easy weeknight dinner – In Good Taste

Weeknight Date Night Dinner [Recipe: Bacon Caesar Salad]

Maris Callahan — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 06:42:02 +0000

Stouffer’s Lasagna with Meat & Sauce, traditional lasagna noodles layered with an herb seasoned tomato and meat sauce and three kinds of cheese, is perfect to serve for weeknight date night dinner or for a quick after-work dinner when you’re craving hearty comfort food. Pair with a big, loaded cheese and bacon caesar salad and crusty baguette to round out your meal. Here’s the thing: I think I’ve ruined my boyfriend for life. I’ve made a lot of meals for us from scratch: chicken, shrimp and spicy sausage gumbo, jambalaya, loaded nachos with all the bells and whistles and a few batches of cake nor candy brownies have seen the inside of my oven, too. Oh, but that isn’t how I’ve ruined him. I ruined him because after spending a day at Stouffer’s Open Kitchen (psst…can you find me in their video?) with Chef Holly in July, we’ve eaten a lot of Stouffer’s lasagna. And now, I’m pretty sure he’s going to forever prefer it to my homemade version. And you know what? Because there is absolutely no cleanup required to produce a meal that is gooey, cheesy, savory and packed with delicious carbs — and also, plenty of protein and calcium, I think I do too. Oh, […]

The post Weeknight Date Night Dinner [Recipe: Bacon Caesar Salad] appeared first on In Good Taste.

Zucchini Pasta (Zoodles) with Avocado-Walnut Pesto

Maris Callahan — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:54:14 +0000

I know people have been all about the zucchini pasta, or zoodles, for a really really long time but I only caught on this past summer. As much as I love pasta of all shapes and sizes, I am also mindful of the fact that I travel frequently and it would be sort of expensive to have to buy a second seat every time I fly. To balance my love of bread, pasta, cheese and chocolate, I occasionally take breaks and eat low carb, which means a lot of lean protein, vegetables and subbing zoodles into recipes that would ordinarily call for pasta. You can make spiralized noodles with just about any vegetable — cucumber, sweet potato, summer squash, carrots and even pumpkin. They’ve long since been a trick of restaurant chefs and they’re a great way to add more veggies into your meal routines. These zoodles are dressed with a rich and savory avocado-walnut pesto, a combination born from my favorite avocado pasta recipe along with the fact that I had about a quarter bag of chopped walnuts that I wanted to use. I dropped half of my avocado into the sink when I was pitting it, so my sauce […]

The post Zucchini Pasta (Zoodles) with Avocado-Walnut Pesto appeared first on In Good Taste.

The Easiest One Pot Pasta You’ll Ever Make

Maris Callahan — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 15:00:34 +0000

Today, your life is going to change. Let’s talk about one-pot pasta. One pot, about thirty minutes and boom: dinner. If you’re committed to reducing the amount of dishwashing in your life there is no reason why you can’t eat this straight from the serving dish, too. Unless you’re not dining alone, then that would be weird. I like the recipe because it is the quintessential recipe for someone who thinks they are too busy to cook. This takes less time than it would take you to make a sandwich (assuming you make really good sandwiches). It allows you to get dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes, which is no small feat for me. It’s also admittedly fun to watch – you start with a lot of things in a big pot and minutes later, the liquid begins to reduce into a creamy sauce and you know your dinner is going to be the subject of envy to all of your social media followers. 5.0 from 2 reviews Save Print The Easiest One Pot Pasta You'll Ever Make Author: Adapted from Martha Stewart Recipe type: Cooking for a Crowd, Worknight Dinners Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins […]

The post The Easiest One Pot Pasta You’ll Ever Make appeared first on In Good Taste.

Shells and Cheese with Browned Butter and Swiss Chard

Maris Callahan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:22:40 +0000

Recently, it’s come to my attention that I led an extremely deprived childhood. I recently learned that for some families, macaroni and cheese (or shells and cheese) was a Thanksgiving dinner staple. Oh, relax. I kid. It’s not like I starved – especially on Thanksgiving – and it’s actually a very good thing that there was no macaroni and cheese at Thanksgiving because if there had been, I’m quite certain none of the other side dishes would be eaten. Well…maybe they would…by me…standing in front of the refrigerator four hours after declaring I was too full to ever eat again. I’m predictable like that. When I cook Thanksgiving dinner, as I am this year at my mom’s house, part of me thinks that everyday dishes should be saved for other days, like non-holidays. Another part of me realizes that we can have stuffing, mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce on any day of the year, so why bother saving it for the fourth Thursday in November? Existentialism aside, I see no reason to fill up on stick-to-your-ribs side dishes like shells and cheese on days when your focus is elsewhere – like on can-I-have-the-piece-of-sweet-potato-casserole-with-extra-marshmallows, please? A recipe like this should […]

The post Shells and Cheese with Browned Butter and Swiss Chard appeared first on In Good Taste.

No-Cook Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Maris Callahan — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:00:06 +0000

It’s a scorching 98 degrees today. And you know the house rules: the oven stays at OFF. I wish I were one of those girls who could say It’s summer! I’ll just eat “FroYo” for dinner. But no, not me. If I don’t sit down at a table to enjoy a proper meal, I am not a happy camper. And you do not want to see me unhappy, do you? Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a gorgeous bunch of fresh basil that my mom gave me on a recent trip home (thanks, mom!). This no-cook tomato basil pasta sauce may just be my new go-to. This meal is a healthy and quick make-ahead dish and is relatively heat free. The sauce is made to sit covered (not refrigerated!) for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day. I made the sauce in the morning before work and it took about 30 minutes to wash and chop all of the ingredients. And that was while multi-tasking. Someone had to tell mom her basil was being put to good use… Within minutes, my apartment smelled like a summer garden. Which reminds me, if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, all […]

The post No-Cook Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce appeared first on In Good Taste.