This is absolutely the most simple side dish – orzo, boursin, and sundried tomatoes. The 80s are calling – they are all for sundried tomatoes, just not in every single dish!
I loved the deep but simple flavors – the cheese adds herbs and creaminess and the sundried tomatoes are juicy with a great chew. We had this with some grilled chicken and brussels sprouts.
Orzo with Boursin & Sundried Tomatoes Ingredients: (serves 4-6 as a side) 1 1/2 cups orzo 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 wedge of boursin 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped 1 tablespoon sundried tomato oil
Directions: Boil the orzo in salted water – about 9 minutes. When fully cooked and drained, add back to the pot with butter. Stir well. Add in the boursin, sundried tomatoes, and oil.
Stir well to melt and incorporate the cheese. Enjoy!
The kids weren’t into the sundried tomatoes and mostly picked around those but ate everything else. Add extra sundried tomato oil to the leftovers and eat cold or warm! If you love the cheesiness, add the whole block in. If the tomato part interests you most, add in the whole jar! If sundried tomatoes aren’t your thing – swap for bruschetta mix!
I make lasagnas often for Lasagna Love so this idea came to me as the easiest way for those flavors – and in a customized way without a lot of servings OR to use any leftovers! There’s no one way to make a lasagna so treat this bowl the same that you can use what you have or what you love. My fam does not love mushrooms so these would be my addition!
Lasagna Bowls Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings) ~4 lasagna noodles OR ~3/4 cup orzo 2 tablespoons Parmesan 1 zucchini 1 pint mushrooms 1 cup tomato sauce OR meat sauce ~3 meatballs (optional) 1/2 cup ricotta (or blended cottage cheese, or skip all together) 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Directions: Boil salted water for the lasagna noodles or orzo and cook accordingly. Chop the zucchini and mushrooms. In a large skillet, sautee the zucchini until getting soft through the center (~4 minutes) and add in the mushrooms for the last two minutes. Warm the tomato sauce (or the meat sauce or the tomato sauce + meatballs. I used tomato sauce with chopped-up meatballs to be a meat sauce). Warm the ricotta/cheese mixture.
Assemble with noodles (lasagna noodles chopped if using those!) tossed with parmesan, and top as you like – with ricotta, tomato/meat sauce, veggies, and shredded cheese. Enjoy!
I loved this. I always have a partial box of lasagna noodles but orzo also seemed so useful too so I did both and packed another portion to be a work lunch. My ricotta was vegan “ricotta” I had leftover but I’d normally go with regular or a drizzle of leftover alfredo would also feel fitting.
Swap any veggies you like! I love warm and cold for a bowl so I secretly wanted to dump a handful of arugula dressed in Italian dressing on top. The noodles + sauce + maybe a meatball and some tomato/mozzarella salad on top would also be great with ricotta on the bottom of the bowl. Next time!
{originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023}
When I originally made this, I breaded the chicken and this time around I wanted to update it with grilled chicken. I served it over pasta (these kids love love love pasta) and would also be happy to serve it over parmesan orzo like the first time around.
Grilled chicken felt so fitting to top with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic reduction.
Directions: Marinate the chicken in the seasoning, salt, and pepper and preheat the grill. Grill the chicken to cook through fully. Chop the tomatoes and basil. Add the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir.
Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the tomato basil mixture. Enjoy!
Pan frying cutlets was really good last time, but both the patience and mess doesn’t feel worth it, especially during the season of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.
The balsamic reduction is from the grocery store lasts forever and is great on salad or sandwiches. Reducing balsamic is easy too.
This pasta salad is packed with serious flavor and is anything but forgettable. There’s nothing worse than pasta salad that has some dressing but doesn’t actually taste like anything. This has lots of lemon and mustard. There are a bunch of herbs and pancetta too.
These are some starting points but customize as you like!
Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad Ingredients: 1/2 pound of pasta 1 cup raw pancetta 1/2 cup mayo 1/2 cup olive oil juice of ~1/2 lemon lemon zest 1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning salt & pepper herbs – chives, basil, and mint.
Directions: Boil the pasta and let cool. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil as it is cooling so it doesn’t stick together. Pan fry the pancetta and drain. Mix up the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste. Taste it and see substitutions below if it is too strong.
When the pasta is fully cool (don’t rush it, let it truly cool) mix in the dressing and the pancetta.
Refrigerate until serving and then top with herbs. Enjoy!
This was a really great lunch and it packs well. Swapping dijon with honey mustard would mellow it out a bit or adding something sweet – like a teaspoon of honey or sweet relish or maple syrup would make it a bit more mild and less lemon.
I’m deep in the lasagna world through my volunteerism with Lasagna Love and wanted to share an option for a dairy-free/vegan lasagna. This is not the only or best way to make a cheese-less ricotta substitute, but it is likely the cheapest and easiest to source. Let’s turn white beans and summer squash into “ricotta”.
This wouldn’t be a fake-out for those who normally eat cheese, but some cheeseless options are costly or difficult. A popular option for “ricotta” is bulk buying raw cashews which is expensive, and sometimes using an unfamiliar ingredient – like tofu, or sourcing dairy-free options can be tough for some people or in some stores. I find that this white bean & squash mixture is a solid substitute for ricotta amongst sauce and noodles and some herbs.
Dairy-free Lasagna Ingredients: (serves ~4) 9 lasagna noodles 1 can white beans (drained but liquid reserved) 1 small summer squash/yellow squash/or pealed zucchini 1 teaspoon dried basil/oregano/Italian seasoning 1-2 cups of dairy-free shredded mozzarella ~2 cups of tomato sauce
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and chop the squash. Saute or steam the squash until cooked through. Drain the beans but reserve the liquid and add the beans into a food processor with the cooked squash (my photos are of a double batch).
Blend together adding ~1/2 the bean liquid, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Scrape down the sides and blend until smooth. Add more liquid (or water) if desired. Stir in herbs.
Cook the noodles until totally pliable. Assemble the lasagna – I did 9 roll ups so I didn’t have to trim noodles for a few servings, but this could be a 9×9 pan too as a more traditional layered lasagna. Lay the noodles out, spread on the ricotta-substitute and sprinkle with dairy-free cheese and roll up.
Spray the pan with non-stick spray, add some sauce to the bottom, and lay the rolls into the pan. Top with more sauce.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil, top with remaining “mozzarella”, and bake for another 5-10 until the cheese melts. The broiler may help as dairy-free cheese doesn’t melt exactly the same. Enjoy!
I liked it! I made a double batch to have some in the freezer. This is a thin & minimal use here, but I think it gives the impression of ricotta. I will use the remainder for my next dairy-free lasagna request or, maybe I’d mix some 1:1 with ricotta for a protein boost, or with a dollop of pesto. It also could thicken a chowder or add some nutrition to alfredo.