dinner

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad
Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Easy AND Delicious Sunday Dinners

Okay, no judging. But I asked you guys what you were eating for dinner, and while I got a few “spaghetti carbonaras” and even one full Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner (!!), I also got “leftovers,” takeout, and my personal favorite, “Thin Mints.” (I happen to know that one comes from a gal who loves fresh vegetables — even really horrible ones like celery — so I’ll let her off the hook.) But seriously, let’s chat about easy AND delicious Sunday dinners.


Thanks, Foodie, for sponsoring this post.

Lately, my dinners are frozen meals. If I’d given up freezer food for Lent, I’d have already starved. Of course I bake like a fiend all weekend, but the closest I’ve come to cooking in quite a while is making avocado toast. So I’m in no position to tell you how to live your life.

But recently I started thinking about all the easy weeknight dinners I made last year. Even though those meals were simple enough to make on a weeknight, I realized that many of them were also snazzy enough for a special Sunday dinner. And even I can manage to cook ONE night a week. I think.

I thought I’d gather those easy AND delicious Sunday dinner recipes in one spot. In the slideshow above, you’ll find some amazing options from my friends around the web. And here are a few of mine:

Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta
Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta. This is one of my favorite simple meals. I can’t believe how great it tastes considering how easy it is!

Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese. This is my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe in the world, and you don’t have to cook the pasta first OR make a roux — and adding breakfast sausage makes it a hearty dinner!

Sausage & Corn Chile Con Queso Taco Ring
Sausage & Corn Chile Con Queso Taco Ring: looks fancy, but super easy to create!

Warm Chickpea Salad with Shallots & Red Wine Vinaigrette
Warm Chickpea Salad with Shallots & Red Wine Vinaigrette: serve this with a big arugula salad, some fresh melon, and some crusty bread.

Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Forget the fuss (and the carbs) of a full lasagna.

Easy, Healthy Couscous Tabbouleh
Easy, Healthy Couscous Tabbouleh: serve this with warm pita, tahini and hummus, and a big salad.

Magnificent Cream of Mushroom Soup with Crispy Leeks
Magnificent Cream of Mushroom Soup with Crispy Leeks: you won’t believe how great this soup is! Serve it with crusty bread and a salad and you’re all set for dinner.

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)
Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup



Recipe by: Adapted from AllRecipes
Yield: 8 servings

This cabbage soup is simple, warming, and delicious. It’s got a slight kick due to red pepper flakes. Throw your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or anything else you love in it to make it your own, but I love it just the way it is. (Don’t forget the bonus cheese toasts recipe below!)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
ginger and fennel seed, optional*
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

Directions:
*Note: To avoid bloating and gas often associated with cabbage, you can boil it for 10 minutes prior to the recipe. If you have fennel seed and ginger, you can tie the spices up in cheesecloth with some twine to boil along with the cabbage, which is also said to help. After boiling, drain and rinse the cabbage well before using it in the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, mix carrots and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until tender (a knife should easily slide through). While roasting carrots, parboil cabbage as instructed above if desired.

In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes, before adding chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then add the tomatoes, cabbage, and roasted carrots. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Easy Cheese Toasts



Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 8 servings

These quick, easy cheese toasts are perfect with any hearty winter soup.

Ingredients:
8 slices of a baguette
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into 18 small cubes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place bread slices on baking sheet. In a medium bowl, toss together the cheese, butter cubes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Divide the mixture evenly on top of each slice of bread. Bake for a few minutes, watching closely, until bubbly.

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions



Recipe by: Adapted from A Spicy Perspective
Yield: 6-8 servings

This quick, easy weeknight dinner will warm and fill you right up! The toppings make the soup so satisfying and delicious. The croutons, especially, will be your new favorite little recipe. I’ve included a simple mise-en-place setup to make this recipe a cinch for you!

Crouton Ingredients:
12 slices of a small (~3 inch diameter, ~1/2-inch slices) sourdough baguette, cubed
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups chicken stock
1 (29-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds; for topping)
1 cup french fried onions (like French’s; for topping)
Hot chile oil (for topping)

Directions:
Prepare your mise-en-place:
  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and cover 2 baking sheets with foil.
  • Prepare a paper towel lined plate for draining the croutons when they’re done.
  • Melt the butter for croutons and mix in garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt.
  • Put olive oil into a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot on the stove.
  • Put chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeño into medium prep bowl.
  • Put cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt into small prep bowl.
  • Open cans/packages of stock and pumpkin.
  • In a small prep bowl, mash together softened butter and flour (this is called a beurre manié and is used to thicken soups)
  • Put red wine vinegar and honey into two small prep bowls
  • Prepare a dish with pepitas and fried onions and set this with the bottle of chile oil on the dinner table.

Once mise-en-place is prepared, this soup is super (souper?) easy to prepare. First, make the croutons. Pour the butter and garlic powder mixture over the bread cubes and toss them to coat. Spread the bread cubes out on the baking sheets in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Bake for around 20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Allow the croutons to cool on a paper-towel lined plate.

Make the soup. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño into the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add cumin spice mixture and cook for another 1 minute or so. Add stock, pumpkin, and beurre manié to the pot and stir to mix. Heat this to boiling before turning it down to a simmer. Simmer for around 20 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and honey and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender covered with a dish towel — if you do this, blend in small batches, opening the blender vent and being careful of the hot liquid) to purée the soup.

Serve the soup topped with crunchy fried onions, pumpkin seeds, croutons, and a drizzle of chile oil.

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing



Recipe by: Adapted from Southern Living
Yield: 3-4 salads depending on wedge size

These wedges are so crisp, cool, and refreshing as an appetizer or side dish (or even as a main dish with some grilled chicken on top!) It’s important to make this dressing in advance and let the flavors meld in the fridge overnight; it makes a huge difference in the finished product.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s)
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 head Iceberg lettuce, rinsed, cold, cut 6 wedges
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped

Directions:
Mix first 6 ingredients for dressing and chill the day before serving. Put wedge onto plate, top with dressing, sprinkle with mixture of bacon, parmesan and chives (mixed together).

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