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This Week’s Menu – A Spin on Comfort Food

This Week’s Menu – A Spin on Comfort Food

With the fear of the flu and other cooties floating around this week, I thought we’d take on comfort food with this week’s menu. Enjoy a bonus recipe for an added nutritional punch.

How To Use This Week’s Menu

Shake off any negativity with a week’s worth of comfort food! Make the Mini Meatloaf with Garlic Pesto Potatoes on Sunday and prep the Oreo Truffles while you wait for dinner to bake.

Speaking of pesto, we are going to use a lot of it this month, so if you’re going to Costco, pick up a jar of theirs. It’s sold at a great price and so tasty!

Monday night should be the Thai Beef with Coconut Rice. It’s great for the first meal, but makes for excellent lunch leftovers, too!

Finally, do the Stovetop Mac and Cheese and on another night. It is the perfect combination of nutrition and comfort. In short – a lovely March meal!

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddd5w6n, title=Stovetop Mac & Cheese ]]

 [[ recipeID=recipe-8ldddw31b, title=Mini Meatloaf and Garlic Pesto Potatoes ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8ldde3u2q, title=Thai Beef with Coconut Rice ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddec12t, title=Roasted Asparagus ]]

[[ recipeID=recipe-8lddeh1cw, title=Oreo Truffles ]]

Posted on January 26, 2023
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Stovetop Mac & Cheese

Okay, let’s be real. If I’m making mac and cheese and don’t want to put in too much effort, I’m probably getting a little help from my friend Annie. But that said, a smidge of effort for this recipe elevates dinner WAY past the blue box.


When you want to put in a bit of effort into dinner but also need a guaranteed win with the kiddos, this dish checks all the boxes.


Servings: 6

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 2 cups elbow pasta uncooked
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • dash cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 ½ cups milk*
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full with water and some salt and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain.
  2. In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. While that melts, measure out your milk and shredded cheese. (We'll be working fast from here!)
  3. Once melted, whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking to combine. Add the Dijon, salt, cayenne pepper and dried Italian herbs. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the cheese, whisking until smooth. Heat for 2 more minutes. Stir in the pasta and serve.

Notes

- Anytime I have a recipe calling for Italian herbs, I use Penzey’s Frozen Pizza Seasoning. Anything with thyme, oregano, or dried basil would be lovely.

- Substitute a sharper cheese like Gruyere or fontina if you’re looking for something with more punch.

- Make ahead and pour into a greased casserole pan. From the fridge, bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until heated through.


DAIRY-FREE

- I love this recipe from Oh She Glows when I’m looking to be dairy-free.


GLUTEN-FREE

- Use 1/4 cup of arrowroot in place of the flour and your favorite gluten-free noodles.


Mini Meatloaf and Garlic Pesto Potatoes

I didn’t eat much meatloaf growing up. I don’t think my mom was a fan. If only she tried this recipe! We tested both ground beef and ground turkey and both were delicious. Enjoy whatever meat is on sale.


A modern spin on a classic dinner – enjoy a meat and potatoes dinner the whole family will love!


Servings: 4

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs honey mustard
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

GARLIC PESTO POTATOES

  • 8 oz red potatoes diced
  • 8 oz Yukon Gold potato diced
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • ⅓ cup pesto

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbsp honey mustard and 1 tbsp ketchup.
  2. In a bowl combine meat, egg, panko, 1/2 cup cheddar, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Form into 4 or 5 2×4" loaves; place on baking sheet. Brush with mustard mixture and top with remaining cheddar. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with pesto and garlic.
  3. Transfer meatloaves to upper rack of oven, and place potatoes on lower rack. Bake until loaves are cooked through, 15-20 min, rotating sheets after 10 min. Remove loaves from oven; continue to roast potatoes until tender about 5 min.

Notes

MEAT LOVERS

Use your favorite ground meat for this dish. Both beef and turkey work great, so I’m sure others would be lovely.


VEGGIE LOVERS

Not sure this is the dish for you. Maybe try this instead?


GLUTEN-FREE

Use gluten free breadcrumbs or just skip them. Might be a little harder to keep together, so use mini bread pans if you have them.


DAIRY-FREE

Skip the cheese, no problem.

Check the pesto. Assuming it already has parm in it, skip it for basic olive oil. Make more of the ketchup/honey mustard sauce from the meatballs and use that for dipping both.


Thai Beef with Coconut Rice

Oh doggies, we all love this dinner at my house. We each get a fried egg over the top, but I couldn’t bring myself to put that in the official recipe. Gilding the lily and all that.


Don't get nervous if this is your first time with fish sauce. It makes for the most delicious sauce in this Asian-y beef dish. Serve over coconut rice for the most comforting of comfort food.


Servings: 6

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups jasmine rice uncooked
  • 13.5 oz coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsps soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 red pepper small dice
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lime juiced
  • ½ cup basil chiffonade

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, 11/4 cups water, and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook rice until ready, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a rice cooker and follow the equipment instructions.
  2. When rice is almost done, combine fish sauce, and soy sauce in a bowl and set aside. Heat a skillet over high heat, add oil, garlic, and the peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add beef and corn and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until completely browned, about 5 minutes. Drain excess grease. Add soy mixture and cook for 30 seconds. Add half of the basil and stir to combine.
  3. To plate, start with rice, then beef mixture. Garnish with lime wedges and remaining basil.

Notes

- Fry an egg to sunny side up for each serving. When serving, plate the rice, then the beef. Then top with the egg and a squeeze of lime.


GLUTEN-FREE

- Use tamari or coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.

Check the ingredients on your fish sauce. Gluten-free fish sauce exists, but it might not be the most popular brand.


Roasted Asparagus

A simple roasting method that will bring out the best of fresh asparagus or your other hearty vegetables.

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ salt
  • ½ pepper
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus (if you sharply bend the asparagus near the base, it will snap in the right place). Discard the ends.
  2. Place the asparagus on the sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the spears in a single layer on the pan.
  3. Bake until your desired level of softness. Very thin asparagus, will take as little as 9 to 12 minutes, whereas thicker asparagus will need 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the asparagus from the oven and toss with lemon juice and red pepper flakes.

Oreo Truffles

Some days you’re classy and get a blowout and wear the jeans that make your butt look good. Other days you eat six of these treats over the sink. It’s all about balance.


A truffle made out of Oreos? Yep, it's just as amazing as it sounds. Add a little food coloring to the white chocolate drizzle if you are feeling fancy.


Servings: 25

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Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg Oreos
  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 16 oz white chocolate

Instructions

  1. Smash the Oreos and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Process until reletively fine. Cut the cream cheese into a few chunks, add to the bowl, and process until all combined.
  2. Using a small cookie scoop, make round balls from the dough. Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or double boilder and drizzle over the truffles. Allow to cool completely in the fridge then store in an air tight container.

Notes

Are there gluten-free or dairy-free alternative ingredients for this treat? Probably, but they won’t be nearly as good. Try these quick and easy peanut butter cookies instead.