Creamy Ravioli & Pesto Gratin

Creamy Ravioli & Pesto Gratin via Real Simple

Real Simple's recipes using frozen cheese ravioli as the foundation are some of my favorites.  They're easy & inexpensive.  I think I'll add some leftover snap peas to this mixture before browning the top.  By the way, that's what a "gratin" (pronounced "GRAH-ten") is: something that's browned on the top, usually consisting of cheese & sometimes butter & breadcrumbs.  (Yes, please.)

Real Life

I love meals with 40 ingredients and 2 hours prep time as much as the next person (wait, no one else likes those?), but real life at our house has me down to a short amount of time to put dinner on the table and a small amount of money with which to do it.

I'm going to share something that might be a stretch for some of you: our grocery budget is $120 for two weeks (or $60/week) for our family of three.  Eating out is one of my favorite treats, but we budget $80 per two weeks for it.  When Rhet was a tiny bit younger and our budget was a tiny bit tighter, we spent $80 every two weeks on groceries.  This is breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  It can be done, people!

It recently occurred to me that it might be helpful to others to simply post how I make that happen from week to week.

Some of the meals we have eaten are super simple & easy (maybe even embarrassing...ahem, boxed Mac & Cheese), and some are favorite recipes full of delicious & healthy ingredients.  I plan to give full disclosure over the coming weeks.  And, bonus for you: it's the holiday season, so hopefully it will take some guesswork off of your plate when it comes down to what to eat for dinner.

Here is a sample our *real life* plans were for this week through next Tuesday:

MONDAY: Cheese Ravioli w/ Burst Tomatoes in Herbed Butter Sauce

(This was a creation from the brain of yours truly.  Prepare frozen ravioli according to packaged instructions.  In the meantime, put a pint of grape tomatoes in a hot skillet with a little olive oil and let them heat up & burst.  I then mashed mine with a masher to help them lose their tomato shape so my 3-yr-old daughter would eat them--hey, real life!  Add salt, pepper, oregano, & basil, and then 1/3-1/2 stick of butter about 1 Tablespoon at a time until I you have a bonafide sauce on your hands.  Transfer the cooked ravioli to the skillet and tossed with the sauce.)

TUESDAY: Gnocchi w/ Pesto, Green Beans, & Ricotta

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Soup

(This started with a recipe years ago and evolved into the one I make from memory today.  Dice 1 onion, 3 stalks celery, & 2 carrots, then saute in a little olive oil.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, and a little grated garlic.  Today, I put the cooked veggies in my small crock pot after lunchtime, added 1 box of chicken stock, and then turned on low until dinnertime.  It's simmering in the kitchen as I speak and it smells delicious!)

THURSDAY: Boxed Mac & Cheese

(Do you have a suuuuuper cheap go-to when you don't have time or money to spend on a meal?  This is my go-to.  40 cents at Aldi, baby, and my husband can make it if needed.)

FRIDAY:  Homemade Pizza
(Dough from this recipe, topped with pesto, grape tomatoes, & shredded mozzarella.)

SATURDAY: Leftovers; Date Night (out to eat)

SUNDAY: Out to Eat for lunch, Popcorn & Ice Cream for Dinner (a weekly tradition)

MONDAY: Pumpkin Ravioli (from Aldi) w/ Brown Butter Sage Sauce (recipe on package!)

TUESDAY: Leftovers/Clean out the fridge!

Ok, there it is.  Not super veggie-loaded this week because, in all honesty, I had to make a trip to the auto dealership instead of making my list during PDO this past Monday, and I was right out by an Aldi, so I just decided to make some quick dinner decisions on the fly.  Real life, people.  Hope it gives you some ideas this week!

Ravioli w/ Peas & Shallots

This Real Simple recipe is so easy you are going to feel like you are getting away with something.  And you are: a delicious dinner in 15 minutes.

* You might feel tempted to skip the lemon zest, but I urge you to spring the extra 50 cents tops for a lemon and add it.  This is a simple dish, and the zest gives it that light, fresh, spring-y "something" that it needs.

INGREDIENTS:

1 container/bag of your favorite cheese ravioli (fresh or frozen)

2 Tbsp butter

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 10-oz bag frozen peas

1 tsp grated lemon zest

salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook ravioli in salted boiling water according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining.

2. Meanwhile heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots & cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2-3 minutes.

3. Add peas, lemon zest, a big pinch of salt, a small pinch of pepper, & the reserved pasta water.  Cook, partially covered, until the peas are heated through, 3-4 minutes.

4. Serve the ravioli topped with the peas & shallots.

Cheese Ravioli w/ Mushrooms & Spinach

I made this for a Saturday lunch a couple weeks ago, and it was quick, easy, & just the right kind of warm/yummy after a chilly morning.  

I fix one thing for lunches or dinners at my house, and I have a newly-birthday-ed 3-year-old daughter.  She can eat what I serve or not eat it or eat part of it, and I try not to show that I notice which one of those options she chooses.  I try to casually praise when she tries something and has ended up eating almost the entire thing.  (If I praise too early, it becomes a "thing" and it is no longer cool to eat the mentioned item.)  When she was 1 & 2, I always served her milk with her meals--that way, if she didn't eat anything, I knew she got some protein in her.  Recently, we've all been drinking less milk, so I don't rely on it as my Plan B any longer...but she has had this meal routine long enough to know that she can usually pick around to find SOMETHING she likes in every meal.  I try to serve a fair balance of "questionable" items along with favorites.  

Ravioli w/ Mushrooms & Spinach is just that type of balanced meal.  And in this instance, my daughter said "I no like dat," with her nose scrunched up as soon as I put it in front of her.  (DO NOT REACT to this statement, friends.  It is a test.  IT IS ONLY A TEST.)  I said very casually (without even making eye contact), "Oh...well...try it...you might like it..."  (Ahhh, the age-old maternal mantra!)  She put a mushroom to the tip of her tongue, immediately dropped it on her plate, and said, "No, I no like dat."  I said (vaguely & optimistically), "Well, you don't have to eat it.  I think there's something in there you like, though.  How about the cheese ravioli?"  She proceded to pick around the mushrooms & spinach (which was never mentioned) and eat all of the ravioli.

Some people may feel this was a failed attempt at getting their kid to eat Ravioli w/ Mushrooms & Spinach.  I do not agree, however.  My child ate 2/3 of the meal, and inevitably some of the flavor and small bits of mushrooms or spinach were on the ravioli that she ate...and because I didn't flip a lid, she will likely try something in the next meal.  Baby steps, friends, baby steps.  

While we ALL have taste preferences (some of you may not like mushrooms...and some of you may still just think you don't like mushrooms!), I fall into the camp that believes that we should try things (without pressure) over & over, made in different ways before we can officially deem "I no like dat."  What is one way to make sure a child won't try something every again?  Make a big stinking deal about finishing every last bite of it.  

But it's wasted food!  There are a couple of options regarding this complaint: 

(1) Get over it--we waste things all the time.

(2) Put it in a tupperware with the rest of the leftovers and send it to work with yourself or your hubby the next day.

(3) Give it to the dog.  (Unless it has onions, grapes, or chocolate in it, which are bad for dogs.)

(I will add that if I know that my child doesn't like a particular food, and she hasn't liked it for the last 5 times in a row, then I leave it off of her plate but give her the option of trying it separately to see if she would like it incorporated.)

Without further ado, here is yet another opportunity for a food adventure with your family:

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg frozen cheese ravioli
3 tablespoons butter
Small palmful of breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
1 8-oz package sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A couple of handfuls of baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil a big pot of water, salt it, & cook your ravioli according to the packaged instructions.

2. In the meantime, heat 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add the breadcrumbs to the skillet & stir to incorporate with the butter.  Keep on heat for 2-3 minutes, until toasted.  Remove pan from heat, place breadcrumbs in a bowl off to the side, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel, and place the skillet back on the stovetop.

3. Add another 1 Tbsp of butter to the skillet to melt.  Add mushrooms & cook ab 8 mins, adding salt & pepper to taste.  When mushrooms are soft & browned, add the garlic, stirring for about 1 min.  Add a couple handfuls of spinach, & stir to wilt the spinach leaves.

4. By now, your ravioli should be done (or almost done).  Before draining, use a ladle to transfer 1/2 cup of pasta water to your skillet.  Stir, letting most of the liquid evaporate and thicken your mushroom mixture.  Turn off heat, and add last 1 Tbsp of butter, stirring to glaze the mixture with the butter as it melts.

5. Assemble your plate by layering ravioli on the bottom, then the mushroom & spinach mixture, topped with toasted breadcrumbs on top.

____

**Update: I was trying to use up some leftovers last night & combined meatballs & tomato sauce with cheese ravioli & mushrooms.  The kiddo ate it ALL.  You never know...

Week of Sunday, June 17, 2012

Orders due by noon on Friday, June 15th

Subscriptions closed for June--open for July on June 24th

Subscription Bread of the Week: Rosemary Focaccia
Subscription Dressing of the Week: Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. Chicken Tacos with Spicy Grape Salsa

• I know this sounds like a weird one, but wait until you try it!  A tangy red grape salsa with a touch of spice tops warm roasted chicken in a crunchy taco--the warm & chilled combo will be perfect for a warm night!
• {Preparation: Heat taco shells in oven, heat chicken in microwave, 10 mins total}

2. Ravioli with Peas & Shallots

• Cheese ravioli topped with a buttery (and slightly lemony) green peas and shallots.
• {Preparation: Cook ravioli, heat pea/shallot mixture in microwave, 15 mins total}

3. Pork Chops with Warm Plum Sauce

• Sweet and sour plums simmered into a sauce and spooned over salty, boneless pork chops.
• {Preparation: Heat pork and plum sauce together in oven, 15 mins total}

4. Greek-Style Bread Salad with Creamy Lemon-Caper Dressing

• Romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, and red onions topped with...you guessed it: a creamy lemon-caper dressing.  Topped with homemade garlic toasts.
• {Preparation: Heat toast in oven, toss salad together, 5 mins total}

5. Chorizo and White Cheese Pizza

• Crumbled chorizo and shredded Monterey Jack cheese melted on top of a homemade pizza crust.
• {Preparation: Heat in oven, 10 mins total}