Black Pepper Ricotta Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard in Béchamel Sauce
Soft ricotta gnocchi in a creamy parmesan béchamel sauce with fall vegetables. Rich and comforting, perfect for a cool fall or winter night.
Ingredient: extra virgin olive oil
Garlicky Beans and Greens
Print Recipe Garlicky Beans and Greens Course Main Dish Keyword Vegetarian Servings Ingredients 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 14 ounce cans white beans drained6 cloves garlic chopped4 cups spinach2 cup broccoli roasted, small florets1/2 cup shaved parmesan6-8 ounces artichoke hearts chopped, (I usually use …
Vegetarian Mushroom Bourguignon
This vegetarian riff on the French classic beef bourguignon is a rich stew of mushrooms, herbs, and vegetables simmered in red wine. Once you remove the meat and serve it over quinoa it might no longer be quite as French but it still tastes great. Serves 4-6, depending on portion size.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
main entrees
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Ingredients
Mushroom Bourguignon
- 4 tbsp butter divided
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 16-24 ounces mushrooms sliced, portobella or cremini
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 large cloves of garlic chopped
- 2-3 carrots thinly sliced
- 2-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary fresh, chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup dry red wine something you'll be happy to drink with dinner
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup pearled onions (optional)
- 2 tbsp flour
Quinoa
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
Ingredients
Mushroom Bourguignon
Quinoa
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Instructions
Make the Bourguignon
- In a large saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over a high heat. Add the mushrooms so that they sear, and then move them to a separate bowl before they expel their juices. If the juices do start to expel, add them in the bowl as well. Set aside for later. It might be helpful to do this in two batches.
- Either return the pan to the burner (if it's a very large pan), or swap it for a larger stew pot, and set the heat to medium-low. Add the olive oil and onion to the pan, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Add garlic and stir for a minute or two, until fragrant. Then add the carrots, celery, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding a bit more olive oil if it starts to look dry.
- Bring heat up to medium and add the cup of wine. Allow it to cook down to about half, roughly 4-5 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the mushrooms back into the pan, along with the 2 cups of vegetable stock, salt, and pepper (and pearled onions if you're using them), and bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- As the stew simmers, melt two tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Add the two tablespoons of flour to the melted butter, stirring it into a homogeneous paste. Quickly whisk the paste into the simmering stew.
- Stir regularly as the stew thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Once the stew has thickened nicely, serve immediately over a bed of quinoa.
Make the Quinoa
- Combine two cups of vegetable stock with 1 cup of quinoa and bring to a boil in a covered pan. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and allow it to slowly simmer for about 25 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Or just follow the package instructions.
Fall Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette
Butternut squash, pomegranate, goat cheese, and almond salad tossed with a lemon tahini vinaigrette.
Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Risotto
I love a rich and creamy risotto. It’s comforting, it adapts to the seasons, it’s so much more than just rice. And this risotto contains a can of pureed pumpkin, chunks of butternut squash, and a spice blend that adds loads of flavor. The creamy, salty parmesan and the bite from the arborio rice combined with the sweet pumpkin and savory spice blend make for a delicious depth of flavor.
Ras el hanout, which is a spice blend consisting of various combinations of cinnamon, ginger, tumeric, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and cloves, perfectly complements the pumpkin and squash, but in a savory and complex way that adds so much more than the basic pumpkin spice (for which, of course, I have nothing but love). If you don’t have ras el hanout on hand (I got a bag off Amazon), you can simply make a combination of the spices you do have from the list above. The actual spices that make up ras el hanout vary quite a bit so don’t think about it too hard.
In addition to delicious sweet flavor and creamy texture, the pumpkin and squash add a healthy kick to this recipe by providing potassium and beta-carotene, as well as vitamins E, C and some B vitamins. I use vegetable broth making this a vegetarian dish, but any chicken or beef stock would also work.
Although risotto calls for plenty of stirring, I use that time to clean as I go in between stirs, and to make a salad or other accompaniment to the meal.
This is perfect to make alongside a salad that also uses butternut squash, like my fall salad with lemon tahini vinaigrette. If using a three pound squash, about two thirds of the squash goes into the risotto, while the remaining squash goes into the salad.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups butternut squash
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons butter 1 of the 3 reserved for the end
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 2 cup arborio rice
- 1 cup white wine
- 7 cups vegetable broth steaming, but not quite simmering
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut butternut squash into even bite-size pieces. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on squash and toss with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to evenly coat. Lay squash on even layer of sheet pan and roast for about 30 minutes, or until squash is tender.
- Heat two tablespoons each of butter and olive oil over a medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add ras al hanout, and stir well for a minute or two.
- Add the rice and toast for about two minutes. Then add the salt, pepper, and cup of wine. Stir constantly until liquid has cooked in.
- Keep the vegetable broth in a saucepan with steam coming off the liquid, but not quite simmering. Add broth to rice mixture, about a cup at a time. Stir the rice regularly, and once the liquid has cooked in, add the next cup of broth. Continue until all of the broth has been added to the rice.
- While the last cup of broth is cooking into the rice, turn the heat down to low so that the rice keeps a free-flowing consistency that doesn't get too dry.
- Add the can of pumpkin to the risotto and stir in thoroughly.
- Stir in the cup of cheese and remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Stir in the butternut squash pieces until combined, then serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
When I make this recipe, I use about a three-pound squash, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Although this recipe only calls for 1 1/2 to 2 cups of squash, the remaining squash can be used for a salad, another recipe, or just eaten on its own.
Shrimp Scampi Tagliatelle
Shrimp scampi pasta in a buttery white wine and garlic sauce with shrimp and broccoli