Miso Pasta
This Miso Pasta recipe is creamy, rich, and full of umami goodness. Topped with sauteed mushrooms, it’s an easy weeknight meal in under 30 minutes, Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free- adaptable.
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This Miso Pasta recipe is creamy, rich, and full of umami goodness. Topped with sauteed mushrooms, it’s an easy weeknight meal in under 30 minutes, Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free- adaptable.
This delicious oven-baked chicken and rice recipe is bursting with Thai flavor! A quick and easy one-pan meal, your whole family will love!
This quick and easy recipe for oven-roasted asparagus is the perfect spring side dish. This basic recipe can be seasoned many different ways—add lemon juice, garlic, or shaved Parmesan for variations. Roasted Asparagus Roasted Asparagus is a super easy…
This Asparagus Salad recipe is easy, zesty, and bright! Made with fresh spring asparagus, pearl couscous, kalamata olives, pine nuts, feta, lemon zest, and mint all tossed in a lemony dressing.
This ham and potato soup is creamy but not too heavy and loaded with fresh veggies and salty ham. It’s perfect for the seasonal transition!
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These hot and cold spring days have me feeling all kinds of confused about what to make for dinner. One day it’s warm and sunny, and the next it feels like winter all over again. But no matter the mood, I feel like soup is always the right answer, and this Ham and Potato Soup is a crowd pleaser. Creamy but not too heavy, and loaded with fresh veggies and salty ham, this soup is perfect for this transitional season!
This rich and creamy soup is made from a base of vegetable broth enriched with milk and butter and stuffed to the brim with fresh veggies, chunky potatoes, and salty ham. It’s real belly-warming food, perfect for taking the chill off!
Here’s what you’ll need to make ham and potato soup:
The best potato for any given soup really depends on the texture you’re after.
You may not need any salt depending on the ham you’re using, so taste often and adjust as you see fit. Between the salted butter, bouillon, and the ham from our Baked Ham recipe, I didn’t have a need for more than a pinch of additional salt.
I chose to thicken this soup with what’s known as a “blonde roux.” It’s a mixture of butter and flour that is cooked over medium-low heat until it juuust starts to change color from white to blonde. This deepens the flavor of the soup without overpowering the natural flavor of the other ingredients.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
In your stock pot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add 2 peeled and diced carrots, 3 diced stalks celery, and 1 diced small white onion and cook down until slightly softened and the onions are nice and glossy, about 5 minutes.
Add 2 peeled and diced potatoes, 6 cups vegetable broth, and 2 cups diced cooked ham in the stockpot. Bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in your 1 tsp black pepper.
Melt 2 Tbsp salted butter in a separate medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour until smooth. Cook for about 1 minute. (Note: this is a “blonde roux” so you don’t want the flour to toast too much!) Whisk in 2 cups milk and cook for about 4 minutes until thick and warm.
Pour milk/roux mixture into the stockpot with ham soup and whisk to combine. Cook until all vegetables reach desired tenderness and soup thickens to your liking, another 10 minutes should do it. Add parsley, additional salt, and pepper if needed and enjoy!
This creamy ham and potato soup is perfect for the changing seasons!
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These soft, fluffy, and super-moist carrot cake muffins are full of delicious carrot cake flavor and the perfect sweet treat any time of the day!
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Carrot cake is one of those recipes where some people love it and others strongly dislike it. Well today, these Carrot Cake Muffins deserve to be in a class of their own. They’re soft, fluffy, and perfectly moist with all the wonderful flavors of carrot cake, but in a convenient, easy to share muffin size. And spoiler alert, I’m a carrot cake lover, so I’ll be enjoying these muffins all season long! Have fun adding your favorite carrot cake mix-ins like sweet raisins and walnuts, or you can keep things simple and save a little bit on your budget. Either way you’re guaranteed to love these delicious carrot cake muffins.
I used my zucchini muffins recipe, that I absolutely love, as inspiration for these muffins. I adjusted the measurements and added a few extra spices to fit the flavor profile of carrot cake. The results were absolutely ahhmazing! Here’s everything you need:
As I mentioned above, you definitely want to grate fresh whole carrots for this recipe. Although its tempting to buy pre-shredded matchstick carrots at the grocery store, they simply are not moist enough for these muffins. They also aren’t grated fine enough and won’t mix well with the batter. Grating fresh carrots yourself is the way to go!
Also, most box graters come with a coarse, medium, and fine grating side. I tested these muffins using both medium and finely grated carrots. The finely grated carrots were the winner! They blended better in the batter and provided a bit more moisture compared to the medium-size grated carrots.
Allow the muffins to cool completely at room temperature before storing. You can store leftover carrot cake muffins in an airtight container or a food storage bag in the fridge for 4-5 days. For longer storage, store in a freezer-safe storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature or microwave for about 30 seconds until warm.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash, peel and grate 2 cups of finely grated carrots using the small/fine holes on a box grater. Set the grated carrots to the side.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup cooking oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract until well combined.
Add the grated carrots to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the same bowl as the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this point.
Add 3/4 cup golden raisins to the bowl and fold them into the batter until just combined.
Divide the batter between ten well-greased or lined muffin wells.
Optional: Divide 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar and sprinkle a little on top of each muffin.
Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center. Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the edges with a knife and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
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This baked Dijon Salmon recipe is delicious & healthy! Fast, easy, and full of flavor, perfect for busy weeknights, holidays or special occasions.
This sauteed asparagus is crunchy, flavorful, and delightfully easy to make. It’s the perfect side for any meal.
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Making an impressive main dish is hard work, so we’re partial to simple sides that pack a punch with little effort. This sauteed asparagus is crunchy, flavorful, and delightfully easy to make. All you need is a bunch of asparagus, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s almost too easy!
Here’s what you’ll need to make sauteed asparagus (psst: there are only 6 ingredients!):
This is a great recipe for playing with different seasoning blends. Try: nmn nbgy
Asparagus does not need to be cooked for long. Once it turns bright green from end to end, it’s done! In fact, it’s even better a little underdone. It should not be mushy or floppy in texture and appearance, it should hold its “spear” shape when cooked correctly.
This sautéed asparagus is such a versatile side dish. It truly goes with everything! We love it served with Chicken Cordon Bleu, Garlic Butter Baked Cod, Glazed Pork Chops, or BBQ Ribs. Drizzle them with a little bit of Balsamic Glaze to really take them to the next level.
I served this asparagus with our Parmesan Risotto, and it made the ultimate fresh and delicious meal for my family.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Cut off the woody ends of 1 bunch asparagus.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large frying pan on medium-high heat, then add the asparagus and gently shake to cover each spear with oil. Shake every so often, until asparagus turns bright green, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle over 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and add 1 clove minced garlic to the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Remove asparagus and spritz with a squeeze of lemon juice from 1 whole lemon. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
This sautéed asparagus is so simple and delicious!
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This pea risotto recipe is lemony and minty and sings of spring. It’s easy to make in about 30 minutes, delicious topped with seared fish or scallops—or on its own for a delicious vegetarian dinner!
This Baked Ham is sweet, savory, and juicy– the perfect holiday meal. The glaze makes the outside nice and crisp but still tender.
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When the holidays roll around (Hello, Easter!), there’s nothing my family craves more than a sweet and savory baked ham. I know what you’re thinking, ham is expensive. But this baked ham recipe is proof that a typically expensive meat can be budget-friendly. By using a boneless ham, we don’t waste a single dollar on bones, and it comfortably feeds 11 people. That’s a lot of ham! The texture of this ham is perfectly juicy with a great chew to it. The glaze makes the outside nice and crisp but still tender. There’s nothing quite like a beloved holiday tradition!
While Easter traditionally calls for lamb, ham has become the dominant centerpiece because it’s much less expensive and more readily available, both things we love here at Budget Bytes. This baked ham recipe is a true superstar. Salty, savory ham coated in a sweet and tangy glaze made from brown sugar and pineapple juice is just so good. The glaze is super sticky, extra sweet, and gives a beautiful color to your ham. Adding the pineapple juice to the glaze recipe really makes this glaze shine (literally and figuratively!)
Here’s what you’ll need to make baked ham:
We found that it’s best to bake this ham tented with foil to seal in moisture. Without the foil, the ham tends to dry out and turn tough. Remove the foil in the last 10 or so minutes of baking to reduce and brown the glaze.
This tasty baked ham is truly the star of the show, so we recommend serving it with simple roasted carrots and steamed green beans.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Gather all glaze ingredients and preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together pineapple juice (one 15 oz. can yields about 1 cup of juice), 1 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Cook the glaze down over medium heat until it is reduced by half.
Place 5.5 lb. boneless smoked ham cut side down in the roasting pan of your choosing. Pour 1/2 inch of water into the bottom of the roasting pan. Brush the ham with half of the glaze mixture and cover it with slices of canned pineapple. Then, make a tinfoil tent to cover the entire ham. You want to cook the ham for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Baste the ham periodically, using a standard baster or a large spoon.
Once the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145°F, remove the tinfoil tent and baste the ham with pan drippings and brush the ham with all remaining glaze.
When your ham is done, it should have an internal temperature of 145°F.
This delicious baked ham will be the star of your holiday table!
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