Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

The very moment I stumbled upon this recipe I knew it was a keeper and in fact I went out and bought the ingredients that same day. I love casseroles, and the cheesy crunchy top that reveals itself after baking so nicely in the hot oven! MMMMMMM I am a cheese & crispy bits  lover! I changed the recipe up some to suit my taste.  To see the original click here. For my edited version…READ ON!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp Paprika, I like hungarian but any will do even the hot stuff
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked in chicken stock instead of water to add more flavor)
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

(Love this shot)

DIRECTIONS – Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. I used a 10×13″ pan and it was full!
2. Cook rice and when it is finished set aside (use chicken stock instead of water for more flavor!)
3. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add 1 tbs olive oil, and garlic. Cook until just fragrant (about 1 minute or less) Add salt, pepper, paprika thyme and finally ground turkey. Cook until browned.
4. To the pan add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce and chicken stock.
5. Simmer until thickened, around 15 minutes give or take.
6. While meat mixture is thickening, cut up cabbage and make sure to cut out the core, and chop coarsely.
7. Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, add the cabbage and cook over medium heat until the cabbage is wilted (I added a lid to help the process along). You want the cabbage about half-cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
8. Add your cooked rice to your meat mixture and stir to combine well.
9. Take 1/2 of your wilted cabbage and place in your casserole dish, then 1/2 of your meat mixture and repeat until all is in pan. Mix together gently with large spoon.
10. Add cheese to top and bake for 40 minutes uncovered.
11. Let casserole sit for a few minutes before cutting, the cheese will stay in place better this way and you get nice even squares for everyone to enjoy, serve hot.
12. This dish is freezer friendly if you have leftovers. (which I did) I stored in a Tupperware container, air tight.

Fresh Vodka Spritzer Recipe:

1 oz Pinnacle Cake Vodka
1 oz Pinnacle Whip Cream Vodka
2 oz Seltzer Water
Juice of 1/2 lime
Basil & lime slice for garnish

Blend first 4 ingredients together and garnish with basil and lime slice. Light and refreshing!

 

If you liked this recipe, check out more from Sweet Heat Chefs and tell a friend!

• Cornbread Casserole
• Baked Pretzel Crusted Chicken
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac-N-Cheese

 

Skinny(er) Scalloped Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

Non stick cooking spray

10 medium peeled Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thinly. I used my food processor attachment at 2mm
2.5 tbsp butter
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, or if you are a garlic lover (like me) 2 cloves minced or microplaned (if you don’t have cloves, 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder)
1 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar or Gruye cheese or a combo of both
1/4 cup large grate parmesan cheese
2 cup fat-free milk
1 bay leaf
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 tsp thyme
2 tsp dijon mustard

1 green onion, thinly sliced for garnish

 

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9″x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl add potatoes, salt, & fresh cracked pepper. Toss well so everything is coated.
3. The placement of the potatoes will happen in 4 different batches. First batch take 1/4 of the potatoes and layer them on the bottom of the pan.
4. Add 1/4 of the cheese on top, repeat until all potatoes and cheese are in pan.
5. In a small saucepan, bring milk, butter, dijon mustard, thyme, bay leaf and nutmeg to a boil over medium heat stirring very frequently so it does not scald; pour over potatoes (remove bay leaf)
6. Top with the Parmesan cheese and green onions.
7. Bake uncovered, for 40 – 50 minutes (depending on how thick your potatoes were) or until potatoes are tender. 

Loaded Bake Potato Soup Crock Pot Style

INGREDIENTS

6 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/2″size
1 large onion, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1/4 cup butter (REAL butter)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cream or 1 cup half-and-half cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 cup sour cream (optional)
8 slices bacon, fried & crumbled
cheese, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Combine first seven ingredients in a large crock pot; cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours (potato should be tender).

Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thick. If you want it thicker, add 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes.

Stir in cream, cheese and chives.

Top with sour cream (if used), sprinkle with bacon and more cheese.

Related articles

• Creamy Chicken Rice & Veggie Soup (sweetheatchefs.com)
• 33 More Easy Crock Pot Recipes (foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com)

Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac-N-Cheese – It’s not too late for dinner plans!

Nothing says comfort quite like home-made mac-n-cheese. I never could resist cheese nor the crunchy browned goodness on top of a casserole. Putting the two together is sheer bliss in my book. Besides the boxed mac-n-cheese is nowhere near what mac-n-cheese should be. I have never purchased powdered cheese so why would I use it in a meal for my kids? Last time I looked cheese was something that was fresh!

This is a great go to meal, it comes together quickly and the aroma of cheese and bacon fill your home with deliciousness. Once you bite into the crunchy bacon topped, oozy gooey cheesy pasta you will be digging in for more!

My kids ask for this at least once a week. I have to restrict them, so I make a second smaller batch that I freeze. Let me tell you the frozen one is almost better than the fresh. 

INGREDIENTS

• 16  ounces  uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/2 lb sliced smoked bacon of your choice
• 3 chicken breasts, skinned boned and diced into bite sized pieces
• 3  tablespoon  butter
• 3  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1/3  cup  condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 2.5 cups shredded cheese, 1 cup jack, 1 cup pepper jack, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar (or whatever your favs are!)
• 2 tbs powdered ranch
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. I cut it up before cooking using my handy kitchen shears into bite sized pieces, then drain on paper towel and set aside. Reserving drippings in pan.

Add chicken to drippings in pan, sprinkle with pepper and a little salt (remember the bacon is salty) sauté for 10 minutes or until done.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes to get the flour taste out, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup in a bowl with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk, then add ranch powder.

Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and add cheese. Once cheese is all melted into sauce, stir in pasta and most of the chicken and most of the bacon. (Reserve a little of each to sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spoon mixture into a greased 9 x 11″ glass baking dish, and an 8 x 8″ glass baking dish. (Or if you have a super large one use that. I freeze the small one for later.) Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and chicken.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. DO NOT BROIL IN GLASS DISH, IT WILL BREAK ON YOU.

Serve with a side salad or vegetable to round out the meal.

My concoction of cheeses

Ready for the oven

Just out of the oven

Finished!

Jalapeno Popper Cornbread Pop’ems

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Marie Calendar cornbread mix

1.5 cups heavy cream

1/4 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 jalapeno, diced and seeded

1/4 cup jack cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons honey

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix together all ingredients in a bowl until all combined.

Spray mini muffin tin with non stick cooking spray

Add 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin spot

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool for 3 minutes and using a knife go around edges to loosen poppers, they should fall out after that.

I drizzle a little honey over the top and serve warm!

The warmth of the freshly out of the oven muffins, plus the warmed honey on top paired with the spiciness of the jalapeno creates an intensely packed pop of flavor in this little bite.

WARNING: You won’t want to stop popping at just 1 they are addictive little suckers! Perfect for snacking on at Game Day, your guy will LOVE these!!

Broccoflower Fritters

Normally when you hear the word “fritter” you, or at least I, think of a nice warm gooey apple fritter! Sadly not much nutrients in one of those, but in my veggie fritter, you will get a ton of them. From cancer fighting agents to helping fight those nasty cold buggies searching your immune system for a place to live. There is no end to the wonderful benefits of broccoli. You can make this recipe with just broccoli, or just cauliflower, I used a combination of broccoli and a broccoflower I found at the store that looked beautiful. This cross-breed between broccoli and cauliflower is it’s sweeter counterpart. You can eat it raw as is, or cook how you would broccoli or cauliflower. I love the taste of both so I decided to have the best of both worlds 😀

The crispy exterior of these fritters mixed with the tender interior with the nutty parmesan cheese and rosemary flavors really blend well together. Bringing a well-rounded side dish to your meal or just to eat as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 stalks rosemary, toasted and chopped
1/2 c flour
2 stalks brocoli
1/2 broccoflower
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt/pepper to taste
rosemary oil to cook in

DIRECTIONS

Steam your broccoli or broccoflower until fork tender.

In a medium sized bowl combine; eggs, parmesan cheese, cornmeal, rosemary, flour, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper (if using).

Add steamed broccoli or broccoflower and mash away. Using a potato masher works wonders for this process. You don’t want the consistency of mashed potatoes, you want a chunkier mixture with pieces of the vegetable throughout. 

In a skillet heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 sprig of rosemary. Heat on medium low to infuse the oil with the rosemary flavors. About 5-7 minutes.

Using a tablespoon, scoop 1 tablespoon of fritter batter into the hot rosemary oil and flatten with spatula.

Cook until brown on edges about 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Remove from oil and place on paper towel and give a light dusting of parmesean cheese & salt (optional). I omit the salt from the recipe and use it here instead.

Recipe makes approximately 15 fritters depending on the size you make them. They can be stored in an airtight ziplock or container in fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks.

Best served warm.  If re-heating, warm oven to 375 degrees F. Take a cookie sheet with a wire rack and place on cookie sheet, place fritters on rack and bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. 

Featured at: Foodie Friends Friday

Piggies In Blankets

INGREDIENTS
2 Cans Pillsbury Croissants Dough
1 pkg. mini smokies n cheddar
1 c. Parmesan Cheese (if you want to be fancy you could use poppy seeds here)
1 c. sharp grated cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Open the first can of croissant and unroll.
2. Take 1 triangle and separate from the rest of dough.
3. Place the triangle on cookie sheet and lay flat
4. Add 1 t. of sharp cheddar cheese
5. Add 1-2 little smokie hot dogs
6. Roll the croissant starting from the large end going toward the small end
7. Dip the entire “blanket” in the Parmesan cheese
8. Repeat until all croissant dough is used including the second can
9. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown (oven times vary so check after 10 minutes to see the progress)