Love these types of easy dinners? Also try my one pan Ground Beef Stroganoff and American style Goulash.

This hearty, cheesy taco pasta is two homestyle dishes combined into one and people of all ages love it! It's a simple one pan dinner that you can have ready in just over 30 minutes.

If you aren't familiar with this dish it may sound strange but trust me it's actually such a super satisfying, completely enjoyable dinner. It's like those pasta dishes from the 90's that maybe started with a box, but this is 100 times better!

It's a very adaptable recipe too. You can add different mix-ins to use up ingredients you may already have, or try swapping out the protein or pasta. Just stick with the base and seasonings used, and always add cheese because it's truly a main highlight of the dish.

Healthy Tofu Tacos

For a long time tofu has had have a bad name. Not many people seem to care for it, and I used to be one of them. But I'm telling you if you season it right it can actually be really delicious and even something you'll want to make again and again!

In these tofu tacos the tofu is abundantly seasoned with a variety of Mexican spices, soy sauce and lime juice which builds up much more depth and a welcome vibrant flavor.

Believe it or not you may find you like them just as much as the classic ground beef tacos! And these are a healthier alternative to rotate with, plus tofu is about half the price of ground beef and ground turkey.

These tacos come together quickly for a simple weeknight meal, they are perfectly filling, and they make a great leftover lunch the next day if you have any left.

If you haven't given tofu a chance yet I'd say this is an excellent place to start. And as always with tacos, just be sure to pile high all those tasty toppings!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

In this bountiful salad you find it's rich in Tex-Mex flavor and has so much freshness in every bite. There's a beautiful variety of color, flavor and textures, with each ingredient enhancing the dish.

It's layered with nutritious Romaine lettuce, crispy tortilla chips, a zesty citrus marinated chicken, salsa coated beans and veggies, plus rich cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

The chicken is pan seared then the taco salad filling is cooked in that same pan. And it's convenient that you don't need a grill for this recipe and it can be made any day of year no matter the season.

If you happen to have any leftover filling you can use it in tacos, quesadillas or burritos the following day for lunch. There's just so much to love about this delicious Chicken Taco Salad!

Chilled and Refreshing Cold Pea Salad

Who doesn't love that bacon, cheddar, ranch combo? Even here in this pea salad it works wonders and really builds a basic salad into a memorable side dish.

It's an excellent option for an Easter dinner to serve with a honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, and the best homemade dinner rolls. Then for dessert carrot cake of course!

This pea salad is a much tastier option than serving those frozen peas plain, it's worth the bit of extra effort especially for a holiday celebration or weekend dinner.

It has a tempting blend of textures and well rounded flavor with it's sweet pea freshness, salty bacon, toasty almonds, the depth from the cheese, and a rich creamy dressing to polish it off. It's a salad fit for a feast!

Sheet Pan Baked Eggs

This recipe, made with an abundance of 18 eggs, makes enough to feed plenty of hungry people. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of cooking them this way before decades ago, but it works incredibly well to cook a large batch of eggs at once on a baking sheet.

They are similar to the texture of a baked frittata or like the eggs you'd find in a breakfast sandwich at a bagel shop.

The best part is that preparation is a total breeze. All the eggs are whisked together, creamy half and half is added, and then from there any optional add-ins are tossed in and it's all baked on one big sheet pan.

You can cut and serve them buffet style right from the pan, layer them between an English muffin breakfast sandwich with bacon and avocado, or pair them as a side to a hot griddle item such as pancakes or French toast.

Try them plain and simple with just cheese mixed in for a basic option, then when you are feeling more adventurous add lots of different mix-ins (just like you would a frittata. Lots of ideas listed below).

This cozy soup is everything you love about a cheese laden baked potato and more. You get all those layers of flavor built into the goodness of a soul warming, homestyle, sip-able soup.

This soup recipe begins with actual baked potatoes. Many recipes will just go the route of chopping and boiling the potatoes but I prefer the baked method so we can skip the step of peeling and chopping the potatoes, and rather just scoop the interiors out after baking and mash them into the soup. Plus it just feels more authentic if we are going to call it "baked potato soup" lets use the real deal.

The potato skins are chopped up into small pieces (after baking) and then pan fried for extra crispiness. They are a favorite ingredient to the soup among family members, everyone just likes to eat them on their own because they are so good!

Just be sure to load up on all of those various toppings when serving the soup as it will add a lot of the flavor. And don't drain the fat from the bacon as this also builds up flavor and adds richness to the soup.

A Simple Homemade Breakfast Sandwich

This is a classic breakfast sandwich with a few upgrades (hello herbs and cream!) plus a few simple swaps to make them faster (using stovetop scrambled eggs and pre-cooked meat like deli ham).

They are a classic morning comfort food and make a super satisfying lazy Saturday morning breakfast. They don't require any special cooking skill, and they are one of those breakfasts that everyone can agree on.

Plus I've shared lots of other options to switch them up including various filling ideas and cooking methods because this is the ever-so-versatile breakfast sandwich after all.

The key to the recipe is just that you don't walk away while they are toasting under the broiler and forget about them. I think we all have at least one memory of doing that to that blackened piece of garlic bread or what not. These are much too good to be wasted to charring.

Watch the Video!

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A Fun Christmas Appetizer Recipe

This eye catching Christmas tree cheese ball is decorated with plenty of earthy green minced fresh parsley, dotted with tiny red tomatoes and yellow bell pepper pieces, its swirled with a ribbon of pine nuts, then finished with a vibrant golden bell pepper star practically shining atop.

It's a holiday classic with a sophisticated upgrade thanks to its enhancements of herby flavors and fresh vegetables (or technically fruits), the welcomed bold white cheddar goodness, a pine nut finish, and its impressive unique appearance. No boring typical rounded shape plus pecan coating here.

And even though it's quite large this savory treat will be devoured in no time. This charming centerpiece will be a highlight of your gathering and a new striking way you'll want to make the holiday cheese ball every year!

Want to try a different type of burger next? Go for my Turkey Burgers or Black Bean Burgers to switch things up sometimes.

An Easy Classic Burger Recipe

Burgers have long been a staple food in our family. So I guess you can say we are a typical American family.

Growing up we had them cooked to that hockey puck doneness, overly well, but as a kid I didn't care it was a burger. One thing my mom never got wrong though was that she never used the pre-formed patties. That's burger mistake number one in my mind.

Shaping your own burgers from fresh ground beef will give you a fair superior result.

Helpful Tips

After 20 years of experience making hamburgers I've learned several other things along the way to create the perfect burger:

• Use a high quality bun for the base as this makes up a huge portion of the completed burger. Homemade or bakery fresh is best.
• Go for a good fat ratio within the beef for tenderness (personally I prefer 85%).
• Adequately season the meat with salt, this is a big one people often miss.
• Careful not to overwork the beef as you shape the patties so it's not tough.
• Use a food thermometer to cook to the right temp so it's not undercooked and dangerously rare, or over-cooked and dry and rubbery.
• Preheat pan/grill and maintain that proper temp. Otherwise you'll end up with a pale steamed-like patty or overly charred burger.
• Cook at a fairly high temp without disturbing as it cooks, this helps create a beautifully brown crust. The only way I could achieve this in the oven was to start that pan out super hot and not turn the burger until the end, for one nicely browned side at least.
• Slice toppings fairly thin. For texture and this allows the flavor of the beef shine if we don't go overboard on toppings.
• Toast the buns so they don't get soggy and they hold up better.
• If grilling burgers don't leave them unattended. Grills can have dangerous flare ups if you don't keep an eye on things. You should also be cleaning the fat from the grill regularly.

Over the years I've also tried different things like seasoning the beef to build in other flavors, creating various sizes of burgers, and trying various toppings.

I've settled on simple, and freshest is best but you are always welcome to change things up and go more bold (unique toppings, hot sauce/ peppers, blue cheese, etc).

And of course if you are a cheeseburger fan don't forget to add the cheese after turning the burger (during cooking) for perfectly melty cheesy goodness.

If you are wondering what my personal favorite method of cooking is here it's easily the cast iron stovetop method. But the others are nice for convenience as well and I use all three.

Homemade Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

This is my go-to recipe when I’m craving Chipotle but want to eat at home. Made with fluffy cilantro-lime rice, tender chicken, and all the best toppings, it’s nutritious and delicious recipe the whole family will agree on. 

Plus, it’s easy to customize and great to make ahead of time for meal prep. You’ll find this chicken burrito bowl recipe is the perfect option to feed a crowd, pack for lunch, or whip up for a quick weeknight meal. 

In fact, these burrito bowls are so tasty you may never go back to restaurant versions again! I’ll show you how to cook, assemble, and store them for easy meals whenever a craving hits.