Butternut Squash Soup and Pesto Gnocchi & Meatballs

This is a wonderful warm, hearty meal for a cold day. Meatball recipe adapted from here and soup recipe here. The soup probably would’ve benefited from being topped with cream of some kind, but we didn’t have any.

Soup Ingredients

• 1 (2-3 lb) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Soup Directions

1. Cut squash into 1-inch chunks.
2. Melt butter in large pot. Add onion and cook until translucent.
3. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree mixture in blender (immersion blender didn’t work too well for me here).
5. Return to pot. Stir and season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Gnocchi & Meatballs Ingredients

• 1 package gnocchi
• pesto
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, divided (I used panko)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil

Gnocchi & Meatballs Directions

1. Combine breadcrumbs through basil and mix thoroughly. Roll into balls of a similar size as the gnocchi.
2. Place in boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside, keep warm.
3. Cook gnocchi according to package directions, drain.
4. Mix gnocchi and meatballs, toss with desired amount of pesto.

Beef and Tomato-mint Couscous

Adapted from a Food.com recipe. I don’t usually like couscous because it’s too bland, but the tomatoes, mint, and almonds made just the right combination of flavors and textures. I also made double the amount of meat and made fajitas with the leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. filet of beef
• 1 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I ran it through a food chopper until it was in pieces the size of the couscous)
• 1 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup beef or vegetable stock
• 2 cups couscous
• 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Rub half the curry powder over the beef filet.
3. Sear the outside of the beef, then put it in the oven and cook until finished.
4. Put 1/4 cup of white wine in the pan to deglaze the pan. Add onion and cook until soft.
5. Add the remaining curry powder, white wine, and the stock. Bring to a boil.
6. Remove from heat and add couscous. Let stand for 5 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes, mint, and half the almonds and fluff with a fork.
8. Serve topped with sliced beef and toasted almonds.

Chicken Bites and Creamy Pasta

Chicken Ingredients:

• boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• olive oil
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

 

Chicken Directions:

1. Coat chicken in olive oil, season with pepper and garlic powder.  Let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Mix breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper, coat chicken with mixture.
3. Cook at 475F for 10 minutes.

 

Pasta Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. chicken bullion
• 3 Tbsp. stick butter or margarine
• 1 tsp. italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 lb. chosen pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine is best)

 

Pasta Directions:

1. Cook pasta to desired consistency.
2. Mix remaining ingredients a small saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes.
3. Pour over pasta and serve.

 

I made with garlic bread – butter, italian seasoning, garlic, & mozzarella cheese.

Stuffed Manicotti

This was my first try at making this by hand.  Turned out delicious!  You can leave the spinach out if it’s not your thing.  Didn’t use a recipe for this, just adapted what i remembered of a lasagna recipe my bf makes.

Ingredients

• 1 box manicotti noodles (14 noodles)
• 15 oz. package ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (extra if you want to top with it as well)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 10 oz. spinach, drained
• 1 jar pasta sauce

Directions

1. Cook pasta slightly under al dente, so they are firm enough to stuff.  Rinse and drain, cool.
2. Mix cheeses, eggs, and spinach.
3. Pipe cheese mixture into shells.  (If you do not have piping bag, use a ziploc with a corner cut off.  Extra pair of hands helps here)
4. Place shells into a buttered or greased 9×13 pan.
5. Top with pasta sauce, whatever kind you prefer.
6. Cook at 350F for 45 minutes.  (add extra mozzarella in the last 15 minutes of cooking if you would like)

Andouille Sausage and Peppers Marinara

Had some Andouille sausage in the freezer I needed to use, so I went on the hunt for a recipe and came up with this.  From Recipezaar.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 yellow onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 Tbsp.  minced garlic
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage, cut into thin slices
• 1 (22 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 cup sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In large skillet over medium-high heat, saute peppers and onions.
2. When the vegetables are tender, add the garlic and sausage.  Saute for 1 min, being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add diced tomatoes.
4. Whisk tomato paste and water together, add to skillet.
5. Add all the spices and sugar.
6. Bring to boil, reduce heat.  Simmer covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 10 more minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve over pasta or rice.

Next time I make it I’ll reduce the amount of sugar.  Somewhere between 2-3 Tbsp. seems like it should be right.  It was delicious, but it had too much of a sweet aftertaste for my liking.  Definitely making this one again.

edit:  Made this again using hot Italian sausage instead of Andouille sausage.  The amount of sugar in the recipe was perfect to counteract the heat of the sausage.  I’m not sure which sausage I prefer in it.  I also substituted a 28 oz. can of tomato sauce for the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water.  I liked the flavor and texture of this method better.