Slice of Southern

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Optimize your cooking time: One Pot Meat Lovers Pizza Ravioli Bake

I'm and avid cookbook ~~hoarder~~ collector. I have tons of cookbooks that I've collected over the years.

At some point (when my bookcase was full!) I had to stop buying them. But then the magic of the Kindle Fire was born that allows you to buy kindle cookbook versions and store them digitally. Woohoo! I'm back to collecting cookbooks without taking up literal space in my house. How dangerous is that?

One of my recent purchases is by the blogger Joanne Cismaru of the blog, Jo Cooks. She has a wonderful blog and her book is titled "30 Minute One Pot Meals" which is geared toward busy cooks who need fast flavorful meals on the table in 30 minutes, using 1 pan! Sounds perfect for me during hectic weeknights.

Browsing the book I came across a recipe for Quick Pizza Tortellini Bake. This sounded sooo good, plus I get to use my newest 10" Cast Iron Skillet. Since I didn't have exactly all the ingredients she used I made a variation of that and One Pot Meat Lovers Pizza Ravioli Bake was born.

ONE POT MEAT LOVERS PIZZA RAVIOLI BAKE

Filled with hearty sausage filled ravioli and cooked in a mouthwatering sauce that has pepperoni in it, then topped with cheese that melts into ooey gooey goodness. This is seriously one kick-ass meal! Everyone, especially the kids, will love it!

As everything is made in one skillet, you can optimize your cooking time and get dinner on the table quickly, in 30 minutes in this case. Using one pan also makes clean up a breeze. Don't you love that? I sure do! This was such a tasty dinner and if you crave pizza but only have pasta on hand make this dish. It will satisfy your cravings so you don't even miss the crust!

Enjoy!

Kitchen Note: I found Guy Fieri's Pepperoni Marinara at my local grocery store. I've also seen it at Walmart. You can also purchase individual bottle online here or use your favorite marinara.

One Pot Meat Lovers Pizza Ravioli Bake

adapted from Quick Pizza Tortellini Bake, "30 Minute One Pot Meals" cookbook

serves 6

10 oz pkg Sausage Ravioli
2 c Pepperoni Marinara (Guy Fieri)
1/2 water
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 c mini pepperoni
Garnish: fresh chopped basil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large oven proof skillet with cooking spray.

Add the ravioli to the skillet. Pour the marinara sauce over the top, trying to cover all the pasta. Add the water to the skillet (do not stir). Sprinkle the cheese over the top and then add the mini pepperoni.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove with oven and garnish with basil if desired.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Easy Beef Wet Burritos

Spicy Beef Burritos smothered in a red sauce and ooey gooey cheese!

Yum

I wish I could be a better meal planner. I think that would be a good resolution or goal for me to work on this year.

You see, most of my meals ARE planned, however other factors, such as cravings and energy level take over quickly during the week and I end up making something completely different than what I had planned. Do you ever do that? (I'd love to think it isn't only me...!)

So the other night I was going to make a chicken stir fry, when I had a craving for Mexican food. A beef burrito was calling me. Dang, why couldn't I crave a chicken burrito?? So I pop by the store for some ground sirloin and flour tortillas and head home. Then it hit me. I really want one of those 'wet' burritos. You know the ones that are smothered in sauce. Yeah, that sounds really good!

Easy Beef Wet Burritos

So I rooted around in the pantry for something to make a sauce with and spied a pouch of Fontera Taco Skillet Sauce. I had the one that is a red sauce made with mild red chili and cumin, labeled Texas Style. This is usually used as a taco sauce so I decided to put some with the meat to give it a saucy bite and the rest over the top. As these sauces are made from Chef Rick Bayless I knew it would taste wonderful. I've tried several of his different sauces in a couple of dishes and they do not disappoint. Let' just hope my improvisation works!

So this is how I used this sauce. I browned up my ground sirloin and added about half the pouch, stirring to coat the beef. Once I built the burrito I used the sauce again pouring it over the top and then sprinkling it with cheese like the restaurants do. Pop those babies in the oven to heat it all up and melt the cheese and you are done! Time to eat!

All in all we both loved this version of Easy Beef Wet Burritos. What a great use of his sauces. He also has a verde sauce that would take great over a burrito as well which I want to try next time. But for now my craving for Mexican food, and beef burritos is satisfied. I'll try planning that Chinese stir fry for another day!

Enjoy!

Easy Beef Wet Burritos

serves 4-6

1 lb ground sirloin
1 15 oz can refried beans (Spicy Jalapeno)
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 flour tortillas (I used burrito size)
1 pouch (8oz) Frontera Texas Original Taco Skillet Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat brown ground sirloin, using a spatula or wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Cook until no longer pink and browned all over. Add 1/2 pouch of the taco sauce to the skillet, stirring meat to coat. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile in a small sauce pan add the refried beans over low heat, stirring occasionally to heat.

Assemble your burritos. On a flour tortilla place a 1/4 of the refined beans down the middle, top with meat, tomatoes, and 1/4 of the cheese. Fold both side in toward the middle and roll the long edges over the filling to make a burrito. Place in a baking pan and repeat.

Cover the burritos with the remaining sauce and top with 1/3 cup cheese.

Cover baking pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Monday, January 16, 2017

10 Comfort Food Soups

A mix of 10 comforting, healthy, and satisfying soups to enjoy this winter.

Yum

Winter is for enjoying comfort food. There something so satisfying about a hot bowl soup and piece of crusty bread for your lunch or dinner, sitting in front of a fireplace or in candlelight!

Both MGG and I LOVE a good bowl of soup. We also like variety in our soups with various flavors from Italian, Mexican to good 'ole American. We also like to protein in our soups and often use beef or chicken, but we also love a good vegetarian soup as well. Today I'm bringing you 10 delicious soups to make this winter.

Most of them are very healthy with a few splurges thrown in for an occasional treat!

Enjoy!

10 COMFORT FOOD SOUPS