Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

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Pizza and pasta are always a crowd-pleaser – especially when most of the crowd is teenage boys! So I decided to come up with a way to combine the two into one great dish – and Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese is the result. I have to say this is one for the books! The hint of tomato in the cheese sauce and the combination of meats gives you the most amazing pizza pasta experience.

Meat Lover's Mac & Cheese
Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

I used ground hot Italian sausage for this recipe because I think it holds true to a meat lover’s pizza. You can certainly use regular Italian sausage – but when everything comes together it really is not all that spicy. The real key is to use ground sausage and not links. I prefer Johnsonville – which is pork. But you could certainly use a ground turkey variety like the one Jennie-O supplies.

Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

This is for sure not a diet or health-conscious dinner item. However, this is a perfect, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs cheat day meal. There is meat and cheese and pasta. But when you make things from scratch from whole ingredients – you at least stand a chance at it not wrecking your whole week of meals. This meal is awesome for the midweek slump when you need something to get you over the hump!

Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

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Meat Lover’s Mac & Cheese

A delicious baked Mac & Cheese with a mountain of meat in the flavors of the yummy pizza delight
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword baked mac & cheese, cheese, cheese sauce, Ham, mac & cheese, meat lover’s, Pasta, pasta dishes, pepperoni, pizza, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage divided
  • 8 oz Pepperoni quartered, divided
  • 8 oz Ham Steak diced, divided
  • 2 cup Mozzerella Cheese shredded, divided
  • 1 cup Parmensan Cheese shredded
  • 1½ lb Short Pasta rotini, shells, elbows, etc.
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 4 tbsp Flour
  • 2 tsp Italian Seasoning divided
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded
  • 1 15oz can Crushed Tomatoes
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta. Preheat oven to 400deg.
  • In a frying pan over mediuim heat, add italian sausage. Crumble and cook through. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Add pasta to boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes less than time listed on packaging. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water. Return to pot away from heat.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter and 1 tsp Italian Seasoning. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and cook another 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook 2 minutes. Add in cheddar cheese and one cup of mozzarella cheese. Once fully incorporated add can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.
  • Pour sauce over cooked pasta. Add ¾ of ham, pepperoni and italian sausage. Stir to combine then transfer to 13×9 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella cheese, ham, pepperoni and italian sauce. Top with parmesan cheese and remaining italian seasoning. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

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Spicy Soy Wings #slowcooker

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Wings are a favorite in my house but with 6 mouths to feed it can be a real pain to make enough for everyone. When I discovered the cooking method I used for my Spicy Mango Wings I was absolutely overjoyed at how easy it is to get tender on the inside, crisp on the outside wings at home without even frying them!!! So I wanted to try out a different flavor combination to make sure it wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder and made these Spicy Soy Wings – let me tell you – these wings are going in the hall of fame!

Spicy Soy Wings

The slow cooker and broiling combination method is so simple and produces some of the best wings I have ever had. You get so much flavor infused into the wings in the slow cooker, so that it’s not just the outside sauce. But then you get that great glazed effect with you put them under the broiler. It’s almost like magic or something.

The sauce was so good from this recipe that I also used it to glaze some ginger meatballs I was serving along with them. The meatballs were beef, fresh ginger, soy sauce, scallions (finely chopped), and panko crumbs. I baked them for 15 minutes in a 400deg oven and then brushed them with the sauce and put them back in while the wings broiled. Really tasty!

Spicy Rice Bowl

I made a sort of Spicy Rice Bowl out of this whole thing by serving some ginger rice, and an Asian Slaw along with Wings and Meatballs. It was a real good meal and there was not a speck of anything leftover!

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Spicy Soy Wings

A delicious Asian Twist of a spicy chicken wing – out of the slow cooker so it can feed a crowd!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American, Asian
Keyword chicken wings, honey, soy, spicy, wings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Slow Cooker Time 6 hours
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 6 qt Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 3 lb Chicken Wings flats & drummettes
  • 1 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 9oz can Tomato Paste
  • ¾ cup Brown Sugar
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger grated
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds divided
  • 2 Scallions chopped
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients.
  • Add chicken wings to slow cooker set to low.
  • In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger and half of sesame seeds. Blitz with an immersion blender or add to blender and blitz until smooth. Pour sauce over chicken and toss to coat. Cover with lid and cook for 6 hours.
  • Preheat oven to broil. Place a baking rack on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Line out chicken wings on rack. Place under broiler for 3 minutes on each side. Serve with a sprinkle of scallions and remaing sesame seeds.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Grilled Cajun Shrimp

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Some food just has an iconic flavor profile and needs to be celebrated! Like a good ol’ Cajun Shrimp Boil. Delicious shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, and of course Old Bay seasoning. A traditional boil also usually has potatoes, takes quite of bit of time to prepare, and does best in very large batches. So to address all three of those, I came up with these Grilled Cajun Shrimp skewers served up with grilled corn and some tasty dipping sauce.

Grilled Cajun Shrimp

I took out the potatoes so that I could cut the carbs – corn still has carbs so it’s not a totally #keto dish but it a little better. The potatoes also make the whole thing take even longer. I decided to go with grilled it all instead of boiling because it gives a slightly different flavor and it’s faster.

Grilled Cajun Shrimp

The dipping sauce is my own take on what some would traditionally call “Southern Comeback Sauce”, which is essentially a Cajun variation of a fry sauce. It’s got a little kick and is just perfect for the shrimp and sausage. You can actually find it at a lot of drive-thrus and drive-ins in the South. It works great on burgers, for dipping fries in, and also fried fish or chicken tenders!

Grilled Cajun Shrimp

If you want to add a little more to the corn, you can add some garlic salt to the melted butter before you brush it on – gives it a little more flavor. Corn is one of my favorite sides for summertime because it’s so sweet and juicy! And in the summer it’s usually super cheap – sometimes it will go as far as 4 ears for a dollar! I like to leave the husk on when I grill it, helps to hold in the flavor and sort of steam the kernels. It does take some hot hands to get it husked afterward – but it is totally worth it.

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Grilled Cajun Shrimp

Enjoy the flavors a good ol' shrimp boil from your grill!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword andouille, Sausage, shrimp, shrimp recipes, skewers
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Skewers (12-16)

Ingredients

  • 2 lb Large Shrimp deveined, peeled, tail on
  • 2 lb Andouille Sausage cut into 1-inch coins
  • 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Parsley
  • 2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
  • 6 Ears of Corn
  • 4 tbsp Butter melted

For the Dipping Sauce

  • 1 cup Mayo
  • ½ cup Ketchup
  • ¼ cup Hot Sauce I used Frank's
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of your ingredients. Preheat grill to medium high.
  • Place corn on grill (with husks on). Cook for 20 minutes before adding skewers. Leave on while cooking skewers. Remove from grill, removed husks and brush with melted butter.
  • In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • Combine oil, old bay, lemon juice and parsley. Alternate shrimp and sausage on skewers (4 of each per skewer). Brush one side of skewers and then place oiled side down on the grill. Then brush the other side of the skewers. Cook for 10 minutes then flip and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Serve with 3-4 skewers per person, piece of corn and dipping sauce.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Garlic Steak & Lemon Pasta

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Steak and Pasta are quick and easy for weeknight cooking. Garlic Steak & Lemon Pasta is a deliciously simple dish that is full of flavor and ready in under 30 minutes! The silky lemon cream sauce comes together so simply and the pairs perfectly with the bold flavors of garlic and pepper on the steak.

Garlic Steak & Lemon Pasta

Pasta is made for fast weeknight meals. They are the perfect vessel for sauces, meats, and veggies. You can really through together whatever you have in the fridge and almost always come out with something great. You can also do lots of different styles of cooking – that’s why I love pasta so much!

Garlic Steak & Lemon Pasta

You want to make sure you sauce the pasta and add some on top of the steak. The sauce is what brings it all together and you want to be sure that everyone gets enough of it. You could also make this sauce with shrimp or chicken instead of the steak, if you wanted to.

This dish probably needs a side salad or some garlic bread to go with it. You could also do some roasted broccoli or zucchini (put on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, garlic, salt and pepper and bake at 400deg for 20 minutes).

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Garlic Steak & Lemon Pasta

Delicious garlicky steak bites with pasta and silky lemon cream sauce
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword lemon, Pasta, pasta dishes, steak, steak recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb Long Pasta fussili, linguini, spaghetti

For the Steak Bites

  • 1½ lb Sirloin cubed
  • 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 4 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Parsley
  • 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

For the Lemon Cream Sauce

  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 3 tbsp Flour
  • 1 cup White Wine
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 Lemon zest & juice
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Instructions

  • Preapare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, whisk in flour. Cook for 3 minutes then whisk in wine. Cook for 3 minutes then whisk in heavy cream. Cook for 3 minutes then add lemon juice and zest. Reduce heat medium-low and keep warm will pasta and steak cooks.
  • In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add oil, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes then add steak and seasonings. Cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on desired level of doneness.)
  • Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the package. Drain in collander and rinse with cool water.
  • In a shallow bowl, add portion of pasta. Top with portion of steak and ladle cream sauce over top.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Baked Croque Madame

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Croque Madame is really just a fancy way to say a grilled ham and cheese with an egg on top – sort of. So you do typically use at least 2 types of cheese (one typically as a sauce or mornay). You also use thicker bread and usually thicker pieces of ham. One thing that makes it difficult to make for the whole family at the same time is the fried eggs. So in an effort to make it easy to serve the crowd – I came up with this Baked Croque Madame recipe.

I went with a smoked gouda cheese slice with honey ham. For the mornay (cheese sauce), I made a parmesan thyme sauce. I also used Texas toast – each slice is about 3/4 of an inch thick. It is usually used for making French Toast. You could also use sourdough bread if you can’t find the Texas Toast.

Baked Croque Madame

The real trick to getting this to work for a large group (having all 6 sandwiches be done at the same time) was to combine the super easy and delightful “Egg in a Frame” with the sandwich. And – man! – did it work out great! Depending on how your oven heats – you might want to rotate the pan halfway through cooking to make sure the front sandwiches are getting cooked at the same rate as the back.

I served this with a simple side of Home Fries. I cut Yukon Gold Potatoes into roughly 1-in by 1/2-in squares. Then I put some Avocado Oil (my favorite for frying because of it’s amazing high smoke rate of 500deg) in a medium sized frying pan – only about an inch deep. Fry the potatoes in batches for about 4 minutes each. Remove them to a paper towel covered plate.

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Baked Croque Madame

Cheesy ham and egg sandwiches for a crowd all at once!
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American, French
Keyword cheese, croque madame, egg, egg recipes, grilled cheese, Ham
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 12 Thick Bread like Texas Toast
  • 6 Eggs
  • 1 lb Ham thick-sliced
  • 6 slices Provolone Cheese
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
  • 1 tsp Parsely
  • 1 stick Butter melted

For the Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tbsp Flour
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Thyme
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425deg.
  • In a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter for sauce. Once melted whisk in heavy cream. Cook for 3 minutes then add dijon, garlic and thyme. Cook for 2 mintues then add parmesan cheese. Once fully incorporated, reduce heat to medium-low and keep warm until ready to build sandwiches, stirring occasionally.
  • Lightly toast each piece of bread (approximately 2 minutes). Brush once side of each piece with melted butter. Using a cup or biscuit cutter, cut a center hole out of 6 slices of bread. (save the circle of bread).
  • On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, line up the 6 full slices of toasted bread. Place slice of provolone on each. Next add 2-3 pieces of ham and then ladle sauce over top. Top with hole punched bread slice. Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley. Place in oven for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and break an egg into each bread whole. Increase oven heat to 500deg. Add circles of bread to baking sheet. Return to oven for 10 more minutes (adjust time for desired doneness of egg, whites should be cooked through and yolk should be runny).

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Summer Sausage Skewers

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Summer is creeping up on us – and that means lots of things cooked on the grill in my house. I love to put together different combinations of meats and veggies on skewers and let them cook up with minimal effort. These Summer Sausage Skewers have Italian sausage, zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion – perfect for summer dinner in the back yard. I also made a lemon basil aioli for dipping to go along with it

Summer Sausage Skewers

How you put things on your skewers affects how they cook, so you want to take into account the cooking time of each item and then arrange accordingly. I went with putting the squash pieces on flat and the sausages on through the shorter side. This made the skewers roughly the same width and thickness for even cooking.

Summer Sausage Skewers

Making aioli from scratch is really not that hard. It’s essentially making a flavored mayo from scratch – using oil and egg yolks. It is really important that you separate the all of the egg whites out from the yolks before using them. Also, this sauce will start to separate the longer it sits, so just keep mixing it vigorously.

Summer Sausage Skewers

I severed these skewers with Crispy Parmesan Tarragon Potatoes. These were a huge hit at my table – as I was told I didn’t make enough of them! You could serve them with a salad, pasta salad, potato salad – any number of good backyard bbq sides!

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Summer Sausage Skewers

A bright and light summer meal with an easy lemon basil dipping sauce
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword dipping sauce, lemon, lemon basil, Sauce, Sausage, skewers, squash, zucchini
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 6

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 10 Italian Sausages cut in thirds
  • 1 Red Onion cut into 1-inch squares
  • 2 Zucchini cut into ½-inch rounds
  • 1 Yellow Squash cut into ½-inch rounds
  • 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Oregano

For the Dipping Sauce

  • ½ cup Fresh Basil roughly chopped
  • 1 Lemon zest & juice
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • ½ cup Avocado Oil
  • 4 Egg Yolks
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
  • In a bowl, combine veggies, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and oil. Toss to coat.
  • Build Skewers – alternate veggies and 3 chunks of sausage on each skewer. Once grill or grill pan is hot, begin cooking for 8 minutes on each side.
  • In a small bowl, combine aioli ingredients. Blitz with immesion blender until smooth. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
  • Serve 1-2 skewers per person with dipping sauce in a small dish.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Beer Chili Cheese Brats

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If you are looking for the perfect Brewhouse Pub food made at home – you came to the right place! This delectable combination of beer cheese, a quick chili and bratwurst come together as the perfect grown-up version of a chili cheese dog. Beer Chili Cheese Brats are going to make the whole family happy and probably need a fork and knife to eat it all up!

Beer Chili Cheese Brats

The quick chili is amazing and can be used in so many ways. You get some much flavor in a short time – it’s incredible. The beef broth lends a lot of the flavor – don’t use water! Always use broth whenever you can. If you really want to develop flavor – you could use dried kidney beans, and soak them in beef broth the night before instead of using canned beans.

Beer Chili Cheese Brats

I didn’t serve a side dish with this recipe – because Holy Moly is it filling. The hubs and older boys had two each but the rest of us barely polished off one! If you wanted to make only one per person you could serve with some fries or tots. Or you could add a side salad to cut back on the considerable caloric intake.

Beer Chili Cheese Brats

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Beer Chili Cheese Brats

A grown-up chili cheese dogs with beer cheese, quick chili and grilled bratwurst.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword beer cheese sauce, brats, bratwurst, cheese, cheese sauce, chili, onions, quick chili
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 8 Hoagie Rolls
  • 8 Bratwurst
  • ½ White Onion diced, divided
  • 1 tsp Parsley for garnish

For the Chili

  • 2 15oz can Kidney Beans drained
  • 1 15oz can Crushed Tomatoes
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Parsley
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 cup Beef Broth

For the Beer Cheese Sauce

  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 4 tbsp Flour
  • 12 oz Lager
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high.
  • In a sauce pan over medium heat, add oil, garlic and half of diced onion. Cook for 3 minutes. Add remaining chili ingredients and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover to simmer.
  • In another sauce pan over medium heat, add butter. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in lager and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Add in cheese and fully incorporated.
  • Add brats to grill and cook for 9 minutes on each side.
  • Split rolls and place on grill for 2-3 minutes.
  • Place bratwurts on grilled bun and top with chili, then beer cheese. Sprinkle with remaining onion and parsley.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Taco Grilled Cheese #tacotuesday

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It’s not quite Taco Tuesday and not quite Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup but holy moly is it yummy! Elevating something as simple as a grilled cheese is not always super easy but it is doable. These Taco Grilled Cheese sandwiches are so much yum! Two types of cheese, beef taco meat and refried beans all come together so well – you are going to flip.

Taco Grilled Cheese

I like to use sourdough for grilled cheese because it crisps up nice and then holds it’s crispiness the whole time you are eating it. But you can certainly use what every your favorite sliced bread instead. I also used refried beans but you could use whole pinto beans or black beans if you prefer.

Taco Grilled Cheese

The taqueria salsa is so simple to make but gives so much flavor. And dipping the grilled cheese into is like a fiesta in your mouth. The salsa is also great for chips, tacos, burritos, taco salad – really anything you put salsa on. It is a cooked salsa and more like what you typically get in a Mexican restaurant – very smooth with no many chunks.

Taco Grilled Cheese

I also served this with a quick and easy side salad – romaine, radishes, cilantro, and carrots – that I dressed with a super easy Honey Lime Dressing. The balance of the slightly sweeter salad with the small kick of the salsa all came together on the plate.

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Taco Grilled Cheese

The yummy flavors of a taco between the slices of a grilled cheese sandwich!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword cheese, grilled cheese, ground beef, ground beef recipes, taco
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 16 slices Sourdough Bread
  • 8 slices Colby Jack Cheese
  • 8 slices Pepper Jack Cheese
  • 1½ lb Ground Beef
  • ½ Yellow Onion diced
  • 3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 15oz can Refried Beans
  • 2 cups Taqueria Salsa see recipe below
  • 4 tbsp Avocado Oil divided
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat grill pan or griddle to medium.
  • In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp of avocado oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes then add beef, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from heat.
  • Brush on side of each slice of bread with remaining avocado oil. Build the sandwiches: Slice of bread (with oil on outside), slice of pepperjack cheese, 3-4 dollops of beans (don't spread out), portion of beef, slice of colby jack cheese and another slice of bread (with oil on the outside). Slightly press down, not smush, to hold everything together. Repeat for remaining sandwiches.
  • Place sandwiches on grill pan or griddle. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, until cheese in melted and the bread is golden toasted. Cut each sandwich on the diagonal. Serve with a portion of Taqueria Salsa for dipping.
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Taqueria Salsa

A smooth and spicy taqueria style salsa.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword salsa, Sauce, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 4 Roma Tomatoes rough chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno rough chopped
  • 1 Small White Onions rough chopped
  • ½ cup Cilantro rough chopped
  • 1 Lime zest and juice
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients.
  • Add ingredients to a blender and blitz until desired level of chunkiness (should be mostly smooth).
  • In a large saute pan over medium-low heat, a salsa and let simmer, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a mason jar. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before putting ring and lid on.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Taqueria Salsa

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You know how salsa is always different when you go to a Mexican Restaurant? Some places it’s chunky, some places it’s smooth, some places it’s bland and some places it’s spicy. Salsa is as individual as the person making it! For this recipe, I want to help you make a Taqueria-style salsa – which has a smooth consistency and a moderate spice level. This Taqueria Salsa is perfect for dipping chips in, adding to tacos and burritos or dipping a Taco Grilled Cheese in it – like we did!

Taqueria Salsa

The big difference about this salsa is that you actually cook it instead of just chopping up the ingredients and serving. After you blitz it with the immersion blender, you want to cook in a shallow saute pan to really bring the flavors together. It also gives it the deeper red color (it will look almost pink after you blitz it). Once it’s cooked and cooled you can store it in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to a week.

Taqueria Salsa

You can increase or decrease the amount of spicy you want by keeping or removing the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno or you can add another – stronger -pepper all together. I think this recipe has just the right amount of heat – you can taste the flavor of the jalapeno without it setting your mouth on fire.

Taco Grilled Cheese

Now, I did something a little different with salsa. I served it with Taco Grilled Cheese, in the place of a tomato soup. So I took the idea of grilled cheese and tomato soup and next-leveled it by adding in meat and beans to the sandwich and making the “soup” spicy. It really was a gamble that worked out in my family’s favor – as they all loved it!

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Taqueria Salsa

A smooth and spicy taqueria style salsa.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword salsa, Sauce, tomato
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 4 Roma Tomatoes rough chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno rough chopped
  • 1 Small White Onions rough chopped
  • ½ cup Cilantro rough chopped
  • 1 Lime zest and juice
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients.
  • Add ingredients to a blender and blitz until desired level of chunkiness (should be mostly smooth).
  • In a large saute pan over medium-low heat, a salsa and let simmer, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a mason jar. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before putting ring and lid on.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

Don’t miss new recipes from Homemade on a Weeknight – subscribe and get an email with every new post!

Cheesy Sausage Casserole

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Take baked mac & cheese to a whole new level with this Cheesy Sausage Casserole. It is essential a scratch-made mac & cheese with some green chilies and andouille sausage tossed in to make it the main course. Casseroles and bakes are awesome for a weeknight because it’s easy to throw together some ingredients and then get other stuff done while it bakes.

Cheesy Sausage Casserole

To give this casserole a little something extra, I added a crunchy top to it – with some crushed-up garlic-flavored croutons. Really gives it another texture – which is always important for casseroles – as they can often come out sort of mushy. If you don’t have croutons, you could use panko crumbs mixed with melted butter and parmesan cheese. You could also use some crackers – just be mindful of how much butter is already in the crackers – too much oil and the top won’t crisp up.

Cheesy Sausage Casserole

This casserole is very filling – lots of pasta, cheese and sausage. So you probably won’t need a side dish unless you are trying to stretch it for more people or save some for leftovers. I would suggest a nice steamed or roasted veggie like broccoli or cauliflower or maybe even some summer squash.

Cheesy Sausage Casserole

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Cheesy Sausage Casserole

A delightful cheesy pasta casserole with andouille sausage and a crispy topping.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword andouille, casseroles, cheddar, cheese, Pasta, pasta dishes, Sausage
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2 lb Andouille Sausage cut into ½-inch coins
  • 1½ lb Short Pasta elbows, macaroni, shells
  • 1 7 oz can Green Chilies
  • 1 cup Garlic Croutons crushed
  • 4 tbsp Butter melted

For the Cheese Sauce

  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 4 tbsp Flour
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 2 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 cups Cheddar Cheese
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Instructions

  • Prepare all of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 400deg. Start water boiling from pasta.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter, garlic powder and salt. Once melted whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Then whisk in chicken broth and cook for 3 minutes. Next whisk in heavy cream and cook for 3 minutes. Finally, add cheese and whisk until melted.
  • Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain in colander and transfer to 13×9 baking dish. Add sauce, green chilies and sausage. Stir to coat.
  • Combine melted butter with crushed croutons. Spread over top of pasta mixture. Place in oven for 20 minutes.

Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:

AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS

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