Hey hungry people! I recently shared on my instagram page that my cooking strategy is totally disorganized. I tend to start with whatever products I need to use up before they spoil (or leftovers that need to be used!) and build my meal around that with foods I have in the house. Some of the beauty in cooking is that there are NO rules!, and you can get creative! Today I wanted to share my version of a Savory Shepherd’s Pie – perfect for using up leftovers or a hearty winter meal.
I love buying these little tubes of tomato paste because they’re so convenient if you don’t need to use a whole can!
I happened to have some leftover hamburger patties we had grilled earlier in the week that I knew we weren’t going to eat as hamburgers. Well, this one’s easy…. ground meat is ground meat and really easy to repurpose. I don’t normally keep potatoes in the house, but did have a few yellow potatoes around (during the time of COVID-19 quarantine where we’re cooking and eating almost every meal at home!)
From this was born my idea of Savory Shepherd’s Pie!…. which I had never actually cooked before – ha! Most of my recipes are developed this way. So here it goes:
Preheat your oven! – 400 degrees oughta do it!
If you’re using leftovers, chop up your cooked hamburgers and set aside. Begin browning your ground meat. I used ground turkey that I had available, but beef or even pork would work for this recipe too.
While the meat is browning, start boiling your potatoes for the topping. I used about 3-4 medium sized potatoes which, when chopped were all the same size, about 1″ cubes. It’s important to chop them the same size so they cook evenly. Boil until fork tender (about 15 minutes), and drain the water. Set aside.
Once the meat has browned, add 1 large onion and cook until translucent. (If you’re using any pre-cooked meat I would add to the mixture at this point as well).
Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and stir well. After these are distributed evenly, add the spices (thyme, sage, parsley, salt, pepper). Cook until fragrant.
Add the 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp of flour and 1 cup of Beef Broth to deglaze the pan. Continue to stir until all the clumps of flour and tomato paste have been dissolved, and add your vegetables.
I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables because that’s what I had on hand. It was the perfect amount for 1 pound of meat. Once vegetables are thawed and integrated into the meat mixture, TASTE it! I found that I did add some more salt and pepper to amp up the flavor a little bit.
Once you’re happy with the flavors, transfer the meat mixture to a 7 x 11″ pyrex dish.
To finish the potato topping, I added 1/2 stick of butter, approx 1/3 cup milk, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. For fun, I threw in a little parmesan cheese, but this is definitely optional. I add the milk sparingly at first until the texture is right, because it’s tough to re-thicken potatoes! I used an immersion blender to puree this mixture, but you can easily use a potato masher if you don’t have that equipment available!
Once you’re happy with the flavor & texture of your mashed potatoes, transfer them to top the meat & vegetable mixture. Spread evenly over the top and transfer to your preheated oven.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the potato topping has begun to turn brown and may have a slight crisp to it.
Yum! Top with a little chopped parsley to garnish and you have yourself a delicious, savory Shepherd’s Pie!
If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think! 🙂 If you’re not feeling so much cooking, try out my Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers that you could also make with leftovers!
Even though I’m usually cooking for only one or two – I attempt to cook several times per week for several reasons:
1. It’s significantly cheaper than eating out.
2. It’s significantly healthier than eating out.
3. I can control all the ingredients I’m eating (Anybody else have a weird food thing?)
So, I gravitate towards soups, stews, and one pot meals regularly!
One of my favorite easy weeknight recipes was inspired by a former coworker of mine – Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini Soup. It’s light enough in the summer and a great filling vegetarian option for the winter months!
So, to begin, chop my onion & bell pepper. (I just happened to have some mini peppers that needed to be used, but I’d suggest using a regular size pepper for time sake!)
Heat the olive oil over medium heat, begin cooking onions until they are translucent, and then add the bell pepper and seasonings and saute until peppers are cooked and seasonings fragrant.
Side note: In case you hadn’t noticed this already, I saute my vegetables in the same pot I’ll cook & heat the soup in. This just saves some cleaning time!
While the onions & peppers are cooking, wash & prepare the spinach. I buy the least processed spinach (basically in a bunch with a twist tie), so mine is usually pretty dirty, so I also cut off the stems because of this. Set aside.
Once the veggies are adequately cooked, add the whole carton of red pepper soup, and the can of undrained diced tomato.
Note: The consistency of this soup is pretty thick; if you want a thinner consistency soup, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water or chicken broth to thin out the soup.
At this point, you’re nearly done! Add the frozen tortellini next, and allow the soup to come to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, reduce heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors meld. I add the fresh spinach at the very end of cooking, and allow it to wilt in the soup. And you’re finished!
Garnish with any number of acoutremonts! I like a little crunch, so I’ll occasionally add croutons, sometimes cheese, or in this picture, chopped fresh basil. Delish!
Easy Red Pepper Tortellini Soup
A quick & easy weeknight soup, with some serious veggie power! (Vegetarian)
I’ve been cooking a lot this week and thought I’d share with you guys both how & why I cook my dry beans from scratch every time, and how dinner doesn’t take any longer than opening a can!
Professionally, I’m all over the reasons that we should eat less processed food, cook at home more, increase fiber, and reduce our sodium intake. This probably isn’t news to you 😉 . I keep a supply of cooked beans, stocked, and ready to go at any given time. Here’s the why & how:
Let’s start with the WHY:
It’s SO easy, with a little advanced planning. 🙂
They’re lower in cost than the canned choices, even the low sodium options!
They easily freeze flat, and then are stackable in the freezer – hello!, space saving!
Have I convinced you yet? If not, here are a few nutrition-based reasons that you should consider adding more beans / legumes into your diet.
Everyone could use more fiber. Fiber has plenty of health benefits, but a couple of the most important are that it helps to keep you feeling full, and in turn prevents overeating; as well as helping you to reduce the “bad” (LDL) cholesterol that floats in your blood.
They’re a good source of plant-based protein!
Dry beans are significantly lower in sodium than canned choices – They virtually have none! Which is great for anyone looking to decrease the sodium in their diet, on a restriction, or just looking to lose a little extra bloat.
After 4 hours of cooking, the beans are ready to freeze! (Read below).
Here’s the HOW – what you’ve been waiting for, right?
Rinse 1 pound of dry beans (your choice!), and be sure that there are no small stones, or foreign objects in the mix. Note: I’ve never had an issue with a 1 pound package from a grocery store, but if you buy in bulk it’s more important to check!
Place dry beans in the crockpot (here’s one like mine!) with 6 cups of water. The water should cover the top of the beans. Dont worry about exact amounts because you will pour this off in the end anyway.
Cook the beans in the crockpot on high heat for 4 hours. And Voila! You’re done! Well, cooking anyway.
Drain the cooked beans, and rinse. You could drain in a collander, or If I’m doing it the lazy way, I rinse them in the crock pot, and then simply drain using the lid tilted away from the edge of the pot.
Divide the beans evenly between 3 quart-sized freezer bags, and allow them to cool. (This amounts to slightly more than one 15 oz can, but makes little difference in a recipe – more fiber! Remember?)
Place them, laying flat, into the freezer. Once frozen, you can stand upright to take advantage of some space saving!
Evenly portioned quart-sized bags of ready-to-eat chickpeas!Laying flat and ready for the freezer!
Cooking / Reheating:
Depending on how you’re using these beans in a recipe or as a topping, I simply pop the needed amount into the microwave for 1-2 minutes until thawed & warmed. I use the microwave method for my Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers) If you’re using this within a recipe (like my Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito Bowls), I add it the same way I would add a can of prepared beans to a recipe. Just note that it may take a little longer for it to cook due to the fact that they started frozen.
If you’re planning ahead, I have occasionally thawed the quart sized bags overnight in the refrigerator and cooked using the beans the next day – which works out great, too!
My dinner using the chickpeas I made from the recipe! PS Buddha Bowls are my jam! Check out the anatomy of a Buddha Bowl here!
I keep black beans, navy beans, and chickpeas regularly stocked at my house! Which one will you try first? So, let me know how this works out for you and whether it made your cooking routine any easier! 🙂
I wanted to share a family favorite with you all. I think of this as a comfort food because we ate it so often growing up, but with my background in nutrition, I’ve lightened up the fat and increased the fiber in this healthier version of my dad’s Tater Tot Casserole.
This was one of my favorite meal since I was a kiddo, and I think I learned to cook the original version when I was about 11 years old – or whenever it is that you’re old enough to be unsupervised in the kitchen.
Our OG recipe was made with Italian pork sausage, the creamy soups, and the tots. Pretty basic & straightforward. No frills. As most of my meals involve a strategy to include more veggies, I of course did the same thing to this comforting dish to have all the deliciousness without all the fat and a few added extras. That being said, this is a healthier version of a classic comfort food 😉)
So, to start the tater tot casserole, you will want to preheat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a 9×13″ cooking dish with cooking spray (set aside), and begin cooking the ground meat. I prefer to use a ground turkey sausage, so I have to do less seasoning, but you could totally use a plain ground meat if you were looking to reduce nitrates or sodium, and season to your preference.
Nutrition Tip! – I often hear my patients claim that they use turkey sausage vs pork sausage when trying to reduce sodium, but the reality is that the turkey products are generally only lower in fat, and sometimes even higher in sodium!
While the turkey is cooking, chop your veggies. I like to chop these in varying shapes so it’s not totally uniform. Onions square, matchstick peppers & pie shaped zucchini. I know, I’m a weirdo. But food is all about eating with your eyes, right? Colors, shapes…. ok, ok. I digress.
Once the turkey is cooked and any remaining liquid has been drained, add the pepper & onion, and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften and become slightly translucent. At this point, add the zucchini (and mushrooms), and cook for 2-3 minutes more until the mushrooms & zucchini are only slightly cooked.
Now, I have a protester of mushrooms in my house – but I LOVE them in this dish! So, after the veggies are softened and mixed with the ground turkey, I sautee a few mushrooms just for me, and only put them on half of the casserole.
Once you’ve got all of your veggies cooked, spoon them into the pre-greased casserole dish that you set aside earlier.
Here’s the less healthy part of this recipe – the “cream of” soups. I prefer to use a mushroom and a celery, but you can really use any kind of your choosing. You will then proceed to dollop the creamed soups on top of the meat/veggie mixture until evenly covered. Spread it around like you’re frosting a cake.
After this step, simply place the tater tots on top of the cream soup and it’s ready to put in the oven! Full disclosure, I accidentally bought a smaller bag of tots than I generally do, so you can go heavy on the tots or not. I prefer more potato though!
Cook the casserole for 35 minutes or until the tots are beginning to brown. At this point, remove the casserole from the oven and top with some shredded cheddar cheese. You can go as light or as heavy as you like here – just remember that the more cheese you add, the less ‘light’ the dish will be. 😉 I go heavy or go home…. (This is also how I differentiate the side with the mushrooms. More mushrooms = more cheese…. in my household anyway!) Cook for about 5 more mintues or until the cheese is melted.
Once cooled, dish it up and enjoy! Full disclosure, I was so hungry after making this, I didn’t even garnish it – whoops!
admin
Tater Tot Casserole
A Favorite Comfort Food, with a few healthy swaps & additions
Spray the edges of a 9×13" casserole dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking
Begin by browning ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through. No pink should be remaining. Drain off any remaining liquid & discard.
Add the chopped onion, sliced bell pepper, chopped mushroom, and chopped celery and continue to cook until onion becomes translucent.
Once cooked, add to the bottom of a 9×13" casserole dish and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Spread cans of soup evenly across the top of the meat & vegetable mixture, and cover completely.
Top with tater tots placed in the soup in an even layer, and cook for 35 minutes in the 400 degree oven.
Once the tots have browned, remove the dish, sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar cheese mixture over the top and put back into the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5-10 more minutes.
Allow to cool, and enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to reduce the sodium further in this dish by using plain ground meat, and seasoning with salt-free seasonings! Also, my vegetable choices are simply what I prefer. Feel free to add or eliminate per your preferences. *Chopped celery is a great addition!*
Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Do you have a family recipe for tater tot casserole? (Or do you even call it that?!)
Who loves a good stuffed pepper? This girl! Especially when the peppers are in season and major on sale! Only way I shop — sales. 🙂
These southwest stuffed bell peppers are stuffed with quinoa (What a power grain!), Black Beans, Corn, Onion, Turkey Sausage and Cheddar Cheese! Yum.
So, to start, heat your oven to 400 degrees. Begin cooking the turkey sausage over medium heat, and while the turkey is cooking, prepare the peppers and chop the onion. For stuffed peppers I like to behead them and then manually tear out the flesh & seeds. (Sounds so violent!) Then, a little trick I picked up was to slice off the points on the end of the peppers so that they stand flat while they’re cooking!
Sort of an aside – Mix 1 cup quinoa with 1 cup water and 1 cup broth (it adds more flavor), and allow this to boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and allow the quinoa to cook for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, I like to leave the pan on the hot burner, and allow to sit for 5 minutes more. This makes the most perfect fluffy quinoa!
Tough to see, but I’ve sliced off the little “feet” at the bottom of the pepper so it will stand upright in the oven! 😉 One of my favorite cooking tips!
And don’t let that top go to waste! Chop off the edible portions, and you can add these together with the onion, and stuff them in the peppers too.
Not a must, but I like to line my pan with foil to make cleanup a little easier. Pepper filling gets a little messy!
Disclaimer – I only cooked 4 peppers, but had a ton of leftover “stuffing”. 6 peppers will be much more fitting unless you just want to eat the stuffing as-is. Which I sometimes like to do!
So, once your turkey is cooked, Add the chopped pepper & onion. As they are cooking, stir in the spices, and continue to cook until peppers are soft and onions become translucent.
Once all this yumminess is cooked, remove it from the heat, and into a separate mixing bowl. Add the corn, beans, cheese and cooked quinoa to this, and mix until well blended (Promise it’s all hiding down there).
Blended. Ready to stuff!
And now you’re ready to stuff those peppers! I use a medium sized spoon, and fill to the brim, gently pressing the stuffing down to fill the entire pepper. You could call them well-stuffed peppers…
Once those peppers are stuffed, put them in the oven for 35 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add a little cheese and let it brown in the oven.
I garnished with a little extra cheese (yum!), some sliced avocado and my not-so-famous Greek Yogurt + powdered Ranch dressing mixture.
admin
Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers with Quinoa & Turkey Sausage
A delicious and easy meal, perfectly made from a few leftovers or on the fly!
Remove tops & seeds from the bell peppers. Slice the edible portion of the tops off, and chop. This will be added to the frying pan later. Slice the bottoms off the peppers, to make them flat so they will stand upright in the glass pan (see photos). But don't cut into the interior of the pepper. Don't want the goodness leaking out!
Begin cooking ground turkey over medium heat until fully cooked through, and no pink remains.
While the turkey is cooking. Add 1 cup of dry quinoa with 2 cups of fluid (1 cup water & 1 cup broth). Bring to a boil, and once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, turn the heat off, but leave the pot on the burner, and the lid on. Let steam for 5 minutes more for fluffy quinoa.
While the turkey is cooking, chop the medium onion, and add to the pan with the cooked turkey.
Add the seasonings to the turkey and then the chopped jalapeno peppers, tops of the red bell pepper, and onion. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and bell pepper is soft.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cooked quinoa, and the turkey & vegetable mixture, with 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Place the hollowed bell pepper in an oven safe dish, and fill each pepper with the grain & meat mixture. Once each pepper is filled, top with additional shredded cheese.
Cook for 35 minutes or until peppers are tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro for serving.
Are you ready for a delicious, spicy, seasoned, veggie-filled meal? I love to eat colorful food, and these Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito Bowls certainly do not disappoint!
To get started, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
While the oil is heating, dice 2 medium sweet potatoes into uniform sized cubes. It’s important that they’re uniform sized because this is what will ensure even cooking. Once chopped, add to the pan with heated olive oil and begin cooking, stirring every few minutes so that they cook evenly.
I cut mine into about 1/2″ (ish) cubes.
While the potatoes are cooking, chop up the Anaheim chiles and Onion. After the potatoes have cooked 8-10 minutes, (they should be almost fork tender). Add the onions & chiles to the pan and stir to combine.
Cut Anaheim chilis just like a bell pepper, cut off the top, and remove the rind & seeds. These chilis are pretty mild. Feel free to use Poblanos or Jalapenos if you want more heat!
While this is cooking, add the spices, and wait…. just wait…. for that delicious smell! You should smell all those seasonings cooking after about a minute. Drooling yet?
Continue to cook the vegetables for several more minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the drained black beans, and stir to combine.
Deglaze the pan by adding the scant 1/2 cup of broth to the vegetable mixture, and add a lid to the pan to retain the moisture. Allow the chicken broth to cook off over the next few minutes. Continue to cook until most of the broth has evaporated, sweet potato is completely fork tender, and mixture is heated through.
Then you’re ready to build your bowl! I like to have this meal over my low carb Mexican Cauliflower Rice, but regular ol’ white rice is ok too. This is one of my favorite parts of cooking – the choice is yours.
Toppings are up to you! I like mine with sliced cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of fresh lime, some chopped cilantro, diced radishes, and a great sour cream substitute (1 single serve container of greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 pack of dry ranch seasoning – YUM). And I added a few tortilla chips to mine for some crunch!
Radishes MIA…. These were totally an afterthought.
This is the fun part – cooking has no rules (Well, a few, but I’ll get into that another time). If you want to add some other deliciousness – GO FOR IT! Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite toppings were!!
YUMMMMM. Enjoy!!
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito Bowls
A totally vegetarian option, with some easy swaps to make it vegan!
2Anaheim Chiles, chopped(could substitute bell pepper)
1canblack beans, drained
1tspcumin
1tspchili powder
1tsp oregano
1tsp garlic powder
1/2tspcayenne pepper
1/2cup(scant) chicken broth
Method
Heat olive oil in saute pan.
Chop sweet potato evenly (so that it cooks at the same rate), add to pan, and cook over medium heat. Stir every couple minutes so it does not burn.
While the sweet potato is cooking, chop the onion & Anaheim chiles.
Once the sweet potato is nearly cooked through, add the onion & chiles. You will know when they are nearly fork tender, or tender enough to stab with a fork. They should still be a little undercooked at this point.
Add the spices, and stir to combine while the vegetables cook.
Continue to allow the vegetables to cook, and once the onions become translucent, add the drained black beans and stir to combine.
Add the scant 1/2 cup chicken broth, and cover the mixture with a lid so that the moisture is retained, and the veggies continue to cook for a few minutes.
Once the broth is evaporated & sweet potato is completely cooked through, it's ready to eat!
Build your burrito bowl with the sweet potato black bean mixture, and serve over cauliflower rice.
Notes
Serve “Buddha Bowl Style” along with some rice, quinoa, or my Mexican Cauliflower Rice.Optional toppings include:
avocado
salsa
cherry tomato
cilantro
sliced romaine
sour cream (I mixed 1/2 pack ranch seasoning into 1 single serve container of greek yogurt – YUM!)
cheddar cheese
Squeeze a little lime on if you like! (I do!)
tortilla chips, for some crunch!
Chopped Radishes are also great for some crunch!
To make this recipe vegan:
Swap chicken broth for vegetable broth
Omit any dairy (cheese, sour cream) from toppings
Too much heat?
If the chiles are too much heat – consider swapping for bell pepper or omit.
