This incredibly easy but insanely delicious one pan salmon dish is a midweek winner. Ready in under 20 minutes, it’s creamy but has a light freshness that I think you all will love. It’s hearty enough with the butterbeans but feel free to pair with rice or grain of your choice.
You will need to serve 2
2 salmon fillets 1 tin butterbeans Fresh basil 200g cherry tomatoes 8 sun dried tomatoes, drained from oil and chopped 1 shallot 2 cloves garlic Few handfuls of spinach 2 tbsp half fat crème fraiche Smoked paprika Chicken stock cube 1 lemon Parmesan
Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot pan on all sides until coloured. Remove and set to one side.
In the same pan, sweat the shallot and garlic with a pinch of salt. Mix in the whole cherry tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and chopped basil stems.
Sauté for a few minutes, then add in a stock cube and 200ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, tip in the butterbeans and leave for 10 minutes.
Turn the heat right down, add in 2 tbsp crème fraiche, the zest of a lemon, 15g grated Parmesan and a crack of black pepper. Stir then mix in the spinach and some chopped basil. Allow to wilt.
Place the salmon fillets into the dish and allow to warm through until they are cooked.
Serve with extra basil sprinkled over the top and grating of parmesan.
This creamy, cheesy salmon and spinach fettucine bake is as simple as it is tasty and guaranteed to be your new family favourite.
Serves 4 Prep – 10 Min Cook – 55 Min Total – 1 Hr 5 Min
Ingredients 185 gram tagliatelle or fettucine 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 bunch English spinach, trimmed, coarsely chopped 415 gram can pink or red salmon, drained, flaked (or two or three salmon fillets, cooked) 3/4 cup thickened cream 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes 1 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese 1/4 cup grated parmesan green salad leaves, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 2-litre ovenproof dish.
Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until just tender. Drain.
Heat oil in a large frying pan on high. Sauté onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add spinach. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
In a bowl, combine spinach mixture, pasta, salmon, cream, zest, juice and chilli flakes. Combine cheeses in a bowl and add half to salmon mixture.
Spoon salmon mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve with green salad leaves.
The mantra for this Eggplant Parmesan recipe should be: “Good things take time.” Trust us. Your efforts will be rewarded the moment you pull this dish of breaded eggplant slathered in tangy tomato sauce with a crispy, cheesy top from the oven. Need some reassurance? One commenter proclaims: “This was by far the best eggplant dish I ever made.”
You can break the work into chunks over a couple of days. The homemade marinara sauce makes all the difference, so don’t swap it out for store-bought. This one is rich with tomato, wine, tons of garlic, and anchovies (the secret to everything) and can be made up to two days ahead; the flavours might even be better after a day of mingling. As for the fried eggplant and herby panko breadcrumb mixture? Hold off making those until the day you plan to layer it all together. Making them fresh will help keep the herbs vibrant. (The whole dish can be assembled and cooked two days before you want to dig in—make room for the casserole dish in the fridge and reheat when ready.)
If you’re striving to serve this eggplant Parmesan as perfect blocks with some structural integrity (like the picture above), let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes after baking. No garnish is necessary, but fresh basil is always welcome. Pair it with a simple side dish like a green salad with more shavings of Parmesan cheese and call it dinner
Ingredients
12 servings
MARINARA
¼ cup olive oil 1 head of garlic, cloves crushed 1 large red onion, chopped 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional) ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 Tbsp. tomato paste ¼ cup dry white wine 2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes ¼ cup torn basil leaves ½ tsp. dried oregano Kosher salt
EGGPLANT AND ASSEMBLY
4 pounds Italian eggplants (about 4 medium eggplants), peeled, sliced lengthwise ½–¾ inch thick Kosher salt 3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 1½ tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1½ cups finely grated Parmesan, divided 1½ cups all-purpose flour 5 large eggs, beaten to blend 1⅓ cups olive oil ½ cup finely chopped basil and parsley, plus basil leaves for serving 6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, grated (about 1⅓ cups) 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Preparation
MARINARA
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°. Place a Dutch oven or other large heavy ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add oil and garlic and cook, stirring often, until garlic is golden, about 4 minutes. Add onion, anchovies (if using), and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking up with your hands, and their juices; add basil and oregano and stir to combine. Swirl 1½ cups water into one tomato can, then the other, to rinse, and add to pot; season with salt. Transfer pot to oven; roast sauce, stirring halfway through, until thick and tomatoes are browned on top and around edges of pot, 2–2½ hours.
Step 2 Let sauce cool slightly. Pass through the large holes of a food mill or process in a food processor until mostly smooth. Taste and season with salt.
Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
EGGPLANT AND ASSEMBLY
Step 3 Lightly season eggplant slices all over with salt; place in a single layer on several layers of paper towels inside a rimmed baking sheet. Top with another layer of paper towels and more slices; repeat as needed. Top with a final layer of paper towels, then another rimmed baking sheet; weigh down with a heavy pot. Let eggplant sit until it has released excess liquid, 45–60 minutes. This step gives the eggplant a creamy texture when baked.
Step 4 Meanwhile, pulse panko, oregano, pepper, and ¾ cup Parmesan in a food processor until very finely ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl.
Step 5 Preheat oven to 350°. Place flour in another shallow bowl and eggs in a third shallow bowl. Working one at a time, dredge eggplant slices in flour, then dip in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, packing all around, then shaking off excess. Place on wire racks.
Step 6 Heat ⅔ cup oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Cook as many eggplant slices as will comfortably fit in pan, turning once, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and immediately press with more paper towel to absorb oil. Working in batches, repeat with remaining eggplant, adding remaining ⅔ cup oil and wiping out skillet as needed. Let cool. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 7 Toss chopped herbs, low-moisture mozzarella, and remaining ¾ cup Parmesan in a medium bowl. Spread 1 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13×9″ baking pan; top with a layer of eggplant slices (trim as needed). Drizzle 1 cup sauce over and sprinkle with one-third of cheese mixture. Add another layer of eggplant, followed by 1 cup sauce and half of remaining cheese mixture. Repeat layers with remaining slices, sauce, and cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake on a rimmed baking sheet until eggplant is custardy, 45–60 minutes.
Step 8 Remove from oven and arrange fresh mozzarella over eggplant. Increase oven temperature to 425° and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, 15–20 minutes longer. Let rest 30 minutes. Top with basil leaves just before slicing.
Do Ahead: Eggplant Parmesan can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover with foil and chill. Reheat in a 350° oven, uncovering halfway through, until bubbling gently at edges.
This Creamy Gnocchi Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Made with store-bought gnocchi and a few simple ingredients this tasty, creamy dish can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Great for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
10 pieces of sundried tomatoes thinly sliced
30 g / 2 tbsps of butter I use salted butter
1 x 500 g / 17.6 oz pack of gnocchi
300 ml / 1 ¼ cups of vegetable stock made with 1 stock cube and 300ml of freshly boiled water
150 ml / ¾ of a cup of double cream (heavy cream)
60 g / 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
50 g / ½ a cup of Grana Padano cheese finely grated
2 – 3 tbsps toasted pine nuts optional
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the chopped onion along with a small pinch of sea salt. Cook over low to medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent and springy.
Next, add 1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano and 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic. Then add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a minute.
Now, add 30g of butter to the pan then add all the gnocchi. Break up any gnocchi that has stuck together. Toss the gnocchi in the butter adn the onion and sundried tomatoes. Let the gnocchi cook for a minute or two so that it absorbs all the flavours that are in the pan. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Next, pour in the stock. Stir well, catching any pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the cream, and stir it into the stock. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring often.
Once the sauce has reduced and thickened add the spinach. Stir in the baby spinach, it should wilt very quickly. Once the spinach has wilted remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted into the sauce the dish is ready to be served. Top with toasted pine nut, if using, extra grated cheese and some freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
Cooking gnocchi – You do not need to cook the gnocchi before adding it, the gnocchi will cook in the sauce.
Storage/reheating/freezing – If you have any leftovers you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them within two days. The sauce for this recipe thickens once it cools so you will need to add more cream or stock to the dish if you want to reheat it It is best reheated on the hob. This dish is best made fresh and does not freeze well. The cream has a tendency to split or go grainy so I do not recommend freezing this dish.
500g giant pasta shells – Conchiglie 150g cherry tomatoes, halved 2 large handfuls of torn basil leaves 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 250g mascarpone 2 tbsp red pesto 2 tbsp tomato puree 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional) 900ml just boiled water 150g baby spinach 150g mozzarella Parmesan to serve Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180o C fan. Chuck the pasta in a large, shallow pan and add the cherry tomatoes, half the basil, canned tomatoes, mascarpone, red pesto, tomato puree and garlic powder. Pour over the water and give everything a mix around. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway so you get a nice sauce.
Take the pasta out of the oven and add a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the spinach and stir together. Cover and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Check the seasoning here and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Scatter over the remaining basil and rip over the mozzarella. Grate a good load of Parmesan over the top and return to the oven, without the lid, for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
