1. Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion, cover and fry gently for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the butternut squash and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Add the vegetable stock cubes with 750ml/1¼ pint water and the milk and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for six minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender

4. Transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth.

5. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if required. Finish with a little lime juice.

 

 

OLIVE GARDEN ZUPPA TOSCANA SOUP COPYCAT RECIPE

PREP TIME: 25 minutes | COOK TIME: 20 minutes YIELD: about 8 cups of soup | SERVES: 6-8

 

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup onions, diced 1/8 inch

1 slice bacon

1 1/4 teaspoon garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce chicken bouillon

1 quart water

2 medium potatoes, cut in half length−wise, then cut in 1/4−inch slices

2 cups cavallo greens (kale can be substituted), cut in half, then sliced into 1/16−inch strips

1 1/2 cups crumbled sausage − pre−cooked 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

TO PREPARE FOR FREEZING:

Brown and crumble sausage. Place onions and bacon into 3 to 4 quart saucepan and cook onions over medium heat until the onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add chicken bouillon, water and potatoes, bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients then simmer for 5 more minutes. Let cool and place in gallon ziploc or spill proof container.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:

Thaw. Reheat.

 

 

SWEET POTATO STEW

easy, no cook, vegan, gluten free, dairy free

serves 6

FREEZE TOGETHER:

• 3 cups chopped sweet potatoes, fresh or frozen
• half of an onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk

AFTER COOKING:

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1-2 cups kale, chopped
• 1-2 cups water

INSTANT POT: From frozen, 8 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes natural release.

SLOW COOKER: From frozen, 5-6 hours on high.

FINAL STEP: Stir in peanut butter, and kale. Add water to thin to desired consistency.

 

 

­­­­­­­­­­­BEEF STEW 

easy, no cook, gluten free, dairy free

serves 6

FREEZE TOGETHER:

• 2 lbs. beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut in small-ish pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 6 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
• 6 carrots, sliced diagonally
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cans tomato juice (about 1 cup)

ADD AFTER COOKING:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water

INSTANT POT: From frozen, 30 minutes on high pressure + 10 minutes natural release.

SLOW COOKER: From thawed, 5-6 hours on high.

FINAL STEP: After cooking in Instant Pot, turn on saute function. Add cornstarch slurry. Cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened. (If using a slow cooker, add cornstarch when it’s done and let thicken for 30 minutes.)

 

LIGHTENED UP CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

This is, by far, my favourite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. I’ve probably served it over 100 times by now because it’s the easiest and most satisfying creamy chicken noodle soup. And it’s made even better with the addition of potato, fresh

thyme, and convenient rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cup chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a medium onion)

1 cup sliced carrots (1 and 1/2 large carrots)

1 cup sliced celery (2-3 stalks)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour*

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme*

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 cups chicken broth*

1 medium potato, peeled and diced (around 1 and 1/2 cups) 2 cups shredded roasted chicken*

1 cup fat free half-and-half or whole milk*

4 cups uncooked wide egg noodles*

Instructions:

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven (4 quart or larger). Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for around 7 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add flour, oregano, pepper, thyme, and salt. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Next, add the broth and potato. Give everything a quick stir, then increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, without stirring, and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Taste the soup. Does it need more seasoning like salt, pepper, etc? Add some. Add the chicken, milk/ half-and-half, and noodles. Cook for 10 minutes until the noodles are tender and the soup has thickened. Once again, taste the soup and add more seasoning as desired. Serve the soup warm.





3. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm. Feel free to add more chicken broth to the leftovers if it's too thick-- I always do. (Soup thickens in the refrigerator as the noodles and potatoes soak up the liquid.)

Freezing: Freeze soup for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before eating, then reheat on the stove until warm.

 

Greeked Baked Ziti

This easy, cheesy pasta dish is perfect to prepare and freeze to cook on busy weeknights. Just prepare through step 5 and pop it in the freezer. When you're ready to cook, let it stand for 30 minutes and add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time.

Ingredients

12 ounces ziti pasta

1 small yellow onion chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 2 (15-oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt,

divided 3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Vegetable cooking spray

1 (8-oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

 

How to Make It

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta in a Dutch oven according to package directions.

Step 2 Meanwhile, sauté onion in hot oil in large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink. Drain mixture, and return to skillet.

Step 3: Stir tomato sauce, next 4 ingredients, and 1 tsp. salt into meat mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 4: Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in Parmesan cheese, pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Add sauce to pasta, stirring to coat.

Step 5: Transfer pasta mixture to a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9- inch baking dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and breadcrumbs.

Step 6:  Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Step 7: MAKE IT AHEAD. Fix and freeze this dish (unbaked) for a hands-off dinner. Let it stand 30 minutes before baking, and add 15 to 20 minutes in the oven.

 

 

EASY- MAKE AHEAD BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Yield: Serves 12

Besides taste, this breakfast casserole is pretty impressive in the health category. Full of protein, packed with vegetables. Not only that, it’s so easy to make and adaptable to whatever veggies, cheeses, meats, seasonings you love/have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound uncooked sausage, casings removed*
• optional: 1 teaspoon dried rosemary to give the sausage more flavour
• 2 bell peppers, diced (any colour you prefer; about 2 cups)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 4 slices day-old bread (gluten free, whole wheat, white, sourdough, any kind you like)

10 large eggs

1/2 cup milk (I use almond milk, any milk works) 1/2 cup shredded cheese*

Instructions

1. Set a large skillet over medium heat and coat it with nonstick spray or a drizzle of olive oil. Place sausage in the skillet and begin to break it up with a spatula or fork. Stir in the rosemary and brown the sausage, about 6-7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, set a 2nd skillet over medium heat and coat it with nonstick spray or a drizzle of olive oil. (If you have a skillet large enough to fit both the sausage and veggies, you can just add the veggies to the sausage that is browning in step 1.) Add the peppers, mushrooms, spinach, onion, garlic, and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Begin stirring and cooking the veggies down until tender, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Set sausage and veggies aside.
4. Generously grease a 9×13 baking pan. Break the bread into pieces and place in the pan in an even layer.

5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese together. Pour half of this egg mixture over the bread. Top with the sausage and vegetables, then the remaining egg mixture and remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper on top.
6. Cover casserole with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight– or up to 1 day. Allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Bake the casserole, uncovered, until the top is golden, edges are crisp, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean– about 40-45 minutes. I like mine on the super crisp side, so I bake it for around 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve. Tastes awesome with hot sauce on top.
8. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave to your liking.

Notes

 

1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Obviously this is a make ahead recipe! However, you can brown the sausage and cook down the veggies up to 2 days in advance– simply put the two in a tupperware in the refrigerator until ready to use in the recipe. Also, you can freeze this breakfast casserole. Prepare through step 5, then cover the casserole with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, then continue with step 7.