Tortellini & Sausage Soup

I went a little spicy with this but this has room to make it as you wish! The broth has tons of flavor from tomatoes, wine and broth while tortellini, spinach, sausage add the texture. It is exactly what to eat when everyone is turkey-ed out.

Tortellini & Sausage Soup
Ingredients (serves ~4)

~12 oz sausage about 2/3 of a 16 oz package (~4 sausage links, casing removed) hot or sweet Italian
1 carrot, chopped
2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups tortellini
1 bag of baby spinach

Directions:
In a heavy bottomed pan, saute the sausage over medium until cooked through and crisp. Remove from the pan and add the chopped carrot into the drippings to saute. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Add in the garlic and tomato paste giving it a stir, and stir well cooking for another 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour in and again, stir and cook through.
Add in the wine and stir well scraping the bits off the bottom.

Add in the tomatoes, chicken broth, and sausage to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Lastly, pour in the tortellini and spinach. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes.

Stir well and cook for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with parmesan to serve. Enjoy!

I loved the little bit of heat. The broth is perfect – it is tomato-y but the wine and chicken broth make it soup, not marinara sauce. This would be a good one to make in advance and just add the tortellini it when ready to serve it.

Pepperoni Pizza Caesar Wrap

This is the best of all the worlds – caesar salad + pepperoni pizza all formed into a wrap!

I saw this on TikTok but it was shaped like a quesadilla and I thought it would be better this way like a wrap – I cooked it like a quesadilla or like a skillet pizza. After I let it cool briefly, it gets topped with the caesar salad, then I folded it up like a wrap. It was so good.

Pepperoni Pizza Caesar Wrap
Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 large flour tortillas
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
pepperoni
sprinkle of chili flakes and/or Italian seasoning (optional)
1 small head of romaine lettuce
3 tablespoons Caesar dressing
croutons (optional)
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat a skillet to medium heat and spray with nonstick spray. Warm the tortillas on the pan, topping with sauce then cheese then pepperoni on each.
Remove from the heat when melty and cooked through but not super crisp – it needs to be pliable and mostly soft. Sprinkle with chili flakes and seasoning, if desired.

Let it cool for ~2-3 minutes.
Chop the romaine and toss in the dressing. Season with cracked pepper and parmesan.
Pour the salad onto the centers of the quesadilla pizzas.

Wrap them up by folding the bottom up 1/3 of the way, and then roll/fold the left to right.
Enjoy!

This a nice zing from the pepperoni and cool creaminess from the salad – it has to be cool enough to not immediately wilt the lettuce. I loved this and appreciated it as a use for some small amounts of sauce and cheese! This is an excellent speedy way to have the flavors of pizza or to have salad and pizza on the go!

Crispy Fish Bowls with Lemon

We most often see this crispy fish for tacos and I like to keep the kiddos on their toes. This grain bowl has an orzo base, roasted parmesan broccoli, some fresh tomatoes, and a lemon-butter-herb drizzle.

Some filling grain/rice/noodle base + a protein + a cooked veg + a fresh component + a drizzle = a perfect meal.

Crispy Fish Bowls with Lemon Herb Drizzle
Ingredients: (serves 4)

1/2 pound orzo
8 breaded fish fillets
2 broccoli florets
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
3 tomatoes
1/2 a lemon
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
herbs

Directions:
Cook the orzo until cooked through – then stir in butter and some lemon juice.
Chop the broccoli, drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 400-degrees for 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan when removing from the oven.
Chop the tomatoes and add to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil & vinegar or Italian dressing.
Cook the fish according to the package.
Layer the bowls with orzo on the bottom, top with broccoli, and tomatoes.

In a small bowl, melt the remaining butter and whisk in lemon juice, dijon, and herbs.
Drizzle on top. Enjoy!

We loved it. One kiddo said it was the best dinner ever. Ever? Roasted broccoli is a hit here but could swap with sautéed green beans or brussels sprouts or asparagus! We have this fish all the time as fish tacos with lemonade slaw or salmon would be really good too.

Caprese Pasta Salad

This is such a winner and has great options as a side or meal! Pasta salad is tough to get beyond one that just tastes like oily noodles. It needs a strong flavor – i.e. a dressing that is vinegary, it has to have plenty of salt & pepper – more than seems right, and will need to be tasted a few times & adjusted as it refrigerates for 1 hour – overnight.  

Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients: serves ~8 as side dishes

1 pound pasta
2 large tomatoes
8 oz mini mozzarella ‘pearls’ or any larger size, chopped
1/4 cup Italian dressing (or equal oil/vinegar ratio)
salt/pepper/garlic salt
2 tablespoons pesto OR chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Cook the pasta in salty water until al dente – not too soft. Drain and stir a bit to cool it down with a drizzle of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. 
Chop the tomatoes.
When the pasta is cool, add in the tomatoes, mozzarella, dressing and salt/pepper/garlic powder. 

Mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour or over night.
Stir and taste. Add more dressing and salt if needed – if it doesn’t seem strong and bright, add a splash of vinegar (apple cider, red wine, or champagne are all great).

Before serving, add a few dollops of pesto (or torn basil if using).
Enjoy!

This was good – and nice as leftovers. I brought some to work for lunch with leftover grilled chicken and a pile of arugula on top. I liked the sudden pops of pesto versus mixed in. Also, the mini bow ties are too cute.

Recreating French White Bean Cassoulet at Home

{originally published in 2013 and updated in 2025}

We were in Paris in 2013 and this is the epitome of comfort food. Here’s what we had in Paris – white beans, duck, pork and a delicious broth:

The Three Bite Rule - Paris Dinner Like a Local

Sometimes the best tasting dishes are not the most photogenic, but comfort comes to this dish from sauce with white beans, pork, and chicken thighs. Baguette would be good but the kiddos like to “make” (and eat) crescents so here we are.

Cassoulet at Home
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

3-4 chicken thighs
2 sausages
2, 8 oz cans white beans
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 tsp thyme
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions:
Heat a large heavy pan to medium heat. Season the thighs with salt, pepper, and thyme. Sear them until golden and mostly cooked (about 4 minutes each side – they’ll finish in the oven). Remove from the heat. Slice the sausages.

In the same pan, deglaze with the wine and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes scraping the bottom bits off. Add in the tomato paste cooking for a few minutes. Next, pour in the broth bringing to a boil.

Pour off the excess liquid for the beans. Pour them in and add the chicken and sausage back in.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

Bake for 20 minutes checking that the chicken is cooked through. My sausages were fully cooked so they were warming in the sauce.
Serve with bread to dip. Enjoy!

I loved this! There’s so much more flavor than the 40-minute(ish) cooktime.