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Spicy Tuna Skillet

December 15, 2010 By Kate 5 Comments

I know I’ve mentioned in the past that I am not a huge fan of tuna even though the rest of my family loves it. So I’m always trying to come up with ways to use tuna that will make us all happy. I find if the tuna is masked in something crispy (like my tuna croquettes) or combined with a well-flavored sauce, I do enjoy it.

That’s one of the things I’ve learned over the years when it comes to having a frugal kitchen. If there is an ingredient that provides a cheap protein source while still being healthy, I should find a way to use it. And it’s so much better when that item is actually liked by at least half of us. I do this with eggs, beans and lentils too. It really pushes me to be creative and helps to broaden our tastes as a family. What is your favorite cheap protein source?

Spicy Tuna Skillet

  • 1/2 lb. egg noodles
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 5 T. butter
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • 2 c. milk, drained
  • 1 1/2 t. paprika
  • 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
  • 2 c. frozen corn
  • 1 can tuna, drained
  • 2 T. mayonnaise
  • 1 T butter, optional
  • 1/2 c. breadcrumbs, optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, dice the red pepper, onion and celery. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate until using. Combine the red pepper, onion and celery in a small bowl or plastic baggie and refrigerate.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add red pepper, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook an additional 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, paprika and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low, stirring frequently.

Stir in cooked egg noodles, corn, tuna and mayonnaise. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, as needed. To serve immediately, cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Otherwise, refrigerate after combining until meal time and then just warm on the stove until heated through.

OPTIONAL STEP – If desired, melt 1 T. butter and combine with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of the skillet and place under a broiler for about 2 minutes or in a hot oven for 5 minutes, just until golden brown.

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Lazy Pierogi

October 19, 2010 By Kate 8 Comments

When my mom was visiting a few weeks ago, she ran to the grocery store for me and picked up all the ingredients I needed for lazy pierogi. There’s nothing like pure comfort food during those early, new-baby days.

My mom occasionally made lazy pierogi for us when I was growing up and I’ve been making it ever since. I believed that’s where the recipe started, but I learned its true history while having my mom in the kitchen while I made this dish.

My mom’s aunt had 6 children, so unlike her sisters who made pierogi regularly each year, she always opted for lazy pierogi instead. She’d proclaim that having 6 children made “lazy recipes” a necessity. That’s definitely something I can relate to!

Lazy pierogi is very similar to regular sauerkraut filled pierogi, but it takes advantage of store made egg noodles as opposed to the more labor-intensive homemade dough. Additionally, you get to skip the rolling, stuffing and sealing steps. Yet you end up with something that tastes just like traditional pierogi without all the work.

I like to make lazy pierogi into a full, one-dish meal by adding sliced Polish Sausage, as in the recipe below. However, you can easily omit that and serve it as a side dish. It goes great with so many different things!

Lazy Pierogi

  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb. Polish sausage, sliced *Optional
  • 1 30 oz. jar, bag or can of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 t. black pepper
  • 1/3 c. sour cream
  • 1 lb. egg noodles, cooked and drained

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender and mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the Polish sausage, if using, and sauerkraut. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Stir in the sour cream. Pour in the noodles and stir to coat. If desired, add a bit more butter and cook a little longer, just until some of the noodles start to crisp.

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Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

October 13, 2010 By Kate 11 Comments

I have to admit something – I’m not a huge lover of pumpkin. Typically the only thing where I like pumpkin flavor is in a pumpkin spice latte or a pumpkin cake roll. I’ll happily pass by pumpkin pie in favor of pecan any day. However, I really wanted to try my hand at making a good pumpkin pasta sauce. It sounded so seasonal and I thought I might actually like it.

So earlier this week, when I was finally able to find some canned pumpkin, I decided to go for it. My sister was visiting for a few days, getting her fill of baby snuggles and helping me out around the house, and we both thought it sounded like a great idea for dinner. Plus, I had a package of cheese ravioli in the freezer that we thought would make a perfect base for the sauce.

I winged the entire recipe, gauging ingredients based purely on what I thought would go well together and doing a little tweaking to my original plan here and there as it cooked. The final result was awesome! Seriously, I could have eaten the sauce with a spoon and skipped the pasta all together. In fact, my sister and I both thought that if I added some more milk, the sauce would have made a great soup as well.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1 medium-sized shallot, minced (You can use 1/2 a small onion in place of the shallot if you want. However, the shallot does provide a nice mild flavor.)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 c. chicken stock
  • 3/4 c. milk
  • 1 1/4 t. salt, more or less to taste
  • 1/2 t. black pepper, more or less to taste
  • 1/8 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 c. diced parsley

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic; cook for 2-3 minutes, until shallots are tender.

2. Reduce heat to low and stir in the pumpkin puree. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in the parsley. Serve over pasta.

This made a great entree over cheese ravioli for the adults and cheese tortelleni for the kids. It was definitely enjoyed by everyone. I think it would also make a great dish served over plain pasta. Or like I said earlier, thin it a bit with some milk for a yummy soup. That would be a great way to repurpose the leftovers – if you have any!

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