Vegetable Beef Soup (with alphabet pasta so my 4 year old will eat it)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

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When I started to make this for dinner tonight, I realized that I had never put this recipe on here. I can’t believe it, because it is one of our favorite soups. This is one of the easiest recipes to make, it just takes about 3 hours to cook. Aside from cutting up the onion and the beef, there isn’t a lot of prep work for this, which I love.

There is something about vegetable beef soup that is such a comfort food for me. I love everything about it. This recipe makes quite a bit, but you can easily freeze whatever you don’t eat right away and save it for another night when you don’t have time to cook. Or if your like me and some nights the last thing you feel like doing is cooking. I love to cook, but there are some days that I just don’t want to be in the kitchen. It is great to have something easy and good for you to pull out of the freezer. It sure beats getting take out, or fast food.

If you haven’t tried Better Thank Bouillon products yet, you should take this opportunity to do so. It is so much better than anything else out there on the market, I promise, you will not be sorry you tried it. I haven’t used anything else since I tried their products last year. I wrote the recipe out using this product, if you choose to use the containers of broth, just make sure you omit the 9 cups of water and just use about 2 cups water.

You can get the already cut up beef stew meat if you want to, but you will still need to cut it into smaller pieces anyway, so I recommend buying a large cut of meat and just cutting it up yourself. It is almost always cheaper to buy a larger cut of meat anyway. I always buy a piece about 2.5 pounds, so there is plenty. I cut about a 1/2 inch chunk off, then cut that into 1/2 inch strips and then chop into bite size pieces. This piece had very little fat on it around the outside, so I just left that little bit on there to give it some flavor.

**For the gluten free version, just omit the pasta or use a gluten free variety. Better Than Bouillon is always gluten free.

**For the vegetarian version, just omit the beef and use the Better Than Bouillon vegetable.

Vegetable Beef Soup

  • 2-2 ½ pounds of beef, cut into bite size pieces
  • 7 teaspoons beef Better Than Bouillon (1 large container of beef broth)
  • 2 teaspoons chicken Better Than Bouillon (1 small can chicken broth)
  • 9 cups of water (about 2-3 if you are using canned broth)
  • splash red wine (about a 1/4 of a cup)
  • medium sweet onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 – 12 oz bags of frozen veggies (I like the Birds Eye Steam Fresh)
  • 1 large can of petite diced tomatoes
  • 8-10 oz of pasta, you can use alphabet or orzo pasta

Add one tablespoon of butter to a large soup pot, along with some salt and pepper, and place over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add in your onion and cook until softened. At the same time add the other tablespoon of butter to a large skillet, over medium heat, along with some more salt and pepper. Add in the pieces of beef and cook until you have browned the meat on all sides.

Transfer the meat and juices to your soup pot with the onion. Add in your Better Than Bouillon, water and splash of red wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour.

Then add your veggies and can of diced tomatoes and cook for another hour and a half. I usually add in a little bit more salt and pepper at this point, you can season it to your taste.

Then add in your pasta and cook for about another 12-15 minutes. Stir occasionally so that your pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve with crackers or fresh bread.

It’s funny, but I just noticed that there is a B for Bekah right on top of the soup!

 

Posted in Beef, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Bekah’s Chicken Salad

Posted on June 6, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

We entertain a lot around here. Sometimes I love to go all out and prepare large, very detailed meals that take a lot of time and effort, but usually that takes me away from being able to really spend a lot of time with my friends. So, most of the time, I prefer to fix up something that I can prepare ahead of time that I can just pull out and serve when we are all ready to eat.

I found this recipe about 10 years ago, while I was shopping at my local wholesale club. It was a recipe which called for using canned chicken (yuck!), which I wasn’t about to attempt. I thought that if I tweaked it a little bit I could really make it perfect. This is really easy to put together and fairly cheap to make. You can serve it on any kind of bread you like to use. I always prefer something from the deli and this time we used a sour dough french loaf. You can also put it in a dish and serve it with crackers. Either way, it’s amazing.

This is a great recipe to take when you have to bring a dish to share. It is quick to make and easy to transport. It’s perfect for lunch or a nice afternoon snack. In fact, we actually ate these for dinner last Friday night. I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t love this chicken salad

**For the Vegetarian version, just leave out the chicken.

**For the Gluten Free Version, the salad itself is GF, just use gluten free bread or crackers when serving.

Bekah’s Chicken Salad

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • up to 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, minced
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts and almonds
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt or you can use regular/sea/pink salt
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 – 3/4 of an apple, chopped in small pieces

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. I used almond oil this time instead of olive oil and it gave the chicken a really great flavor. Remove from heat and let cool. Chop into small pieces.

My chicken kept disappearing and I couldn’t figure out what happened to it…until I caught this sneaky little sweetie girl taking pieces when I wasn’t looking!

In a large bowl add cranberries, celery, green onions, bell pepper and nuts.

We actually decided to alter the recipe a little bit this time and add in some apple. I had a large gala apple and we used about half of it. I just cut it up into small pieces to match the size of the rest of the ingredients. It really added a nice flavor and texture to the salad.

Mix in the chopped chicken, and mix well. I always add the chicken last so that it has had plenty of time to cool down before I add it with the rest of the ingredients. Add salt, pepper and paprika and mix until everything is coated evenly. Add in mayonnaise a little at a time until just coated. I never end up using a full cup of mayo, though you could if you want it a little more creamy.

Taste to make sure it is seasoned enough, if not, add in enough to suit your taste. Chill at least one hour. Serve as a sandwich or with crackers as an appetizer.

I hope you enjoy this as much as our family does!

Posted in Appetizers, Chicken Dishes, Dips and Spreads, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes, Salad, Sides, Snacks, Toppings, Vegetarian | 2 Comments

Pickled Peppers

Posted on June 5, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers….Say that 6 times fast.

Our garden is flourishing so far and I am out there nearly every day picking tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I bring stuff in and can use it when cooking our dinners. One thing that we have a lot of are banana, jalapeno and cayenne peppers. I didn’t realize until now, that banana peppers aren’t really so great to eat fresh all by themselves. They don’t have a lot of flavor. I figured the best way to make them was to pickle them, but I had never pickled anything before. It turns out that it is super easy, and the only part of the process that takes time is waiting for them to sit a few days to soak up all the goodness before you eat them.

On Memorial Day weekend we had a little get-together at our house and I made apple, bacon pulled pork sandwiches. We topped them with these peppers and it was delicious! In fact, I noticed that everyone kept going back into the jar for more peppers! Whether you have your own garden, or just pick up some of these at the store to make, you will not be sorry you tried them. We love them so much, that I have already made a second batch. You can use them to top just about anything or just eat them straight out of the jar!

Pickled Peppers

  • 1 – 1 /2 pounds of assorted peppers (I used jalepeno, cayenne and banana)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Wash the peppers and cut off the tops. I did not remove the seeds, but you can if you want to. Cut the peppers into rings, whatever size you want. Put the peppers into a glass jar, something that is air tight when sealed.

In a medium size sauce pan, add water, vinegar, salt, sugar and minced garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove pan from stove and pour the mixture over the top of the peppers. Use a spoon to stick inside the jar to remove any air bubbles that may be in there. Seal the jar and set aside for 24 hours, then put in the refrigerator to chill. This should last for a couple of weeks.

Posted in Appetizers, Dips and Spreads, Gluten-Free, Our Garden, Recipes, Sides, Snacks, Toppings, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 3 Comments

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

Posted on May 18, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

If you look outside your window right now, your likely to see pigs flying. Hell has frozen over and I just received a million dollars from that Nigerian guy who sent me an email last week.

My husband ate Brussels sprouts. And. He. Actually. Liked. Them.

It was so shocking that I kept watching to make sure he didn’t go near the trash can to spit them out. He is NOT a veggie eater. It has taken me nearly all of these 17 years we have been together to get him to eat certain ones. I have to dice things up so small they are almost invisible just to ensure that he will eat them. I thought it was great that he liked these so much, so that I could add in another green side to our meals.

He ate his sprouts and he liked them…the taste of their bacon and shallots…(sang to the tune of Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It.’)

When I made these Brussels sprouts awhile back and I loved them, I was pretty shocked. I had several people ask me if I had ever tried them with bacon and told me how great they were that way. Since bacon is probably one of my top 10 most favorite things to eat in the world, I knew I had to try them. I figured some shallots, minced onion and garlic would be a good addition to the bacon, so I threw them in too.

If you like bacon but your not sure about the sprouts, give this recipe a try and see what you think.

*For the vegetarian version, use a vegetarian bacon

**For the gluten free version, use a gluten free bacon

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts (I used frozen, thawed)
  • 1/4 cup shallots, diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt, pepper, minced onion, garlic powder, to taste
  • 1/4 – 1/2 pound bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put your sprouts in a medium size bowl and toss them in the olive oil.

I used minced onion and garlic powder to give them some extra flavor. You can just shake in a little according to your personal taste.

Chop up your shallot. I just did a quick rough chop on these.

Chop up your bacon. I used a half a pound. I was trying to make sure that there was more bacon flavor than sprouts.

Add the shallots and bacon into the bowl with the sprouts and give them a good stir. Then dump them all into a non stick pan.

Cook them at 400 for about 30-35 minutes. Serve.

Posted in Appetizers, Bacon, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes, Sides, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 8 Comments

Tequila Lime Chicken Sausage With Black Beans

Posted on May 14, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

I just asked my husband what I should call this dish and he said, “Amazing!” I love it when I pick out some ingredients from the pantry, throw it all in a pan and it comes out so delicious!

We have been super busy the last few weeks working on some projects around our house. It started off a few months ago when we made a custom made dartboard case for our best friend and brother from another mother, J.B. He got a dartboard for Christmas and wanted to put it in a really nice case that he could display. Our family business is doing home renovation and handy man work, but recently we have been doing more custom made projects for our clients. So, one Sunday afternoon those two got out in the backyard and made this amazing case that showed J.B.’s love for the Liverpool Futball club. Making that case started this whole process that ended up in us making our own dartboard case which caused us to renovate our deck out back and build a bar on it! I can’t tell you how glad I am that we made that first case!

This is the case that we made for ourselves. We got the idea off of a flight on one of the set of darts J.B. had. It always amazes me how my husband can just take a look at something and the next thing I know we have it built!

This is the inside.

Once we got this built we sat outside admiring it and decided that we needed to just go ahead and build a bar out there too. It was the best decision we ever made. The only downside to it is that now we stay up too late every night because all we want to do is spend time out there! We were out there a lot before, but now it is just so much better and the atmosphere created from all of the new things we did makes it my favorite place to hang out with my friends!

Anyway, I tell this story so that you can see why I haven’t posted a new recipe in so long! Tonight was another one of those nights that I didn’t have a whole lot to choose from for dinner. I remembered that I had bought this Tequila Lime Black Bean Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods  a couple of weeks ago. (Don’t worry, I froze it as soon as I got it home!) I dug around in the pantry and fridge and started grabbing stuff I thought would go good with it. It turns out that, not only was it good, it may be my new favorite meal!

The only thing that I worry about is that I may not be able to get the exact sausage again when I go back to WF. Sometimes that happens when I find something there, they don’t always have it again. If you can’t find it, just use some regular fresh chicken sausage. You can add about 1/2 cup tequila with the juice from a whole lime, add it to a pan over medium heat and let it cook down for a few minutes. Add in the chicken sausage and season it with a little bit of chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper. Cook it until the meat it browned nicely and then just follow the rest of the recipe below.

Tequila Lime Chicken Sausage With Black Beans

  • 1.5 pounds tequila lime black bean chicken sausage (or just plain fresh chicken sausage)
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 tsp chicken Better Than Bouillon mixed into 1 cup of water (or 1 cup chicken broth)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 cup sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin, or more to taste

Remove sausage from casing and place in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until it is browned.

Remove from skillet and set aside. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil (I used coconut oil this time, since I had it out already for the rice) to a large skillet over medium heat and add in the onion and garlic. Let cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion is softened.Add in the can of black beans, do not drain.Stir well to combine and then add in the can of Rotel, do not drain.

Then add in the cilantro, salt, pepper and cumin and stir well to combine. Then add the chicken sausage back into the pan, give it another stir. Cover and let simmer on low for about 8-10 minutes.

I served this over jasmine rice. It also paired well with my new margarita recipe!

  • 2 cups jasmine rice
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and sprinkle the salt evenly over the pan. Once it is hot, add in the rice and stir to coat all the pieces. Turn heat to low and add in 3 1/4 cups of water. Stir, cover and cook for 18 minutes or until rice is cooked through.

Posted in Chicken Dishes, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Mexican Inspired, Recipes, Southwestern Inspired | 5 Comments

Banana Muffins

Posted on April 11, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

I have made this recipe a couple of times in the last two years. I just love these muffins. They aren’t too sweet and are perfect for breakfast on the go. I can’t remember where I got this recipe, I just looked so I could give the blogger credit and I couldn’t find the original site I found it on so long ago. Though, I did find several other sites that contained a similar recipe. It seems they have become popular!

These are one of the things I made for breakfast over the last couple weeks while trying to get my husband to quit going through the drive-thru in the morning. This is one of those recipes that I actually got everyone in the house to eat. They are easy to make, but do require a few steps to complete. It is definitely worth the effort you put in to them when you get to sit back and enjoy one with a cup of coffee in the morning. I didn’t put the full amount of sugar called for in the recipe below, just to cut down on the sweetness of them a little.

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the filling

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg

For the topping

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly grease your muffin cups or you can just use the paper liners like I did.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. I use a whisk and mix it up a little bit.

In another bowl add sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas. I like to use my pastry blender to smash and mix them up.

Then to the bananas add your sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix well. Combine banana mixture with the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

For the filling, just combine all three ingredients together and mix well. I used a hand mixer to make it smooth.

For the crumb topping, just mix all ingredients together.

I use a medium and a small scoop for this next step. Take a medium scoop of the banana mixture and place inside the muffin cups. It works out to be about a tablespoon.

Then put a small scoop of the cream cheese mixture on top of that. This is about a half a tablespoon.

Then add another medium scoop of the banana mixture to that.

Then top each one with the crumb mixture.

I baked them for exactly 17 minutes in my oven and they came out perfect. Depending on your oven they will take between 17-20 minutes. At about the 17 minute mark, stick a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, their done! If not, just give them another minute or so.

 

Posted in Bread, Breakfast, Cheese, Dessert, Recipes, Sides, Snacks, Toppings, Vegetarian | 4 Comments

Baby Spinach with Balsamic, Blue Cheese and Pecans

Posted on April 10, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

This is the recipe that inspired me to eat Brussels Sprouts.

I have been eating this salad almost every day for the last week. It is so good and a great, fresh lunch.

Baby Spinach Salad with Balsamic, Blue Cheese and Pecans

  • Baby Spinach
  • about a 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • about a 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • balsamic vinaigrette

Put in as much spinach as you want in your bowl, then top with cheese, pecans and a couple of dashes of the balsamic.

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes, Salad, Sides, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 3 Comments

Balsamic and Blue Cheese Brussels Sprouts

Posted on April 10, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

So, here’s the deal about Brussels Sprouts. Until about 5 minutes ago I HATED them.

About 6 years ago I tried them at a dinner party during Christmas for the first time. They were DISGUSTING. I mean, really, really, really, gross. Like, so bad that I secretly and non-nonchalantly spit them out in my napkin. I never do stuff like that.

Fast forward to the last year. I have been seeing Brussels Sprouts everywhere and people talking about just how amazing they are. Every time I heard/read/saw that kind of stuff being said, I would be a little sick to my stomach. My cousin’s wife (who I talk about in this post) has been trying to convince me to pour on some balsamic and roast them in the oven for about a year now as well. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to go there, but a couple of weeks ago I saw frozen veggies on sale and so I bought a bag of them to try. When I got brave enough.

I got this really amazing organic blue cheese at WF a couple weeks ago and I have been eating it almost every day in a salad with spinach, balsamic and pecans. I’m addicted to it. In fact, I probably need to post that quick recipe too. Anyway, I had this thought today that it would be something I would like to try on these little green sprouts.

HOLY MOLY! These babies are good! I am totally taking a ride on the Brussels Sprouts train from now on. I am already thinking of some other recipes that would be good. Maybe that strawberry balsamic dressing I made for a salad a couple weeks ago would be amazing too.

I make my kids try everything once, if they really don’t like it then I don’t make them eat it again. I just think that they have to try everything at least once, you never know if you will like it or not until you try. I made them both try these and they couldn’t get to the trash can in the kitchen fast enough to spit them out! HA! It was pretty funny seeing the looks on their faces. My daughter (3) spit hers out and then did a dance around the kitchen saying, “pew, grossy, pew, ugh, that was awful. Please, I need a drink!” I couldn’t stop laughing.

So, maybe this isn’t for your kids (giggle). But if your a grown up and you love the taste of blue cheese, balsamic and pecans…this is for you!

Balsamic and Blue Cheese Brussels Sprouts

  • 12-16 ounces of Brussels sprouts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

I forgot the pecans in this picture.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

I used frozen sprouts, so I just let them thaw out first. Put them in a medium sized bowl and toss them with the salt, pepper, balsamic and olive oil.

Then place them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Take them out of the oven and add the blue cheese and pecans.

Then stick them back in the oven for about 4-5 more minutes, until the cheese melts a little. Serve them up and enjoy!

 

 

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes, Sides, Snacks, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 3 Comments

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on April 6, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

For the last couple of years I have been following a couple of food blogs religiously. One of those is How Sweet Eats. Jessica is wildly funny and her recipes are to die for. Today I was trying to catch up on my emails and came across the recipe for these cookies. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to make them immediately.

Luckily, we had just finished up these Coconut Oatmeal cookies from last week, so I had a perfect excuse to make another dessert. And with this being a holiday weekend, I had to have something sweet to eat on hand anyway.

These cookies have no butter. Can you believe it? She used coconut oil instead of butter. I have been using coconut oil for many things over the last year, since I really learned of the health benefits of using it. I personally use an organic brand. These cookies are seriously good and chewy, and delicious and we just don’t want to stop eating them. My mom just told me I should have made a double batch…as I was slapping her hand away from the cooling rack.

I used my small scoop to make these so they were mini, but you can make them as big as you want. I personally just like things mini, they taste better and as Jessica says, “they don’t count calorically!” I like the way she thinks!

I used dark chocolate chips in mine, you could use whatever you like. The only other thing I changed from her recipe was that I added more coconut and chips. Her recipe called for 2/3 cup of each and I added in a full cup.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3/4 cup coconut oil (measured solid), melted and slightly cooled
  • 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup small dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil and sugars. Let this sit for 15 minutes.

Whisk in egg, egg yolk and extracts, mixing until completely smooth.

Add in 1/2 cup flour, baking soda and soda, stirring to combine. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to bring it together. It may seem crumbly, but continue to stir and even use your hands. It will come together. Finally, fold in coconut and chocolate chips.

I used a small scoop like this to make mine mini.

Using a scoop or your hands, roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and place dough about 1-2 inches away from each other on a baking sheet. I baked mine for about 9 minutes each, just until they were set so they were really soft and chewy.

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Let completely cool before storing.

Enjoy!

Posted in Cookies, Dessert, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

MiMi’s Sassy Ground Beef and Orzo

Posted on April 6, 2012 by ohmygoodygoodness

If you don’t know me personally or haven’t been following this blog long, you should read this About section to find out why I started it. You will see why every now and then I have to grab my BFF and go to lunch and spend the day thrift and vintage store shopping. Everyone needs a BFF, especially when you live in a zoo the majority of the time and need someone to help you escape from reality for a few hours and regain your perspective, like me.

We were out rummaging through our favorite stores last week and she tells me about this great recipe she had been making for years that she thought we would like. (There was no name for it, so I just made this one up.) I have no idea why I never heard about this before, because it sounded amazing. Especially since I had bought some of that awesome new ground beef from Whole Foods. I decided that would be the first thing I used it in. Let me tell ya, it is SO GOOD! My husband went back for seconds last night, which is always a great sign.

Of all the meats I purchased at Whole Foods last week, I thought the ground beef was really expensive. I really wanted to try it though and just see if it really was better. Well, it is. Way better. In fact, I am not sure after eating it that I could ever eat the regular ground beef anymore. I am spoiled. Forever.

This recipe is super easy to make and it is delicious. It took less than 20 minutes to have it on the table and ready.

Sassy Ground Beef and Orzo

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup red, yellow and green bell peppers, diced
  • 3/4 cup sweet onion, diced
  • 1/2 – 3/4 packet of taco seasoning
  • 3/4 – 1 cup shredded cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbs light oil

Cook the orzo pasta according to the package directions. While your waiting on that, in a large skillet, over medium heat, add your oil. Then add the peppers and onions and let cook for about 3 minutes or until softened.

Then add in your ground beef and cook until browned.

Once that is done, dump in the whole can of Rotel and your taco seasoning. I used about 3/4 of the packet.

Let that simmer for about 8-10 minutes so the flavors can really blend together.

Put the orzo on the plate and then top with the ground beef mixture. You can add a little bit of shredded cheese to the top if you want, but it’s not necessary.

Out of curiosity, I also tried this with some whole grain tortilla chips and it was amazing. I was thinking that this would be a great appetizer to serve at parties with chips. You could cook it all and then keep it heated in a crock pot. Simple, easy and would be a great party snack.

I think this is a great way to get your kids to eat some veggies! Like I said the other day, I sneak stuff in to my dinners and if no one fusses about it, then I just keep doing it. As long as I dice things up really small, I can get away with it.

Posted in Appetizers, Beef, Dinner, Dips and Spreads, Lunch, Mexican Inspired, Pasta Dishes, Recipes, Southwestern Inspired | 2 Comments