Category: Dinner

2-Ingredient Lazy Meatballs

We all have those days. You know, when you’re up all night with a sick child (or spouse) and you walk around in a daze barely able to cope. Or when you’re just too tired or sick to even think of making supper. Cereal and milk or grilled cheese will do every now and then, but it’s great to have a quick and easy meal that’s also healthy and hearty – to fall back on.

Would you believe it if I told you that you could make meatballs with just 2 ingredients? That’s right – just TWO ingredients! It’s why I call ’em lazy meatballs. But you know what? You’d never know it. I serve these up in front of my kiddies and they are as thankful as ever. You’d think I slaved over them for hours. They’re tasty, moist and perfect over some rice or spaghetti.

Actually, speaking of spaghetti, I’ll tell you something else. I usually prepare a big batch of these babies. The first night, I serve em up over rice. Then, the next night, I take whatever’s left and mash ’em up with a potato masher. The meatballs fall apart into the marinara for a split-second “bolognese”. I spoon the meat sauce right over some spaghetti and I’m the best momma ever.

The secret to these meatballs is NOT to use lean ground beef. The extra fat keeps the meatballs moist, so you don’t need to add anything else to them. The minimal handling of the meat as well as the small size of the meatballs also contribute to their tenderness.

Lazy 2-ingredient Meatballs

1 pkg ground beef (not lean)
1 jar marinara sauce
1/2 jar water

Method:

Bring marinara sauce and water to a simmer. Roll ground beef into golf-sized balls and add to the sauce. Simmer meatballs gently for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally, so meatballs don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Day 2 Leftovers: Split-Second Bolognese

Mash leftover meatballs into the sauce using a potato masher. Serve over spaghetti.

 

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Pumpkin Pot Pie

I was lying in bed one night thinking about how I could take advantage of the adorable little pumpkins that are so bountiful this season (yes, these are the sort of things food bloggers think about when they go to bed at night). I knew I could make my own pumpkin puree, or carve out a spooky design (although I don’t celebrate Halloween), but I wanted MORE. Something fresh, and exciting, and oh yes – warm (have you seen the weather forecast lately?!).

I thought about real comfort food – you know, something I’d want to eat around a fireplace (if I had one) on a cold November night. And it came down to – you guessed it! – chicken pot pie. At first I thought about reinventing the chicken pot pie and making a vegetarian version with pumpkin and autumn spices. That got me thinking about all the winter pumpkins soups that are cleverly served inside the pumpkin – when I realized – I could have my pumpkin and chicken pot pie and eat it too!

This recipe combines the flavor of fresh-roasted pumpkin with creamy parsnips, carrots and mushrooms. It’s seasoned with fresh thyme and sage and topped off with flaky puff pastry for the perfect fall comfort food!

And would you look at the festive autumn design on these beauties? These pretty pumpkin packages (say that three times in a row!) are as good to look at as they are to eat. They’d make the perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal!

Pumpkin Pot Pie

6 small sugar pumpkins
extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper & allspice, to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 container button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups diced chicken (roasted, grilled, or leftover from your chicken soup)
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
s&p, to taste
1 pkg puff pastry, cut into squares (or 6 puff pastry squares, plus additional for decorating)
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops off the sugar pumpkins and remove the seeds. Brush the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and allspice. Bake, flesh side down, until tender, about 30 minutes*.

Saute the onion in olive oil until golden and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms and continue to saute until tender. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer until thickened. Stir in the diced chicken, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.  Ladle the filling into the pumpkins and cover with a square of puff pastry. Cut leaves out of extra puff pastry and glue it to the squares with egg. Brush the remaining puff pastry with egg and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

*Don’t let the pumpkin get too soft or it will start to fall apart. You still want it to hold it’s shape (keep in mind that it will also be cooking for an additional 20 minutes when it’s covered in the puff pastry).

VARIATION: You may use turkey instead of chicken.

Related Recipes:

veal shepherd’s pie with celery root mashed potatoes
leftover turkey pot pie
chicken pot pie Passover croquettes

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Lentil Soup

There’s nothing like a healthy and hearty soup when the weather starts turning cold. I love the texture that lentils lend to soup. They add a wonderful thickness, but they still kind of melt on your tongue. Leftover lentil soup is great mixed with pasta for lunch the next day.

As a mom, I have to say that my favorite part of serving soups is being able to hide veggies in there. My older ones are starting to catch on to my sneaky tactics but sometimes I get lucky and they’ll down some veggies. Not an easy feat in my house!

Hearty Lentil Soup

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt & pepper, to taste
optional add-ins: chickpeas, baby spinach

Method:

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue to saute until the vegetables are coated and the paste begins to caramelize. Add lentils, broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes until lentils are soft. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Other Hearty Soup Recipes:

crockpot mushroom barley stoup
minestrone soup
fire roasted tomato rice stoup
bubby’s cabbage soup with flanken
Asian bigger bowl soup

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Butternut Squash Fries

I think you’ll agree that the very best recipes are the ones that you just came up with on the spot. They’re usually not recipes at all. Just a little of this and a little of that. Am I right?

These addictive healthy baked butternut squash fries are a great example. I whipped them up in no time, and they were gone in minutes! They’re the perfect side for a healthy burger or light dinner of grilled chicken.

What are some of your favorite last minute “no-recipe” dishes? Share them with me in the comments below!

Healthy Baked Butternut Squash Fries

1 butternut squash, cut into sticks*
extra virgin olive oil
garlic powder
chili powder
smoked paprika (use regular paprika if you don’t have)
kosher salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the butternut squash sticks into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, chili, smoked paprika and salt. Mix the squash until well-coated with spices and oil. Place the fries on a rack set over a baking sheet (if you don’t have a rack, place directly on baking sheet).  Bake until crispy and tender, about 30 minutes.

*To cut sticks out of your butternut squash, look for a squash with a long “neck” or top portion. Separate the top from the bulb (set the bulb aside for soup or cut into wedges and bake with the fries). Cut the top off of your squash and stand it up on your cutting board. Cut the sides off the squash to create a square shape. Slice the square into slices and cut each slice into sticks.

TIP: To get the best crunch out of baked fries, place them on a rack set over a baking sheet. This allows the heat to circulate around the fries, so that they get nice and crunchy.

DOUBLE TIP: When baking fries, make sure not to overcrowd the pan. This creates “steam” and the fries will come out soggy.

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Corned Beef Arancini

I love the challenge of turning leftovers into something new. Especially after a long holiday, when the last thing you want to do is eat the same food you’ve been eating for a week. I open my fridge, take out all the leftovers and spread them out on the counter. Then, like a Chopped-Champion-Wannabe, I play around with my ingredients to make something new, fresh and exciting.

In the past, I whipped up a lightened up turkey pot pie with my leftover turkey roast. When I was challenged to come up with a dish for my leftover corned beef and some delicious risotto that was too good to throw away, I knew just what to make. Arancini made the perfect light dinner, with a side of leftover vegetable soup.

If you’re not familiar with arancini, it’s a traditional Italian dish of fried rice balls made with leftover risotto. While risotto is usually made with parmesan, salty corned beef makes the perfect substitute in this meat version. If you don’t keep kosher (as I do), feel free to add a bite of gooey mozzarella in the center.

If you’ve got other leftovers from the holiday and your family is turning their noses at the idea of eating it – think outside the box. Turn your leftover chicken into chicken pot pie or your leftover mashed potatoes and brisket into shepherd’s pie. Your extra matbucha can become some breakfast shakshuka or your leftover salmon can turn into the perfect pasta dish. If you need inspiration – I’m up for the challenge! Just message me on Facebook and I’ll give you some ideas!

Corned Beef Arancini

1 1/2 cups leftover risotto (recipe follows)
1 cup leftover corned beef, diced small
1 egg, lightly whisked
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
canola oil, for frying

Method:

Gently combine the leftover risotto and corn beef and form into balls. Dip in egg and bread crumbs.

Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees. Deep fry the risotto balls in hot oil until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.

Serve hot with marinara sauce spiked with a touch of mustard.

VARIATION: If you don’t have corned beef, you may use leftover pastrami.

Dairy-Free Saffron Risotto:

3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf (optional)
generous pinch of saffron
1 1/2 tbsp margarine (I prefer Smart Balance)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer along with the bay leaf. Remove 1/2 cup of the stock and pour over the saffron threads. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil and margarine in a skillet and add the onions. Cook until translucent, but not browned. Add rice and cook, stirring continuously, until well-coated, but not browned. Add the wine and continue to stir until completely absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

Begin adding one ladle full of stock at a time (about 1/2 cup), stirring continuously until all the stock is absorbed. Do not add more stock until the previous addition is completely absorbed. Add the saffron-infused stock towards the end (about 15 minutes after adding the wine), and continue to add stock until the rice is tender with a little bite to it (al dente), about 25 minutes total.

Other leftover ideas:

leftover cake: quick & easy individual trifles
leftover rice: pineapple fried rice
leftover challah: perfect pareve french toast
leftover chicken: curry chicken salad or Asian chicken salad or pulled chicken sammies
leftover salmon: salmon cakes or salmon pasta salad

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