The Best Easy Risotto Recipe

So, what is risotto, anyway? Risotto is sometimes described as being the rice version of mac and cheese. A northern Italian dish, it is made by cooking starchy, short-grain rice with stock or broth until it becomes tender and creamy. It is also often given a boost of flavor with butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese as you’ll find in this recipe. 

If you’re wondering if risotto is difficult to make, the answer is not at all. A cross between rice and pasta, it comes together on the stovetop for a fairly hands-off recipe. You’ll find that one batch makes enough to feed up to 6 people, making it perfect for family-friendly weeknight meals. You can also easily half or double the recipe to fit your needs. Plus, it stores and reheats well, meaning you can enjoy leftovers throughout the week. 

Simple yet elegant, the tender rice bursts with savory flavor and a satisfying, creamy texture. Warm and satisfying, this Parmesan risotto recipe is the ultimate comfort food that will make you feel like you’re dining at a 5-star restaurant. 

One bite and it will become a new favorite in your recipe lineup. 

Vegetable Stir Fry - A beautiful, colorful rainbow of fresh vegetables are sautéed together in a hot skillet or wok and seasoned with a abundantly flavorful sweet and savory stir fry sauce. It's nutritious and completely delicious!

Rainbow Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

Our favorite takeout-style easy vegetable stir fry! Made with a lovely blend of colors and boasting with plenty of fresh flavor.

It makes a delicious vegetarian main dish (with a vegan option) that you can serve with brown rice or white rice, or it can double as a side to a healthy protein such as salmon, shrimp or chicken.

In it you'll find a tasty variety of vegetables and the stir fry sauce will leave you craving more!

It's easy to substitute here using other vegetables you may have on hand (see ideas below).

So clean out the fridge with all those veggies and make this delicious stir fry!

My Favorite Way to Make Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie

Most often you'll see chicken pot pie with puff pastry made two ways. Either prepared and baked as a whole "pie" in a single baking dish, or made in individual ramekins or bowls.

Both work but I created this variation because I wanted something easier, a dish that finished with perfectly flakey and non-soggy puff pastry, an option that didn't waste puff pastry scraps (precious!), and something that wasn't so messy.

If you bake in a single dish the puff pastry doesn't cut cleanly, and if you do individual servings it's tedious to work with single bowls and get the puff pastry to stick well. You also may likely find the end result of both said options yields a soggy layer on bottom.

This method works beautifully, and it's so convenient that the filling only needs to cook on the stove top so you can bake the puff pastry and make the filling at the same time.

And honestly who can resist those cute little puff pastry bites? I want to put them on everything and it's hard not to eat half of them before dinner is served.

All around this creamy chicken pot pie with buttery puff pastry makes for the perfect homestyle dinner!

Creamy Cozy Mushroom Soup

So what is the secret to perfect creamy mushroom soup? Browning the mushrooms first. In my opinion it's the only way to make mushroom soup.

It's key to building up that golden brown, rich depth flavor. It also gives the soup a warmer more appealing color as well, rather than being a unappetizing dull grey. We eat with our eyes first after all.

While yes it does take 30 minutes of sautéing and makes the process go slower it's easily worth the effort. Trust me the patience pays of in the end result as it becomes a golden soup with perfectly tender mushrooms.

The other ingredients that highlight it are dry white wine to build up flavor, and a parmesan rind for a hint of cheesy goodness (never toss those things, they are great simmered in soups and sauces).

It is the best mushroom soup I've had and I'm hoping you agree!

Serve it with artisan bread for dipping and a simple side salad to complete the meal.

Helpful Tips for the Best Grilled Vegetables

Grilling vegetables couldn't be easier. There's hardly anything to it but I recommend upgrading them with seasonings, fats or herbs like we've done here.

The main idea is just knowing which vegetables work well for grilling, following the simple straightforward prep method, cooking the vegetables on a preheated grill, and following the cook times directed.

Crisper vegetables will take longer to grill to a tender texture, while softer vegetables will obviously cook faster.

I also like to get a decent char on certain vegetables like the corn and peppers so put these vegetables in the areas of the grill that have hot spots (usually towards the back of the grill, or some grills like the Weber Genisis I have include a sear zone burner).

Then only put many vegetables on your grill that you can fit in a single layer. If you need to work in batches that's just fine. You can keep them warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven if needed.

This is a great option for a side to pair with pulled chicken sandwiches, turkey burgers, pan seared steak, baked chicken thighs and so much more! Or keep it vegetarian and serve the veggies over a grain boil with a dressing of your choice.

Either way you can't go wrong here! So much fresh goodness in every bite.

It's similar to my One Pan Beef Stroganoff (that's made with ground beef), be sure to try that one too!

Easy Chicken Stroganoff

Hearty, homestyle comfort food that's perfect for busy nights!

This delicious chicken stroganoff is made with a handful of ingredients, many of which are fresh to build up that delicious depth of well rounded flavor.

And I should mention - there's cream cheese! Isn't everything better when cream cheese is involved?

To finish the dish, pile it over egg noodles or rice, then maybe opt to serve with a side of roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts and you've got a simple meal worthy of completely satisfied dinner praises!

Who doesn't love a dish like this that you can make at home and skip the $20+ restaurant price tag per serving?

This Chicken Marsala recipe is equally as good as what you'll get at an Italian restaurant so it’s the perfect thing to make on your own, and of course a great dish to serve to guests.

And my version comes together quickly since you reduce the marsala wine separately while the chicken and mushrooms cook. I'm all about saving time.

The other great thing about this recipe is the addition of heavy cream. It really just improves the overall consistency, richness and flavor of the sauce. It helps balance out the acidity of the wine.

It’s a classic dish that does not disappoint!

Then with the leftover marsala wine why not make homemade cannoli? It would make for a dinner sure to impress anyone lucky enough to enjoy!

Love stir-fry? Then also try my Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry, Teriyaki Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry, and Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry.

Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe

I think we all need one or two tasty and easy stir-fry recipes in our dinner rotation. Because not only do they taste delicious, but they're also a great way to get a generous serving a vegetables in one meal.

This healthy chicken stir-fry is no exception! It's packed with veggies and it's perfectly filling and flavorful.

And this version is perfectly saucy, because isn't that a must? Plus it's easy to customize with your favorite vegetables or others you may have on hand.

Chicken Stir Fry Video

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You can also swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if that's what you prefer.

Skip going out and enjoy this delicious take-out style dinner at home instead!

If you love these be sure to try my incredibly popular Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe with Spinach and Cheese

Sure the sausage stuffed mushrooms are great but in my opinion the best stuffed mushrooms are filled with spinach and lots of cheese! They taste just like a spinach dip meets sautéed mushrooms.

And as I mentioned they're easy to prepare. Just make a quick and simple cheese filling, clean the mushrooms, pop the stems, stuff and bake. Then of course dive in while they're warm with that gooey melted cheese!

For this recipe if you happen to have a mushroom hater in the family you could try stuffing a few mini peppers or tomatoes for them. I get it, my husband hates them. But I just say more mushrooms for me.

A Must Have Tortellini Recipe!

Three of my favorite things collide here to make one incredible entree you'll want to make again and again!

Cheesy tortellini is always delicious, plus the refrigerated store-bought kind is the perfect shortcut to any meal. Pesto adds fresh flavor to anything and you can never go wrong with a blend of multi-color roasted vegetables.

So let's combined the three to get this truly tasty yet easy to make dish - Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables. The whole family will love this and you'll love that it's a great way to pack vegetables into your dinner.

The other great thing about this is that it is basically meal in a bowl so I don't need to worry about making sides to pair with it, although I'm sure no one would be complaining about some fresh garlic bread to go with it. Right?

With all the fresh vegetables in season right now it's the perfect thing to make! A great way to use up those garden fresh vegetables.

Try it soon! It's destined to become a new summertime staple!