6 Entrees to Add to Your Menu

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Does your menu plan ever feel a bit stale? Or non-existent even?

Here are 6 new recipes to freshen things up! The first & last one I’ve tried and loved. The middle 4 are all on my menu plan for next week. {So I’ll let you know how they measure up!} As always, these recipes – as well as many others – can be found on my Pinterest board. Follow me for more yummy inspiration!

Last Sunday, I had an insanely strong craving for pasta & shrimp with cream sauce, crusty bread, and a big green salad. There were several problems with this scenario:

  • no shrimp could be located in our home. not even under the couch in a dark, faraway corner.
  • no bread was in the home either.
  • we were leaving for church in 30 minutes.

The craving and hunger level had only increased by the time I got back from church. So I made a double batch of this recipe – which Jonathan and I feasted on after putting the kids to bed. I added grated parmesan to the top of the pasta, used spaghetti instead of bowtie noodles, and skipped the red onion {purely out of the need to get food in my belly pronto + the lack of desire to chop}. Delish.

pasta and cream sauce

 

This picture just speaks summer to me. I cannot wait to try it and see if it tastes as delicious as it looks!

black bean mango bowls

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup definitely reminds me more of fall & winter food. But I’m going with it anyway. It’s been rainy and cold here this entire week, so that may be affecting my menu plan just a wee bit. Either way, this looks pretty tasty.

chicken tortilla soup

 

Quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, corn, & feta cheese – sounds like a recipe I could use right about now. This will be my first experience both cooking & eating quinoa. Kinda excited about the prospect…

quinoa with black beans, tomatoes, feta, corn

 

I cannot wait to try this Zuppa Toscana and see if it’s really better than Olive Garden. I mean, Olive Garden holds a pretty high standard for Zuppa Toscana IMHO. I have kale sitting in my fridge just begging to be made into this soup. I’ll keep you posted.

zuppa toscana

 

And finally, this Creamy Spaghetti was what we ate for dinn-dinn last night. You don’t even cook the noodles before putting it in your crockpot. Maybe it was just my crockpot, but I had to revise the directions and switch this to low for the 4th hour because my noodles were pretty much cooked and I didn’t want creamy mush. Yummy flavor & I’ll probably try this recipe again to see if it was just user error. Note: this recipe makes a LOT. So be prepared to either have tons of leftovers or just make it for lots of big eaters.

creamy crockpot spaghetti

 

So, what’s on your menu next week? Anyone trying any new recipes?

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Comments

8 responses to “6 Entrees to Add to Your Menu”

  1. yummy! it is rainy and cold here today and I am totally thinking we are having soup for dinner. Crazy in May to have soup but so be it! 🙂

    Love many of this dishes. and yes my menu plan is pretty stale right now but not of my choice. Will add these to my “when life exists again” Pinterest board. 🙂

  2. Mmmm…those are the BEST times to have soup, aren’t they? Enjoy!

  3. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    So I have a question – do you ever use fresh herbs? The Pasta with Cream Sauce recipe calls for fresh basil and oregano… I’ve never used fresh herbs in my life. I’m sure it makes a big difference but I’ve never bought any. Have you? 🙂

  4. Yes, I do use fresh herbs! They definitely add a more intense flavor than dried herbs. I usually grow basil every summer because it’s one of our fave herbs. We like it chopped and sprinkled on homemade pizza & spaghetti, although there are many other WONDERFUL uses for it!

  5. Rebekah Avatar

    How was it cooking with quinoa? I don’t think I have ever had it cooked right, and it always seemed off (to me). I don’t know how hard it is to use though.

  6. I’ve found it pretty easy as long as I set the timer and don’t let it overcook. {ahem…not like I would ever do that…} 😉 We just had some for dinner last week with some goat cheese scrambled eggs {new recipe} and salad. Quinoa packs a great protein punch!!!

  7. Rebekah Avatar

    I have never looked for it in the store, is it expensive?

  8. It is definitely more than rice {but way more nutritious as well}, but I’m sure prices vary by store. Check it out next time! We like it! 🙂