Fall

November 18, 2021 Air Fryer

Roasted Air Fryer Carrots

These air fryer carrots are perfectly roasted in just 20 minutes! With five very simple ingredients, these will quickly become your favorite healthy side dish.

air fryer carrots in air fryer basket with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese on top

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It requires just five ingredients you probably already have on-hand! Carrots, olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper are all you’ll need to make this delicious side.
They’re perfectly seasoned and cooked until tender! This recipe works to bring out the flavor of fresh carrots. The simple seasoning allows their naturally delicious taste to shine!
It comes together in two very quick and easy steps! Start by tossing all ingredients in a bowl before transferring to your air fryer. Then, give the carrots a quick shake halfway through cooking before serving and enjoying.

Key Ingredients

Carrots – To prepare the carrots for this recipe, start by giving them a quick rinse under cold water. Once dry, peel and remove the skin from each carrot along with 1/2-inch from the top. Last, slice the carrots any way you’d like before roasting and eating!

Fresh Thyme – A sprinkling of fresh thyme does an incredible job at bringing out the natural earthy flavor of the carrots. I prefer fresh thyme for how light and complimentary it is in this air fryer carrots recipe. However, you can use any fresh herb you’d like in place of the thyme in this recipe.

Chef’s Tips

Depending on the size of your carrots, they may cook in less or more time than instructed. I cut my carrots into about 2-inch pieces, then after 20 minutes they were perfectly roasted. However, evaluate how quickly your carrots are cooking at the halfway mark and adjust the time from there!
Finish these carrots off with an extra sprinkling of fresh herbs and maybe some savory parmesan cheese. Again, keep the seasonings light as to not overpower that delicious, fresh carrot flavor.
Serve these air fryer carrots however you’d like! I love enjoying mine as a healthy side dish with lunch or dinner. I’ve even tossed them into salads for an exciting and healthy addition!

Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love

We hope you loved this recipe as much as we did! We’d love for you to give us a star ★ rating below, and follow us on Instagram! For more delicious, healthy recipes, be sure to check out 40 Aprons.

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Carrots

These air fryer carrots are perfectly roasted in just 20 minutes! With five very simple ingredients, these will quickly become your favorite healthy side dish.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fewer than 5 ingredients, healthy side dish, less than 20 minutes

Servings: servings

Calories: 56kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Air Fryer
Large bowl

Ingredients

1 pound carrots peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil see Notes
1 sprig fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat carrots in seasoning.
Transfer carrots to air fryer tray or basket and cook at 380° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, pausing to shake halfway through.

Notes

Olive Oil: Feel free to use any vegetable oil in place of the olive oil in this recipe. Avocado oil also works perfectly and has a delightfully mild taste!

Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including toppings. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

November 16, 2021 Fall

Turkey and Dumplings

Homemade turkey and dumplings is the ultimate comfort meal! This easy recipe puts leftover turkey to deliciously good use.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s a warm and wholesome meal, perfect for a cozy meal in! Take dinner up a notch with this restaurant-quality dish. Kids, friends, family – everyone will love this meal!
It’s the perfect recipe to use up leftover turkey! Every year around the holidays I’m searching to creative ways to use up my leftover turkey. This recipe is hands-down one of my favorites!
It’s quick and easy! The instructions walk you through how to simply make your own dumplings, then cook them in the soup. From beginning to end, this meal takes no more than 30 minutes to make.

Key Ingredients

Chicken or Turkey Broth – Homemade broth is always best, so I use this Instant Pot recipe to make my own broth and store it in the freezer for future use. Though store-bought broth works just as well in this turkey and dumplings recipe! We up the flavor in the broth with a variety of added herbs and veggies – making it that much more delicious.

Cooked Turkey – Here’s where leftover turkey comes in super handy! Either diced or shredded turkey will work here, just as long as it’s cooked through. Additionally, you could sub the turkey for pre-cooked chicken if you’d like.

Baking Powder – Baking powder causes the dumplings to puff up once cooked. This gives them their signature light and fluffy texture we all love!

Chef’s Tips

Don’t worry too much about the size and shape of your dumplings. I actually find the imperfect shapes give them that pleasant homemade, rustic look. The only special attention needed here is in ensuring the dumpling dough is rolled out into an even 1/4-inch thickness.
Drop the dumplings into the boiling soup one at a time. Avoid adding them to the pot all together which could cause them to stick and form large clumps. Therefore, simply add them in one-by-one until all have been transferred to the pot.
For a thicker base, add a cornstarch slurry to your turkey and dumplings in the last few minutes of cooking! Make the slurry by whisking one tablespoon of cornstarch in with 3 tablespoons of water. Once combined, pour the slurry into the hot broth and stir until thick.

turkey and dumplings in a bowl with a spoon

More Cozy Soup Recipes You’ll Love

Print Recipe

Turkey and Dumplings

Homemade turkey and dumplings is the ultimate comfort meal! This easy recipe puts leftover turkey to deliciously good use.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: holiday recipe, leftover turkey, thanksgiving

Servings: servings

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Large pot
Large bowl

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
½ onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 quarts chicken or turkey broth
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups cooked turkey chopped

For the dumplings:

1 cup all purpose flour see Notes
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup half and half see Notes

Instructions

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
Pour in the chicken broth and add in the bayleaf and dried thyme. Stir then reduce heat to low and leave to simmer while you prepare the dumplings.
Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Mix together before pouring in the half-and-half then mixing until a dough forms.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface into a ¼-inch thick sheet. Slice the dough into small even-sized squared to create the dumplings.
Gently drop dumplings into the simmering broth, a few at a time, and cook until tender – about 8 minutes. Add in the cooked turkey, give everything a stir then remove from heat and serve immediately.

Notes

Make it Gluten-Free: Use all purpose gluten-free flour in place of the all purpose flour to make these dumplings gluten-free.
Make it Dairy-Free: Replace the half-and-half in this recipe with an equal amount of full-fat coconut for a non-dairy option.

Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using chicken broth. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

November 9, 2021 Fall

Turkey Melt with Cheddar, Spinach, and Bacon

The perfect sandwich for cooler weather, this incredible turkey melt is toasty, melty, and mouth-wateringly delicious. With juicy fresh tomatoes, leafy green spinach, crisp bacon, and rich cheddar cheese, these buttery sourdough sandwiches are amazing all on their own or paired with a cup of hot, creamy soup.

Two halves of a turkey melt, one leaning across the top of the other, on a wooden tray

What Makes This Recipe So Good

If you like a good grilled cheese then you will LOVE a turkey melt! It’s sort of a gourmet grilled cheese, stuffed full of tasty ingredients, then grilled until hot and toasty.
Not only is this sandwich super quick and easy to make, it’s also fully customizable. Use any crusty bread you like; try smoked or sweet turkey; throw on your favorite cheese (or cheeses!); work in a little onion or arugula or alfalfa sprouts; add mayo or pesto along with or instead of honey mustard… anything goes!
I use deli turkey in my turkey melt more often than not, BUT! If you have leftover holiday turkey, this is a great way to use it up! You may just need to toast the sandwiches a little longer on a slightly lower heat to warm them all the way through, depending on how thick the turkey is.

Key Ingredients

Turkey – For a year-round turkey melt, deli turkey is the way to go. Not only is it easy and readily accessible, it’s also thin enough to let the sandwich heat completely through in no time. Feel free to use a smoked turkey, honey-glazed turkey, oven-roasted turkey, or whatever other flavor you like best!

Crusty Bread – I. Love. A good crusty bread. Sourdough is my favorite for hot sandwiches like this. It’s chewy and crisp and toasts up beautifully. Texas toast would also work well!

Cheese – Feel free to mix up the cheese you use on your sandwich. I used white cheddar here, but classic cheddar, Swiss, smoked gouda, or pepper jack would all be amazing.

Chef’s Tips

Your mouth will water the whole time you’re prepping your turkey melt, so I know you’ll be tempted to rush the actual toasting process. Don’t! If the skillet and butter are too hot, the bread will toast (and potentially burn) before the cheese melts and the turkey warms. If it’s not hot enough, though, the bread will soak up all the butter and end up more soggy than toasted.
Avoid prepackaged, processed cheese! Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up a block of fresh cheese that you can slice yourself, or stop by the deli counter and have them slice some fresh cheese for you. The flavors will be so much better, but so will the texture. Fresh cheese just melts so well. Your turkey melt will be good with prepackaged cheese, but it’ll be incredible with fresh cheese.

Three halves of a turkey melt stacked on top of each other

More Delicious Sandwiches You’ll Enjoy

Two halves of a turkey melt stacked on top of each other, on a wooden tray

Print Recipe

Turkey Melt with Cheddar, Spinach, and Bacon

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy meals, leftovers, lunch ideas

Servings: sandwiches

Calories: 605kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Plate or cutting board
Knife
Large skillet

Ingredients

4 slices sourdough or thick, crusty bread of choice
2 tablespoons honey mustard divided
2 slices white cheddar cheese divided
4 slices deli turkey divided
1 medium tomato thinly sliced
½ cup fresh baby spinach divided
4 slices bacon cooked
2 tablespoons butter divided

Instructions

Spread ¼ tablespoon honey mustard on both sides of each piece of bread (8 sides total).
Divide each slice of cheese in half, creating 4 slices of cheese total. Place one "slice" of cheese on each piece of bread.
Layer 2 slices deli turkey, tomato slices (as many as you like), and ¼ cup baby spinach on 2 pieces of bread.
Place 2 slices of bacon on remaining 2 pieces of bread.
Close sandwiches. Each sandwich should have one piece of bread with turkey, tomatoes, and spinach and one piece of bread with bacon.
Spread ½ tablespoon butter on outside of each piece of bread (4 sides total).
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, place sandwiches in skillet. Toast bread for 3 to 4 minutes on one side, then flip and toast bread another 3 to 4 minutes on other side, or until cheese is melted and sandwich is warmed through. Serve hot.

Notes

I highly recommend buying a block of cheddar cheese and slicing it yourself, or purchasing freshly sliced cheese from the deli counter of your grocery store, as opposed to prepackaged cheese slices. There’s a huge difference in taste and texture!
Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free cheese and dairy-free butter.

Recipe yields 2 sandwiches. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 sandwich using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

November 4, 2021 Dairy-Free

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast

A bacon wrapped turkey breast is a simple but mind-blowingly delicious entrée that’ll enhance any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or weeknight dinner. Tender boneless turkey breast is smothered in a garlic-and-herb butter sauce, then wrapped up tight in strips of savory bacon and baked until golden and juicy. Naturally low carb and keto, and super easy to make dairy free and paleo, too!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The garlic-herb butter sauce sandwiched between the turkey and the bacon keeps the turkey delectably juicy while adding an incredible level of flavor to the entire dish. For a different flavor, submerge the turkey breast overnight in this easy turkey brine and skip the butter sauce here.
Bacon wrapped turkey breast pairs beautifully with a variety of side dishes. Southern Smothered Potatoes, Italian Green Beans, Sweet Potato Pudding, Broccoli Cornbread – the possibilities are endless!
Don’t feel like you have to save this main for a holiday dinner. Bacon wrapped turkey breast is perfect any time of year, and it’s so easy to make that you don’t have to feel like it’s a special-occasion recipe.

Key Ingredients

Boneless Turkey Breast – Fresh or frozen turkey breast will work here! If you’re using frozen, just be sure to thaw it completely first. If you’re using a turkey breast larger than 3 pounds, you’ll likely need to increase the cook time and the amount of bacon you use. Oh, AND! Some turkey breasts will have a netting around them. If yours does, be sure to remove that netting before you get started!

Bacon – Any type of bacon will work here, even turkey bacon! For a nicer presentation, try basket-weaving the bacon strips together around the turkey.

Chef’s Tips

This would be a great option to serve alongside (or in place of) a whole turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner if you’re feeding a large group or just want to mix things up a little. If you’re not sure how much turkey you’ll need to feed your guests, use the super easy formula in this post: How Much Turkey Per Person?
If you have trouble tucking the bacon strips under the turkey breast enough to hold them in place, use toothpicks to pin them down! After baking, you can remove the toothpicks to serve and the cooked bacon will hold its shape.
Don’t skip the wire rack! It’s super important. The rack elevates the turkey breast so the grease from the bacon will drip off and away. If you don’t use the rack, the turkey and bacon will just sit in the grease, and the bacon won’t get crispy all the way around.

Slices of Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast on a plate with green beans and a fork

Other Turkey Recipes to Make Your Mouth Water

Print Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast

A bacon wrapped turkey breast is a simple but mind-blowingly delicious entrée that'll enhance any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or weeknight dinner. Tender boneless turkey breast is smothered in a garlic-and-herb butter sauce, then wrapped up tight in strips of savory bacon and baked until golden and juicy. Naturally low carb and keto, and super easy to make dairy free and paleo, too!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: christmas dinner, holiday dinner, thanksgiving dinner

Servings:

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Oven
Small bowl
Baking sheet
Wire baking rack
Internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

3 tablespoons salted butter melted
2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
1 sage leaf chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 3-pound boneless turkey breast
8-10 slices bacon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In small bowl, mix together butter, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, and garlic.
Place wire baking rack on baking sheet and set turkey breast on rack. Liberally coat turkey breast in butter-herb mixture, being sure to apply mixture evenly.
One by one, wrap strips of bacon around turkey breast and tuck ends of bacon under turkey to stay in place. Start by placing 2-4 slices of bacon horizontally across turkey breast to cover ends of turkey, then lay remaining slices of bacon vertically across turkey breast to cover sides.
Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake 2 hours or until turkey reaches internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit. Once temperature is reached, remove turkey from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

If your turkey breast has a netting around it, be sure to remove that before you get started!
Don’t skip the wire rack! It’s super important. The rack elevates the turkey breast so the grease from the bacon will drip off and away. If you don’t use the rack, the turkey and bacon will just sit in the grease, and the bacon won’t get crispy all the way around.
Make it Dairy Free: Use dairy-free butter.
Make it Paleo: Use ghee instead of butter, and use a paleo-friendly bacon without sugar or other non-compliant additives.

Recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

October 28, 2021 Fall

Southern Smothered Potatoes

Tender smothered potatoes are a classic Southern side dish that belongs on your dinner table! Perfect with a variety of main courses for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these rich pan-fried potatoes and onions are tossed in flour, salt, and pepper for a perfectly crisp outer shell.

Smothered potatoes in a bowl positioned toward the right side of the image so you only see half the bowl

What Makes This Recipe So Good

This Southern recipe has everything you love – rich butter, starchy potatoes, caramelized onions, fragrant garlic. This is one of those recipes that you’ll want to make for every meal. They’re THAT GOOD!
Smothered potatoes are incredibly versatile. They make a great side dish for steak, chicken, pork, or even a breakfast dish. Top them with cheese, sour cream, fresh herbs, bacon gravy, hollandaise sauce, or whatever you love! You could even mix in some smoked sausage and peppers or kielbasa for an easy one-pan meal.

Key Ingredients

Potatoes – Any potatoes will work for smothered potatoes, but I prefer yellow potatoes for their taste and texture. If you only have Russet or red, though, that’s totally fine.

All-Purpose Flour – A very light coating of flour helps the potatoes get deliciously crispy on the outside, while keeping them tender and creamy inside.

Onions – For a little flavor and texture. Red, white, or yellow onion will work. Just slice them thin! If you’re not sure the best way to slice or dice an onion, check out this post from 40 Aprons for the best and easiest method.

Chef’s Tips

With the potatoes sliced so thin, they’ll be very delicate. Be gentle both when you’re tossing them in the flour and when you’re flipping them in the skillet. They can tear easily!
For smothered potatoes with even more flavor, add a little paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cajun seasoning, dried rosemary, or dried thyme.
Slice the potatoes evenly so they cook evenly! The easiest way to slice them is with a mandoline slicer. That handy gadget lets you set the thickness you want, then you just drag the potato down the blade and voila! Perfectly uniform sliced potatoes.

Try These Side Dishes, Too

Print Recipe

Smothered Potatoes

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: holiday dinner, meat and potatoes, pan fried

Servings:

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Large bowl
Cast iron skillet (or other large skillet) with lid
Silicone spatula

Ingredients

3 medium yellow potatoes thinly sliced
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour see Notes
3 tablespoons butter see Notes
⅓ cup chicken broth see Notes

Instructions

Place potatoes, onions, and garlic in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat potatoes and onions thoroughly.
Sprinkle flour in bowl. Toss to thoroughly coat potatoes and onions in flour.
Warm cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and melt, then add potatoes and onions. Cook 10 minutes total, carefully flipping potatoes over frequently to prevent burning.
After 10 minutes, pour chicken broth into skillet. Cover skillet with lid. Cook another 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve warm.

Notes

Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour and make sure your chicken broth is gluten free.
Make it Dairy Free: Use a dairy-free butter.
Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

October 26, 2021 Desserts

Sweet Potato Pudding

Classically Southern sweet potato pudding is a must-have for your holiday dinner table. Rich, earthy sweet potatoes mixed with evaporated milk and eggs until creamy, then topped with a nutty brown sugar pecan crumble and baked until crisp and hot. This is everything you love about Thanksgiving baked into one incredible dish!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

No offense to grandma’s classic Thanksgiving turkey or holiday ham, but… It’s no real surprise that the side dishes and desserts are the actual stars of a holiday dinner. Set this pudding dish out on the table and watch it disappear in no time! It’s similar to a Sweet Potato Casserole, but so much better.
The flavors and textures in this recipe are absolutely unbelievable. Rich, smooth, creamy sweet potato topped with crisp, crumbled pecans and brown sugar.
This is a great recipe to make into individual servings for a fancier presentation. Just portion the sweet potato pudding into individual ramekins instead of one large dish, top with the pecan crumble, and bake.

Key Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes – If you’re short on time or energy, or just want the holidays to be a little simpler, you can use canned sweet potatoes here. Just don’t use any that have added sweeteners, because they’ll throw off the other flavors in the recipe.

Pecans – Usually a dessert superstar in their own right, pecans add a delightful crunch and nuttiness to the sweet potato pudding. If nuts aren’t your thing, you can skip them and just stick with the brown sugar crumble.

Evaporated Milk – This is what makes the pudding SO rich and creamy. Since evaporated milk has the liquid evaporated out, it’s thicker than regular milk, though not as thick or sweet as condensed milk. If you only have regular milk at home, you can make evaporated milk yourself just by simmering regular milk over medium-low heat for roughly 20-30 minutes until reduced. You’ll need roughly 2 cups regular milk to yield 1 cup evaporated milk.

Chef’s Tips

For an even deeper, richer flavor, add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice to the crumble topping and/or the sweet potato pudding mixture. YUM!
If your brown sugar topping is browning too fast, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil to keep it from burning.

Overhead view of sweet potato pudding in a casserole dish

You’ll Love These Holiday Recipes

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato Pudding

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: casserole, holiday dinner, thanksgiving dinner

Servings:

Calories: 356kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Medium bowl
Fork
Large pot
Colander
Large bowl
Hand mixer or stand mixer
2-quart baking dish, greased

Ingredients

For the Topping

⅓ cup all-purpose flour see Notes
⅓ cup brown sugar or Brown Swerve or coconut sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter cubed
½ cup chopped pecans

For the Sweet Potato Pudding

2 pounds sweet potatoes rinsed, peeled, and diced into even 1" chunks; see Notes
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar or granular Swerve or coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Instructions

For the Topping

Place all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cold butter cubes, and chopped pecans in medium bowl. Use fork to mix and mash mixture until crumbled, similar to streusel topping. Place mixture in fridge until ready to bake.

For the Sweet Potato Pudding

Add diced sweet potatoes to large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil over high heat and boil 15 to 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes can be pierced with tines of fork. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
Drain sweet potatoes then transfer them to large bowl. Add evaporated milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Using hand mixer or stand mixer, mix ingredients together until just combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, to sweet potato mixture, mixing after each egg until just combined, then adding next egg. Repeat until all eggs have been incorporated.
Transfer sweet potato mixture into greased baking dish. Top with brown sugar pecan mixture, spreading topping out into one even layer.
Place dish in oven and bake approximately 30 minutes or until topping is crisp and crunchy. Serve warm.

Notes

Sweet Potatoes: The amount of potatoes you’ll need depends on their size. 2 pounds of sweet potatoes will be approximately 4 large sweet potatoes or 5-6 medium sweet potatoes.
Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Make it Dairy Free: Use coconut milk and dairy-free butter.

Recipe yields approximately 8 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

October 21, 2021 Dairy-Free

Instant Pot Turkey Stock

This Instant Pot turkey stock is the perfect use for that leftover turkey carcass! It’s rich and deeply flavorful, packed with nutrients, and takes a fraction of the time to make as regular stock.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s extra healthy and nutritious! The vitamins and minerals from both the turkey bones and the vegetables are released into the stock while it cooks. Once strained, the stock holds onto all of those good-for-you nutrients.
It’s quick and easy to make! Traditional stock can take hours to cook, though this Instant Pot method takes just 45 minutes. Simply add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, set it to pressure cook, and then return to delicious homemade turkey stock every time.
It’s the perfect use for any leftover turkey bones you might have lying around after Thanksgiving dinner! Reduce your waste and use every single part of the turkey this holiday season.

Key Ingredients

Turkey Carcass or Turkey Wings – If you don’t have a leftover turkey carcass for this recipe, you can easily use three pounds of turkey wings in its place. I’ve tried this method with both variations, and they’re equally as delicious! So the next time you have turkey or even chicken bones lying around, don’t forget to save them for this recipe.

Onion – My favorite part about this recipe is how hands off it is. This even goes for preparing the vegetables, especially the onion. No need to finely chop or even peel an onion for this recipe! Simply leave the skin on and cut it into four equal pieces. Once cut, throw it in the Instant Pot with the remaining ingredients – it’s that easy!

Chef’s Tips

Allow the stock to cool completely before transferring it to the fridge. The stock will be super hot right after cooking, it might even continue to boil for a few minutes after the lid is removed. Therefore, to help speed up the cooling process, strain the turkey stock and transfer it to a large bowl on the counter to bring down the temperature.
Store this Instant Pot turkey stock in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week! Though if you won’t be using this stock within a week, you can easily freeze it instead. To freeze it, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in your freezer for up to three months.
Feel free to switch up the seasonings in this recipe any way you’d like! Add more spice with additional peppercorns or even red pepper flakes. You can even add some fresh herbs, such as parsley.

overhead image of instant pot turkey stock with fresh herbs on the side

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Turkey Stock

This Instant Pot turkey stock is the perfect use for that leftover turkey carcass! It's rich and deeply flavorful, packed with nutrients, and takes a fraction of the time to make as regular stock.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: leftover turkey, super easy, thanksgiving

Servings:

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass or 3 pounds turkey wings
1 stalk celery sliced in half
1 large carrot cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 onion unpeeled and cut into quarter
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Instructions

Add all ingredients to an Instant Pot, then fill with water to the max fill line.
Set to manual high pressure for 45 minutes, then manually release pressure before removing lid.
Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Let cool before transferring to airtight containers to store.

Notes

I used a 6 quart Instant Pot and produced about 2 quarts of turkey stock.

Recipe yields approximately 10 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

October 5, 2021 Appetizer

Red Cabbage Soup

Vibrant and gorgeous red cabbage soup deserves a place on your dinner table! This bright purple soup adds a pop of color and a hearty helping of vegetables to your diet. Thickened with potatoes and onion, it’s naturally gluten free and vegetarian, but you can easily make it dairy free and vegan if needed.

What Makes This Soup So Good

Red cabbage soup is a delicious, nutrient-rich soup that you’ll absolutely want to make a part of your autumn and winter soup rotation. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamins A and K, and it’s high in fiber.
It’s beautiful! How often do you get to eat a delicious bowl of vibrantly purple soup? The soup’s signature color comes from the red cabbage, which contains anthocyanins that make the cabbage naturally purple.
This is a great make-ahead or freezer meal option, so go ahead and start carving out freezer space! Once the soup is completely cooled, portion it into freezer-safe bags or airtight containers. It’ll keep up to 4 months in the freezer. You can also refrigerate any leftovers up to 5 days, so feel free to make some extra for lunch.

Key Ingredients

Cabbage – When you’re picking out your fresh red cabbage, there are a few things to keep in mind. Look for a head of cabbage that doesn’t have loose leaves or soft spots. The cabbage should be shiny and a deep, vibrant purple or maroon color. The leaves should be tightly closed, almost like a flower that hasn’t bloomed.

Potato – Potato thickens up the red cabbage soup, so you want to use the right kind of potato for the best texture. Starchier potatoes, like russets or Yukon gold potatoes, will give you a creamier soup. If you want to lower the carb count, you can use cauliflower florets instead of potatoes.

Chef’s Tips

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can purée your red cabbage soup in a standard blender instead. Just be very careful. Blending hot liquids can result in a really dangerous mess. See our notes on the recipe card below to safely purée the soup.
Don’t worry about being too precise with your chopping. Since you’ll be cooking the vegetables and then blending them completely smooth, it really doesn’t matter how well you cut them up to start. Just make them small enough to be manageable. Not sure the best way to dice or chop your vegetables? Check out the tips in this post all about dicing onions easily!
We kept the seasonings really simple here, just using salt and pepper to play up the natural flavor of the cabbage. You could add ginger, cinnamon, lime, or bay leaves to change up the flavors a little.

Angled photo of red cabbage soup with a heavy cream swirl in a white bowl

Try These Delicious Soups, Too!

Print Recipe

Red Cabbage Soup

Vibrant and gorgeous red cabbage soup deserves a place on your dinner table! This bright purple soup adds a pop of color and a hearty helping of vegetables to your diet. Thickened with potatoes and onion, it's naturally gluten free and vegetarian, but you can easily make it dairy free and vegan if needed.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: autumn recipe, meatless monday, one pot meal

Servings:

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Large pot with lid
Immersion blender (or standard blender)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
5 cups red cabbage roughly chopped
1 large potato peeled, cubed
1 medium apple peeled, chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
salt to taste
pepper to taste
¼ cup heavy cream plus more for serving if desired

Instructions

In large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions and garlic. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until fragrant and translucent.
Add cabbage, potato, and apple to pot. Stir and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until cabbage is softened.
Pour in vegetable stock and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Bring liquid to boil, then reduce heat to low and cover pot with lid. Simmer 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove pot from heat. Insert immersion blender and purée until smooth. Alternately, transfer soup to standard blender – see Notes. Stir in heavy cream and portion soup into serving bowls. Serve warm.

Notes

No immersion blender? No problem. See the notes below for tips to purée your soup in a standard blender.
Make it Dairy Free: Use coconut cream or a dairy-free heavy cream substitute.
Make it Vegan: Use coconut cream or a dairy-free heavy cream substitute.

Tips for Blending Hot Soup in a Standard Blender

Fill the blender no more than halfway. You may have to blend your ingredients in a few batches.
After pouring the liquid into the blender, let it sit a few minutes to cool slightly before blending.
Before blending, remove the center cap from the blender lid and cover the hole with a dish towel instead. This will keep pressure from building up inside the blender. Keep your hand on the lid to hold it down while blending.

Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using ingredients listed, not including additional heavy cream. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

September 28, 2021 Fall

Chicken Parm Sandwich

Skip the restaurant and make a delicious chicken parm sandwich right in your kitchen! This easy recipe tops crispy breaded chicken breast cutlets with warm marinara, melty mozzarella, and a little fresh basil, all served on toasted ciabatta bread for a perfect sandwich that bursts with Italian flavors.

What Makes This Sandwich So Good

The textures and flavors in this sandwich are unbelievable, but this recipe is SO simple. This is going to be a go-to meal in your house!
The breading on the chicken is delicious and crisps up beautifully, giving the cutlets this incredible crunch but keeping them nice and juicy inside.
If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, use the chicken from this recipe and serve it with your favorite pasta or even just a Caesar salad.

Key Ingredients

Chicken Breasts – The star of a chicken parm sandwich! You’ll only need two chicken breasts for this recipe, but since they’ll be sliced into cutlets, you’ll get four sandwiches out of them!

Breadcrumbs – A mix of Italian breadcrumbs and Panko breadcrumbs gives this sandwich both taste AND texture! The Panko crisps up beautifully in the oil so the chicken cutlet is nice and crispy. The Italian breadcrumbs give the sandwich a savory flavor that’s perfect with marinara and parmesan.

Marinara – Use your favorite store-bought marinara, or make your own at home!

Crusty Bread – If you ask me, the bread can really make or break a sandwich. Ciabatta is absolutely perfect for a chicken parm sandwich – it’s nice and crispy outside, but super soft inside. If you don’t have ciabatta handy, any crusty bread will work.

Chef’s Tips

Don’t overcook the chicken. Trust me, you do not want dry chicken on your chicken parm sandwich. No amount of marinara or melty cheese will make up for overcooked meat.
I highly recommend shredding your own mozzarella cheese. The pre-packaged shredded cheese will totally work, but freshly shredded cheese melts much better, has a nicer flavor, and doesn’t contain any of the anti-clumping agents that are added to the pre-shredded cheeses.
This is one dish that’s best served fresh. You want the chicken to be nice and crisp, the bread toasty, and the cheese melty, so making them ahead of time just doesn’t work as well. If you’re having any sides with your chicken parm sandwich, make sure they’re ready to go so your sandwich doesn’t have to sit around while the sides finish up.

Two chicken parm sandwiches stacked on top of each other

Be Sure to Try These Delicious Chicken Recipes, Too!

Print Recipe

Chicken Parm Sandwich

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: breaded chicken, easy dinner, family friendly

Servings: sandwiches

Calories: 680kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Oven
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Meat tenderizer
3 shallow bowls
Whisk
Cast iron skillet (or other large skillet)
Internal meat thermometer
Baking sheet

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 chicken breasts, depending on size
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs
½ tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan
neutral oil for cooking
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup marinara warmed, divided
1 loaf ciabatta bread or 4 ciabatta rolls
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally, as if cutting a hamburger bun, to create chicken cutlets. Use meat tenderizer to pound chicken cutlets until roughly ½-inch thick.
Add all-purpose flour to one shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, break eggs and quickly beat to create egg wash. In third shallow bowl, whisk together Italian breadcrumbs, Panko, kosher salt, black pepper, and parmesan.
In cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, heat roughly ½-inch deep pool of neutral oil.
One by one, dredge chicken cutlets first in flour, coating both sides of each cutlet evenly. After flour, dip cutlets in egg wash, again coating each side evenly. Hold cutlet over bowl and allow excess egg to drip off, then place cutlet in breadcrumb mixture. Evenly coat both sides with breadcrumbs and shake off any excess.
When oil is hot, add breaded cutlets to skillet, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Cook chicken 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. If using ciabatta loaf, divide loaf into 4 slices, then cut slices in half horizontally. If using rolls, cut rolls in half horizontally. Spread bread slices cut-side up on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake 1 to 2 minutes until just toasted.
Remove bread from oven. Spread ½ cup marinara on cut-side of bottom halves of bread. Place chicken on top, then cover with remaining marinara sauce. Cover marinara with shredded mozzarella and fresh basil, then finish sandwich with top halves of bread.
Return baking sheet to oven. Bake 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Notes

Recipe yields 4 sandwiches. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 sandwich using ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition

September 21, 2021 Dairy-Free

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Cooler weather calls for a rich, delicious, filling, comforting dinner, and this Instant Pot chicken and rice soup totally fits the bill! Juicy chicken, tender white rice, hearty vegetables, and a light seasoning, all cooked to perfection in the pressure cooker.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

It’s nutritious, filling, and full of delicious flavors and textures. Instant Pot chicken and rice soup comes out thick and creamy without adding any dairy at all, thanks to the starches in the rice.
It’s super easy to make! Everything gets cooked right in the Instant Pot. I mean everything! Brown the chicken in the Instant Pot, sauté the veggies in the Instant Pot, even the rice goes into the pressure cooker uncooked and comes out perfectly tender and fluffy.

Key Ingredients

Long-Grain White Rice – I really recommend using white rice, and not brown rice or instant rice. Why does it matter? It’s all about the cook times! The cook times vary depending on the type of rice you use. Brown rice typically takes longer, which can overcook the chicken. If you use instant rice, you won’t need as long of a cook time, which may give you undercooked chicken.

Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work, too. The recipe will be a little more flavorful since thighs are a fattier cut of chicken than chicken breasts. Just be sure to cook the thighs all the way through before eating!

Vegetables – Feel free to change up the types of vegetables you use. You could also stick with the classic carrots, celery, and onion, and just increase or decrease the quantities used based on your tastes. If you decide to add something like spinach (yum) be sure to add it after the cook time so it doesn’t overcook.

Chef’s Tips

Forget to thaw the chicken? No problem. In a pinch, you can actually use frozen chicken in your Instant Pot chicken and rice soup. Skip step 1 of the instructions below, and add the frozen chicken with the rice in step 5. You may need to add 2-3 minutes to the cook time to ensure the chicken is cooked through. After releasing the pressure, shred the chicken in the Instant Pot or take it out and chop it on a cutting board, then return it to the soup.
A little squeeze of lemon juice can really brighten up the flavors in the soup. Totally optional, but definitely worth a try! Add it to the soup once you’ve released the pressure.
The seasoning in this soup is very simple – salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs. Feel free to add your favorite spices and herbs to your Instant Pot chicken and rice and really make it your own!

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup in a white bowl, taken from above

You’ll Fall for These Instant Pot Recipes

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy meal ideas, one pot meal, pressure cooker

Servings:

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

Cutting board & sharp knife
Instant Pot
Large bowl

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 stalks celery sliced
2 carrots sliced into coins
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
¾ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Instructions

Trim chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil to Instant Pot and heat 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, add chicken pieces, working in batches as needed, and brown all pieces on every side. Be careful not to overcrowd Instant Pot.
Transfer browned chicken to large bowl and set aside. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic to Instant Pot. Sauté another 2 minutes, then add rosemary and thyme and sauté 1 additional minute.
Add white rice and chicken broth to Instant Pot with vegetables. Return browned chicken pieces to pot and stir everything well.
Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in sealing position. Set to Manual High Pressure for 13 minutes. After cook time is up, Natural Release pressure for 10 minutes, then Quick Release any remaining pressure. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

Nutrition