This slow cooker lasagna soup is so wonderful and perfect for fall and winter, as the weather is getting cooler, I will be making this recipe a bunch of times!

My friend, Gina's new cookbook was recently released called Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes.

It's gorgeous!! It's a great resource: Gina shares 140 recipes that are quick and easy to make as well as slow cooker meals. I love slow cooker meals!

She has tons of tips on how to stock your pantry for fast and slow cooking as well as secrets for using your slow cooker!

Recipes in the Skinnytaste Fast and Slow cookbook that I want to make: Avocado Toast: 5 Ways, Pasta E Fagiloi, Cold Peanut-Sesame Chicken & Sprialized Cucumber Noodle Salad, Egg Roll Bowls (an egg roll in a bowl!), Pizza-Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups, Perfect Medium-Rare Roast Beef in the Slow Cooker, Baked Fish and Chips, Banana Pudding Cups and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Shooters. (Yes, this list is huge!)

Cook the chicken sausage along with onion and garlic.

Add the chicken, broth, water, marinara (I used store bought so I could make prep super easy), parsley, bay leaves and pepper.

Mix up ricotta and parmesan cheeses and the fresh parsley.

Refrigerate and this will be the topping for your soup!

Once the soup is mostly cooked up, you're going to add the spinach and the broken up lasagna noodles.

Let it cook for another 30 minutes.

Top with the cheese topping, more mozzarella cheese and freshly chopped basil!

This soup is soooo good! You will love it. It's so easy to make and the flavor, it's loaded. One of my new favorite soups, you guys!!!

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Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

Topping

• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Soup

• Cooking spray or oil mister
• 14 ounces sweet Italian chicken sausage casings removed
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups marinara sauce homemade (see Skinny Scoop) or store-bought
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach chopped
• 6 ounces lasagna noodles broken into small pieces
• 6 Tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the topping:

• In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley. Refrigerate until the soup is ready.

For the Soup:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to bread the meat into small pieces as it browns, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker and add the broth, 2 1/4 cups water, the marinara sauce, parsley, bay leaves, and pepper to taste.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
• About 30 minutes before the soup is ready, remove the bay leaves and add the spinach and broken pasta. Cover and cook on high until the pasta is cooked, about 30 minutes.
• Divide the soup among 6 bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with the mozzarella, basil, and pepper to taste.

Notes

 Time-Saving Tip: Using a mini chopper or food processor saves time in the kitchen. I keep mine on my counter to slice and dice all my vegetables.

 

 

from Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the cookbook from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The post Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I’m excited to once again partner with Tuttorosso Tomatoes to bring you this post and recipe.

I'm a huge fan of quick and easy meals. Weeknights are hard right? We don't have kids but sometimes I feel like we have so much going on. Too much to do and yes, even though I write and cook and run this blog, we also run out of ideas for dinner.

When one pot pastas came on to the scene, I was so intrigued and once I started trying them like this one and this one with mushrooms, I became obsessed.

The only reason I call this one a one pot lasagna pasta is because I added ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and of course beef…and it's so easy to make.

It's so simple to make and as long as you have great ingredients, it tastes amazing!

Can we talk tomatoes? Namely canned tomatoes…I am in love with Tuttorosso tomatoes. Last year, I attended an event in Atlanta with them and they showed us how to cut and taste tomatoes. It might sound strange but have you ever tasted the canned tomatoes that you buy?

They sent me their whole plum tomatoes along with another brand's whole plum tomatoes. When I opened both cans, I can tell the difference in quality. The Tuttorosso tomatoes are whole tomatoes, the other ones are in pieces. The texture and color, such a difference. When you taste the two different brands, there's a huge difference, you guys.

And my friend was really interested in this when I told her about this…she did a blind taste test and told me she liked the taste of Tuttorosso's tomatoes better.

Let's talk about this recipe. First we're going to cook the onions…

and the ground beef.

Once it's browned, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and then wipe the pan clean.

Add the pasta with the Tuttorosso tomatoes…

and also add the olive oil, water, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and basil.

And then mix it all up.

Bring it to a boil, once it's boiling, cook it for another 9 to 10 minutes.

Add the beef and mix.

Add both cheeses.

This recipe is soooo good! We loved it, our friends loved it…and even better, it reheats well.

What to have for dinner, problem solved and you'll thank me for it!

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One Pot Lasagna Pasta Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

Beef

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 12- ounce package of bowtie pasta
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 28- ounce can Tuttorosso diced tomatoes
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 5 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (plus more for serving)

Instructions

• Preparing the beef: Heat the olive oil in large skillet on medium for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Cook the beef for 3 to 4 minutes until browned. As you’re cooking the beef, break it up the beef with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
• Remove the cooked ground beef with a slotted spoon and place in a medium sized bowl, set aside. Wipe the pan with a paper towel.
• Add pasta, olive oil, Tuttorosso diced tomatoes, water, garlic, oregano, thyme, fresh basil, salt and pepper to skillet. Stir ingredients together and bring to a boil on high. Once it comes to a boil, boil for about 9 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Turn the heat down to low and add the cooked beef and cook for 1 minute to heat through. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Add the ricotta and mozzarella and serve.
• Serve with fresh chopped basil and more mozzarella cheese on top.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Tuttorosso. I only share with you brands and products that I love and always only share with you my own opinions.

The post One Pot Lasagna Pasta appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! I have to admit that I have made it several times already…I forsee that it will become a part of our regular rotation of easy to make weeknight meals! I have been wanting to try a sheet pan meal ever since I have seen them floating around Pinterest.

And then, my friend, Mary's new cookbook: The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook arrived in my mailbox and when I was flipping through the cookbook, I knew I had to make this sheet pan chicken dinner!

Her cookbook is great, packed with wonderful dinner ideas…so many that I want to try including: Mediterranean nachos, sweet & spicy salmon with broccoli, cheesy Mexican pasta, creamy balsamic skillet chicken, Greek chicken and Cajun roasted potatoes.

It takes just a few minutes to prep the ingredients for this sheet pan chicken dinner!

I didn't have dried basil for this recipe so I used fresh basil from my garden. I used between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup packed basil (before chopping).

I LOVE the veggies in this dish…

Mix all of the herbs, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in with the olive oil.

Toss that mixture all over the veggies and chicken.

Roast for 50 minutes and you have this beauty! So flavorful and so darn easy to make! It doesn't get any better than this!

I'm so excited for my friend, Mary and love her cookbook! You should definitely check it out!

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Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Green Beans and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4-5 small bone-in chicken thighs about 2 pounds (910 g)
• 1 pound 455 g small red potatoes, halved
• 1 pound 455 g fresh green beans
• 1/4 cup 60 ml olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons 30 ml fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons 9 g kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon 1 g dried basil*
• 1 teaspoon 1 g dried oregano*
• 1 teaspoon 1 g dried thyme*
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C, or gas mark 6). Place the chicken, potatoes and green beans on a large baking sheet. In a measuring cup, stir together the police oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices. Drizzle the mixture over the meat, potatoes and beans. Use your hands to stir the pieces around a bit and make sure everything is well coated. Be sure to leave the chicken skin side up.
• Place the pan in the center of the oven and roast for approximately 50 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. The potatoes should be tender and slightly crisp and the green beans should be browned, crisp and somewhat shriveled.

Notes

Cook’s Notes: If you have Italian seasoning, homemade (page 159) or store-bought, in your pantry, you can substitute 1 Tablespoon (7 g) seasoning mix for the herbs marked with an *. If extra-crispy green beans aren’t your thing, you can place the cooked beans in a bowl and wait to add them for the last 15 minutes of the cooking time. Just spread them around the pan over the potatoes.

If your potatoes are bigger than about 1 inch (2.5 cm), you’ll want to quarter them (instead of simply halving them) to make sure they pick up plenty of flavor from the seasonings.

Notes from The Little Kitchen: I didn't have dried basil so I used 1/4 to 1/3 cup packed fresh basil and then chopped it up. I loved using fresh basil when I made this!

You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts when making this recipe. I cut them into cutlets and tossed the mixture on the veggies and the chicken. Roast the vegetables for about 30 minutes and then add the chicken and roast for the remaining 20 minutes (so the chicken doesn't dry out).

from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook: Simple Family-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Home Cooking by Mary Younkin, creator of BarefeetInTheKitchen.com

 

Disclosure: I received a review of this cookbook from the publisher. All of my opinions are my own and I only share with you what I love. There are affiliate links in this post.

The post Sheet Pan Chicken Dinner appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I have seen so many one pot pasta dishes online and on pinterest and I have been wanting to try them forever. Especially, Martha Stewart's recipe for one pot linguine pasta with tomato & basil! I have made it with linguine and also of course made it withe penne pasta.

I'm a huge fan of quick and easy meals. I'm constantly trying to find new ideas for easy dinners instead of the same old, same old. I do struggle with what to have for dinner All. the. Time. Curtis would be happy with a rotation of the same 5 meals every week…but me, I need variety. In comes this dish…

I have made it with and without the crushed red pepper (Curtis loves every kind of pepper seasonings except crushed red pepper) and it's good with or without. So if you have kids and are afraid of the heat, you can leave it out!

Seriously, just throwing everything in one pan or pot is genius and I love the concept…will be adding more things white wine, other veggies like asparagus and even mushrooms to future one pot meals.

Last year, the editors of Martha Stewart Living published One Pot: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More and I was happy to sent a copy by the publisher.

It has 120 recipes, recipes you can make in your Dutch oven, slow cooker, pressure cooker, cast iron skillet and more.

There are so many recipes I want to try from it including: Baked Risotto (mindblowing!), Salmon with Kale, Short Ribs with Potato-Carrot Mash made in a pressure cooker (I LOVE mashed potatoes with carrots!) and Skillet Chocolate-Chip Cookie (yes they have one pot dessert recipes too)!

And this pasta recipe, choose whatever pasta, throw the ingredients into the pan and in less than 10 minutes, you have dinner all cooked…love it. Curtis loved it too!

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Penne with Tomato & Basil Recipe

You won’t believe it till you try it: Cook linguine in water with tomato, basil, and garlic thrown right in the same pot. Let the water boil away, and you have pasta in a delectable sauce.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine or penne
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes halved or quartered if large
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs basil plus torn leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4½ cups water
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Instructions

• In a large sauté pan, combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the water; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta, stirring frequently with tongs, until al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with torn basil. Serve with oil and cheese.

Notes

Reprinted from One Pot: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More. Copyright © 2014 by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

// Disclosure: This cookbook was sent to be for the purpose of review by the publisher. All opinions are my own and I only share with you what I love. There are affiliate links in this post. //

The post One Pot Penne Pasta with Tomato & Basil appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm excited to share this quick and simple summer recipe thanks to Cobblestone Bread Co..

To me, summer is about long sunny days, icy cold drinks, grilling outside and hanging out with friends and family. I think it's my favorite season of the year because of the long sunny days (but not the Florida heat part of it ). I love easy grilling recipes and this recipe is a fresh take on a classic – a caprese sandwich with grilled zucchini and I love that it's vegetarian.

This recipe is so easy, it will take you less than 20 minutes and you'll be eating soon!

You know as well as I do, how important the bread is. The bread makes the sandwich! For this recipe, I chose the Cracked Wheat Kaiser Rolls. It's so good and works great for every day sandwiches and for your favorite grilling recipes.

Add olive oil and salt and pepper your zucchini slices. You can use eggplant or red peppers, if you want.

There's nothing like grilled vegetables…my favorite side dish during the summer!

It's so good. I used a fig balsamic glaze when I made these and it's awesome. It's your favorite caprese sandwich kicked up a notch. For Curtis, I would have to add a piece of grilled chicken. Light, easy, quick and it's even gourmet!

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Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini sliced lengthwise
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
• 1 large tomato sliced
• basil leaves
• balsamic glaze
• 4 Cobblestone Bread Co. Cracked Wheat Kaiser Rolls

Instructions

• Preheat a grill on high or a grill on pan on your indoor range at medium high. Season zucchini slices with salt and drizzle olive oil on top. Grill zucchini slices on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
• Layer zucchini, mozzarella, one slice of tomato, basil leaves on Cobblestone Bread Co. 

  Cracked Wheat Kaiser Rolls. Drizzle balsamic glaze to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

Notes: Grilled zucchini can be substituted with red peppers or eggplant. Feel free to add grilled onions or to make it for your favorite meatlover, add a piece of grilled chicken.

Disclosure: Compensation for this post was provided by Cobblestone Bread Co. via AOL Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Cobblestone Bread Co. or AOL.

The post Grilled Zucchini Caprese Sandwich appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Okay, I'm going to have to just fold and let Fall take over but just one last summer post…maybe? I'm obsessed with this shrimp & pesto pasta dish and I have made it like five times…I know, I know, I should have shared it with you earlier. I think I'm about to go make it again today! Because this weekend, I cut my basil plants back again and harvested this…

can you believe this? It was like 4.5 or 5 inches. I wish I had measured it!

On a whim, I bought this bag of Peggy Green plant food at Whole Foods a few months back and have been using it on my plants and on the back, it promises 6-inch basil leaves. Seriously, this stuff is amazing but you know it stinks so the dogs crave it. Just a little warning for you! haha

And this amazing ice cube tray, I picked up at Marshalls this past weekend. Going to use it for regular ice cubes but first…

to freeze my pesto! I recently posted my recipe for homemade basil pesto and a video too, so check that out if you haven't already!

Cook the pasta and then work on your other ingredients. After cleaning and deveining the shrimp, wipe them dry with a paper towel.

Then, cook the shrimp and tomatoes in butter and olive oil.

It only takes a few minutes to cook.

You will make this and I know you will love this dish! It's easy, literally takes only a few minutes to put together if you have the pesto already made. I eat it all myself and it reheats well too!

I'm a big baby…but I'm starting to come to grips with summer going away.

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Shrimp and Pesto Pasta Toss Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound pasta twists or corkscrew, cooked according to package instructions
• 1 pound frozen shrimp defrosted, cleaned and deveined
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
• 1 Tablespoon salted butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup store bought or homemade pesto
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Pat shrimp dry using clean paper towels. Add olive oil and butter to a non-stick or cast iron skillet set to medium high heat. After the butter has melted, add add shrimp and tomatoes. Cook until shrimp is thoroughly cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add cooked pasta, shrimp and tomatoes to a large bowl. Mix together. Add pesto and toss until combined. Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.

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