Wedding Blog
Most newly engaged or married couples have very busy schedules. Between work, family, social obligations and spending time with each other, you don’t always have time to make a complicated meal on a week night. It doesn’t mean it can’t be easy and delicious!
Eating too later = cranky AND a migraine for Mrs. Onion. I try to avoid this at all costs. I thought I’d share a few of my quick and easy go-to recipes for weeknight meals.
1) Linguine Fini with Pesto, Olives and Feta Cheese
Ingredients:
Pesto (costco sells a very yummy pesto)
Feta cheese
Calamata olives.
Preparation:
Boil water and cook pasta. Pit olives and cut up feta, put aside. Drain pasta and toss with pesto and feta. This is so easy and yummy especially when you’re in the mood for salt.
2) Vegetable baked penne (or ziti).
Ingredients:
1 lb box penne
2 zucchinis
1 medium onion
1 cup red sauce (approximately)
1 cup ricotta (approximately)
½ ball of fresh mozzarella
Pinch of salt
Dash of red pepper flake (to taste)
Dash of oregano
Boil water and cook pasta. While penne is cooking, chop zucchini and onions. Sauté onions first, then add zucchini. Undercook the zucchini a bit as it will continue to cook while baking in the oven. Then mix in a medium bowl red sauce, ricotta, salt, red pepper flakes and some oregano. Put aside. Then, cut up fresh mozzarella in 1-inch chunks.
Once the pasta is cooked (again slightly undercook as it will continue to cook in the oven), place in baking dish. Pour red sauce/ricotta mixture over the pasta and mix it up. Then pour veggies in and mix again. Finally place chunks of cut up mozzarella in dish and mix one last time so everything is evenly distributed. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 and enjoy!!
3) Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro (a new find from the September issue of Bon Appetit magazine).
4 to 6 servings
prep: 25 MINUTES TOTAL: 40 MINUTES
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa,* rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes. Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully absorbed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with ¼ cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.
What are some of your favorite quick recipes?! Please share them with the hive. 
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Share this post: Quick Weeknight Meals
a really quick recipe is thomas keller’s roasted chicken. it’s SO simple: take a whole chicken, rinsed and dried completely. shower with kosher salt and black pepper, and throw it in the oven at 450 degrees for 50-60 minutes. at the very end, throw in some thyme in the pan juices, and then baste the chicken. let it sit for a few minutes before cutting. seriously, it’s so good and so easy, and you could eat it w/ a salad.
Oh great, thanks for posting! Another great site/magazine for good, healthy meals is http://www.cookinglight.com
this is my super easy meatghetti. every time i make it someone asks for the recipe — little do they know it’s plain prego!
1 jar prego
spaghetti noodles
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp italian seasoning
3/4 pound ground beef (not lean)
3 slices kraft american cheese
cook the noodles. saute the ground beef until brown, add prego, garlic, italian seasoning. simmer. add cheese, simmer some more and then serve.
super duper easy, and i promise it’s yummilicious!
oooh thanks for these! the veggie baked penne sounds delish
I don’t have any recipes to share, but I have a tip! Lately, I’ve been cooking multiple meals on the weekend, and saving them to eat during the week! I’ve found that I never like cooking after a long day of work and/or school, so cooking on the weekends saves us from going out to eat too often!
I make a wicked grilled cheese and I owe it all to my panini press. I’m a terrible cook but have never made anything that tastes bad in that machine.
My go-to quick and easy weeknight meal– salmon, steamed veggies, mushroom risotto. The salmon and veggies are super quick so you can put the whole thing together in about 30 min.
Another favorite is breakfast for dinner: whip up scrambled eggs with whatever you feel like, and eat with toast or wrap in a tortilla breakfast-burrito style.
Like Mrs. Toucan, I actually do more cooking on the weekend and save leftovers for the week– this weekend was homemade sweet potato gnocchi with herbed pork roast and sauteed squash. BF was a big fan.
My post on it is here if you’re interested:
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/sunday-dinner-handmade-gnocchi/
I’ve been known to make some killer Black Bean Quesadillas….
I heat up a frying pan (you could also use an electric griddle if you have one) and use a little bit of butter in the bottom of the pan so that the tortilla doesn’t stick. Once frying pan is hot, place large tortilla in the pan to heat up/soften (for about a minute) then load up one side with your favorite toppings. I usually use grated cheese, black beans (drained, rinsed, and heated up in the microwave), peppers (green, red, etc.), and other veggies. Fold tortilla in half - so it will make a half moon shape. Flip over onto other side and cook until tortilla is to desired crispness and cheese is melty and hot. We top with salsa, homemade guacamole, and sour cream. You could fill with chicken or any other meat of your choosing, but you have to cook it first!
Thanks for posting the recipes!! I was actually just wondering what I was going to make tonight.
Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach & Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus 3 cups packed fresh spinach
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp grated lemon zest 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 lb dried or refrigerated gnocchi olive oil
*Boil large pot of water for gnocchi
*Clean 1 bunch of asparagus & snap into little pieces. Saute with olive oil & chopped garlic (3-4 cloves)
*Simmer half a cup heavy cream, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 whole cloves garlic and salt, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove whole garlic cloves.
*Add 3 cups packed fresh spinach and cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice & asparagus. Meanwhile…
*cook gnocchi according to directions on box. Add gnocchi to the sauce, stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
This is our FAVORITE recipe, and it is pretty quick. Yum!!!
Love those!
For additional fun (and healthy!) meals - check out
http://www.eatingwell.com/
My fiance loves finding new ideas off there and trying them out. YUM!!!
Thank you, thank you! We get so tired of eating out but so often by the time that we both get off work, we just aren’t in the mood to spend hours in the kitchen. Please continue sharing posts like this that make the everyday part of being engaged/newly marrried easier!
Thanks for all the recipes ladies
Mrs. Onion - I’m so glad to see you back more on Weddingbee - I joined right after your wedding. I LOOVVEE your dress, you inspired me to be a Tea-Length Bride.
Sadly, my version of “quick meals” involves sending Mr. T for Chipotle or pizza…. But I just wanted to weigh in and say “hi” and “hope life is well”, Mrs Onion!
My go-to quick meal is stir-fry…especially since I got a mandolin which makes cutting veggies into even pieces extremely quick. Usually with just a simple sauce of soy sauce/mirin or maybe a pre-made sauce.
Thanks for this!! This is awesome. I might make one of your reciepes tomorrow!!
Though it is not my blog, everything on this website turns out soooo great: http://www.elise.com/recipes/
I second the quesadilla recommendation!
Yum! Those all sound great!
My fave quick one-pot recipe is my jambalaya. My FH doesn’t like shrimp, so I make it with only sausage. It is ridiculously easy and fool-proof.
1 lb pre-cooked sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I like smoked turkey sausage cuz it’s somewhat healthy, but if you like spicy use Andouille)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, unsalted
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (we loooove garlic)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you’re not using Andouille, or if you are and you like it really spicy)
1 1/2 cup instant brown rice (I just use Uncle Ben’s)
2 1/2 cup chicken stock
Melt butter in a large sautepan. Saute sausage in large saucepan over medium-high heat in butter until sausage starts browning at the edges. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute (don’t burn the garlic!). Mix in tomatoes, paprika, and optional cayenne pepper. Salt to taste (be sparing with the salt if you’re using salty sausage, salted butter, or salty chicken stock).
Mix in rice and saute until rice is well coated, about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer until rice is done (about 10 mins for the instant rice…or follow the directions for the rice you’re using).
Once it’s done, remove the bay leaf, and enjoy!
My aunt wins chili contests all over the place with her chili, which starts with shredding a rotisserie chicken. Add a jar of salsa, a can of beans, and some shredded cheese. Done!
My favorite cheat is fish tacos made with fish sticks–flour tortillas, shredded cheese, salsa, bagged salad–so lazy, but so good!
Easy Chicken Casserole
I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like this recipe : )
3-4 chicken breasts, diced/shredded
1 c sour cream
1 can of cream of mushroom OR cream of chicken
ritz crackers
small can of water chesnuts (optional)
butter
Combine chicken, sour cream, water chesnuts (optional) and soup with a little salt and pepper. Put in a pan and spread crushed ritz crackers over casserole. Drizzle butter on top to keep crackers from burning while cooking.
Cook at 350 for 30 min. or until bubbly on sides.
Yummy : )
this is awesome! I’ve been struggling with what to cook for the hubs (of 1 month) after a long day at work. keep the recipes coming gals! 
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Miss Onion, NYC/Burlington, VT
Age and Occupation: 27, PR & Marketing and Jazz Singer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Data Analyst
Engagement Date: April 2, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2007
Blogging Since: July 11, 2007
Venue: Restaurant in Burlington
About Me: I didn't think I'd be "that girl," but I am having so much fun planning our wedding (mostly by myself). I'm a PR and Marketing Director for a major jazz festival and camp by day, and by night, a romantic jazz singer and bride-to-be! I hope all my research can help other brides in their planning.
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