Broccoli Parm

Found in SL March 2026 issue here.

 

1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1# broccoli florets, cut into large 1-2" florets (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil; place in oven, and preheat to 500°F. Whisk together tomato paste, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add broccoli; toss to coat.

Remove hot pan from oven. Carefully arrange broccoli on pan in a single layer, cut sides down. Roast until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir together panko, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Remove pan from oven. Flip broccoli, and sprinkle with panko mixture. Bake until topping is golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

Little River Quiche

This was the first quiche that we ever tried to make in our own, and the recipe was given to us by Patricia Shelton at a prayer breakfast one morning while we were attending Little River Baptist Church in Montpelier. It’s taken me just a little bit to get this recipe into our files (roughly since 2019) but it’s our go to every time we want to make quiche. We rarely make it the same way twice and you can feel free to substitute in whatever you want. I put Patricia‘s recipe at the bottom and how we make it just below. It’s a great recipe to use leftover vegetables, but taylor to what you prefer. 

~1# bacon or ham or diced lunch meat, really use what you have or want

1c shredded mozzarella 

1c shredded cheddar, Colby Jack, pepper jack, etc 

4-6 eggs

1 c raw whole milk, maybe more if it gets too thick

1c broccoli or more, use what you have

Salt and pepper

1 deep dish pie crust

Mix eggs and milk together Until smooth. Add cheese, meat, broccoli. Salt and Pepper for what your family likes. Cook on a sheet pan in a 350° oven for 40 minutes or until set. We often make two, so it will need to cook longer.

Make-ahead Ham & Cheese Quiche

1# Cubed ham

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or colby jack cheese

4 eggs

8oz. Whipping cream

1 deep dish pie crust

1. Lightly beat eggs and cream until yolks are blended into cream, add ham and cheese and mix well. 

2. Cover in bowl and refrigerate over night.  3. Next morning pour into pie crust, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.

Chicken Rice Broccolini Bake

Found in SL April 2023 issue here

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. fresh broccolini, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
3/4 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 small sweet onion, chopped (2/3 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
8 oz. fontina cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided
1 (8.8-oz.) pkg. microwave-ready white rice, uncooked
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir together chicken, broccolini, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper in an 11- x 7-inch (2-quart) baking dish until evenly coated. Bake, uncovered, until chicken and broccolini are partially cooked, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
   
Reduce heat to medium, and stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; bring to a simmer over medium. Cook, whisking often, until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the fontina, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth.
 

Transfer chicken and broccolini to sauce in skillet, discarding any juices in baking dish. Add rice to skillet; stir until just coated. Spoon mixture into baking dish.
   
Stir together panko, thyme, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and remaining 1/2 cup fontina in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F until top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with additional thyme. 

 

Cavatappi with Bacon and Roasted Broccoli

Recipe found on Hip Foodie Mom.

1 pound Cavatappi or any pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin; split
1 small head of broccoli cut into bite sized florets
kosher salt and pepper
6 to 8 slices thick cut bacon cut into small chunks or cubes
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
parmesan cheese freshly grated for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook pasta to al dente. When finished, reserve one cup of the pasta water. Drain the rest and set the pasta aside.
Arrange the broccoli florets on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
Using a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the bacon pieces over medium high heat and cook until browned and crispy. When finished, remove from the pan and onto a paper towel lined plate.
Without wiping out the pan, add in the onions and cook for a few minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season with the dried oregano and mix together. Add in the chicken stock and stir together, mixing up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced a bit.
Add in the cooked pasta, the bacon and the roasted broccoli and mix together until all of the pasta is coated with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water if you need it to loosen the pasta and create more sauce. Season with the red chili pepper flakes and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and toss together one more time. To serve: garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy! 

Hunan Beef

This spicy dish came through email from Blog Chef and can be found here. We doubled it for 6 with no leftovers so keep that in mind if you make the original recipe amount.


1.5# flank steak, sliced into thin strips
2 egg whites
2 tablespoon cornstarch
oil for frying
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
Several drops sesame oil to taste
4 garlic cloves (minced)
8 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoon dry sherry
¼ teaspoon salt

Boil/Steam broccoli, drain, set aside for mixing with beef.
In a medium bowl combine beef, egg white and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside. In another bowl mix together soy sauce and chili paste. Mix in cornstarch, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic. Set aside.
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375°. Deep fry strips of beef in batches for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sauce mixture to the wok and cook until it becomes thickened and bubbly. Mix in cooked beef strips and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broccoli. Remove from the pan to a platter and set aside.
Serve over white rice.

Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole

I found this recipe posted on Facebook because that's apparently where all the good recipes are floating around these days. I traced it back to Southern Living which is an awesome magazine to find great southern recipes in it. My friends and their tots were coming over for lunch so I wanted something easy that everyone would like. I quickly ditched the spinach though because who wants to find themselves chatting away only to realize later they had spinach stuck in their teeth. And also because I had spinach on hand. Here's the version I made, well, after I doctored it for dinner, because it was rather bland as it was listed.

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or penne, cooked
2 cups of broccoli florets, cooked and halved
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
½ cup finely chopped onion or 2 tbsp dried onion
1 8oz chive-and-onion cream cheese (I could only find plain), softened
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large can of cream of chicken soup
1 14.5oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups (8oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil chicken, broccoli, and pasta in separate pots. Drain, dice/cube as needed.
Combine softened cream cheese, onions, salt, pepper, red pepper, cream of chicken together in a large bowl. Add in tomatoes and 1½ cups of cheese; stir again. Add in chicken, broccoli, and pasta and stir again.
Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with last ½ cup of cheese.
Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.