These were exactly what I wanted and I knew it! They were so delicious, in fact, that I ate more than one. But less than two.
skinny sloppy joes (adapted from skinnytaste)
1 pound lean ground beef (the good stuff- lean and without antibiotics or hormones)
1 tablespoon steak seasoning
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Chop the onion and red bell pepper until minced. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season the meat with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns. Add onion, garlic and red peppers to the skillet. Add the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until everything is well combined. Simmer 5 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop mixture onto toasted whole wheat hamburger buns.
The flavor of this dish was OUTSTANDING! My little culinary queens from culinary camp used the marinara sauce they made the day before (it was a 5-day camp) to make this baked chicken parmesan and I am sure it was their marinara sauce which made this dish shine. My only complaint was the chicken. I have always bought Foster Farms chicken from Costco. I got a really bad batch that was tough and stringy. Had we known we would've pounded out the chicken to tenderize it. The whole bag was that way. Disappointing.
baked chicken parmesan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used the thin sliced from Costco)
3/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
handful of mozzarella cheese
1 cup classic marinara sauce (use the homemade recipe found on this blog!!)
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on a plate. Melt the butter in a shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast into the butter (both sides) then dip both sides into the breadcrumb mixture. Place each piece in the casserole dish.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove chicken from the oven and spoon some marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each chicken breast with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
I planned to teach a cooking camp the week my oldest left for college as a distraction. It turned out to be a great distraction. One of the recipes my little culinary queens made was this classic marinara sauce. The next day they used it to make baked chicken parmesan, which was divine.
This sauce is so good I made it tonight and served it over tortellini. I'm going to declare it Hall of Fame.
classic marinara sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, strongly recommended
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes (and fresh basil if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.
