Crockpot Zuppa Toscana Soup

 

CROCK POT ZUPPA TOSCANA

4.37 from 11828 votes

Author: Chrisy Toombs

Time: 20minutes mins prep + 4hours hrs cook

Servings: 8 servings

This crock pot zuppa toscana soup is an Olive Garden copycat recipe that makes it easy to bring the taste of Italy home. A simple dinner for busy weekdays!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 4 diced russet potato
• 1 pinch salt, to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
• 4 cups chicken broth
• water, see recipe instructions
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

• In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble hot Italian sausage, about 5-8 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until some of the onion begins to turn translucent (no need to cook onion completely at this point). Drain grease from skillet.
  1 pound ground hot Italian sausage,1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic,1 chopped yellow onion
• In a crock pot, add cooked sausage & veggies plus the diced potato. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour chicken broth on top. There should be enough broth to cover the tops of the potatoes; if there isn't, add up to 2 cups water so potatoes are covered.
  4 diced russet potato,1 pinch salt,1 pinch black pepper,4 cups chicken broth,water
• Gently stir ingredients, cover crock pot, and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
• Remove lid from crock pot and add kale and heavy whipping cream, then stir to combine.
  1 bunch kale,3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• Cover crock pot and cook on HIGH for another 30 minutes.
• Serve zuppa toscana immediately with shredded Parmesan cheese as garnish.
  1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Spinach

 Shrimp, spinach and garlic brown and cook quickly for a simple one-pot weeknight dinner. A fast pan sauce gets life from zesty lemon juice, warm crushed red pepper and herby parsley. Serve with a slice of whole-wheat baguette to swipe up every last drop of sauce.

By Carolyn Casner 

 

Updated on December 7, 2023

 Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD

 Tested by EatingWell Test Kitchen

Active Time:

 

25 mins

Total Time:

 

25 mins

Servings:

 

4

Yield:

 

4 cups

Nutrition Profile:

Low-Carb Diabetes-Friendly Nut-Free Dairy-Free Healthy Aging Healthy Immunity Low-Sodium High-Blood Pressure Soy-Free Heart-Healthy High-Protein Egg-Free Gluten-Free Low-Calorie Anti-Inflammatory Mediterranean Diet

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 6 medium cloves garlic, sliced, divided

• 1 pound spinach

• ¼ teaspoon salt plus 1/8 teaspoon, divided

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 pound shrimp (21-30 count), peeled and deveined

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

• 1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add half the garlic and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach and 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until mostly wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

2. Increase heat to medium-high and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot. Add the remaining garlic and cook until beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the shrimp are just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Serve the shrimp over the spinach, sprinkled with lemon zest and parsley.

Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, December 2018; updated March 2023

Nutrition Facts

              

Serving Size 1 cup
calories226
total fat 12g
saturated fat 2g
cholesterol 183mg
sodium 444mg
total carbohydrate 6g
dietary fiber 3g
total sugars 1g
protein 26g
vitamin c 37mg
calcium 196mg
iron 4mg
potassium 963mg

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

 This recipe was published originally by Ree Drummond

Ingredients

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 1/2 X 1/2 inch sticks 

(I used crinkle cut butternut squash from Trader Joes)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

Black Pepper to taste

1 large onion diced (I used a cup of pre-diced from Trader Joes)

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 15 ounce can green enchilada sauce

16 corn tortillas (I used 10 flour tortillas)

3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Toss the squash, 2 T vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp. each cumin and chili powder, the salt and several grinds of pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, tossing once, until browned and tender but not falling apart, 25 - 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 T. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring it around until lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the black beans and the remaining 1/4 tsp. each cumin and chili powder.  Cook until he beans are heated through and well combined, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.  Pour the enchilada sauce into the skillet, reduce the heat the low and warm through.

1. 3One at a time, hold the tortillas over a stovetop burner over medium heat to brown slightly, about 30 seconds per side. Set aside.
2. 4Pour 2 cups of the enchilada sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. To assemble the enchiladas, dip a tortilla into the remaining sauce, then lay on a plate. Sprinkle some cheese down the middle, followed by some of the bean mixture and finally some of the roasted squash. Roll it up tightly, then place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. If you have any extra pieces of squash, tuck them in between the enchiladas. Be sure to save a little cheese for topping!
3. 5Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas, then top with the remaining cheese. Give it a final sprinkling of chili powder, then bake until hot and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro.

Since my original post, I have discovered a great tip.  Instead of baking these enchiladas in a 9 x 13 leaving me and my husband with more than we can eat at one time, I split them between two square baking dishes and bake one the night of and prepare the second one for the freezer following the directions below.  Then, when we find a night where we need a quickish dinner and we didn't plan ahead, I pop it out of the freezer and into the oven and we're eating a healthy meal a 2nd time.  You can use an aluminum disposable baking dish to limit your dishes and also so you don't have to sacrifice one of your baking dishes to the freezer, but I have a glass one and a metal one and I just put the metal one into the freezer and haven't had any problems getting to it before I need more than one square baking dish.

*MAKE-AHEAD: Cover enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 25-30 minutes.

*TO FREEZE: Cover enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, remove plastic wrap, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until completely cooked through.

Sausage-Stuffed Mini Peppers (Make Ahead Freezer)

 I found this online at Keyingredient by charlotteh371 when searching for make ahead freezer meals.  I haven't ever actually frozen them, but love that I can.

Ingredients

16 oz. mini sweet peppers

1 pound ground Italian (you can use sweet or hot or even sweet turkey)

24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

8 oz. shredded mozzarella (you can leave this off or use Dairy Free Cheese for DF option)

Directions

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. (It's okay if you don't get every single seed out)

Stuff the peppers with uncooked sausage (if using sausage inside of casing, I just squeeze it out of the casing and stuff with the meat) and place in a 9" x 13" casserole dish.

Cover stuffed peppers with spaghetti sauce

Top with shredded cheese (if using)

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F or until cheese is brown and sausage is cooked through.

Note:  My oven just died and these are planned for the week, so we are putting them into the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours covered in the spaghetti sauce.

Sometimes we serve this over pasta like angel hair or veggie noodles of choice as well.

To Freeze

Complete the first four steps (through topping with cheese) then cover the dish with layers of plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.  When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees or skip thawing and bake frozen for 60 - 90 minutes.

Just Some Thoughts

 I just finished scrolling through my recipes here and realized I haven't done much blogging lately.  I have transitioned through many phases of life since starting this blog, but still find myself planning and preparing a lot of home cooked meals.  We are empty nesters now and have been for several years, but are blessed to have our almost 12 year old granddaughter and her mom, our oldest, living close by.  Our youngest and her her husband also live relatively nearby, but are getting ready to relocate.  We have a lot of food preferences, food intolerance, food allergies and other special dietary needs.  When my youngest became a vegetarian at 12 1/2, I had to learn how to modify a lot of family favorites to accommodate this.  There are entire sites dedicated to vegetarian and vegan recipes, but for me, I was still feeding a 12 year old, and the rest of the family.  We needed familiar food that we could modify.  I got really good at this and I'm so happy, because the 12 year old in my life right now has dairy and soy allergies but still wants to eat like every other 12 year old.  I don't look for dairy free recipes, so much anymore, but shop instead for milk substitutes to swap out in recipes we already love.  Our mashed potatoes, creamy soups and other favorites are now mostly made with extra creamy oat milk.  The vegetarian now eats chicken, so we use turkey and chicken sausages or swap in chicken breasts for just about any meat.  I guess the point of my blog today is to handle any dietary restrictions you may be facing by looking at ways you can overhaul your current favorites.  With all of my label reading and as a diabetic for over 30 years, I also lean more and more towards non-preservative foods.  I do not have a green thumb, so my gardening desires have to be met by shopping at Farmer's Markets or Sprouts or Trader Joes for my fruits and vegetables, but the less processed the foods, the better I like them for my cooking needs.  I plan my meals a week at a time, looking at our family calendar to gauge how much time I will have on any given night to cook and doing prep ahead on the weekends as much as needed.  My crockpot is my friend for keeping meals warm for those busy nights when everyone comes and goes at different times.  Mondays have become our Soup Night, making a big batch of soup for anyone who wants to come for dinner.  It's easy to keep in the crockpot as my family comes at times that work for them and easy to freeze leftovers if not everyone can make it.  

Hamburger Helper Substitute (Ground Beef and Quinoa Skillet)

 I love Hamburger Helper.  I always feel bad when I cook it because I know it's not a healthy choice for heart health and diabetes, but I do love it.  Recently I decided to try a better choice and went hunting for a healthier substitute to satisfy that craving.  I found this recipe on thehomeintent.com It was delicious and took only 24 minutes start to finish (I made the Quinoa in my Rice Cooker on the weekend so it was ready for a quick meal prep during the week.)  Here it is:

Ingredients

2 cups beef broth

1 cup quinoa

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 white onions, diced (if you dice them yourself, this might take longer than 24 minutes, but I used the fresh diced onion from Trader Joes.  1 full bag.

1 # ground beef

6 cloves garlic (again, I used 6 tsp of pre diced garlic from a jar)

1 Tablespoon fresh sage, minced

8-10 sprigs thyme (about 1 Tablespoon)

1 + 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Directions

Cook 1 cup Quinoa in 2 cups broth on your white rice setting on your rice cooker.  Since I cooked mine ahead, I put it in a resealable container and then microwaved it for 3 minutes before adding it to my skillet below.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the 2 Tablespoons of oil, diced onions and 1 tsp of salt until the onions are softened, about 8 minutes (stirring occasionally).  Add ground beef and garlic, cook until beef is no longer pink.  Add in sage, thyme, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.

Turn off the heat, pour cooked quinoa and chopped fresh spinach into the ground beef mixture.  Stir to combine and wait for a minute while the spinach wilts.  Taske and adjust seasonings if needed.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.  Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

• Fresh garlic, onions and herbs are definitely the best, but you could also use dried herbs, garlic powder and onion powder
• For variations on this dish you can try the following:
• Ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork instead of beef
• Chicken broth or vegetable broth instead of beef broth
• Kale instead of spinach
• Add black beans or white beans for extra protein and nutrition
• Any combination of herbs will be delicious if you don't have sage or thyme
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for more of a kick
• Top with shredded cheese
• Some Nutritional Notes

• Ground beef - Grass-fed and grass-finished is best for nutrition and flavor.

  Quinoa - Contains many vitamins and minerals, including many essential amino acids, as well as fibre and protein. Makes a great base for this dish.

  Beef broth - Helps to bring out the delicious beef flavor. Bone broth is best, but not required.

  Onions - Adds fibre, vitamins and minerals and a sweet flavor.

  Garlic - Great source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, selenium and manganese and gives a sweet, buttery flavor to the dish.

  Spinach - A nutritious green vegetable added to make this a full meal.

  Fresh herbs - Vibrant flavors from fresh herbs complete the dish.

Allison's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

 Dough:  

 T. active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105degree F)

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 C real butter at room temp

Filling:

1/2 cup real butter at room temp divided

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

Glaze;

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T butter, melted

2 T milk or cream

1 tsp. vanilla

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast over the water, allow to bloom for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth.  Whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for about 30 minutes 

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, salt, and remaining 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead on medium speed until smooth 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more flour to reduce stickiness if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

While dough is rising, prepare filling. Take 2 T of the stick of butter and set aside. Beat remaining butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. It will be rather thick.

Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15×10 in. Spread filling onto dough. Use a spoon (or your fingers) to spread it out evenly and then roll up length-wise.

Do you all know the trick to cutting cinnamon rolls? If not, go grab your dental floss! A piece of thread works fine too.

First score the rolls so you know you’re going to cut evenly. Then slide the thread underneath the rolls, cross over the top and pull. You’ll get razor sharp cuts without smashing your pretty dough.

You can cut the rolls to your liking. This will make 12 small rolls, 10 medium ones, or 8 large rolls. I made 10, but put 2 in a little dish to cook separately.

Place cut side up in baking dish. Melt the reserved 2 T butter and brush on top of rolls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, remove from refrigerator and let rise until half again as high, about 1 hour.

While rising mix glaze ingredients until combined.

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. If you get impatient and wait about 47 seconds like I did then your glaze will instantly melt and fall into the crevices between the rolls. Then you’ll stick your finger in the little well so you can taste it and you’ll burn yourself and possibly let out an expletive. You’ll be so hurt you’ll have to stuff a cinnamon roll in your mouth to comfort yourself. And possibly another one because the first one was too hot to enjoy. Not that I have experience with any of this. Just trust me and let the rolls cool off a bit.

Then spread the glaze over them and serve.