Tag: Easy Weeknight Recipes

Italian Sausage Low Carb Soup Recipe

Low carb , keto friendly Italian Sausage soup. So flavorful and filling! #italiansausage #keto #lowcarb

 

Some people might say this Italian Sausage Low Carb Soup is similar to the super famous Olive Garden Zuppa Tuscana. I have never had that soup, so I’m not sure! It is amazing though and a total crowd pleaser!

You can make this Italian Sausage Low Carb soup in your slow cooker or your Instant Pot. We love our Instant Pot!

Italian Sausage Low Carb Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Italian Sausage (purchase crumbled or just remove from casing)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bag frozen cauliflower (or cut up small chunks of fresh cauliflower)
  • 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 Bag Baby Spinach (or Kale)
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 6 slices bacon
  • Red Pepper flakes (optional…you might just leave these out for everyone to individually add to their bowls)

 

Slow Cooker Directions:

  1. Cut up your bacon into small pieces and cook in a large pan. Remove from pan when crispy, saving bacon grease. Set aside to top your soup later.
  2. In the same pan, brown and crumble your sausage. Add your onions and garlic and cook through until meat is fully browned and onions are translucent.
  3. Add italian seasoning and salt & pepper to taste
  4. Add meat mixture, cauliflower and 8 cups chicken broth to your slow cooker
  5. Slow Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  6. About 30 minutes before you plan to serve, you’ll add your cream, Parmesan and spinach or kale. Whether your pot was on high/low, turn it up to high for the last 30 minutes.
  7. Enjoy topped with bacon and red pepper flakes if your heart desires!

 

Instant Pot Adjustments:

  1. Saute your bacon pieces while your pot is on the “saute” feature
  2. Remove your bacon pieces and set them aside for toppings. Do not drain grease.
  3. Brown and crumble your sausage. Add your onions and garlic and cook through until meat is fully browned and onions are translucent.
  4. Add italian seasoning and salt & pepper to taste
  5. Add 8 cups chicken broth to your Instant Pot
  6. Seal your Instant Pot and press “Soup”!
  7. Meanwhile, go ahead and steam your cauliflower separately.
  8. Allow your Instanat Pot to Natural Release at least 10 minutes.
  9. Add your steamed cauliflower, cream, parmesan and spinach or kale and stir
  10. At this point you can either serve, or switch on the saute feature to let it thicken a bit.
  11. Enjoy topped with bacon and red pepper flakes if your heart desires!

 

Italian Sausage Low Carb Soup Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Italian Sausage (purchase crumbled or just remove from casing)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 bag frozen cauliflower (or cut up small chunks of fresh cauliflower)
  • 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 Bag Baby Spinach (or Kale)
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 6 slices bacon
  • Red Pepper flakes (optional…you might just leave these out for everyone to individually add to their bowls)
Instructions
  1. Cut up your bacon into small pieces and cook in a large pan. Remove from pan when crispy, saving bacon grease. Set aside to top your soup later.
  2. In the same pan, brown and crumble your sausage. Add your onions and garlic and cook through until meat is fully browned and onions are translucent.
  3. Add italian seasoning and salt & pepper to taste
  4. Add meat mixture, cauliflower and 8 cups chicken broth to your slow cooker
  5. Slow Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  6. About 30 minutes before you plan to serve, you’ll add your cream, Parmesan and spinach or kale. Whether your pot was on high/low, turn it up to high for the last 30 minutes.
  7. Enjoy topped with bacon and red pepper flakes if your heart desires!
Notes
Instant Pot adjustments: [br][br]Saute your bacon pieces while your pot is on the “saute” feature[br]Remove your bacon pieces and set them aside for toppings. Do not drain grease.[br]Brown and crumble your sausage. Add your onions and garlic and cook through until meat is fully browned and onions are translucent.[br]Add italian seasoning and salt & pepper to taste[br]Add 8 cups chicken broth to your Instant Pot[br]Seal your Instant Pot and press “Soup”![br]Allow your Instanat Pot to Natural Release at least 10 minutes.[br]Add your cream, parmesan and spinach or kale and stir[br]At this point you can either serve, or switch on the saute feature to let it thicken a bit.[br]Enjoy topped with bacon and red pepper flakes if your heart desires!
3.5.3229

You might also like:






Cheeseburger Meatloaf Low Carb/Keto Recipe

I love meatloaf, AND I love cheeseburgers. Mixing the two while on a low carb diet just makes sense!

This Cheeseburger Meatloaf is super simple to make. Easy to freeze and tastes great when you make it, OR the next day as leftovers!

Made with just a few super simple low carb/keto friendly ingredients, this is SURE to be a hit!

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

from Jam Hands

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds raw ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 small diced onion
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

Get the whole recipe here!

 

Low Carb Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Veggies Recipe

One pan meals have been hit or miss in this household. From what I have experienced, the key is acknowledging that it might take a BIT more attention than the recipe originally dictates. Sometimes you need to let the veggies cook for a bit before adding the meat.

That is the key with this recipe as well. This One Pan Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Veggies is AMAZING! But you will have to cook the veggies for a bit before you add the chicken.

I consider this a low carb meal and made a few changes from the original recipe (found on The Recipe Critic)

Here is my version of  Low Carb Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Veggies:

Low Carb Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Veggies

Inspired by The Recipe Critic

Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs (yes…not low carb, but such a small amount that I don’t sweat it. If you are super strict, you might attempt almond flour?)
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
  • 1/2 pound radishes

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Melt butter in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs (if you are being super strict..you could try almond flour and season it with Italian seasoning? I haven’t tried this yet though), garlic powder and the parmesan cheese
  3. Salt & Pepper your chicken and then dip the chicken into the butter followed by the parmesan cheese mixture. Set the chicken aside.
  4. In a large bowl or freezer bag, add your veggies and pour in the remaining parmesan mixture. Shake or toss the veggies to coat thoroughly. Put the veggies on a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes.
  5. Remove your veggies from the oven and space out your bite sized chicken pieces on then pan. Bake another 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  6. At this point  you can either take the pan out of broil it for a few minutes (watch carefully) to get everything a bit more crispy!
  7. Enjoy!

Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken Recipe

Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken

This Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken is keto and low carb! This keto and low carb chicken recipe is sure to be a hit with the entire family!

Looking for even more tasty low carb/keto recipes? Try these out:

Italian Sausage Low Carb Soup Recipe

Low Carb Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole Recipe

Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash!

Bacon Cheddar Low Carb Instant Pot Chicken Recipe

This smothered chicken recipe y’all…it’s so good! You’ll want to put this on the menu soon.

Since the new year, I have really been focusing on eating less carbs.

Not for a “fad” diet, but because my body (I have PCOS and I am hypothyroid) responds best to a diet with limited carbohydrates (this book is awesome if you want to learn more about why eating less carbs works).

I typically get bored doing this and “fall off the wagon” pretty quickly.

This time around though, something feels different! I honestly think the new Facebook food video trend has made this a more enjoyable experience. I have found a LOT of great ideas following Facebook pages that post food videos!

This smothered chicken recipe is no exception. I made mine slightly different then the video (based on what I had on hand), and it was amazing.

Oh and the leftovers?

I think I might double the recipe next time just to be sure we have leftovers. It was remarkable!

Eating low carb, I really rely on leftovers to be sure I have a nice filling lunch and honestly we loved this smothered chicken recipe so much, there was only one tiny piece of chicken left for us to fight over the next day!

This smothered chicken recipe is a great way to use boneless skinless chicken cutlets, but I think it would taste great with chicken thighs as well! I could drink this sauce for days.

Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken Recipe 

Inspired by My Incredible Recipes

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken cutlets (thin sliced chicken breast)
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon (cook your bacon in the oven or on a pan until crispy and crumble)
  • 6 slices mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup fresh spinach (plus more to serve your chicken over!)
  • 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (drained)
  • 1 teaspoon parsley ( I always have this on hand. I love it! I always waste parsley when I buy a big bunch of it in the store)
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • (Note: she puts Parmesan cheese in hers. I didn’t have any! If you have some freshly grated parm, she recommended 3/4 cup).

Directions: 

  1. Drizzle your pan with olive oil and heat it on medium heat.
  2. Meanwhile, salt & pepper your chicken very well.
  3. Put your chicken in the pan and brown and heat through. Set chicken aside in a container to keep warm
  4. Add the cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, salt & pepper (and optional parm cheese) and bring to a high simmer. Whisk until it thickens up and then add the spinach and sundried tomatoes.
  5. Once spinach wilts, add your chicken back in and cover with some of the sauce, mozzarella cheese slices and bacon. You might want to put a lid on your pan so the cheese can melt.
  6. Serve! I opted to serve on a bed of more spinach.

Yum! This was so tasty. It will most definitely be on our regular rotation. 3 out of 4 in our family loved it (which is the most I can typically ever expect!)

 

Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken Recipe
 
Ingredients
  • Creamy Garlic & Mozzarella Smothered Chicken Recipe 
  • Inspired by My Incredible Recipes
  • Ingredients: 
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken cutlets (thin sliced chicken breast)
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon (cook your bacon in the oven or on a pan until crispy and crumble)
  • 6 slices mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup fresh spinach (plus more to serve your chicken over!)
  • 1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (drained)
  • 1 teaspoon parsley ( I always have this on hand. I love it! I always waste parsley when I buy a big bunch of it in the store)
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • (Note: she puts Parmesan cheese in hers. I didn’t have any! If you have some freshly grated parm, she recommended 3/4 cup).
Instructions
  1. Drizzle your pan with olive oil and heat it on medium heat.
  2. Meanwhile, salt & pepper your chicken very well.
  3. Put your chicken in the pan and brown and heat through. Set chicken aside in a container to keep warm
  4. Add the cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, salt & pepper (and optional parm cheese) and bring to a high simmer. Whisk until it thickens up and then add the spinach and sundried tomatoes.
  5. Once spinach wilts, add your chicken back in and cover with some of the sauce, mozzarella cheese slices and bacon. You might want to put a lid on your pan so the cheese can melt.
  6. Serve! I opted to serve on a bed of more spinach.
 
3.5.3251

 

Don’t miss a SINGLE Deal! Be sure to Subscribe to Family Friendly Frugality by email and/or join the Family Friendly Frugality Facebook group!

Are you looking for more deals for mom? For the kids? For your home?

Do you want to learn how to save more money so you have more money to spend on your wants? Maybe you just want to save more money to finally build up a safety net, or emergency fund! Let me teach you how you can give yourself a raise today! 

You might also like:

 

Greek Chicken Salad Recipe

Do you love chicken salad? If so, you’ll love this Greek Chicken salad!

This is great on crackers or on toasted bread.

Greek Chicken Salad

Inspired by Nature’s Own Bread

Ingredients: 

  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat  yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • 1 cup diced chicken breast
  • 1/3 cup diced English Hothouse Cucumber
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions: 

  1. Mix oregano, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and cheese together in a large bowl.
  2. Add chicken, cucumber and onion
  3. Chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • 1 cup diced chicken breast
  • 1/3 cup diced English Hothouse Cucumber
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
  1. Mix oregano, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and cheese together in a large bowl.
  2. Add chicken, cucumber and onion
  3. Chill until ready to serve.
3.5.3208

 

Easy Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

I know that spring has finally sprung and you might be starting to think of tasty warm weather meals. Salads, sandwiches, grilled items and more!

Stick with me though, because this soup is so good and SO simple that it is something you’ll want in your back pocket for year round use.

This Tomato Basil Slow Cooker Soup is so tasty and so rich. Pair it with a simple grilled cheese sandwich or a salad for a nice filling meal.

(NOTE: This is NOT a low fat soup! You could try to “lighten” it, but I don’t guarantee it will taste near as awesome!)

Tomato Basil Slow Cooker Soup

inspired by AllRecipes

Ingredients: 

  • 4 dice tomatoes (remove seeds, no need to peel)
  • 4 cups tomato juice (I used Campbell’s)
  • 12-14 leaves of basil
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Add tomatoes and tomato juice to crockpot, allow to simmer away until about an hour before you plan to eat
  2. Add basil and use either an immersion blender (I have this one and LOVE it) or a regular blender (this will be HOT) to puree the basil and tomato mixture together. If you removed the soup from the slow cooker to puree it, carefully pour it back in.
  3. Add cream and butter and mix together well. Salt and pepper to taste (tomato basil soup is typically fairly salty, so be generous!). Allow to slow cook for one more hour.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

This super easy french dip recipe will make you swear off restaurant french dip sandwiches forever! You make the meat for this french dip in your slow cooker. This results in the most flavorful and tender french dip meat you have ever tasted! You have to try this recipe…today!

These are so tasty. Full of flavor! There is nothing quite like coming home to a warm, toasty and cheesy sub at the end of a long day. The best part of this recipe is that it makes a TON of meat. Enough to feed a party, OR enough to freeze for multiple meals!

Experiment with the seasonings on this. I make it a bit different every time. I usually like to use tomato paste instead of ketchup, but the ketchup does the trick in a pinch.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Inspired by All Recipes

Ingredients: 

  • 4 lb Chuck Roast
  • 1 can Beef consomme
  • 1 packet french onion soup mix
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 bottle of dark beer (like Guinness)
  • 2 tablespoons Ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Dried Rosemary
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Sliced Provolone Cheese
  • Butter
  • 4 Sub Rolls (or as many as you need to feed your family…this recipe makes a LOT of meat)

Directions: 

  1. Add your chuck roast, beef consomme, packet of french onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, beer, ketchup, rosemary and salt and pepper to your slow cooker. Put on low for 7-8 hours
  2. About 30 minutes before you want to eat your dinner, pull the meat out and shred it. At this point, taste the au jus and see if it needs more seasoning (mine needed a bit more salt). Return the meat to the au jus to continue to cook for around 30 more minutes.
  3. Cut the bread into a “book” (slice lengthwise) and spread butter over the bread and broil until toasted (just a couple of minutes in my oven. Watch it closely!)
  4. When it’s time to eat, add some beef to each roll (a good generous amount!) and top with provolone cheese. Put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
  5. Serve with au jus for dipping.

This made enough for 3 whole meals for us. We ate one that night and I froze the remainder of the meat in 2 separate quart freezer bags for 2 more meals!

 

Cheesy Mashed Potato & Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Leftover mashed potatoes are a rarity in our household.

It happens though. From time to time, we end up with some leftover mashed potatoes and when we do, I make one of two recipes.

Either Shepard’s Pie (I’ll have to post the recipe for that one day!) or this tasty Cheesy Mashed Potato and Broccoli Casserole!

This is too easy! Use what you have on hand to make it your own.

Cheesy Mashed Potato and Broccoli Casserole

Adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients: 

  • Around 2 cups of Leftover Mashed Potatoes
  • 12 ounces broccoli florets (slightly steamed)
  • 2 cups cheddar or colby jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Lightly grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray.
  3. Spread mashed potatoes along the bottom of the casserole dish.
  4. Layer the steamed broccoli on top of the mashed potatoes. Top with cheese and ritz crackers.
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole Recipe

Do you love Tex Mex? Casseroles? Cheese? Then this is the casserole for you!

This casserole is so easy to assemble and it cooks up in about 30 minutes. You can prepare this early in the day and then pop it in the oven when you get home.

The leftovers are even BETTER than the finished product. This creamy casserole is super filling and easily adapted to suit your family’s needs.

Tex Mex Chicken Casserole 

Inspired from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients: 

  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 each diced red pepper and green pepper
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 3 cups cubed or shredded chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken would be a great shortcut to use here!) – Season your chicken when you cook it
  • 2 cans cream of chicken (find out how to make cream of chicken soup from scratch here)
  • 1 can Rotel (spiciness depends on your family’s preferences, I always buy mild)
  • 12 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch strips
  • 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick sautee pan and saute your onions and bell peppers until tender. Add the garlic and saute a bit longer. Salt and pepper your veggies before adding cream of chicken soup and rotel.
  3. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray. Add half of your tortilla strips to the bottom of your casserole dish. Layer half of your chicken mixture and half of the cheese on top. Repeat layers, ending with cheese on top.
  4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes

Enjoy!

I hope you love this wonderful casserole recipe! Serve with sour cream and/or guacamole!

Yum!

Ingredients
  • 1 diced onion
  • 1 each diced red pepper and green pepper
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 3 cups cubed or shredded chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken would be a great shortcut to use here!) – Season your chicken when you cook it
  • 2 cans cream of chicken (find out how to make cream of chicken soup from scratch here)
  • 1 can Rotel (spiciness depends on your family’s preferences, I always buy mild)
  • 12 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch strips
  • 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a non stick sautee pan and saute your onions and bell peppers until tender. Add the garlic and saute a bit longer. Salt and pepper your veggies before adding cream of chicken soup and rotel.
  3. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray. Add half of your tortilla strips to the bottom of your casserole dish. Layer half of your chicken mixture and half of the cheese on top. Repeat layers, ending with cheese on top.
  4. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes
3.5.3208

 

Exit mobile version