Saturday night suppers

[emptyspool]

I am looking for a menu to serve every Saturday night that is light, quick to fix and uses ingredients I don't have to shop for. My husband and I go out every
Friday night and we take the teenagers out every Sunday night for a family night (and forced conversation!!). So I need some ideas for a quick soup etc after a busy Saturday - Help!! I am in a cooking rut.

[Jeanne G]

ES-

How about home-made pizza? I have to admit that I bought pizza dough today - I think it was Pilsbury - but you "pop" it open. I usually make it home-made, but it DOES take time. If you bought it then made a couple easy different types, that would be fun. And each week you could (basically) eat the same thing only DIFFERENT! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif I am a pizza-eater and can eat it easily once a week! I know you should get lots of suggestions, and hope you find something good!!

JG

[Gail]

I was going to suggest linguini with clam sauce (my old standby for days when I don't want to cook.) Then I noticed the word "light" and figured you wouldn't want my recipe which is easy but uses rather a lot of olive oil. I haven't tried this recipe, but it is from CL and shouldn't require anything you wouldn't normally have on hand (or couldn't make a habit of keeping.) Add a salad, a little bread and a bottle of wine and presto, instant dinner.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce
"I'm an art teacher, and because my husband is a personal trainer and bodybuilder, I train with him. We are very conscious of what we eat, so our dinners at home are almost all Cooking Light recipes. This linguine is an old recipe of mine that I altered to reduce the fat and calories."

1 (10-ounce) can whole baby clams, undrained
2 tablespoons light butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (61/2-ounce) can minced clams, drained
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
Thyme sprigs (optional)


Drain baby clams in a sieve over a bowl, reserving juice. Heat butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in flour. Stir in the reserved clam juice, wine, chopped parsley, chopped thyme, and pepper, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the baby clams and the minced clams, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve clam sauce over pasta. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pasta and about 1/2 cup sauce).

CALORIES 328 (23% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 2.9g, mono 3.7g, poly 1g); PROTEIN 18.9g; CARB 44.9g; FIBER 2.40g; CHOL 53mg; IRON 19.70mg; SODIUM 265mg; CALC 75mg

[Gail]

Other thoughts just occurred to me: quiche perhaps (use frozen dough if that sounds like too much of a task.) Make a stew or chili or soup earlier in the week, break it into smaller portions and freeze. That way you just have to thaw your night's portion. I did a quick scan of CL's web site and looked up "onion." There were literally hundreds of recipes, many of which might meet your needs: soups, quiches, stews...

Good luck!

[MrsReber]

I was going to suggest pizza too! I had no idea what to make for dinner last Saturday so I made a nice salad and a pizza. My husband was thrilled! Last night I was in a bit of a rut again so I made potato soup and a loaf of bread (the bread took a while). Okay, too much starch, but it was filling and light. I should've had salad with the soup, but I am a carboholic. And, oddly enough, clam sauce is another standby for me. I just keep a few cans of clams in the cabinet. I saute some (lots of) garlic in olive oil, some parsley, a little wine and some locatelli cheese. Very easy.

[lorilei]

Quiche is definitely a nice (and quick) meal for a busy night. I've been known to make a mushroom quiche as a last minute meal, served with sauteed spinach and crusty bread.

Another quick favorite of ours is baked ziti. If I use frozen homeade sauce, or jarred spaghetti sauce, it's really just a matter of boiling up some noodles, mixing the ingredients together and baking it for 1/2 hour or so.

I also find myself whipping up quick mexican meals when I'm short on time. Onion quesadillas served with black beans and stir-fried summer squash is a favorite around here. Fajitas are also quick and filling!

[CrystalB]

Gail-
The recipe you posted for linguine w/clam sauce was the first CL recipe I ever made. It's a great dish, I've added chopped tomatoes/canned diced tomatoes to this recipe and it makes a great red clam sauce also! Fast and easy, it would actually make a great weekday meal.

[Linda I LIght]

I always have boneless, skinless chicken breast in the freezer and make a quick pasta with them. I saute up some garlic, yellow peppers, sundried tomatoes, and fresh mushrooms ( in olive oil) then add the chicken ( I cut it into bite size pieces). After I drain the pasta I add feta cheese to it and it melts nicely, then I add my veggie and chicken mixture and it's dinner. You can also add a salad and bread for a hungry crowd. Enjoy

[Jeanne G]

Gail and Crystal,

I does look good and reminds me of one my sister in law makes, but I must ask... where's the cheese? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif Really! Not that I'm a cheese-a-holic, but I would HAVE to add parm/romano!! Gail, what's YOUR recipe? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Thanks, Jeanne

[Gail]

Call me strange (it won't be the first time), but I prefer my linguini and clam sauce sans cheese. No reason you can't add it though! This is a pretty basic way of making linguini and clam sauce of the non-creamy variety, but it's certainly not light. Tasty and easy though...

WHITE CLAM SAUCE

1 garlic clove, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup clam juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Liberal amount of milled black pepper
1/3 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can (7 1/2 ounces) minced clams
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Sauté garlic in the oil until golden; flatten the halves, swish well in oil, then discard. Add clam juice, salt, three grindingsof pepper and the oregano; simmer for 5 minutes. Now add the canned clams with the juice, stir in well, and cook, uncovered, so liquid will reduce, just under 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and mix well. Toss cooked pasta with half the clam sauce. Serve the remainder spooned atop individual servings. Serves 4 to 6.

(From: The Complete Book of Pasta)

Gail notes: That's the original recipe which I don't follow precisely. Other than the clam juice, I really don't measure a thing. I sauté the garlic very slowly (sometimes more than one clove) and remove when it's starting to brown because I find the flavor of browned garlic distasteful in clam sauce. I also use a larger can of clams which I rinse thoroughly and don't use the liquid from the can. In addition, I prefer adding the parsley as a garnish atop the finished dish. There is no way on the face of the earth this recipe would serve 4 - 6 as an entree. (2 to 3 maximum.) Perhaps the author wrote the recipe assuming it would be served as a pasta course.

[emptyspool]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I like the clam pasta ideas - that would be new and different. We do pizzas fairly often. Also the potato soup and bread sounded easy too.
Thanks again

[laden]

What about cooking a soup in the crockpot all day? The CL 5 ingredient/ 15 minute cookbook has a wonderful chicken/sausage gumbo-type soup that I made a couple of weeks back. I'll post the recipe if you're interested. Very easy too.

[Jeanne G]

Gail,
Thanks for posting your recipe. And I will add cheese. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[BethH]

Gail,

Your recipe calls for clam juice, but you said you don't use the liquid from the can.

Is clam juice sold separately from canned clams? I'm thinking of trying this recipe but have never bought clams so am a little confused.

Are there certain brands of canned clams etc that are better than others?

Thanks in advance for helping the ignorant. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/confused.gif

[This message has been edited by BethH (edited 10-11-2000).]

[emptyspool]

The crock pot soup sounds great - I would love to see the recipe. Thanks

[Gail]

Hi Beth!

Yes, clam juice is sold separately from the clams. In this area, at least, it's a bottled product (8 ounce glass bottles) and is found in the same section as the canned seafood. Offhand, Snow's brand comes to mind, but who knows what brand is sold in your area. I tend to buy Snow's chopped or minced clams as well, but truthfully I've tried others with just as good results.

[mightyh]

I'd be interested in the crock pot chicken sausage gumbo soup recipe...

[mightyh]

I checked my cupboard last night and just happened tohave everything on hand to make the linguine with clam sauce recipe that Gail posted... It was really very good and so easy. Who knew?

Thanks for adding to my quick and easy recipe file!

[Gail]

Glad to help! Tell me, though... which one did you make? The CL one with the wine?

[mightyh]

Yes, the cl one. It was very good.

[JeanneW]

I'm hopping on this bandwagon a little late, but it's not Saturday night yet. What about tacos? That's one of my quick and brain-dead meals that I can put on the table in 20 minutes or so. I use the pre-made taco shells or you could make burritos with flour tortillas. Tacos are a weekly thing at our house. Yum.

[Ohioan]

And then there's always a nice frittata. Just saute up whatever veggies you have on hand with some onion and maybe some potato slices (peppers are especially good in this dish, as are, surprisingly enough, cauliflower and peas). When the veggies are softened, mix in some chopped tomato pieces (or halved cherry tomatoes) until they begin to give up their juices. Then beat your eggs with salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like, and pour over the veggies. When the eggs are browning on bottom and beginning to set on top, slip the pan under the broiler to cook the top. Sprinkling a little grated or shredded sharp cheese over the top before the broiling is nice, too.

If your skillet doesn't have an ovenproof handle, either wrap the handle in foil before putting it under the broiler or slide the frittata out of the skillet into a pie pan to finish cooking. Or just flip it like a pancake.

All you need with this one-skillet meal is some fresh bread and a big green salad. This is one of my standby suppers when I come home late, exhausted, and starving.

Cheers, Phoebe

[emptyspool]

I like the frittata idea - that will be a great one! thanks

[Emily Catherine Horton]

ES,

I've recently become quite addicted to smoked salmon, and have found that it's a really easy and so delicious way to add tons of flavor and nutrition to pasta. I usually cook up some whole wheat spaghetti, and while it's boiling, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil, then add asparagus and sliced shiitake mushrooms (I'm a mushroom addict too, but I've made this without them also). Just toss everything together with the salmon, (which I usually buy in packages from Whole Foods) and grate some Gruyere on top. Sorry this is kind of cryptic, but if you like salmon, this one is a great, easy winner.

Emily

[Lizz13.1]

I agree with the pizza idea...I have a recipie for BBQ Chicken Pizza that is quite good and quick. Also, on occasion, we do a "breakfast foods" night with pancakes etc. and PJ's with a movie...also, how about an appetizer night...