Crockpot: Pesto Meatball Stew

I love that this recipe is 5 ingredients in your crockpot, set it on low and by dinner it's so delicious and warming.

I adore my crockpot!  I'm pretty sure I got it for my wedding 14.5 years ago.  I love that the ceramic inside can be taken out and washed.  If you don't have one, that's ok I'll show you how to make this recipe on the stove because that's what I did.  My crockpot was being used for dessert (that didn't turn out as well as expected so I'm going to tweak it and then I'll share here).

If you don't have one, but want one then wait until Black Friday.  There are ALWAYS steals and deals on crockpots on that Friday.  I love Black Friday because I always feel like I'm getting such great deals and yes I'm crazy and wake up super early.  Good thing we have guests again this year!  I can't do Black Friday alone.  I need my hubby to split up the list with me and hold our spot in line, especially at Kohl's.  Last year we were in and out of Kohl's in 15 min.

Let me just say that the hubs, my daughter - 2.5, my son - 5, and myself loved this and ate almost all of it in one sitting.  We have one little serving left.  My daughter ate it all right up and wanted more. My son doesn't always love what I cook because he has texture issues.  He hates beans, mashed potatoes, really anything that is squishy.  After picking out the beans and convincing him that he had eaten the different parts before just not together he finally ate it and really liked it (not that he ever wants to admit he likes something new).  I think the meatballs will sell any kid on this recipe.

Ok, onto this fabulously EASY stew.

Pesto Meatball Stew
2 14.5-oz. cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 16-oz. package frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (32), thawed OR make your own using my recipe
1 15-19-oz. can canellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup basil pesto

For finishing after:
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (2 oz.)

Add the tomatoes, beans, water and pesto to your crockpot.  Mix thoroughly together.

Add in your thawed meatballs.  Mix together.  Set your crockpot on low-heat setting for 5-7 hours or on high-heat for 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours.

Sprinkle each serving with cheese and serve.

Alternatively if you don't have a crockpot: Add all your ingredients together in a stockpot.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours.  We did it this way and it was so delicious!






Pesto Meatball Stew Printable Recipe

What to do with your pesto if you bought it especially for this recipe and have some leftover after this recipe?
Use it here or here

Taco Soup

It is getting cold and rainy here in Oregon.  What I do love about the weather getting chillier is it's the perfect weather for soups, stews and crock pot cooking.  I also love that crock pot cooking takes easy ingredients and turns them into something scrumptious.

This recipe is one I've had forever.  I'm pretty sure I got it from my mom.  I've been making it since college.  It's perfect for long, busy days, makes the house smell so yummy and the hardest part it browning the meat.

Just a quick side story.  My son who is so picky took one look at this soup and didn't want any part of it.  He does love meat and corn, but the tomatoes were psyching him out.  We explained that the tomatoes taste different when they are cooked then when they are fresh, but he didn't believe us.  After 2 fits of crying and us telling him it's the soup or nothing for dinner, he finally tried it AND LOVED IT!!!!  He doesn't like squishy textures and hated the kidney bean, but everything else was yummy!  Afterwards I asked him if throwing a big fit was worth it since he liked the soup and he admitted it wasn't.  Silly kid!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped or 2 T. dried onion
1 16-oz. can kidney beans
1 16-oz. can whole kernel corn
1 15-oz. can tomatoes
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
1 envelope taco seasoning or 4 T. of taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
3 cups water

First up, brown the meat with the onions.  I didn't have an onion on hand so I added in some dried later on.  Do not add your dried onion here if using.  Either way works.  I usually make it with ground beef, but had turkey instead so made it that way.  Add it to the crock pot.

Now to add all the other ingredients.

Add the kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, chili powder, taco seasoning, and garlic salt.  If you only have dried onions on hand, then add it here.  I mixed it up afterwards just to distribute the flavors and to get a pretty pictures, but really you don't need to do that.

I didn't want this too spicy for the kids, so I only did 2 tsp. of chili powder and 3/4 pkg (or 3 T) of the taco seasoning mix.  It added enough flavor and wasn't spicy at all.

Add the tomato sauce and water.  Turn on low and cook for 2-6 hours.

Top with sour cream and cheese.  You don't have to, but yummy melted cheese is so delish in this.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a crock pot, cook in a stockpot over the stove.  Brown the meat and onions and then mix the rest of the ingredients together and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and simmer for 2 hours.

Taco Soup Printable Recipe

Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Stoup

Another Rachael Ray recipe. I couldn't find Broccoli Rabe in my regular grocery store, but Whole Foods had it. If you really had to substitute I guess you could substitute spinach instead. I hadn't eaten it before this recipe and it's really good! It's not broccoli at all, but is related to the turnip. It is widely used in Italian cooking and is also very popular in China.


This is perfect for those cold rainy days.


Today's Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1 large head broccoli rabe, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound bulk hot or sweet Italian sausage*
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 cups chicken stock (32 ounces)
One can stewed or diced tomatoes (28 ounces), with their juices
One can white beans (15 ounces), rinsed
1 1/2 cups small, short-cut orecchiette pasta or rigatoni
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for topping

*I used Ground Turkey this time with 1 tablespoon sausage seasoning. You couldn't even tell the difference. Either way is good!


Trim your Broccoli Rabe - slice off the broccoli rabe ends and cut it into 1 1/2-2-inch lengths. Prep your onion and garlic.

Get a pot boiling with water and cook the broccoli rabe for 3 min. This is to help take the bitterness out of it. If you are using spinach just add to the stoup at the end and it will quickly wilt.


Let it drain and cool.


Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, a turn of the pan. Add the sausage and brown and crumble, 7-8 minutes.


Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste.


Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and their juices and 2 cups water; cover and bring to a boil.


Stir in the white beans and cooked broccoli rabe and return to a boil.


Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.


Top with cheese and serve.

Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Stoup Printable Recipe

Crockpot: 4-Hour Stew

There is nothing better than a yummy bowl of stew on a cold day. When we lived in AZ, my window of making soups and stews was pretty small, but in Oregon it's been cold and rainy since we moved here in December so it's been perfect for these recipes.


Make some yummy bread and it's so delicious.


Today's Ingredients:
2 lbs stew meat, cubed
2 cups potatoes (new, white or red), quartered
20 baby carrots, cut in thirds
1 (8 oz) package whole mushrooms - optional
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can water
1 (1 ounce) envelope onion soup mix


This part is optional - you can brown your meat before adding to the crockpot. I haven't done that before and next time I think I'll just put the meat in raw. I just wanted to see if it added any flavor or tenderness and it really didn't.


Add your quartered potatoes.


I used three carrots instead of baby carrots, so either work. Did you know that baby carrots aren't baby carrots at all but just mature carrots shaped to make those little carrots. They are essentially the middle of carrots. You can read about it here.


The original recipe didn't call for mushrooms, but I love mushrooms and we had some leftover that needed to be used up and then I also bought another package so there would be enough. I didn't know how they would do, but they were so good and juicy. If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out.


Last add the meat. We only used 1 pound and I did feel the stew was a little sparse without it, but 2 pounds would have been too much. It was fine though especially since I had added the mushrooms.


Combine the soups, can of water and soup mix (I prefer Lipton over generic-I can taste the difference).


Pour over all the ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours (hence the name) or low for 8 hours (that's what I did).


I don't know if it was because I didn't use enough meat or the mushrooms added some liquid while cooking, but the liquid was a little thin for me - I like a thick broth. Next time I'll only do 1/2 can water and see what the results are.

Seriously delicious!

4-Hour Stew Printable Recipe

Meatless Monday: Best Ever Potato Soup

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I originally found this recipe while looking for a soup to use up some ham leftover from New Year's. I actually really like this as just the Potato Soup with nothing else added. It is so scrumptious AND EASY!!!


Today's Ingredients:
3 ½ cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely diced onion
3 ¼ cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules or base
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk or 1 cup milk + 1 cup heavy cream


First prep your potatoes, celery, and onion. I used red potatoes as they seem to hold up better in soups. The first time I made this I used baking potatoes and it worked, but they were definitely starting to crumble. Any waxy potato works well.


Add the potatoes, celery and onion to a soup pot and add the water.


Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 min.


When the potatoes are almost done melt your butter in a separate pan.


Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute.



Slowly stir in milk* as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4-5 minutes.

*I had leftover cream from making homemade ice cream and so made it with half milk and half cream. It just adds a nice richness, but all milk works just as well, even skim.


Stir in the chicken bouillon or base* and S&P to the pot.

*I really love using my Penzey's chicken base. It provides such good flavor and is way less salty than chicken bouillon. I did see some chicken base (looks like a thick paste) at the store the other day as well.


Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.


Serve immediately.

Additional ingredients that you could add in:
-Add in ¾ cup diced cooked ham
-Add shredded chicken
-Add 1 can corn
-Add bacon, shredded cheese and green onions for baked potato soup

The first time I made this I added ham - yum! I've made a different potato soup before and added corn - yum! At Halloween we usually have potato soup with all the baked potato fixings to add on top - yum!

So in essence a great plain potato soup, but a great base to build upon if you want!

Best Ever Potato Soup Printable Recipe

Meatless Monday: Curried Sweet Potato Soup - Chicken Optional

I've decided to streamline my weekly postings so you know what to expect and when I'll be posting.

Sundays: I'll blog the names and a little info about all the recipes I'll be posting that week.

Mondays: I'm going to start posting vege recipes or recipes that can easily be modified to be vegetarian and am naming them Meatless Mondays - thanks for the idea Sara!

Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays-The other 3 days will be a good variety of crockpot meals, soups/stoups/stews (brrr...it's cold outside), casseroles, breakfasts, desserts, curries, Mexican, Italian, etc...

I'm striving for a good balance and variety every week (just like in my own life). I already have the next three weeks planned out so stay tuned for some real yumminess! I'll probably pop in posts here and there focusing on single ingredients and continue my favorite tools posts. I really do love cooking and am excited to share my recipes here.

What's for dinner this week?

Meatless Monday: Curried Sweet Potato Soup that can easily be made with or without chicken. It is packed full of veggies you won't even know are there and is perfect for all of these cold nights we are facing right now.

Wednesday: Chicken Tangine - I got this recipe over 8 years ago from a friend of mine in London. I don't know why I haven't made it until now. It was really good and Jordan kept raving about it. It is spicy, but I'll let you know how to turn down the heat level if you need to. I'll definitely be making this again.

Friday: Creamy Chicken Broccoli Bake - This is a really good casserole dish. It makes a huge 9x13 pan full and I'll only be cooking half the portion and freezing the other. It would make a perfect freezer meal for one of those harried days.

Saturday: Minced Chicken Curry - I really can't believe this is curry. It is so mild and perfect for the whole family. We have made this easily a dozen times over the past couple of years and it feels like comfort food.

Just around the corner is Valentine's Day so next Monday I'll be making some waffles with strawberries and homemade whipped cream. A perfect fun dinner to end the day!

See you this week for my latest and greatest meals!!

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
This is a Rachael Ray recipe that I got from her magazine. This soup can easily be made vegetarian. It is perfect with a nice toasted, crunchy piece of french bread to dip into the soup.

The recipe calls for apple cider and I couldn't find anything less than a 2 gallon jug that cost $5 so I opted to use apple juice instead. It probably was a little sweeter but it worked great so feel free to substitute it if you don't have apple cider or can't find a reasonable quantity.


The Ingredients:
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
S&P
2 teaspoons curry powder*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup apple cider (or juice)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
½ head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
½ rotisserie chicken, meat shredded - optional

*I used a sweet curry powder from Penzey's that is really delicious!


Prep the following: Dice your onion


Peel and cube your sweet potato (a real sweet potato not the reddish yam that can also be mistakenly called a sweet potato).


Chop your cauliflower


Heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened - about 5 min. Add the curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring for 3 min. Stir in the cider, scraping the bottom of the pan.


Add 4 cups water and the sweet potato and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 min.

You can either take your soup and do the following:
-Take it in batches and run through a food processor
-Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth
-Add into a blender and blend until smooth - you might have to work in batches.

We got a refurbished Vita-mix for Christmas and I just dumped the whole thing in there at once and it blended it up beautifully.


If you are making Vegetarian just skip this step. Now add your shredded chicken to the pot and cook until heated through. I had leftover shredded chicken from something else I cooked so I added meat from 2 chicken breasts.

If you don't have leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken then bring to a boil chicken stock/broth and add 2 chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer for about 10-20 min. This will make great chicken to use.

If you are going vegetarian and need something chunky in your soup, you could finely dice up either an additional sweet potato and a few red potatoes and add to your soup at the end. Simmer until they are cooked through. Depending on the size of your dice 15-20 min.


Yum-o!

Enjoy!

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Turkey & Tomato Stoup

I had the rest of this HUGE can of tomato juice in my fridge needing to be used and went on the search for a soup recipe to use it. I came across a couple of recipes and combined them and added my own twist to make it work. It came out really good! I know there are similar recipes out there, but here's my version.


Turkey & Tomato Stoup
(stoup is thinner than stew, but thicker than soup - Rachael Ray made the word up)


The Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 -1 head cauliflower
32 oz. tomato juice
2 cups water
1 small or medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery finely sliced
2 carrots peeled and diced
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
1 tsp beef soup base or 1 cube beef bouillon
½ cup macaroni

*You could also use sausage, ground chicken, or ground beef instead


If you don't have cauliflower feel free to leave this out. Bring to a boil 4-6 cups of water. Add your cauliflower and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 min. until soft.


Drain, reserving 1-2 tablespoons and add to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. I liked adding the cauliflower to the soup to boost up the vege level without affecting the taste and it thickened the soup as well. Another big plus is that I used up more leftovers from my fridge.



Cook your turkey until almost cooked through. Add your garlic and finish cooking.

Add your tomato juice, tomato sauce (if using), water, and beef bouillion to a pot and bring to a boil.

Add your cauliflower puree, onions, celery, carrots and oregano and bring back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 min.

Add your ground turkey and simmer for another 20 min. Season with S&P.

About 5 min. before you are ready to serve then add your macaroni.


This turned out really great and used up a LOT of leftovers from my fridge.

Leftovers Used:

1/2 cauliflower head
1/2 can tomato sauce

1/2 small onion (I used a total of 1.5 small onions)

Optional Ingredients:
This soup is pretty versatile and I think you could add a lot of things and it would still work.

Meat-You could use ground beef, sausage or even some shredded chicken in place of the ground turkey. If it is shredded chicken just add at the same time as the vege's.

Tomato Sauce - Add the tomato sauce at the same time as the juice
Potatoes - Add red potatoes into the tomato juice along with the onion, celery and carrots.
Mushrooms - Add the mushrooms into the pot at the same time as the macaroni.
Broccolini or spinach - boil until just done and then add to the pot at the end with the macaroni.

Beans-You could add your beans (white or black would be good) along with your vege's or at the end with the macaroni.

Experiment and Enjoy!

Turkey & Tomato Soup