Pot Roast, the ultimate comfort food, when leftover, makes a delicious pot pie. Here is the link to my pot roast recipe. Chicken is a favorite with me, so I have lots of quick and easy ways to fix it. Take advantage of all the fall vegetables in season and add them to your recipes whenever you can. I tried to do that in the recipes below.
Beef Pot Pie
2 servings
Ingredients
1 box of refrigerated (2) pie crusts, at room temperature
Filling
1 cup leftover pot roast gravy
1/2 cup leftover green beans, cut into one inch pieces or use frozen (defrosted)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup diced leftover pot roast
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Directions
Heat the oven to 425°F.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Divide the mixture between two individual baking dishes.
Unroll the pastry on a cutting board.
Cut a circle from the center of the pastry sheet to cover one of the individual baking dishes with a one inch overhang.
Place the circle on the baking dish. Repeat with the second baking dish and pastry.
Use the leftover pastry for decorations on top of the beef pie or to make cinnamon sugar rolls.
Seal the pastry to the edges of the baking dishes and flute. Cut slits in several places in the crust to allow steam to escape.
Cover a sheet pan with foil and place the baking dishes on top.
Bake 15 minutes. Cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning; bake 15 to 30 minutes longer or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Chicken Cacciatore Over Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
2 – 4 chicken cutlets (depending on how many servings you want), about 5 oz each
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup diced onions
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the squash
1 spaghetti squash,about 2 lbs, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
For the squash:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking dish that is big enough to hold the squash halves with olive oil.
Place the squash, cut side down in the prepared dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
With a fork, scrape the squash strands into a large platter.
For the chicken:
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep saute pan and brown the cutlets for 1-2 minutes per side to brown slightly. Remove to a plate and set aside.
For the sauce:
Add the mushrooms to the saute pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Add the sliced onions, peppers and celery to the pan and cook until soft; about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two.
Reduce the heat and add the marinara sauce, seasonings and herbs to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken cutlets. Simmer the cacciatore for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the bay leaf.
Warm the spaghetti squash in the microwave. Serve the chicken and sauce over the cooked spaghetti squash strands.
Stir Fried Cabbage With Smoked Sausages
Cornbread goes very well with this dish.
4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup diced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
8 oz natural fully cooked smoked sausage, hot dogs or kielbasa, thinly sliced on a bias
1 small head green cabbage
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Core the cabbage, then immerse the whole head in the boiling water until the outer leaves begin to loosen.
Remove cabbage from the water and carefully peel away as many outer leaves as will come off easily, usually 8 to 12 leaves are large enough for stuffing. Reserve those leaves for stuffing. Thinly slice the remaining cabbage.
In a large skillet over medium, heat the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Sauté until onion is soft.
Add the cabbage, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to mix all ingredients together and coat the cabbage with butter and seasonings.
Cover the pan and cook the mixture until the cabbage is tender.
Add sliced sausage to the pan, cover the pan and cook over low heat until the sausage is hot and the cabbage becomes creamy.
Top with fresh parsley before serving.
Chicken Cutlets In Mushroom Sauce
2 Servings
Ingredients
1 large chicken breast, about 8 oz cut in half lengthwise
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, divided
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
One quarter of a medium onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
Season the chicken breasts with sea salt and black pepper on both sides.
In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, pan-sear the chicken breasts in 1 tablespoon butter.
Sear the chicken breasts on both sides until they are a golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate.
Using the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter and the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the sliced onion and mushrooms. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Using a rubber spatula, scrape up any brown bits in the pan. Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low to simmer. Let simmer 2-3 minutes.
Add heavy cream and allow to simmer 5-10 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Mix in Parmesan cheese, sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce over low heat, for about 10 minutes.
