copycat recipes Archives - The Midnight Baker

Copycat Brooks BBQ Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 23:00:43 +0000

Brooks BBQ chicken is an upstate New York favorite. Here’s a copycat that happens to be genuine too.

An Upstate New York Favorite

If you’ve ever gone to a fundraiser or local fair in upstate New York, you’re sure to have enjoyed Brooks BBQ chicken. This chicken is a beloved favorite in the northern parts of the state.

The reason is simple–it’s got great flavor! There’s nothing really special about the ingredients since you probably have everything you need right in your pantry. In fact, I think you’ll find this quite surprising.

The Brooks people didn’t invent this way of doing chicken. As a matter of fact, the recipe existed for quite some time and there’s a bit of history attached to it.

Cornell Chicken

While this chicken has come to be known as “Brooks” chicken, the recipe is quite old and was known simply as “Cornell chicken.”

The reason for that is the formula was invented by a professor at Cornell University. Cornell is the land-grant college in New York state and land-grant colleges deal with farming and agriculture.

Years ago when younger chickens were being marketed, the major complaint was they had no taste and were rubbery. Long story short, the professor came up with this marinade to make younger chickens taste better and have a better texture.

Just an aside–even though I used my gas grill, this tastes way better done with charcoal.

Simple Marinade

The marinade is the simplest thing to make.

My advice is to use your covered blender to make it. I thought my immersion blender would be perfect, but nope. I was glad it didn’t make TOO much mess before I switched to a standard blender.

A couple of changes I made to the original was I cut the salt down to half because I’m really not into salty stuff anymore. However, I give the original amount in the recipe but I’ll remind you there of what I did.

I also used half olive oil, because I’m a lover of the stuff. As for the egg, you can probably safely omit this. Frankly I don’t see the point even though I used it. Therefore, using it is up to you.

The Recipe

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Copycat Brooks BBQ Chicken

A New York favorite

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Marinate8

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bbq chicken without sugar, brooks bbq chicken, cornell chicken, fundraiser bbq chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 484kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 lb whole chicken cut in half

Marinade:

2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil I used 1/2 olive oil & 1/2 vegetable oil
1 tbs poultry seasoning
3 tbs salt I used 1/2 the amount
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place all marinade ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Reserve about 1/2 cup for basting.
Place the chicken halves in a large zippered freezer bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat your gas grill (or covered charcoal grill) to medium-high heat. Initially, you will brown the chicken over direct heat and finish the cooking over indirect heat. On a gas grill, this means moving the chicken to the UNLIT side of the grill then putting the cover down. On a charcoal grill this means that you move the coals to the periphery of the grill and place the chicken in the center where there's no coals under it, then placing the cover on the grill.
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry on paper towels. Discard used marinade.
Cook the chicken, skin side down, over direct heat for about 5 minutes or until browning starts. Turn chicken and move it to the unlit side of the grill. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes, turning every so often and basting with reserved marinade, until juices run clear or registers 165F/75C on an instant-read thermometer.
Tent with foil and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

Nutrition

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Copycat Almond Schmear

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 23:00:09 +0000

This copycat version of almond schmear uses products available in all stores and tastes even better.

Great Copycat Version: Almond Schmear

Selection is a big issue for me where I live. I often have to resort to buying things I need from online “specialty” sources instead of my local supermarkets. Such is life outside a major urban ares. You also get creative making copycat versions of stuff you cannot get.

That’s the case here and I’m delighted to say that this not only tastes better than the branded product, but that is cheaper too! It’s made with ingredients you can get anywhere.

Food Processor Necessary

You need a food processor to make this. A Ninja (the basic one) would probably work too, but I prefer the food processor. The reason is that you can see the consistency better because you can gradually add the liquid. The schmear must be of a spreadable consistency but not runny or liquidy.

If you’ve ever worked with almond paste, you’ll know what I mean about it’s texture; it’s something like a brick. Therefore, an electric mixer won’t fare so well in breaking it down and forget about a standard blender. The blender is just not up to the job.

Almond Schmear Has Many Uses

Primarily, this is a pastry filling, but if you’re in love with almonds as much as I am, you may want to use this as a spread on bread. You can use it much like Nutella. The only thing you mustn’t do if you plan to use it more for a spread is add the little bit of flour–that’s to be on the safe side as I’ve seen cautions about eating raw flour.

However, I’ve been eating cookie dough and tasting stuff with flour for seasoning for over 60 years and I’m still here to tell the story, but there is a warning out there so I’ll just leave it there.

The Recipe

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Copycat Almond Schmear

Delicious almond pastry filling or spread

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Total Time5

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almond pastry filling, copycat recipe, pastry filling recipe

Servings: 20

Calories: 125kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz almond paste
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbs flour see notes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Break up almond paste into chunks and place in a food processor fitted with the metal “s” blade. Pulse a few times.
Add the butter, sugar, cream and flour (omit the flour if you are not going to use this for baking)
Process until smooth.
Keeps in the refrigerator for a month.

Notes

Don’t use the flour if you’re going to use it as an uncooked spread for bread, etc.

Nutrition

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Ocean Water

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 23:00:07 +0000

Ocean water is one of Sonic restaurant’s most popular drinks. This is a great Sonic copycat recipe.

Sonic Copycat: Even Looks Cool

With record heat not only around the country, but in the entire world, everyone’s looking to cool off. It’s important to remain hydrated too.

Sometimes you want something a little more tasty than water to remain hydrated and this is a perfect beverage. Just looking at this cools me off a bit because of the lovely blue color. Yes, it’s due to some food coloring, but not much for the entire batch.

There’s lots of recipes on the net for this Sonic copycat recipe, but I’ve adapted this one a bit for my own personal tastes and even added a tasty, yet optional ingredient, for those who’d like to up the ante a bit on this.

Start With A Simple Syrup

If you’ve ever made ice cream that doesn’t use a cooked custard, then you’re familiar with simple syrup.

All it is is water and sugar in equal amounts that’s heated so the sugar dissolves. It must be cool–at least room temperature–to use it.

Then ocean water becomes any easy affair by just adding the flavoring, soda pop and the food coloring.

Ocean Water Is Pretty Sweet

That it is! However, since you must add plenty of ice to this drink, the coldness seems to offset the sweetness somewhat.

To make this beverage a little more interesting–and tasty too–what I plan to do next time I make it is to add some frozen fresh pineapple chunks. Then it’ll be something like a non-alcoholic piña colada! It’d also add some fiber and nutritional value. Especially if you replace the large amount of ice cubes with frozen pineapple chunks.

Another thing I did here was to reduce the amount of coconut extract. Made as the majority of recipes that are online for Sonic copycat ocean water, the amount of the extract I found to be overpowering and as an aside, really fake tasting. I love coconut to excess but the imitation extract does taste very fake if there’s too much. Of course, try it with real coconut extract; it should be better, but start out with my amounts before you add more.

The Recipe

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Ocean Water

Ocean water is one of Sonic's popular soft drinks. Here's a great copycat recipe

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: copycat recipe, non-alcoholic beverages, ocean water recipe, soft drink recipes

Servings: 4

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 tbs sugar
3 tbs water
1/2 tsp coconut extract
24 oz carbonated lemon-lime soda pop
3 drops blue food coloring.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine sugar and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds on high; stir to dissolve. Set aside until this syrup is room temperature.
In a larger bowl combine the cooled syrup, coconut extract and lemon-lime soda. Gently stir in the food coloring.
Serve over ice.

Notes

Replace ice cubes with frozen fresh pineapple for more oomph

Nutrition

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Copycat Recipe: Sonic Extreme Tots

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 23:00:58 +0000

This copycat recipe of Sonic restaurant’s extreme tots is so easy to make!

More Than A Side Dish

This Sonic copycat recipe of their extreme tots is more than just a side dish! This is really a complete meal.

Actually, this is a great meal to have in your arsenal for when you are pressed for time–such as the holidays. OK I know that’s several months away at this point, but I know how busy that time can be. However, throughout the year we all have days were there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in that day or days where you simply don’t want to fuss. This recipe will certainly help during those times.

Shades Of Poutine

This recipe reminds me very much of poutine. Mainly because it’s dressed-up fried potatoes. This has a little Mexican twist to it though, so it doesn’t actually taste like poutine.

However, the main reason I love this recipe, besides it being fast, is that it’s super easy! Basically, it uses what you probably have on hand in the pantry and freezer. Most folks have a can of beanless chili on the shelf, especially if you make dips and such. And most of us have frozen potatoes in the freezer. OK this one uses tater tots, but in a pinch frozen french fries will do, but the tater tots–or frozen potato pancakes (same thing, different shape) will taste much better.

Fresh Is Better

I’ve seen a couple of copycat recipes for this and every one of them used canned jalapeños. I used fresh mainly because I had one jalapeño left over, but to me fresh always tastes better. I also mixed white and red onion because I like a lot of color in my food.

The curious thing is that I forgot to top it with shredded cheddar. You know what? It tasted good without it so you can skip the cheese if you don’t have any.

The Recipe

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Sonic Extreme Tots

Restaurant Copycat

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Main, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chili, Sonic, tater tots

Servings: 2

Calories: 879kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 ounces Tater Tots
15 ounce chili No Beans
4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tbs chopped white onions
1 whole jalapeno, small sliced
1 to 2 tbs Ranch salad dressing

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the tater tots according to package directions. While the tater tots are heating up be sure to heat the chili in a small pan on the stove over low heat. When the tater tots are done place them in a small serving dish. Add chili, cheese, chopped white onions, pickled jalapeno slices, and drizzle with Ranch salad dressing.

Nutrition

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Alice Springs Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 23:00:18 +0000

Make this Alice Springs chicken at home. It’s even better than the restaurant!

The Flavors Everyone Loves

This Alice Springs chicken is one of the best-selling menu items at Outback Steak House. The reason, I think, is quite obvious. It has all the flavors that are most peoples’ favorites.

First and foremost–bacon. I haven’t come across anyone who didn’t like it. Next is cheese and you have a combination of two great cheeses in this. Last but not least is the marinade. It’s so delicious, you need to hold some back as a dipping sauce.

Now lets talk about ease of preparation. This one is very easy so I’m sure it’ll become part of your regular rotation.

Marinate For Deep Flavor

The basic flavors of the marinade are honey and dijon mustard. Of course, there’s other ingredients, however, they are the major flavors. As I said before, this marinade is so good you’ll want to use it as a dipping sauce so remember to reserve some before you add the chicken to it.

Most recipes that require marination give a time frame from 2 hours to overnight. If you’re pressed for time, then go with the minimum time. However, I do strongly advise you not to do this because the longer you marinate, the better the dish will taste. I’m sure I’m not saying anything you don’t know about this, but this chicken will taste SO much better if you start marinating the day before you plan to make it. In fact, I consider it a “must do.” You won’t be sorry waiting till the next day!!!

Different From The Others

I’ve seen many copycat recipes for this online. There’s always one thing I disliked about all of them–the cooking method.

Most say to brown the chicken over a higher heat then to cover and bake for a bit then add the toppings. You all know what happens when you bake something in the oven tightly covered. Yep, it gets all watery and it steams; it does not bake.

So what I did here was brown the chicken breast over a lower heat so that it would be done–or close to it–when it finished browning. Then I put the toppings on, transferred it to the oven uncovered, and baked for the additional time needed to finish both the chicken and the toppings. Comes out perfect that way!

The Recipe

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Alice Springs Chicken

Delicious copycat from the restaurant

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Marinate8

Total Time30

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 662kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup mushrooms sliced fresh
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 cup Monterray jack cheese shredded
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
4 bacon strips cooked. Streaky in UK, cut in 1-inch pieces

Marinade/Sauce:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup mayonnaise

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, reserve 1/2 cup for dipping sauce. Place chicken breasts in a zipper freezer bag and pour in the remaining marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. When butter foams, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms are browned; remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Discard the marinade.
Place chicken in the skillet and let it brown—do not move it—this will take about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side without moving it.
Distribute the mushrooms evenly on top of each chicken breast. Mix the cheeses together and divide evenly over the top of each chicken breast. Distribute bacon evenly on top.
Place skillet in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bacon begins to crisp and the internal temperature is 160 degrees F.

Video

Nutrition

The post Alice Springs Chicken appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Copycat Wendy’s Chili

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 00:00:30 +0000

Make a big pot of this copycat Wendy’s chili for you Super Bowl party and watch it disappear!

Game Day Food

Can you think of anything more traditional for game-day eating than chili? I can’t!!!

Put a big pot of this on the table for family and friends to help themselves and you’re pretty much set. Even though this is not cooked in a slow cooker, it can be put in there on the “warm” setting so it stays nice and hot. In fact, with a few minor changes, you certainly can cook this in your slow cooker. Just brown the meat first–you can do the veggies at the same time too. Then just add all the ingredients to the crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Credible Copycat Of The Original

Wendy’s chili is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. I admit upfront, I’m not a big fan of chili, but I do like theirs. To my tastes, this holds up pretty well with the original version.

I did make some minor changes that are not the usual things for chili. Of course I used dark red kidney beans–and yes I know the debates about this dish and that the real deal doesn’t contain beans so we won’t get into that discussion here. However, Wendy’s does use beans and I did here as well. I also like white kidney beans so I threw some of them in and I’m very passionate about garbanzos so they make an appearance here as well.

But if you don’t care to use anything other than the traditional red kidney beans, just substitute the white kidney beans and the garbanzos with more red kidney beans. Easy peasy.

The Seasonings

I used my own homemade chili seasoning in this because I think it tastes better than anything I can buy. If you make your own too, use your own. Keep in mind that this recipe makes a lot of chili, so adjust your seasoning accordingly. For instance if you make your chili seasoning in bulk, you’d use twice the amount that you’d use if you are making an amount to serve 4-6. As always, let your own tastes be your guide. Start with the minimum amount and add more if you need it.

If you don’t bother making your own chili seasoning, two envelopes of the store-bought kind can be substituted.

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The Recipe

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Copycat Wendy's Chili

Make a big pot of this copycat Wendy's chili for you Super Bowl party and watch it disappear!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chili, copycat recipe, Wendy's chili

Servings: 10 -12

Calories: 371kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 cup green bell pepper chopped (you could use poblanos too if you want a bit of heat)
42 oz stewed tomatoes (3 cans, 14 oz each)
10 oz diced tomatoes 1 can with green chiles (like Rotel)
15 oz tomato sauce (1 can)
1 cup water
Double recipe of chili seasoning or 2 packages, 1.25 oz ea.
28 oz canned dark red kidney beans, drained (2 cans - 14 oz each)
14 oz canned white kidney beans drained
14 oz canned garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs white vinegar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Press ground beef into the hot oil to form one large patty; let the bottom brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir and break the ground beef into crumbles and cook until no longer pink, about 5 more minutes.
Stir celery, onion, and green bell pepper into ground beef and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; pour in stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in chili seasoning.
Mix the beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.

Nutrition

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Bang Bang Shrimp With Pasta

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 29 Sep 2018 23:00:25 +0000

A slightly milder version of bang bang shrimp with pasta, but you can crank up the heat easily!

Some Like It Milder

Do you like food that’s a bit spicy but not so spicy that it feels as if your mouth is on fire?

I’m one of these people–and if you are then join the club. Bang Bang Shrimp is a delicious dish, but I always found most versions a little too “five alarm” for my tastes. I don’t mean to imply that I’m a wimp about heat; I’m not. However, when heat is the only thing I can taste, it’s not something that I enjoy.

So I adapted a generic recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp that still has a “bang” but is a bit milder than the usual.

For those who like more heat, it’s easy to adapt this to your tastes. All you have to do is add more cayenne, chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes–individually or all three!

Pasta? Yes Indeed!

The pasta is the thing that completes this dish.

The best choices to use here are linguine, fettucine or bucatini (if you can get it). The reason is the sauce for the shrimp is rather thick and dense and you need a pasta that will hold up well where the sauce adheres. Generally, the flatter the pasta, the better it is for a thicker sauce. Bucatini is not flat, but it is a thicker spaghetti with a hole running down the center. It’s something like a drinking straw.

Ranges Make This Adaptable

I’ve given ranges for all the hot ingredients in this recipe.

If you use the lowest amounts of each, you’ll end up with a meal that’s piquant where the flavors shine through and a nice heat sensation.

Using the largest amounts will, of course, produce a much hotter end product. I’d advise you to start small and taste because you can always add more of whatever pleases you. And you can use more than the largest amounts if you’re a big fan of very hot food.

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The Recipe

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Bang Bang Shrimp With Pasta

A slightly milder version of bang bang shrimp with pasta, but you can crank up the heat easily!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Course: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Asian shrimp recipe, bang bang shrimp, easy pasta dinner

Servings: 4

Calories: 793kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp peeled and deveiened
2 tbs oil
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
8 oz linguine cooked per package directions, drained
2-4 tbs chili garlic sauce photo of the product--affiliate link
1 cup mayonnaise
4 cloves garlic finely minced or put through a press
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 tbs minced fresh cilantro
1/2-1 tsp red chili flakes

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce and garlic. Set aside.
Place shrimp in a medium bowl and add the salt, cayenne and garlic powder. Toss to coat all the shrimp.
Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp are starting to sear, about 2 minutes. Turn shrimp and cook the other side until it starts to sear, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta and sauce and turn off the heat. Toss until everything is coated with the sauce. Add the lemon juice, green onions and cilantro and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

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Copycat Cracker Barrel Beef Stew

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 19 May 2018 23:00:13 +0000

Now that it’s off their menu, you can make Cracker Barrel’s beef stew at home!

Thank Goodness For Copycat Recipes!

About a month ago, my neighbor and I took a trip to Cracker Barrel because we wanted to treat ourselves (and not cook that evening LOL). Both of us had our favorites that we looked forward to eating.

However, it’s been a long time since we visited. We were disappointed to learn that many of the dishes we liked were removed from the menu. Needless to say, we were not happy campers.

Then a couple of weeks ago, a reader emailed me with a request for Cracker Barrel’s beef stew. I learned from him that this, too, was removed from the menu. I told him of our experience and he understood full well how we felt. In fact, he told me he nearly cried when they took the strawberry shortcake off the menu. I honestly wonder why very popular items disappear from a restaurant’s offerings. My idea is that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it–especially when stuff is popular.

So here is a credible copycat that I adapted from Noshing With The Nolands, for their stew! Now you can make it forever at home!

Beef Stew In The Summer?

You bet! Comfort food really knows no season.

You can easily convert this to make it in the slow cooker and even better in the Instant Pot or any pressure cooker. The Instant Pot is a better choice in my opinion because you can also brown the meat in it. And in the same pot so no extra dishes to wash!

Don’t Skip The Browning!

Although you may be tempted to bypass this step–don’t do it.

If you think the flour should be reduced–again, don’t do it.

These two things are absolutely essential for the proper flavor. The combination of the browned bits and the slightly “toasted” flour are the key to the great taste of this stew.

The Recipe

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Copycat Cracker Barrel Beef Stew

This hearty stew is a copycat recipe for Cracker Barrel beef stew. It makes the perfect Sunday dinner!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 50

Course: beef, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stew, copycat recipe, Cracker Barrel recipes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 543kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 pound stewing beef in medium sized chunks
3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 onion chopped
4 medium potatoes cut into chunks
5 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
2 large turnips cut into chunks
1 quart beef stock high quality see NOTES
1 beef bouillon cube like Herb-Ox
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup peas

Instructions

Mix the flour with salt and pepper to taste, and toss with the meat.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pot and over medium high heat brown beef in flour, add all the flour.
Stir often so the flour and meat doesn't burn, but browns nicely. Remove meat to a plate.
Add the last tablespoon of oil and saute the onion until translucent scraping up an browned bits from the meat.
Transfer the meat back to the pot, add the potatoes, turnips and carrots. Add the stock, thyme and ketchup. Stir well to combine.
Simmer over low heat, stirring often for 1 1/2 hours. Adjust seasoning. Remove thyme sprigs if using fresh.
Add frozen peas just before serving. Stir to defrost and serve.

Notes

I use Better Than Bouillon, about 3 tbs to the quart of water

Nutrition

*Post may contain affiliate links
**Adapted from Noshing With The Nolands

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Copycat Cracker Barrel Green Beans

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 23:00:11 +0000

Make double the amount of these copycat Cracker Barrel green beans because they’ll beg for seconds.

Perfection Improved

The green beans at the famous Cracker Barrel restaurant is one of their most popular side dishes. They are certainly delicious and most consider them to be the perfect side dish.

My neighbor and I recently went for lunch there and you guessed it, both of us ordered the green beans. Then I got to thinking how I could make this at home and maybe improve upon it just a bit.

The hack is very simple–use fresh!

Green Beans: Fresh Or Frozen Is The Next Level

Cracker Barrel uses canned cut green beans in their side dish. This is really practical since they are made in bulk and kept warm for serving on a steam table.

However, at home, we don’t have to keep dishes hot for long periods of time since we cook then eat immediately–or shortly after.

Using fresh or flash-frozen green beans really–I mean really–improves the flavor of these beans exponentially. I also decided to cook them to a crisp-tender stage where they maintained their bright green color. This is also very pleasing to the eye. But if you like your veggies cooked a bit more, then by all means cook them to the stage your family prefers.

Bacon Lovers Rejoice

Since I love bacon (and who doesn’t) I added a bit more than they do in the restaurant. I think Cracker Barrel uses a very smoky variety of bacon, which accounts for a great amount of flavor and it may be specially processed for them. If you can find a deep-smoked variety in your store, that’s the one I’d advise using. However, you can use a “standard” variety. I did because it’s what I had on hand. You can get more smoke flavor by adding a bit of liquid smoke if you like.

The Recipe

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Copycat Cracker Barrel Green Beans

This copycat version of Cracker Barrel green beans tastes so much like the original, you may never need to order the side dish from the restaurant again.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: copycat recipe, Cracker Barrel recipes, green beans

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb fresh green beans trimmed (see NOTES)
1/2 cup diced bacon
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke optional

Instructions

In a large skillet, cook diced bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and place on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tbs of the fat.
In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the green beans, salt, pepper and stock to the pan. If using the liquid smoke, add it at this point. Stir to combine.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 min.

Notes

I left my beans whole, but you can cut them into 1-2-inch pieces or buy frozen cut green beans.

Nutrition

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Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:00:44 +0000

If you’re looking for a great soup that’s also a meatless meal, look no further than this minestrone.

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone: Pure Comfort

What could be better on a freezing-cold night than a hot bowl of delicious soup?

You cannot get better than this minestrone! It’s chock full of beans and assorted veggies so it’s a complete and tasty meal in itself. Pair it up with crusty rolls or bread and you’re set.

Even though there is no meat, this is a filling meal. However, it’s light enough in texture to not hang heavy on you. It will satisfy you but not make you feel uncomfortably full.

Use Summer’s Bounty

If you grew zucchini and yellow squash in your garden this past summer and froze your excess, here’s a great way to use it!

This soup calls for both green and yellow squash. If you don’t have any yellow squash “put up” then you can buy it, but you can always omit it and double the amount of the green zucchini.

Also, if you canned or froze diced tomatoes, you also get to use them here. Of course, store bought is always an option, but this soup is just perfect for using what you preserved from your summer garden. I used canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes in this for the deeper flavor, but plain diced or stewed tomatoes are also a good choice.

Feeding A Vegetarian Or Vegan?

If you have vegetarian or vegan guests, this should be on your menu!

While the original option contains a bit of cheese–which is OK for vegetarians–it can easily be omitted if you’re feeding a vegan.

For the vegan option, make sure you choose a pasta that they can eat, so be sure to check the ingredients. You can always substitute rice for the pasta if you are unsure of the pasta ingredients.

The Recipe

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Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone

If you’re looking for a great soup that’s also a meatless meal, look no further than this minestrone.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Comfort Foods, soups, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus soup, copycat recipe, minestrone, vegan recipe, vegetarian recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 137kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 small white onion minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 medium zucchini sliced, then cut slices in half
1 medium yellow squash sliced, then cut slices in half
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup celery sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 15 oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups vegetable stock see NOTES
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup small pasta shells or ditilini
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions

Heat oil over medium heat in a large (8-10 quart) stock pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, parsley and celery. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent.
Add the vegetable stock, water, cannellini beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, herbs and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the pasta and baby spinach; stir. Cover and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
Stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used Knorr concentrated vegetable stock (2 tubs) reconstituted with 4 cups water. If you cannot find Knorr, Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock may be substituted. Use 3-4 tbs reconstituted with water.

Nutrition

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