Cooking

Ravioli Lasagna with Leftover Tomato Bisque

Ravioli Lasagna with Leftover Tomato Bisque

Ravioli Lasagna with Leftover Tomato Bisque

Ravioli Lasagna with Leftover Tomato Bisque is something that I made this past week that was super easy and utilized leftovers. I am not one to waste food. Typically, my family doesn’t mind eating leftovers, so I’m pretty lucky in that department. We are doing some shelf-cooking and so I used (mainly) what I had on hand. I did have to go out and buy some fresh cheese filled ravioli. This is what I made but I am going to add in here what I will do the next time because it sounds good.

What I Actually Cooked

First, I utilized the bacon and fire roasted tomato bisque that I had leftover from a couple of nights ago. I could have just eaten it up, as soup again, but I wanted something a bit different. In my 13×9 greased dish, I put a layer of the fresh cheese filled ravioli, then the sauce, mozzarella, and repeated those layers. I cooked that, covered, at 350 for about 30 minutes. Then, I took the cover off and baked for another 10 minutes. I let it set for about 5 minutes before serving. It was delicious.

What I Will Do Next Time

This is where I get excited! Taking something I threw together to see if it would work and then expounding on it to make it even better. That way, I have 3 recipes in my arsenal of goodness. I have the tomato bisque, the easy ravioli bake, and then the adult version of that ravioli bake. Makes my heart happy.

I would like brown up some ground beef with garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, and my seasoning. Drain that off. In that same skillet, I would cook up some fresh portobello mushrooms, chopped up spinach, and some peppers (red, orange, and yellow). Add the meat back to that skillet and incorporate all of that together and then add your leftover soup to heat it all through.

In that greased 13×9 dish (oven set to 350 to preheat), layer a bit of the sauce on the bottom, then your ravioli (get 2 bags), then more of the sauce. Next add some mozzarella, fresh parmesan to the top and repeat the layers ending with the cheese. Cover and bake for the same time frame as before.

Does that not sound sublime??!!

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Loaded Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta Recipe

Loaded Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta Recipe

Loaded Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta Recipe

I was cleaning out my fridge and pantry, one day, and had a lot of little thing I had to use up. So, here is my take on Loaded Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta Recipe. It was loved by my 15 mth old grandson to my 50 year old husband. The leftovers were just as good! This is just what I used, so substitute as you want!

Ingredients

2 cans of chicken, drained (can totally boil you up some chicken)

2 T. butter

Bacon grease (I used 2 T)

Seasoning

Chicago seasoning

Bag of bacon bits (or fry up your own)

1 bag of Croutons

Bottle of Caesar dressing

Romaine, cut up

Shaved parmesan

Chopped green onions

Bowtie pasta (cooked to al dente, drained, and refrigerated)

Directions

In small sauce pan, add butter, bacon grease, both cans of chicken, bacon bits, and seasoning. I heated this through to get the canned chicken taste out and add some flavor.

In large bowl, add 1/2 the COLD cooked pasta, 1/2 the chicken and bacon mixture, chopped green onions, 1/2 the romaine, a good handful of shaved parmesan, chicago seasoning, 1/2 the bag of croutons, and 1/2 the jar of caesar dressing. I used tongs to mix this well.

Repeat the layers and serve. Honestly, I was shocked at how good this was when I tried it. Actually, I made my son-in-law and daughter eat it first in case it was awful LOL. She added a bit more chicago seasoning, which is fine by me and can totally be eliminated if you don’t like it.

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Twist on Frito Pie with Spanish Rice

Twist on Frito Pie with Spanish Rice

Twist on Frito Pie with Spanish Rice
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Here is a Twist on Frito Pie with Spanish Rice. I had some leftover chili from the week prior. It was not enough to fill four bowls, so I stretched it with some extra ingredients and rice. This was a winner for my family. I hope I can remember everything I did. Honestly, I tend to find joy in reinventing leftovers so we aren’t eating the same thing over and over. The downsize is, I don’t remember how I made it.

Frito Pie

Chili (leftover)

Chili cheese fritos

That’s about it LOL. Have I ever written out my exciting chili recipe? I dunno. Should I add it? I dunno. Chili isn’t hard. You can even buy it in a can, which I never knew until recently. Who buys chili in a can when you can make more, with ingredients you are familiar with, and it is cheaper. Mind boggling.

Spanish Rice

I did this in the instant pot.

2 c. rice

1 can crushed tomatoes

GF Taco Seasoning

Seasoning

Cilantro (gross and didn’t use)

Minced garlic

4 c. water

Chicken bouillon

Cheddar

Green Onions (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Jalapenos (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Directions for Spanish Rice

I put the instant pot on saute and threw in the rice and garlic (with a bit of butter to keep it from sticking). Whirl that around until the rice is sauteed up and then add in the crushed tomatoes and seasoning. Whirl more. Add in chicken bouillon and water. Turn it off and then put on the lid. The knob needs to be on the sealing function and I hit the rice button. Once it is done, I did a quick release.

Assembling the Frito Pie

Grease a 13×9 dish. On the bottom, add the rice and then the leftover chili. I crushed the bag of fritos and poured that over the top. I baked this at 350 for about 30 minutes. Then, I pulled it out and added some cheddar. I popped it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Serve with the optional toppings above.

Cooking

Mystery Meat and Croquettes

Mystery Meat and Croquettes

Mystery Meat and Croquettes

In an effort to get to the bottom of the freezer, we discovered three bags of meat. So, two bags were identifiable and then other not so much. Our Mystery Meat and Croquettes will give us at least three or four meals because of how much it made.

Taking a Gander in my Freezer

As I was trying to get my groove back on this Friday morning, I hurried to check the freezer and pull out the bags of meat that were in question. Now, my husband didn’t know what any of the bags were, so I was going in blind. While my granddaughter was playing, I scurried out to the garage and found the three gallon sized baggies and a 1/2 bag of yeast rolls.

Score.

Once in the house, I pulled out my instant pot. I normally do not use it on the crockpot function because I don’t believe it works so well. However, my crockpot was dirty and my other one has seen better days, so I had no option. Completely frozen, I put in the mystery meat. From the looks of it, it was stew meat but from the smell of it, it was deer. I never cook deer meat. Ever. My son-in-law kills them and cooks it but not me. He does throw things in my freezer from time to time. Once, I opened it and an entire hind quarter was staring at me.

Texting the Man Child

I texted him and he said it could have been him, it could be deer meat, it could be something else. Really, zero help. So, I got a cup of water in their and set the crockpot function on low for about eight hours. He said if it was deer meat, to cook it low and slow to get the gamey taste out and to soften it up.

Whatever.

I mean, that’s what I did because I do not like to waste or throw food away. Whilst his daughter was running about my feet, I gagged a bit while I fit this all in the instant pot. The smell was not my favorite. Once the lid was on, I really didn’t think about it anymore.

Onto the Other Two Bags

One baggie had leftover ham in it. The other baggie, I sort of giggled at when I started looking closer. On the bottom of the bag were two slices of ham. However, the rest of the bag had turkey. I am guessing this was leftover Thanksgiving meat from my mom’s house because I rarely cook turkey. It just is never moist (you are welcome, Susan for using that word).

I let them thaw out while I pondered what on earth I could do to make it work. While I was pondering, I was cleaning my house. Again, it’s Friday and I typically clean the house on Friday. I have been so busy lately that I clean when I have the chance. Today, I cleaned around my girl baby (best helper ever).

Cleaning Out the Fridge and Pantry

I finally tackled the pantry and pulled out all the bits and pieces that I didn’t even know I had. For next week, I will do something with this huge bag of tortilla chips. It was a little bag and about a 1/2 bag but I combined them and now they need to go in something.

Nacho night? Maybe. I dunno yet.

There was a couple of good sized onions and one weenie one. I set it out to use. There was also two little bags of instant garlic mashed potatoes. Gluten free, so I pulled those out. Once I was in the fridge, I found a zucchini that needed to be eaten, a tiny bag of green onions, a bit of cheddar…really, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that in all the places.

Croquettes it is (well, my version of it anyway).

Croquette Recipe

Leftover ham

Leftover turkey

Zucchini

Onion

Green onions

Cheddar

Minced garlic

Butter

3 eggs

Gluten Free Flour

Italian Seasoning

Seasoning Mix

Parsley

Mashed Potatoes (I used Instant Idahoan Garlic Mashed Potatoes)

Directions

First, I got my water started for the garlic mashed potatoes. Once that was boiling, I through in the instant potatoes, mixed, and set aside. Then, I got a huge mixing bowl out and cut up my meat into small pieces. There was a lot of meat (hence using three eggs to bind it). I added the chopped up onion and green onions. Also, I added in the minced garlic and seasoning. I did not heavily use my seasoning mix because the ham was pretty salty and so were the mashed potatoes. From there, I added the cheddar and mashed potatoes.

I had to leave to pick a kid up, so I covered that and it just hung out in the bowl while I was being mom. When I got home, it was cool enough to add in the eggs. If you add those eggs in with the hot mashed potatoes they will scramble up and that is not what you want.

Assembling the Croquettes

Once all of this was done, I got my hands in there (gross) and mixed it well. Like a meatloaf, do not overmix this stuff. I got a plate out and put my gf flour on it. While I was patting away, I was melting a pat of butter in a nonstick pan. I could fit seven croquettes in my skillet. Let them cook for about four minutes (or until golden brown) on each side. I had a lot of meat, so it made about 28. We ate it tonight, will probably eat it tomorrow night with some corn and leftover rolls. I also got a bag and will be freezing some for next week. Cook once, an ample amount, and eat that night and freeze for another night. Key to frugal living and shelf-cooking.

What I Will Add if I Make This Again

Next time, I will cut up some fresh mushrooms, a bigger onion, and some spinach. I could be wild and add in some cream cheese. Honestly, I wanted to add in the rest of the Feta cheese but didn’t want to waste it if these sucked. They didn’t suck, so I might add that next time. Oh, a mushroom sauce or brown sauce would be good over it. The possibilities are endless.

As for the Mystery Meat

My son-in-law checked it and it is definitely deer. He said to keep on cooking it and then decide what to do. I have a person I know that is super sweet and she lives on deer meat. When I saw her today, I asked her what she thought. She said to drain it, season it, and then pour bbq sauce over and make sandwiches. Easy enough. So, currently, that meat is marinating in the bbq sauce and I will reheat it tomorrow for lunch and then for meals on Sunday.

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Chopped Up Angel Wings with a Side of Manna

Chopped Up Angel Wings with a Side of Manna

Chopped Up Angel Wings with a Side of Manna
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

This past week, I am working through the last of my freezer meals. I pulled out a few and last nights was “phenomenal” according to my husband and children. Tonight we had ham and hashbrown casserole but the winner was the glazed sweet potatoes. My husband stated that the meal consisted of Chopped Up Angel Wings with a Side of Manna. So, without further ado.

Cheesy Mexican Chicken (Chopped Up Angel Wings)

Chicken

Cream of chicken

Cheddar

1/2 c. milk

Taco Seasoning

3 c. corn chips

Butter

Seasoning Mix

You can use any type of chicken you have on hand (canned, breasts, thighs, etc.) but make sure you cube it into bite sized pieces and cook well. I sauteed mine up in butter. Place in a greased 13×9 dish once it is finished cooking.

In a bowl, mix the soup, 1 1/2 c. cheese, milk, seasoning mix, and taco seasoning. Spoon this over the cooked chicken and top with corn chips and the rest of the cheese. From this point, I did cover mine well and froze it. I thawed it out from that point.

Now, the corn chips that were placed, frozen, and thawed were a soggy mess. I baked it at 375 for about 30 minutes and tasted it. It was not my jam. So, I stirred up those nasty little things into the chicken, added some more cheddar, and crushed up a 1/2 bag of doritos. I got that back in the oven to melt the cheese.

Still wasn’t to my liking, so I added more seasoning mix (I really don’t think I seasoned it when I made it to freeze) and I added more taco seasoning. This time, I stirred all that up (including the doritos on top) and topped it with a bit more cheddar. Baked it for 10 minutes and that is when the angels starting singing. Bart topped his with sour cream, I topped mine with some green onions. We lapped the dish up and there were not leftovers.

Winner winner!

Glazed Sweet Potatoes (Manna)

2 cans (18 ozs. each) sweet potatoes, drained

1/4 c. butter

Syrup, 1/4 c.

1/4 c. brown sugar

Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp.

Place sweet potatoes in a greased 13×9 dish. In a pan, combine the butter, syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon. This needs to be brought to a boil. Pour over sweet potatoes and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

*I did not originally bake mine. Mine was covered tightly, marked, and placed in the freezer. I thawed it out and baked from there.

Cooking

31 Soup Ideas 2023

31 Soup Ideas 2023

31 Soup Ideas 2023
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

This is pretty much just a post for me. I forget what soups I have made, so I like to keep a running list. My goal is to see what type of supper I would cook and then see how I can transform it into a soup. I plan on giving myself extra points if I can make it gluten free (minus the bread bowl recipe down below).

One of my children is now gluten free, therefore we are all gluten free. It has been challenging for me, but here I am still cooking and learning as I go. You are welcome to follow along with me as I navigate the waters of creating great meals without the chaos of gluten.

Soup Recipes

Easy Ham and Hashbrown Soup Recipe

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Garlic Parmesan Chops Soup

Beef Stew

Chicken Alfredo Soup

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

Pizza Soup Recipe

Fajita Soup

Spin-on Tortellini Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Keto-Friendly Chicken and Garlic Soup

Ham and Potato Chowder

Keto-Friendly Cheeseburger Soup

Egg Drop Soup

Lasagna Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Gluten-Free Chicken and Noodle Soup

Cheddar and Ham Soup

Keto Beef Stroganoff Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Low Calorie Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Chili

Healthy Vegetable Beef Soup

Taco Soup

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Chicken Florentine Soup

Bacon and Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Tomato Bisque

Easy White Chicken Chili with Cream Cheese

Keto-friendly Chili

Bread Bowls