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Vegetarian

Bolognese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Swirled Pesto Ricotta

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A very long name for a very simple dish. Comfort food at its finest but make it healthy. A little bit like Lasagna, but with a fall twist to it. Roasted pumpkin with creamy ricotta-bolognese filling, tangy pesto and a little molten cheese on top! Sounds pretty good right? 

What is Spaghetti Squash?

Spaghetti Squash is a type of squash (or pumpkin) that originated in North and Central America. The US also is where it became very famous first! Why? What it is being baked, you can basically scrap the pumpkin „meat“ with a fork and get a texture very similar to spaghetti. These pumpkin spaghetti also look very similar to the real ones. The similarities are what made this pumpkin be so popular. It is commonly used as a replacement for pasta in many dishes, since it is incredibly low in calories, and therefore gained popularity! 

What is special about this dish?

You have to know, it is like a pasta bake kind of dish. Just without the pasta. You still have a similar texture as in pasta, and get that whole pasta feeling because of the looks and the sauce, the spaghetti squash comes with but it is a much lighter version of a pasta bake. More vitamins and fibre, less calories and carbohydrates. It is really fun to switch this up a little once in a while.

And also, there is not just pumpkin, bolognese and cheese, but we have this amazing pesto ricotta swirl that really does take this dish next level. It adds so much flavour, creaminess and goodness to this whole dish, which is just amazing!

Is this dish healthy? 

Yes-ish. As a base we have a vegetable, with lots of Vitamin B, C and fibre. This already makes it really nutritious! (You can read more about pumpkin in my November top 5 blog post!). I would definitely say that any dish that has a vegetable as a base is healthy (at least healthyish) because it is nutritious.

Veggie Bolognese?

Then the filling: this is not super duper nutritious but it is not unhealthy. The sauce. I love to use a vegetarian bolognese because it is more nutritious in most cases. Also, I feel like it lightens up the dish plus it tastes amazing. I know, you may now be thinking, hm not sure about that! And I agree, there can be boring pasta sauces! Definitely! But not the one I like to use! If you have been following me for a while, you know that I have been moving to use the products from Pastafani because they produce delicious, high quality pasta products with Austrian ingredients. I tried out their vegan Bolognese and I need to say, with honestly, that it really is delicious! You can find it here and even get 10% discount on it with the code UNEPETITE10 ! I can only say that it definitely is worth a try!

Picture by Pastafani

So back to whether it is healthy or not. The base, yes. The sauce, depends on what you are using. A veggie bolognese, yes! A meat bolognese I would say healthy-ish. Then we have the ricotta and pesto (which you by the way can also get a super delicious one at Pastafani!)! Ricotta I would say is not super nutritious but also not unhealthy. It is higher in protein and lower in calories than regular cream cheese. Plus, super good for the soul 🙂 The pesto is high in vitamins and healthy fats, and it is green (doesn’t that basically already mean that it is healthy?). Then we just top it off with some cheese, not very nutrient dense but you know, a little cheese never hurt nobody.

How to make this?

This is not challenging at all. We start by preparing the spaghetti squash. For this cut it into half, season with a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in the oven. In the meantime we heat up the sauce. When the squash is done, we need to tear the „spaghettis“ from it. This is done by taking a fork and scrapping the pumpkin meat off the sides.

Now we just pour in the sauce, add a few dollops of ricotta and pesto, swirl everything around so it looks nice and marbled, top it with some cheese and bake it again. That’s all it takes to make this super delicious meal!

I genuinely hope that you will enjoy this recipe at least as much as I do and that you will make it on repeat! It is a delicious, comforting meal for cozy weeknights and weekends!

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Oven Roasted Bolognese Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Swirled Pesto Ricotta

Comforting, Healthy, easy & delicious! A lighter version of a pasta bake, with seasonal ingredients: Baked pumpkin with a creamy bolognese, ricotta and pesto filling!

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 50 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde 5 Minuten
Calories 567 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 kg spaghetti squash
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 300 g (veggie) bolognese sauce
  • 100 g ricotta
  • 3 tbsp pesto
  • 50 g cheese

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the meat is soft.

  2. In the meantime heat up the bolognese and season the ricotta with salt and pepper.

  3. When the squash is done baking, take it out of the oven. Grab a fork and scratch off the pumpkin "meat" from the edges. This will create a spaghtti like look.

  4. Pour in the bolognese sauce, divide the ricotta and add the pesto. Swirl everything together, so it is all combined and creates a marble-like look. Top with the cheese and bake for another 5-q0 minutes at 200°C until the cheese has molten.

  5. Serve & Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Super Comforting Oven Baked Stuffed Cannelloni with Pumpkin Sage Ricotta

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Holy moly, this is a long name! But this dish deserves this. Really. I know that I say this for pretty much every fall recipe, but this is fall comfort food at its finest. Pasta (heaven itself) stuffed with creamy ricotta and pumpkin with sage, all added into a dish, tossed in a creamy pumpkin sauce and baked in the oven with some feta. If your mouth is not watering by now then I don´t know what makes it do so.

What is special about this dish?

The combination of flavors. Usually you would only get stuffed cannelloni with a tomato sauce or a Bolognese sauce and stuffed with ricotta and spinach. But not this recipe. Instead of the normal filling we are making a fall filling! Roasted pumpkin that is flavored with sage in a creamy ricotta mixture. The pasta also is not tossed in tomato sauce but a creamy pumpkin sauce and topped with feta rather than mozzarella! A few twists that make a nice and fun change.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes-ish. Well, the main ingredient is pasta. Pasta is a great source of carbohydrates and also protein. It has always had the reputation of being unhealthy, but this is not true at all. Pasta gives you a lot of energy (and a lot of happiness too) but it is not super high in other nutrients. If you want a meal that is more nutrient dense, you could long for wholegrain pasta, which is a healthier option with more fiber and nutrients!

Then we have ricotta, which is sort of a cream cheese but Italian stye (anything Italian style is good!). It is lower in calories than cream cheese and has about half of the fat of it and more protein! Plus, it tastes super good. Besides this we also have eggs, which are a great source of vitamin B12, and protein and not to forget about the star of the show: the pumpkin!

 

Pumpkin is the food of the month of November, so you can actually read a bunch about it in my Nomvember top 5 blog post! It is not only a very tasty, and the most popular fall vegetable but it also Is low in calories and high in nutrients! A great addition to any meal!

How to make it:

I am going to be honest; this dish is a bit of work and takes some time (which we now have in quarantine). The filling of each and every cannelloni requires some patience, but it is a very fun cooking activity as a family or friends! 

In terms of difficulty, this is not very challenging to make! You need to start with roasting the pumpkin with the sage and oil in the oven! In the meantime, you can boil the pasta. While this is boiling you can make the ricotta filling by mixing ricotta, Greek yoghurt, milk, vegetable broth and pumpkin. Fold in the rest of the pumpkin into the mixture.

Now you need patience. Fill every shell with the mixture and lay out in a baking dish. Pour over the sauce and crumble the feta! Now it just needs to be baked and then enjoyed with lots of enjoyment! 

I hope that you will genuinely enjoy this super comforting yet healthyish recipe and that it will become one of your fall staples! 

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Oven Baked Stuffed Cannelloni with Sage Pumpkin Ricotta

Comforting, healthish, delicious. An amazing fall twist on the classic packed with flavor! Enjoy!

Course dinner, Main Course
Total Time 1 Stunde
Servings 6 servings
Calories 449 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 hokkaido pumpkin (about 800g)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage
  • 500 g cannelloni
  • 300 g greek yoghurt
  • 300 g ricotta
  • 300 ml vegetable broth
  • 100 ml milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • 150 g feta cheese

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel the pumpkin and cut into about 1cm sized cubes. Finely chop up the sage. Mix the pumpkin with the sage and olive oil and lay out on a baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.

  2. In the meantime boil the pasta according to package instructions but undercook them by 2 minutes.

    In the meantime combine he greek yoghurt, ricotta cheese, egg, nutmeg, cardamon, salt and pepper until creamy. Fold in 2/3 of the roasted pumpkin.

  3. When the pumpkin is done baking, add 1/3 of it to a food processor along with the vegetable broth, milk, and about 1/4 of the ricotta mixture. Blend everything up until creamy.

    Take one piece of pasta at a time and fill with abotu 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture. Lay into a baking tray and repeat until all pasta and all of the mixture is used up. If there is some more of the ricotta mixture left, just blend it into the sauce again.

  4. Once all the pasta is filled, pour the pumpkin sauce on top and crumble the feta. Bake at 220°C for another 5-7 minutes! Serve and enjoy!


Happy cooking, 
Enjoy, 
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

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Let’s just agree on one thing; veggie side dishes are underrated. It is true, very true actually that all side dishes are underrated! To be honest, I do not need the main part of the meal, just the sides if I was asked. Imagine this: super crispy balsamic vinegar glazed Brussel sprouts baked in the oven and topped with warm walnuts that are coated with honey and molten Feta. Sounds good, right? If you tried this, you would agree that sides are underrated!

What is special about this dish?

The walnuts are prepared in a very special way, which I have never seen before. They are coated with a slightly sweet molten feta. I promise you, this is good (really, you could only eat this)! The Brussel sprouts are more „traditionally“ prepared but still equally as good! The balsamic vinegar adds very much taste and the oil and sea salt make them really crispy.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes and yes! Brussel sprouts = super healthy. Loaded with Vitamins, fibre and nutrients. They actually have been the food of the month October, you can read more about them here. The walnuts are incredibly high in healthy fats and they have many other health benefits. My uncle always said, eat them while studying because they improve your brain (it actually is proven that they improve brain function) – so yep, also these are healthy. And feta? It is pretty high in protein and way healthier than most other cheeses. So all in all, very very good.

How to make them?

This is incredibly easy. First you need to finely slice the Brussel sprouts and roast them in them in the oven. No mess in the kitchen but lots of flavour. Then, you need to prepare the nuts. This means, roughly chop the nuts and add them to a pan. When roasting nuts, you do not need any oil (when using a non-stick pan). Then you add the crumbled (or finely chopped) feta along with the honey and a pinch of sea salt. The heat of the nuts will melt down the feta and make it goey and creamy. This then combines with the honey and it is incredible. When you let it cool just a little bit, it will all crispen up, and then its perfect. When the Brussel sprouts are golden and crispy, take them out and to with the nuts. That’s all.

When and how to best have them:

I love this as a side dish for anything. Not only as a side but also as a topping. For example with a roasted meat, especially now in fall, it is amazing. But also on top of buddha bowls, rice bowls or even on top of pasta it would be amazing. There are no limits, it truly upgrades any dish. Plus, it is pretty family friendly because you get your nutrients through the veggies and it still tastes amazing because of the slightly sweet nuts. It kind of is like comfort food but still healthy.

Substitutes

Brussel sprouts – other veggies like pumpkin, sweet potato or broccoli would also work very well, just notice these would take longer to roast
Walnuts – almonds, pecans, hazelnuts
Honey – maple syrup, agave, other liquid sweeteners
Feta – I would not recommend substituting that (if there really is no way around, maybe with another soft cheese)

I hope that you will love this recipe and that you will enjoy it all throughout fall. Goes well with everything anytime. A must try – especially because it is so easy!

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Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Honey Feta Caramelised Walnuts

Crispy and golden brussel sprouts topped with sweet and goey walnuts coated in molten feta. A perfect, comfortiung and still healthy side dish!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 25 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 side servings
Calories 245 kcal

What you will need

  • 600 g brussel sprouts
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 60 g walnuts
  • 60 g feta
  • 2 tbsp honey

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the brussel sprouts and pat them dry. Slice them into about 3-4 mm thick slices. Toss the in the oil and salt and lay them out on a baking tray, leaving space inbetween them. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and roast for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

  2. Roughly chop the walnuts and crumble the feta into small pieces. Add the nuts to a non-stick pan and turn onto high heat. Roast them for about 2-3 minutes. Add the feta and honey. Let the feta melt down and the gently stir through until the walnits are coated with the feta cheese. Turn down to low heat.

  3. When the brussel sprouts are done roasting, top them with the caramelized nuts and serve! Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Quinoa Breakfast Bowls with Herbed Tahini and Perfect Poached Egg

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If you know me, you know I L-O-V-E brunch! Like a lot! I have got brunch guide and brunch recipes to celebrate this part of the day! And to add to this collection I had to include a bowl! This combination of fluffy quinoa, yammy eggs and that delicious creamy tahini sauce is absolutely amazing!!! 

Whoever says breakfast is not the best meal of the day must be from another planet. It truly is the best! It is the thing you start your day with, the first thing you put into your body. It sets the tone for the day and it is soso delicious! 

What is special about this dish? 

A bowl for breakfast. With greens and quinoa? I do not think that this is the average breakfast. It is a combination of 2 amazing things: breakfast + bowls. So it can only be good! So I think this whole dish is special. But also the Tahini Sauce is kind of pretty amazing! 

How to make it:

It actually is not very hard to be honest! Cooking quinoa is not difficult at all! It is like cooking rice actually. So taking 1 prt quinoa, 2 parts water and some salt, bringing it to a boil, reducing it to a simmer and letting it simmer until soft and the water is soaked up! Preparing the veggies is not complicated either. I prefer to sauté the chili garlic greens and baking tomatoes and mushrooms because The greens shrink down and soften best when made in a pan and the tomatoes get most flavor when prepared in the oven. For the sauce we only need to blend up all of the ingredients and that’s it! 

I know that most people will be afraid of poaching eggs. And yes, it is a little tricky at first, but it won’t take long and you know how to do it! To start, bring a large but rather flat pot with water to a boil. Once it started boiling, turn down the heat so it only simmers slightly. Then we add a generous splash of vinegar to the water. Crack each egg into a small bowl, but be careful so the yolk does not break apart. Once the water simmers, we take a wooden spoon and create a swirl in the water. It will keep that swirl for a while itself (without having to do it with the wooden spoon anymore) and that is when we gently and carefully slide the egg in. Then we let it sit for a bit before repeating it with the next one! I know that this may sound a little overwhelming at first but when following it step by step it will work out!

Is this healthy?

It is not only yummy but it is healthy too! Quinoa is super nutritious and high in protein and carbs! The eggs also contain lots of protein. The veggies help you to get your vitamins in and the green Tahini sauce adds some unsaturated fats and more vitamins to keep you full! It is a very balanced meal all in all and super delicious! 

I really like to have this as a weekend brunch, a meal prep breakfast or even lunch! You can truly have this at any time of the day and you will enjoy it! The flavors work in such great harmony together and it all just is an explosion of flavors in your mouth! 

I hope that you will enjoy this and that this will be a fun twist to your regular breakfast game!

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Quinoa Breakfast Bowls with Herbed Tahini and Perfect Poached Egg

Delicious. Easy. Healthy. And so so good. Perfect for brunch, breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything inbetween.

Course bowl, Breakfast, brunch, Main Course
Cuisine oriental
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 bowls
Calories 583 kcal

What you will need

  • 150 g Quinoa
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 handful spinach (you can also use something like kale for example)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 chili
  • 100 g cherry tomatoes
  • 100 g mushrooms
  • 2 tsp honey

For the green Tahini Sauce

  • 2 tbsp Tahini
  • 2 tbsp plant based yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp chopped Parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped basil
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 tsp chopped mint

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Add the tomatoes and halfed mushrooms to a baking tray. drizzle with the honey, some olive oil and sea salt. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

  2. In the meantime add the quinoa to a pot along with 300ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the liquid is soaked up and the quinoa is fluffy.

  3. In a pan heat up the olive oil. finely slice the garlic clove. Cut the chili in half and remove the seeds. Slice the rest into thin slices too. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and chili and fry for 1 minute. Add the greens (that have been chopped into bite sized pieces before) and let cook on medium high heat for 5-8 minutes.

  4. For the poached egg bring a large, flat pot with water to a boil then reduce the heat so a slight simmers. Add a generous splash of vinegar. Crack each egg into a small bowl, but be careful not to break the yolk. Take a wooden spoon and create a swirl in the water and carefully slide the egg in. Then we let it sit for a bit before repeating it with the next one! Let each one in the water for about 3-4 minutes, then take out and let the excess water drip off on some kitchen paper.

  5. Blend all the ingredients for the Tahini sauce in a blender.

  6. To assemble the bowls add the quinoa, greens and veggies to each one. Top with the eggs and finish off with the green sauce. Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière