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A Perfect Start: Spanikopita Egg Casserole and Garlic Roasted Radishes

20 May

For the last few months, I’ve been fundraising for the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk to Cure Arthritis and this weekend the event finally took place! After a lot of rain here recently, we got an absolutely gorgeous day for the walk. My mom, dad, Joe, and my cousin Alyssa came to support me and hear me sing the National Anthem.

Of course, I had to make us a delicious breakfast before our morning exercise so we had oatmeal, yogurt and a protein and vegetable packed egg casserole that turned out really great. This morning I reheated a piece and enjoyed it along with some garlic-roasted radishes—too good to not share!

Spanikopita Egg Casserole

  • 8 large eggs
  • 5 oz. greens (I used a baby kale, chard, and baby spinach mix)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup light cream or half and half
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • A few grinds of black pepper

Garlic-Roasted Radishes

  • 8 oz. radishes, quartered (or halved if small)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×8 in. baking dish.

For the egg casserole, begin by sautéing the onion in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add the greens and cook just until wilted, about 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the baking pan, spreading it evenly along the bottom.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and light cream together.

Then add the ricotta, feta, and parsley and mix well.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the spinach mixture and stir gently.

 

Bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes or until set and golden around the edges. You’ll get 6 generous slices from this recipe.

For the radishes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the radishes with the oil, salt, and pepper, and then spread evenly on a foil-lined baking pan.

Roast for 25 minutes, tossing once, until lightly caramelized. Stir in the garlic and roast for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the oven and toss with the parsley.

This really makes for a filling breakfast. The egg casserole tastes rich and creamy, and the slightly sweet roasted radishes make for a perfect accompaniment.

We really had a great time at the walk this weekend. It was so inspiring to meet others battling the various types of arthritis and hear their stories. For all the challenges we face, the event was uplifting and overwhelmingly positive. Hope you enjoy these dishes and share them with your support team soon!

Ciao for now,

Neen

Holiday Helper: Apple and Sausage Dressing

3 Nov

Now that it’s officially “the holiday season,” my inclinations are toward those foods that help us celebrate. There’s one I make year-round out of necessity (and craving!) It’s another leftover rescue like quiche, frittatas, or soup. And it just so happens one of those occasions popped up this week. I had a half a loaf of rock-hard stale French bread, some vegetable/fruit odds and ends from the week’s cooking, and a couple lonely pieces of sausage left in a package from the farmers market that weren’t quite enough to make a meal. What does that sound like? Sounds like dressing (or stuffing, depending on your opinion) to me! Since we’re cooking in a baking dish and not a bird, we’ll go with dressing.

When I’m cooking dressing, my main concern is texture. This is basically savory bread pudding, so we don’t want things to get too soft and one-note. Secondly, we want to balance flavors. Sausage is salty and fatty, so we need something crisp and sweet to play off of it. And that’s really the beauty of this dish, if there is something you don’t have, I’ll suggest a few alternatives in the recipe so you can build your own with your leftovers. Let’s clean out the fridge!

Apple and Sausage Dressing

  • 1/2 loaf of bread, cubed and dried in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes (French bread or baguettes, Italian, and sourdough are all good options.)
  • 1 oz. chopped toasted pistachios (or other nuts, pecans are great.)
  • ½ apple, diced
  • 4 oz. sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled (Hot sausage or kielbasa work well too. Could also go in a different direction and use bacon. It’s delicious.)
  • ½ onion, diced (Red, yellow or white. Could also use the white part of a leek.)
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 oz. unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8×8 in. pan. Toss the bread, crumbled sausage, and pistachios together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the onions, celery, carrots, and apple until softened, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the vegetable mixture to the bread mixture and mix well. Stir in the melted butter.

Whisk the egg and chicken stock together and then pour over bread mixture. Stir until the bread has absorbed all of the liquid. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.

Dot the top with butter, cover with foil, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F, and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until well-browned.

Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

The bread is crisp on the outside, soft and custardy inside, the salty sausage and sweet apple play off each other well, and the pistachios add a great, nutty crunch to all of it. I had mine with some pulled chicken I made in the pressure cooker.

You can easily double this recipe and bake in a 9×13 in. pan for a larger crowd, but this was just me using what I had on hand. Herbs are always welcome too. I like thyme and a little bit of sage, which I didn’t have this time, but definitely would if I was making this as part of a turkey dinner. This is tremendously useful on Thanksgiving when I have almost all of these ingredients at the ready from making other recipes. Whether for a special occasion or an end-of-week refrigerator clean-out, it’s a great recipe full of varying textures and flavors. And like all the best casseroles and bread puddings, it reheats beautifully. A super serviceable side dish indeed!

Ciao for now,

Neen