4 minute read
Simple Skillet Meals
Simple Skillet Meals
By Lydia Zerby
Enjoy more time with family and friends when you simplify mealtime. Cooking your family delicious and flavor-filled recipes is easy when everything comes together in one skillet. These Iowa-inspired recipes, featuring nutritious proteins, are sure to become part of your regular meal plan.
Packed with flavor, skillet meals are the perfect way to combine proteins with vegetables, cheese, pasta, eggs and more to create a well-balanced dish. And with less to clean up, everyone wins! Knowing that Iowa’s farmers had a hand in creating many of the ingredients featured in these recipes makes each meal even more satisfying.
ONE-POT PASTA SKILLET
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2½ cups water
• 1 can (15 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and diced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 8 ounces cellentani pasta
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Additional basil for garnish
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and sear in skillet; transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
Add tomato sauce, water, red peppers, sugar, garlic powder, onion salt and pasta to skillet. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 14 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is soft.
Stir in fresh basil and cream cheese until smooth. Add pork and cook until pork reaches 145 degrees F.
Garnish with additional basil, serve warm.
Tip: Pork is rich in the B vitamins thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and pyroxidine (B6). The B vitamins help the body convert food into energy, are essential for brain and nervous system health, help make and repair DNA, and produce hormones and red blood cells.
EGG, CHICKEN AND ALMOND SKILLET
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
• ¼ onion, finely chopped
• 14 ounces canned chicken, chopped
• 2 drops of Tabasco sauce
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¾ cup half-and-half cream
• 1 entire chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
• ½ cup white wine
• 8 eggs
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Place butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and onion; saute until onion turns a light golden brown. Stir in chopped chicken. Add Tabasco sauce, chili powder, cream, bouillon cube, water and wine. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
Whisk eggs until well blended. Stir beaten eggs into chicken almond mixture. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until eggs are set and slightly glossy. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve hot.
ORECCHIETTE AND SWEET TURKEY SAUSAGE
• 6 ounces orecchiette pasta
• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• ¼ cup walnut pieces
• 8 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch (12 ounces) broccoli
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 ounces goat cheese
Cook orecchiette pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; drain.
While pasta cooks, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add walnuts and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer walnuts to a plate.
Add 4 teaspoons oil and sausage to skillet; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble sausage.
Add garlic cloves, broccoli and ½ cup reserved pasta water; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping skillet to loosen browned bits.
Add remaining ½ cup pasta water, cooked pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and toasted walnuts to skillet and toss to combine.
Sprinkle with goat cheese. Serve immediately.
Tip: Turkey sausage is versatile as its savory flavor pairs well with a wide range of dishes, from breakfast scrambles and omelets to pasta dishes, soups and stir-fries.
