3 Bean Escarole Soup with Garlic Oil & Homemade Croutons

Growing up my mom would make what my grandfather & father would call ’scroll & beans. For those not familiar with this language ‘scarole means escarole. If you’ve never had escarole I encourage you to try. It’s actually a lettuce but it tastes really good, almost sweet, when it’s cooked. I’ve always had it in chicken broth with canellini beans, grated cheese & crusty bread so when I found this recipe I channeled my youth & conjured up my take on this classic (to me) combination. I used three different kinds of beans because I didn’t have three cans of cannellini beans, so if you want to stick to one kind - go for it! You can skip the croutons & extra cheese if you like - but why would you want to do that? This is a quick & satisfying dinner especially while this weather continues to flirt with spring (it was 37 degrees yesterday & I think that’s pretty close to spring - today not so much.)

PS: For those observing Lent this will be a great meatless dish for your Friday dinner. Enjoy!

PPS: if you're gluten-free - skip my beloved croutons!

Roasted Fennel, Mushrooms & Leeks with Grits

I really try my best to not repeat things for dinner. Granted sometimes, most times, I do. But let’s be honest that wouldn’t make for a very interesting blog so I mixed things up with some grits, mainly because I didn’t have the quick cooking polenta that this recipe called for so I combined it with the grits recipe that I made this summer. I think it turned out pretty tasty.

I thought the roasted fennel would be the star of this dish - don’t get me wrong I loved it - but what really did it for me were the roasted mushrooms. Y U M. They seemed to get a deeper flavor by roasting them in the oven than what I get when I make them on the stove top, which only means one thing - we’ll be eating a lot more roasted mushrooms in our house. Plus, you can really just love ’em & leave ’em in the oven while you do other stuff - & that is one thing I can get used to.

Happy Friday! Have the best weekend :)

Eggplant Rollatini

I love breaded eggplant. I love the crunchy exterior & the fleshy interior. It's almost meaty - but it's not because it's a vegetable. When I make eggplant rollatini (think egg plant parmesan but rolled up with yummy ricotta cheese inside) I like to keep the integrity of the crunch, otherwise what’s the point of going through all the motions to bread it in the first place? I ensure the crunch by first baking my eggplant with a mixture of panko (the crunchiest) breadcrumbs ahead of time & then when it’s time to put it all together I use just a little bit of sauce to top them with because the more sauce you add the more mushy (less crispy) it gets - but if that's your thing - sauce away!

This is a great & hearty vegetarian option when you’re going meatless. What are you eating for meatless dinners?

Kitchen Cavatelli

I make dinner based on whatever I can find in the fridge plus pasta.  No carb dieting in our house that's for sure.

I don't eat a ton of meat and there's only so much chicken we can eat so I like to go veggie more nights than not.

When in doubt: onions + (lots of) garlic + a fresh veggie + (fresh or dry) herbs + cheese + olive oil + salt + pepper. 

Keep it simple and your wallet and taste buds will thank you later.

This kitchen cavatelli can be made with just a handful of ingredients that you can stock up and leave in your fridge.

Learn how you can make my kitchen cavatelli after the jump!