This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Here’s another quick recipe I often make: Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes! Y’all know I love my broccoli. With just a handful of ingredients and half an hour, and you’ve got a great side dish, or main if you love broccoli and tomatoes as my oldest kid does!
Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes recipe:
Broccoli florets: I started with a bag of florets, but feel free to trim them off of heads of broccoli instead. Use fresh broccoli, not frozen. I’m not sure how the water content there would throw things off, and I know the texture wouldn’t be the same.
Cherry tomatoes: Or grape tomatoes – either or! Honestly, I’m not sure the difference between the two.
Balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, Kosher salt, cracked black pepper:
Extra virgin olive oil:
How to Make Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this recipe:
Prepare for Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes. Place an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with olive oil, or line it with a silicone mat.
Season and toss. In a large bowl – or directly on the baking tray – toss broccoli and tomatoes together in the oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Make sure all the seasonings are well distributed throughout.
Roast ’em. Spread the seasoned broccoli and tomatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast at 425°F for 15–20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and slightly charred, and the tomatoes are starting to shrivel and burst.
Place an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with olive oil, or line it with a silicone mat.
In a large bowl – or directly on the baking tray – toss broccoli and tomatoes together in the oil, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Make sure all the seasonings are well distributed throughout.
Spread the seasoned broccoli and tomatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.
Roast at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and slightly charred, and the tomatoes are starting to shrivel and burst. Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Introducing this Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet. I originally intended on making my Cajun Butter Steak Tips, Easy Roasted Broccoli, and Crunchy Roasted Potatoes, but then pivoted at the last moment, and ended up with this! A few folks requested a written recipe, and here we are.
What You’ll Need
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet recipe:
NY Strip Steaks: You can use whatever your favorite cut here is: filet mignon, sirloin, and ribeyes would all be great options. I had strip steaks on hand so that’s what I used, but my preference is definitely filet (I’m not a marbling girl if you didn’t know).
Russet potatoes, broccoli florets: As mentioned earlier I was actually going to make roasted potatoes with steak and broccoli, but changed it up in the middle of preparing everything. I like how the Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet turned out, but it would probably be more aesthetically pleasing had I used red or Yukon gold potatoes. They hold their shape better making it less vital to gently fold everything together at the end. You can just stir.
Salted butter, vegetable oil, olive oil: Our fats. Unsalted butter is fine, and olive oil and vegetable oil can be swapped out or switched without any real change. I just wrote it out the way that I made it. If you do elect to use a different oil just make sure the smoke point is high. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil, it’ll burn!
Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, cracked black pepper, Kosher salt: I’m using my homemade low-sodium cajun blend. You use your favorite. If yours has salt in it, you might need to reduce the amount of seasoned salt called for. The kosher salt is for boiling the broccoli.
How to Make Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet recipe:
Prepare the Steak and Potatoes. Toss your steak into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add one teaspoon of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of cajun seasoning. Stir, making sure all of the steak pieces are evenly seasoned. Set them aside and let them marinate while you prepare the potatoes. Add your chopped potatoes to a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1″. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-high. Let boil until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes, then use a spider strainer or large slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes from the pot to a colander. Allow the potatoes to rest in the colander so that any excess liquid evaporates. We don’t want a soggy Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet!
Prepare the Broccoli. Bring the water you cooked the potatoes in back to a boil and add the kosher salt. Once the water is rolling, add the broccoli florets and boil until bright green and the stems are slightly tender – about 5-7 minutes. Once you’re happy with their bite, drain and set them aside.
Shake up the Potatoes. Place the colander inside a large mixing bowl. If you don’t have a bowl large enough to fit the colander transfer them to the bowl itself. Either way, shake the hell out of the potatoes. If you know how to toss a frying pan, do that: use the same circular motion. The potatoes will start to crumble on the outside, releasing lil’ potato pieces and forming a sort of paste on the outside. If you used the colander, now pour the potatoes directly into the large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cajun seasoning and all of the seasoned salt over them, then use a spatula to stir them to work the seasonings into the potatoes until evenly distributed. Now the components of our Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet are ready to combine!
It’s Skillet time! Place a large skillet – at least 10″ – over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and let it melt along with a drizzle of olive oil. As soon as the butter is completely melted and a bit foamy, add the steak tips in a single layer, and make sure there’s a decent amount of space between each one. Let sear for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip. Add another tablespoon of butter to the center of the pan, and cook the steak for 2 more minutes, then remove from the pan. Add more butter and repeat with the remaining steak, in as many batches as needed, then set them aside.
Finish the Steak and Broccoli Potato Skillet. Add all of the remaining butter to the pan, along with the rest of the vegetable oil. Let it heat for a minute or two, then pour the potatoes into the pan. Spread them out into a single, even layer, as best you can, and allow to fry on one side for 6 minutes. Use a large spatula to flip them, and let them fry on the opposite side for another 3-5 minutes, just until crisp. When you’re happy with the color and texture of the outside of the potatoes, go ahead and pour the steak tips and broccoli florets into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and toss together until everything is well combined. Let cook together for 3-4 minutes, just so the steak cooks thru a bite more – unless you prefer it rare, then don’t – and remove from heat. Serve hot. Enjoy! Dassit!
1 1/2lb broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp cajun seasoning, divided
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, to taste
2 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
Toss your steak into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add one teaspoon of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of cajun seasoning. Stir, making sure all of the steak pieces are evenly seasoned. Set them aside and let them marinate while you prepare the potatoes.
Add your chopped potatoes to a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1″. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-high. Let boil until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes, then use a spider strainer or large slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes from the pot to a colander. Allow the potatoes to rest in the colander so that any excess liquid evaporates.
Bring the water you cooked the potatoes in back to a boil and add the kosher salt. Once the water is rolling, add the broccoli florets and boil until bright green and the stems are slightly tender – about 5-7 minutes. Once you’re happy with their bite, drain and set them aside.
Place the colander inside a large mixing bowl. If you don’t have a bowl large enough to fit the colander transfer them to the bowl itself. Either way, shake the hell out of the potatoes. If you know how to toss a frying pan, do that: use the same circular motion. The potatoes will start to crumble on the outside, releasing lil’ potato pieces and forming a sort of paste on the outside.
If you used the colander, now pour the potatoes directly into the large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cajun seasoning and all of the seasoned salt over them, then use a spatula to stir them to work the seasonings into the potatoes until evenly distributed.
Place a large skillet – at least 10″ – over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of butter and let it melt along with a drizzle of olive oil.
As soon as the butter is completely melted and a bit foamy, add the steak tips in a single layer, and make sure there’s a decent amount of space between each one. Let sear for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip.
Add another tablespoon of butter to the center of the pan, and cook the steak for 2 more minutes, then remove from the pan. Add more butter and repeat with the remaining steak, in as many batches as needed, then set them aside.
Add all of the remaining butter to the pan, along with the rest of the vegetable oil. Let it heat for a minute or two, then pour the potatoes into the pan. Spread them out into a single, even layer, as best you can, and allow to fry on one side for 6 minutes. Use a large spatula to flip them, and let them fry on the opposite side for another 3-5 minutes, just until crisp. When you’re happy with the color and texture of the outside of the potatoes, go ahead and pour the steak tips and broccoli florets into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and toss together until everything is well combined. Let cook together for 3-4 minutes, just so the steak cooks thru a bite more – unless you prefer it rare, then don’t – and remove from heat. Serve hot. Enjoy! Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice is a one-pot rendition of my Cheesy Baked Chicken and Broccoli Rice recipe. If you’ve been with me for a while then you’ll know I have a big affinity for broccoli and cheddar together, especially when you throw a little chicken in the mix!
I think y’all will enjoy this one quite a bit, if only because it’s much less involved than your traditional casseroles, and you won’t even need your oven. It’s also ready in much less time – around half an hour. What could be better? Not much, I’ll tell ya.
One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice recipe:
Broccoli florets, yellow onion: Broccoli florets meaning the parts that look like trees. If they’re super large break them up into smaller trees. We want bite-sized pieces that cook quickly, and that fit on our fork.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Slice them thinly with a chef’s knife, not vertically into cutlets, but down the surface horizontally into tiny little strips. If you’d like to use thighs feel free, just trim off as much of the fat as you can before you chop them up. We don’t want greasy One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice.
Long-grain white rice: I used one cup of Ben’s Original and one cup of Indian Basmati in the video I pushed to my socials making this one. Use two cups total of whatever your favorite long-grain variety is. You can wash your rice if you want, but I don’t.
Sharp cheddar cheese, monterrey jack, gournay cheese: I’m new to Boursin cheeses, but I’m loving them so far! For this One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice, I used their classic Garlic & Herb variety. I also used sharp white cheddar cheese, and I had a bit of monterrey jack leftover from another meal so I added that too. If you don’t have Boursin you can substitute cream cheese, and yellow cheddar would be fine instead of white.
Whole milk, chicken broth: Chicken broth for cooking down the rice, whole milk for creating the creamy sauciness that makes this similar to regular ol’ broccoli cheddar casserole.
Butter, olive oil: Salted or unsalted, it doesn’t matter. Olive oil is for getting the seasonings to adhere to the chicken, and can be substituted for another oil – just make sure it’s one with a high smoke point since we’re searing the chicken. We don’t want it to burn.
All-purpose seasoning, seasoned salt, paprika, granulated garlic, dry mustard, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes: If you can’t find all-purpose seasoning, poultry seasoning, or cajun seasoning both would work fine. You could also just use more seasoned salt. Speaking of seasoned salt, you can substitute it with kosher salt if you want. As always, make sure to adjust it to taste. You’re eating this One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice, not me!
How to Make One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice recipe:
Prepare the Chicken. Grab a large saute pan that can hold at least 4 quarts in volume – this makes a hefty portion of One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice and place it on the stove. Turn the heat on to medium-high and allow the pan to preheat while you prep the chicken. Add the chicken to a mixing bowl and toss in the olive oil, all-purpose seasoning, paprika, granulated garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine, making sure all the pieces of chicken are well seasoned.
Cook the Chicken and Rice. Add the chicken to the pan and spread it out into a single layer. Allow it to sear, undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip. Let it cook on the opposite side, then stir it up a bit and continue cooking until no more pink remains. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Add the butter and onion to the pan. Allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and deepened in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add your rice to the pan along with a few pinches of seasoned salt. Stir to get the rice coated in the butter, and allow the rice to toast, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, give it a stir, and bring it to a boil. Once that happens, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the rice is peeking out.
Add the Broccoli and Cheese. Increase the heat to medium and add the broccoli, and gournay cheese along with half of the milk, half of the shredded cheese, and one teaspoon of seasoned salt. Stir them together, then replace the lid. Allow to cook for 3-4, until the cheese has melted and the broccoli has turned bright green.
Finish the One-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice. Remove the lid and stir in the remaining milk and cheese. Once everything is well combined give it a taste. Stir in more seasoned salt, if needed, then return the lid and turn off the heat. Dassit!
1 1/2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
2C long-grain white rice
4 C chicken broth
1C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 C Monterrey jack cheese
1C whole milk
2.5oz (half of one package) garlic and herb gournay cheese
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose or poultry seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Grab a large saute pan that can hold at least 4 quarts in volume and place it on the stove. Turn the heat on to medium-high and allow the pan to preheat while you prep the chicken.
Add the chicken to a mixing bowl and toss in the olive oil, all-purpose seasoning, paprika, granulated garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine, making sure all the pieces of chicken are well seasoned.
Add the chicken to the pan and spread it out into a single layer. Allow it to sear, undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip. Let it cook on the opposite side, then stir it up a bit and continue cooking until no more pink remains.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Add the butter and onion to the pan. Allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened and deepened in color, about 3-4 minutes.
Add your rice to the pan along with a few pinches of seasoned salt. Stir to get the rice coated in the butter, and allow the rice to toast, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, give it a stir, and bring it to a boil. Once that happens, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the rice is peeking out.
Increase the heat to medium and add the broccoli, and gournay cheese along with half of the milk, half of the shredded cheese, crushed pepper flakes, and one teaspoon of seasoned salt. Stir them together, then replace the lid. Allow to cook for 3-4, until the cheese has melted and the broccoli has turned bright green.
Remove the lid and stir in the remaining milk and cheese. Once everything is well combined give it a taste. Stir in more seasoned salt, if needed, then return the lid and turn off the heat. Dassit!
Notes
Advice and tips on substitutions and such all live in the post above the recipe so scroll back up there!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
It’s like pulling teeth to get my husband to help me decide what’s for dinner, but one day last week he said was craving Beef and Broccoli and that sounds like a suggestion to me! The last time we ordered Chinese takeout the bill was $70 (!!!) so I decided to whip up my homemade version, and of course, I had to share it with you!
My recipe is loosely based on the video I watched of Tasty’s Easy Beef And Broccoli Recipe. I’m not sure how authentic it is, but it’s freaking delicious so I don’t really care. Tender flank steak and broccoli florets are simmered in a savory garlic and ginger sauce.
Beef and Broccoli Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Beef and Broccoli recipe:
Flank steak: Flank steak is my favorite cut of beef to use for these types of stir fry – and Pepper Steak! As long as it’s prepared correctly, it’s tender -but with the perfect amount of chew – and flavorful.
Broccoli florets: I purchase broccoli crowns at the grocery store, then chop those into florets. Bite-sized pieces. You can use stalks too if you like.
Garlic, ginger: Flavorings. Incredibly important, both of them, to the final Beef and Broccoli dish. If you don’t have fresh the powdered version will work fine.
Beef broth, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil: Liquids! These make up the majority of the savory garlic sauce the steak and broccoli swim in.
Brown sugar: Just a touch of either light or dark. Not enough to really sweeten the sauce, but offer some lift and depth alongside the garlic and ginger. If you’d prefer a sweeter sauce with your Beef and Broccoli you can increase the amount of sugar. White sugar will work fine.
Cornstarch, mirin: We use these to tenderize and marinate the flank steak after slicing, along with a bit of kosher salt and black pepper. If you’d like a thicker sauce at the end, you can combine two teaspoons of cornstarch with one teaspoon of cold water and stir that into the sauce before you return the flank steak to the pan.
Vegetable oil: For searing the steak.
Crushed red pepper flakes, Kosher salt, cracked black pepper: Our dry seasonings. Crushed red pepper flakes can be omitted if you’re sensitive to heat.
How to Make Beef and Broccoli
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Beef and Broccoli recipe:
Marinate the meat. Add your sliced flank steak to a mixing bowl or other container. To it, add the mirin, cornstarch, and a pinch of both kosher salt and black pepper. Toss the steak, making sure the cornstarch and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and allow it to marinate at room temperature.
Prep the broccoli (optional). For a more tender floret, steam your broccoli: you can either do this in the microwave but I like to do it in the same skillet I’ll cook the beef in: add the broccoli to the skillet along with a tablespoon of water. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium, and allow to cook until the water has evaporated and the broccoli is bright green.
Sear the steak. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat for 2-3 minutes. After the pan has preheated add just enough oil to cover the surface of the pan, and begin adding the flank steak in a single layer, spaced slightly apart to ensure they sear and don’t just stream. Allow to cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for another minute. After a minute or so, remove from the pan and set the steak aside. Continue cooking the steak in batches, adding more oil between as needed.
Make the Beef and Broccoli sauce. Once all the steak has been seared, add the beef broth and soy sauce to the frying pan. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium. Let cook for 5 minutes, until just slightly thickened and reduced. Taste and add more Kosher salt if needed.
Sauté and simmer the Beef and Broccoli. Add the seared flank steak back to the pan, along with the broccoli and red pepper flakes, and toss them together, getting everything nice and coated in the sauce. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Serve immediately. I like it over rice with sesame seeds as garnish. Dassit!
Add your sliced flank steak to a mixing bowl or other container. To it, add the mirin, cornstarch, and a pinch of both kosher salt and black pepper. Toss the steak, making sure the cornstarch and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and allow it to marinate at room temperature.
For a more tender floret, steam your broccoli: you can either do this in the microwave but I like to do it in the same skillet I’ll cook the beef in: add the broccoli to the skillet along with a tablespoon of water. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium, and allow to cook until the water has evaporated and the broccoli is bright green.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat for 2-3 minutes. After the pan has preheated add just enough oil to cover the surface of the pan, and begin adding the flank steak in a single layer, spaced slightly apart to ensure they sear and don’t just stream. Allow to cook undisturbed for 4 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for another minute. After a minute or so, remove from the pan and set the steak aside. Continue cooking the steak in batches, adding more oil between as needed.
Once all the steak has been seared, add the beef broth and soy sauce to the frying pan. Stir in the toasted sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium. Let cook for 5 minutes, until just slightly thickened and reduced. Taste and add more Kosher salt if needed.
Add the seared flank steak back to the pan, along with the broccoli and red pepper flakes, and toss them together, getting everything nice and coated in the sauce. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Serve immediately. I like it over rice with sesame seeds as garnish. Dassit!
Notes
Check the post above the recipe for all my tips and advice.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup has been housed in my ebook We Got Food at The House for the past couple of years, and now it’s here! It hasn’t changed too much: I increased the amount of vegetable stock called for and simplified the instructions a bit.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe:
Sharp cheddar cheese: Or extra sharp. Don’t use anything milder than sharp or else it won’t taste very much like cheddar. Use yellow/orange cheese too: the Broccoli Cheddar Soup might look weird if you use white.
Broccoli florets, carrot: You can use the whole head of broccoli if you want, just cut the stalks into small pieces. Grate the carrot – we only really want the slight sweetness it’ll add.
Vidalia onion, garlic: Yellow or sweet will work if you can’t find Vidalia. White and red will too, but don’t opt for those if you have a choice.
Vegetable stock, heavy cream, whole milk: It’s not soup without liquid! Mostly vegetable stock – chicken stock will work too – with heavy cream and milk to make the Broccoli Cheddar Soup creamy.
All-purpose flour: To thicken things up a bit, and make them creamier in the end.
Salted butter: To saute the aromatics, and marry with the flour to make the roux to thicken things.
Seasoned salt, dry mustard powder, cracked black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper: Flavorings! Dry mustard to bring out the cheddar flavor, cayenne to heighten the broccoli, seasoned salt because it’s better than regular salt (regular Kosher salt works just fine), and cracked black pepper for color, texture and zip.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Full instructions are included in the recipe below and you can watch me make this on Instagram, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe:
Saute the aromatics. Add the butter to a large, heavy-bottomed pot and melt. Add in the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more, just until fragrant.
Build the roux. Add the remaining butter and melt, then sprinkle in the flour. Allow the flour and butter to make a roux, and whisk as it cooks for a few minutes – make sure to allow it to thicken into a sort of paste, or the soup will not thicken correctly later.
Make it soup! Stir in the stock, milk, and cream and simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Add in your seasonings and vegetables and continue to simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender to your liking.
Finish the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Turn off the heat. Stir in the shredded cheese and allow to melt. Serve immediately. It’ll store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
It’s way cheaper than Panera Bread. More work tho, which I guess is why we buy it from them, huh?
Ingredients
UnitsScale
1 1/2lbs broccoli florets, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 large carrot, grated
1 small Vidalia onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 C vegetable stock
1 1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated plus more for serving
1 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1/3 C all-purpose flour
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp seasoned salt, to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
Add the butter to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high and melt. Add in the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more, just until fragrant.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic. Stir everything together, allowing the flour and butter to make a sort of paste. This is your roux, and it’ll thicken the soup. Cook, stirring constantly until it’s deepened in color just a tad, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the vegetable stock, milk, and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add the dry mustard, seasoned salt, paprika, cayenne, carrots, and broccoli to the pot and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the soup to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and stir in the shredded cheese, until it’s completely melted and distributed throughout. Serve immediately, with a sprinkle of cheddar on top. Dassit!
Notes
Don’t skip the post above the recipe! It’s where all my advice lives.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Another broccoli and cheese recipe, yes! An elite combination, if you ask me. This Broccoli Cheddar Orzo makes a delicious side dish, but it’s hearty and filling enough to be a meatless main course. Orzo is a pasta that I love but always forget exists; it’s pasta in the shape of really big grains of rice, pretty much. It’s a key component of my Tuscan Kale Soup.
Broccoli Cheddar OrzoIngredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Broccoli Cheddar Orzo recipe:
Broccoli: I’ve become really lazy lately, so I’ve been purchasing bags of broccoli florets that I wash and chop down into bite-sized pieces. You can use fresh or frozen (thawed) broccoli, just make sure you have two pounds of it.
Orzo: It’s pasta, shaped like rice! In my experience orzo cooks much more quickly than other types of pasta so be mindful when you’re making this Broccoli Cheddar Orzo.
Onion, garlic: Aromatics. You can substitute with powdered versions if you like.
Vegetable broth, whole milk: I used vegetable broth because my vegetarian kid was having this as a main course. Chicken broth would work, too. I wouldn’t do beef, I think it’d be a bit overpowering. The amount of milk will depend on how you want the final consistency. I generally use just under two cups, maybe like 1 2/3 C, but if you’d like a looser, more “pasta-in-sauce” consistency use the whole two cups.
Lemon juice: Just a bit, to bring some brightness to the dish. Not enough to make it lemony.
Cheddar cheese: I used sharp, but medium or extra sharp would work just fine. Follow your tastebuds.
Salted butter: For sauteing the aromatics and building the roux. You can use oil instead.
All-purpose flour: For thickening purposes.
Garlic powder, Kosher salt, onion powder, seasoned salt, ground white pepper, dried oregano, cracked black pepper, ground mustard: Our Broccoli Cheddar Orzo seasonings. The garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt go on the broccoli before it roasts. The others are simmered with the orzo.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Broccoli Cheddar Orzo recipe:
Mmm, broccoli. Preheat your oven to 475°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Either directly on the sheet pan or in a large mixing bowl, season the broccoli with garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt. Drizzle in the grapeseed oil, and toss to coat. Once the broccoli is all seasoned and oiled, spread it out into a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Place it in the oven, and roast for 8 minutes. In the meantime, start on the orzo portion of the Broccoli Cheddar Orzo.
Sauté the aromatics. Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted add the onion. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened slightly, then stir in the garlic and continue simmering for two minutes. At this point, check on your broccoli. Pull it from the oven and flip so the other side gets charred. Put it back in the oven and continue roasting for 7-8 more minutes.
It’s roux time! Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic. Stir together until there is no more dry flour. If you need to add a bit more butter or some oil that’s fine. Once the butter and flour have melded, go ahead and pour in all of the vegetable broth and one cup of the whole milk. Next, stir in the orzo, and all remaining dry seasonings: white pepper, seasoned salt, ground mustard, dried oregano, and black pepper, then stir in the lemon juice.
Simmer. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir again, then cover with a lid. Simmer the orzo for 7 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent sticking. Your broccoli should be ready, so pull it from the oven and rest it on the counter for now.
Add the broccoli. After 7 minutes give the orzo another stir, then add the broccoli and all of the remaining milk. Simmer the Broccoli Cheddar Orzo ’til the orzo is tender – about 3-5 minutes more.
Add the cheese. When the orzo is cooked through add the sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir to combine well, then put the lid back on and turn off the heat. Dassit! Give a good stir before serving.
Preheat your oven to 475°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Season the broccoli with garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt and drizzle in the grapeseed oil. Toss to coat then spread the broccoli out into a single layer on the prepared sheet pan. Roast for 8 minutes. If you’re not comfortable multitasking you can roast the broccoli completely before you begin cooking the orzo (after 8 minutes flip the broccoli and roast for 8 minutes more).
Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and in it melt the butter. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened slightly, then stir in the garlic and continue cooking for two minutes. At this point, check on your broccoli. Pull it from the oven and flip it so the other side gets charred. Put it back in the oven and continue roasting for 7-8 more minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic. Stir together until there is no more dry flour, then pour in all of the vegetable broth and one cup of the whole milk. Next, stir in the orzo, and all remaining dry seasonings: white pepper, seasoned salt, ground mustard, dried oregano, and black pepper, then stir in the lemon juice.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir again, then cover with a lid. Simmer the orzo for 7 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent sticking. Your broccoli should be ready, so pull it from the oven and rest it on the counter for now.
After 7 minutes give the orzo another stir, then add the broccoli and the remaining milk, up to the full amount. Simmer the Broccoli Cheddar Orzo ’til the orzo is tender – about 3-5 minutes more.
When the orzo is cooked through add the sour cream and shredded cheese. Stir to combine well, then put the lid back on and turn off the heat. Dassit! Give a good stir before serving.
Notes
You can roast the broccoli before you start on the orzo if you’re not comfortable multi-tasking. Or you could steam it, boil it, whatever you like.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Yes, another broccoli recipe! I like what I like, OK?? This one I’m calling Easy Roasted Broccoli and I make it about every other week: mostly for meal prep, but also because I just love broccoli and always want some on hand to nibble on.
I put this stuff on everything! I add it to pasta, on top of instant ramen, sneak it into wraps and even just warm up portions of it and eat it with sriracha, like chicken nuggets. Oh, if you missed it: check out my Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese recipe! It’s my favorite!
Easy Roasted Broccoli Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Easy Roasted Broccoli recipe:
Broccoli florets: You can use the stalks too, if you like. Cut them small and slice the super thick ones in half so they get nice and tender. I’m not a fan of them myself, so just Easy Roasted Broccoli florets for me.
Soy sauce: I think soy sauce brings out the best in broccoli, adding a bit of depth and umami to it. I use low-sodium soy sauce usually, so I add Kosher salt, too.
Chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt:
Crispy habaneros: I found these at Trader Joes and I’m obsessed. I’m going to try making my own soon, we’ll see how that goes. If you don’t have or don’t want to use them, crushed red pepper flakes are great on this Easy Roasted Broccoli too!
Canola oil: Vegetable or peanut oil work too. We’re roasting the broccoli at a high temperature, so we need an oil with a high smoke point.
How to Make Easy Roasted Broccoli
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Easy Roasted Broccoli recipe:
Prepare yourself. Preheat your oven to 425°F and make sure an oven rack is situated in the top half of the oven. Lightly oil a large baking sheet. We’re using hella broccoli for the Easy Roasted Broccoli, so make sure it’s at least a half sheet size.
Toss everything together. I don’t want to wash extra dishes so I do this step directly on the baking sheet, but in a large bowl might be less messy. Drizzle the oil all over the broccoli, then the soy sauce. Next, sprinkle on the garlic powder, chili powder, kosher salt and habanero peppers. Use wooden spoons or your hands to mix everything together, so that each floret oiled and seasoned and the peppers are evenly distrubted throughout. After you’ve done that, spread the broccoli out into an even layer.
Roast it. Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and stir the broccoli around. Place it back in the oven and continue roasting until slightly charred around the edges, and crisp-tender, about 10-15 more minutes. Dassit. Enjoy your Easy Roasted Broccoi!
What To Serve With Easy Roasted Broccoli
I’m really not sure what meal wouldn’t be set off Easy Roasted Broccoli recipe, but here are some recipes you might want to try pairing it with!
Preheat your oven to 425°F and make sure an oven rack is situated in the top half of the oven. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
I don’t want to wash extra dishes so I do this step directly on the baking sheet, but in a large bowl might be neater for you: drizzle the oil all over the broccoli, then the soy sauce. Next, sprinkle on the garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt. Use wooden spoons or your hands to mix everything together, each floret soiled and seasoned.
Next, add the habanero peppers. Toss everything again, ensuring the peppers are evenly distributed. After you’ve done that, spread the broccoli out into an even layer.
Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and stir the broccoli around. Place it back in the oven and continue roasting until slightly charred around the edges, and crisp-tender, about 10-15 more minutes.
Dassit! Enjoy!
Notes
Use can substitute 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes instead, or omit this if you want it milder.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This Broccoli-Cheddar Stuffed Chicken is so damn good. Y’all should know by now that I love my broccoli and cheese! One of the elite culinary combinations in my opinion.
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken recipe:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Thighs would probably work, but stuffing boneless skinless thighs would be…actually no, I don’t think it would work. I meant it would, but it would take some serious finagling. Let’s just stick with breasts. They’re fatter and easier to cut and stuff.
Broccoli florets: I like to use only florets, so I buy broccoli crowns and cut them off, then chop the florets into bite-sized pieces. You can use entire heads of broccoli, but you’ll want to cook it longer, in the beginning, to make sure the stalks aren’t super crunchy when you’re eating the chicken.
Sharp cheddar cheese: Sharp or extra sharp and always yellow because it’s pretty.
Dehydrated red bell pepper: Fresh red bell pepper would work alright too, but it’ll add more moisture to the mixture so keep that in mind. I always have dehydrated on hand,
Carrot: Carrot lends a slight sweetness that goes well with the sharp cheddar.
Salted butter: Unsalted if you’re watching your sodium or whatever. I add it before it goes in the oven and with the juices that the chicken release and the moisture from the broccoli, it makes a nice sauce.
Kosher salt: We use kosher salt to coax the moisture out of the vegetables while they saute and in the seasoning blend we’ll use on the chicken.
Olive oil: For searing.
Garlic powder, onion powder, hot paprika, ground mustard, cracked black pepper: Our seasonings! As much as I love broccoli and cheddar, I’ve played around with a lot of combinations and these are perfect for bringing the best out of those flavors.
Equipment: You’ll need a large, oven-safe pan with a lid, mixing bowls, a cheese grater, measuring utensils and a spatula. Here’s everything I used:
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken recipe:
Soften the veggies. Place a large cast-iron pan over high heat and drizzle in just a tad of oil. I used my Staub Everything Pan which is 12″. Add the broccoli and carrot to the pan and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Toss ’em around to combine, and after one minute reduce the heat to medium and add the bell pepper. Continue to stir as the broccoli softens and the bell pepper rehydrates for another 5-6 minutes.
Make the stuffing. Turn off the heat, remove the vegetables from the pan and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Clean the pan out as best you can – we’ll use it to sear the chicken later. Add the shredded cheese to the bowl of broccoli and stir together as best you can. The heat from the vegetables should start to melt the cheese. When everything is mixed well cover the bowl and set it aside.
Prep the Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken. Combine the rest of the salt with the other seasonings. Prepare your chicken breasts by pounding them to an even thickness. It doesn’t need to be thin, just even all the way across. Then, using a sharp pairing knife, make a slit on the side of each chicken breast. Push it into the center of the meat but not all the way through, then move it back and forth to elongate the pocket. Make it as big as you can without destroying the chicken.
Season and stuff the Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken. After all the chicken has been pounded, season it thoroughly with the seasoning mixture you’ve made. Inside and out – get in that pocket! Next, grab a spoon and use it to shove as much of the broccoli cheddar mixture into the pocket as you can. Pack it tightly – broccoli will reduce in size as it cooks.
Sear the chicken. Place the pan you cooked the broccoli in back over medium-high heat. Drizzle more olive oil over the surface of the pan. Give the oil time to heat up, a couple of minutes or so, then start adding the Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken to the pan. Let it sear for 2-3 minutes, then add more oil if needed and use tongs to carefully flip the chicken over to sear the other side. If you’d like a very deep sear you might want to do this in batches, then add it all to the pan before you cover it and put it in the oven.
Bake the Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken. Add the butter to the pan and cover it with a lid. Place the pan in the oven and let it bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Sauce and serve the Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken. Spoon some of the pan sauce over the tops of the chicken and serve. Dassit.
What To Serve With Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
You can make endless variations with this Broccoli Cheddar Stuffed Chicken recipe, so please feel free to customize yours to taste! For example, you could…
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a large – large enough to hold all the pieces of chicken at once – cast-iron pan over high heat and drizzle in just a tad of oil. Add the broccoli and carrot to the pan and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Stir to toss together. After one minute reduce the heat to medium and add the bell pepper. Continue to stir as the broccoli softens for another 5-6 minutes.
Turn off the heat, remove the vegetables from the pan and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Clean the pan out as best you can – we’ll use it to sear the chicken later. Add the shredded cheese to the bowl of broccoli and stir together as best you can. The heat from the vegetables should start to melt the cheese. When everything is mixed well cover the bowl and set it aside.
Combine all of the seasonings, including the remaining kosher salt, together. This is your spice blend: keep it close. Prepare your chicken breasts by pounding them to an even thickness – they tend to be a bit swollen in parts so just beat them until they’re the same height all the way down. Then, using a sharp pairing knife, make a slit on the side of each chicken breast. Push it into the center of the meat but not all the way through, then move it back and forth to elongate the pocket. Make it as big as you can without destroying the chicken.
After all the chicken has been pounded, season it thoroughly with the seasoning mixture you’ve made. Inside and out – get in that pocket! Next, grab a spoon and use it to shove as much of the broccoli cheddar mixture into the pocket as you can. Pack it tightly – broccoli will reduce in size as it cooks.
Place the pan you cooked the broccoli in back over medium-high heat. Drizzle more olive oil over the surface of the pan. Give the oil time to heat up, then start adding the chicken to the pan. Let it sear for 2-3 minutes, then add more oil if needed and carefully flip the chicken over to sear the other side.
Add the butter to the pan and cover it with a lid. Place the pan in the oven and let it bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Spoon some of the pan sauce over the tops of the chicken and serve. Dassit.
Notes
I keep dehydrated bell peppers on hand. If you can’t find them substitute 1/4 C diced red bell pepper.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
I debated whether or not to add this Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe to the website. It’s pretty much just a mashup of the Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo w. Chicken and the Cajun Chicken Pasta recipes already here, so it seemed redundant.
Well obviously I decided to add it, or you wouldn’t be reading this! When I was recording the voiceover for the TikTok showing this recipe I realized the steps are different enough to warrant its own recipe post.
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe:
Boneless chicken breasts: My cut of choice, always. Thighs will work fine if that’s your preference. They’ll just need to cook longer.
Pappardelle pasta: Big, thick, meaty noodles add an extra bite to this pasta, making a bit more hearty than just your usual Fettuccine Alfredo. You
Broccoli: I like buying crowns because they’re easier to trim into florets, but whole stalks will work well.
Heavy cream, aged parmesan: The main components of our sauce. If you like more sauce you can increase the amounts of both of these by about half a cup. It shouldn’t take any longer to cook down.
Garlic: I don’t think I need to explain this.
Salted butter: You can go for unsalted if you prefer, but I like salted. Oftentimes I don’t need to add any kosher salt to the recipe when I do because the parmesan and seasoning from the chicken is enough for me alongside it. You do you.
Olive oil: Our fat of choice for the chicken. It can also be substituted for the butter in the sauce, but make sure you use a really good quality one since it will impart flavor.
Cajun seasoning: You can really use whatever seasoning on the chicken you want. Just plain ol’ salt and pepper if you want. I wanted to add another dimension to the recipe.
Crushed red pepper flakes: Not enough to make it spicy, but enough to cut through the cream and add some bite. Adjust as needed.
Italian seasoning: Just your basic mix of dried herbs like parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme.
Kosher salt: Only if needed, and as needed.
Cracked black pepper: For a sharp finish.
Equipment: I call for a cast-iron skillet to cook the chicken, but any heavy-bottomed frying pan will do. Here’s everything I used:
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe:
Marinate the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix into a marinade and work into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for half an hour, or up to overnight, in the fridge.
Cook the chicken. Drizzle the remaining oil into a cast-iron skillet and let it heat until the oil is shimmering. If you marinated it in the fridge, make sure you pull the chicken 20-30 minutes before you start cooking so it can come to room temperature. This allows it to cook more evenly. Add the chicken in a single layer and let cook undisturbed for 7 minutes, then flip. Cook until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes more. When done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest.
Build the sauce. Begin heating the salted water for your noodles and broccoli, and in the same cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, then whisk in the heavy cream and all of the seasonings. When warmed through, whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil the pasta and broccoli. The water should be boiling by now, so while the alfredo sauce is cooking, add the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes, then add the broccoli. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, about 3-5 minutes more, then drain. This will all vary greatly based on your stove and preferences.
Put it all together. Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed, then pour the finished sauce into the pot with the noodles and broccoli. Next, stir in the chicken. Dassit. You’re done!
Other Alfredo Pasta Variations
I mentioned earlier that this is a mashup of two previous recipes. Well, I’ve got a TON that are alfredo based. I mean it’s just so easy! Trying to move away from the traditional Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo? Try some of these:
Cheesesteak Pasta – Love cheesesteaks? Love pasta? Have the best of both worlds with Cheesesteak Pasta, a creamy dish loaded with tender steak and bell peppers.
Spicy Shrimp Pasta – Creamy shrimp alfredo with penne pasta, spinach, tomatoes and enough hot sauce and red pepper flakes to give it a nice kick.
Let me know what you think if you try it! Here are a couple of Pins:
In a small bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix into a marinade and work into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for half an hour, or up to overnight, in the fridge.
When you’re ready to start making dinner, prepare the salted water to boil your noodles in and pull your chicken from the fridge to come to room temperature. While the water heats up, drizzle the remaining oil into a cast-iron skillet and let it heat until the oil is shimmering.
Add the chicken in a single layer and let cook undisturbed for 7 minutes, then flip. Cook until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes more. When done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest.
In the same cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, then whisk in the heavy cream and all of the seasonings. When warmed through, whisk in the Parmesan cheese.
Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The water should be boiling by now, so while the alfredo sauce is cooking, add the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes, then add the broccoli. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, about 3-5 minutes more, then drain.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed, then pour the finished sauce into the pot with the noodles and broccoli. Next, stir in the chicken. Dassit. You’re done!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Roasted Broccolini is Cast-Iron Broccoli & Cheese‘s more sophisticated cousin. It’s simple, quick, and delicious. What you see above is a small-batch version, which I’ve detailed below under the Switch it Up heading.
Roasted Broccolini Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Roasted Broccolini recipe:
Broccolini: Broccolini is a relative of broccoli. I am broccoli’s biggest fan so I won’t say that it tastes better, but some people think that. If you were to bite into a raw piece of broccoli you might say that it was sharp, or bitter. If you were to bite into a raw piece of broccolini you would note that the flavor is very similar but milder. There’s not really any of that bitterness that broccoli has.
Olive Oil: As usual, you can substitute the fat of your choice, but I think the flavor of olive oil is perfect for this. Note: I like to add a pat of butter right before I pull my Roasted Broccolini from the oven, then toss the broccolini in the melted butter before plating.
Kosher Salt, Black Pepper: Yes, this is it! Simple is best, sometimes.
How to Make Roasted Broccolini
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Roasted Broccolini recipe:
Prepare the broccolini. To prepare broccolini I always trim a couple of inches of the stalk off the bottom and remove the small leaves growing on it. If the stalks are thicker than the circumference of my index finger (i have large, meaty hands!) I will cut them in half.
Roast the broccolini. Arrange the broccolini on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle over some kosher salt. If you like to can toss to coat everything, but I don’t find it necessary. Stick the sheet pan in the oven on the middle rack for about 15 minutes – start checking doneness around 10 minutes in.
Eat the broccolini. After pulling it from the oven crack over some black pepper, then dive on in!
Switch it Up:
This recipe is as simple as they get and serves as a great springboard! There are endless variations that you can make with this Roasted Broccolini recipe, so please feel free to customize yours to taste! For example, you could…
Small-Batch: Reduce all of the ingredients by half and the cooking time by about 5 minutes.
Stovetop Broccolini. I recommend parboiling them first for the best texture, but you can pan-sear and cook these over medium-high heat instead of putting them in the oven.
Lemon Parmesan Broccolini. Basically, just cook them the way you would my Lemon Parmesan Asparagus.
Spicy Roasted Broccolini. Add some crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of hot chili powder.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare a sheet pan by oiling it with olive oil or lining it with parchment paper. Add your cleaned and trimmed broccolini spears in a single layer.
Drizzle the olive oil over the top, making sure to get a decent amount on the florets.
Sprinkle the desired amount of salt over the tops.
Roast in the middle of the oven for 10-14 minutes, until just tender and the florets, are starting to char. Or until you’re happy with them.
Remove and crack over the black pepper. Serve hot. Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
When I was working on this I was going for the nostalgic flavors and textures of the frozen Jolly Green Giant broccoli and cheese boxes I used to love to see going in the microwave when I was young – that cheesy liquid running all over the plate and dripping from each piece of broccoli included.
This Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese tastes pretty much exactly as I remember, with the added bonus of some nice, crispy roasted bits. Tender broccoli florets swimming in a cheesy sauce that runs all over your plate and flavors the rest of your food with broccoli-cheesy goodness?! What’s not to love? If you’re like me at least, and really enjoyed frozen broccoli in your formative years.
I would sometimes make a bag for an afterschool snack, like I was obsessed OK! (Fun fact: I didn’t eat fresh broccoli until I was a teenager, I had only ever had frozen!)
I digress! You’re here for food, not fodder! You can find a video tutorial for this recipe below and on my YouTube channel.
Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients and tools you will need to make this Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese recipe:
Fresh Broccoli: I can’t see why frozen broccoli wouldn’t work, but I’m honestly not sure. I like to buy heads of broccoli and slice off the florets, myself. I started with 2 1/2 lbs of broccoli heads for the video and photos accompanying this recipe.
Extra Sharp Cheddar, Medium Cheddar, Aged Parmesan: I mentioned that I was going for a particular flavor. I played around with a few combinations before I decided this one was perfect.
Heavy Cream: This, along with melted cheese and the moisture that the broccoli will release as it cooks makes up the zesty cheese sauce the broccoli drowns in.
Shallot, Garlic: Flavor boosters! You can substitute 1/4 C of minced onion for the shallot if needed.
Cayenne pepper, kosher salt, cracked black pepper: What’s a savory dish without seasonings? The cayenne doesn’t make it hot, it just gives it a bit of zing. Trust me, don’t omit it if you don’t have to.
Equipment: 10-12″ Cast Iron Pan or Braiser. You don’t HAVE to use cast-iron, but you should if you can. Here’s all of the equipment I use when I make this recipe in my home:
How to Make Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this recipe:
Sautee the aromatics. Heat some oil and butter in your cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, and saute the shallot until it starts to become translucent. Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in the garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant.
Season and saute the broccoli. Add the broccoli florets, season to taste with kosher salt – and anything else you want to add – and stir. The broccoli will start to become vibrantly green – that’s when you move on to the next step.
Add the cream and cheese. Sprinkle in 3/4 of the cheddar cheeses and pour in all of the heavy cream. Stir to combine. This sauce is not thick. It’s not like a sauce you’d pour over anything. Once all of the cheese has melted, remove it from the heat – unless you like soft broccoli. If that’s the case, let it continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, just until the buds are beginning to wilt.
Top and bake. We used cast-iron partially so these broccoli and cheese could be transferred to the oven easily. Make sure the broccoli is in as even a layer as it can get. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, followed by the parmesan. Crack some black pepper on that bad boy and bake it! Or roast it, rather, at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is browned on top and bubbling at the edges.
Switch it Up
There are endless variations that you can make with this Cast-Iron Broccoli and Cheese recipe, so please feel free to customize yours to taste! For example, you could…
Crunchy Topping: Think what some people do to their macaroni and cheese: breadcrumbs, crushed Ritz crackers, even fried onions!
Thicken it Up: If you’d like a thicker sauce, whisk a tablespoon of cornstarch into the heavy cream (it’s easiest to measure out about 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream + mix it with the cornstarch).
Cheese: Maybe your tastebuds aren’t nostalgic, maybe you just don’t like cheddar cheese. It’s cool! Swap it out for a different one. I’d recommend something sharp, rather than mild tho.
Come back and rate this recipe if you try it! Here’s a graphic for Pinterest:
Preheat oven to 425° degrees F. In a small mixing bowl stir together the two kinds of cheddar, then portion about 1/4 of it out and set that aside with the parmesan for topping.
Place a large cast-iron skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then shallots. Stir and cook until the shallot begins to soften, then stir in the garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown.
Stir in the broccoli. Make sure it gets coated in the oil and tossed in the aromatics. Cook until it turns very bright green- about 4-5 minutes.
Add cayenne pepper and kosher salt to the pan, then sprinkle in 3/4 of the grated cheddar cheese. Pour the heavy cream over everything. Stir until everything is well combined. Let cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Top with the remaining cheddar, then sprinkle on all of the parmesan. Crack black pepper over the top and place in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling and the broccoli is crisp-tender.
Dassit!
Notes
ICYMI: Important recipe notes are always in the post above the recipe here on deepfriedhoney.com
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This easy recipe for Chicken and Chinese Broccoli Ramen is a staple in my house.
I have loved Oodles of Noodles my entire life (that’s what they used to call the packs of instant Top Ramen). My mom used to stir a Kraft American single into my brother and sister’s bowls. I tried it, but I did not like.
I was always a traditionalist: just give me the chicken flavor made to package directions and leave me be. I might sprinkle a lil’ cayenne in there for bite, but that was the extent.
Over the years I’ve experimented a bit more, trying – unsuccessfully – to make my own broths from scratch, and imitating restaurant ramen bowls by playing around with different toppings. Chicken and Chinese Broccoli Ramen is one of my wins, at least as far as my family and I are concerned.
Thinly sliced chicken breasts are marinated in a teriyaki-inspired sauce. Chopped Chinese broccoli is sauteed just until tender in ginger and garlic-infused oil. A handful of additions to the instant ramen seasoning packet give the broth a tad more depth than it usually has.
Switch it Up:
Use steak or tofu instead of chicken. The same marinade will work just fine.
Don’t fret if you can’t find Chinese broccoli: you can substitute broccolini or bok choy instead. Regular ol’ broccoli is my favorite so I’m always for using it.
The recipe calls for red miso but green works fine too, it doesn’t really matter.
One of my favorite toppings is furikake, which you can find in the Asian section of most grocers. It’s a dry Japanese rice seasoning. It typically consists of bonito, sesame seeds, chopped nori, sugar, salt, and some other stuff. I first discovered it about 10 years ago when I used to make onigiri for my daughters’ bento boxes and we love it!
Let me know what you think of this recipe if you like it! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Here’s a pretty graphic for your Pinterest Board:
4 green onions, sliced thinly, whites and greens divided
2 tbsp oil, divided
2 C Chinese broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp umami seasoning
1lb boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 C teriyaki glaze
1 tsp mirin
1/8 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
Toppings: bean sprouts, furikake, toasted sesame seeds, fried or boiled eggs, sriracha, chili garlic sauce
Instructions
Marinate your chicken at least one hour prior to cooking: add the chicken, teriyaki sauce, mirin, brown sugar, and soy sauce to a bowl. Stir to combine, coating the chicken evenly. Cover and refrigerate. Pull about 15-30 minutes before you’re ready to put it in the pan.
Drizzle some oil into a large wok over medium-high heat, just enough to coat it. Once it’s heated add your chicken in a single layer: don’t crowd the pan.
Let the chicken cook for 6 minutes, then flip. It should be nicely seared. Cook until done – how long will depend on how thick your chicken is. Remove and set aside. Slice on a bias once it’s cooled enough to handle.
Add a teaspoon of oil to the wok and let it heat up, then add your garlic and ginger. Fry them, tossing frequently so they brown evenly. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon once crispy and set aside.
Add your chopped Chinese broccoli to the wok and toss to coat in the infused oil. Season with salt, pepper, and umami seasoning. Add 1/2 tsp of water and cover the wok with a lid for 4-6 minutes, depending on how tender you want it.
Remove it and set that aside too.
Add your miso, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the wok, then pour in the water.
Add the seasoning packets that came with the ramen and whisk everything together. Make sure the miso dissolves and bring the broth to a boil.
Once the broth is at a rolling boil add your noodles. Turn the blocks over in the broth a few times to let them soften, then unfold them and start gently loosening the noodles with a fork or long chopsticks.
Let the noodles cook until tender – about 3-5 minutes – then remove from heat.
Use tongs to transfer noodles into bowls, then ladle in the desired amount of broth. Top with some sliced chicken, Chinese broccoli, and whichever additional toppings you want.
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Broccoli Chicken and Cheddar Hand Pies. Flaky puff pastry filled with tender chicken and broccoli, cheddar cheese, and just a hint of spice. Listen. They’re delicious. I mean honestly, you don’t even need the chicken, but to make a full meal out of them, it’s a nice addition.
I love puff pastry. It’s something I’ve never made myself, but I want to try it one day. Laminated dough is intimidating to me, and I’m not sure why. When I watch videos of it on YouTube it doesn’t seem like a very difficult process.
One day! One day I’ll make some puff pastry or croissants from scratch.
Today tho? Today is not that day. We’re using store-bought.
Tid-Bits:
Omit the chicken for a vegetarian version. You can choose to leave the recipe as is otherwise, or replace the chicken with an appropriate substitute: it’ll come out great either way.
As always, you can swap out boneless skinless chicken thighs for the breasts if that’s what you have on hand or prefer. You may need to increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
Don’t have dehydrated bell pepper flakes? That’s cool, leave them out or sub one medium fresh red bell pepper (diced).
I choose not to roll out my puff pastry so it’s puffy as hell. You can roll yours out if you like, especially if you want more pies with less puff pastry.
I don’t think these are spicy at all, but you’re nervous just omit the cayenne and red pepper flakes.
I hope you’ll come back and let me know what you thought of this Broccoli Chicken and Cheddar Hand Pies recipe by leaving a rating. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter for more content.
Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside while you prepare the hand pies.
In a small bowl, combine all of your seasonings except the red pepper flakes and kosher salt. Stir it together to make a blend, and add that to your chicken. Stir well to make sure all the chicken is seasoned. Set that aside too.
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in a teaspoon or so of oil. Coat the pan, and when the oil is shimmering add the broccoli. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. Add the butter, then stir to combine everything and allow the butter to melt.
Once the butter is melted, add 1 tsp of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam until the broccoli is tender, stirring ever so often. It’ll take about 5 minutes, give or take a few.
Once the broccoli is ready, pour it into a large bowl and add the shredded cheese. Set it aside; no need to stir it now but the cheese will be nice and melty when we add the chicken, making it a bit easier to combine things well. Increase the heat back to medium-high. Add the remaining oil to the pan and coat the bottom again.
When the oil has had a couple of minutes to heat up go ahead and add the chicken to the pan. Allow the chicken to sear on that side for 5 minutes before disturbing. After 5 minutes go ahead and start tossing it around until no more pink remains. That should take about 3-5 more minutes.
Once the chicken is done, add it to the bowl with the cheese and cooked broccoli. Use a wooden spoon to stir everything together until well combined. Set it aside.
Unfold the puff pastry sheets on the prepared baking sheet. Place one on top of the other – do this with all 6 sheets – ensuring to line up the edges, then cut them down the middle both vertically and horizontally, leaving 4 squares in each sheet. We’re using 2 per hand pie, giving us 12. I hope. Math is not a strong suit of mine.
Combine the egg and water to make an egg wash. Use your finger or a pastry brush to brush the edges of the bottom sheets with a light layer of egg wash.
Add about 1/3 C of filling to the center of each square.
Arrange the other squares on top of the filling and press down along the edges to seal. Use a fork or spoon to crimp the edges of each pie, sealing them further. We don’t want them to burst open or leak while baking!
Repeat until all of the hand pies are formed; you may have some filling leftover. Eat it with a spoon.
Use a knife to slice vents into the top of each pie, then brush the tops with egg wash.
Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese if you reserved some, then bake for 20 minutes in the oven, until golden brown. Bake in batches if your baking sheets are on the smaller side – no more than 6 at a time.
Sprinkle some parsley and crack some black pepper over the tops, and enjoy!
I’d say this is your standard Broccoli Cheese Casserole, with rice and chicken, but without the cream soup. I do not like cream soups. Maybe it’s the way they kinda *plop* out when you shake the can I dunno.
I’m calling it Cheesy Baked Chicken & Broccoli Rice because I am terrible at naming dishes, but I refuse to call this a casserole.
My best friend has been picking at me to make her pot pies for about a decade now. When I do make them for her she’s only satiated for a short period of time before she’s right back to randomly texting me every few weeks “Pot Pies?”.
Like me, she’s an extremely picky eater – maybe even pickier than I am – and she doesn’t care for the traditional chicken pot pie ingredients like peas or carrots (I don’t necessarily disagree but I can eat it).
I love it when my loved ones ask me to think outside of the box when cooking, and that’s where how these Blackened Chicken & Broccoli Pot Pies were born!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
And another one bites the dust (AKA is moved out from its original home in my ebook We Got Food At The House directly here to the site)! I think you’ll love this Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. It’s pretty commonly
Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo recipe:
NY strip steak, fettuccine noodles: This recipe will work great with any cut of steak you like, and any shape of noodle. I think fettuccine makes for my favorite eating experience.
Broccoli florets, red bell peppers, shallot, garlic: I purchase broccoli florets in a bag to make it easier to prepare. Onion will work in place of shallot, in a true pinch. If you’d like the bell peppers to have less of a bite I suggest adding them to the sauce just after you’ve whisked in all the heavy cream.
Heavy cream, beef broth: Half-and-half is a good substitute for heavy cream, and any type of broth will work in place of beef broth.
Parmesan, Asiago: I like to make sure both are aged, so the flavor is more pungent. Use your favorites!
Butter, flour, olive oil: Butter and flour for building the roux to thicken, oil for searing the steak.
Steak seasoning, Kosher salt, Worcestershire sauce: I’ve seasoned the steak for this Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo with cajun seasoning, a coffee rub, Montreal steak seasoning, woodfired garlic rub — the sky is the limit!
How to Make Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Steakhouse Fettuccine Alfredo recipe:
Start with the Steak. Preheat your oven to warm, or 175°F. Season the steak pieces with the steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir together until all the pieces are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 10–15 minutes (pop them in the fridge if you’re gonna go for any longer). Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the steak pieces to the pan, keeping a couple of inches between them. Don’t crowd the pan; go in batches if needed. Let the steak sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, then flip and cook the opposite side for an additional 2 minutes. As written, the recipe will produce medium-rare steak tips. If you’d like the steak cooked through more, go ahead and sear the other sides, too, for about a minute or two more. Once seared, transfer to an oven safe dish to rest. Continue until all the steak is seared. Transfer the plate to the oven and turn the oven off. The residual heat should be enough to keep the steak warm without cooking it more.
Begin Building The Sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and add your butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted toss in the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the shallots. Use a spatula to stir them together until a thick, dry paste forms. Pour in your broth. Use it to deglaze the plan – loosening anything stuck to the bottom – and work the liquid into the flour paste. Switch to a whisk if that makes it easier for you to work them together into a thick slurry. Around this point, go ahead and boil the salted water you’ll use to cook your noodles and broccoli. After the beef from and flour slurry are well combined, whisk in your heavy cream, one cup at a time, whisking out all the lumps before you add the next one. After all of the cream has been incorporated, add the kosher salt and black pepper. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you work on the pasta.
Prepare the Pasta. About 3 minutes before your pasta is al dente (about 8 minutes into the cook time) add the broccoli florets. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, then drain thoroughly. Transfer the broccoli and pasta to the drained pot, and stir in the red bell pepper. The residual heat from the pasta will steam the pepper pieces a bit while we finish up the sauce. After draining your pasta go ahead and stir the grated cheeses into the sauce. Whisk until it’s thoroughly combined. Give it a taste and add more salt if you think it needs it. Pour the sauce directly into the pot of pasta, broccoli, and peppers. Use tongs to combine, coating all the ingredients in the sauce. To serve, ladle the pasta into serving bowls, and top with the desired amount of steak tips. Dassit!
You can’t go wrong with steak and pasta, I mean come on.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
1 1/2lb NY strip steak, cut into cubes
1lb dry fettuccine pasta
1/2lb broccoli florets
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 shallot, minced
3 1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 C beef broth
1/2 C parmesan, grated
1/2 C aged asiago, grated
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp AP flour
3 tbsp steak seasoning, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Preheat your oven to warm, or 175°F. Season the steak pieces with the steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir together until all the pieces are evenly coated. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 10–15 minutes (pop them in the fridge if you’re gonna go for any longer).
Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and allow it to heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the steak pieces to the pan, keeping a couple of inches between them. Don’t crowd the pan; go in batches if needed. Let the steak sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, then flip and cook the opposite side for an additional 2 minutes. As written, the recipe will produce medium-rare steak tips. If you’d like the steak cooked through more, go ahead and sear the other sides, too, for about a minute or two more. Once seared, transfer to an oven safe dish to rest. Continue until all the steak is seared. Transfer the plate to the oven and turn the oven off. The residual heat should be enough to keep the steak warm without cooking it more.
Reduce the heat to medium and add your butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted toss in the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the shallots. Use a spatula to stir them together until a thick, dry paste forms.
Pour in your broth. Use it to deglaze the plan – loosening anything stuck to the bottom – and work the liquid into the flour paste. Switch to a whisk if that makes it easier for you to work them together into a thick slurry. Around this point, go ahead and boil the salted water you’ll use to cook your noodles and broccoli.
After the beef from and flour slurry are well combined, whisk in your heavy cream, one cup at a time, whisking out all the lumps before you add the next one. After all of the cream has been incorporated, add the kosher salt and black pepper. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you work on the pasta.
About 3 minutes before your pasta is al dente (about 8 minutes into the cook time) add the broccoli florets. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, then drain thoroughly. Transfer the broccoli and pasta to the drained pot, and stir in the red bell pepper. The residual heat from the pasta will steam the pepper pieces a bit while we finish up the sauce.
After draining your pasta go ahead and stir the grated cheeses into the sauce. Whisk until it’s thoroughly combined. Give it a taste and add more salt if you think it needs it.
Pour the sauce directly into the pot of pasta, broccoli, and peppers. Use tongs to combine, coating all the ingredients in the sauce.
To serve, ladle the pasta into serving bowls, and top with the desired amount of steak tips. Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Are you a picky eater like I am? Or maybe your kid? If so, I think these Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups will be a great addition to your dinner arsenal! Fluffy crescent dough is wrapped around a hearty filling of diced chicken, broccoli, and alfredo sauce, then basted with garlic butter and baked until golden brown perfection.
Half of our rolls I made with just broccoli for my mostly-vegetarian kid, and I served both the Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups and the Broccoli Alfredo Roll-Ups with a cup of alredo sauce for dipping. I ate two standing up, and the others didn’t last an hour.
Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups recipe:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, broccoli florets: Thighs are fine if that’s your preference. You could also pick up a rotisserie bird from the store to make these Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups even easier to make.
Crescent rolls: The star of the show! I went with Pillsbury, but Anne’s Organic makes a great option. I’m working on a recipe for Homemade Crescents and I can’t wait ’til I’ve perfected it and can recreate these with it.
Heavy cream, parmesan, butter, flour: For our alfredo sauce. It calls for flour so that you end up with a thick alfredo sauce, since the sauce is what helps our filling stick together, and will be used as a dip. Too runny wouldn’t be good.
Garlic butter, olive oil: Garlic butter is for basting the rolls before baking. I recommend making the garlic butter included with my Very Garlicky Garlic Bread recipe. It’s delicious! As a matter of fact, it deserves its own recipe post so expect to see that in the future. Olive oil is for cooking the chicken.
Italian seasoning, kosher salt, cracked black pepper: Very simple on the seasonings for these Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups. Feel free to mix it up!
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups recipe:
Prepare for Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Fill a large pot halfway with water, add in a decent amount of salt – as if you were making pasta – cover with a lid and place it over high heat. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it has melted add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and butter, then stir them together. A thick paste will form: break it up and stir it around to ensure the flour taste cooks out. Add half a teaspoon of kosher salt and one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, followed by the heavy cream. Use a whisk to incorporate the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the grated parmesan and cracked black pepper. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients, stirring occasionally.
Make the Chicken and Broccoli. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat while you prep the chicken: place the chicken breasts in a bowl and add the olive oil along with one teaspoon each of kosher salt and Italian seasoning. Work the seasonings and oil into the chicken, ensuring the surface area is coated. Add the chicken to the preheated pan in a single layer. Sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until well seared, then flip. Cook the chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. When the pot of water is boiling add the broccoli. Cook until bright green and tender, about 4-6 minutes, depending on how large the pieces of broccoli are. When the broccoli is cooked drain it well, shake off any excess water, and return it to the empty pot to rest.
Prepare the Chicken Alfredo Roll-Upsfilling. Dice the cooked chicken breasts, cutting them into very small, bite-sized pieces. Add them to the mixing bowl along with the broccoli. Stir the broccoli and chicken together. Remove your alfredo sauce from the stove and give it a stir. Pour half of it into the bowl, and use a large spoon to mix everything together. Continue mixing until the alfredo sauce is coating all of the chicken and broccoli, adding more if needed.
Fill. Roll. Bake! Pop the can of crescents, unroll, and separate the triangles. Position the crescent roll on a work surface with the wide end closest to you and the tip pointing away. Spoon a small amount of alfredo sauce onto the large part of the crescent, spreading it along the surface with the back of the spoon. Gather a heaping spoonful of the chicken and broccoli mixture against the side of the bowl and press, encouraging it to stick together. Add the spoonful to the large end of the crescent. Roll the crescent up as you would typically, working around the filling. If you’d like a closed roll-up without the filling leaking out of the sides, use a bit less filling and gather the sides of the crescent up as you roll, stretching them to wrap fully around the filling, being careful not to tear the crescent. Repeat until you’ve filled all 8 rolls and arranged them on the prepared baking sheet. Baste each roll-up with garlic butter, then bake the filled crescents for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Let the Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups rest for 5 minutes before serving, with alfredo sauce on the side for dipping. Dassit!
1 1/2 C broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 (8oz) can Pillsbury Crescents, Original flavor
1 C heavy cream
1 C parmesan
6 tbsp salted butter, unsalted
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp garlic butter, melted
2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Fill a large pot halfway with water, add in a decent amount of salt – as if you were making pasta – cover with a lid and place it over high heat.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it has melted add the minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and butter, then stir them together. A thick paste will form: break it up and stir it around to ensure the flour taste cooks out. Add half a teaspoon of kosher salt and one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, followed by the heavy cream. Use a whisk to incorporate the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the grated parmesan and cracked black pepper. Bring back to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Let simmer while you prepare the other ingredients, stirring occasionally.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat while you prep the chicken: place the chicken breasts in a bowl and add the olive oil along with one teaspoon each of kosher salt and Italian seasoning. Work the seasonings and oil into the chicken, ensuring the surface area is coated.
Add the chicken to the preheated pan in a single layer. Sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until well seared, then flip. Cook the chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
When the pot of water is boiling add the broccoli. Cook until bright green and tender, about 4-6 minutes, depending on how large the pieces of broccoli are. When the broccoli is cooked drain it well, shake off any excess water, and return it to the empty pot to rest.
Dice the cooked chicken breasts, cutting them into very small, bite-sized pieces. Add them to the mixing bowl along with the broccoli. Stir the broccoli and chicken together.
Remove your alfredo sauce from the stove and give it a stir. Pour half of it into the bowl, and use a large spoon to mix everything together. Continue mixing until the alfredo sauce is coating all of the chicken and broccoli, adding more if needed.
Pop the can of crescents, unroll, and separate the triangles. Position the crescent roll on a work surface with the wide end closest to you and the tip pointing away. Spoon a small amount of alfredo sauce onto the large part of the crescent, spreading it along the surface with the back of the spoon.
Gather a heaping spoonful of the chicken and broccoli mixture against the side of the bowl and press, encouraging it to stick together. Add the spoonful to the large end of the crescent. Roll the crescent up as you would typically, working around the filling. If you’d like a closed roll-up without the filling leaking out of the sides, use a bit less filling and gather the sides of the crescent up as you roll, stretching them to wrap fully around the filling, being careful not to tear the crescent. Repeat until you’ve filled all 8 rolls and arranged them on the prepared baking sheet.
Baste each roll-up with garlic butter, then bake the filled crescents for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, with alfredo sauce on the side for dipping. Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This Crispy Potato Roast is a deceptively elegant side dish perfect for any get-together. You won’t believe how simple and easy it is to make! I recommend picking up a mandoline to make getting thin, uniform slices a breeze, but you can make do with a very sharp knife and steady hands, so that’s up to you.
This Crispy Potato Roast is especially good alongside my Cajun Butter Steak Tips if I do say so myself, but is a perfect side for any protein you want to pair it with, anything from baked chicken to pot roast.
What You’ll Need
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Crispy Potato Roast recipe:
Red potatoes, thyme: Yukon gold potatoes will work here, too. I don’t recommend using russet potatoes, as they will not keep their shape after cooking and crumble when you attempt to slice and plate the Crispy Potato Roast. Fresh thyme is my herbaceous flavoring of choice, but rosemary works well, too. You don’t want to eat the herbs, they’re just there to impart their flavor.
Unsalted butter, olive oil: Salted butter would be fine. Make sure you’re using olive oil, not extra-virgin olive oil, as we need something with a higher smoke point than extra-virgin has. Any other high smoke point oil you’d like to use would be fine, just keep in mind it will impart flavor if it’s not neutral.
Kosher salt, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper flakes: I opted for dried and ground garlic so there’s less worry of burnt bits on the Crispy Potato Roast. You can opt to steep garlic cloves in the oil and butter or to arrange sliced garlic on the bottom of the pan with the thyme.
How to Make Crispy Potato Roast
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Crispy Potato Roast recipe:
Prepare for Crispy Potato Roast. Make sure an oven rack is dead center and place a 9″ cast-iron skillet on it. Preheat the oven to 375°F. While the oven heats up, whisk together the butter, oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Be careful with this! With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice your potatoes as thinly as you can – not the long way, we want circles, not strips. If you’re using a mandoline put it at 1/16th of an inch. After you slice each potato completely, carefully pick it up off the counter and use your hands to keep the slices held together so the potato keeps its shape: this will make it easier to arrange them into a Crispy Potato Roast in the skillet. When the oven is preheated carefully pull the skillet out of the oven, then brush the bottom and sides with a generous amount of the butter mixture, then arrange the thyme sprigs along the bottom of the skillet, spreading them out.
Put it all together. Arrange the potatoes in the pan, all along the outer edge. After the edges are filled, use your fingers to spread the slices out a little bit, just to fill in any extra space. Make sure they are tightly together. Next, fill the center with potatoes, then spread the slices out until there is no empty space remaining. Baste the top of the Crispy Potato Roast generously with the remaining butter mixture.
Bake the Crispy Potato Roast. Bake for 90 minutes, or until the potato slices are tender and the tops are crispy and deeply browned.
Make sure an oven rack is dead center and place a 9″ cast-iron skillet on it. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
While the oven heats up, whisk together the butter, oil, garlic powder, kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set it aside.
With a sharp knife or mandoline, slice your potatoes as thinly as you can – not the long way, we want circles, not strips. If you’re using a mandoline put it at 1/16th of an inch. After you slice each potato completely, carefully pick it up off the counter and use your hands to keep the slices held together so the potato keeps its shape: this will make it easier to arrange them in the skillet.
When the oven is preheated carefully pull the skillet out of the oven, then brush the bottom and sides with a generous amount of the butter mixture, then arrange the thyme sprigs along the bottom of the skillet, spreading them out.
Arrange the potatoes in the pan, all along the outer edge. After the edges are filled, use your fingers to spread the slices out a little bit, just to fill in any extra space. Make sure they are tightly together. Next, fill the center with potatoes, then spread the slices out until there is no empty space remaining. Baste the top of the potato slices generously with the remaining butter mixture.
Bake for 90 minutes, or until the potato slices are tender and the tops are crispy and deeply browned.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
I’m so excited to share this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Bites! I saw a video highlighting a restaurant in Long Beach, California called The Ordinarie. It’s an American-style tavern, and one of their appetizer options is Chicken Pot Pie Bites: little crispy fried hand pies filled with all the traditional chicken pot fillings except the gravy — that’s served on the side for dipping! I had to try my hand at this one. Y’all should know by now that I’m a huge fan of hand pies and pot pies.
It was a huge hit in my home, and I’m sure it will be in yours too. You can choose to bake the pies instead of frying them, but I haven’t so I can’t say for sure if it would be as good. I want to say no because this site isn’t called deepFRIEDhoney for nothing, but I’m obviously biased. Oh, and just in case you missed it – I posted another twist on Chicken Pot Pie recently with my Chicken Pot Pie Soup recipe – also inspired by a restaurant!
Chicken Pot Pie Bites Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Chicken Pot Pie Bites recipe:
Refrigerated pie crust: If you watch my video on Instagram you’ll see that I made my own pie crust for these, but I’m not including that here. Feel free to do it, but I feel very much like storebought pie crust would work perfectly in these Chicken Pot Pie Bites. It’s usually a bit more pliable than homemade, and that works in our favor in this recipe. The flakiness of my pie crust worked against me when trying to actually hold them in my hands. They just fell apart, which would be cool for a regular pie, but not for this.
Boneless skinless chicken: I used breasts, as always. Thighs would work fine. Bone-in chicken would work too, if you add the additional step of deboning it before you chop up the meat.
Carrots, celery, yellow onion, garlic: Mirepoix and garlic feel mandatory for all of my Chicken Pot Pie recipes, including these Bites. We’re going to dice everything up very small so that there are no large chunks of anything.
Frozen green peas, frozen sweet corn: Fresh peas will work, and fresh or canned corn will work. I do not recommend canned peas, as they will break up and turn to mush.
Chicken broth, whole milk, water: For our gravy. Well, except for the water. The water is just for sealing the edges of the pie crust before we seal the Chicken Pot Pie Bites.
All-purpose flour: For building the gravy. Rice flour is a good gluten-free substitute. Any flour will work, really.
Cajun seasoning, kosher salt, cracked black pepper, dried parsley, dried dill: You can swap the cajun seasoning out for whatever you like. We use it to season the chicken directly. Salt and pepper are for everything. The dried herbs, garlic and onion powders, and celery seed are for the gravy. You can swap out fresh herbs, just make sure to add them at the very end of cooking.
Vegetable oil: For frying the Chicken Pot Pie Bites. I used avocado oil specifically.
Equipment: I used a 4″ biscuit cutter to cut out the pie dough rounds. A 3″ cutter would work, too, but don’t go smaller than that. I used my hands to form the pies, but an empanada maker would come in handy. I also used a cookie scoop to make sure each pie had the same amount of filling. I used a serrated food chopper to chop up the chicken after cooking, and a straining spoon to lower the pies into the hot oil, and remove them as well. Here is what I used, plus a few things I suggest:
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Bites
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Chicken Pot Pie Bites recipe:
Start on the filling. Season your chicken liberally with the cajun seasoning. If the cajun seasoning you’re using is salt-free or low sodium you might want to add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, too. Set the chicken aside. Grab a large saute pan – those have higher walls than frying pans, and I suggest using one that’s at least 10″ across – and place it over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Once that happens, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Stir to coat in the butter, and allow to cook until the onions have softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir that to combine with the mirepoix. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Push the sauteed aromatics to the edges of the pan, clearing the center. Add the chicken to the pan and allow it to sear for 3 minutes, then pour in 1 cup of chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and one teaspoon of salt and give everything a good stir. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook down until the chicken is cooked through and the chicken broth has almost completely evaporated – about 12-15 minutes. We don’t want our filling to be too moist or it will affect the crust you wrap around it.
Finish the filling. When the filling is cooked down remove the pieces of chicken: we need to chop it up into small pieces. You can use a knife and cutting board, or you can add it to a bowl and use a hand mixer or serrated food chopper to break it up. It’s important that the chicken is broken down into small pieces because our Chicken Pot Pie Bites will be small. Once you’ve done this go ahead and add it back to the pan, along with the peas and corn. Stir until everything is well combined, then give it a taste. Add more kosher salt if your tastebuds tell you to, then remove the pan from heat. Allow it to cool while you prepare the pie crust and start on the gravy.
Cut out your pie crust. Spread your pie crust out on your work surface. You’ll want to have rolled out the dough so it’s a bit thinner than it came; it should be about 10″ in diameter instead of the 9″ you started with. Use a 3-4″ biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out circles. Cut them out as close together as you can, then bring the scraps together into a dough round and roll that out, cutting as many circles as possible again. Repeat if you still have enough dough left over, then do this process again with the second roll of pie crust. I was able to get 6 4″ circles from each pie crust but it can vary. Arrange the circles on a baking sheet and place it in the fridge to chill.
It’s gravy time! Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and add the remaining salted butter. Let it melt and become foamy, then add the flour. Whisk the flour and butter together into a paste – it’ll be thick and grainy, that’s OK – then allow it to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. We want to get rid of the flour taste. Once the butter and flour mixture has deepened in color just a tad, go ahead and begin slowly pouring in the milk and remaining chicken broth, whisking as you go. Once all of the liquids have been added add the seasonings: granulated garlic, onion powder, celery seed, parsley, dill, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and as much of the remaining salt as you’d like. Bring the gravy to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the gravy is slightly reduced and coats the back of a spoon.
Prepare to fry. While the gravy is simmering go ahead and prepare a large pot for frying. Add enough oil to reach halfway up the sides – we’re deep frying! Place the pot over medium-high heat and preheat the oil to around 365°F degrees. Turn on your oven to the lowest setting (or “warm” if it has that) and place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Pull the pie dough circles out of the fridge and let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes. We want them chilled but not too cold. They should feel cool to the touch, but shouldn’t be too stiff. Set up a workstation: your pie circles, the filling, and a shallow bowl filled with water.
Make the Chicken Pot Pie Bites. Pick up a pie circle and keep the center of it in the palm of your hand. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to add about 2 tablespoons or so of filling to the center. Dip your fingertips in the water and run them along the entire edge of the circle, all around the filling. Now, fold the pie circle over the filling, close it like a taco, pressing the filling back into the center, deeper into the pocket you’re forming if needed. If there’s too much filling remove some – don’t be tempted to overfill them or they’ll burst when frying. Press the moistened edges of the circle together tightly, then use your fingers or a fork to crimp them together tightly. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the pie circles.
Fry ’em up! Your oil should be at the correct temperature. If it’s too hot just remove it from the heat until it cools down, then place it back over the burner. Gently add the Chicken Pot Pie Bites to the oil, only a few at a time. They need to have space to dance around without knocking into each other. Allow the pies to fry until golden brown and floating on the surface of the oil, which should take about 5-6 minutes. If they float before you get the color you want that’s OK, let them cook until it’s almost the color you want, then flip them over and cook until the other side matches. Not too long though – the color will deepen another shade from residual heat as it cools. Transfer the fried pies to the prepared baking sheet, and keep them in the oven while you cook the rest. When all the pies have been fried, you’re done! Serve the Chicken Pot Bites either in a bowl in a fairly shallow pool of gravy, or on a plate with a small cup of gravy for dipping on the side. Dassit!
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
2 large carrots, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
3 C + 1 C chicken broth, divided, plus more as needed
1 C milk
1/2 C salted butter, divided
1/3 C frozen green peas
1/3 C frozen sweet corn
1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C water
1 tbsp cajun seasoning, to taste
3 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
oil for frying
Instructions
Season your chicken liberally with the cajun seasoning. If the cajun seasoning you’re using is salt-free or low sodium you might want to add a teaspoon or so of kosher salt, too. Set the chicken aside.
Grab a large saute pan – those have higher walls than frying pans, and I suggest using one that’s at least 10″ across – and place it over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Once that happens, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Stir to coat in the butter, and allow to cook until the onions have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir that to combine with the mirepoix. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Push the sauteed aromatics to the edges of the pan, clearing the center. Add the chicken to the pan and allow it to sear for 3 minutes, then pour in 1 cup of chicken broth. Add the bay leaf and one teaspoon of salt and give everything a good stir. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook down until the chicken is cooked through and the chicken broth has almost completely evaporated – about 12-15 minutes. You want to see some dancing on the surface of the pan, but not too much. We don’t want our filling to be too moist or it will affect the crust you wrap around it.
When the filling is cooked down remove the pieces of chicken: we need to chop it up into small pieces. You can use a knife and cutting board, or you can add it to a bowl and use a hand mixer or serrated food chopper to break it up. It’s important that the chicken is broken down into small pieces because our Chicken Pot Pie Bites will be small. Once you’ve done this go ahead and add it back to the pan along with the peas and carrots. Stir until everything is well combined, then give it a taste. Add more kosher salt if your tastebuds tell you to, then remove the pan from heat. Allow it to cool while you prepare the pie crust and start on the gravy.
Spread your pie crust out on your work surface. You’ll want to have rolled out the dough so it’s a bit thinner than it came; it should be about 10″ in diameter instead of the 9″ you started with. Use a 3-4″ biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out circles. Cut them out as close together as you can, then bring the scraps together into a dough round and roll that out, cutting as many circles as possible again. Repeat if you still have enough dough left over, then do this process again with the second roll of pie crust. I was able to get 6 4″ circles from each pie crust but it can vary. Arrange the circles on a baking sheet and place it in the fridge to chill.
Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and add the remaining salted butter. Let it melt and become foamy, then add the flour. Whisk the flour and butter together into a paste – it’ll be thick and grainy, that’s OK – then allow it to cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. We want to get rid of the flour taste.
Once the butter and flour mixture has deepened in color just a tad, go ahead and begin slowly pouring in the milk and remaining chicken broth, whisking as you go. Once all of the liquids have been added add the seasonings: granulated garlic, onion powder, celery seed, parsley, dill, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and as much of the remaining salt as you’d like.
Bring the gravy to a low boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the gravy is slightly reduced and coats the back of a spoon.
While the gravy is simmering go ahead and prepare a large pot for frying. Add enough oil to reach halfway up the sides – we’re deep frying! Place the pot over medium-high heat and preheat the oil to around 365°F degrees. Turn on your oven to the lowest setting (or “warm” if it has that) and place a wire rack over a baking sheet.
Pull the pie dough circles out of the fridge and let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes. We want them chilled but not too cold. They should feel cool to the touch, but shouldn’t be too stiff. Set up a workstation: your pie circles, the filling, and a shallow bowl filled with water.
Pick up a pie circle and keep the center of it in the palm of your hand. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to add about 2 tablespoons or so of filling to the center. Dip your fingertips in the water and run them along the entire edge of the circle, all around the filling. Now, fold the pie circle over the filling, close it like a taco, pressing the filling back into the center, deeper into the pocket you’re forming if needed. If there’s too much filling remove some – don’t be tempted to overfill them or they’ll burst when frying. Press the moistened edges of the circle together tightly, then use your fingers or a fork to crimp them together tightly. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the pie circles.
Now it’s time to fry. Your oil should be at the correct temperature. If it’s too hot just remove it from the heat until it cools down, then place it back over the burner. Gently add the Chicken Pot Pie Bites to the oil, only a few at a time. They need to have space to dance around without knocking into each other. Allow the pies to fry until golden brown and floating on the surface of the oil, which should take about 5-6 minutes. If they float before you get the color you want that’s OK, let them cook until it’s almost the color you want, then flip them over and cook until the other side matches. Not too long though – the color will deepen another shade from residual heat as it cools. Transfer the fried pies to the prepared baking sheet, and keep them in the oven while you cook the rest.
When all the pies have been fried, you’re done! Serve the Chicken Pot Bites either in a bowl in a fairly shallow pool of gravy, or on a plate with a small cup of gravy for dipping on the side. Dassit!
Notes
The post above the recipe is where all my advice lives so don’t skip it!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe was originally titled Roasted Garlic and Thyme Slow-Cooked Mashed Potatoes when it debuted in my holiday ebook. That was just too damn long to be tryna type out repeatedly online so I condensed it. Also, because this recipe is so versatile: you can swap out the thyme for another herb, use regular garlic, whatever.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe:
Yukon gold potatoes: Red potatoes would be an alright substitute, but not russets. There’s not enough liquid called for to submerge the potatoes, so they’ll oxidize and turn gray. We don’t want that. It’ll be tasty, but ugly. For the gorgeous yellow hue you see in the photos below, Yukon golds are it!
Chicken broth: Our cooking liquid. You can substitute water or another type of broth if you want, this recipe is beautifully versatile in that way.
Buttermilk, heavy cream, salted butter: We work these into the cooked potatoes as we mash them, bringing the creaminess to a whole new level! The buttermilk adds only the slightest amount of tang, and you can substitute sour cream for it if you want.
Kosher salt, cracked black pepper: Depending on how salty your chicken broth is and how salty you like your food, you might not need any extra salt, or you might need more.
Roasted garlic, fresh thyme: Our flavorings! Unfamiliar with roasting garlic? Check out this quick tutorial I made on my method (I no longer wrap the garlic in aluminum foil, instead I invert a ramekin on top of it):
How to Make Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe:
Chuck it in the crockpot. Add your potatoes, garlic, thyme, and chicken broth to your slow cooker. Stir together, making sure the garlic and thyme are distributed throughout the potatoes. Turn the slow cooker on high and set it for 4 hours. You’ll stir once every hour, and you might not need to cook them the entire time. As soon as the potatoes are tender, turn the slow cooker down to its warm setting.
Mash the taters. When the potatoes are cooked through, stir and remove all of the thyme stems. Addthe butter and buttermilk and use a potato masher to transform the chunks of potato into mush. How chunky you leave it is up to you, but make sure to mash them enough to absorb the liquid fully. Gently fold in the heavy cream with a wooden spoon.
Taste and finish. Give the Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes a taste. Add the Kosher salt if needed, then finish it off with the freshly cracked black pepper. Serve hot!
6lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into evenly sized chunks
6 sprigs fresh thyme*
2 1/2 C chicken broth
1/4 C buttermilk, warm
1/4 C heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp roasted garlic
2 tbsp salted butter, room temperature
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Add your potatoes, roasted garlic, and thyme to the slow cooker. Pour the chicken broth over the potatoes and stir everything together. Cook on high for 2-4 hours, stirring once every hour – turning off when the potatoes are fork tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked through remove the thyme stems and add the buttermilk and butter. Use a potato masher to transform the chunks of potato into mashed potatoes; how chunky you leave them is up to you, just mash them enough to absorb the liquids.
After the potatoes have been mashed, gently fold in the heavy cream and taste. Add the salt if needed, and finish the freshly cracked black pepper. Dassit!
Notes
*1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme leaves will work if you don’t have fresh.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Pepper Steak is a dish you’re likely very familiar with if you’ve ever been to your local Chinese takeout restaurant. Me, I’m a ‘chicken wings fried hard’ or ‘beef and broccoli’ type girl, so I’ve never had it but I’ve seen it on the menu! It’s comprised of thinly sliced flank steak, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes in a stir-fry sauce that’s both sweet and savory.
When I first made this dish years and years ago I remember using a recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron. I’ve been unable to locate it on her site to link it directly, but I remember it was made in the slow cooker and it was really delicious.
Pepper Steak Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Pepper Steak recipe:
Flank steak: My steak of choice. No, it won’t be tough if you prepare it right! Good alternatives are sirloin, round, and skirt. No matter what cut, it needs to be sliced very very thin. I like to stick the steak in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing to make this easier to accomplish.
Bell peppers: Each of a different color, for pizazz. I like the flavor of red bell peppers best, so I recommend you include one of those.
Red onion: This might be the only dish where I call for cooking a red onion. These usually shine best when raw or pickled, but I enjoy them here, both in flavor and appearance.
Beef broth: Vegetable broth or even chicken will do. This makes up a large part of the sauce we’ll simmer the flank steak in.
Soy sauce: Our main flavoring and where most of the salt/umami in this dish comes from. We use it to marinate and in the stir-fry sauce. Use low-sodium if you’re watching your salt intake.
Fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, rice wine vinegar: Oyster sauce can be substituted for fish sauce, and Mirin for Shaoxing wine. White vinegar can be used for rice wine vinegar. These all have very particular flavors that will bring body and depth to the dish and help tenderize the meat, too.
Light brown sugar, honey: These both sweeten the dish and balance the flavors. Brown sugar and soy sauce go really well together, FYI.
Cayenne pepper, ground ginger, kosher salt: You might not need any salt. I only use it to encourage the onions to release their moisture. If my vegetarian daughter decided to be a carnivore for a day I would add more salt because she loves salty food. Actually, she wouldn’t eat this because she hates food that’s both sweet and savory so never mind.
Cornstarch: It helps tenderize the flank steak, and it thickens the sauce at the end. If you want a loose, kinda watery stir fry sauce at the end, feel free to omit it.
Pureed garlic: Minced garlic works fine too, but I prefer pureed so it doesn’t burn or char during the sear process.
Toasted sesame oil, chili oil: Flavor! Flavorrrrrr.
How to Make Pepper Steak
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Pepper Steak recipe:
Marinate the meat. Grab a large bowl and toss in the sliced flank steak along with everything else listed in the ‘marinade’ section of ingredients: the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine vinegar, pureed garlic, chili oil, and sesame oil. Stir together well, making sure all of the seasonings and sauces are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes – if you’re marinating for longer stick it in the fridge.
Make the stir-fry sauce. In another bowl whisk together everything listed under ‘sauce’: the beef broth, soy sauce, light brown sugar, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper. Set that aside, too.
Sear that meat! Place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and drizzle in a bit of vegetable oil. Swirl it around to coat the surface and let the pan heat up for a minute or so. Add the flank steak in a single layer – you’ll need to sear it in batches – and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip and stir the meat around until it’s mostly browned. Remove that batch and continue to cook the steak in batches until it’s all been seared, adding more vegetable oil as needed.
Build the Pepper Steak. Once all of the steak has been seared add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan and toss in the onion. Sprinkle over a pinch of kosher salt and cook just until they begin to soften – about 3 minutes. Add the flank steak back to the pan along with the sauce you made earlier, the fire-roasted tomatoes, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir everything together well. The steak should be pretty much submerged in the liquid – refer to the video if needed – and if it’s not, add a bit more beef broth until it is. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Make it Pepper Steak. Once the steak is tender – you should be able to break it apart with a spoon – stir in the sliced bell peppers. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bell peppers are crisp-tender. Add the tablespoon of cornstarch to a very small bowl. Transfer two tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the pot – be careful, it’s hot! – and stir that into the cornstarch. Stir until no lumps remain, adding more cooking liquid if needed. Once you have a slurry the consistency of gravy pour it into the pot and stir it in.
Serve it! Cover and turn off the heat, letting it rest for a couple of minutes. Stir everything well again before serving. Dassit!
What To Serve With Pepper Steak
We usually have it over mashed potatoes, but this Easy Pepper Steak is great over rice and ramen, too! It’ll also go well with rice noodles, like the ones called for in my Stir Fry Noodles recipe. Here are a few options for you:
Grab a large bowl and toss in the sliced flank steak along with everything else listed in the ‘marinade’ section of ingredients: the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine vinegar, pureed garlic, chili oil, and sesame oil. Stir together well, making sure all of the seasonings and sauces are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes – if you’re marinating for longer stick it in the fridge.
In another bowlwhisk together everything listed under ‘sauce’: the beef broth, soy sauce, light brown sugar, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper. Set that aside, too.
Place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and drizzle in a bit of vegetable oil. Swirl it around to coat the surface and let the pan heat up for a minute or so. Add the flank steak in a single layer – you’ll need to sear it in batches – and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip and stir the meat around until it’s mostly browned. Remove that batch and continue to cook the steak in batches until it’s all been seared, adding more vegetable oil as needed.
Once all of the steak has been seared add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan and toss in the onion. Sprinkle over a pinch of kosher salt and cook just until they begin to soften – about 3 minutes.
Add the flank steak back to the pan along with the sauce you made earlier, the fire-roasted tomatoes, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir everything together well. The steak should be pretty much submerged in the liquid – refer to the video if needed – and if it’s not, add a bit more beef broth until it is.
Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the steak is tender – you should be able to break it apart with a spoon – stir in the sliced bell peppers. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bell peppers are crisp-tender.
Add the tablespoon of cornstarch to a very small bowl. Transfer two tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the pot – be careful, it’s hot! – and stir that into the cornstarch. Stir until no lumps remain, adding more cooking liquid if needed. Once you have a slurry the consistency of gravy pour it into the pot and stir it in. Cover and turn off the heat, letting it rest for a couple of minutes. Stir everything well again before serving. Dassit!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
This Beef Fried Rice is so freaking delicious. You could say that this recipe is adapted from one of The Woks of Life‘s recipes for fried rice because most of the what I’ve learned about making fried rice I did from their blog. They’re so damn interesting and educational, I highly recommend checking them out.
I love making this rice with the vegetables listed, but you can easily adapt this and add a bag of frozen peas, leftover green beans, a drained can of corn – the sky is the limit, really. One of the best things about Fried Rice is how versatile it is. You can do so much with it. Next up for me is recreating this Cajun Fried Rice I saw The Cast Iron Chef prepare on Instagram. If you haven’t already, check out my Vegetable Fried Rice recipe.
Beef Fried Rice Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Beef Fried Rice recipe:
Steak: I used beef tenderloin tips – filet mignons, basically – cut into bite sized pieces. Use whatever cut of tender, quick cooking steak you’d prefer. Flank and sirloin are good options.
Cold cooked rice: I generally use basmati or a mixture of basmati and long-grain. For the rice pictured I used just basmati. I cooked it the traditional way, where you boil it in too much water like pasta, then drain it and let the excess moisture steam away. Then I refrigerated it overnight. It’s important to use cooked and completely cooled rice so the grains stay separate and are able to ‘fry’ for the Beef Fried Rice.
Vegetable oil, garlic butter: Vegetable oil for searing the meat and aromatics, garlic butter for flavor and frying everything. I make my garlic butter with salted butter, pureed garlic, minced parsley, and minced chives.
Soy sauce, garlic pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mirin, Kosher salt: Flavor! Seasonings! We use them to marinate the meat and further flavor the rice and veggies.
Eggs: I like my Beef Fried Rice pretty eggy, so I use three large eggs. You can reduce or increase as you prefer.
Garlic, yellow onion, scallion: Our aromatics. You can sub garlic and onion powder if you’re not a fan of them or don’t feel like doing all that dicing and mincing.
Bell pepper, carrot, broccoli florets, bean sprouts: My vegetables of choice. As mentioned above you can use whatever you want: a bag of frozen peas, some chopped up leftover green beans, a drained can of corn, etc. I use mung bean sprouts, but really any sprouts with a crunch are great.
Water, toasted sesame oil, umami seasoning, granulated sugar: We mix all these together into a sauce and use it to help flavor and steam our broccoli. If you swap out the vegetables that don’t need to be steamed you can just use this deglaze the pan after the beef is seared, or omit the water and add the other ingredients to the recipe whenever.
How to Make Beef Fried Rice
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Beef Fried Rice recipe:
Prepare everything. Half an hour before you’re ready to cook, add the beef to a bowl and stir in the soy sauce, garlic pepper, red pepper flakes, and mirin. Cover and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, sesame oil, sugar, and umami seasoning. Set that aside as well.
Sear the beef. Place a wok or large, deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Let it heat for 2 minutes, then add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Swirl it around to coat the surface of the pan. Add half of the beef to the pan and spread it out into a single layer. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and toss it around.
Saute the vegetables. Add the broccoli, onion, and bell pepper to the pan. Pour the water mixture in and stir. Toss the vegetables around, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and starting to char. Remove to the plate with the beef while you prepare the next component of the Beef Fried Rice.
Fry the rice. Add the garlic butter, garlic cloves, and carrots. When the butter begins to foam and the carrot has darkened in color, add the cooked rice, breaking it up. Drizzle the soy sauce over the rice, and gently toss everything together. Let the rice fry lightly for a few minutes, then taste and adjust with kosher salt if needed.
Assemble the Beef Fried Rice. Push the rice aside and add the remaining garlic butter to the bare space. Add the beaten eggs and scramble until just starting to form curds. Gently begin to stir the rice and the eggs together. When almost completely combined, stir the beef and vegetables back into the rice. Turn off the heat and toss in the bean sprouts and scallions. Serve hot. Dassit!
Half an hour or so before you’re ready to cook, add the beef to a bowl and stir in the soy sauce, garlic pepper, red pepper flakes, and mirin. Cover and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the water, sesame oil, sugar, and umami seasoning. Set that aside as well.
Place a wok or large, deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Let it preheat for 2 minutes, then add about half of the vegetable oil. Swirl it around to coat the surface of the pan.
Add half of the beef to the pan and spread it out into a single layer. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir and toss it around until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan, then cook the rest of the beef.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and saute for two minutes, then stir in the broccoli. Next, pour the water mixture over the broccoli and stir. Toss the vegetables around, then leave them alone for a couple of minutes, letting the water mixture simmer and evaporate for 3-4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and starting to char. When the broccoli is tender remove everything from the pan and transfer it to the plate with the beef.
Add the garlic butter, garlic cloves, and grated carrot. Stir together. When the butter begins to foam add the cooked rice, breaking it up as you go. Once the rice is worked in there, drizzle the soy sauce over the rice and gently toss everything together. Let the rice fry lightly for a few minutes, then taste and adjust with kosher salt if needed.
Once the rice is browned and looks a bit dry, push it aside and add the remaining garlic butter to the bare space. Add the beaten eggs and scramble just until they’re starting to form curds, then gently begin to stir the rice and the eggs together. When the two are almost completely combined, stir the beef and vegetables back into the rice.
Turn off the heat and gently toss in the bean sprouts and scallions. Serve hot. Dassit!
Notes
I like Brass Cuisine’s garlic pepper seasoning and highly recommend it. Just use a teaspoon of garlic powder and a half teaspoon of black pepper to replace if you need to.
Check the post above the recipe for details on the ingredients and suggestions if adapting.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
Intro about Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells. It’s very similar to my Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pasta recipe – and pretty much any chicken alfredo with broccoli recipe anywhere, ever – but a slightly different eating experience because you get way more chicken (and broccoli) to pasta in each bite, especially in comparison to something like fettuccine or pappardelle.
Broccoli is of course my vegetable of choice, but you can easily swap it out for sauteed spinach, roasted tomatoes, or some other veggie. Make sure whatever you choose, you cook it first. If you don’t, the moisture it releases will water down the sauce and final dish.
Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells recipe:
Boneless chicken breasts: My cut of choice, always. Thighs will work fine if that’s your preference. They’ll just need to cook longer.
Pappardelle pasta: Big, thick, meaty noodles add an extra bite to this pasta, making a bit more hearty than just your usual Fettuccine Alfredo. You
Broccoli: I like buying crowns because they’re easier to trim into florets, but whole stalks will work well.
Salted butter, half-and-half, aged parmesan: The main components of our sauce. If you like more sauce you can increase the amounts of both of these by about half a cup. It shouldn’t take any longer to cook down. You can go for unsalted butter and fresh parmesan if you prefer. Heavy whipping cream also works instead of half-and-half.
Olive oil: Our fat of choice for the Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells.
Crushed red pepper flakes: Not enough to make it spicy, but enough to cut through the cream and add some bite. Adjust as needed.
Paprika: Honestly it’s just for color. You can omit it.
Italian seasoning: Just your basic mix of dried herbs like parsley, oregano, basil, and thyme.
Kosher salt: To season the chicken, and if needed, as needed.
Cracked black pepper: For a sharp finish to our Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells.
Equipment: I call for a medium saucepan to cook the chicken and build the sauce, but any decent sized pan with high sides will do. Here’s everything I used:
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells recipe:
Marinate the chicken. In a small bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix into a marinade and work into the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for half an hour, or up to overnight, in the fridge.
Cook the chicken. Drizzle the remaining oil into a cast-iron skillet and let it heat until the oil is shimmering. If you marinated it in the fridge, make sure you pull the chicken 20-30 minutes before you start cooking so it can come to room temperature. This allows it to cook more evenly. Add the chicken in a single layer and let cook undisturbed for 7 minutes, then flip. Cook until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes more. When done, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest.
Build the sauce. Begin heating the salted water for your noodles and broccoli, and in the same cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, then whisk in the heavy cream and all of the seasonings. When warmed through, whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil the pasta and broccoli. The water should be boiling by now, so while the alfredo sauce is cooking, add the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes, then add the broccoli. Cook together until the pasta is al dente, about 3-5 minutes more, then drain. This will all vary greatly based on your stove and preferences.
Prepare to bake the Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells . Grab a 9×13 baking dish and lightly grease it with either baking spray or olive oil to prevent sticking. Ladle about half a cup or so of alfredo sauce into the bottom of the pan. Spread it around.
Stuff the shells. I use my hands and a spoon, holding the shell open in my hands and using the tip of the spoon to force it in. Some folks use a piping bag – or a ziploc bag when the end cut off – to squeeze it in. Overfill them just a little so that the shells stay open and the filling is visible. Place them side by side, squeezing them in together (not too tight) so they remain stable and upright. Continue until something runs out, or the pan is full.
Bake it up. Spoon the remaining sauce over the tops of all the shells. Once that’s finished, cover everything with the mozzarella, evenly and completely. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is just beginning to brown. Remove and let the Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells rest for a few minutes before you dive in. Enjoy! Dassit!
Other Alfredo Recipes to Try
I love Alfredo sauced pasta, so I have quite a few recipes featuring it. Not into stuffed shells, or just looking for something different? Try these:
1 1/2lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1lb jumbo pasta shells
4 C broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces*
2 1/4 C half-and-half
2 C low-moisture mozzarella, grated
1 1/2 C aged parmesan, grated
1 C reserved pasta water
1/2 C salted butter
1 tbsp olive oil,
2 tsp + 1 tsp kosher salt, divided, to taste
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cracked black pepper
Instructions
Grab a mixing bowl and to it add your chicken, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp of kosher salt. Stir together until all of the chicken is coated in the oil and the seasonings are distributed throughout. Allow the chicken to marinate for 15-20 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.
Preheat your oven to 375°F and place an oven rack smack dab in the center. Grease a baking dish – at least 9×13 – lightly with baking spray or oil and set it aside. Prepare the salted water to boil your noodles in.
Place a large non-stick skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat and allow to preheat for 2 minutes. If it’s not completely nonstick feel free to add a drizzle of olive oil, just enough to cover the surface. Add the chicken in a single layer – go in batches, if needed – and let cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then give it a stir and toss it around so the sides of the chicken that haven’t made contact with the pan get some action. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes more. Set the chicken aside to rest while you make the pasta and sauce.
To the same pan you cooked the chicken in, add the butter. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the butter to melt. When it has, whisk in the grated parmesan and half-and-half. Stir in the black pepper. Let the sauce simmer uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The water you prepared earlier should be boiling by now, so while the alfredo sauce is cooking, add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli. Cook together until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli becomes an intense, bright green, then use a strainer to remove the broccoli from the water and add it to the bowl of cooked chicken, making sure to let the excess water drip off into the pot first. Drain the pasta shells – don’t forget to reserve some water! – and set them aside, as well (you can leave them in the pot they cooked in).
The sauce should have thickened and reduced just a tad by now. Give it a stir, then whisk the pasta water into the sauce. Give it a taste, and add salt or adjust for seasonings as you see fit, then turn off the heat and replace the lid.
While you wait for the shells to become cool enough to handle, work on the filling. To the bowl of chicken and broccoli, add 1 cup of mozzarella and 2 cups of the hot alfredo sauce. Use a wooden spoon to stir it all together, until the cheese has melted and everything is well distributed. Grab your baking dish and ladle about half a cup of alfredo sauce into the bottom of the pan. Spread it around.
Now it’s time to stuff! I use my hands and a spoon, holding the shell open in my hands and using the tip of the spoon to force it in. Some folks use a piping bag – or a Ziploc bag when the end cut off – to squeeze it in. Overfill them just a little so that the shells stay open and the filling is visible. Place them side by side, squeezing them in together (not too tight) so they remain stable and upright. Continue until something runs out, or the pan is full.
Now, ladle the remaining sauce over the tops of all the shells. Once that’s finished, cover everything with the remaining mozzarella, evenly. You can add extra cheese if you want full coverage. I finish with little bits from the bottom of the bowl of broccoli and finishing pepper for garnish.
Place the shells in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top has turned golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving, and enjoy. Dassit!
Notes
Broccoli is just one option. Feel free to swap it out with your preferred – already cooked so it doesn’t water down the sauce – vegetable.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a little off the top to help me keep this website running. It doesn't cost you extra or affect my opinion.
We’ve already discussed at least a few times that braised beef is my favorite, so I know you’re not surprised to see another slow-cooked beef dish. This Stewed Beef Pie recipe is pretty much the same exact thing they call Steak Pie across the pond!
While I like this recipe best with just beef and no additions, I developed and wrote the recipe to include more so it’s a full meal. Similar to a pot pie, it checks off all the main boxes: starch, protein, vegetables, and deliciousness.
This recipe makes one large Stewed Beef Pie everyone can eat from or about six personal Stewed Beef Pies.
Stewed Beef Pie Ingredients
Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Stewed Beef recipe:
Stew beef: You might find it labeled as stewing beef, it’s pretty much just a roast cut into large cubes. I like to buy chuck roast and cut it up myself because it’s cheaper and it’s easier to remove excess fat.
Carrot, celery, onion, garlic: General pot pie components. No potatoes. I don’t know why but potatoes in pot pie send me into a rage! They don’t belong there, I don’t care what Marie Calendar says!! That said, if you want potatoes in your Stewed Beef Pie you go right ahead! I suggest cuttin them into 1/2″ chunks, and adding them after the first hour or simmering is complete.
Worchestershire sauce, bay leaf, dried oregano, tomato bouillon, seasoned salt, black pepper, umami powder: Our flavorings. You can substitute tomato paste in place of tomato bouillion, and kosher salt instead of seasoned salt.
Flour: We use it to get a nice crust on the beef during searing, and to thicken the stew.
Beef broth: For braising.
Vegetable oil: For searing the beef and softening the mirepoix.
Large egg: You can use the yolk only if you like. This is just for brushing over the top of the puff pastry so it gets beautiful.
How to Make Stewed Beef Pie
Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Stewed Beef Pie recipe:
Prepare the beef. Season the beef liberally with seasoned salt, umami powder, and black pepper. After each piece is well seasoned, sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir everything together, making sure each piece is coated. If you need more flour, feel free to add it. Place a large dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat and drizzle in enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the surface. Let it preheat for 2 minutes, then add the beef in a single layer. You’re not cooking it, just searing. Sear the pieces on all sides, then remove and set aside. Continue cooking in batches until all the beef has been seared.
Saute the mirepoix. Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sprinkle over a bit of salt, just to encourage things to sweat, and stir around for about 3 minutes. Next, add in the garlic. Stir together and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Start building. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mirepoix, then use a wooden spoon to stir. The flour should combine with moisture released from the vegetables and the remaining oil making a very thick paste. If it’s just dry as hell even as you stir, add in a little more oil, or a pat of butter. Once a thick, lumpy paste has formed, start pouring in the beef broth, a little at a time. Stir well, making sure it’s entirely combined before adding more. This helps prevent lumps.
Season and simmer. Now, add the bay leaf and all remaining seasonings, along with the worchestershire sauce. Stir well, then taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. When you’re happy, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the beef and carrots are fork tender. Turn off the heat, and allow to rest while you prepare the puff pastry.
Build the Stewed Beef Pie. Preheat your oven to 400°F and place a baking dish – at least 8×8 – on a baking sheet. If you’re using store-bought pastry you don’t need to roll it out. Cut slits across the center of the pastry sheet, so that steam can release while it’s basking. Pour the stewed beef into the baking dish: fill it up to the edge and smooth it out evenly. Center the sheet of puff pastry over the top of the dish, then press it down along the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to trim off the excess – leave a bit extra because it’ll shrink, as you can see in the photos.
Bake the Stewed Beef Pie. Use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg all over the surface of the pie, and place it in the oven – center rack – for 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is deeply browned and completely cooked through. Once it looks the way you want, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before diving in. The puff pastry will deflate a little in the meantime.
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Season the beef liberally with seasoned salt, umami powder, and black pepper. After each piece is well seasoned, sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir everything together, making sure each piece is coated. If you need more flour, feel free to add it.
Place a large dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat and drizzle in enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the surface. Let it preheat for 2 minutes, then add the beef in a single layer. You’re not cooking it, just searing. Sear the pieces on all sides, then remove and set aside. Continue cooking in batches until all the beef has been seared.
Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the onion, celery, and carrot. Sprinkle over a bit of salt, just to encourage things to sweat, and stir around for about 3 minutes. Next, add in the garlic. Stir together and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mirepoix, then use a wooden spoon to stir. The flour should combine with moisture released from the vegetables and the remaining oil making a very thick paste. Add more oil, if needed.
Once a thick, lumpy paste has formed, start pouring in the beef broth, a little at a time. Stir well, making sure it’s entirely combined before adding more.
Now, add the bay leaf and all remaining seasonings, along with the Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, then taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. When you’re happy, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
Simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the beef and carrots are fork-tender. Turn off the heat, and allow to rest while you prepare the puff pastry.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and place a baking dish – at least 8×8 – on a baking sheet. Cut slits across the center of the puff pastry sheet, so that steam can release while it’s basking.
Pour the stewed beef into the baking dish: fill it up to the edge and smooth it out evenly. Center the sheet of puff pastry over the top of the dish, then press it down along the edges to seal. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to trim off the excess pastry.
Use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg all over the surface of the pie, and place it in the oven – center rack – for 30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is deeply browned and completely cooked through. Once it looks the way you want, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before diving in. Dassit!
