Tag: #Recipes

Posted in From My Kitchen

Ultimate Ragu Sauce Recipe for Comfort Food Lovers

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

This rich, slow-simmered ragu sauce contains hearty meat. It includes tangy tomatoes. Aromatic herbs make it deeply flavorful. This sauce elevates any plate of pasta.

This homemade ragu sauce is rich, hearty, and deeply satisfying. It is the ultimate comfort food for anyone craving a meal that tastes both indulgent and homey. The sauce is slow-simmered and layered with ground beef, pork, and smoky bacon. It is infused with aromatics like garlic and thyme. A splash of cream finishes it for a velvety texture. It clings to pasta in the most irresistible way, making every bite a perfect balance of savory, sweet and umami. Serve it up for a cozy night in. You can also prepare it for a special family meal. This ragu recipe is sure to be the star of the table.

Ragu Sauce Ingredients

Ingredients To Make Ragu Sauce
Sonia Bozzo for Taste of Home
  • Ground beef: The beef adds a rich, meaty flavor to the sauce and provides a hearty texture.
  • Ground pork: This ingredient contributes additional fat and flavor, which helps create a tender and flavorful sauce.
  • Bacon: The bacon adds a smoky, salty depth that enhances the overall savory taste.
  • Onions: Chopped onions release sweetness and add depth as they caramelize during cooking.
  • Celery: This vegetable adds a subtle earthiness and helps balance the richness of the meats.
  • Carrots: Carrots bring natural sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomatoes.
  • Garlic: The minced garlic infuses the sauce with bold, aromatic flavors.
  • Dry red wine or beef broth: The liquid deglazes the pan, lifting flavorful bits from the bottom and adding depth to the sauce.
  • Crushed tomatoes: These provide the base of the sauce, offering body and a fresh tomato flavor.
  • Tomato sauce: Tomato sauce smooths the texture and adds a rich, concentrated tomato taste.
  • Tomato paste: The paste intensifies the tomato flavor while helping to thicken the sauce.
  • Bay leaves: These impart a subtle herbal aroma as the sauce simmers.
  • Sugar: A small amount of sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes, making the sauce more well-rounded.
  • Salt: Salt brings out the flavors of all the ingredients, enhancing the overall taste.
  • Dried thyme: This herb adds an earthy, slightly minty note to complement the meat.
  • Dried oregano: The oregano provides a classic Italian herb flavor with hints of peppery bitterness.
  • Ground cumin: Cumin brings a warm, earthy undertone to the sauce, providing depth and complexity to the overall flavor profile.
  • Nutmeg: Nutmeg contributes a subtle sweetness and warmth, enhancing the richness of the meat.
  • Pepper: This spice adds warmth, complexity and a touch of heat to the sauce.
  • Heavy whipping cream: The cream gives the sauce a luxurious, velvety texture with a hint of sweetness.
  • Butter: A touch of butter adds richness and smoothness to create a luscious final texture.
  • Fresh parsley: Parsley brings a bright, fresh contrast to the richness of the sauce.
  • Grated Parmesan cheese: Parmesan adds umami, along with a salty, nutty flavor that ties all the ingredients together.
  • Cooked pasta: The pasta serves as the ideal base, absorbing the rich, flavorful sauce. Use your favorite brand of dried pasta, or make fresh pasta.

Taste of Home

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”

Delicious Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Our orange olive oil cake recipe makes a simple yet flavorful snacking cake that everyone will love. In my house, I always have to bake a double batch.

A few years ago, two friends from my culinary school days came to visit me for the weekend. In preparation for my house guests, I deep cleaned, bought fresh flowers and baked an orange olive oil cake.

My friends were still a few hours away. I decided that no one would mind if I tried a slice of the cake. Quality control, right? Well, that was a huge mistake, because I fell in love.

The cake was tender and soft. The presence of orange was playful and bright with the fruity olive oil. There was just enough sugar to impart a hint of sweetness. It avoided a full-blown sugar rush—the marker of a true snacking cake. One slice turned into two, three, four. Before I knew it, half the cake was gone. And then my friends showed up.

I told them what happened. They laughed, then grabbed two forks and tried the cake for themselves. Laughter turned into shock, and I was jokingly berated all weekend for barely saving them “the best cake in existence.”

Every reunion weekend after that, my friends have requested the cake—with no slices taken out beforehand. And, yes, I learned my lesson: Always bake a double batch of this orange olive oil cake recipe. One for them, one for me.

Taste of Home

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”

Posted in From My Kitchen

Delicious Meals You Can Make in Minutes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

You’re home from work and everyone’s hungry. Here’s what you can make in a jiff with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and pantry.

Taste of Home

Posted in From My Kitchen

75 Budget-Friendly Weeknight Dinner Recipes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

You don’t have to spend a lot to make something delicious. It can be on your table in an hour or less. Save money by choosing cheaper proteins like chicken, ground beef, turkey, or vegetarian options. Save time by making these dishes all in one pan or using some of our top kitchen shortcuts. Whatever your style, these 83 cheap and easy meals will please your entire family without breaking the bank.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on dinner costs is to go for cheaper cuts of meat. You can also utilize more expensive ones in creative ways. Try adding ground beef, turkey, or chicken to help bulk out old standbys. Try roasting a whole chicken. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken. Utilize it for everything from pizza to tacos all week long. Try adding more expensive seafood or steak to pasta or rice to help make smaller, more affordable portions go further, like in our salmon & potato skillet or our creamy steak fettuccine. It’s all about the way you use the protein that matters, not avoiding them altogether.

If you’ve been on the fence about certain kitchen appliances, like slow cookers, air fryers, and Instant Pots, consider this your sign to take the plunge and get one. They help dinners come together SO fast. Check out our more in-depth lists for your air fryer (over 100 recipes!), Instant Pot, and Crockpot.

Even if you’re not ready for another appliance, we bet you have some things in your kitchen already that’ll help you get dinner on the table fast, like sheet pans, a Dutch oven, and casserole dishes. We’ve included a number of our favorite recipes here, like our sheet-pan garlicky shrimp & veggies, our hamburger casserole (no more flipping individual burgers!), or our Mexican beef ‘n rice skillet, but once you’ve got the basics down, feel free to get creative.

One of the best ways to save some money is to go meatless (and not just on Mondays). And we don’t mean by replacing proteins with all those high-priced meat substitutes (though we’re all about those sometimes)—instead we’re talking about making vegetarian meals out of cheap beans, tofu, and plants. Try our Indian butter chickpeas, our BBQ pulled mushrooms, our sesame tofu & broccoli stir-fry, or our vegan crunchwraps to see how versatile and filling these meals can be.

Want more cheap and easy meals? Check out our favorite 5-ingredient meals, our top 30-minute meals, and former food editor June’s entire Budget Eats series. You won’t believe what she came up with for under $25!

delish

Posted in #allrecipes

Champion Chili Recipes for Winning Cook-Offs

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

These top-rated recipes are tried-and-true chili cook-off winners. And they could be your ticket to a blue ribbon, too. From classics to spicy new favorites, you’ll want to try all of these prize-winning chili recipes.

  • Boilermaker Tailgate Chili
  • Debdoozie’s Blue Ribbon Chili
  • Fusion Chili
  • Best Damn Chili

Allrecipes