I've been making this recipe for Bacon Broccoli Pierogie Bake for years but apparently I only blogged it as Bacon Pierogie Bake (served with a side of steamed broccoli) or Broccoli Pierogie Bake (back when I was trying to eat less meat). Since I only make it this way now - gotta love one-pot meals - I figured I better make a new post so I could share it with all of you.



Lately I've been buying mini pierogies (because they're just so darn cute) and doubling the recipe so we have plenty left over for lunch the next day. The doubled recipe is below.

Bacon Broccoli Pierogie Bake
Slightly Adapted from Elizabeth's Edible Experience

2 large broccoli crowns, cut into florets
Cooking spray
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen mini potato pierogies
6-8 center-cut bacon slices, chopped
6 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3-4 thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup chopped seeded plum tomato

Preheat oven to 400°.

Steam broccoli until tender. Coat a 9 x 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the broccoli and frozen pierogies in the dish.

Cook the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp; remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Add the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the bacon drippings and cook until cream cheese begins to melt, stirring frequently. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over the pierogies and top with the cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and add the bacon and scallions. Bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the tomato. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then serve.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: You can steam the broccoli, cook the bacon, shred the cheese, chop the scallions and tomatoes and make the sauce ahead of time. Store everything in separate containers in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the casserole.

We all love pierogies but it had been ages since I'd served them for dinner. I always serve them with bacon and caramelized onions, with a big dollop of sour cream. And I always serve steamed broccoli on the side. This time I wanted to do something a little different with the broccoli. Enter this Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce for Vegetables.


This is the same sauce you'd make for mac and cheese. It's an easy sauce to make and was really good with the steamed broccoli. I thought the original recipe was a bit thick, so I've halved the butter and flour in the recipe below.

Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce for Vegetables
As seen on Iowa Girl Eats

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper
1 cup milk
1-1/2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for one minute.

Slowly whisk in milk then season with salt and pepper and switch to a wooden spoon. Stir and cook until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Turn off heat and add cheese. Stir until melted and smooth. Taste then season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Like most people, I'm a big fan of one pot meals. So when my friend Amy posted this recipe for {One Pot} Baked Rice with Sausage and Broccoli I knew I had to try it.


After reading the recipe I was skeptical and I actually messaged Amy to make sure it was only 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth to 1 1/4 cups of Arborio rice. You know Arborio rice as the rice used to make risotto. Whenever I make risotto I need at least 5, usually 6, cups of chicken broth to fully cook the rice. I couldn't imagine using just 1/3 that amount in this dish. But Amy assured me it was correct and since I trust her, I went with it (although I did threaten her with our pizza delivery bill if she steered me wrong).

And you know what, it worked! The resulting dish isn't creamy like risotto, but the rice was fully cooked. And quite tasty. The original recipe calls for 8oz of sausage but SP thought that wasn't enough so I upped the recipe below to a full pound. Otherwise this was perfect. And so ridiculously simple, too. I love easy weeknight meals and this was definitely one I'll be making again.

{One Pot} Baked Rice with Sausage and Broccoli
As seen on Very Culinary

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed, broken into pieces
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 head of broccoli (about 6 ounces), cut into 2-inch florets

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet, over medium-high. Cook sausage, stirring often, breaking up the pieces until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until translucent, about 3 more minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Stir in rice to coat in the oil, then add the wine. Bring to a boil. Cook until the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring back to a boil.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the broccoli over the top of the rice and bake for another 10 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and stir the rice and broccoli together. Cover the skillet and let it stand for 10 more minutes. Place a pot holder on the handle so you don't forget that it's hot.

Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve.

We all love a good baked potato so I wanted to see if I could make it into a meal by adding steamed broccoli, crispy bacon and scallions all smothered in a delicious cheese sauce. These Steakhouse Baked Potatoes weren't quite as filling as I wanted - we like to eat a big dinner most nights - but if you have a late or hearty lunch these would be perfect as a light dinner.



Steakhouse Baked Potatoes

4 russet potatoes (about 1/2 pound each)
vegetable or olive oil
kosher salt
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup packed)
4 slices bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
4 scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and dry the potatoes and poke each potato all over with a fork (so they won’t explode).

Rub some oil over each potato. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle salt over the potatoes and roll them around to cover completely.

Bake about 1 hour. Check the potatoes by inserting a fork into the center. It's done when the fork goes in easily.

While the potatoes are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season wit salt and then add the broccoli. Cook for 4 minutes, then drain and keep warm. You can also steam the broccoli.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle flour over melted butter; cook for 1 minute, stirring often with a whisk. Gradually add milk to the flour mixture in pan, and bring to a boil, stirring often with a whisk. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thick, then remove from heat. Add the cheese and stir until smooth.