This has become a go to recipe for us whenever we have leftover pulled pork. You can also use chicken or really any other meat that you want. If you have leftovers or meat already prepared this dish is super fast and easy to put together!
We started by heating up the pork in a small pan. At the same time – boil water for a couple of eggs. In a 3rd pan, add some bone broth. We were fortunate enough to grab some from our favorite meat market here in AZ last week, but you can work with any brand of bone broth or stock. Bring your broth to a simmer and add in coconut aminos, salt & pepper, gochujang, ginger, lime juice and garlic. (I’ll share approximate amounts, but it’s really all to your taste/preference)
Don’t forget about your eggs. We prefer a nice soft boiled egg which is about 6-6.5 minutes. Add your eggs to boiling water then set a timer.
After you simmer for a few minutes and make sure your broth tastes just how you like, turn the heat up to a boil and add your noodles. They take about five minutes so should be done right about the same time as your eggs! We used the above pictured soba noodles, but there are a variety of options you can use! We also had some shiitake mushrooms in the fridge so we sliced them pretty thin and added in with the noodles.
Once your eggs are done – peel and slice in half. Put your noodles and mushrooms in a bowl and top with your pork. (or whatever meat you are using!)
Then, ladle in your hot broth. Top with and egg and cilantro. Feel free to add any other ingredients you like – hot sauce, thin slice radishes, scallions, other veggies? Grab some extra napkins as it can get kind of messy! Enjoy!
Pork Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups bone broth (or stock or whatever you have on hand)
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2-3 tbsp gochujang
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp ginger dried
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2-3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5-2 cups pulled pork or chicken or sliced meat or tofu
- 1/2 pint shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 3/4 lb buckwheat soba noodles
- 1 bunch cilantro for garnish
- 3 eggs soft boiled about 6+ minutes
Instructions
- Heat your pulled pork on stove, if it isn't already.
- Cook your eggs to your liking – 6+ minutes for soft boiled.
- Heat your broth in a separate pan. Add all of the ingredients through the minced garlic. Simmer for a few minutes and taste to see if you want to add or amend any flavors to your liking.
- Bring your broth to a boil and add noodles and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add your noodles and mushrooms to a bowl. Top with pork. Ladle the broth over the top. Garnish with cilantro and an egg. Enjoy!
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Pasta
I always love pasta. I love that you can do so many different things with it. I love that dried pasta keeps in the pantry for a LONG time so you can have it for all of those last minute throw together meals. I love that we typically have it as a one dish meal. And apparently most of the rest of the world must agree with me right now as our shelves are currently pretty bare when it comes to pasta! That’s all I am going to say about the crazy pandemic going on right now as I am sure most of us are sick of hearing about it.
We have our favorites, but you can use any kind and shape of pasta you have on hand for this. Go ahead and bring a pot of water to boil, well salted and cook your pasta per the directions.
While your pasta is cooking, heat some ghee butter in a pan and add a couple tablespoons of minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant and add in your mushrooms. My favorite to use are cremini, but we had baby bella on hand so that is what went in. For this dish I used 2 pint containers. Add in some salt and pepper to taste and cook down for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn your heat up a little and add about 1-2 cups of dry white wine. I added about 2 as I’m making a large batch. Let this cook down until the liquid is 1/2 or less.
Next, I added in some fresh kale from the garden. Any green would work. I just ripped it into approx bite size pieces and stirred into the rest of the mixture. Your pasta should be about done now. Go ahead and drain and set aside, but add about 1/2-1 cup of the pasta water to your pan.
Next you add in your chicken. We like to make several smoked chickens, pull the meat and freeze leftovers for dishes like this and that is just what we did. However, you can use chicken breast, thighs, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or whatever you have on hand. Cubed, diced or pulled is fine too! Stir that in until it is heated up well (note you do need to pre-cook the chicken.)
I added in about 2-3 tablespoons of parsley and about 1 cup of shredded cheese. Any hard cheese works, parmesan, romano, asiago or a combination of any.
Lastly, I stirred in about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. If you wanted a healthier option you could use coconut cream or even milk. That’s it – super simple. Add your pasta to the pan, mix together well and serve! I like to add a dash of freshly grated cheese on top and a sprig of parsley for plating if you want to get fancy! 😉
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ghee butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 pints mushrooms baby bella, cremini or whatever you prefer
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2-3 tsp parsley dried or fresh
- 2 cups kale or fresh greens approx
- 2.5 cups shredded chicken pre-cooked
- 1 cup shredded cheese, parmesan
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Cook your pasta per the directions. Make sure to salt the water.
- While pasta is cooking, heat ghee butter in pan and add garlic. Cook until fragrant and then add in mushrooms.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, cook for about 3 minutes, turn your heat up and add white wine. Cook until liquid is reduced by at least half, stirring occasionally.
- Add in shredded kale and about 1.5 cups of pasta water.
- Add your chicken and cook about 4-5 minutes until meat is heated through.
- Add in your parmesan cheese, stir. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir thouroughly.
- Add your pasta to the mixture, stir together well and you are ready to serve!
Lamb Ragu
My husband and I both love lamb and we love ragu. We had roasted a fantastic lamb shoulder from our favorite local meat market and of course, I froze the leftovers. I personally think the lamb really makes this recipe, but if you aren’t a fan you could easily substitute about any of your favorite meats. We also made homemade pasta for the first time to go with this ragu that made it even that much better, but I made several completely different meals with this ragu that all turned out fantastic!
I think you are all going to be completely shocked when you hear how this recipe starts…. olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic – surprise! 🙂 About 2 tbsp oil, 1 onion and 1/4 cup minced garlic. Then, I add in about 1.5 cups of diced carrots. I prefer the organic, colored carrots – I swear they taste better, have a better consistency and of course, I’m growing them in my garden right now! You can use whatever carrots you prefer.
Next, add in about 1 pint of sliced baby bella mushrooms. Then comes the fun part.. add in your heirloom tomatoes, about 8 medium to large. You crush them by hand over your pot. Be careful – sometimes they like to squirt across the room or into an eye!
Add in a whole bunch of fresh parsley – just remove from the stems and throw it in. Then add your meat. We had pre-cooked lamb that I diced into large bite size pieces. You could add beef or chicken or really anything you like, but the lamb is the best. 🙂 Add about 2 tablespoons of dried oregano (I save mine from the garden and I also swear it’s way different than what you buy at the store), 3/4 can of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika, ground peppercorn to taste and crushed red pepper flakes. (again depend on your spice tolerance)
Simmer this down for about 15 minutes and add about 1.5-2 cups of a dry red wine. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes or longer. I always say the longer sauces simmer the better!
Serve over pasta or like we did the following weekend – over potatoes topped with an egg for a breakfast hash. Both were delish! And several friends enjoyed some of the leftovers as well – including ones that had never had lamb before.
Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1.5 cups diced carrots
- 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 heirloom tomatoes medium-large
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 cups pre-cooked lamb or other meat approx
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3/4 can tomato paste small can
- 2 tbsp smoke paprika
- ground peppercorn to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1.5-2 cups dry red wine
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add onion and garlic. Dice carrots and add to the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot. Have a towel handy as this can get messy!
- Add in parsley and your cooked meat (lamb). Stir together well.
- Add in dried oregano, tomato paste, smoked paprika, ground peppercorn and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in about 1.5-2 cups of wine and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
- Serve over pasta, potatoes, rice or share what other ideas you might have. ~Enjoy!
Simple “Caprese” Pasta
I’m currently preparing my garden for another round of planting. This picture from last year gets me so excited to get to work! I just think there is nothing better than fresh produce from the backyard. Cherry tomatoes are a great option in Arizona as they grow abundantly and don’t take as long to ripen as the large heirlooms. Last year I grew several varieties including the darker ones you see that are labeled as black prince heirlooms. After sitting in my garden and eating quite a few right off the plant these are what I brought inside for the day.
My husband was gone for a work trip and I was craving a light dish for dinner for myself including these beauties. I also have an abundance of fresh basil – you cannot kill basil here in AZ. This one was also before I started trying to eliminate gluten and my biggest weakness is still – PASTA! If I’m not doing gluten free or making my own, I prefer a hearty, whole wheat pasta that’s a little easier to cook to the perfect al dente texture.
This is a super easy and quick, yet satisfying lunch or dinner that anyone can make! First, I would cook the pasta – follow the directions on the box. Again, I would choose a whole wheat option and whatever “shape” you like. While the pasta is cooking, slice your tomatoes in half – this helps incorporate the flavor and juice of the tomatoes into the dish. If you aren’t growing your own tomatoes I would choose the heirloom or organic cherry and I love the multi colored mostly because they are so pretty.
You have several options with the Basil – you can use herb scissors and cut right into the dish, you can chop it up with a knife, tear by hand or if you don’t have fresh basil you can use dried.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cool water. Add some EVOO, a little balsalmic (if you like), your basil and chopped tomatoes. Voila – that’s it. Grab a fork and enjoy!
*A couple of possible modifications are: a gluten free pasta (one that I actually enjoy is the Taste Republic that I find at Sprouts) and sometimes if you are ok with dairy I like to include some fresh mozzarella cheese.
Simple “Caprese” Pasta
Ingredients
- whole wheat pasta
- organic, heirloom, cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2
- fresh basil chopped
- olive oil extra virgin
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- 1. Cook your pasta following the package instructions. Drain and Rinse in cold water.2. Cut your cherry tomatoes in 1/2.3. Drizzle EVOO and a splash of balsamic vinegar over pasta and stir together.
4. Add cherry tomatoes to the pasta and using herb scissors (or tearing) add the basil into the pasta mixture.