This post was last published in November, 2015. It is still one of my favorite soups that can be made with lean ground beef and all the veggies in your fridge (specifically zucchini, green beans and carrots). Although we are still experiencing 90+ degree weather in Florida, I crave this light, yet hearty, soup all the time. It’s perfect for light lunches and dinners – it’s nice to make ahead so that you have something to quickly reheat when you are short on time.

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Are you all turkey’ed out or what? I know I am. I had a few good leftover turkey recipes swirling in my head over the weekend (my daughter wanted me to make a turkey pasta salad, mmm), but honestly, I just didn’t get around to any creative leftover creations. We had a lot of turkey paninis and just straight up Thanksgiving plate reruns. It’s all good.

Moving on from turkey…I’m bringing up this Italian Vegetable Beef recipe from the archives. I originally posted this recipe back in December of 2009. Crazy how long ago that was! I remember I made this soup to take to my daughter’s preschool teacher who had just had surgery. When she got back to school, she told me her and her daughters loved the soup so much and wanted more. Yea, a compliment like that pretty much always makes my day. 🙂 Since then, I have made this soup quite a few times. It’s a great change from my typical chicken based soups, the lean beef (or bison) makes it a little extra hearty but still easy on the calories.

I’m sure most of you will agree that a bowl of good homemade soup is total comfort.  Soup has a way of warming up the body while nourishing it with so many health benefits at the same time.  I’m more of a broth base soup person, so I’m not really referring to the heavier creamy soups…not that those are bad, but they just don’t make me feel the same as a soup filled with lots of herbs and vegetables in broth.

Whenever I find that I have lots of vegetables in the veggie drawer that need to be used up, I usually make soup.  This particular day I had a nice variety of veggies….zucchini, squash, carrots and green beans. 

Add some dried herbs, lean ground beef and chicken broth and you’ve got Italian Vegetable Beef Soup.

Healthy Italian Vegetable Soup

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
3. Add green beans and cooked ground beef.
4. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes.
5. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Italian Vegetable Beef Soup

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Break out the vegetables for this light and savory Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe. It’s loaded with great vegetables like zucchini, squash and carrots. Healthy (and easy) comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 2 tb olive oil
• 2 zucchinis, quarter chopped
• 2 squash, quarter chopped
• 2–3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1–2 cups green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 32oz can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 – 1.25  lb lean ground beef or bison, cooked and crumbled
• Parmesan cheese, optional

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Instructions

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tb olive oil and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until starting to soften. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add green beans and cooked ground beef. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Notes

Note:  amounts of vegetables can be varied.  Use what you have on hand.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Soup is one of my go to meals when I’m trying to trim some pounds or just generally feel healthier. Some soups I tend to make often are  Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup and Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup. I’m ready to try this Beef Taco Quinoa Soup and Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup!

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes on Pinterest.

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I find it hard to believe that this is the first zoodle recipe I’m posting here on the blog considering I’ve been enjoying spiralized zucchini (along with the rest of the internet) for quite a while now. If you ever want to really clean up your eating and bulk up on vegetables, start experimenting with your spiralizer – there are a ton of ways to enjoy veggies this way, the ideas are seriously endless.

Today’s recipe is from my friend Gina’s new cookbook, Skinnytaste Fast and Slow. You may already be familiar with her blog, Skinnytaste, and first cookbook The Skinnytaste Cookbook. We are big fans of Gina’s recipes in my house – my kids are constantly asking me to make this Loaded Baked Potato Soup and my husband absolutely loves this Slow Cooker Turkey Picadillo. Her recipes really are exactly how I like to cook – simple, flavorful and filled with real ingredients.

PURCHASE: Skinnytaste Fast and Slow

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The school year is winding down for us this week, the countdown is on! I am so ready for summer break to get started and slooooow down. I am sure that I’m not alone in feeling this way! The month of May kind of kicked me in the butt so it will be nice to not feel like we have somewhere to be or go or do for a while. It’s possible that I may start cooking proper dinners again too. 😉

Oh hey there summer…

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Just look at that glorious bowl of pasta. Does it make you hungry? It sure makes me hungry that’s for sure. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever met a bowl of pasta that doesn’t instantly make my stomach growl. It is truly one of my comfort foods, and loaded with fresh roasted veggies like this one makes it even better.

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The post Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Roasted Peppers and Eggplant appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Before I posted one of my most asked for recipes, I had to do a little research on what to call it first. This is what I learned (from Wikipedia):

Marinara sauce is an Italian-American term for a simple tomato sauce with herbs—mostly parsley and basil—but, contrary to its name (which is Italian for “sailor-style”) without anchovies, fish, or seafood. In Italy, marinara refers to a seafood-based sauce or food and does not imply that tomato is either included or excluded.

I have always assumed marinara sauce to be simple, chunky tomato sauce but I never looked up it’s actual definition. My family is from Sicily and to be honest, I don’t really remember referring to our sauce as “marinara” until we opened up our second restaurant in Florida over 20 something years ago. Our sauce was always “sauce” (not gravy either…just sauce).

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This is my first time participating in Kitchen Play’s Progressive Party and I’m happy to be be bringing some of this delicious Italian Fish and Potato Stew made with this month’s featured ingredient – potatoes.

When I initially started thinking about creating a soup with potatoes, I immediately started thinking of creamy soups. I might be in the minority here, but I don’t get excited about creamy soups. Then I remembered that most chowders, specifically my favorite type of chowder – Manhattan style – usually have potatoes in them. Ding ding ding! Since I had a nice piece of cod in the freezer already, I picked up some red and white potatoes along with a few other ingredients and put together this comforting, straight forward soup that was enjoyed on a dreary rainy afternoon.

This Italian Fish and Potato Stew is actually inspired by a stewed cod fish dish my grandfather makes every Christmas Eve. It’s hearty, and perfectly satisfying. It’s chock full of good clean vegetables like potatoes, celery, onion, tomatoes and garlic. I brightened it up a bit with a little clam juice and fresh squeezed lemon. At the end I threw in some roughly chopped green and kalamata olives along with the chunks of fish. It is absolutely delicious, and incredibly good for your health and for your soul.

I chose white and red potatoes for the soup because I knew they would hold up well in the hot liquid. I diced the potatoes just small enough so that they would cook up at close to the same rate as the other veggies in the soup. Adding potatoes to a healthy soup like this is a great way to add a little extra nutrition, since they are naturally fat free, high in vitamin C and great sources of fiber and potassium.

Now that is my kind of soup.

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Kitchen Play – Italian Fish and Potato Stew

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Fish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, small dice
• 2 red potatoes, small dice
• 1 large white potato, small dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1 28 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes
• 1 8 0z bottle of clam juice
• 4 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable – I used 4 cups water swirled from tomato can and added a tablespoon vegetable bouillon)
• juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh or frozen cod fish (or any other firm white fish), cut in 1″ – 1 1/2 ” pieces
  handful of roughly chopped green and kalamata olives
• additional salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil and add onion, garlic, celery and potato. Season with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes until slightly softened. Add tomatoes, clam juice, lemon juice and broth. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Add pieces of fish and olives to soup and gently stir. Continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes until fish is cooked through. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
2. Serve with whole grain bread, crackers or on it own.

Stay inspired to include potatoes into your diet by checking out the US Potato Board’s Facebook page or by signing up for the US Potato Board weekly recipe email here.

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A couple of weeks ago, my friend Holly blogged about some Naan Pizzas she made.  Naan bread is pretty new to me…had my first experience with it at our local Indian restaurant not long ago and also saw Aarti make pizzas out of it on her final episode of Food Network Star.  These breads make the perfect crust for quick pizzas!  I found these breads in the deli section of my grocery store, near the pitas and other flat breads.

I was inspired by my produce drawer to make these little pizzas into “Stingers”…the name comes from one of my favorite pizzas my dad serves at his restaurant.  Strips of green peppers, onions and garlic…baked first in the oven and then added as toppings in addition to traditional sauce and cheese.  While I was cutting my veggies I actually had a deja vu moment that took me back to the days where my mom would pick me up after school and bring me back to their pizza shop to hang out.  She would keep me busy sometimes by giving me something to do in the kitchen…cutting up peppers and onions seemed to be a job that always needed to be done.  It was so long ago (I must have been in middle school!) and the memory made me smile.

Before I share the recipe for these delicious pizzas I want to thank everyone for all of their votes for my recipes entered into the Pacific Natural Foods Everyday Chef Challenge.  It was a fun experience creating the recipes out of secret ingredients and though I didn’t win, both recipes turned out delicious and the positive feedback from you all who made them is so much appreciated!  The contest is now in the Finals…Elana’s Pantry’s Thai Vegetable Soup is up against Herbivoracious’s Tortillas and Spinach in Black Bean Sauce.  This is a tough competition, both dishes look and sound awesome!  You can vote for either of these two recipes every 24 hours up until Wednesday October 13.  And while you are there, vote for one of the Everyday Challengers that are up for the Culinary Bootcamp Grand Prize as well.   My friends Holly, Merry and Lori along with some other great cooks are all in the Finals and need votes!  Good luck to everyone in the Finals!!

Grilled "Stinger" Naan Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TB olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of dried oregano
• 2 pieces of regular or whole grain Naan bread (I used whole grain)
• pizza sauce
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• non stick or olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a glass baking dish, combine peppers, onions and garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and softened.
3. Preheat grill or grill pan to low heat. Spray or brush both sides of Naan with olive oil and place on grill over indirect heat (or in grill pan). Cook Naan until slightly browned and grill marks show (about 4-5 minutes, keep an eye on it). Take Na'an off grill and start to prepare pizzas by adding toppings onto grilled side. Spread sauce, then cheese, then vegetable mixture onto the Naan and carefully place back on grill. Close grill lid and cook for 5-8 minutes until crust is browned and crisp and cheese is melted.

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You’re going to want to make this.  If anything, just to get out of your comfort zone a bit.  That’s what I did.  I don’t have a ton of experience with butternut squash, working with it has always intimidated me a bit.  But come fall every year (well, that last few years)…I become slightly obsessed with it.  I want to make it.  I want to taste it.  I want to try every recipe I see with it.

But I never do.

So…my point?  I totally took a shortcut with this recipe and feel like I may have hit the jackpot in a way.  I got to make an awesome butternut squash sauce, without even touching that intimidating looking vegetable!  That excites me just a bit.

Here’s what I did… I doctored up some Pacific Natural Foods Creamy Butternut Squash soup, and created a wonderfully delicious pasta bake as my entry into the Everyday Chef Challenge No. 2.  The ingredients chosen for this challenge were Spinach and your choice of Pacific Natural Foods Creamy Soups.  You can be part of this challenge too…become a challenger and enter your own recipe, enter as many as you like, just make sure you use the secret ingredient plus a Pacific Natural Foods pantry staple in each recipe (you can get yourself a coupon too in the process).  For more specifics, see their challenge details page.  There are two winners in the end…one of the Featured Food Bloggers and one of the challengers (you!).  How fun would it be to hang out in Culinary Bootcamp in Napa together???

So here’s where I humbly ask for your vote.  If you think this recipe is worthy, hop on over to my entry page, scroll down and click vote!  You can vote once every 24 hours, up until next Wednesday.  I’m up against some amazing bloggers that crank out great recipes…so any help from you is beyond appreciated.

Enjoy!!

Creamy Butternut Squash and Shrimp Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 TB olive oil
• 3-4 large shallots, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped small
• 1 32 oz carton Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 10 oz carton frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained well
• 1/3 cup fontina cheese, shredded (if you can't find fontina, mozzarella is fine)
• 1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta
• water
• salt

Directions:

1. Bring salted water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook until al dente 10-12 minutes.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add peeled and deveined shrimp and cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Set aside.
3. In same skillet, add shallots, garlic and chopped red pepper. Add pinch of salt and pepper, oregano and thyme. Cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until softened. Add two teaspoons tomato paste to cooked vegetables and cook for about a minute longer. Add Pacific Natural Organic Creamy Butternut Squash Soup and nutmeg and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer sauce for about 5 minutes until slightly thicker and flavors have combined. Taste for salt and pepper.
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked and slightly cooled pasta, shrimp, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, spinach, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Gently stir until slightly combined. Add sauce to pasta mixture and continue to combine. Add 3/4 of the amount of sauce.
5. Pour pasta mixture into a glass casserole dish sprayed with non stick spray. Spread pasta mixture evenly throughout dish and add the remaining amount of sauce to the top of pasta. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of pasta and place in oven preheated to 375 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

(Disclosure: I am working Pacific Natural Foods as a participant in this promotion and have received a stipend.)

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For those of you looking for a fish recipe for Good Friday, this is it.  This was delicious, and seriously so easy.  You probably have most of the ingredients already, just go out and get yourself some fresh fish (of course frozen is okay too) and make this for dinner.  I served it alongside some roasted broccoli.  I had to talk my kids into trying it, but once they did I didn’t have to say another word.  They were rewarded with an “I tried something new!” sticker (good ole Hello Kitty and Spiderman)…an idea I stole from Jamie Oliver’s new show.

Brilliant!

I originally found this recipe on my friend Patsy’s blog a long time ago and have been wanting to try it for a while now.  I changed things up a bit by using panko instead of regular breadcrumbs and since I love garlic and lemon so much it was only natural for me to throw in a few extra cloves and some lemon zest.  The fresh parsley brightens it all up so if you have it use it!  (by the way…fresh Italian parsley is easy to grow and is great in so many dishes, put a pot on your counter and keep picking at it, it will pay you back with lots more and it looks and smells pretty too!)

What is Oreganata Style?

Oreganata style is typically a mixture of breadcrumbs, dried oregano, butter or oil and garlic. Lemon and Parmesan are commonly added to the breadcrumb mixture for extra flavor. You can use any mild white fish in this fish oreganata recipe (like flounder or tilapia) but will find that Clams Oreganata and Shrimp Oreganata are also very popular versions of this dish.

How do you make Fish Oreganata?

The best part of this recipe is how quick and easy it is to make. You combine the ingredients (panko, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and oregano) for the breading topping and bake.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place the fillets on the baking sheet. Combine remaining ingredients (EVOO through oregano) in a bowl. Press the bread crumb mixture into the fish fillets making sure they are covered. Bake until the fish is just opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.

Such an impressive, yet simple dinner idea. I know you’ll enjoy it.

My family loves to serve it as one of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve!

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Fish Oreganata

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Fish and Seafood
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

• 1 lb mild white fish (I used haddock, but flounder, tilapia or any other white fish can be used)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup panko (Italian seasoned breadcrumbs will also work)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• zest from one large lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3–4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place the fillets on the baking sheet. Combine remaining ingredients (EVOO through oregano) in a bowl. Press the bread crumb mixture into the fish fillets making sure they are covered. Bake until the fish is just opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.

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Notes

adapted from Weight Watchers Make it in Minutes, discovered on Family, Friends and Food blog

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Italian Herb Grilled Chicken

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Chicken
• Method: Grill
• Cuisine: Italian

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This Italian Herb Grilled Chicken recipe is a summer staple – pair it up with salad or pasta, or serve on it’s own. It’s delicious!

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Ingredients

• 1.5 lb chicken breast
• olive oil (enough to drizzle over both sides of chicken)

For the seasoning:

• 2 TB dried oregano
• 2 TB dried thyme
• 2 TB dried basil
• 2 TB garlic powder
• good pinches of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside how much you will use for chicken, save the rest in air tight container for future use.
2. Lay chicken breasts on baking sheet or plate. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasoning and rub. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of chicken. Place on hot grill, over medium heat. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side or until done, when juices run clear.
3. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

 

 

 

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