seasonal : winter

35 Best Pasta Recipes to Make Now

I may as well title this post What Should I Cook for Dinner Tonight, because guess what? The answer is this list of 35 of the best pasta recipes to make now.

October arrived with a skiff of frost in my waning garden and the donning of my favorite knee sweeping sweaters. Fall is here. I’ve turned in my straw hat for my knit beanie, and while others are waiting in line for their pumpkin spiced lattés, you’ll find me dreaming of all the ways to fix my favorite comfort food: all the best pasta recipes.

October is national pasta month, so what better way to celebrate than make all the best pasta?

Whether it’s authentic and real Italian pasta like my Spaghetti Pomodoro, or the best American-ized mac and cheese to ever pass your lips, this list of 35 homemade pasta recipes are what you should be cooking this month.

continue to the recipe… about 35 Best Pasta Recipes to Make Now

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I’ve searched for the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe forever. Perfectly fluffy and slathered with a buttery cream cheese frosting, this is it.

The BEST Cinnamon Rolls Ever

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe has been my mission for more years than I can count on two hands.

Strike that.

Finding the best homemade cinnamon roll recipe and actually making it, now THAT is what has been my mission for that number of years.

I’ve Pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest, and liked all of them on Facebook. I’ve torn out every recipe from every magazine that’s shared cinnamon rolls deemed fit to bake. And it seems that just about every week of Friday Faves has one more recipe for the perfect cinnamon roll included in it.

Not that I’ve ever made any of them.

For some reason, the notion of baking homemade cinnamon rolls has always intimidated me. I blame it on my childhood. That’s when my early cinnamon roll baking adventures relied on using the pre-made dough from the can that came out of the oven tasting like they’d been baked 3 days before and then quickly turned into 5-day-old rolls as soon as they cooled.

It ruined the notion of cinnamon rolls for me until I had a REAL cinnamon roll from a true blue bakery and realized just how many light and fluffy pillows from cinnamon and brown sugar slathered with glaze bundles of heaven I’d been missing out on all those years.

Now THOSE rolls are the ones I want to bake. The homemade cinnamon rolls I want to be known for. The rolls that when family and friends take one bite they blissfully roll their eyes in satisfaction as they slowly absorb each sweet, flaky bite, and then look to one another in agreement and say, “Heidi makes THE BEST cinnamon rolls.”

And now, I have that recipe.

continue to the recipe… about The Best Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Crockpot Corn Chowder

This Crockpot corn chowder recipe uses a creamy almond milk and cashew milk blend to create a healthy, veg-heavy chowder with a bacon bite.

Healthier Crockpot Corn Chowder

Again this year I’m happy to share that I’m partnering with Blue Diamond AlmondBreeze to share healthful recipes made with Almondmilk. Today we’re adding something brand new to the mix, Almond Breeze’s new Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend.

It’s January. And that means three things.

#1: Everyone is on the healthy no-s0-heavy-on-the-gravy-train.

#2: It’s all about the soup.

And #3: It’s time to slow cooker and Crockpot everything.

At our house we love a chunky soup. A broth with girth. With bite. And flavor.

This easy corn chowder recipe stars one of my husband’s favorite vegetables, corn. And his other favorite vegetable, bacon. Yes, in his mind bacon is a vegetable. Or at least a food group. And when paired together with this creamy, slow cooked broth they make a souper good soup. Uh-oh, I’m on a roll.
continue to the recipe… about Crockpot Corn Chowder

Curry Turkey Pot Pie With Homemade Butter Pie Crust

Put your Thanksgiving leftovers to good use with this turkey pot pie! The addition of curry powder lends aromatic flavor in this fun twist on the classic chicken pot pie, which also features the most tender and flaky all butter crust.

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

Pie, pie, pie. It’s all anyone is talking about this time of year. Today I’m talking pie, too. But not just any pie. I’m diverting from the sweet side and heading south to savory to share my FAVORITE recipe: My mother-in-law’s Curry Turkey Pot Pie. And to make it even more special, it’s topped—and bottomed—with a heaven is waiting for this butter crust.

I may start making pies every day of the week, because for this wanna be baker this homemade pot pie recipe proved that once you get the basics down, baking pies is really that easy.

The turkey, veggies and creamy filling of the turkey pie are the heart of the dish, but the crust is where it finds its soul. And I like me a buttery, flakey soul.continue to the recipe… about Curry Turkey Pot Pie With Homemade Butter Pie Crust

Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold!)

Whether it’s served melty hot or crunchy cold, this easy Mexican corn dip made with roasted green chiles, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and chile powder will seriously have you considering the double chip dip.

This recipe is brought to you by Kettle Brand

I couldn’t really call myself a party thrower until I had a handful of easy potato chip dip recipes mastered and stuffed under my belt.

So by now, after eight years of sharing recipes here on la FoodieCrush and armed with a load of appys that have become reader favorites, I should be capable of throwing a damn fine soirée. And actually—as I no-big-deal brush the selft-congratulatory-dust off my shoulders—I do.

This Mexican corn dip is just one of the chip dip recipes that always delivers. It’s based on the popular Mexican street corn known as elotes, or more aptly named in this stripped-off-the-cob salad-esque-form, as esquites. It’s light, it’s fresh, and it’s primo with chips.continue to the recipe… about Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold!)

The Best Buttery Parsley Potatoes

Boiled potatoes get an infusion of butter and parsley to make this super easy, three-ingredient side dish. This is one of my all-time favorite side dish recipes for any meal!

Buttery Parsley Boiled Potatoes Recipe

This is one of those recipes that comes so naturally, without much thought, that I didn’t really think about sharing it.

Until someone asked for it.

I bet we had these potatoes at least once a week when I was growing up. They’re the ultimate pairing for any and all comfort food because they’re so insanely simple to add along to any main. And so intensely delicious.

Baby red potatoes are the simple cook’s dream side dish. They’re creamy in texture. They cook quickly. You don’t have to skin them. And they’re easy to prepare no matter what your method. Roasting. Grilling. Smashing. And like here, with your basic quick boil in water.continue to the recipe… about The Best Buttery Parsley Potatoes

My Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

This easy spaghetti recipe with meat sauce takes just a few minutes of prep and then a low simmer on the stove for a deep, meaty-flavored, homemade spaghetti for the best family favorite dinner.

This post is brought to you by Kroger

Before I even started writing this post, I was wrestling with the title.

My Sister’s Favorite Spaghetti Dinner. Because as a kid it was #1 on her request list. And to do this day, all these years later and after eating meals from all over the world, it still is.

My Mom’s Best Spaghetti Recipe Ever! Because it is. And, who doesn’t trust mom to make the best?

The Best Spaghetti and Meat Sauce You’ll Ever Make But Never Guess the Secret Ingredient. Intrigued????

The Dinner to Make When You Want to Perfume Your House With All the Glorious Smells and Then Feed an Army. Perhaps a little lengthy for a title, but still totally appropriate.

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce So Good You’ll Eat the Cold Leftovers Still in the Container Straight from the Fridge. Uh-oh, did I just give myself away????? Busted!

I asked my sister to text me a picture of her copy of my mom’s spaghetti recipe, as seen below. The splatters and drips are proof that my sister is this recipe’s number one fan—and it looks like she’s also quite the stellar recipe tester!

When I finished college and moved into my first apartment, I wrote down my mom’s recipe for our favorite family dinner and plopped it into my tattered recipe binder. Eventually I’d made it so many times I committed it to memory. But as time passed, it didn’t taste quite as good as my mom’s, a fact I didn’t actually realize until she made us all her original version when my sister was visiting. (Naturally my sister got to choose her favorite dish for dinner, because hello, she’s still the favorite :) ).

That dinner is when I realized I was missing one very crucial ingredient that makes this spaghetti better than the rest, and isn’t often found in spaghetti sauce. Have you spied it yet? I’ll reveal in a minute, but first, let’s talk basics…

Homemade Spaghetti Ingredients

This it the type of recipe you can easily have at the ready thanks to a simply stocked pantry and a few foundation refrigerator ingredients I can always find at my local Smith’s Marketplace / Kroger store.

Since working with Kroger for the past few years and because it is my main grocery store for shopping (I spend way too much time wandering the garden section!) I’ve become more and more impressed with the quality of their private label store brands like Simple Truth, HemisFares and Private Selection. And the design geek in me is happy to see the evolution of package design for their staple Kroger brand so that the label matches the goodness within. What can I say? Labels matter.

This spaghetti recipe is both Italian in its inspiration and American in its popularity and is way better than what you’ll find at restaurants like The Spaghetti Factory.

My mom’s spaghetti and meat sauce doesn’t call for anything extraordinary. In fact, it’s totally basic, and that’s what makes it all the better.

Ground Beef. I use 85% lean ground angus beef for my sauce so it still has flavor but not a lot of fat. My sister has taken to using ground turkey, also a great option.
Tomato sauce. Plain is best to create a tomato bath for the other ingredients to infuse.
Diced tomatoes. You could use canned whole tomatoes and then crush with your hands and fingers. But mom’s recipe says diced so that’s what I do.
Tomato paste. This gives the sauce it’s body, and also a little sweetness.
Beef broth. Another layer of meatiness. My sister amended her recipe to use condensed, but I used regular here.
Canned mushrooms. Typically I will always use fresh mushrooms in recipes, but this is one time I never, ever, ever do. There’s just something about the canned version that becomes my favorite part of the sauce, and the reason I typically double the amount the recipe calls for.
A splash of wine. Mom says to use the empty mushroom can as your measurement guide.
Onion, celery and fresh garlic. They’re always lollying around the refrigerator crisper waiting to be used.
Dried herbs, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar for sweetness. Don’t skip out on the bay leaves, they make a huge difference.
Dried whole cloves! My mom learned this trick from her friend Virginia, and adding a few whole cloves was the secret ingredient I’d been missing lo these many years. My mom uses 5-6 cloves but my husband prefers four. The cloves give it an earthy, spiced flavor that’s not often easy to place. It’s a total surprise when I tell people they’re in there, or if they discover one on their own hidden in their spaghetti-sauced bite if I forget or can’t find them to fish them out before serving.

How to Make Spaghetti Sauce

Truly fantastic homemade spaghetti sauce is easier to make than you’d think, but it does take time. To make the best spaghetti sauce, you simply need to brown the ground beef and drain off any excess fat. Then, throw in the chopped celery, onion, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften. So far, so good?

Dump the rest of the homemade pasta sauce ingredients into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the spaghetti sauce is boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer on the stove for another 3 hours. I know 3 hours sounds like forever, but that’s how long it takes to make a rich, flavorful meat sauce.

Once the homemade spaghetti sauce has had time to simmer, all that’s left to do is boiling the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions and dish it up!

How to Reheat Spaghetti

If you wind up with leftovers from this homemade spaghetti recipe, you can easily reheat them the next day. I recommend reheating leftover spaghetti in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat. You may need to add a splash of beef broth to loosen up the pasta.

Can You Freeze Spaghetti?

The best way to freeze leftover spaghetti is to freeze the homemade spaghetti sauce separately and then make fresh spaghetti noodles when you’re about to eat it. Defrost the sauce in the refrigerator for 1 day, or, add to a large pot, cover, and heat on medium to medium-low until thawed.

To make for meal prep, freeze the sauce in gallon freezer bags. Lay them down flat so you can stack them flat or upright side by side in the freezer.

What Type of Red Wine Should I Buy?

The key to cooking with wine is to purchase one that is of the same quality you’d be willing to drink. I’d say look for a bottle that costs around $10 or so (I tend to use a blended red or Pinot noir in this spaghetti recipe).

Can I Omit the Wine?

Technically, yes, but I highly recommend adding it to the homemade spaghetti sauce since it adds so much flavor. Remember: the alcohol cooks out of the sauce and is only a flavoring.

However, if you’re out of wine or are opposed to using it, you can add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar instead to add a little acid and umami.

Tips for Making Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

While the easy homemade spaghetti sauce cooks low and slow for 3 hours, make sure to stir it occasionally. You don’t want anything sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning, as that would add a bitter flavor to the meat sauce.

We always serve this meat sauce with regular spaghetti noodles, but I imagine it would be just as good with any other twirly pasta, or over tortellini or ravioli or even as a filler for lasagna.

This homemade spaghetti recipe makes a lot so it’s great for serving to a crowd or a big family. If you’re making for two or a few, it makes excellent leftovers for lunch all week long or divide the sauce into gallon freezer and save for later.

What to Serve with Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

We always serve this with a super crunchy iceberg salad tossed with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and dressed in my favorite red wine vinaigrette and a few slices of buttery garlic bread. If you’re looking for a little bit more, here are a few recipe ideas to make your meal.

If you try this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.13 from 70 votes

My Mom's Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

This easy meat sauce takes just a few minutes of prep and then a low simmer on the stove for a deep, meaty-flavored, classic spaghetti everyone will love.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword spaghetti

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 365 kcal

Ingredients

1 pound 85% lean ground beef
1 yellow onion chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
1 29- ounce can diced tomatoes
1 29- ounce can tomato sauce
1 6- ounce can tomato paste
2 7- ounce cans sliced mushrooms
1 cup red wine
1 15- ounce can beef broth
5-6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 4 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried spaghetti noodles
grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large heavy bottomed stock pot over medium high heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the rendered fat and add the meat back to the pot.
Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 more minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except the spaghtti noodles and Parmesan), stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, stir and cover with a lid, and cook for at least three hours on medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in generously salted water. Drain and mix into the spaghetti sauce.
Serve with grated or ground Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe Notes

The meat sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or saved in a gallon ziplock bag and frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts

My Mom's Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 365 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 1271mg55%

Potassium 999mg29%

Carbohydrates 52g17%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 18g36%

Vitamin A 904IU18%

Vitamin C 21mg25%

Calcium 78mg8%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More Italian Recipe Ideas

Pasta Pomodoro Sauce — the authentic sauce I learned how to make in Italy!
Linguine Con Vongole (Linguine With Clam Sauce)
Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta Recipe
Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce — a total time saver made with jarred sauce
Crab Spaghetti With Lemon Gremolata
How To Make Homemade Chicken Parmesan

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This post is in partnership with Kroger. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

The Best Mexican Stuffed Peppers

With ground beef, cheese, and rice, think of this Mexican stuffed peppers recipe as your favorite taco in a healthy bell pepper shell, and you’ll be half way to the border asking for more.

Stuffed bell peppers could be the quintessential healthy-meal-delivered-in-a-vegetable-vessel if there ever was one. And yes, I did have to look up how to spell quintessential.

But this is no ordinary stuffed pepper recipe. It carries a bit of that Mexican swagger more often found at your fave taco joint where you head in with the best of intentions to eat a little lighter (hold the guac please), but head out grabbing your gut that’s now about to explode thanks to the Mexican platter combo you swore you’d save half for later—and didn’t.

I have a several stuffed peppers recipes here on the blog, like Southwestern stuffed bell peppers, creamy chicken and mushroom stuffed peppers and my version of the classic ground beef stuffed bell peppers. They’re obvi one of our favorite easy dinners.

This riff on the classic stuffed pepper recipe is Mexican-spiced for a lighter way to partake of your favorite Mexican food intake. And even better, it’s all cooked in one pan.continue to the recipe… about The Best Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Peppermint Truffles Recipe

Refreshing peppermint and velvety ganache are the perfect match in this deep, rich truffle recipe that will cure every chocolate craving.

This recipe is in partnership with McCormick

Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe

It was one of those always sunny-because-we-live-in-LA mornings where we were chit chatting in our office, trying to shed off a bit of our holiday spirit and get into work mode. Looking at the stack of manuscripts she had yet to edit, my bff Laura pulled out a white candy box and asked me if I wanted a truffle.

A truffle? Why would I want to eat a pungent, Italian mushroom all by itself? Where’s the pasta???

“No silly. They’re chocolates,” she giggled. “David (her ex) makes them every year for Christmas. You need to try one.”

Of course I did. And that, my friends, is where my choco-holic cravings were cured and my chocolate truffle obsession began.

Because Laura had a very defined palate and ate only the best dark chocolate from a little boutique chocolate store down the street from our office EVERY AFTERNOON (!), I immediately had the impression that truffles were far too elegant and complicated for a novice like me to make.

I mean, David had been making them FOR YEARS. There must be some secret technique to master.

Hardly.

This chocolate truffle recipe is probably the easiest no-bake dessert you’ll make all holiday long, and with its pure peppermint flavor, it’s sure to brighten it too.

continue to the recipe… about Peppermint Truffles Recipe

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

This simple but flavorful Tuscan white bean soup with sausage doesn’t require any pre-cooking or searing, making it a true slow-cooker meal.

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

“Okay mom, let’s play the smell game.”

I sort of cringed at the idea. Sweaty feet. Burnt toast. The 4th hole at the golf course that sits next to the water treatment plant and man does it reek when the wind blows. Why do I immediately go to the dark side?

“Okay. What’s the smell game?” But of course I already know.

“It’s where we say the things we think smell the best. You go first.”

I thought for a minute. More like seconds. Immediately those gross smells vanished to make way for the good.

The smell of burnt pumpkins after being lit too closely to their lids on Halloween night. Summer rain on black top. The smell of Gardenias and tuberose. Puppy breath. Only to be outdone by the nuzzle spot right below the ear in the crook of the neck of a newborn baby that’s a mixed perfume of milky baby lotion.

And of course, the obvious at our house. Food cooking in the kitchen.

From steaks grilling to cookies baking, food that’s cooking in the kitchen just might possibly be the most universally loved smell of all. It’s one reason I love cooking in the slow cooker. Its perfume lingers on low for eight hours or on high for four.

The other reason I love the slow cooker is for sheer ease. And this Crockpot bean soup recipe is really one of the easiest. And deceptively so.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup

The Best Easy Stuffing Recipe

This traditional homemade stuffing recipe is a classic. It’s an easy, traditional stuffing made with simple ingredients to make for a Thanksgiving turkey, or served as a side dish to chicken, pork, or just about any comfort food craving any time of year.

The Best Stuffing Recipe

If I were to stand at a table loaded with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner dishes, and have to choose just one to eat for the rest of my Thanksgiving dinner days, it wouldn’t be the turkey, it wouldn’t be the mashed potatoes, and it wouldn’t even be my grandma’s ambrosia salad that would make the cut. Nope.

The one dish I wouldn’t want to miss out on at Thanksgiving is this super simple, totally basic, bread stuffing I’ve been eating since I could put food in my hungry little mouth, and will still eat hot at the table or cold straight from the fridge. It’s my side dish kryptonite and the one I can never say no to.

I’ve shared other stuffing recipes that are more unusual with more ingredients, but I’ve never shared my favorite. I always thought it was just too basic, and not unique enough. But because it’s the same one I make year in and year out, and it’s the same easy stuffing recipe my mom made every year that I would more than happily taste test for seasoning, I figured it was high time to post it here where it proudly belongs.

There’s nothing fancy about this traditional stuffing. It’s totally basic. But its simplicity is exactly why I crave it year after year after year.continue to the recipe… about The Best Easy Stuffing Recipe

Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pecan Rolls

Store-bought frozen rolls make these super easy but delightfully delicious pull-apart cinnamon pecan rolls easy to make for any weekend or holiday brunch.

This post is in partnership with McCormick

I am a nut about Christmas traditions.

Even today, I still make sure the garish Christmas ornament I made in third grade from a paper plate wrapped with red and green yarn to look like a wreath and sporting a photo of my Brownie Scout-buck-toothed grin hangs in its place of glory, in the same spot, every year, on my mom’s elegantly decorated Christmas tree.

When it comes to holiday traditions, it’s the little things that count.

For our family, one of the most revered traditions is our Christmas morning breakfast. In fact it’s so special, we only serve it once a year, and this pecan cinnamon monkey bread is a favorite part of it. continue to the recipe… about Pull-Apart Cinnamon Pecan Rolls

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies

These easy, wonderfully chewy oatmeal cranberry cookies are loaded with chunks of macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries in an oatmeal batter good enough for breakfast too.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies Recipe

See these cookies? They are chock-full. Chock-full of all kinds of flavors and goodness that go together like peas in a pod. But they’re much sweeter—and most everyone says much better—than peas. Obviously.

But they’re missing one thing for too many people.

They’re missing a giant glass of cold milk for some kids not as fortunate as mine to dip these still-warm-from-the-oven oatmeal cranberry cookies into before setting a glass next to Santa’s plate to wash them down and then wipe from his frosty mustache.

But that doesn’t have to be the case, because I’m doing something about that fact, and you can too. continue to the recipe… about Cranberry White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

This Caesar salad recipe with homemade garlic croutons and a creamy Caesar dressing (with or without anchovies) makes an easy main meal or favorite side salads for a crowd.

The last time I visited Mexico was for a yoga retreat in Tulum. Right on the beach, feeling the yoga burn and subsequent relaxation had every one of us hungry all of the time. Given that the original Caesar salad originated in Mexico, it’s no surprise the resort served an incredible version with nearly every meal.

Some eaters worry about Caesar salad’s calories, but when keeping portions in check, and if you avoid drowning it in dressing, the calorie count can stay within realistic bounds. I mean, if it’s served at a beachside yoga retreat, it feels alright to me.

Here on the blog, I’m not shy about my love of the Caesar. I’ve turned this classic steak house primer into a kale Caesar salad, my daughter’s favorite chicken Caesar salad, and I made sure to share my classic Caesar salad dressing you can make with or without anchovies because some of you aren’t all that fond of the little fish.

Grab your tastebuds, and let me show you how to make a killer Caesar salad.

continue to the recipe… about Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice

This creamy chicken and rice casserole is a fast and healthy 30-minute meal made right on the stove top, making it a favorite one-pot dinner that feeds a family of four for under $10.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

September is Hunger Action Month. As someone who has the access and the means to buy/grow/order food at my fingertips (or within a short walk or drive) every day of the week, this public initiative is a reminder that it isn’t nearly as easy for far too many. Helping others cure food scarcity is near and dear to my heart. And I hope to yours too.

So when Kroger asked me to participate in their #ZeroHungerZeroWaste donation challenge, I immediately said count me in. And now I’m challenging you to join too.

It’s one thing to donate that stray can of beans at the back of your pantry or the expired box of crackers. But it’s so much more to make healthful eating approachable and economical, showing families that there are better choices to easily cook and eat at home.

That’s why I’ve created this easy one-pot chicken and rice casserole to show you and those I’m donating it to that fast and easy dinners don’t have to come from a cardboard box, or sodium-loaded freezer meal, or be expensive. They can just as easily come from real good, real food. And for many who are food challenged, most of the ingredients can be kept on hand in the pantry with little waste to be had.

Since my daughter was little, I’ve been a huge advocate in teaching her that there are too many kids in our local community (not to mention the world) who aren’t as fortunate as she is. That giving back is even better than getting. That sharing is caring.

That’s why my daughter and I are now part of the National Charity League, a mother/daughter volunteer organization that focuses on philanthropy. My daughter’s grade’s partnered charity is our local YWCA, an amazing organization that supports women and their children during times of transition until they get back on their feet.

Because some of these women have literally escaped situations with only the clothes on their backs and their children in tow, the YWCA supplies clothing, child care, job opportunities and educational skills, legal services, and offers housing for them and their children.

And of course, they help with food. And that’s why so am I.

see more: 30 Comfort Food Casseroles to Make Now

continue to the recipe… about One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice

How to Make Homemade Croutons

Nobody’s going to give you the side-eye if you buy a bag from the grocery store, but homemade croutons are so quick and easy to make, they’re totally worth making from scratch instead.

Homemade garlic croutons. They’re the crunchy toppers I crave for my fave tomato basil soup, and an essential part of every classic Caesar salad. And let’s face it, what kid doesn’t pick out all of the croutons from their dinner salad before they even touch the greens? Okay, and a whole bunch of adults too.

Grocery store or salad bar croutons can be dry, hard nuggets that could nearly break a tooth with each bite. But this homemade crouton recipe makes soft on the inside, crisp on the outside flavor crunches with each cube of bread bit bites.

Making croutons at home is super easy to do and takes only about 15 minutes to bake a batch. Baking them in the oven is the easiest way to cook them, but I’m sharing how to make them on the stove top as well. Add your own favorite seasonings and spices—garlic and herb is my favorite—and you’ll find yourself making these bread bites all of the time, too.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make Homemade Croutons

How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing

This deliciously easy and authentic Caesar salad dressing (made with or without anchovies) gets it’s signature creamy texture from good quality mayonnaise and sour cream with the tang of red wine vinegar.

Homemade salad dressings are some of the easiest recipes any home cook should master. And ironically, it’s just about as easy to whip one up as it is to stand in front of the grocery aisle trying to decide which salad dressing you’re going to like the best. Plus, with homemade dressings there’s no guessing what’s in them because you get to decide which ingredients to include.

When people see an ingredient list that calls for raw egg and anchovies, they can get a bit squeemish about traditional recipes for Caesar salad dressing.

However, this recipe that I use in my classic Caesar salad recipe with homemade garlic croutons omits the raw egg and calls for mayonnaise and sour cream to provide the creamy texture, and you can choose whether to add anchovies, or not. If you’re a garlic fan, you can always toss in another clove if you like.

The power of Caesar is in your hands, and with this salad dressing, you’ll always be the big winner.

continue to the recipe… about How to Make Caesar Salad Dressing

The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It may be an age-old wives tale, but according to mothers, grandmothers and any soup lover, there truly is no better cure for anything and everything that ails you than homemade chicken noodle soup made with chunky carrots, celery and always savory chicken stock. It’s the ultimate comfort food and incredibly easy to make.

The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Typically when I place my grocery haul on the grocery store check-out line conveyer belt, it’s a hodge podge assortment of ingredients that doesn’t give anyone a hint as to what’s going on in my kitchen at home. As voyeurs peeking into other’s lives, do the checkers notice (or even care) that you buy all organic with a side of doughnuts on every trip? That you buy enough food to feed an army or simply pick up a passel of frozen dinners for one? And do they judge your cooking skills—or lack thereof—depending on what exotic—or mundane—ingredients fill your basket?

So it wasn’t much of a shocker when I showed up to the 15 items or fewer line that the grocery store clerk asked me if I had someone at home who was under the weather thanks to my collection of a bottle of Chloraseptic, two different brands of throat losenges, and all the fixin’s for homemade chicken noodle soup.

I’ll do everything and anything to cure my little girl’s wicked cold and sore throat. So when my baby doll requested a soother of soup for her sickly sore throat, as her adoring mother, I hopped to and got myself into the grocery store check out line and then straight back into the kitchen to whip up a homemade broth that makes the BEST chicken noodle soup from scratch, hands down beating anything out of a can.continue to the recipe… about The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Lighter Caramel Seven-Layer Bars Recipe

Greek yogurt, egg whites, unsweetened coconut and fat-free sweetened condensed milk make these caramel bars a lighter version of the classic 7 layer bars.

Healthier 7 Layer Bars Recipe

Typically when you hear the words “baking” and “healthy,” they’re not in the same sentence, especially when it comes to the holidays. It seems like a bit of an oxymoron, eh? The holidays are the time to just let go, to overlook better choices. Or is it?

Luckily bloggers like Amy Atherton, of Amy’s Healthy Baking are changing the way people think about virtuous sweets.

With simple substitutions like alternative flours, healthier oils and natural sweeteners (and less of them), baked goods can in fact be healthier and tasty at the same time, and this is something Amy has undoubtedly figured out. So to all of you skeptics out there, her mindset is for you.continue to the recipe… about Lighter Caramel Seven-Layer Bars Recipe

How to Make the Best Potato Salad

This classic potato salad recipe, handed down from my grandma to my mom and then to me, has their secret tips that makes it the very best every single time.

It may be a pretty bold to claim, but saying this potato salad recipe is the best is a statement I’ll totally stand behind.

I’ve shared several variations of potato salad recipes here on the blog including my German potato salad, a creamy dill potato salad, my no-mayo potato salad with herbs, a bacon and sour cream loaded baked potato salad, and even more. But this salad is the one that readers have made a top recipe here on the blog, and definitely ranks as my personal childhood favorite.continue to the recipe… about How to Make the Best Potato Salad

Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

A simple pasta topped with fresh tomato pomodoro sauce couldn’t be more authentically Italian, and like most things Italian, simplicity is key in this 5-ingredient recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo

Pinch me for sure, because I am lucky indeed. I recently visited the homeland of authentic Italian pomodoro sauce, on the Amalfi Coast near Naples, Italy—the hub of authentic Italian pasta manufacturing and tomato farming. It was the trip of a lifetime, complete with amazing views of the dramatic coastal cliffs, white-knuckled winding roads I luckily didn’t have to chauffeur, so much amazing time with friends on the tour, and more real-deal authentic Italian food than I could dream of—so fresh and delicious I never wanted to leave.

But why would I expect anything less? I was there with DeLallo Foods, a brand I’ve worked with for many years and shared many recipes using their products here on the blog, and who imports only the best ingredients direct from Italy to the U.S. We were in Italy to visit their pasta factory and learn more about what makes pasta made in the small southern city of Gragnano in the Campania region of Italy, the best, certifiably authentic pasta in the world—and the only way DeLallo produces their delicious Italian pasta.

In addition to learning about how pasta is made, we took a cooking class and learned how to make this classic Pomodoro al Spaghetti from the chefs of the two-star Michelin awarded restaurant Don Alfonso, where among all of their highly regarded recipes, this is their most popular recipe. It may have been the simplest meal we had on the trip, and might be the reason it ended up being my favorite.

I couldn’t wait to get home and master this classic pomodoro sauce myself, and now, you’re about to as well. continue to the recipe… about Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Crispy on the bottom but moist on the inside, this easy jalapeño cornbread is kicked up with jalapeños, creamed corn, cheddar cheese and green onions, and is a family favorite.

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe

You know how they say owners start to resemble their dogs (as evidenced here)? I think the same thing may be happening to me, but with the food I eat.

Spicy and sweet…Yep, that’s me. Crispy on the outside but soft on the inside…Sure, I’ll admit to that. And, why yes, I do melt every time I come into contact with butter.

Just like the food I like to eat, I’m a contradiction in terms.

I’ve become a spicy-sweet, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, better-with-butter humanoid version of…cornbread.

So does this mean I need to turn my bed into a cast iron skillet?

My mother-in-law, Pat, is a master at Southern cooking. As a little girl growing up in Arkansas and the second to youngest of 7 children, she would ask her her mom if she could help her cook but her mom was too busy putting from scratch food on the table for the large family to become a teacher too. “It was just easier for mother to do it herself,” so my MIL was more often shushed off to set the table instead.

But Pat paid attention. She watched. She learned from the sidelines. And she took those lessons through life to develop her own cooking style.

The other night Pat made this jalapeño cornbread recipe for us. Unlike her mother, Pat is happy to share her how to’s in the kitchen, even when I ask a million questions and sometimes interject a few ideas of my own.

But Pat takes it all in stride. She knows her way is the best way, and her way always starts in true Southern form.continue to the recipe… about Cheddar and Jalapeño Skillet Cornbread

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

This amazingly easy, 5-ingredient sautéed brussels sprouts recipe makes traditionally bitter brussels sprouts sweet and crazy delicious thanks to roasting in a cast-iron skillet to create a caramelized bite of baby cabbage and salty pancetta for a favorite simple side dish any time of the year.

This recipe is brought to you by Kroger

Whether you call them correctly with the plural Brussels sprouts, or leave the S off the end of this cruciferous veg, aka brussel sprouts, everyone can agree that these green baby cabbages are at their best when sauteed in a skillet with crispy bacon bites drizzled with a maple-sweetened vinegar tang. Even a newly-converted-brussel(s) sprout lover, like me.

When I was a kid I pretty much loved everything my mom made for dinner and was just about always the first one finished. But when she served the one or two things I really didn’t care for, (“Awwwww…Brussels sprouts and liver????”) I had two secret tricks that made it so it appeared I was eating, but really, I wasn’t.

First I’d take a gratuitous bite or two, then another combined with a fake cough straight into my napkin with whatever was in my mouth, that was quickly hid under the table and fed to the dog, or as I excused myself to go to the restroom and dumped into the toilet later.

I can’t believe my mom didn’t realize the only times I EVER had to go to the bathroom during dinner was when we had Brussels sprouts and liver. (Side note: Watch for my mom’s reply that she really did know all along in the comments below…I know her too well and I probably wan’t that good of an actress anyway.)

But thankfully, times change, and so do our palettes. At least half the time. I’m still not a fan of liver, but you can now count me as one of the lovers of Brussels. And even the singular brussel sprouts too, because of easy, 5-ingredient recipes like this.

continue to the recipe… about Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

French Onion Dip

This homemade French Onion Dip mixes sweet caramelized onion with Greek yogurt to make a healthy dip that’s the hit of the party.

This recipe is brought to you by Stonyfield

You see it at every party as the host tries to steer guests out of the kitchen and into the actual party. But people linger, dipping into the appetizer nibbles, and always congregating around the food.

And what’s the favorite at every party? It’s always the chips and dip. Everyone loves a dip. Because what’s not to love?

And there’s pretty much no dip more lovable than an easy, savory, French onion dip. It’s the gateway drug for anyone who claims they don’t like onions. It’s caramelized and sweet, and sturdy enough to take on any veggie or chip.

The only thing better? The fact that this caramelized onion dip tastes better because it’s made healthier with organic Greek yogurt.

continue to the recipe… about French Onion Dip

Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

Comfort food chili cravings never tasted so healthy, until now. This easy CrockPot chili is protein-packed with lean ground turkey, light and dark kidney beans, plus quinoa for an extra safety-net protein source that will keep you filled and full all day long and into the night.

The BEST Turkey Chili

It’s 5:30 p.m. and the sun has set behind the mountains and the sky has already settled into dark. There’s a chill is in the air and comfort food is what we’re all craving now. Turkey Pot Pie? Mac and Cheese? Sausage Lasagna? All delicious in their own right, but not exactly the lightest of fare.

And now that the fall season is here, the wrangling and jostling for the T.V. remote has begun. The World Series? (go Dodgers!). The Voice? (I’m with J-Hud Productions). More tears and tissues while crying with This Is Us? (I mean, seriously!) Or finally, a new Walking Dead? (My Smudge and I are convinced our Big Daddy should be Negan for Halloween.)

Our television viewing habits are as hotly debated as what sounds best for dinner.

But tonight, there’s one less argument to make because Big Mama (that’s me) thought ahead (for once) and put dinner in the slow cooker. And just like that, a healthy dinner is served.

And surprise, AliSmudge and Big Daddy don’t even complain that it’s oh-so good for them. But why would they? This turkey sweet potato chili is delish! And better yet, it’s so simple to make.continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Healthy Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa

Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

Classic stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef, and a rainbow of sweet red, yellow and orange bell peppers makes the best easy dinner idea any night of the week.

Ever since I was a starry eyed pre-teen, I’ve been a fan of drawing rainbows. Now I eat them.

But as a kid, I wrinkled my nose at the sight those orbed vegetables, and when they showed up on my dinner plate, I plotted how to ditch every single bite in a napkin that was slipped slyly to the dog anxiously waiting under the table.

But just like spending Sunday afternoons lazily visiting with family or friends, or relishing the time to simply sit and read a novel, eating the food you hated as a kid suddenly becomes not. that. bad. as an adult. And sometimes really, really good.

Plus, whenever I can serve a meal in it’s own vessel, it’s bonus time. Enter, stuffed bell peppers.continue to the recipe… about Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef

Easy Crème Brulee With Spoon Fork Bacon

Don’t be intimidated by this classic egg custard dessert’s fancy perception. With these easy rules, crème brûlée really is one of the simplest desserts to master.

We’ve had eggs on the brain lately, but we’re not the only ones. Jenny Park and Teri Lyn Fisher — the lovely ladies behind one of our favorite blogs, Spoon Fork Bacon, recently published their second beautiful cookbook, and it’s all about eggs.

The Perfect Egg includes 70 recipes that celebrate eggs in every from. It features snacks, entrees, and of course, desserts like this surprisingly easy crème brûlée.

“Eggs are such a versatile ingredient and something we eat and use almost everyday of our lives so we were immediately drawn to the subject,” says Jenny.

Since Jenny and Teri Lyn’s blog never fails to spur recipe inspiration and adoration, and since we think eggs are definitely all they’re cracked up to be, we couldn’t help but be drawn to “cracking” the covers of their book.

Oh yes, I did say that.

continue to the recipe… about Easy Crème Brulee With Spoon Fork Bacon

Slow Cooker Hatch Green Chile Verde

Your slow cooker does all the hard work for you in this pork green chili recipe. Hatch green chiles are the star of this soup, but jalapeños can be used if needed!

Searching for Hatch Green Chile Recipes

Here is the thing about eating seasonal: You eat it while it’s fresh and you eat it ’til it’s gone.

I’ve pretty much been living this mantra all week long thanks to a batch of Hatch chiles I was gifted that resulted in an unofficial Hatch chile week in my kitchen, on my dinner table, and here on the bloggity blog.

I was gifted these pretty little peppers by my friend Amanda, who brought them to me from New Mexico where Hatch chiles are authentically grown. Because it’s hard to get them fresh and locally here in Utah, I was thrilled! What a great hostess gift for a heat seeking foodie, don’t you think?

With so many options of how to put these chiles to work, I took to my Facebook page and asked you what recipes you wanted to see. Along with the favorites chile-topped cheeseburgers, chile rellenos, and enchiladas, here’s what you had to say:continue to the recipe… about Slow Cooker Hatch Green Chile Verde

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

This crockpot lasagna soup is like a deconstructed lasagna made in an Italian tomato broth full of vegetables with a creamy dollop of a three cheeses mixed in.

This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

If you’ve found yourself trolling Pinterest, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen the meaty stove-top version of this easy vegetarian lasagna soup floating around. And there’s a perfectly good reason for that.

Because it’s so dang good!

I’m very much into giving my favorite comfort foods a different spin to make them brand new again. And when it comes to lasagna, I have a couple of recipe twists on this classic Italian comfort food up my sleeve, or at least, in my recipe box.

This time around, a healthy change-up to everyone else’s lasagna soup was in the works. To make the soup even simpler to make while coordinating the fam’s busy schedules, I took this vegetarian lasagna soup from the stove to the crockpot for cooking with ease.

Slow cooking makes lasagna soup easy to make any night of the week, and it can be made with the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot too.

continue to the recipe… about Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

How to Cook Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (from Fresh or Frozen)

Healthy boneless chicken breasts can be shredded, sliced, or diced, and used as the base for countless healthy recipes, and when you cook them in the Instant Pot pressure cooker they can go from frozen OR fresh chicken breasts to fully cooked with just 10 minutes cooking time.

Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe

How many times have you come home and realized you’ve forgotten to pull the chicken from the freezer for tonight’s dinner? If you’re like me, it’s way too many.

But since I discovered how to cook both frozen chicken breasts and/or fresh chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, those days are over.

It seems like all too often us recipe creators, aka food bloggers, get caught up in creating that totally unique recipe.

The recipe that intrigues.

The recipe that nobody’s ever thought of before.

But the reality is, while those recipes are fun to bookmark and make every so often, it’s the basics for daily cooking that we really need. Like how to cook the basic boneless chicken breast, and how to cook it fast.

I’ve shared my recipes for the Best Grilled Chicken Breast and the Best Baked Chicken Breasts and you guys love them. So when I received requests for an Instant Pot version, how could I not oblige?

And once I started cooking chicken breasts STRAIGHT FROM THE FREEZER in my Instant Pot, I realized I needed to share with you how you can do the same.

So let’s talk basics.continue to the recipe… about How to Cook Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (from Fresh or Frozen)

← Previous

seasonal : winter

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Healthier Crockpot Corn Chowder

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Homemade Spaghetti Ingredients

How to Make Spaghetti Sauce

How to Reheat Spaghetti

Can You Freeze Spaghetti?

What Type of Red Wine Should I Buy?

Can I Omit the Wine?

Tips for Making Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

What to Serve with Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

My Mom's Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe Notes

More Italian Recipe Ideas

Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

The Best Stuffing Recipe

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Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Healthier 7 Layer Bars Recipe

Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread Recipe

The BEST Turkey Chili

Searching for Hatch Green Chile Recipes

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe

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