Spinach Pie

October 22, 2022 Amanda Plott

I like spinach and I like pie, so here we are. This Spinach Pie sort of reminds me of a quiche but it doesn’t have any egg in it. I could still see it being a good pie to have for just about any time of the day, be it breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner. It’s completely meatless and vegetarian. Another good thing about this recipe is that it’s super easy to make and is pretty tasty when you take the time to season each layer to your liking.

Can I say how much I enjoy using puff pastry as a crust for pies? I love the flaky crispy brown bits that you get and the bread crumb on the bottom layer adds a bit more texture and serves to soak up any of the leftover moisture from the spinach…

Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Meatloaf

October 7, 2022 Amanda Plott

Meatloaf is one of those tried and true dinners that has withstood the test of time through the generations. I saw the idea for stuffed meatloaf a while back though and thought it would be pretty fun to play around with that idea. So. Enter this Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Meatloaf. The original called for some ham to be among the things rolled up in the meatloaf, but I decided against it to save on not only the calories, but also the sodium!

This meatloaf itself starts off pretty standard with ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs and some veggies and seasonings, so it’s good stuff all the way around. After that you flatten out the meat and top it with cheese and fresh herb then roll it all up together to bake.

It’s lightened up with using a lean ground beef, and of course a fat free mozzarella. Other than that, it’s fairly straight forward. This will give you 8, count them 8, fairly big servings of meatloaf, and as you can see below, that loaf pan is pretty damn full! Another nifty thing? You can make this meatloaf ahead of time. I put mine together the night before and stored it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it for dinner the next day.

I served mine with what my kiddo is dubbing ‘space broccoli’ which is AKA romanesco that I roasted. I also topped mine off with just a little more marinara sauce for good measure.

Mozzarella & Basil Stuffed Meatloaf

Yield: 8

Author: The Skinny Fork (Amanda Plott)

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 1 H & 45 M

A fairly traditional meatloaf that's rolled up and stuffed with mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Delicious. Easy to make. And great for a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

1 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Red Onion, Diced
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
2 Lbs. Lean Ground Beef
3/4 C. Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Whole Large Eggs
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley
12 Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped
1 1/4 C. Shredded Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 C. Marinara Sauce + More for Garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly coat the inside of an 9x5" loaf pan with non-stick spray; set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the 1 Red Bell Pepper and 1 Red Onion over a medium-high heat until soft and tender.
Add in the 2 minced garlic and continue to cook until fragrant; set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, add in the 2 Lbs. Lean Ground Beef, 3/4 C. Whole Wheat Breadcrumbs, 1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese, 2 Whole Large Eggs, 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste, 1 Tsp. Salt, 1/2 Tsp. Pepper, and 2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley along with the pepper and onion mixture. Stir to combine until well mixed.
Set the meat mixture out onto some parchment paper and flatten it out into a rectangle shape, making sure the width is no larger than the loaf pan.
Top the meat with 12 Fresh Basil Leaves and 1 1/4 C. Shredded Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese.
Using the parchment paper and your hands, roll the meat up.
Transfer to the loaf pan and top with the 1/2 C. Marinara Sauce.
Place it in the oven to bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until cooked through.
Once done, remove from the oven, slice into 8 pieces, and enjoy right away with more marinara sauce if desired!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

271.41

Fat (grams)

8.94

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.89

Carbs (grams)

13.73

Fiber (grams)

2.35

Net carbs

11.36

Sugar (grams)

2.9

Protein (grams)

34.89

Sodium (milligrams)

781.73

Cholesterol (grams)

119.85

Nutritional Claims: Low Carb • Sugar Conscious • Peanut Free • Tree Nut Free • Soy Free • Fish Free • Shellfish Free • Pork Free • Crustacean Free • Celery Free • Mustard Free • Sesame Free • Lupine Free • Mollusk Free • Alcohol Free

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Instant Pot Meatloaf Bites

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Butternut Squash Salad + Maple Vinaigrette

September 13, 2022 Amanda Plott

Yes, another salad! This Butternut Squash Salad is a little different though since it’s got a lot of fun Fall flavors packed into it and it’s super easy to make. The homemade maple vinaigrette has to be one of my all time favorites, and it’s easy to see why. This salad starts off with a base of greens. I went with a mixture of baby spinach and a spring blend, but arugula would be a good option too!

After that it’s loaded up with oven roasted butternut squash, cranberries, feta cheese, and YES even bacon! The homemade maple vinaigrette might sound strange, but trust me, you’re going to love it. I used a bourbon aged maple syrup, but you can use any kind you want so long as it’s actual factual maple syrup, and not just flavored like maple syrup. Trust me, there IS a difference…

Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings

September 10, 2022 Amanda Plott

It happens almost every year around this time. It’s still pretty hot outside and I’m over here trying to entice the cooler weather by cooking up hearty winter sort of meals. And this Instant Pot Chicken & Dumplings is one of those! I love chicken and dumplings and I will literally accept any reason at all what-so-ever to make them for dinner. So when they were brought up in passing conversation a few weeks back? I knew what I had to do. Make chicken and dumplings!

This Instant Pot version of chicken and dumplings is SUPER easy to make and can be done with no fuss and no muss - all in the pressure cooker. To start this out, you cook up the chicken on it’s own in the pressure cooker. Then you add everything else in with the drippings from that. Yes. Everything. Even the dumplings!…

Pastitsio

August 20, 2022 Amanda Plott

I’m just going to start this one out by saying that this recipe does take time. While it’s fairly easy to make, there are layering components that each take some time to put together. That being said, this dish is a great one. It tastes like all the time and effort that’s been put into it. So, what is Pastitsio anyway? It’s a Greek style of lasagna basically. The main difference between lasagna and Pastitsio is that Pastitsio is made with a different style of noodle and also with a béchamel sauce rather than ricotta. It’s layered a bit differently than lasagna too.

Now, I’ve never made a béchamel sauce, and even with this being my first time doing so I found it to be pretty easy to do and is very similar to any sort of roux based sauce. The béchamel gave this dish life. There’s so much flavor packed into the sauce that the béchamel is needed to sort of cut through that intense flavor…

Vegetarian Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole

May 25, 2022 Amanda Plott

It’s been… a week. My kiddo is sick ahead of their final exams, decisions need to be made ahead of next year, and the world is on fire as far as I can see. It’s going to be a difficult next few days for the lost of us and I’m buckling up for this bumpy ride to continue. The very least that I can do is to have some good food on hand that’s easy and quick to prepare. So here we are. Vegetarian Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole.

I’ve made burger casseroles before, but none of them included tater tots and none of them were vegetarian, so we’re making progress here I think. Or at very least doing something a little different right? Right. So instead of being a noodle based casserole this one is… not. It’s vegetarian meat based and tater tot influenced? Sure. Let’s go with that…