Here is our menu for this week! It's not super creative, most of the things I've made before. In case you need some ideas though, here you have it. I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day weekend and got to spend some time relaxing and with the ones you love.
Tonight, Troster has a zoom call with his men's small group at church, so I'm on my own. I'll be making my creamy, dreamy macaroni and cheese with roasted broccoli. It's easy and will be perfect to heat up for lunch for the kids on Tuesday. I usually make them a snack lunch the night before, but I thought it would be fun to switch it up for them.
On Tuesday, I'm making my favorite roast chicken from Ina Garten and serving it with Caroline's favorite, roasted brussel sprouts. I'll use the leftovers from the chicken to make chicken salad again like I did last week and serve it over baby arugula this time. I think I'll even add fresh herbs to the chicken salad from the garden this time.
On Wednesday, I'm trying out a new recipe, Lidey Heuck's Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli and White Beans. She uses broccoli rabe and chickpeas, but I don't have either one at the moment. I think my substitutes will do just fine. I'm hoping we have enough leftovers for dinner on Thursday.
Ingredients:
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ pounds broccoli rabe or broccoli, chopped, tough stems discarded, or hearty greens like kale or escarole
1 pound shaped pasta, such as campanelle or orecchiette
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed, or sweet Italian sausage, ground pork or turkey
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
½ cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup grated Parmesan or pecorino, plus more for serving
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Roughly chop the broccoli rabe, add it to the pot, and cook for 3 minutes. Use a sieve or slotted spoon to lift the broccoli rabe from the water and place it in a colander to drain.
Bring the water back to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or deep, 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t worry if the sausage is not completely cooked through.) Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the wine and cook, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.
Add the broccoli rabe, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sausage is cooked through and the broccoli rabe is very tender, about 3 minutes.
Add the pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, toss well, and cook over low heat until the sauce comes together, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add additional pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, if needed for moisture.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice, and toss until the butter is melted. Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with additional cheese sprinkled on top.
Lastly, on Friday we will do takeout pizza from one of our favorites, Vero Pizzeria. I hope everyone has a good week! I'm excited to share some fun content on the blog this week.
