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Tortellini Pasta Salad

This is one of my favorite pasta salads. I think during the summer it’s a great idea to keep a package of these in your freezer for impromptu BBQs. It’s always a hit at our family get togethers, I guess that is why aunt Lorie always makes it.

I think this salad has the best of both worlds, a delicious pasta and lots of crunchy veggies. This is the perfect combination and topped with freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is the best. Just writing this makes me want some so I guess tortellini is being put on my grocery list right now.

Tortellini Salad Recipe

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Tortellini Salad Recipe
Serves 4-8
Prep time 2 hours, 20 minutes
Meal type Salad, Side Dish
Misc Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
This tortellini salad is an awesome side dish at BBQ's. It is a staple at all of our family get togethers and everyone expects it to be there. FrenchToasty.com has lots of great side dishes and pasta salads.

Ingredients

  • 9oz cheese tortellini package (i like Buitoni)
  • 1/2 can black olives
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
  • 1 cup broccoli (chopped bite sized)
  • 1/2 cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (shaved or shredded)
  • 1 cup italian dressing (Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Dressing is my favorite)

Optional

  • 1/2 cup red onion (sliced thinly)

Directions

Step 1
Boil water and cook tortellini according to package. Add broccoli for last minute.
Step 2
Prepare, your veggies by slicing while tortellini cooks.
Step 3
Drain pasta and rinse with cool water.
Step 4
Mix all ingredients in bowl besides the Parmesan cheese. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve, at least a few hours.
Step 5
Give a quick toss, you can add more Italian dressing if desired. Top with Parmesan and serve.

With or without onions, it’s delicious, but I always make a bowl full with out so my daughter can enjoy also.

Watermelon Fruit Bowl

I was told to bring a watermelon and some grapes to Mothers Day. Well that is definitely an easy task but I didn’t want to just show up with an uncut watermelon and some washed grapes. I figured no better time then the present to try my first watermelon bowl. It was surprisingly easier then I thought (the knife slid way easier then a pumpkin, not sure why I thought they would be as hard :/ .) This will be something that I do all summer long because it’s so easy, so cute and you don’t have to worry about leaving a bowl at someones house!

Ingredients

  • 1 watermelon (mine was 10 1/2 lbs)
  • 1-2 pounds grapes
  • Any fruit you desire: cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple, kiwi…
  • sharp knife
  • pen or marker
  • melon scoop or ice cream scoop

Directions

  1. Find a side of your watermelon that is flat, so the watermelon isn’t rolling around with all the fruit in it.
  2. Draw a horizontal line, about 3/4 up the side, 1/4 from the top.
  3. With your sharp knife cut on your line.
  4. Scoop your watermelon out of the shelf, either with a melon scoop or ice cream scoop. Set aside.
  5. Then draw your little points around the top and cut. You can do the same with the small top chunk that you cut off.
  6. Now fill your bowl with your fruit.

Next time I will add more kinds of fruit. I will add a new picture with what I choose to add :)

Do them separately or together in the same bowl

 

Oven Roasted Asparagus

This recipe is super easy and so simple. It is my favorite way to prepare asparagus and not sure if I would ever steam again. It’s easy to prepare for a large crowd or small. You could also experiment with different spices to match whatever dish you are preparing it with, I’d love to hear what spices you try.

Oven Roasted Asparagus Recipe

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Oven Roasted Asparagus Recipe
Serves 4-6
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 8 minutes
Total time 13 minutes
Meal type Side Dish
This simple and healthy recipe is the perfect side to any dish. FrenchToasty.com makes vegetables easy to prepare and keeps them delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Note

The secret here is for the oven to be really hot so the asparagus can begin to brown on the outside without to over cooked on the inside and becoming flimsy, you want it to still have a bite to it.

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Step 2
Wash the asparagus thoroughly then stack a bunch together and cut off the tough/thick bottom an inch or so. Or where they break easily.
Step 3
Pat dry, if there is water on them it will steam them. In a single layer spread asparagus and generously drizzle the olive oil and then with the salt and pepper.
Step 4
Roast the asparagus for 8-10 minutes. Not flimsy, but brown with a bit of a crunch to it.

On the pan before roasting.

Dill Potato Salad (no-mayo)

We were making Fried Chicken and I thought potato salad was a great side to go along with it, but didn’t want the traditional mayo version. We love dill so when I found a mayo-less dressing I thought what the heck lets give it a try.

I’d love to hear what additions you put in yours, and I will be making this recipe throughout the summer so I will update with what additions I try, Enjoy!

Dill Potato Salad (no-mayo) recipe

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Dill Potato Salad (no-mayo) recipe
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
Meal type Salad, Side Dish
This mayo-less potato salad is the perfect addition to a BBQ or fried chicken. FrenchToasty.com has lots of delicious side dishes.

Ingredients

  • 5 medium russet potatoes, peeled (red would be awesome also)
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, chopped (We love dill so the more the better)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

Optional

  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/2 cup bacon bits

Note

You can easily add some of the classic ingredients such as bacon bits, hard boiled eggs, celery... I just chose to keep this one simple, but the opportunities are endless.

This recipe is vegetarian but you could make this recipe vegan by using tofu sour cream.

Directions

Step 1
Boil your peeled potatoes for 10-15 minutes. You do not want them to mushy. I cut mine in bigger chunks to prevent that.
Step 2
Mix the sour cream, mustard, vinegar and 3/4 of your dill in a bowl. You could add your chopped celery if you are using it.
Step 3
Once potatoes are done, drain and rinse with cold water, or put them in an ice bath. You want them to cool immedietly to prevent overcooking.
Step 4
Once cooled toss with dressing. Top with the remaining chopped dill and serve. Also top with bacon bits when ready to serve if you are using them.

Tempura Green Beans

Tempura Green Beans

As a mom you are always trying to come up with a new way to get your kids to eat their veggies. Thankfully at this point I haven’t had to much of a problem but I know as she gets older I may come across this problem. This is a delicious spin on green beans that you could even pass off instead of fries…well maybe not but you could try:)

This kid and adult friendly side dish is the perfect way to eat green beans. My daughter wasn’t so sure about them so when I saw this idea in Parents magazine, I thought this is a perfect recipe to try. My 2 year old loved them, she liked the crunchy outside and I liked that she was eating them and loving them. Even my husband thought they were delicious.

Tempura Green Beans

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Tempura Green Beans
Serves 4
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 15 minutes
Allergy Egg, Wheat
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Side Dish
Misc Child Friendly
From magazine Parent Magazine
Crunchy addition to your dinner table. Kids and adults love this spin on a classic vegetable. FrenchToasty.com has lots of side dish recipes.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch green beans (washed and ends trimmed)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 large egg (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Step 1
Wash and trim green beans.
Step 2
Dip beans one at a time in the flour and coat, then into the egg and then coat in bread crumbs.
Step 3
Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Before Baking

 

Jalapeno & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms and when a friend told me that she used pre-made dip to stuff her mushrooms, I thought what a great idea that I’d never thought of. These were so delicious, I served them as a side dish but would be excellent as an appetizer and that is probably what I will do next time. I pre-made these earlier in the day and then popped them in the oven to bake right before dinner was about to be served.

I would bet these would be even better if you made homemade dip and then stuffed them, but I was preparing a huge feast so I thought one little short cut wouldn’t hurt. I’d love to hear what dip you chose to stuff your mushrooms with, Enjoy!

Jalapeno & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

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Jalapeno & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
Serves 12-24
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
Meal type Appetizer, Side Dish
Website Stonemill Kitchens
These mushrooms are the perfect addition to any meal, from a great side dish to an appetizer. FrenchToasty.com has lots of great veggie recipes.

Ingredients

  • 24 button mushrooms
  • 1/2lb italian sausage
  • 1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 cup Artichoke Jalapeno Dip

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 2
Brown sausage, drain and let cool.
Step 3
Rinse mushrooms and remove the stems.
Step 4
Combine dip, green onions, red bell pepper and cooled sausage.
Step 5
Stuff mushroom caps with equal amount of the dip mixture.
Step 6
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until browned on top.
Step 7
Serve immedietly, best when hot.

Ruth’s Chris Style Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potato fries but never have really been a huge fan of the side dish at Thanksgiving. Until I tried this recipe. These will be at all Thanksgivings from here on out. This recipe was a little on the sweet side so I might experiment next time with the amount of sugar I put in the potato mixture, it was sooooo good but if it was a little less sweet I could’ve eaten more. The top my so crunchy and my favorite part.

This was my first Thanksgiving that I hosted. I loved it so much. I got to set the table all fancy and use all my pretty stuff that we got as wedding gifts, 5 years ago :) . All of my recipes turned out amazing, so I couldn’t have been happier. Well I could have been happier if my daughter hadn’t just woke up from a nap grumpy right when we sat down for dinner. But overall it was a wonderful day and I am so lucky and thankful to have such a loving family.

I love Thanksgiving food, and I hope this recipe makes it to your table. Enjoy!

Ruth’s Chris Style Sweet Potatoes Recipe

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Ruth’s Chris Style Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Serves 12
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
Total time 55 minutes
Meal type Side Dish
Misc Child Friendly
Website The Girl Who Ate Everything
These sweet potatoes are a must at all thanksgiving meals, they are sweet and delicious. FrenchToasty.com has lots of holiday recipes.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup melted butter

Sweet Potato Mixture

  • 3 cups yams or sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs (well beaten)
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Sweet Potato Mixture (Optional)

  • splash of milk

Note

Next time I make this I might try 1/2 the amount of sugar in the potato mixture.

You can blend and prepare your potato mixture the day before. Just refrigerate. The day of your event start on step 4 with baking for 25 minutes and follow the rest of the directions.

Directions

Sweet Potato Mixture
Step 1
Pierce sweet potatoes with fork at bake at 400 degrees F for 50-60 minutes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray, or lightly rub butter in dish.
Step 3
Pull the inside of the sweet potatoes out of the skin and place in a medium sized bowl. With a hand mixer mix the potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter. Add a small splash of milk if needed.
Step 4
Pour mixture into greased baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. (After this step I scooped it into individual ramekins.)
Crust
Step 5
Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside until ready to top cooked sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Mixture
Step 6
Sprinkle the top of the sweet potatoe mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set for atleast 30 minutes before serving. (I let mine sit in the warming drawer for about an hour, until everything else was done.) Te brown sugar and pecan crust will be browned and crunchy!

Roasted Seasoned Carrots

I was at the farmers market the other day buying some delicious huge snap peas and I looked over and saw these gorgeous carrots, so I grabbed a bunch up. We ate a few as soon as we got home in some dip but I wanted to have them for dinner. So I figured why not bake them and add a little seasoning. They turned out excellent and my whole family loved them, especially my daughter.

I feel like carrots don’t get enough credit, they are often pushed to the side of peoples plates and left :( but that is a shame. Next dinner party you have make these and watch them get gobbled up.

For this recipe you can cut them into spears, slices or leave them whole like I did. If they are really big I’d recommend cutting them in some way for even cooking. You can add a huge variety of spices to change these dramatically. Some suggestions are paprika, thyme, rosemary, cumin, sage, cayenne, crushed red peppers actually anything you can think of would be great just make sure not to do too many at once :) . You could also try pre-made spice blends such as Italian, Old Bay or Mexican. Let me know what spices you experiment with.

Roasted Seasoned Carrots

Print recipe
Roasted Seasoned Carrots
Serves 4-6
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
Dietary Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type Side Dish
Website Voracious Vander
This is the easiest way to make delicious carrots for a terrific vegetable side dish. FrenchToasty.com has lots of vegetable dishes.

Ingredients

  • 1lb carrots
  • salt & pepper
  • crushed red peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 2
Clean and chop carrots into desired size. Coat carrots with olive oil.
Step 3
Spread onto cookie sheet and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
Step 4
Cook for about 20 minutes flipping about half way through. Edges will be slightly golden brown.

Turn this…

into this. YUM!

Summer Strawberry Mixed Green Salad with Slivered Almonds

This salad is simple and delicious and a great way to use up some of those extra strawberries that are in season right now. When my husband first saw the salad he said, “strawberries? In my salad?” I told him to just try it and he loved it. This salad is great with a vinaigrette, I choose a Parmesan garlic vinaigrette and it was delicious.

Strawberries are my daughters favorite right now and she will eat them until she is red in the face. So it was a great way for her to eat the same as us.

This salad is great any time of year. Winter it’s delicious because it’ll remind you of summer and who doesn’t want to be reminded of the sun and beautiful weather :) so try this salad now!

 

Summer Strawberry Mixed Green Salad with Slivered Almonds

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Summer Strawberry Mixed Green Salad with Slivered Almonds
Serves 6
Prep time 5 minutes
Meal type Salad
Misc Serve Cold
This is the perfect salad to go with any summer meal. FrenchToasty.com has lots of great salad recipes.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups mixed greens
  • 8 strawberries (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions

Step 1
Wash and dry greens and strawberries.
Step 2
Layer all ingredients of plate and top with your favorite dressing.

Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

I decided to make a new recipe for a BBQ this weekend and it turned out fantastic. It was a huge hit and every last bite was gobbled up. I mean who doesn’t love bacon, ranch, cheese and bacon. Oops I said bacon twice but that’s because it’s the best part, and there’s lots of it in there. This salad is creamy with a hint of spice and is quite tasty. Perfect as a side to burgers or BBQ chicken.

Pasta salad is a loved side dish at BBQ’s and they are so versatile. You can add whatever ingredients you want to this to make it more to your liking or to add more flavor. Or you can keep it simple and easy and it’ll still be a hit. I would love to hear what items you choose to add this delicious Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.

Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Print recipe
Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
Serves 8
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 25 minutes
Meal type Salad, Side Dish
Misc Serve Cold
This Spicy Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is creamy with a hint of spice and is a perfect side for any BBQ.

Ingredients

  • 1 box shell pasta
  • 1 cup ranch (either ranch dressing or ranch seasoning package & mayo)
  • 1lb bacon (cooked and crumbled)
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

Optional

  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce (more or less to your preferred spiciness)

Directions

Step 1
Boil a pot of salted water. Once to a boil add pasta and cook according to package.
Step 2
If choosing ranch seasoning packet mix seasoning with either mayo or sourcream whatever the packet says.
Step 3
Drain immediately and run cold water over it to stop cooking and to chill.
Step 4
Once noodles are cooled, mix ranch until fully incorporated.
Step 5
Cool in fridge for two hours.
Step 6
Right before serving mix 1/2 cup crumbled bacon into pasta salad.
Step 7
Top with remaining crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve immediately.