Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls are for those of us who love traditional cabbage rolls almost as much as we hate the time it takes to roll and bake them. Bites of juicy ground beef with fluffy rice and tangy tomato sauce are made even better in this simple one-skillet meal.

Sometimes (read: most of the time), as much as I love cabbage rolls, I just don’t have the time, energy, or patience to make them on a weeknight. If you’re like me, these Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls might be your newest favorite dinner.

Unstuffed Cabbage

For nearly as long as Sean and I have been married, I’ve been making Layered Cabbage Rolls as a timesaver option for a cabbage roll dinner. My whole family loves them and they’re requested often.

I remember the first time I served that easy variation on cabbage rolls to our friend Joe. Joe was born in Hungary and he was so happy with that dish that he kept smiling and telling stories all the way through the meal.

He told us it tasted exactly as he remembered his mother’s cooking. Joe passed away last year and remembering his happiness over that meal still brings a smile to my face.

A few years ago, I was thrilled to realize that I could get the cabbage roll flavors we love in a simple skillet meal, without even turning on the oven. The ground beef is browned along with plenty of seasonings before simmering in a rich tomato sauce with fresh cabbage and rice.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

From start to finish, this meal comes together in under 20 minutes, making it pretty much perfect as far as I’m concerned. I like to serve the Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls with a simple salad and a crusty bread to sop up any juices on our plates. This would also be delicious served with Homemade Pierogies for a full Polish feast!

This is a dinner that checks all my boxes, a quick meal that manages to make everyone happy using simple and inexpensive ingredients. If you have never had the joy of tasting Cabbage Rolls before now, here is your chance.

Cabbage rolls are a classic European dish of cabbage leaves wrapped around seasoned ground meat and baked. Ground beef is a traditional filling for the cabbage but ground lamb and turkey are also popular in some areas.

These rolls

Are you looking for the perfect pork roast recipe? Roasted all day, left falling apart and tender enough to cut with a fork; this Italian Pork Roast just might become your favorite pork roast with the very first bite.

Italian Slow Cooker Roast

The first time I made a slow cooker red wine roast beef (over ten years ago now), my husband requested that I please put that roast on the menu at least once a month. I was more than happy to oblige.

My family was still talking about that meal two days later. So, naturally, I decided to play with a pork version of that Italian flavor-inspired roast.

When I cooked that first five-pound pork roast, I expected to have a huge amount of leftovers. However, almost everyone went back for seconds and I wound up with far less than half of the roast left for another meal.

If you are fortunate enough to have leftovers at the end of the meal, they are delicious when combined with potato, onion, and apple to make this Roasted Italian Pork with Apples and Potatoes.

Italian Pork Roast

This Italian pork roast recipe is an absolutely hassle-free dinner. Less than 10 minutes are required to prep the roast; then just sit back and enjoy how wonderful it smells as it cooks through the day.

Cooking this roast in a slow-cooker makes it easier than you ever imagined to roast pork to perfection. This Italian-inspired slow cooker roast starts with a 7lb pork shoulder (shoulder blade is my favorite cut of meat for this roast recipe).

After layering thinly sliced onions on the bottom of a crock-pot, cook the roast with the onions, a blend of fragrant Italian herbs and spices, water, and red wine for 9 to 10 hours.

Read more

You know those foods that you taste once and then you simply can’t get it out of your mind? This Sausage Gravy is one of those foods.

You’ll find yourself remembering it (and craving it again!) at all hours of the day. The hints of fragrant rosemary add something unforgettable, many people have told me this immediately became their all-time favorite gravy.

Easy Sausage Gravy

Would you like the secret behind making the best sausage gravy you’ll ever taste? It’s that little sprinkling of rosemary. After tasting a rosemary sausage gravy at a restaurant, I started adding rosemary to my gravy when I made it.

That little herb addition takes a simple old-fashioned recipe for biscuits and gravy from being something that we enjoy eating to the level of being something that I crave on a regular basis.

This rich, creamy sausage gravy recipe is the heart of one of my favorite “brinners” – breakfasts that we eat for dinner; although this gravy is always a hit for breakfast as well.

Sometimes we dunk toast sticks into the gravy or pour the gravy over hot biscuits. (I couldn’t resist sharing this video of my baby making biscuits for the first time.) Sausage Gravy is also heavenly over hash browns with an egg on top.

How To Make Sausage Gravy

Making a truly excellent sausage gravy is easier than you might think. Start with a sausage that you like. I typically use a country or breakfast sausage.

Crumble the sausage as it starts to cook in a large skillet. Once it has browned, sprinkle with flour and toss well to coat. Add the milk, salt, and pepper.

Let the gravy cook and thicken for about five minutes, while you stir frequently. Add the rosemary, taste the thickened gravy, and add additional salt and pepper only if needed. I will tell you this is one dish where extra pepper gives it tons of flavor!

My youngest son’s favorite breakfast for dinner is this Breakfast Poutine: crisp, hot fries and melting cheese curds topped with sausage gravy and a fried egg. What’s not to love?

Read more

Sweet and tangy glaze takes this slow cooker pork roast from just another crockpot meal to a tasty and fantastic meal.

Pork Roast with Glaze

This slow-cooked pork roast is both company worthy and also perfect for a lazy weeknight dinner. I’ve served this pork with smashed potatoes, over rice, (it’s really great with this mushrooms pepper rice pilaf) and stuffed into soft rolls.

This roast was a delicious surprise the first time I made it. I’d originally planned to oven-roast the pork in a more traditional style. However, in the interest of not spending my weekend evening working in the kitchen, I decided to put it in the crockpot that morning instead.

I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it a good bit to meet our needs. (Truth be told, it doesn’t have much in common with the original, but credit where it’s due, right?)

I did not expect the meat to cook so quickly and be falling apart at dinnertime, but it was absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.

The sweet, tangy glaze takes just a few minutes to simmer and whisk together and the resulting meal is well worth the extra moment to make it special!

Pork Roast Recipes Slow Cooker

Slow cookers or crockpots are an appliance of which I have more than one. If you are an avid slow cooker user like I am, you might understand the need for more than one. So, let’s talk about my favorites:

First up is this Read more

Creamy Turkey Green Chile Soup is loaded to the brim with chunks of leftover turkey and roasted green chile.

Creamy Turkey Soup

Soup with a richly flavorful creamy broth full of roasted green chile and loaded with chunks of leftover turkey is my kind of comfort food. Just cupping the bowl with two hands and breathing in the heat of the green chile warms me right up.

My husband and boys give this recipe two thumbs up around the table every time I make this. They are lovers of spice and flavor. Take that as a gentle warning that this soup has a bit of heat. You can easily adjust to suit your tastes though.

Start by using a large stock pot. I do suggest using a heavy stockpot if you have it. It helps to distribute the heat nicely when making soups and stew. Plus I like how I can turn my burner on low and it keeps the soup nice and warm.

Over medium heat melt butter, saute onions and garlic. When your onions are soft it is time for my favorite ingredient – the green chile. It is no secret I keep my pantry fully stocked at all times with our favorite 505 Southwestern medium flame roasted Green Chiles.

Add the seasonings and flour. The mixture will become slightly thick, a bit paste-like. Keep stirring so it won’t burn or stick to the stockpot.

Slowly add the chicken broth a few cups at a time. Whisk continuously to ensure you are maintaining a smooth texture and it doesn’t become lumpy. Next, add the chopped turkey. If you don’t happen to have leftover turkey on hand, shredded rotisserie chicken works just fine.

Drop the temperature to low and add your milk. The key to keeping your soup cream