10-Minute Italian Zucchini Noodle Skillet with Sausage

SERVES 4  |  ACTIVE TIME 10 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 10 Min
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 medium yellow onion, thin sliced
1-pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
4 fully cooked Italian sausage links, sliced into coins
4 medium zucchini, (or 3 large)
2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
salt and pepper (to taste)

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat from 6" above the pan, add oil.

Meanwhile: cut the onion in half and peel the outer layer. Slice the onion into thin strips. Toss onion slices in the pan when it's ready. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon of each).

Meanwhile:  Rinse tomatoes and slice in half. I recommend this tomato slicing tip to make quick work. Cut sausage into coins.

Once the onions are beginning to look translucent, add tomatoes and sausage. Add salt and pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon each). Your tomatoes will begin to release their juices, and it will collect in the pan, once you see the tomato juice, you are ready to add zucchini.

Meanwhile: Wash zucchini and make zucchini noodles (see above for options on making the noodles).

Add zucchini noodles to skillet. Add salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Use tongs to toss and coat zucchini. Cook until desired texture is reached. I like mine like al dente pasta, about 3 minutes.

Taste. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Shred Parmesan cheese over the skillet. Serve and enjoy!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED: 
Large Skillet
Spiralizer (or Box Grater, Julienne peeler or Mandoline)
Tongs

DONNA'S NOTES: For a single portion, cut the recipe by 1/4, cook on medium heat and use a smaller skillet (I like my medium (10")  skillet for this recipe).

STRESS-FREE RECIPE NOTES: To make this a stress-free recipe you can prep the ingredients ahead of time. It will take an extra 5 minutes, but if you are a newer cook, it will go much smoother.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2016 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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One Skillet Mexican Rice Casserole

SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 15 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 30 Min



1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons New Mexico chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1 (15.25 ounce) can niblet corn, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 (4 ounce) can fire roasted diced jalapenos
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
8 ounces Colby jack cheese, shredded
optional garnish: fresh cilantro, chopped

Warm a large (10") skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until beef is cooked through. Drain excess drippings if necessary (I had very little drippings and did not have to drain). Sprinkles spices over the beef (chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt). Stir to combine.

Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, jalapenos and rice to skillet. Stir to combine. Add water. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once mixture is boiling, stir well making sure there are no bits stuck to the bottom. Reduce to simmer.

Cook 15 minutes or until rice is cooked through. Remove cover half way through and stir well, unstick any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.

Remove skillet from the heat, sprinkle with cheese. Place skillet under broiler until cheese is completely melted, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S NOTES: If you prefer a less spicy dish, you can substitute the diced jalapenos with green chiles. Another option is to serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. The cream will mellow out the heat in the jalapenos.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2016 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Cheesy Beef Enchilada Dip

SERVES 6  |  ACTIVE TIME 20 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 20 Min

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (10 ounce) can Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce-Medium Red
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste (I added 1/4 teaspoon)
4 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
Optional garnish: fresh pico de gallo or salsa 

Cook ground beef in an oven safe medium skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Stir occasionally. Add garlic powder and onion powder once you see beef drippings in the pan. Break up beef with a wooden spoon as you go. Add enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Taste for flavor. Add salt as necessary, it should not need much if any.

Sprinkle with cheese.* Transfer to oven and place under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from oven. Add a scoop or so of fresh salsa.

Serve and enjoy.

DONNA'S NOTES: I really wanted an incredible presentation for this dish. I knew a heaping skillet would give me just that, so I transferred my enchilada beef mixture to a smaller (6.25") cast iron skillet before I added the cheese. Then topped with cheese and placed on a baking sheet and broiled.

Quick fresh pico de gallo: 2 chopped Roma tomatoes, 1/2 small white onion (diced), 1/2 seeded and deveined jalapeno (minced), chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper (to taste).  Toss, drain and serve.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2016 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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One-Pot Chicken Alfredo

SERVES 4 | ACTIVE TIME 20 Min | TOTAL TIME 30 Min
 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) entwine Chardonnay (white wine)
1 cup (8 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine pasta (or whatever pasta you prefer)
4 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese, about 2 cups
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(optional) chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter. Once butter is melted add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add wine to skillet, use a rubber spatula to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add broth and cream. Stir to combine.

Add uncooked pasta to skillet. Stir to combine and coat pasta in the sauce (the pasta will cook right in the sauce absorbing the sauce and becoming incredibly flavorful). Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is cooked al dente (with a bite to it). If you are using long pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc) you will need to stir every minute or so after 7 minutes to make sure the pasta is combined and cooking in the sauce.

Once pasta is cooked al dente, remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and nutmeg. If necessary, add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley (or basil would be good too).

Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S NOTES: Sauce will thicken as it cools. If sauce gets too thick, you can add a splash of wine or chicken broth and give it a stir. It will loosen the sauce up.

If you are sensitive to alcohol, you can substitute white grape juice or chicken stock. But, I highly recommend using entwine Chardonnay.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2015 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Sugar Cookie French Toast Casserole

SERVES 8  |  ACTIVE TIME 5 Min  |  TOTAL TIME 40 Min

butter, to grease pan
1 loaf french bread (approximately 14 ounces)
5 large eggs
1 cup plus 1-2 tablespoons International Delight Frosted Sugar Cookie Creamer, divided
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
optional: sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Generously butter a 6"x10" baking dish. Set baking dish aside. Cut bread into cubes. Add cubes to the prepared baking dish. Set dish aside. 

In a large bowl whisk eggs and 1 cup creamer until blended. Pour mixture over the bread cubes. Use a spoon to toss the cubes into the mixture remaining on the bottom of the dish until all cubes are well coated.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Meanwhile combine powdered sugar, extracts, 1 tablespoon creamer and salt in a small bowl and stir until well combined to make the icing. Add remaining 1 tablespoons creamer as necessary to create a thick frosting that will drizzle.

Remove casserole from oven. Drizzle icing over casserole and scatter sprinkles over the top.

Serve and enjoy.

DONNA'S NOTES:  You can bake this immediately, or refrigerate it up to overnight. If you are not baking immediately, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate 3 hours (up to overnight). Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2015 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Pumpkin Honey Dinner Rolls

 MAKES 24 Large Rolls | ACTIVE TIME 20 Min | TOTAL TIME 2 Hours 40 Minutes

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets) 1 cup warm almond milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup honey
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons butter or butter substitute, melted (divided)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, add yeast, warm milk and honey.  Swirl with your fingers or a spoon to dissolve the yeast.  Allow to sit until the yeast starts to bubble and becomes aromatic, about 5 minutes.

Add pumpkin, eggs and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Mix on medium speed until mostly combined. Add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 4 cups of flour. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft
dough (mine takes the whole 3 additional cups) so that it cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. You should have a ball of tacky (not sticky) dough at this point. When you touch the dough and pull your fingers away there should not be any dough on your fingers. If it is sticky, add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it becomes tacky (does not leave dough on your fingers when you touch it). Allow to knead for about 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a floured board; knead about 10 turns. Form into a loose ball. Place dough into stand mixer bowl(which should have been mostly cleaned out from the dough being kneaded in it). Cover with plastic wrap and a cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and we will form into 24 balls. Place dough on counter top and form dough into a loose ball.  We are going to cut this ball into 24 (somewhat) even pieces. First quarter the ball of dough. Roll each quarter into a log. Cut that into 3 equal pieces. Then cut each piece into 2 equal pieces. I used a bench scraper but a butter knife will work fine.  When you are done you will have 24 pieces.

Place rolls on a greased 13"x19" jelly roll pan (or 2-9x13 pans). *At this point you can refrigerate to continue tomorrow, see notes.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush tops and sides with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Allow to cool before serving.

DONNA'S NOTES: You can mix the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer.  Add milk, yeast and honey to a bowl.  Once the yeast blooms mix in the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and 6 tablespoons butter. Once it comes together, add in the salt and the flour.  Mix with a spoon.  Turn dough out onto floured counter top and knead for 3-5 minutes until dough is no longer sticky.  Proceed with remaining instructions.

You can substitute regular milk for almond milk if you do not need dairy free.

OVERNIGHT METHOD: Once the dough is formed into balls and placed on the baking sheet you can place them in the refrigerator covered with aluminum foil to bake tomorrow. To continue this recipe from the refrigerator, you will need to remove from refrigerator and remove aluminum foil. Allow dough to come to room temperature and rise. This can take longer than the 45-60 minutes as the dough has to warm up before it begins to rise. Proceed with recipe as written.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2015 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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Best Ever Gravy Recipe

MAKES 5 Cups | ACTIVE TIME 15 Min | TOTAL TIME 20 Min


1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup entwine Chardonnay

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat. Once butter is completely melted whisk in flour, herbs, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently to cook off the floury taste.

While whisking, pour wine into roux (flour mixture). Continue whisking until mixture bubbles up and becomes a thick consistency, about one minute. While whisking, add chicken stock. Continue whisking until mixture is completely smooth.

Bring gravy to a boil. Whisk occasionally. Boil 10 minutes until gravy is thickened.

Serve and enjoy!

DONNA'S NOTES: If using salted butter, decrease salt by 1/2 teaspoon to start. Salt content in chicken stock varies greatly. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and add more as necessary. If the gravy doesn't taste quite right, it could need more salt. I use the full 2 teaspoons in my recipe.

Gravy can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat over low heat.

If you are sensitive to alcohol, you can substitute white grape juice or chicken stock. But, I highly recommend using entwine Chardonnay.

USING TURKEY DRIPPINGS:  Once the turkey comes out of the oven. Remove the turkey and place it on a platter to rest. Turn stovetop to medium high and place pan on burner or two. Once the pan drippings are hot, add a cup of chicken stock (from your ingredient list) reserve the remaining chicken stock for the recipe. Use a wooden spatula to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup and let cool in the refrigerator. In about 20-40 minutes the fat will rise to the top and begin to get hard. Skim the fat off of the top, replace the butter in the recipe with the amount of fat you have in your measuring cup. For example if you have 1/4 cup turkey fat, use that plus 1/4 cup butter for a total of 1/2 cup.


Next use the pan drippings (in the measuring cup) in place of part of the chicken stock. If you have 1 cup of drippings, add that when the chicken stock is called for and also the reserved 3 cups chicken stock so you have a total of 4 cups when adding to the recipe.

For a smoother gravy, strain the drippings before adding to the gravy.

Recipe developed by Donna Elick - The Slow Roasted Italian
Copyright ©2015 The Slow Roasted Italian – All rights reserved.

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