Rich, creamy Kielbasa Pasta with broccoli has been one of the highlights at our dinner table lately. With such a simple list of ingredients and incredible flavors that come together in no time at all, it’s sure to make multiple appearances at your table, too.

I love to fill out our pasta dishes with plenty of vegetables (see our one-pot jambalaya pasta as an example), so there is almost as much broccoli on display here as there is pasta. Add some hearty sausage and sharp, crumbly cheese on top, and you’ve got a weeknight meal with something for everyone.

Kielbasa Pasta

Many years ago, we had a dinner tradition called “not-eat foods”. Each of my boys was allowed to choose one food which they could skip tasting, if it was part of dinner that night. For several years, my eldest son chose broccoli as his not-eat food.

So when this pasta was a huge hit with ALL of my family, I knew I’d found a new dinner staple. My eldest went back for seconds, and even thirds! It makes me grin to watch my son who normally dislikes broccoli eat every single saucy broccoli bite.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The Pasta –

These stuffed zucchini boats are filled with savory Italian sausage, marinara sauce, tender vegetables, and plenty of melty cheese for an easy dinner that is hearty, naturally lower carb, and one of the very best ways to use up summer zucchini.

Every spring growing up my dad was in charge of tilling the garden and mom would plant. Then we’d spend all summer weeding that thing clear through harvest. I hated it. I didn’t like tomatoes or zucchini. In fact the only vegetable I’d eat was corn, and can we really call that nutrition?

The only good thing about zucchini was mom would let us make zucchini boats and float them in the big utility sink in the mud room. I wonder if kids are struggling these days because they are missing out on both the confidence from hard work and the peace from the simplest things in life.

This year we are planting a garden and since I’ve learned to not merely tolerate but absolutely love vegetables I thought it was high time to show off just how delicious they can be! These zucchini boats are not only good, they are an entire meal in one!

Ingredients You’ll Need

These stuffed zucchini boats use simple ingredients that come together for a hearty Italian-inspired dinner that feels comforting while still being packed with vegetables.

• Zucchinis: The perfect tender veggie base that holds all the delicious Italian filling while baking up soft and flavorful.
• Salt and Pepper: Essential for seasoning both the zucchini and sausage filling.
• Olive Oil: Adds richness and helps sauté the sausage and vegetables.
• Mild Italian Sausage: Adds hearty savory flavor with classic Italian seasoning already built in.
• Dried Italian Seasoning: Brings warm herby flavor that makes the filling taste extra comforting.
• Sweet Onion: Adds sweetness and depth as it softens and cooks down.
• Garlic: Adds bold savory flavor that pairs perfectly with the marinara sauce.
• Red Bell Pepper: Adds sweetness, color, and texture to the filling.
• Marinara Sauce: Brings everything together with rich tomato flavor and keeps the filling moist and hearty.
• Mozzarella Cheese: Melts into gooey cheesy perfection over the zucchini boat

This Swedish Meatballs Recipe is packed with tender homemade meatballs simmered in a rich, creamy gravy that’s perfect served over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice. Warm spices like allspice and nutmeg give them their classic flavor, while a silky cream-based sauce makes them the ultimate comfort food dinner.

Years ago, a friend of a family member made tiny Swedish meatballs with gravy for a party. I remember thinking they were one of the most delicious things I’d ever eaten, and I’ve been making some version of them ever since.

Over the years I’ve tweaked and tested this recipe more times than I can count, but the biggest change came when I swapped the traditional sour cream for heavy cream in the gravy. Both versions are delicious, but the cream creates an incredibly silky, rich sauce that takes these Swedish meatballs to a whole new level.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The secret to the best Swedish meatballs is a combination of tender meatballs, warm spices, and a rich homemade gravy. Every ingredient works together to create the classic flavor everyone loves.

For the Meatballs

• Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onions and brown the meatballs.
• Yellow Onion: Adds sweetness and flavor to the meat mixture.
• Garlic: Brings savory depth to every bite.
• Panko Breadcrumbs: Keeps the meatballs tender and light.
• Parmesan Cheese: Adds richness and savory flavor.
• Eggs: Help bind the meatballs together.
• Milk: Adds moisture and tenderness.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
• Oregano: Adds subtle herb flavor.
• Ground Allspice: A classic Swedish meatball ingredient.
• Ground Nutmeg: Adds warmth and depth.
• Black Pepper: Provides gentle heat.
• Ground Beef: Creates a hearty, flavorful meatball.
• Ground Pork: Adds richness and tenderness.

For the Sauce

• Beef Stock: Forms the base of the Swedish meatball sauce.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Enhances the beef f

With a buttery, crispy flour tortilla wrapped around melty Pepper Jack cheese and incredible pork carnitas along with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, this Carnitas Quesadilla is the best lunch I’ve had all week. If you’re making carnitas, add this one to your meal plan. You can thank me later.

Friends, this recipe for carnitas quesadillas is exactly what happens at my house in the days after I make a batch of my slow cooker pork carnitas or pork carnitas in the oven. Leftover carnitas are absolutely perfect for adding to salads, rice bowls, and more.

But, this quesadilla that makes me actively happy about those leftovers. As in, I wake up grinning thinking about lunch. Don’t judge me for that, okay?

Crisp buttery edges. A gooey tangle of cheese and shredded pork in the middle. A little cilantro, because it needs that fresh green pop. That’s the whole thing. And, since the meat freezes like a dream, once you start making carnitas, you’ll always have it on hand.

Carnitas Quesadilla

There are only a handful of foods I could genuinely eat every single week, and carnitas are darn near the top of that list. A batch usually goes pretty fast around here, but whenever there’s a cup or two lingering in my fridge and I’m feeling like treating myself, rest assured that I’m going to use it in this carnitas quesadilla recipe.

And, while I love cheesy quesadillas, I do not actually like my quesadillas overloaded with cheese. I know, I know. Hot take. But, it just makes me feel so lethargic. So, I err on the side of using just enough cheese to hold everything in place. But, if YOU want to add more? I’m on board. Follow your heart.

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Piled high with crispy pork, rice, black beans, corn, crunchy cabbage, and a generous squeeze of lime, this Carnitas Bowl is everything I want in one simple package. Twenty minutes. That’s all it takes. How can I say no?

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you already know how I feel about carnitas. I have been making them on repeat for well over a decade, and that shows no signs of slowing down. My slow cooker carnitas are the set-it-and-forget-it version for busy days, and these traditional Dutch oven pork carnitas are what I make when I want to go all out. Both are fantastic. And, both leave me with a fridge full of pork that I’m happy to use in new in delicious ways each time we have leftovers.

Carnitas Bowl

Growing up in the Southwest, I’ve eaten my fair share of burritos and tacos. And, I will never turn them down. But, every now and then I crave something a little different. And a bowl satisfies that craving perfectly by letting each ingredient shine on its own.

This carnitas bowl recipe is what happens when leftover pork carnitas meet a really good bowl. Rice on the bottom, all the good stuff piled on top, lime squeezed over everything. It just works.

Wait, you didn’t make carnitas yesterday, or last week, or pull them out of the freezer this morning? That’s ok. Don’t sweat it. Just make them now!

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