side dishes Archives - The Midnight Baker

Cheesy Garlic Green Beans

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 23:00:43 +0000

Cheesy garlic green beans are a great side dish. Easy to make too.

Cheesy Garlic Green Beans–Delicious!

Do you love garlic? Do you love mozzarella? Then you’re going to love these cheesy garlic green beans!

These green beans make a wonderful side dish. I’d even go further and say because of the cheese, they can also be a meal unto themselves. They contain the great flavor of garlic with roasted beans. This recipe is very basic and you can add any herbs or spice you like and think would “go” with the flavor. They are that versatile.

These would even work well as a buffet item–you could leave the mozzarella off for that if you’d like.

The Green Beans

Like most roasted vegetables, this starts with fresh green beans. Frozen wouldn’t work well here due to the water content and canned…well…you know that story.

Rather than start with bulk fresh beans, I prefer to use the fresh ones that are pre-packaged. You’ll find them where the bagged salads are sold in your store’s produce department. You have a choice there too. You can get the regular green beans, where you do have to remove the stems or opt as I do for the “French” green beans. The French style are skinnier and are already trimmed. They’re the same price so why not save yourself the time and effort. I find the French style has more uniformly shaped beans. No curved beans or anything such as that.

Garlic

As I mentioned before, these are pretty garlicky. There’s four cloves used. By all means, add more if you’re a real garlic freak. If you’d like a milder flavor use only one or two. How simple is that?

There’s also grated cheese in this as well besides the mozzarella. I use a combo of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago because it’s so flavorful. However, plain old Parmesan will work as well. In fact, that’s what was originally called for in the recipe.

The Recipe

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Cheesy Garlic Green Beans

Great side dish

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Course: Appetizer, Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: garlic green beans, roasted green beans with cheese

Servings: 6

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb whole fresh green beans trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Place green beans on prepared sheet in a single layer; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic, grated cheese salt and pepper. Mix well. Drizzle over the beans and toss to coat well.
Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until beans are bright green and beginning to brown slightly.
Top with the shredded cheese and pop the pan under the broiler until cheese is melted and beginning to brown in spots.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition

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Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 23:00:02 +0000

If you love this veg, then you’ll flip over these easy yet tasty stir fried brussels sprouts.

Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts?

Why not?

In fact, stir fried brussels sprouts are a real treat! Knowing that brussels sprouts are not a lot of peoples’ favorite veg, I’m encouraging you to give them a try prepared this way.

The reason that sprouts are bypassed by some is that sprouts, more often than not, are overcooked. Sometimes overcooked beyond belief. When cooked to perfection, they are sweet and crunchy. Stir frying is one of the best ways to cook them. The risk of overcooking is slim by this method.

Do It Right

As with anything you do, it’s best to do it the right way for the best results.

They key to success with brussels sprouts, beyond not overcooking them is the proper preparation. With this recipe you start with fresh brussels sprouts so there’s a bit of attention that has to be paid to them.

Firstly comes choosing sprouts that are at their peak of freshness. If you grow them yourself, this won’t be a problem. However if you get them from the produce department in your market you’ll have to give them the onec-over. They’re sold loose so you can. Try to avoid those that are bagged already.

The very best tutorial I found comes from the experts at TheKitchn. It’s comprehensive and full of great information.

The Cooking

As with all stir frying, it’s done very quickly at high heat so you cannot slack here. Stir frying demands your full attention. The benefit is that it’s very quick so it’s not like a watch pot.

If the sprouts get singed on the edges, that will add great flavor. If your heat is high enough it will happen and be totally delicious.

I might add that if you want to get more adventurous with this veg, my maple roasted brussels sprouts have converted many a hater into a lover, so do try them!

The Recipe

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Stir Fried Brussels sprouts

Tasty way to serve sprouts

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: asian style brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts recipes, stir fried brussels sprouts

Servings: 6

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbs oil
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare Brussels sprouts by trimming the root end and cutting a cross in the bottom--this helps them cook faster. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the Brussels sprouts and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into very cold or ice water. Drain thoroughly.
When sprouts are cool enough to handle, cut them in half.
Heat a wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when the oil shimmers, add the sprouts, water chestnuts garlic and salt. Stir fry until the sprouts are deep vibrant green; about 4 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat. Add any salt at this point if you need to.

Nutrition

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Tomato Risotto

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 00:00:44 +0000

Tomato risotto is a delicious side dish that can also double as a meatless main course.

Enjoy Tomato Risotto Two Ways

Two ways? Yep since you have a choice other than rice for this tomato risotto.

I know that sounds weird as risotto is a classic rice dish. However, you can get fancy and use whole grain in this one. I thought I’d live it up a bit and be out-of-the-box with using faro.

Faro is like barley–which I guess you could substitute as well. This grain made this recipe even better. It added a slight nutty flavor which elevated this side to another level of delicious. And it’s a great way to get some fiber into your diet deliciously.

Patience Is Important

Risotto requires a bit of patience in order to achieve the great creamy texture.

Hot liquid has to be added in small amounts until it’s almost absorbed before you add a little more hot liquid. The process repeats until all the liquid is gone. Plus it must be stirred constantly. The end result is worth the effort. This might be a dish you make for company or special occasions due to the work involved. It’s not something you’d make if you’re pressed for time and want dinner in a dash.

I have made an oven risotto that needs no tending but that is a rare recipe. Most are a bit labor intensive.

Vegetarian And Vegan

The beauty of this tomato risotto is that it can easily be made vegetarian with one substitution. To make it totally vegan, it’s just an additional substitution.

You can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and to make it vegan, use a vegan cheese substitute for the Parmesan/Romano or eliminate it entirely. In my opinion, it’s just as good without the cheese whether you’re vegetarian or not.

The Recipe

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Tomato Risotto

Make it with arborio rice or faro

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: risotto with faro, tomato risotto, vegetarian risotto

Servings: 6

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or faro
28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces
4 cups hot chicken stock
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tbs fresh basil chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a 4-quart/4 L dutch oven over medium heat. Add the oil and when the oil is hot add the onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent; about 2 minutes.
Add the rice or faro. Cook for 1 minute stirring so the rice/faro is coated with oil. Add half the tomatoes and 1/4 cup/60 ml of stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is almost absorbed.
Repeat, adding 1/4 cup/60 ml additions of the hot stock til liquid is absorbed, until the stock is all added.
Add the cheese, basil and remaining tomatoes, stirring to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

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Funeral Potatoes

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 00:00:15 +0000

Despite the weird name, funeral potatoes is one of the tastiest potato side dishes ever.

Funeral Potatoes–Only The Name Is Odd

I’ve heard this potato casserole talked about for ages. Never even thought of making it though–until recently.

A friend who is a Texas native was discussing this recipe a few months ago. Since I’ve known her (online) for years and know that she not only is a great cook but a lover of good uncomplicated food, I decided to make this casserole.

I always give my friends on Facebook a heads-up to what I made on a particular day along with the name of the dish. Friends in the northeast said they never heard of these. Yes, the name is rather odd. Maybe a little off-putting for some too. The name is probably a Texas or even a southern thing. I haven’t really dug very deeply into why they are named as such. However, after making them, I’ve discovered how totally delicious they are despite the odd name.

Actually, they remind me of those cheesy hashbrowns that Cracker Barrel has on their menu. You won’t go wrong with these!

Keeping It Authentic

You know one of the best things about this recipe? That it can be made so many different ways with just a little bit of imagination.

I stuck pretty much with the standard recipe except I threw in some chives because the flavor goes so well with sour cream and potatoes. That’s about it with my additions, but there’s so much more you can do so you can really go wild.

How about different cheeses? That’s where I’d start. I used mild cheddar to keep it pretty much untouched and the flavor is great. However, a smoked gouda would be fantastic here too. Whatever you like, try it. It’ll be fabulous with whatever you do.

Potatoes

Shredded hashbrowns are pretty much the standard. You could buy them frozen like I did or you can shred your own if you’re ambitious (I’m not but that’s a story for another day).

You could also used the diced variety of hashbrowns if nothing else is available. They will need to bake longer though. But if you are overrun with regular potatoes, you could dice your own–and I would too since it’s easier than shredding.

I defrosted that bag of frozen potatoes overnight, however it may not be necessary although it does cut the cooking time a bit.

The Recipe

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Funeral Potatoes

One of the most delicious potato casseroles ever!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: funeral potatoes, potato casseroles with cheese, potato side dishes

Servings: 8

Calories: 553kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

32 oz shredded frozen hash brown potatoes thawed
21 oz cream of chicken soup 2 cans
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup butter melted
2 tbs chives the dehydrated kind
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
3 cups slightly crushed corn flakes
2 tbs butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 13x9-inch/3L oblong pan.
Mix the soup, sour cream, onion, melted butter, chives and shredded cheddar in a large bowl. Fold in the hash browns.
Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and top with the corn flakes. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the corn flakes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

The diced style of hash browns may be substituted, but bake this for 1 hour.

Nutrition

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Cheesy Roast Broccoli

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:04:25 +0000

Cheesy roast broccoli is one of those sides that just may become a main dish!

Cheesy Roast Broccoli: Every Bite Crunchy

Here’s something way different than the usual broccoli and cheese casserole. Not to say that the usual one isn’t delicious, because it is. However, this sheet-pan way to do this cheesy roast broccoli is easy, delicious and is crunchy in every bite.

There’s a secret to getting roast veggies just right and it’s so simple you just won’t believe it. I think this method also reduces the fat a bit as well. But that’s only my opinion on that.

Since this is so good, I made it my entire meal. With meat prices so high, perhaps you, too, will think of this not only as a side dish; but a meatless meal in itself.

The Secret To Great Roast Vegetables

It’s as simple as a preheated baking sheet. Yes, that simple.

Just pop the sheet pan in and preheat the pan along with the oven. That sears one side of whatever you are roasting–it doesn’t have to be just broccoli!

This way you’re not dousing with oil when the veggies are on the pan. I don’t know about you, but I tend to use too much when doing this. When you keep to the small amount of oil and toss them in the bowl, I feel you use less. As an aside, I tried spraying them with the oil spray bottle I use for air frying. Even though that was in theory a great idea, the bit of oil that got sprayed into the oven smoked and smelled horrible. Needless to say I don’t do that anymore. That does not happen with the hot sheet, even though the broccoli was tossed with oil.

Best Cheeses

Cheddar is a natural with broccoli, so I stuck to that. I had some mild cheddar I wanted to use up so that’s the variety I used. Sharp cheddar would be wonderful as well.

Swiss is another great option. So is colby cheese. Stringing cheeses such as mozzarella would be good too if you serve this immediately.

The Recipe

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Cheesy Roast Broccoli

Crunch broccoli in every bite

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: making perfect roasted vegetables, roasted broccoli with cheese, sheet pan broccoli and cheese

Servings: 4

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb fresh broccoli florets
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt

Crumb Mix:

2 tbs melted butter
1 clove garlic minced
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place a sheet pan on a rack in the upper-middle portion of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F/200C (with the sheet heating with the oven).
Toss the broccoli with the oil and salt in a large bowl.
Spread the broccoli out on the hot sheet and roast until the bottoms of the broccoli are nicely browned; about 15 minutes.
While the broccoli is roasting, mis all the crumb ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Remove the pan from the oven and distribute crumb mixture over the broccoli. Set the oven to broil function
Pop the sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the crumbs just begin to get golden brown--watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Nutrition

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Creamed Caramelized Onions

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:38 +0000

Up the ante on your creamed onions. Browning the onions makes these creamed caramelized onions really special.

Creamed Caramelized Onions Rock!

I’ve always loved this perennial classic side dish. Creamed onions are pretty easy to make so I wonder why they seem to only make an appearance around the holidays.

Making creamed onions from scratch has always been my method. All I’d do was braise the onions and let the water evaporate then add some cream and let it reduce until it coated the onions. Delicious!

However, when I saw an old Julia Child show where she browned the onions by sautéing them for a French stew, I thought that’d be good for the side dish too.

Peeling Small White Onions

Small white onions, or white onions in general, are difficult to peel the standard way.

You’ll save yourself plenty of frustration by doing them this way–bring a big pot of water to the boil. Add the onions and boil for one minute. Drain them in a colander, run some cold water over then. Then trim off the root end and slip the skin off. This is the same way you peel tomatoes too. For the onions, the job is a bit tedious, especially if you have a lot of onions, but it definitely is not hard at all!.

I might add at this point that using frozen pearl onions won’t work here. They are far too watery to sauté correctly and brown.

Using Sautéed Onions

Aside from my version of creamed onions using them, they do have a myriad of uses.

Serve them as a side dish sans any cream. It’s different and very tasty. They’re a great accompaniment to steak or a pork roast.

One of the best places to use them is in the classic coq au vin. So if you use my recipe for that, just sub your own sautéed onions for the frozen I used in it.

The Recipe

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Creamed Caramelized Onions

Browning the onions takes this side dish to the next level

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamed onions, peeling small white onions, sautéed onions

Servings: 6

Calories: 155kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb small white onions
2 tbs oil
1/2-2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper white pepper preferred

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Peel onions as directed above in the post. Pat the onions dry.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add oil and when it begins to shimmer, add the onions. Make sure you toss the onions around so you get browning on a couple of sides. Be aware that because of the round shape, the onions will not brown evenly. When they brown to your satisfaction, drain any excess oil from the pan.
Add the cream (amount depends on how much sauce you want), salt and pepper. Keep pan over medium heat until the cream reduces and coats the onions; about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition

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“Sour Cream” Chive Steak Fries

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 23:00:56 +0000

Sour cream chive steak fries get their flavor from a seasoning mix made with powdered buttermilk!

“Sour Cream” Chive Steak Fries

Sour cream and chives are a classic flavor when it comes to potatoes. But why is the “sour cream” in quotations in this recipe?

Well, there is no sour cream in them! You make a dry seasoning mix where you use powdered buttermilk. To me, buttermilk always tasted like thinned-down sour cream so it makes real sense. Whats more, that seasoning won’t go “bad” if kept, unlike liquid buttermilk. They also get a little kick from some Parmesan cheese so these are a real treat. Great as a side or a snack.

Potatoes And Methods

The best potato variety to use for these fries is one that’s waxy and holds its shape. The most common varieties that fit that description are red and Yukon gold. However, I’ve had great success with floury baking potatoes when I’ve used them so this is up to you–and what you have on hand.

Even though I did these in a conventional oven, the air fryer is an excellent method as well. The conventional oven calls for a temperature that most air fryers don’t offer, but about 30 minutes at the highest temperature the fryer gets will work very well.

Seasoning Substitutions

What you’re actually making here with the seasoning mix is very similar to dry ranch dressing mix. So if you don’t have powdered buttermilk on hand in your pantry but you have a packet of ranch dressing mix then use it!

I had both on hand but opted to make this particular mix. Reason is, I find powdered buttermilk to have a short shelf life. Meaning it goes as hard as a rock that even my Ninja blender nor a food processor can break up. I even tried a good old mortar and pestle to no avail. Therefore I make sure I use this stuff within six months.

The Recipe

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Sour Cream Steak Fries

Easy to make and delicious

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Appetizer, Main/Side, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: oven french fries, seasoned air fryer steak fries, sour cream seasoning mix

Servings: 6

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes cut in wedges
4 tbs olive oil
1 tsp fresh garlic finely minced
3 tbs grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

"Sour Cream" Seasoning:

3 tbs buttermilk powder
1 1/2 tbs onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dill weed chopped
1 tbs chopped chives
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450F/225C. Line a large baking sheet with foil and place a rack (like you'd use to cool cookies) on top. Spray the rack with non-stick spray.
Mix all the sour cream seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Place the potato wedges in a large bowl. Add the oil and minced garlic. Toss to coat the potatoes. Using your hands works best here.
Add about 3/4 of the seasoning mixture to the potatoes; toss to coat. Place the potato wedges on the rack. Bake for 20 minutes then turn them. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Place potatoes on a serving plater and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning and grated cheese. Additional chopped chives may be added if you wish.
For air fryer--cook on highest temperature machine will go. Turn and/or shake a few times. Check potatoes after about 30 minutes.

Nutrition

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Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 23:00:12 +0000

Air fryer garlic parmesan cauliflower is great as a side or a snack.

Side Or Snack

Is this air fryer garlic parmesan cauliflower a side dish or a snack?

I’ll leave that up to you to decide since it’s great in both roles.

If you like roasted veggies of any kind, then never overlook your air fryer. It does a magnificent job and does it quickly without heating up your kitchen.

This delicious cauliflower is no exception. It’s made even better by the addition of some tasty extras–garlic and Parmesan cheese. Those extras make it stand out so much, you just may find yourself making some to eat as a snack!

Make It Keto And Gluten Free

This recipe calls for a small amount of breadcrumbs. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to ditch this great recipe because you’re eating keto or because of celiac problems you’re gluten free.

There are many great products available now that are gluten free and you can get GF breadcrumbs. Failing that, another trick is to use crushed pork rinds and that’ll work for keto people as well In fact, a few friends that follow keto plans use the crushed pork rinds for breadcrumbs on everything you’d use breadcrumbs for.

Try A Bolder Cheese

Parmesan has a terrific flavor and is a good all-around cheese for seasoning.

If you like a bolder and more robust taste, substitute Romano for the Parmesan. I tend to use these cheeses interchangeably in most recipes where a grated cheese is specified.

In fact, any hard non-melting cheese you can grate can be substituted here.

And what about vegan? Yes, that’s possible too by using a grated vegan cheese. I’ve also heard that nutritional yeast flakes can stand in for cheese with vegans, although I’ve never tried it so can’t vouch for the taste.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower

Great as a side or a snack

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer roasted cauliflower, air fryer side dishes, roasting vegetables in the air fryer

Servings: 6

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbs garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head fresh cauliflower

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cut head of cauliflower into smaller florets (size is your choice).
Place cauliflower in a large bowl and add the olive oil. Toss to coat well.
Mix the garlic powder, Parmesan, bread crumbs and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle over cauliflower and toss to coat.
Air fry at 400F/200C for 10-15 minutes or until crisp-tender and coating is golden. Ovens vary so your time may be slightly less or more. Tested in a 5Q basket-style 1500W.

Nutrition

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Creamy Orzo Risotto

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 25 May 2021 23:00:35 +0000

Serve this creamy orzo risotto as a side or as a main dish. Delicious either way.

Versatile Orzo

Creamy orzo risotto is one of those recipes that prove how versatile this pasta truly is.

There’s just so many ways to use it. Since you had to buy some if you wanted to make my shrimp and zucchini with orzo, then here’s a way to use up what you bought!

If you haven’t used it, orzo is shaped like rice grains. In fact it’s used lots of times to stand in for rice. Mostly I use it in one-dish meals to add a bit of bulk and extend the meal. It’s texture is unlike rice in as much as it has a very silky texture and as a result, adds a nice textural component to those one-pot meals.

Easily Made Vegan

This orzo risotto uses milk, chicken stock and cheese. You can easily substitute vegetable stock and then it becomes vegetarian for those who include dairy in their diets.

However, it can easily be made vegan with further substitutions. Of course it stands to reason that you’d also use vegetable stock in place of the chicken. You can substitute one of the many plant-based milks for the regular kind. Personally, I think almond milk would be a terrific choice. As for the cheese, I know there’s many now on the market which are plant based. How good they melt, I can’t say. However, they should taste fine, even if they don’t melt. And another option is just to leave them out; the risotto will taste perfectly fine even without them.

Spinach: Fresh Or Frozen

Anyone who has hung around my site for any length of time knows I am a big advocate of fresh.

It’s no different in this recipe when it comes to the spinach. My choice is pre-washed organic baby spinach mainly because it can be used straight from the bag. You can, of course, use frozen. Because frozen is already wilted, just halve the amount of the fresh. Make sure you measure it after you’ve squeezed the water out of it. But I truthfully don’t measure it. I just toss in what looks about right. And don’t feel constrained to using less. If you love spinach, throw in as much as you like and make it the main ingredient–especially if you want more veggie than pasta.

The Recipe

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Creamy Spinach & Orzo Risotto

Serve it as a side or a main dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy risotto, orzo side dishes, risotto using orzo, using orzo pasta, vegan risotto

Servings: 6

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb dried orzo pasta about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
2 cups packed baby spinach coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the broth and milk and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed and has formed a creamy sauce, about 10 minutes. (If the orzo isn’t completely cooked once this has happened, you can add another splash or two of broth to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.)
Stir in the spinach and grated cheeses until the spinach has just wilted and the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
Taste and and add salt & pepper if necessary

Nutrition

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Deluxe Sausage & Mushroom Stuffing

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:00:20 +0000

Elevate your stuffing from ordinary to outstanding this Thanksgiving with this creative use of good old pantry staples.

Great Stuffing

With the holidays almost upon us, many of us are planning our menus right now. Is stuffing on your Thanksgiving list? It is on mine–always.

We all like the “basic” stuffing in this household with some additions. In years past, I’d stuff the bird with traditional seasoned bread stuffing, but stuff the neck area with pure bulk sausage. That’s pretty much a British tradition (for Christmas as they don’t have Thanksgiving there) that I kept up from Mom.

But recently I’ve taken to roasting the bird unstuffed and doing the stuffing in a separate casserole. It’s a trade-off because the turkey cooks faster, but sometimes the stuffing gets a bit dry. I wanted to preserve the crunchy and toasty top on the stuffing, but eliminate the dryness below the surface.

My stuffing recipe replaces part of the water/broth with cream of mushroom soup. The addition of the soup gives the stuffing more depth of flavor and does away with the dryness I spoke of earlier in the post. My additions were mild sausage, onions, celery and extra mushrooms–I used the small button variety there, but larger ones can be used as well as long as they are sliced. These are extras that we like, but substitute your own faves if any of these are not to your liking.

Start out by chopping your veggies.

Next comes browning the sausage, onion and mushrooms. You’ll want to drain this as there’s quite a bit of fat that will come out of the sausage.

Then, mix your soup, the broth, the sausage mixture and the celery. I don’t saute the celery with the sausage because I like to preserve the bit of crunch it provides.

Now just add your croutons (they can be seasoned or unseasoned) to the soup mixture and mix well so all the croutons are coated. I recommend using unseasoned croutons so you can control your seasonings.

Place the mixture in a baking dish, and voila, you’re done!

It’s as easy as that! And another benefit here is you can also make this in your slow cooker!

The Recipe

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Deluxe Sausage & Mushroom Stuffing--A New Twist on a Holiday Favorite

Elevate your stuffing from ordinary to outstanding this Thanksgiving with this creative use of cream of mushroom soup.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: breads, Pork, side dishes, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby bella mushrooms, sausage, stuffing recipe

Servings: 8 -10

Calories: 337kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

23 oz cream of mushroom soup
1 lb mild bulk sausage
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 oz fresh button mushrooms sliced in half*
1 cup chicken broth
12 oz bag seasoned stuffing croutons**
2 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

*canned may be substituted or an equal amount of larger mushrooms, sliced
**Unseasoned stuffing croutons may be substituted. Add 2-4 tsp poultry seasoning, if desired, to the soup mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Brown sausage, onion and mushrooms in a large skillet; drain and cool slightly.
Mix the soup, celery, broth and browned sausage mixture in a very large bowl.
Add the croutons and stir so they are well coated with the soup mixture.
Turn stuffing into prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes covered.
Remove foil, drizzle with melted butter and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until top is browned.
SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:
Follow recipe up until the addition of the croutons to the soup mixture.
Lightly spray the liner of a 5-6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray.
Add the stuffing mixture to the slow cooker.
Cook on low 4-6 hours, high 2-4 hours. Slow cooker times are approximate, always check for doneness at minimum time.
Switch to warm setting until ready to serve.

Notes

You can substitute 2 10.5 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup for the stated family-size can.

Nutrition

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