and neglected to add the original source. Sorry, whoever you are, dear recipe provider!

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Meatballs Stroganoff
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Easy, budget friendly, and absolutely delicious, meatballs stroganoff, in a creamy mushroom sauce served on top of egg noodles, is comfort food at it's best!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: meatballs stroganoff
Servings: 6 servings (3 meatballs each)
Calories Per Serving: 563 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
  • 3 Tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons butter , divided
  • 3/4 cup chopped brown onions
  • 1/2 pound mushrooms , sliced
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 can beef bouillon/broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups (cooked) Hot egg noodles , prepared according to manufacturer's directions
  • Chopped fresh dill (optional, for garnishing egg noodles)
  • Chopped parsley (optional, for garnishing meatballs when serving)
Instructions
  1. Mix the ground beef, milk, dried bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Shape meat mixture into 1/1/4 inch balls.
  2. Add 2 Tablespoons butter to a large skillet. Heat on medium to melt butter. Add meatballs to melted butter and brown meatballs completely on all sides. When done, remove meatballs to a plate. Cover plate with aluminum foil to keep meatballs warm.
  3. In a clean skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, and paprika. Cook this until onions are tender (3-4 minutes).
  4. Sprinkle flour over onion/mushrooms. Stir to combine. While stirring, add the beef bouillon, salt and pepper, and stir until fully combined.
  5. Begin cooking egg noodles in separate saucepan while you finish making the sauce.
  6. Combine the sour cream and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
  7. Return the meatballs to the sauce in skillet, cover, and simmer on low for 10-12 minutes, spooning the sauce over the meatballs to coat, occasionally.
  8. Stir the sour cream/Worcestershire sauce into the meatballs. Stir to combine. Heat through, but do not let sauce boil once you've added the sour cream.
  9. Drain egg noodles, toss with a small amount of butter (if desired), and add some chopped fresh dill (if desired). Place egg noodles onto serving plate, then top with 2-4 meatballs and sauce (quantity of meatballs depending on how hungry you are). Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Meatballs Stroganoff
Amount Per Serving (3 meatballs + noodles)
Calories 563 Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Fat 36g55%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 127mg42%
Sodium 1117mg49%
Potassium 621mg18%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 715IU14%
Vitamin C 5.1mg6%
Calcium 123mg12%
Iron 3.9mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Easy, budget friendly, and absolutely delicious, meatballs stroganoff, in a creamy mushroom sauce served on top of egg noodles, is comfort food at it's best!

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Quick n’ Easy Chef’s Salad

Summertime. Heat. Hot. UGH. What better time to make a Quick n’ Easy Chef’s Salad for dinner? This is a great idea for those HOT, HOT, summer days when you don’t really want to heat up the kitchen or cook a lot. Quick n' Easy Chef's Salad / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
My husband and I love to have lighter meals at times when it is so hot outside that all you want to do is fill your tummy or feed your family, without exerting too much energy. Ever have days like that? I do, occasionally. Well, why not throw together a healthy, delicious entree salad, filled with lots of veggies AND protein and make THAT your meal? The bonus is that it’s quick, easy, and delicious!

Chef Salads are kind of like that. You just “build” them as you like them. Usually I start with a bed of mixed greens. I slice up some hard-boiled eggs (see my cute little egg picture below?), slice cheese into stick-like portion sizes (I’ve used cheddar in these photos, but have also used cheddar and pepper jack combo before), chop a few tomatoes and/or other veggies like green/red peppers, cucumber chunks, red onions, etc, and slice up some deli-bought ham and turkey slices.

Then I assemble it all (as decoratively as my little old hands can), on a dinner plate, and top it with my favorite salad dressing. **In case you’re wondering, my favorite salad dressing is bleu cheese. (I posted that in case you want to send me a case of bleu cheese dressing for my birthday).

Really the “hardest” thing about making this salad  is just hard-boiling the eggs ahead of time. No biggie.

By the way, speaking of eggs… I love my handy-dandy little ol’ egg slicer I’ve had for over 30 years. Still works like a charm to make even slices of hard boiled egg to garnish this salad or potato salad with. Just sayin’. From the looks of this picture, it looks like it needs a good cleaning!

Quick n' Easy Chef's Salad / The Grateful Girl Cooks!Quick n' Easy Chef's Salad / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Anyways… just build the salad the way you or your family likes it. This is just the way I do it. Nothing too fancy… just GOOD. You really can’t go wrong with hard-boiled eggs, ham/turkey, cheese, and whatever veggies you want.

Just try to make it look good. Remember… we eat with our eyes, right? (something like that… I do tend to use a fork for this meal).

Quick n' Easy Chef's Salad / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
It’s as simple as that! You really can make a quick, healthy, entree Chef’s Salad for much less than you would spend to buy one in a restaurant. Hope you will consider making a Chef’s Salad for you and your significant others sometime this summer.

Quick n' Easy Chef's Salad / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Hope you will be inspired to make a Chef’s Salad this summer, and make it your OWN way. Have a great summer. Enjoy the beauty all around (look closely- you can find it everywhere); practice thankfulness, and try to make the most out of each day you are given.

God Bless You!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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! 

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

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Easy Grilled Chicken with Jerk Seasoning

I found a new recipe for seasoning grilled chicken. It’s called EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning, and the jerk seasoning is made from scratch!  The recipe is really, really simple… and there are layers of flavors to the jerk spiced chicken that completely surprised me. EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Wanna know a little secret? Until I made this easy recipe, I had NEVER used Jerk seasoning before on anything. ANYTHING. I’d heard of chicken with jerk seasoning, but never had madeany meals that included this spice mix. Hmmm. What about you? Have you ever tried Jerk Seasoning? Well, here’s a simple recipe to give it a try!

All I had heard before trying this spice was that it is filled with layers of amazing flavors, was a dry rub for pork or chicken, and that it is thought to be native to Jamaica. So I decided to give it a try with this super easy recipe for mixing up the Jerk seasoning, and then grilling chicken with the spices on it. How hard can THAT be, right? NOT. This is ridiculously EASY.

To make the Jerk spice rub, here’s what ya do… First you mix the spices  in a small bowl. (Easy, right?)

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Add a tablespoon of oil to the spices.

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Give it a good stir to fully blend it all together. It will look like this (and it only took a second to make!)

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Now use your hands and rub the spices onto both sides of the chicken. Coat it as thin or as thick as you like. I did a fairly thin layer, and the flavors were wonderful!

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!Time To Cook The Chicken With Jerk Seasoning!

Put the chicken onto your hot BBQ grill (or you can also make this in a hot skillet in the kitchen). Note: Recipe makes enough spice for 4 chicken breasts; I only cooked 3 (FYI).

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Cook the chicken (time will vary depending on size of pieces) until done, turning to cook both sides. (We cooked ours for about 10 minutes per side).

When the chicken is done, the outside will be a very deep brown color, and the insides will not be pink.

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
I served the chicken with a side of white rice (nice and bland went well with the flavorful and full of taste chicken, and a green salad. That’s it!  See how easy that was?

EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
The chicken with jerk seasoning was delicious. It’s hard to describe, but each bite had many levels of flavor… at times a tiny bit spicy, other bites I got the sweet flavor of the brown sugar, and various spices that complimented the chicken well. I would definitely make this recipe again!

Hope you will give this recipe a try. Next time I’ll try this seasoning rub on pork, and see how that tastes, as well! Have a great day!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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EASY Grilled Chicken With Jerk Seasoning / The Grateful Girl Cooks!Recipe Source: http://pinchofyum.com/super-simple-jerk-chicken

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Easy Grilled Chicken with Jerk Seasoning
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Enjoy the many levels of flavor of Jamaican Jerk Seasoning in this easy grilled chicken dish.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Jamaican
Keyword: chicken with jerk seasoning
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 187 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Jerk Seasoning:
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , (4 oz. each)
Instructions
  1. Mix all the spices and oil in a small bowl.
  2. Using your hands, rub the spice mixture over both sides of each chicken breast to fully coat (spread spices thin or thick-your choice!).
  3. Preheat your BBQ grill or a skillet. You want both of them to be really hot when you add the chicken.
  4. Cook chicken on both sides until done (dark brown on outside, not pink on inside). Our chicken breasts which were fairly large, cooked for about 8-10 minutes on each side. Yours may take less time or more time, depending on how large or small the pieces of chicken are.
  5. Once chicken is done, remove it from heat, cover with foil and let it "rest" for about 5 minutes before serving. This will help the juices to stay in and soak in to the meat.
  6. Serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Easy Grilled Chicken with Jerk Seasoning
Amount Per Serving (1 breast)
Calories 187 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 716mg31%
Potassium 430mg12%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 60IU1%
Vitamin C 1.7mg2%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with butter, lemon and spices is a simple, easy way to BBQ outside on hot, summer days! Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with butter, lemon and spices is a simple, easy way to BBQ outside on hot, summer days!
We’ve been enjoying much warmer than normal temperatures (can you say HOT???) in the Pacific Northwest this summer. Hot temps (in the high 90’s) have meant that I don’t use my oven as much to fix meals, so I don’t add to the heat in our home, PLUS it has meant more time outside on the deck, bonding with our Weber BBQ at dinner time. This Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon was our dinner last night.

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

Last night my hubby (the “Grill-Meister”) grilled a salmon fillet on a cedar plank on our BBQ, and man oh man, it was so good! I typically pan-sear or bake salmon inside, in my kitchen, but there’s just something about grilled salmon in the summer, with the smokey smell from the BBQ and the cedar plank that you cook it on, that makes everything right with the world.

I had to remind my husband to put the lighter fluid on the charcoal briquets and NOT in his glass of wine, but after we got that sorted out, he took over the grilling duties! We cooked the salmon on our Weber BBQ on medium heat (lid closed, top vent open);  if you are using a gas grill, be sure the flames don’t reach the cedar plank or you might catch it on fire!

Cook, getting ready to grill salmon on cedar plank on BBQ
Have you ever grilled salmon fillets on cedar planks on your BBQ? Yum. It’s SO easy. First you buy a package of cedar planks at the grocery store (most stores carry them by the fish counter). They look like this, and usually a package contains 3-4 planks.

How To Prepare Cedar Plank So It Won’t Burn

You will need to soak the plank you are going to use in water for at least 30-40 minutes before putting on the grill. (I weigh mine down with filled pans of water in the sink, then cover board completely with water).

The wood plank needs to be soaked this long, so it doesn’t catch fire on the grill. As the fish cooks, the cedar board smokes and infuses flavor into the seafood. Makes sense, right?

Cedar plank used to grill salmon on BBQTime To Cook the Salmon

Once it is done “soaking”, you place a fresh salmon fillet on it  SKIN SIDE DOWN (we used one of two wild sockeye salmon fillets we bought at good old Costco).

Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter all over the top of the salmon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top, also. I like to “garnish” the salmon fillet with thin slices of lemon while it cooks.

Once you have that done, you simply put the entire plank on the hot BBQ grill (with the top little vent open). Put the lid on the BBQ, and let it cook covered for about 35 minutes, until salmon is done (flaky). That’s it! No need to mess with it at all.

Cedar plank with salmon and lemon slices on grill
This is what it should look like when it is done. See? The soaked cedar plank didn’t burn up!

Grilled salmon is done cooking on cedar plank
Serving Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon

Remove the entire plank from the BBQ, take it inside, and cut salmon (not the cutting board!) into serving pieces (4-5 out of this piece of salmon). See how easy that is? When you realize how much 4-5 servings of cedar plank grilled salmon would cost in a restaurant, it REALLY is an inexpensive and easy way to make it yourself!!! Why not?

I served the salmon with some grilled mixed veggies (including yellow squash and peas from our garden), and we had a wonderful, healthy dinner that was incredibly delicious! AND we have a couple extra pieces of salmon for leftovers, too!

We really enjoy cedar plank grilled salmon; I have several other delicious recipes for this fish on my blog! You might want to check out the recipes for Salmon in a Lemon Butter Herb Sauce, Orange and Rosemary Glazed Salmon, or Pan-Seared Salmon with Cilantro Lime Sauce, to name a few. There are additional salmon recipes which you can find in the Recipe Index at the top of the page. YUM!

Grilled salmon served with mixed vegetables
Hope you will give this easy cedar plank grilled salmon a try this summer! Throw it on the grill, sit back and relax with a refreshing beverage, and let your BBQ do almost all the work for you!  Don’t forget to check out my Recipe Index, to see ALL my recipes. It’s located at the top of the page. Have a great week!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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

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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with butter, lemon and spices is a simple, easy way to BBQ outside on hot, summer days! The smell from the cedar on the grill infuses smoky flavor into the fish for an amazing meal!
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cedar plank grilled salmon
Servings: 5 servings
Calories Per Serving: 301 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds fresh salmon fillet (with skin on bottom)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter (melted)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 lemon (juice of)
  • 5 slices lemon (thinly sliced)
Instructions
  1. Soak the cedar plank you are going to use in water for at least 30-40 minutes before putting on the grill. (I weigh mine down with filled pans of water in the sink, then cover board completely with water). The wood plank needs to be soaked this long, so it doesn't catch fire on the grill. As the fish cooks, the cedar board smokes and infuses flavor into the seafood.

  2. Once it is done "soaking", remove from water. Place a fresh salmon fillet on it  SKIN SIDE DOWN.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter all over the top of the salmon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Squeeze some lemon juice over the top, also. Garnish the salmon fillet with thin slices of lemon.

  3. Once BBQ is hot and ready, place wood plank directly onto BBQ rack. Cook salmon on medium heat (on our Weber grill we cooked it with lid closed, top vent open);  if you are using a gas grill, be sure the flames are set low enough to not reach the cedar plank directly or you might catch it on fire! Cook salmon (with lid on BBQ) for about 35 minutes, until done and fish flakes easily.

  4. Remove the entire plank from the BBQ, take it inside, and cut salmon (not the cutting board!) into serving pieces... serve, and enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts
Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 301 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 236mg10%
Potassium 898mg26%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 215IU4%
Vitamin C 4.9mg6%
Calcium 22mg2%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Florentine Manicotti

Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.

My husband and I love Italian food! One of the dishes we enjoy occasionally is this “meatless” recipe for Florentine Manicotti. Pasta shells filled with three cheeses (creamy ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan), spinach, and covered in spaghetti sauce. Yum. I like to think of manicotti as the Italian version of Mexican enchiladas!

For anyone unfamiliar with manicotti, it is a large, tube shaped type of pasta that is typically filled with meat or cheese and is baked in spaghetti sauce. This particular recipe is meatless; it’s delicious, and is a fairly easy dish to prepare. I use a recipe I found years ago on a box of pasta, and tweaked it a bit by adding cooked spinach and a couple additional spices to the cheesy filling, to give it a true “Florentine” touch!

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

Make The Filling For Florentine Manicotti

Cook a small box of frozen spinach, according to the package directions. Drain it very well, and let the spinach cool. When it has cooled off, mix up the cheese filling, and then add the spinach.

Preparing the filling for the florentine manicotti.

Prepare The Manicotti For Filling

Here’s what manicotti pasta shells look like BEFORE they are cooked. They’re each about 5 inches long. The tubes of pasta are fragile, so be very careful not to break them.

Manicotti pasta shells BEFORE cooking. Carefully add the pasta to a large pot of boiling, salted water, and cook it for 7 minutes.

The pasta shells are cooked for 7 minutes in boiling, salted water.Once done cooking, carefully remove the manicotti shells to a colander and drain them well.

After cooking, the manicotti pasta shells are drained in a colander.

Before you begin filling the Florentine manicotti put a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a baking pan.

Marinara sauce is spread on the bottom of casserole dish before adding stuffed manicotti.

Make The Florentine Manicotti

Gently fill each of the pasta tubes with the cheese and spinach filling. I hold the shell in my hand and fill one side with the cheese/spinach filling (using a spoon and sometimes a butter knife) clear to the middle. Switch to the other end of the shell and fill the other side. Try to get as much filling into the shell as possible without splitting it.

Stuffing the florentine manicotti shells before baking.Once the Florentine manicotti shells are filled, lay them on top of the spaghetti sauce.

Stuffed florentine manicotti are laid on top of sauce in baking dish.Cover the manicotti with the rest of the spaghetti sauce. I cover the entire pasta shell with sauce, then sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese).

The manicotti are covered with sauce and Parmesan cheese, to bake.

Time To Bake!

Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes longer. when done, the Florentine manicotti is heated through, and the cheese filling is bubbly.

Let cool for a minute or two (easier to serve up) , then remove the manicotti to serving plates using a spatula. The only thing left to do is grab a fork, dig in, and enjoy this tasty dish!

Florentine manicotti are done baking and ready to eat!Hope you will give this recipe a try!  I may not have the most mouthwatering “professional” photos to share, but trust me. Florentine manicotti are delicious, and I really think you will enjoy them! Have a great day, and please come back soon.

Looking for More ITALIAN Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious Italian dishes you might want to check out, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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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Author's signatureRecipe adapted from: Box of American Beauty Manicotti Pasta Shells.

0 from 0 votes
Florentine Manicotti
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 
Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: florentine manicotti
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 332 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6-8 uncooked manicotti pasta shells
  • 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese (1 3/4 cups)
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (cooked per package directions, and drained well)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley , chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 3 cups (or one 28 ounce jar) prepared spaghetti sauce
  • Additional Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cook frozen chopped spinach per package instructions. Remove from heat; drain WELL. Let spinach cool.
  3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground oregano. Stir well until fully combined.
  4. Add spinach to the cheese mixture. Stir well, to combine.
  5. Cook manicotti shells according to package instructions (add to boiling water-7 minutes cook time is typical). When done, remove from heat, drain gently, and let dry.
  6. Fill each shell using a spoon until full of filling.
  7. Spread some of the spaghetti sauce over the bottom of 13x9 baking pan (enough to fully cover); put the filled pasta in a single layer on top of sauce.
  8. Spoon the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the top of the manicotti. Sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese (or mozzarella), if desired. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes; remove foil, then cook an additional 15 minutes. Manicotti should be hot and cheese bubbly when done. Remove pan from oven. Let sit for a minute or two, then gently remove manicotti to individual serving plates using a spatula.
  10. Serve with a green salad and a slice of crusty french bread, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Florentine Manicotti
Amount Per Serving (1 manicotti)
Calories 332 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 45mg15%
Sodium 1270mg55%
Potassium 736mg21%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 6720IU134%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 596mg60%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.

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Make Grilled Pizzas On Your BBQ!

Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool in the Summer!Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool this Summer!
Want to beat the heat in the kitchen this summer? Why not make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill? That way you can kill two birds with one stone… keep the ol’ kitchen cool, AND enjoy a great homemade pizza!

I heard someone say they loved grilled pizzas right off the BBQ grill. Wait… What? It sounded like a great cooking experiment so I decided to give it a try. Result? Completely awesome!  It’s really much easier than I thought it would be! Get your hands on some pizza dough. Purchase it at the grocery store or make your own.

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

Make Or Purchase Pizza Dough

I like to make my own grilled pizza dough. If you want to see the recipe for the dough I use, you can find it on my blog post for “Make It Yourself! Pepperoni Pizza”. The most important tip about this way of making pizza is to have all the pizza toppings ready to go (chopped, diced, etc.) before you put the dough on the grill!

Make the pizza dough (or open the package of pre-made dough – whatever). When done, divide dough into 6-8 little balls (if wanting small individual sized pizzas) OR (as in my pictures), divide dough into 2 medium sized dough balls. Roll or stretch dough out into a round shape (don’t worry if they’re not perfectly round shaped… no biggie).

Pizza dough rising for grilled pizzas

Time To Make Grilled Pizzas On Your BBQ!

Heat your BBQ grill on medium high heat. Brush olive oil (important-don’t forget this step – this will keep dough from sticking to grill, and will crisp the dough up a bit!!!) on both sides of the circle-shaped pizza dough. Carefully slide the pizza dough onto the grill rack.

Cook dough for 3-4 minutes on the first side. The bottom should be lightly browned and have grill marks. The top of the dough will look done. Carefully remove dough and turn it upside down (*GRILLED SIDE UP) onto a cutting board.

Quickly add the sauce and toppings to your pizza. If you’re feeling brave, just flip the pizza over and add the sauce and toppings while it is on the grill. (that was too hot for me…I just had a wood cutting board outside and transferred it back and forth. Worked like a charm.

Pizza dough is removed from BBQ and toppings are added, then back onto BBQ grill
Carefully slide pizzas back onto grill and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. We put the lid on the BBQ, which helped the cheese melt. The bottom of the dough should be lightly browned.

Grilled pizzas made on the BBQ are ready to slice and eat!

Remove pizzas from grill, slice and serve, with any last minute garnishes. Serve immediately… enjoy!

Grilled pizza sliced and served... straight off the BBQ grill!
We loved the taste of the grilled pizzas… and I personally loved the fact that our kitchen stayed cool! We loved our grilled BBQ chicken pizza, and our veggie delight pizza, and look forward to making this easy dinner again this summer. It sure helps to keep our kitchen cool!

I am not posting a printable recipe because everyone likes different kinds of pizza, toppings, sauces, AND pizza dough. I simply wanted to describe the “how-to’s” of grilling fresh pizzas on a BBQ so anyone could do it themselves! Hope you will give it a try!

Looking for More PIZZA Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a variety of pizza recipes, which include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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! 

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

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Have a great day.

Author's signature

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool this Summer!

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Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts

It’s been unusually HOT in the Pacific Northwest for the past several weeks. Temps are supposed to hover near 100 degrees this coming weekend, which is “not the norm” for late June in Oregon. We want quick  and easy meals (don’t want to heat up the kitchen cooking). Enter our “go-to” standby… Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts!!!!Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
These open faced tuna melts are ridiculously easy… so easy in fact, that I’m not even gonna post the “recipe”. They actually are delicious, and are very quick to prepare!

First you toast some English muffins. I used sourdough (delicious!). Allow for one half or two halves per serving. Once toasted, place some cheese (gruyere, smoky gouda, or cheddar) on top of the muffin. (I have used all of these cheeses in the past. Pictures are with Smoky Gouda.

Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Put some tuna on top to cover the muffin. (Use the tuna you prefer, mixed up with whatever you like in your tuna salad). All I used for mine was one can (one can is enough for 4 half muffins) of albacore tuna, mixed with mayonnaise. That’s it!  But for goodness sake, make your tuna the way you like it!

Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Slice some really good ripe tomatoes and put a slice on top of each muffin. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper, dried parsley and dried basil. Just a touch.

Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Put the english muffins on a wire rack and place under a broiler. DO NOT put them directly under the broiler. Put them on the middle rack of your oven.

It will take a few minutes to broil them, but by putting them on the middle rack, instead of directly under the broiler, all the ingredients will have a chance to get hot, and that cheese on the bottom will melt.

Remove from broiler when cheese is bubbly and the tuna has just started to lightly turn golden.

Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Remove tuna melts from wire rack with a spatula. Place on serving plates. I like to put some red leaf lettuce leaves under the tuna melts just for some added color, to make it look good, but that is totally optional.

You can either pick them up and eat them or cut them with knife and fork… whatever suits you! They’re really delicious! Sure hope you’ll give ’em a try. Good for a quick, filling lunch, or dinner on a really HOT evening! Been making these for years and years, and have never been disappointed!

Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!Have a wonderful week… may you feel gratitude for all you experience this week, and above all else…may you deeply know just how much God loves you!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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!

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

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

 

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Quick and Easy Open Faced Tuna Melts / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Chicken Salad

This easy to prepare, delicious chicken salad, with cranberries, celery and pecans can be eaten as is, or served in pita bread or rolls for a great sandwich.This easy to prepare, delicious chicken salad, with cranberries, celery and pecans can be eaten as is, or served in pita bread or rolls for a great sandwich.
We’ve had lots of sunshine and hot weather the past several weeks in the Pacific Northwest. A few nights ago I decided to make my old standby recipe for Chicken Salad, serve it with some fresh pineapple, strawberries, and cantaloupe, and have dinner out on our back deck.

This was a perfect entree salad on a hot night! I was even able to use some of the red leaf lettuce from our garden to serve the salad on- whoo-hoo!  I’ve been making chicken salad this way for over 25 years. I’ve never had a recipe that I’ve used, so I had to be deliberate about writing it down this time, so I could post the right quantities for this blog post.

We really enjoy the salad, with chunks of chicken breast, crisp celery, the sweet chewy raisins, dried cranberries, red onion and crunchy pecans! This salad is really easy to make, too! Quick and easy, it’s my idea of a perfect meal! Here’s how to make it:

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

Cook The Chicken Breasts

The first thing you need to do is cook the chicken. Put frozen chicken breasts (yep-right out of the freezer) into a large pan. Cover them with water, bring water to a boil, then cook on high heat for about 45-50 minutes (until fully cooked). *Note: I use 4 chicken breasts, but this picture shows 5 because I was cooking an extra one for another recipe.

Cooking chicken breasts to make chicken salad
When the chicken has finished cooking, remove the chicken breasts from the water and let the pieces cool a little. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, cut the pieces into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

Preparing The Chicken Salad

While the chicken is cooking, chop the pecans, celery and red onion, and place them into a medium sized bowl, along with the raisins and dried cranberries.

Pecans, raisins, red onion and celery ready to add to chicken salad.
Place the chunks of cooked chicken breast into the bowl with the other ingredients.

Cooked chicken breast chunks added to salad ingredients in bowl.
Add the mayonnaise to the bowl, and then season the chicken salad with salt and pepper. Give it a good stir to mix it all together (making sure it is all coated). Give it a taste, then add more salt and pepper, if necessary to suit your taste preference.

Ingredients are mixed with condiments and seasoning to make chicken salad.

Serving The Chicken Salad

Cover the chicken salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 2-3 hours. We feel this salad is at it’s best served nice and cold, plus the flavors have had time to develop.  Once the salad has fully chilled, it’s ready to serve! By the way… it tastes GREAT on sandwiches, too. I love to stuff a pita full of this chicken salad!  Yum.

Chicken salad can be served in pita bread for sandwiches.
Delicious, stuffed with chicken salad!

My absolute favorite way to serve this is… just as it is!!!!! When ready to serve, I place red lettuce leaves onto a serving plate, then arrange the chicken salad on top, for a nice presentation.

Chicken salad, served on top of red leaf lettuce.
This chicken salad is a great quick bite for lunch OR for a light dinner! I sure hope you will try making this for yourself… it’s really delicious! Hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy each minute of life you are blessed with!

Looking For More Chicken Salad Recipes?

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

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

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Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest:
The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Author's signature

0 from 0 votes
Chicken Salad
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 
This easy to prepare, delicious chicken salad, with cranberries, celery and pecans can be eaten as is, or served in pita bread or rolls for a great sandwich.
Category: Entree Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken salad
Servings: 8 small servings
Calories Per Serving: 467 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless , skinless chicken breasts (frozen)
  • 1 1/2 cups diced celery (I use 3 stalks-slice each stalk in thirds lengthwise, then chop)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans (can also use walnuts)
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper , to taste (approx. 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper-more, as needed)
  • Red leaf lettuce leaves (to serve salad on top of-this is optional, but it looks pretty!)
Instructions
  1. Place frozen chicken breasts into a large saucepan. Cover completely with water. Cook on HIGH for 45-50 minutes (until chicken is done). Remove from heat. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let cool.
  2. In a large salad bowl, place the celery, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, and red onion.
  3. Once the chicken has cooled off (to the touch), cut it into 1 inch cubes. Add the chicken to the salad bowl.
  4. Add the mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
  5. Taste salad. Add additional salt and pepper, to suit your taste. I usually have to add a bit more. When ready, cover salad with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours or more (the longer the flavors have time to come together, the better!)
  6. When ready to serve, place a few red leaf lettuce leaves onto serving plate. Arrange salad into a mound in the center of the lettuce. Serve, and enjoy!
  7. Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated. Will keep for several days!
Recipe Notes

Prep time includes time for cooking the chicken, but does not include refrigeration time.

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 467 Calories from Fat 351
% Daily Value*
Fat 39g60%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 51mg17%
Sodium 321mg14%
Potassium 433mg12%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 210IU4%
Vitamin C 2.1mg3%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!This easy to prepare, delicious chicken salad, with cranberries, celery and pecans can be eaten as is, or served in pita bread or rolls for a great sandwich.

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Lentil Stew

Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!
Well, this was a happy experiment. It was my first time cooking lentils! I guess I’m behind the times, but I kept hearing about how inexpensive, nutritious, and filling lentils were, so I started looking to see what goes into a good, thick Lentil Stew. Then I made my own version!

I must have looked at 25 different ways to make lentil soup or stew. I finally decided to just make my own version and add a variety of ingredients (like carrots, celery, thyme, dill, garlic, etc) I found on various recipes that sounded like they would be good additions.

The only HARD part about making this stew was I had to remember to write all the ingredients down as I made it, so I could actually remember what I did. Do you ever do that? Let’s just say that one hand was stirring the pot, one hand was writing it all down, and I suppose I might have used my FEET to take the pictures… somehow I got it done, and guess what? This hearty lentil stew is GOOD!

Scroll Down For a Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

Lentils Are A Healthy Protein-Filled Legume

On a side note… did you know that lentils (a legume) contain the 3rd highest protein of any legume? True. Lentils are inexpensive AND highly nutritious. That can be considered a win-win kind of main ingredient.

How To Make Delicious Lentil Stew

The first thing to do is cook the chopped onions for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil. The onions are cooked until they have softened.

Cooking onions in red pot for lentil stew
Once onions have softened, add the lentils. It’s important to rinse and drain the lentils in a colander BEFORE adding! Brown rice is then added to the soup pot, along with 5 cups water. Give the ingredients a good stir after adding the rice.

Lentils, water and brown rice added to stew
Add a large cube of chicken bouillon to the stew, crumbling it up, as you add. TIP FOR VEGETARIANS: If you want to make this a completely vegetarian stew, leave the chicken bouillon out or add vegetable bouillon.

I personally enjoy the flavor the chicken bouillon adds, but it certainly won’t hurt the lentil stew if you omit it.

Chicken bouillon used to flavor lentil stewTime To Cook the Lentil Stew

Add the chopped celery, carrots, flat leaf parsley, thyme, dill, salt, oregano, seasoning salt, and minced garlic to the pot. Bring the lentil stew to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook the stew on a low simmer for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chopped celery, carrots, and spices added to soup pot
After the stew has cooked for about 45 minutes, the rice and lentils will be softened. A lot of the broth will have absorbed. Now the mixture will look more like a thickened soup or stew. TIP: I served the lentil stew in it’s thickened form. If you want it to be more “soup-like” (more broth liquid), simply add a cup of water during the last 10 minutes of cook time.

Lentil Stew ready to serve!Ready to EAT!

To serve, divide the hot lentil stew into serving bowls. Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve the soup with some crusty slices of bread, and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal!

Even without meat, the combination of lentils and brown rice combine to make sure all essential amino acids are provided to make a complete protein dish. The lentil stew leftovers are pretty amazing, also (just sayin’).

Lentil Stew in bowl, with garlic bread on side
This was an easy meal to make, and my husband and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch over the course of several days. Sure hope you will give this delicious lentil stew a try… I think you will be surprised at just how good it is! Have a great day!

Looking For More SOUP OR STEW Recipes?

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do soIf you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) 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! 

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

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The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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0 from 0 votes
Lentil Stew
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 

Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!

Category: Dinner, Main Dish, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lentil stew
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 151 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium brown onion , chopped
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 cup brown lentils (rinsed)
  • 1/3 cup brown rice (uncooked)
  • 1 large chicken bouillon cube (can omit if making this vegetarian)
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 2 celery stalks , chopped small
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Dried parsley (OPTIONAL-to sprinkle on stew as a garnish before serving)
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, cook the chopped onion in olive oil until onions have softened (3-4 minutes).
  2. Add 5 cups water, rinsed lentils, brown rice, and crumbled chicken bouillon cube.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Bring soup mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer.
  5. Continue to cook the stew for 45-50 minutes (covered) on low, stirring occasionally. Uncover the stew the last 10 minutes of cooking time.(*If you want the stew to have more broth, simply add in another cup of water during the last 10 minutes of cooking time).
  6. Taste. Season with additional salt/pepper, if desired.
  7. Ladle the hot stew into serving bowls. Sprinkle with dried parsley (optional).
  8. Serve with some good crusty bread, and ENJOY!
Nutrition Facts
Lentil Stew
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 151 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Sodium 588mg26%
Potassium 398mg11%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 5440IU109%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 34mg3%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Hearty, healthy and delicious, you will love this low calorie, thick homemade lentil stew for an easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner!

 

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Pork Paprikash

Pork Paprikash is a classic Hungarian pork dish in a flavorful sauce, served over bow-tie pasta or egg noodles, and on the dinner table in under half an hour!Pork Paprikash is a classic Hungarian pork dish in a flavorful sauce, served over bow-tie pasta or egg noodles, and on the dinner table in under half an hour!

I recently tried a recipe for Pork Paprikash that I found on Pinterest. I’d never made the dish before, but was looking for a traditional dish that uses Hungarian sweet paprika (which I received as a gift from a friend).

My husband and I LOVED this meal of pork paprikash with it’s amazing flavors. I just gotta say, I was practically GIDDY with excitement over how quick and easy it was to prepare!

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

Where Does Pork Paprikash Get Its Name?

The dish gets its name from the generous use of paprika (in Hungarian it is “paprikás”). It can be prepared with either chicken or pork. I prepared it using boneless pork, cut into bite-sized cubes.

It is typically served with egg noodles, but I used bow-tie pasta this time, because it is what I had in the pantry. This is such a quick meal to prepare… it only took about 25 minutes, from start to finish! The Hungarian paprika can be found in most spice sections at the grocery store (FYI).

How To Make Pork Paprikash

Tip: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, so that you can cook the pasta noodles while you are preparing the pork paprikash. Once the pork is done, serve it on top of the cooked noodles.

Cut the boneless pork into bite sized pieces. Season it lightly with salt and pepper.

Boneless pork seasoned with salt and pepper is used to make pork paprikash.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the pieces of pork, and cook for about 4 minutes, turning to brown all sides.

Pork cubes for pork paprikash, cooking in oil in silver skilletPork cubes browning in skillet, to be used in pork paprikash.
Once the pork is browned on all sides, remove pork from the skillet. Set aside. Add more olive oil to skillet, and reduce heat to medium. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, salt and pepper until onions are softened (about 3-4 minutes).

Onions and garlic used in pork paprikash sauce, cooking in skillet.
Make The Sauce

Measure out the flour, tomato paste, thyme, and paprika to the skillet. Stir the ingredients together, and cook for one more minute.

Spices and tomato paste added to cooked onions in skillet to make pork paprikash sauce.
Add the chicken stock into the skillet. Whisk to combine it fully with the other sauce ingredients. Add the vinegar, and bring the sauce to a boil.

Chicken stock added to pork paprikash sauce in skillet
Return the Pork To the Skillet

Transfer the cooked pork back into the skillet, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat under the skillet, and simmer the pork paprikash for 5 minutes.

The pork paprikash, simmering in skillet.
By now the pork paprikash is looking and smelling really good. After cooking the pork and sauce for 5 minutes, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream. Mix well, to combine. This yummy pork paprikash is just about ready to serve!

Sour cream is added to pork paprikash in skillet.
Time To Serve the Pork Paprikash

By now your pasta noodles should be done cooking. Drain them and place onto serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the pork paprikash over the pasta. You can garnish the dish with some chopped fresh or dried parsley, if desired. Serve this dish nice and hot, and enjoy!

Pork paprikash and noodles on a plate with peas.
Sure hope you will give this delicious pork paprikash dinner a try! We had it with a side of peas, fresh from our garden on the side (the first picking of the Spring!). This easy, flavor-filled pork paprikash was a delicious meal, and we’ll be having it again!

Looking For More PORK Recipes?

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Author's signatureRecipe Source: http://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/pork-tenderloin-paprikash/

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Pork Paprikash
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Pork Paprikash is a classic Hungarian pork dish in a flavorful sauce, served over bow-tie pasta or egg noodles, and on the dinner table in under half an hour!
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Hungarian
Keyword: pork paprikash
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 357 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. pork tenderloin (or boneless pork chops), cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (for cooking meat)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil (for cooking onions, etc.)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped brown onions
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika (found in most spice sections at grocery store)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons sour cream
  • Egg noodles (or bow tie pasta) -prepare per pkg. instructions while pork is cooking!
Instructions
  1. Cut the pork into cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in large skillet. When skillet and oil are hot, add the pork pieces; cook the pork for about 4 minutes, turning to brown the meat on all sides. When browned, remove the pork from skillet. Set aside.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil back into the skillet. Add the chopped onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 3 minutes, or until onions have softened up, then add minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly.
  4. Add flour, tomato paste, dried thyme, and paprika to onion mixture. Stir together; cook for one minute.
  5. Pour in the chicken stock; use a whisk to mix the ingredients into a sauce. Add the apple cider vinegar; bring the mixture to a boil.
  6. Once sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, and add the pork cubes back into the sauce. Stir to coat the pork with sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.
  7. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sour cream. Mix sauce well to fully incorporate sour cream.
  8. Place cooked and drained egg noodles (or bow tie pasta) onto serving platter or individual plates. Spoon the pork and sauce over the pasta. Serve while hot... and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Pork Paprikash
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 357 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 97mg32%
Sodium 556mg24%
Potassium 779mg22%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 30g60%
Vitamin A 425IU9%
Vitamin C 6.7mg8%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 2.4mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Pork Paprikash is a classic Hungarian pork dish in a flavorful sauce, served over bow-tie pasta or egg noodles, and on the dinner table in under half an hour!

 

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