Ham and Broccoli Pasta Bake

 Main Dishes  Comments Off on Ham and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Feb 222014
 

A cheesy ham and broccoli casserole from mylittlegourmet.com

I am a huge fan of casseroles. They’re almost always tasty, they’re easy to make, and best of all…you usually have enough left-overs for a second day. And this casserole is no exception.

A cheesy ham and broccoli casserole from mylittlegourmet.com

A cheesy ham and broccoli casserole from mylittlegourmet.com

You probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry so there’s not much shopping to do. If your kids aren’t opposed to garlic mix a pressed clove in with the panko and butter for the topping. Sooo yummy! If you guys are as big a fans of casseroles as I am, you should give this Tuna Casserole or this Enchilada Casserole a try as well.

A cheesy ham and broccoli casserole from mylittlegourmet.com

A cheesy ham and broccoli casserole from mylittlegourmet.com

Ham and Broccoli Pasta Bake
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups/360ml milk
  • 1 cup/240ml water
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 3 small cubes or teaspoons of vegetable bouillon
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 8oz./250g whole-grain penne pasta
  • 1 head/18oz./500g Broccoli, cut into little florets
  • 7oz./200g cooked ham, chopped into cubes
  • 7oz./200g shredded cheddar or gouda cheese
  • ¾cup/40g panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400℉/200℃.
  2. In a large pot, whisk together milk, water, corn starch and bouillon until corn starch has dissolved.
  3. Place the pot on medium heat and stir in garlic powder, poultry seasoning, mustard and pepper.
  4. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, take off the heat and set aside.
  5. In the meantime, bring about 2 quarts/2 liters of water to boil in a large pot.
  6. Once boiling, add the pasta and broccoli and cook for 6 minutes.
  7. Strain the pasta and broccoli, return to pot and add cubed ham.
  8. Add the cheese to the cream sauce and stir until mixed, but not melted.
  9. Pour the cheese sauce into the large pot and mix with the noodle mixture until well-coated.
  10. Transfer everything to a greased 9x13in (23x33cm) casserole dish and gently pat down using a spatula.
  11. In a small bowl mix the panko with the melted butter and sprinkle over casserole.
  12. Cover casserole with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  13. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  14. Remove casserole from oven and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
* If your family likes garlic, mix a pressed clove in with the panko and butter before topping the casserole with it.
* If you use a pasta other than penne be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Recipe adapted from PBS Parents Kitchen Explorers.

This time last year: Smoked Salmon and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Smoked Salmon and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta from mylittlegourmet.com

 Posted by at 13:51

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

 Main Dishes  8 Responses »
Jun 222013
 

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole | My Little Gourmet

These last days have been pretty hectic for us here. We went to a 4 day wedding, celebrated Arik’s 2nd birthday and my husband’s cell phone was stolen right from under his nose at his office. Even though we’ve been somewhat stressed I still wanted Arik’s day to be about him and filled with his favorite things. For breakfast he had some blueberry lemon whole-wheat pancakes, I baked him a strawberry roll cake (recipe to come soon) and for dinner I made one of his favorite meals, this enchilada casserole.

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole | My Little Gourmet

The enchilada sauce can be easily made from scratch and that way you are able to control the spiciness. I’ve noticed that different chili powder brands have different amounts of spicy so I would start with just a 1/4 teaspoon and then increase after tasting. I usually end up keeping the casserole fairly mild and then add some chipotle hot sauce to mine at the end.  If you have a family of meatlovers, you could of course add some chicken or ground beef to keep them happy. Enjoy and happy birthday my sweet boy! Thank you for 2 amazing fun-filled years and here’s to many more to come!

Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole | My Little Gourmet

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Enchilada Casserole
 
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Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½-1 teaspoon chili powder depending on the spiciness of your powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 14oz/400g can of diced tomatoes, unsalted
  • ¼ cup/60 ml water
Filling:
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup/150g sour cream plus some for garnish
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup/250g frozen or canned corn kernels
  • 1 14oz/400g can black beans, drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2½ cups/ 250g shredded cheese, I used gouda, but cheddar or mexican blend would be great too
  • 6 corn or flour tortillas
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil up in a medium saucepan and saute onions for 4 minutes. Add garlic, salt, cumin and chili powder and saute another minute.
  2. Add honey, tomatoes and water and stir. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Allow sauce to cool for 10 minutes, puree/blend, and set aside.
  4. While sauce is cooling, preheat oven to 350℉/175℃ and start to prepare filling.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together onion, garlic, cumin, salt, sour cream and egg.
  6. Stir in corn, beans, bell pepper, cilantro and 2 cups/200g of the cheese.
  7. To make the casserole pour ½ cup/125ml of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 7x11 baking dish. Cover with 2 corn tortillas, tearing them to fill in the empty spaces.
  8. Spread half of the veggie and cheese mixure on top of the tortillas and top with another ½ cup/125ml of sauce followed by 2 more tortillas.
  9. Spread the remaining mixture on top and top with the last 2 tortillas, sauce and cheese.
  10. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.
  11. Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro on top.
Notes
*Prepared casserole can be frozen and then baked in a 350℉/175℃ oven for 45-50 minutes.

 
Recipe adapted from Weelicious. 
 Posted by at 22:11

Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake

 Main Dishes  7 Responses »
Apr 262013
 

Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake | My Little Gourmet

Since my kid is not too keen on spinach, I am always looking for ways to hide it. I’ve shared our green eggs and ham (his favorite way to eat spinach) with you guys and now I’ve come across this tuna casserole. This recipe not only intrigued me because of the spinach, but also because it doesn’t call for a can of Cream of So-and-So Soup, which is rare with tuna casserole recipes. The spinach is added to a self-made creamy cheese sauce and was eaten without any complaints, which doesn’t happen often when there is spinach involved.

Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake | My Little Gourmet

The one thing that bothers me about this recipe is the amount of dishes you have to wash in the end. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable, but you will see, it is well worth it. I end up just washing all of the pots while the casserole is baking in the oven, so once dinner is done and eaten, all I have to wash is the casserole dish. I know what you’re thinking…why is this lady giving me a play-by-play of her dish washing routine? To be honest, I don’t know why, and I’m done now. 🙂

Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake | My Little Gourmet

The great thing about this casserole is that we always have enough left-overs for another meal and it freezes really well. So, other than the dish-washing, it really is a favorite in our home, and your kids will get their spinach and tuna all in one. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake | My Little Gourmet

5.0 from 2 reviews
Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake
 
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Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • 10oz./300g fusilli pasta
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ cup/120ml water
  • 14oz./400g canned chopped tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon basil, dried
  • ½ teaspoon oregano, dried
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, fresh
  • 12oz./360g (2 cans) tuna in water, drained and flaked
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1¼ cups/300ml milk
  • 3oz./90g frozen or a few handfuls of fresh spinach, thawed, drained and chopped
  • ¾ cup/100g shredded cheese, we used gouda, but cheddar works great as well plus a few handfuls of cheese for the topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃.
  2. Boil the pasta just until al dente, drain and rinse off with cold water in order to keep it from over-cooking.
  3. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the garlic and ½ of the chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the bell pepper and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  4. Stir the cornstarch into the ½ cup of water until dissolved, then add it along with the chopped tomatoes to the onions. Bring to a boil.
  5. Then add the herbs and cook gently for about 5 minutes.
  6. Mix in the flaked tuna, heat through and season to taste.
  7. While the tomato sauce is cooking, melt the other tablespoon of butter in a medium pot, add the rest of the onion and cook until soft.
  8. Add the flour and continue to stir until well-mixed. Take the pot off of the heat and slowly add the milk continuing to stir. Place pot back on heat and allow to simmer under continuous stirring until sauce is thickened and smooth.
  9. Add the chopped spinach and stir until heated through or wilted (if using fresh).
  10. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.
  11. Mix the pasta and tomato sauce together and place in a greased oven-proof dish.
  12. Top with the spinach cheese sauce and sprinkle with some more grated cheese.
  13. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
 
Recipe adapted from Annabel Karmel 
 Posted by at 13:30

Pinwheels with Turkey, Cheese, Avocado and Cucumber

 Lunches/Snacks  4 Responses »
Feb 262013
 

Turkey, Cheese, Avocado and Cucumber Pinwheels

As promised, here is another lunch idea for the little ones (it took a bit longer, I know). That in no way though, means that I haven’t been on the search for ideas. No, no, I’ve been busy and found quite a bit of inspiration on Pinterest. Once I actually get around to trying out the recipes and not just pinning them, I will report back. Why do I feel like I am in trouble? 🙂

Turkey, Cheese, Avocado and Cucumber Pinwheels

These pinwheels were actually just something I made randomly to use up stuff we had in the fridge, but they turned out to be one of Arik’s favorite lunches. Now we have to have these at least 3 times a week or else…  So I wanted to be sure to share this simple alternative to a sandwich with you all. Sometimes I don’t use avocado, or I’ll use tomato instead of cucumber, or both; as you can see there is no real set way to make these, so you can just let your creative juices flow. Enjoy!

Turkey, Cheese, Avocado and Cucumber Pinwheels

5.0 from 1 reviews
Turkey, Cheese, Avocado and Cucumber Pinwheels
 
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Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
  • 1 large whole-wheat tortilla
  • 1 tablespoon cream cheese or
  • ½ avocado, mashed up
  • 2-3 slices of turkey
  • 1-2 slices of cheese of your choice
  • 1 small piece of cucumber, peeled and cut into strips
Instructions
  1. Spread cream cheese or mashed up avocado (or both) on the tortilla.
  2. Place turkey and cheese slices on top.
  3. Lay the cucumber strips about 1 in. from the edge of the tortilla and begin to roll up.
  4. Roll up the entire tortilla and cut into ½ in wide pinwheels.
Notes
One large tortilla will make about 10 pinwheels.

 

 Posted by at 13:38

Ham and Zucchini Frittata

 Breakfast, Main Dishes  2 Responses »
Nov 232012
 

Ham and Zucchini Frittata

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving?  Are you on your couch in a food coma trying to remember what even happened yesterday? If so, then the answer is yes. 🙂 I unfortunately cannot relate for we have yet to celebrate.  Since Thanksgiving’s not a holiday here in Germany (I have no idea why not :)) everyone had to work yesterday and we decided to partake in the festivities on Saturday.  Without thinking, I went ahead and volunteered myself as the maker of the feast…in retrospect a pretty bad idea on my part.  I, being the totally organized and awesome hostess that I am (insert sarcastic pause), have yet to do any sort of grocery shopping or preparation for this meal.  No, I am not really surprised by myself.  It seems I have done this a few (hundred) times in the past, but I am starting to feel a little bit anxious about this one.  So, in order to give my full attention and planning to what is sure to be a lavish and delicious Thanksgiving meal, I need something really quick and simple to make for us today…  Oh, how I love thee, frittata!

Ham and Zucchini Frittata

A frittata is the italian version of an omelet and really quick and easy to make…exactly what I need today.  I usually make the potatoes ahead of time so that when it comes time to cook all I have to do is slice them.  If your kids don’t like zucchini or ham you can, of course, substitute these with just about any vegetable or meat you can think of.  Basically, I just use whatever I can find in our fridge, so we have had combos such as: broccoli and bacon, bell pepper, green onion and turkey, tomato and pea, etc.  As you can see, just about anything goes with these things.  Buon appetito!

Ham and Zucchini Frittata

*Do you guys have any delicious frittata combos or creations? I’d love some inspiration!

 Ham and Zucchini Frittata

 

Ham and Zucchini Frittata
 
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Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 12 oz./360g or 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • 1 large zucchini, chopped
  • 7 oz/200g ham, diced
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 - 1½ cups cheese, grated (I prefer gouda)
Instructions
  1. Boil the potatoes until soft and allow to cool. Slice thinly (1/4 in) and set aside.
  2. Beat the eggs and milk together and stir in parsley and some salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan with an ovenproof handle over medium heat. Add the onions, and fry gently until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, then add the zucchini and ham, and fry until zucchini is soft (about 4-6 minutes). Carefully stir in the potatoes and heat through.
  4. Pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients in the pan and stir once, quickly, to ensure everything is coated. Cook until the egg is set about 7-10 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. When I am in a hurry I'll just place a lid over the pan to speed things up. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.
  5. Sprinkle cheese over the frittata and place under the broiler for a few minutes or until the cheese has melted and started to brown a little.
Notes
*Us adults like to spice our slices up with some green tabasco.

Adapted from The Baby-Led Weaning Cookbook

 

 Posted by at 12:45

Baked Potato Soup

 Soups  Comments Off on Baked Potato Soup
Oct 052012
 

Baked Potato Soup

Slowly but surely, it’s turning into fall.  Although, I am definitely a summer person, I am pretty excited for this change because it means soup weather is starting.  There are few things that are better than a steamy hot bowl of soup on a cold fall day.  And in order to celebrate this, here is the first of probably many  soup recipes to come.  The best thing about this soup, is that you can bake the potatoes anytime beforehand so that the actual cooking of the soup takes no time at all.  Of course Arik gets to put all of the toppings on himself since that makes the soup the tastiest!

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 bacon strips
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups/750ml vegetable broth
  • 4-5 medium sized baked potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cubed
  • 1 cup/240ml cream
  • Toppings:
  • green onions, shredded cheese, hot pepper sauce for toppings
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings behind.
  2. Saute the onion and garlic in the drippings until tender.
  3. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well.
  4. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil, and continue boiling while stirring for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the potatoes (baked beforehand) and cream; heat through but do not allow to boil again.
  6. Top each serving with cheese (I use cheddar or gouda), green onions, bacon and hot pepper sauce (for the adults).
 
Adapted from Kristi Teague
 Posted by at 15:00