A super simple recipe to make lazy skillet lasagna using ravioli! No need to boil the noodles separately, dirty a bunch of dishes, or make layers. This one-pot lasagna combines and cooks everything in one pot!

Hooray for one skillet lasagna!

It goes like this. Sometimes (read: most times), my love for good comfort food is borderline inappropriate. As soon as the weather is slightly more crisp than the day before, I am getting out the pasta and cheese and saying a final farewell to grilled chicken and salad. So, I ask you to feel all the feelings you get when a warm, cozy dish of lasagna is baking away in your oven. 

The way the house smells like cheese and ground beef cooked in tomato sauce mingling with garlic, Italian seasonings, and hints of fennel seeds. The warmth surrounding a dish of cheesy, melty, saucy, and noodle-y lasagna straight out of the oven. As it hits the table, you bring forth your plate for what you mentally beg to be one massive, bubbly, and cheesy slice. And of course, you have to serve this low-effort lasagna with the best garlic bread in the world and a salad because it’s healthy.

Are you feelin’ me now? 

So the minute I got my skillet lasagna recipe finalized and extra cheese, I was ready to bring it to y’all. Who doesn’t want to cut the prep time by half when it comes to making lasagna? I mean, super easy lasagna all the time? No need for layers, and everything cooks itself in one pot?

This is one pot lasagna reality, my friends.

Ingredients for easy skillet lasagna

• Ground beef: I like to use ground beef for my homemade ravioli lasagna, but you can also use ground turkey or chicken. Some people also like to use Italian sausage out of the casing for a classic lasagna, which would also work here. You could even do a split of ground beef and ground sausage. Depending on the type of meat you use, you may want to drain the excess grease so that the lasagna isn’t too greasy.
• Olive Oil: You’ll need a glug to saute the onions and garlic.
• Onions: We’ll add roughly 1 cup of diced onions once the ground beef has rendered its fat.
• Garlic: We’ll add 5 minced garlic cloves to the recipe. This makes sure that the lasagna is uber-flavorful!
• Seasonings: I like to use oregano instead of Italian seasoning for my lasagna recipe, although either would work here. You’ll also need red pepper flakes, sugar, and crushed fennel seeds. Feel free to omit the fennel if you used sausage with fennel already in the seasonings. It can become overpowering.
• Marinara or spaghetti sauce: I like to use store-bought marinara because it already has all the slow-simmered flavors of a lasagna built in. My favorite is this brand; I buy it in bulk from Costco!
• Crushed Tomatoes: No need to drain; add it right into the sauce!
• Chicken or Beef Broth: Either works for this recipe. Just be sure to use low sodium so that you can adjust the salt that’s needed in the recipe.
• Frozen Ravioli: I like using ricotta cheese ravioli, but any flavor you like will do. I usually opt for the ricotta or spinach variety to get extra veggies!
• Mozzarella Cheese: As always, I do recommend shredding your mozzarella for this recipe. Preshredded mozzarella doesn’t stretch the same way as a block does. If you must use pre-shredded mozzarella, I like the thick-cut variety from this brand. Otherwise, I usually ask the deli attendant to cut me a 1/2-pound block. And I’ll shred it at home on my box grater.
• Parsley and Parmesan Cheese: I like to use parsley for topping, but fresh basil works too. Use grated or shaved parmesan, whatever you have on hand!

How to make ravioli skillet lasagna:

1. Cook the meat first. First, heat a large cast iron skillet or oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook and crumble the ground beef to break up any large chunks. Then drizzle with olive oil if the meat is very lean. If you used a fattier ground beef, you may want to drain the additional grease so the lasagna isn’t too greasy.
2. Saute the aromatics. Add the onions and saute them for for a few minutes or until they are tender and translucent. Then add the garlic and let cook for 30 seconds before you sprinkle the seasonings over the other ingredients. Allow the spices to bloom in the oil, then add the marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth.
3. Simmer the sauce. Bring the marinara sauce to a boil, taste, then adjust with salt if the sauce is lacking severely. You don’t want it to be overly salty at this point because we’ll add the lasagna noodles, mozzarella, and parmesan, which all have sodium. Stir in the ravioli and bring the sauce back to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow the noodles to simmer for a few minutes until the ravioli heats through and the sauce reduces. This is the part where you bake a traditional lasagna. 
4. Finish and serve it up. Add the mozzarella cheese to the top, turn off the stove, cover, and let the cheese melt. You can also pop the skillet under the broiler for a few seconds to allow the cheese to get bubbly and golden the way it would on a traditional lasagna. Top with parsley and parmesan, and serve warm!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken
• Sun-dried Tomato Baked Salmon and Orzo
• Comforting One Pot Lasagna Soup
• All-Purpose Meat Sauce Recipe
• Tomato Mozzarella Baked Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Lazy Ravioli Skillet Lasagna

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

A super simple recipe to make lazy skillet lasagna using ravioli! No need to boil the noodles separately, dirty a bunch of dishes, or make layers. This one-pot lasagna combines and cooks everything in one pot!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground beef (turkey or chicken)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon EACH: crushed fennel seeds AND red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon EACH: dried oregano AND sugar
• 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara or spaghetti sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1 ¾ cup low sodium chicken broth (or beef)
• 20 ounce frozen ravioli (I like ricotta)
• 1 ½ cup cubed or shredded mozzarella cheese
• Parsley + parmesan for topping

Instructions

1. CRUMBLE: Heat a 4-quart cast iron skillet or oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, cook, and crumble for 5-7 minutes, breaking up large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil if the meat is very lean.
2. SAUTE: add the onions and cook for 7 minutes until tender and translucent. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, oregano, and sugar. Continue to cook for 60 seconds. Then add the marinara, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth.
3. SIMMER: Bring to a boil, taste, and add a little salt if it needs it. Then, add the ravioli to the skillet and allow the lasagna to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the ravioli is cooked.
4. FINISH AND SERVE: Add the mozzarella cheese on top, turn off the stove, and cover allow the cheese to melt for 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, you can pop the skillet under the broiler and broil for 30-60 seconds until the cheese turns golden. Top with parsley and parmesan, and serve warm.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 514Total Fat: 26gCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gProtein: 39g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

Have you made this recipe?

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This is the recipe for my family’s favorite sweet potato soufflé! We start by making a simple sweet potato mash. Then we loaded it up with eggs, a hint of cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste. Top it with a layer of brown sugar pecan crumble. It is TO DIE FOR!

This is the sweet potato casserole of your dreams!

It starts with a cinnamon and vanilla-scented sweet potato souffle. Don’t worry; you don’t have to boil or bake the sweet potatoes if you don’t want to – canned sweet potatoes work, too! We’ll push them through a ricer or mash them up and load them with melted butter, half and half, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs. 

But don’t let me forget to tell you about that jump lump streusel on top! I could honestly eat a basket full of that crunchy brown sugar-coated pecans.

Serious question: does your family serve multiple potato dishes at the Thanksgiving table too? Mine needs a mashed sweet potato, preferably in casserole form. But my asiago and roasted garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes also have a clutch hold on them. Especially if I serve them with my homemade gravy. I’m tempted to make scalloped potatoes or my twice-baked potato casserole one of these years, but I know the disappointment that would ensue if we had a table without mashed potatoes!

I know everyone has their favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving, but I have a feeling this one will become a family favorite for you too! 

Ingredients for a homemade sweet potato souffle:

• Sweet Potatoes: We’ll need almost two pounds of sweet potatoes. I like to use the kind with orange flesh so that the casserole has a vibrant orange hue.
• Butter: We’ll use the butter for both the sweet potato portion as well as the crumble topping. Both unsalted butter and salted will work for this recipe. I typically use salted butter to help balance the sweetness of the sweet potato mixture and crumb topping better.
• Half and Half: the half and half adds richness to the dish.
• Maple Syrup: the maple and brown sugar work together to add a bit of sweetness.
• Brown Sugar: we’ll use the brown sugar for both the casserole portion and the topping.
• Cinnamon: adding a pinch gives sweetness to this dessert-inspired casserole.
• Vanilla: you can use both vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste for this recipe. I personally prefer to use bean paste as the flavor is a bit richer, and the specks of vanilla make the casserole even more enjoyable!
• Kosher salt: cuts some of the sweetness from the ingredients.
• Large Eggs: will go into the souffle portion of the sweet potatoes. The protein in the eggs will help keep the souffle from being watery.
• All Purpose Flour: is used for the crumb topping.
• Pecans: we’ll use these for the pecan streusel topping. They add a nice crunch to the casserole.

How to make sweet potato souffle recipe:

1. Start with the sweet potatoes. You’ll want to peel and cube the potatoes first. Then, add them to a large pot and fill it with enough water to cover the potato chunks. Bring them to a boil and cook them until a fork pierces through them without much fork and they are tender! Drain the potatoes, add them to a large mixing bowl, and let them cool a bit.
2. Do all the prep. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven if you’re baking the casserole immediately.
3. Mash the potatoes. There are several ways to do this. You can use a hand mixer, a potato masher, or rice them through a ricer. I prefer the ricer, but the other methods work as well. 
4. Making the filling. To the mashed potatoes, add the melted butter, half and half, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, eggs, and mix until they are creamy. Spay a casserole dish with cooking spray. Then, transfer the filling to the baking dish. Now, you can wrap the casserole and pop it into the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
5. Top with the pecan streusel topping. In a medium bowl, mix the 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Melt the butter in a small bowl and pour this over the ingredients. I like to use a fork to fluff the topping until the butter and flour cling to the sugar and pecans mixture. Sprinkle this all over the casserole/
6. Bake and serve. Bake the souffle in a 350ºF oven until the casserole is golden brown. Let cool for several minutes before serving.

Other Thanksgiving side dishes:

• Garlic Butter Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Herb Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey
• Even Better Jiffy Corn Casserole
• Cheesy Cheddar Broccoli Pasta
• Best Herb Stuffing 

Other sweet potato recipes:

• How to Make Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Topping
• Homemade Sweet Potato Mash
• Autumn Crisp Apple Sweet Potato Salad
• Winter Detox Moroccan Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

Yield: serves 10-12

My Family's Favorite Sweet Potato Souffle

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

This is the recipe for my family's favorite sweet potato soufflé! We start by making a simple sweet potato mash. Then we loaded it up with eggs, a hint of cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste. Top it with a layer of brown sugar pecan crumble. It is TO DIE FOR!

Print

Ingredients

• 4 large (~1 ¾ pounds) sweet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• ½ cup half and half
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs

Topping:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Instructions

1. SWEET POTATOES: Peel and cube the potatoes into 2-inch chunks. Add the diced potatoes to a large pot. Fill with water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Add a couple of teaspoons of kosher salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat until the potatoes easily pierce with a knife and are tender; about 18-22 minutes. Drain and let the potatoes cool to room temperature.
2. PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF if you’re baking the soufflé immediately.
3. FILLING: In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with a potato masher, or you can rice them through a ricer. Then add the butter, half and half, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, kosher salt, and eggs.
4. DISH IT OUT: Transfer the prepared soufflé to an 8x12 baking dish and sprayed with cooking spray. You can also cover and refrigerate the soufflé for up to 1 day and then bake the day of.
5. TOP IT OFF: In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Pour the melted butter over the other ingredients and use a fork to fluff them until everything is moistened. Sprinkle this over the casserole.
6. BAKE: Bake the soufflé in a preheated oven for 28-32 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 16gCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gProtein: 4g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!

An even better version of the traditional Jiffy Corn Casserole! We’re swapping out one ingredient and making the best corn casserole your family has ever had! It’s got sweetness from the corn, cheesiness, and so much more!

Not another corn casserole recipe!

Oh, but it is. And it’s an even better version of the traditional Jiffy corn casserole because we’re introducing a new player to the game. And this one makes everything 10x better. 

I know what you’re thinking… she’s going to add cheddar cheese to the mix and think she reinvented the wheel. But no, that’s not it! Meet the Jiffy Corn Casserole with a puck of Boursin cheese.

Don’t worry! It’s still loaded with all the corn kernels and creamed corn you love, but we’ll swap out some of the sour cream with a puck of room-temperature Boursin…

And I’m willing to bet your family is going to love it as much as mine.

I’m not kidding. A couple of Thanksgivings ago, I ran short of sour cream. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And when I looked in the fridge to find something to substitute for this holiday staple, it came down to mayonnaise, Boursin, or Greek yogurt. I opted for Boursin because, well, it’s Boursin. 

And guess what? Best thing that’s ever happened to a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix.

Bake it all up in a casserole dish and just watch how quickly this becomes the new favorite Thanksgiving side dish. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get requests to make this corn souffle for Christmas dinners too!

Ingredients for a Jiffy Corn Casserole Recipe

• Jiffy Mix: This one is pretty self-explanatory! The cornbread mix typically contains ingredients like cornmeal, flour, and baking powder, amongst other ingredients and preservatives. A heads up for my vegetarian friends, be sure to get the box that’s marked vegetarian. Regular jiffy corn mix has some ingredients in it that makes it not vegetarian-friendly!
• Eggs: You’ll need a couple of eggs for this recipe. We’ll add them with all the wet ingredients. They add texture and stability to this savory, yet sweet casserole.
• Melted Butter: I like to use salted butter to help better balance the sweet and saltiness of this casserole. For a sweeter casserole, I do suggest you opt for salt-free or unsalted butter.
• Sour Cream: We’ll still add some to our casserole, but we’ll opt for ⅓ cup instead of the traditional recipe.
• Garlic and Herb cheese: You’ll need one 5.3 ounce puck of garlic and herb cheese. I prefer to use Boursin for this recipe as that’s what I’ve done for the last couple of Thanksgivings. You can swap this for other types of garlic and fine herb cheeses, but be sure that the texture is similar to that of gournay cheese.
• Whole Kernel Corn: I stick to the theme of canned ingredients here because canned corn and creamed corn and both pantry staples for me. You could also defrost sweet corn kernels and use those here instead if you prefer.
• Canned Creamed Corn: Creamed corn is made by combining pieces of whole corn kernels with milky mixture from immature pulped corn kernels scraped off the cob. You can typically find this ingredient next to canned corn in most grocery stores.
• Cooking Spray: You’ll want to use either butter or cooking spray to grease the baking dish with before we pour in the shuffle batter.

Homemade Cornbread Casserole Recipe

1. Prep the dish and the oven. Start by preheating the oven to 350ºF. Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside for now.
2. Melt the butter. Grab a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and melt the butter. You want to let the butter cool to room temperature before proceeding. Otherwise, you run the risk of scrambling the eggs. Once the butter is cooled, stir in the Boursin cheese until it melts into the butter.
3. Add all the remaining wet ingredients. Then add the drained corn kernels, creamed corn, sour cream, and eggs and mix until everything is combined.
4. Add the dry cornmeal. Fold in the corn muffin mix and stir until it’s just combined. Don’t overmix this.
5. Bake until golden. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the casserole until the center springs back, and you have no wet batter when you test the center with a toothpick. Let the casserole cool for several minutes before serving. It’s such an easy. side dish recipe!
6. Storing. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze them according to the directions below.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Green Bean Casserole
• Homemade Herb Butter Turkey
• Spoon Bread Casserole (aka Corn Pudding)
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Ground Beef Skillet Chili with Cornbread Crust

Yield: serves 8-9

Even Better Jiffy Corn Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

An even better version of the traditional Jiffy Corn Casserole! We're swapping out one ingredient and making the best corn casserole your family has ever had! It's got sweetness from the corn, cheesiness, and so much more!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• ½ cup salted butter, melted
• 1 (5.2 ounce) garlic and herb cheese puck (such as Boursin)
• ⅓ cup sour cream, room temp
• 1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
• Cooking spray, for the dish

Instructions

1. PREP: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside now.
2. MELT: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature. Stir in the Boursin until it melts into the butter.
3. WET INGREDIENTS: Add the drained corn kernels, creamed corn, sour cream, and eggs and mix until combined.
4. MIX: Then add the corn muffin mix and stir until just mixed. Don’t over-mix it!
5. BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center springs back with no wet batter when tested with a toothpick.. Let cool for several minutes before serving.

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Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!

A weeknight-friendly recipe for Gochujang Beef Bowls with Spicy Cucumber Salad. This Korean-inspired recipe is slightly sweet, spicy, savory, and so delicious! We love serving it over a bowl of rice with a simple crunchy cucumber salad.

Talk about a 30-minute flavor explosion.

These Korean beef bowls are one of our new favorite weeknight dinners. It starts with a pound of lean ground beef, lots of chopped scallions, an abundance of garlic, and a few sauces and seasonings that we’ll combine in a measuring cup and pour it over the the stir fry beef. The hint of sesame oil, the sweetness from brown sugar, and the heat from the gochujang chili paste honestly make this one of the most delicious rice bowls. And if you’re watching your calories or low-carbing it, you can serve these as lettuce wraps with cucumber salad on the side.

I’ve made a ton of Korean-inspired dishes in the past, like my Korean BBQ sauce or my instant pot beef bowls; there are also my Korean BBQ bowls. And one thing that all of these recipes have in common is that they do require more prep time. However, they are absolutely delicious and something to try! 

For this recipe, we skip the marinade entirely because the ground beef doesn’t really require time to break down. This tastes so incredibly delicious, and I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients for gochujang beef bowls:

• Ground Beef: I like to use 95-96% lean ground beef. This way, you don’t need to drain any excess grease from the pan. If you have ground beef with a higher fat percentage, you can still use it. I suggest you drain it once the beef has rendered off the fat to avoid the recipe becoming too greasy.
• Green onions: these are also called scallions or spring onions. You’ll want to separate the whites from the greens. We’ll saute the white portion and cook them down, and use the green portion to garnish with at the end.
• Garlic: I like to press the garlic through a garlic press to ensure the flavor is evenly dispersed through the meat. Feel free to use minced garlic here. 
• Brown sugar: Adds the much-needed sweetness to the recipe. It also helps balance out the heat from the tablespoons of gochujang paste. I should mention that you could swap the brown sugar for honey if you prefer.
• Low-sodium soy sauce: adds umami to the dish. It’s also our main source of sodium.
• Gochujang paste: this is readily available in most grocery stores these days. I found it in the international aisle. You can also purchase it online here.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds a smokey flavor to the ground beef recipe.
• Grated Ginger (or ginger paste): Works beautifully in enhancing all the other flavors.
• Gochugaru: sun-dried peppers that have been coarsely ground into flakes similar to red pepper flakes.
• Rice Vinegar: adds the acidic touch this recipe needs. It balances out the sweet brown sugar, the spicy gochujang, and the salty soy sauce.
• White Pepper: adds a unique flavor.
• Jasmine Rice: to serve the gochujang beef with. You could also use brown rice, other carbohydrates or serve this in lettuce wraps if you prefer.
• Toasted sesame seeds: Add a little texture over the ground beef. I also use them in my cucumber salad.
• Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and cucumbers make the cucumber salad that I love serving with this recipe. You’ll also need many of the other ingredients listed above.

Making Korean beef bowls: 

1. Mix it all together. In a glass measuring cup, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, sesame oil, ginger, gochugaru, rice vinegar, and white pepper. Whisk using a fork, and then set this aside for now.
2. Saute the ground beef. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the protein and cook and crumble the beef until it’s almost done. Add the white portion of the green onions and the garlic and saute it until it’s fragrant and the green onions have had a chance to wilt down a bit. 
3. Simmer in the sauce. Then, whisk the sauce and pour it into the skillet. Lower the heat and allow it to sizzle and thicken until it just clings to the ground beef. Top with the green portion of the scallions and lots of sesame seeds.
4. Serve this up.​​​​ Serve the ground beef in bowls over jasmine rice with the cucumber salad.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Quick Sesame Gochujang Noodles
• Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad
• Crazy Good Quick Garlic Noodles
• Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry
• Sizzling Jalapeno Chicken

Yield: serves 4

Gochujang Beef Bowls with Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

A weeknight-friendly recipe for Gochujang Beef Bowls with Spicy Cucumber Salad. This Korean-inspired recipe is slightly sweet, spicy, savory, and so delicious! We love serving it over a bowl of rice with a simple crunchy cucumber salad.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (95-96% lean)
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced (whites and greens separated)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1-2 tablespoon Gochujang paste
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons ginger paste
• ½ teaspoon gochugaru (or red pepper flakes)
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• Prepared jasmine rice, for serving
• Prepared cucumber salad, for serving (see notes)

Instructions

1. COMBINE: In a glass measuring cup, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and white pepper. Whisk with a fork and set aside for now.
2. SAUTE: Heat a 12-inch wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, cook and crumble the meat for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is no longer visibly raw. Add the white parts of the scallions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until the scallions start to soften.
3. SIMMER: Lower the heat to low, pour the sauce over the ground beef, stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 4-6 minutes or until the sauce thickens and clings to the ground beef. Remove from heat. Top with the green portion of the scallions or sesame seeds.
4. SERVE: Serve in bowls over prepared jasmine rice with the cucumber salad (see notes.)

Notes

• Spicy Cucumber Salad: Toss 5 sliced Persian cucumbers with ¼ thinly sliced white onion and 1 carrot cut into matchsticks in a sieve over a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain liquid from the bowl and transfer the veggies to the bowl. Add 1 clove minced garlic, 2 thinly sliced scallions, 2 tsp of gochugaru, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon gochujang, 2 tsp of toasted sesame oil, and 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds. Taste and adjust with a big pinch of salt or sugar or other ingredients as desired.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th recipe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 17gCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 34g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!

Creamy, Cheesy Cheddar Broccoli Pasta is the perfect side of the main dish for any meal! It’s cheddar cheese sauce loaded with al dente shells and tender, chopped broccoli florets, and it is glorious!

Call it a side or a main dish.

These cheddar broccoli pasta shells are honestly the perfect side to any meal. Whether you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu or looking for something quick to make for the whole family on a random Tuesday night, broccoli and cheddar shells totally fit the bill.

What I love most about this recipe is that it comes together in one pot! So we’ll boil the pasta, then add the broccoli to the same water. Drain everything and then make the golden brown cheese sauce in the same saucepan before we toss it all together in the most decadent and delicious cheese sauce. 

Would this work with your Thanksgiving turkey? YES. 

Would this work with sauteed garlic butter chicken? YES. 

Would this work with steak and shrimp? YES. 

Could you make a meal out of this with a salad? 100% YES.

It’s honestly the yummiest, most versatile dinner recipe loaded with veggies, creamy cheese sauce, al dente noodles, and all the comfort one wants from a broccoli and cheese dish! It’s mostly pantry staple ingredients and, honestly, even better than Panera’s broccoli cheddar mac and cheese.

Ingredients for cheddar broccoli pasta:

• Pasta: I like to use shells for this recipe, but you could use any pasta shape you like.
• Broccoli florets: I like to grab a bag of florets from the store that I just break down to make them roughly the same size as the shells.
• Butter: We’ll use the butter to make a roux with the flour. 
• Flour: We’ll use less flour so that it doesn’t affect the cheese sauce’s texture but still aids in thickening it.
• Half and Half: This is typically sold in the United States and is a 50:50 ratio of whole milk and heavy whipping cream. You can make your own half and half or use storebought.
• Cream Cheese: this ingredient aids in thickening the sauce further. I prefer to thicken the recipe with more cream cheese than flour because cream cheese doesn’t produce a gloopy sauce mixture.
• Chicken Bouillon: A sprinkle of granulated chicken bouillon adds so much flavor to the cheese mixture. The cheese flavor wouldn’t be as concentrated if we used liquid chicken broth. So I like using the granulated variety or a crumbled bouillon cube.
• Seasonings: This is my favorite blend for broccoli and shells. I use a smidge of ground nutmeg, some white pepper, and mustard powder. These ingredients work beautifully with cheddar cheese and add the best taste to the cheddar broccoli shells.
• Cheese: Feel free to play around with the cheese. I typically use a good medium cheddar, but this recipe would work with sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere, or even a handful of parmesan cheese and Swiss. If you aim to get that beautiful yellow hue, use more cheddar cheese and less of the other ones. Remember that it’s best to use freshly grated cheese for the best melty sauce.

How to make Panera’s broccoli cheddar mac and cheese:

1. Start with the pasta. You want to bring a large pot of water to boil. When boiling, salt the water generously so the pasta has plenty of flavor. Then add the pasta and cook for 30-60 seconds less than package directions. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli and boil in the pasta water. Be sure to save a cup of pasta water so that you can add it to the cheese sauce later as needed. Drain the broccoli and pasta and set aside for later.
2. Make the roux. Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Then add the flour and whisk, and cook the flour until lightly golden and toasty. 
3. Make the sauce. Add half and half to the flour mixture and continue to whisk. Add the cream cheese and whisk it in. It will slowly heat through and melt into the sauce. Season with the bouillon, nutmeg, white pepper, and mustard.
4. Adding in the cheese. When a bubble or two starts appearing on the surface of the sauce, turn off the burner. Slowly stir in the cheese, a little at a time, until it melts completely before adding in the next batch. This allows the cheese to melt, and you get the most luxurious sauce. 
5. Finish and serve. Once all of the cheese has been incorporated. add the pasta and broccoli. Add a small splash of pasta water if the sauce is thick. You can make it a bit soupy if you like it, like SpaghettiOs or a broccoli and cheddar soup. This would also be a good time to add other veggies like peas or steamed and squeezed spinach if you want to make this more veggie-loaded. Taste and adjust with salt as needed. Serve this warm!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Gruyere Mac and Cheese with French Onion Crust
• 5-Ingredient Mac and Cheese
• Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta (Pasta al Limone)
• Garlic Parmesan Orzo Risotto

Yield: Serves 8

Cheesy Cheddar Broccoli Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Creamy, Cheesy Cheddar Broccoli Pasta is the perfect side of the main dish for any meal! It's cheddar cheese sauce loaded with al dente shells and tender, chopped broccoli florets, and it is glorious!

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Ingredients

• ~2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
• 16 ounces medium pasta shells
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2½ cups half and half (see notes)
• ⅓ cup softened cream cheese
• ½ teaspoon granulated chicken buillion (or ½ bouillon cube, crumbled)
• ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper AND mustard powder
• 16 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)

Instructions

1. PASTA: Bring a large pot of water to boil. When boiling, salt the water generously. Add pasta and boil according to package directions, adding the broccoli to the water during the last 1 minute of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Drain the broccoli/pasta and set aside for now.
2. ROUX: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine, cooking the flour for 1-2 minutes or until it smells buttery and browns just a bit.
3. SAUCE: Slowly stream in the half and half as you whisk the roux. Continue doing so until all of the liquid is added to the roux. Add the cream cheese and continue to whisk until lump-free—season with bullion, nutmeg, white pepper, and mustard powder.
4. CHEESE: Turn off the burner. Add roughly ½ cup of cheese at a time and slowly stir it into the sauce so that it melts. Be patient; this requires quite a bit of stirring.
5. FINISH: Once the cheese is combined, add pasta and broccoli to the cheese sauce and stir. Heat the pot over low heat as you stir. Add a small splash of pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust with salt as needed. Serve warm.

Notes

• Half and Half: Half and half is a product sold in the US, which is a 50:50 combo of whole milk and heavy whipping cream use 1¼ cup of each if you can't find half and half.

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One Pan Sun-dried Tomato Baked Salmon Orzo Recipe that’s ready in around 35 minutes! Cook the orzo in broth, stir in baby spinach, and top with the salmon filets. Bake until the orzo is creamy and the salmon is tender!

It’s a one pot dinner kinda day!

This one not only has a minimum prep time, it also comes complete with sun-dried tomato and baby spinach flavored orzo in one pan! It’s totally giving Tuscan Chicken vibes. But it comes together in one pan with a pasta, veggies, and salmon.

We’ll start by making the salmon marinade in the same dish that you’ll bake the pasta in. Dip the salmon to coat both sides in the garlic and red pepper marinade. Then add the orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, and broth and let it cook in the oven until the orzo is almost done. We’ll top it with the salmon filets and bake a little longer. 

What you’re left with is an easy one pan salmon orzo dinner!

Ingredients for baked salmon orzo recipe:

• Salmon fillets: You’ll want to use 4-5 ounce fillets. Keep in mind that the cooking time will vary based on ounces of each salmon filet. You’ll want to reduce the cooking time for 4 ounces of salmon.
• Sun-dried Tomatoes: We’ll add sun-dried tomato oil to the marinade and then use the tomatoes themselves with the orzo and the pesto to give it tons of delicious flavor. If you don’t have the tomato that come packed in oil, you can swap it with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. But know that you’ll need to flavor the marinade with a few extra seasonings. The tomato oil really packs a flavorful punch!
• Melted Butter: use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of sodium in this recipe.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice helps flavor the marinade and is the acid that this recipe needs.
• Seasonings: You’ll need kosher salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. We’ll use all of these to flavor the marinade.
• Sun-dried tomato pesto: this is an ingredient that is readily available in most grocery stores these days. If you prefer to make your own, I have a recipe here.
• Garlic: we’ll mince a few cloves of garlic and add it to the orzo portion of the dish.
• Orzo pasta: You’ll need dry orzo pasta for this recipe. This is an ingredient that’s easily available in most grocery stores.
• Chicken Broth: I prefer to use low sodium chicken broth for this recipe and then adjust the sodium as needed.
• Parmesan Cheese: Adds umami and saltiness to the recipe. We’ll add the cheese, spinach, and cream once we remove the foil, right before. adding the salmon.
• Baby Spinach: Adds color and nutrients to the dish.
• Heavy Cream: Gives it a subtle hint of creaminess without being too much.
• Garnish: you can garnish this recipe with chopped parsley or chives. Any herbs that add subtle flavor will do!

Instructions for salmon orzo recipe:

• Make the marinade. Start by preheating the oven. While the oven heats through, we’ll combine the sun-dried tomato oil, butter, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes in the dish we plan on using for the orzo bake. Dip the salmon filets, flesh side down in the marinade. Then keep the fillets aside.
• Simmer the orzo. To the remaining marinade, add the pesto, tomatoes, fresh garlic, orzo and the broth. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil so that the orzo has a chance to boil and took through in the total time.
• Finish the dish.Remove the dish from the oven, you’ll notice the orzo looks watery, but don’t worry! Stir in the parmesan, spinach and cream. Place the marinated salmon on. top and let the dish cook until the salmon is tender and the orzo is al dente. Remove from the oven and top with parsley or other fresh herbs.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Tomato Basil and Feta Cheese Orzo Salad
• Roasted Garlic Italian Couscous Salad with Olives
• Skillet Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad
• Garlic Butter Baked Salmon in Foil
• Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

Yield: Serves 4

Sun-dried Tomato Baked Salmon Orzo Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

One Pan Sun-dried Tomato Baked Salmon Orzo Recipe that's ready in around 35 minutes! Cook the orzo in broth, stir in baby spinach, and top with the salmon filets. Bake until the orzo is creamy and the salmon is tender!

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Ingredients

• 4 (4-5 ounce) salmon fillets
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (+ 2tbsp oil)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto (homemade or store-bought)
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 12 ounces dry orzo
• 2 ¾ cup chicken broth (or vegetable)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ cups baby spinach, chopped
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add the sundried tomato oil, melted butter, lemon juice, kosher salt, garlic powder, and pepper flakes, to a 12x9 baking dish and whisk it together.
2. MARINATE: Dip or brush the salmon filets with the marinade (leaving most of it in the pan.) Set the salmon filets aside for now on a plate.
3. BAKE: To the remaining marinade in the pan, add pesto, sun-dried tomato slices, garlic, orzo and the broth, cover with a tight fitting lid or with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
4. STIR: Remove the dish from the oven, stir in the parmesan, baby spinach, and heavy cream until combined.
5. TOP: Place the salmon filets over the orzo and veggies, and roast uncovered for another 12-18 minute depending on the thickness of the filet and how well done you like your salmon.
6. SERVE: Serve the salmon filets with the orzo and enjoy!

Notes

• Swaps: feel free to swap the tomato pesto for basil pesto if that's more your thing.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: if yours didn't come packed in oil, you can still use them but you'll need to amp up seasonings for the salmon a bit and swap the oil for olive oil.

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Blackened Hot Honey Salmon is my favorite salmon recipe right now! It’s so quick and easy to make with just 7 ingredients! This is the perfect quick and easy salmon dinner for when you want something gourmet without having to put in a ton of work! Make it on the stovetop or the oven!

Drizzle that hot honey all over the salmon!

Blackened hot honey salmon is one of those quick and easy dinners I find myself making over and over again! It’s great if you want to serve the salmon and broccoli on its own. But even better in a bowl with rice. The flavors are spicy and sweet but then you get a hit of umami from the parmesan broccoli and the whole thing is just *chef’s kiss* Your taste buds are going to thank you!

I know I’ve shared my quick and easy cajun salmon bites that I cut into cubes and toss in the air fryer. And these are super similar! But we hit them at the end with a little homemade hot honey and all of a sudden, we have a completely different flavor to the whole thing!

Start by brushing the salmon with melted butter before you season it with blackened seasoning. Then, pan-fry the salmon or toss it in the oven with parmesan broccoli and watch how quickly this cooks up! Drizzle with homemade hot honey when the fillets are warm out of the oven!

Ingredients for blackened hot honey salmon:

• Salmon Fillets: I like to use about a 5-ounce filet for each portion of this recipe. I typically grab a larger filet and then cut it into 4 pieces. You can also purchase premade filets to make your life easier! Keep in mind the recipe timings are for a 5-ounce filet, so if you use a 4 or 6-ounce, the timing will vary slightly.
• Blackened Seasoning: I use a store-bought blackened seasoning, though I have shared a homemade version with my blackened salmon tacos before if you prefer to make your own! Cajun or creole seasoning also works just fine for this recipe. Keep in mind that if you use a salt-free seasoning, you’ll want to add a teaspoon of kosher salt to the seasoning mix before you sprinkle it on the salmon.
• Garlic Powder: Adds a bit more garlic flavor to the seasoning mix.
• Butter: We’ll use the butter to saute the salmon in a skillet or to brush on the fillets before you bake them in the oven. The rest will get tossed with the broccoli. Olive oil would also work here if you prefer to keep things a little lighter!
• Broccoli florets: Broccoli adds color and crunch to this recipe. If you aren’t a fan, you can prepare the salmon and omit the broccoli and its ingredients from the recipe. A kale salad would also make a great side for this recipe!
• Grated Parmesan: Adds umami to the recipe. We’ll toss the broccoli with the parmesan and it becomes so golden and delicious in the oven!
• Hot Honey: I make homemade hot honey for this recipe, but store-bought will also work. My hot honey recipe contains ingredients like cayenne, jalapenos or red pepper flakes, honey, and a splash of hot sauce. Just bring everything to a simmer over medium heat. You can find the full recipe here. Hot honey is a great condiment to use on chicken fingers, pizza, fries, and on a cheese board.
• Rice or quinoa: These are optional serving suggestions!

How to make hot honey salmon:

1. Get the oven going. Whenever I make salmon, I like to remove it from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. Start by preheating your oven. You’ll also want to line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Prepare the salmon to roast or pan-fry. Brush the filets with a bit of melted butter. In a small bowl, combine some of the blackened seasoning with the garlic powder. Then sprinkle this on the filets. Arrange the salmon on one half of the baking sheet leaving space for the broccoli, you can also place the salmon in the middle and arrange the broccoli around it, it is totally your call!
3. Toss the broccoli. In a medium bowl, toss the remaining butter with the broccoli, a bit more of the blackened seasoning, and the grated parmesan. Pop the broccoli on the same baking sheet.
4. Roast it in the oven. Roast the salmon and broccoli until the salmon filets are almost cooked through and the broccoli is golden. Drizzle the filets with hot honey and you can also add some to the broccoli if you’d like. I like to broil it for the last few seconds to get a little bit more color on top. If you don’t want to make the salmon in the oven, I’ve also provided directions for how to make the protein on the stove!
5. Serve this up. Top bowls of rice with salmon filets and roasted broccoli. Serve top with more hot honey if you’d like!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Chili Crisp Salmon with Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad
• Garlic Butter Baked Salmon in Foil
• Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Thai Sweet Chili Salmon Bowls
• Sesame Citrus Glazed Salmon

Yield: Serves 4

Blackened Hot Honey Salmon with Broccoli

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Blackened Hot Honey Salmon is my favorite salmon recipe right now! It's so quick and easy to make with just 7 ingredients! This is the perfect quick and easy salmon dinner for when you want something gourmet without having to put in a ton of work! Make it on the stovetop or the oven!

Print

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) ounces salmon filets
• 3 teaspoons blackened seasoning (or cajun/creole)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 3-4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
• 2-4 tablespoons hot honey (or store-bought)
• Prepared rice, for serving

Instructions

1. PREP: Remove the salmon from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF.
2. BRUSH AND SPRINKLE: Brush salmon filets with a bit of melted butter. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of blackened seasoning with the garlic powder. Then sprinkle this on the filets. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the salmon on one half of the baking sheet leaving space for the broccoli.
3. TOSS: In a medium bowl, toss the remaining butter with the broccoli and 1 teaspoon of blackened seasoning along with the grated parmesan. Place the broccoli on the other half of the baking sheet.
4. ROAST: Roast the salmon and broccoli for 10-15 minutes or until the salmon filets are almost cooked through and the broccoli is golden. Drizzle 2-4 tbsp hot honey or each of the filets and some on the broccoli. Broil for the last 20-60 seconds or until golden.
5. SERVE: Top bowls of rice with salmon filets and roasted broccoli. Serve top with more hot honey as desired.

Notes

• Skillet directions: You can also make the salmon in a skillet. Instead of brushing the filets with butter, I like to sprinkle them with the seasoning mix and then melt 1 tbsp of butter in the skillet directly. Place the salmon filets skin side up and cook for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. Drizzle with roughly 2 tbsp of hot honey and remove the salmon from the stovetop immediately to keep it from browning.
• Air fryer: I usually make the broccoli in the air fryer when I’m making the salmon stove top. Preheat the air fryer to 375ºF. Transfer broccoli to the basket and cook for 9 minutes, tossing around the halfway mark. Hit the broccoli with 1-2 tbsp of hot honey for the last 30 seconds of browning.

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Learn how to make hot honey at home with only 4 ingredients! This recipe makes an easy hot honey that’s a great condiment for dipping fried chicken fingers or chicken wings, drizzle on pizza and biscuits, or else you like! The spiciness is up to you, so add more peppers for a hotter hot honey, or less for a milder one!

Someone once told me they eat hot honey on vanilla ice cream.

And though I haven’t gathered the courage to try that, I’ve tried it on so many other things. Like for example, I use the candied jalapeños from my homemade hot honey and eat them on toast with peanut butter. It’s honey one of the best things when you’re craving something sweet, spicy, creamy! So if you’re into that sort of taste-y treat, it’s worth trying!

Other ways to use hot honey include drizzling it on a spice of pizza, french fries, serving it as a condiment on your charcuterie board or my char’boo’terie board! Spicy honey is great on salmon and roasted vegetables, drizzled on homemade biscuits, other protein, and so much more! 

But buying a jar of Mike’s Hot Honey or one of the other larger brands can be expensive! I think it was $12 the last time I went to the store. You can totally make a bigger batch of that for half the price at home!

Ingredients for homemade hot honey

• Honey: This one is a give for a batch of hot honey! Use any kind of honey that you usually keep on hand. I usually buy mine in bulk and locally when possible!
• Jalapeno peppers: I looove using fresh chilies like, jalapeño peppers in my hot honey recipe. They add a delicious complexity to the honey. You can also use red pepper flakes or chili flakes if you don’t have jalapenos on hand. Serrano peppers also make a good substitute and typically add a bit of heat. For an even spicier hot honey, swap the green peppers for habanero peppers! That’s sure to add a nice kick!
• Cayenne Pepper: The dried chiles add a change of flavor from the fresh! You can use as little or as much of the cayenne as you’d like. The more that you use, the spicier this hot honey sauce is going to be!
• Hot sauce: I like to use something like Cholula or Tapatio. You can also use a Louisiana-style hot sauce that. If you prefer a more acidic spicy honey, just add 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

My homemade hot honey recipe

1. Add it all in. In a small saucepan add the honey, jalapeño slices, cayenne pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
2. Bring it to a simmer. Bring this to a simmer over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pot. Lower the heat once it reaches a boil, and let the peppers steep in the honey.
3. Strain the mixture. If you don‘t want to use the jalapeños for your recipe, remove them by straining the hot honey into your favorite mason jar. I typically leave the peppers in and use them within a week.
4. Storage. Allow the honey to cool to room temperature before adding the lid. Use the hot honey within 1 week if you keep the jalapeños in. You can store them for up to 2 weeks if you discard the fresh chili peppers. Use a clean tablespoon or honeycomb to drizzle onto your favorite foods!

Other sauces and condiments you might like:

• Fresh Herb Vinaigrette 
• Best Homemade Italian Dressing
• Easy Quick Pickled Onions
• 2-Minute Caesar Salad Dressing
• Just Like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce

Yield: ~1 cup

Homemade Hot Honey Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Learn how to make hot honey at home with only 4 ingredients! This recipe makes an easy hot honey that’s a great condiment for dipping fried chicken fingers or chicken wings, drizzle on pizza and biscuits, or else you like! The spiciness is up to you, so  add more peppers for a hotter hot honey, or less for a milder one!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
• ¼ -½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-4 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Cholula or Tapatio)

Instructions

1. COMBINE: In a small saucepan add the honey, jalapeño slices, cayenne pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
2. SIMMER: Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges. Lower the heat to low once it reaches a boil. Let the peppers steep in the honey for 4-5 minutes.
3. STRAIN: If you don‘t want to use the jalapeños for your recipe, remove them by straining the hot honey into your favorite mason jar. I typically leave the peppers in and use them within a week.
4. STORAGE: Allow the honey to cool to room temperature before covering with a lid. Use the hot honey within 1 week if you kept the jalapeños in. You can store them for up to 2 weeks if you discarded the peppers. Drizzle onto pizza, chicken strips, and much more!

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!

Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwiches are a quick and easy protein-packed lunch option for boxed lunches! Tuna salad is loaded with celery, onions, and chopped dill pickles. It’s creamy, healthy and perfect to serve on a sandwich, with crackers or on lettuce wraps!

Avos and Tuna.. together in a sandwich?

Count me in! This easy tuna salad recipe is one of those things that you keep in your back pocket. It’s great to use in a tuna melt, perfect to serve with rice cakes or multigrain crackers, on homemade protein bagels, dip with corn chips, scoop onto low carb tortilla wraps, it’s absolutely perfect between two slices of no-knead bread, and the list goes on and on! 

Random thought, but anyone else bothered by it when people call it a tuna fish salad? Nope, just me? It just sounds so redundant!

I digress.

If you’ve got a few pantry staple ingredients, you can make this tuna salad sandwich in around 5 minutes. I always have canned tuna in my pantry for rainy days. Whether I’m looking to turn it into a tunacado on homemade focaccia bread with a scoop of basil pesto and serving it up panini style or adding it to homemade tuna pasta salad, tuna is one of those classics that you keep around. Whether you’re headed to the beach in the summertime and need something for lunch to pop into the icebox, or you’re looking for a flavorful desk lunch, a homemade tuna salad sandwich will never serve you wrong!

To make my tuna salad, I start with chopped celery, red onions, and dill pickles or sweet pickle relish. Add it fresh herbs (dill is what I’m thinking), and a dollop of mayo along with a few seasonings. It’s so quick and easy and all you really have to decide is whether or not you want to serve this with potato chips on the side!

Ingredients for homemade tuna salad sandwiches:

• Canned Tuna: Both oil-packed tuna and water-packed tuna will work for this recipe. I like using albacore tuna. Feel free to use what you like and have at home. Make sure to drain the tuna well. I found that using low quality mayonnaise and not draining the tuna in a sieve left me with a bit of a messy tuna salad – it was just sad! Tuna salad shouldn’t be liquid-y!
• Mayonnaise: I suggest using a good, high-quality mayonnaise. Low quality mayonnaise tends to become watery in this recipe. This is my favorite mayonnaise of all time.
• Celery: I like to finely mince the celery so that you get a little crunch in every bite!
• Red Onions: Adds bite and really works well with the dill pickles and other savory ingredients.
• Dill Pickles + Pickle Juice: the pickle juice is my secret ingredient! I was a fresh lemon juice girlie for a while there until one day when I used my leftover pepperoncini juice and my tuna salad sandwich game changed forever. I’ll be honest; if I have pepperoncini’s in the fridge, I’ll still use that instead of pickle juice. The hot and peppery liquid works so well in an egg salad or tuna salad sandwich. But pickle juice works just fine too!
• Seasonings: You’ll need garlic powder, kosher salt, and some black pepper. Feel free to add in red pepper flakes for a little heat or swap the black pepper for lemon pepper seasonings if you’d like! This is totally your call. You can also add in fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or dill. 
• Bread or Low-carb option: You can use homemade white or cheddar jalapeño bread, serve this with high fiber tortillas, or on multigrain crackers, lettuce wraps, or anything else that you like to serve your tuna salad on. Heck, you can even hollow out a red bell pepper or a few sweet peppers and serve the best tuna salad in that!
• Other add-ins: Sometimes I’ll also add a squeeze of jalapeno mustard or dijon mustard to the mix. Other times I’ll use chopped pickled jalapeños. Some times I’ll add slices of avocado to my sandwich. You can use baby spinach, lettuce, a spring mix, kale or whatever else you like!

How to make a classic tuna salad, but better.

1. Start with the tuna. Make sure to drain the liquid from the tuna really well. If you prefer a mousse-like tuna salad, I highly suggest pulsing the tuna with the mayonnaise in the food processor. But be careful here. The texture can go from whipped to liquid really fast so don’t over do it! I usually skip this step.
2. Mix it all in. In a medium bowl, combine together the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, red onion, pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Stir it all together and give it a taste. The flavor should be to your liking, so if you want a little more salt, garlic powder, more pickles, or some heat – go for it!
3. Serve it up. Toast the bread if you’re serving this like a sandwich. Then top with lettuce leaves, slices of avocado, and scoop the tuna salad on top. Top with another slice of bread and serve this up!
4. Storage. Leftover tuna salad can be kept in an air tight container for up to 3 days. It honestly tastes better as it sits so it’s even better on day 2!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo Salad
• Mediterranean Tuna Orzo Salad
• Seared Cod Fish Tacos
• Perfect Pan-Fried Fish in Basil Lemon Butter Sauce
• Crispy Rice Spicy Salmon

Yield: Serves 3-4

Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwich

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwiches are a quick and easy protein-packed lunch option for boxed lunches! Tuna salad is loaded with celery, onions, and chopped dill pickles. It's creamy, healthy and perfect to serve on a sandwich, with crackers or on lettuce wraps!

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Ingredients

• 3 (5-ounce) cans tuna, drained
• ½ cup mayonnaise (plus 1-2 tbsp if needed)
• 3 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons dil pickles, minced (or use sweet relish)
• 2 teaspoons pickle juice (or lemon juice/pepperoncini juice)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon EACH: kosher salt AND black pepper
• Slices of bread, focaccia, or tortilla
• Sliced avocados, lettuce or baby spinach, as needed

Instructions

1. TUNA: Drain the liquid from the tuna. To make an extra smooth tuna salad, you can pulse the tuna and mayonnaise in a food processor. This makes a mousse-like salad. I typically skip this.
2. MIX: In medium bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, red onion, minced pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust with more salt as desired, this will vary depending on the amount of salt in your tuna. If time permits, let the tuna salad hang out for 10 minutes; this allows the flavors to develop a bit more – totally optional though!
3. TOAST: Toast the bread or heat the tortilla if making a wrap. Add baby spinach, lettuce and avocado slices as desired. Scoop tuna on top one side and top with the second slice of bread. Serve!

Notes

• Additional Add-ins: Feel free to play around with this! Sometimes I'll add a squeeze of jalapeño mustard/dijon or even a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. You can use lemon pepper seasoning/ pizza seasonings etc. Traders pickle seasoning is what I'm planning on trying next!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th of recipe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 334Total Fat: 21gCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 31g

** the nutritional facts do not include bread, lettuce, or avocado. ** The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

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If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail stuffed into avocados with tons of veggies in a spicy sauce. Serve Mexican Shrimp Cocktail with tortilla chips or stuff into avocados – sure to become a summer dinner favorite! Just 7 grams of net carbs in this dinner recipe!

STUFFED AVOCADOS.

Say what?! Mexican shrimp cocktail stuffed avocados are everything. Hands-down the best warm weather no-cook dinner.

Those buttery, delicious avocados are cut in half and filled with a simple combination of shrimp, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and a tomato-based spicy, tangy sauce. Okay, so you could also call this Mexican-style shrimp ceviche, only I’m terrified when shrimp cooks in lime or lemon juice, so like a chicken, I always use cooked shrimp to begin with.

To be completely honest with you, this was supposed to be a recipe for shrimp cocktail stuffed avocados. You know, the kind of American shrimp cocktail that consists of just shrimp and cocktail sauce. The idea quickly expanded into Mexican shrimp cocktail stuffed avocados where vegetables play a decent enough role. Not only do these avocado boats look prettier with all that veggie color, but they also make for a beautiful appetizer at a party. And I’ll also add that they contain just 7 grams of net carbs and a whopping 14 grams of fiber.

Talk about nice and filling!

What’s the difference between ceviche and shrimp cocktail?

Mexican shrimp cocktail typically starts with cooked shrimp and is a combination of a sweet, spicy, and tangy tomato-based sauce with lots of chopped vegetables. Ceviche usually starts with raw shrimp or fish and isn’t as hearty as a shrimp cocktail.

Ingredients for coctel de camarones:

• Shrimp: You can cook your own shrimp at home or purchase them precooked, it’s entirely up to you. If I’m cooking them at home, I like to peel and devein the shrimp. Then I’ll heat a pot of water to boiling, add in some lemon juice, and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt, and poach them for no longer than 45-60 seconds depending on the side. Remove the shrimp to an ice water bath and let them chill out. Chop them into bite-sized pieces.
• Tomatoes: I typically use Roma tomatoes here, but it’s totally up to you! Dice them into the same size as the shrimp. Substitutions for Roma tomatoes would be cherry or grape tomatoes. Tomato juice mixes with the cocktail sauce, hot sauce, and horseradish and makes the most flavorful mix!
• Cucumbers: Crunchy cucumbers add freshness to the mix.
• Red Onions: Add a bit of a bite that works beautifully with sweet shrimp.
• Jalapenos: You can also use serrano peppers for this recipe. Make sure to remove the seeds and ribs if you’re worried about the heat level!
• Cilantro: Adds freshness to the dish. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you can leave it out if you’d like.
• Cocktail Sauce: Cocktail sauce adds a bit of that horseradish-y kick. Feel free to use a splash of clamato juice instead of the cocktail sauce if that’s more your thing. Ketchup will make a decent substitute and has similar ingredients. Especially if you up the cayenne and the hot sauce by just a tad bit. I do find the horseradish also helps provide that flavor profile we all love about shrimp cocktail, so definitely add that too!
• Hot Sauce: You can use Valentina, Tapatio, Cholula, or any other hot sauce you typically have at home. Use a couple of dashes or more if you prefer a spicier shrimp cocktail!
• Lime juice: Ceviche and Mexican shrimp cocktail needs that hit of acid to balance out the heat and the sweetness of the shrimp.
• Cayenne pepper or horseradish:  These ingredients add a kick! The cayenne pepper can be limited if you’re worried about the spice level.
• Salt and Pepper: These are pretty self-explanatory!
• Avocados: You can dice up the avocados and then add them to the shrimp cocktail if you’re serving this with tortilla chips or saltine crackers. For parties, I’d serve them in avocado halves as an appetizer or a light summer dinner!

Making my Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe:

1. Cook the shrimp. Heat a large pot of water to boiling. Add in a squeeze of lemon (you can toss in the peel too afterwards) and a generous sprinkle of salt. Slowly lower the shrimp into the water and let them cook through for 45-60 seconds or until they’re opaque and curled into a ‘c’ shape. Drain and add them to an ice water bath and let them cool completely. Then, chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mix the Mexican shrimp cocktail. In a large bowl, combine the chopped shrimp, add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and cilantro. Then in a small bowl combine cocktail sauce, jalapeno, hot sauce, lime juice, cayenne, horseradish, salt, and black pepper. Stir until all the ingredients come together. Pour the cocktail mixture over the other ingredients and stir to combine. Then cover and refrigerate the shrimp cocktail for a minimum of 30 minutes so that the flavors all come together.
3. Serve it up in avocados. If you’re serving these in avocados, cut them in half and remove the seed. You can scoop out a bit of the avocado so that you can fill it up more if you prefer. I typically just dice and add the scooped avocado to the cocktail mixture. And finally, serve with tortilla chips on the side!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Mexican Shrimp Salad
• Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Smashed Avocados
• Garlicky Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi
• Crispy Baja Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Mayo
• Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo Salad
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Recipe originally shared July 2017, updated August 2023.

Yield: 10-12 stuffed avocado halves

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (+ Stuffed Avocados)

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail stuffed into avocados with tons of veggies in a spicy sauce. Serve Mexican Shrimp Cocktail with tortilla chips or stuff into avocados – sure to become a summer dinner favorite! Just 7 grams of net carbs in this dinner recipe!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked shrimp, chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (I remove the seeds)
• ½ cup diced cucumbers
• ½ cup diced red onions
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced (see notes)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons shrimp cocktail sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Tapatio or Cholula)
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 teaspoons prepared horseradish, optional
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon EACH: kosher salt AND sugar
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 5-6 avocados

Instructions

1. COMBINE: In a large bowl, combine the chopped shrimp, and add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, jalapeno, and cilantro.
2. MIX: In a small bowl combine cocktail sauce, hot sauce, lime juice, cayenne, 1 tsp horseradish, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Stir until all the ingredients come together. Taste and adjust with more horseradish, sugar, or hot sauce as desired. Pour the cocktail sauce mixture over the chopped ingredients. If you aren’t serving the cocktail in avocados, you can dice 1 avocado and add it to the shrimp cocktail if you’d like. Stir to combine.
3. COOL: Cover and refrigerate the shrimp cocktail for a minimum of 15 minutes and ideally, 30 minutes if time allows. This allows all the flavors to come together.
4. SERVE: Serve the shrimp cocktail in a bowl with lots of tortilla chips on the side. Or you can serve in avocados. Cut them in half and remove the seed. You can scoop out a bit of the avocado flesh so that you can fill it up more if you prefer. Fill the avocados and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

• To make this spicier you can up the number of jalapenos to two or three.
• Like your cocktail saucier? You can up the amount of cocktail sauce you use! I typically like to use ⅓ cup cocktail sauce when I'm serving these with tortilla chips. I use less when I'm serving these in avocados!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th with 1 avocado
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 10gCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 5gProtein: 28g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!