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.

Teriyaki Mushroom Rice Bowls

I love rice bowls for customization though, as the only mushroom fan in the house, this one was purely for me. Roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms top rice and get a sesame peanut drizzle. Swap the broccoli for edamame or cucumbers or greens!

Teriyaki Mushroom Rice Bowls
Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice
1/2 sweet potato
1 cup broccoli
1 cup mushrooms
1 – 2 teaspoons teriyaki
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
chili crisp

Directions:
Prepare the rice, the potato, and the broccoli.
Pan fry the mushrooms and add a splash of teriyaki at the end.
Spread the rice into the bottom of the bowl and add the broccoli, the potato, and mushrooms.

Stir together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Add chili oil if desired.
Drizzle sauce over the top.
Enjoy!

This has sweet from the potatoes with salty from the teriyaki and crunch from the broccoli and the perfect nutty sauce.

Salmon Teriyaki Rice Bowls

Leftovers dream of becoming a rice bowl like this one. Salmon, on top of rice, with edamame, and wonton strips then drizzled with a teriyaki drizzle.

Give some roasted salmon a second life with a flavorful sauce. The veggies can swap, the crunch element can too – just go for a grain + salmon + veggies + a crunch factor.

Salmon Teriyaki Rice Bowls
Ingredients: (serves 2)

~1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 salmon fillets
1 1/2 cups edamame in the pods (or 3/4 cup shelled)
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup wonton strips

Directions:
Warm the rice, salmon, and edamame. Whisk together the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger.
Layer the bowls with rice, salmon, edamame, and wonton strips.

Drizzle the sauce on top. Enjoy!

This hit the spot – the salmon goes well with lots of flavors and these work together so well. Broccoli would be good, or fried onions instead of wonton strips.

Loaded Tomato Sauce

Our family eats pasta on the regular though pesto is the top request so I push the boundaries with different shapes and sauces to keep them on their toes.

This one is a pink sauce with heavy cream and a fun shortcut!

Loaded Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:

1 1/2 28 oz cans tomatoes (blend smooth if desired)
2 tablespoons garlic
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 creamy sauce mix
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions:
In a large pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil and garlic. When sizzling, add in the tomatoes.
Whisk together sauce mix with milk and add that into the tomatoes quickly before the tomatoes get hot to avoid separation.
Stir well and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir into pasta. Enjoy!