Ciambotta Italian Vegetable Stew (Zucchini, Eggplant & Potato Stew)

This traditional Ciambotta recipe is a rustic Italian vegetable stew made with fresh summer zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and Italian herbs. This hearty yet light Italian zucchini eggplant and potato stew is the perfect vegetarian meal for a quick lunch, an easy weeknight dinner, or a delicious summer side dish when garden vegetables are in season.

Ready in just 30 minutes, Ciambotta showcases the true essence of Italian cooking — simple, seasonal ingredients combined to create incredible flavor. The vegetables slowly simmer together in a light tomato sauce infused with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and fragrant Italian herbs, creating a comforting dish that is naturally healthy and satisfying.

This classic Italian vegetable stew is even better the next day when the flavors have had time to deepen, making it perfect for meal prep or enjoying throughout the week. Serve it with crusty Italian bread to soak up the flavorful sauce, over creamy polenta, or alongside your favorite Italian dishes.

A celebration of summer vegetables, Ciambotta is proof that simple ingredients can create the most memorable meals.

Tips for Making  Ciambotta Italian vegetable stew

1. Choose fresh zucchini:
Select firm, fresh zucchini that are free from soft spots or blemishes. There is no need to peel the zucchini — the skin adds color, texture, and nutrients to the stew.

2. Pick the right potatoes:
You can use any variety of potatoes for Ciambotta, but starchy potatoes like russet potatoes will break down as they cook and naturally help thicken the tomato sauce. Don’t discard the potato cooking water — adding a little to the stew helps create a richer sauce while adding extra flavor and body.

3. Season with simple Italian flavors:
The beauty of Ciambotta comes from simple seasoning. Salt, black pepper, garlic, and fresh Italian herbs like parsley bring out the natural flavors of the vegetables. Add delicate fresh herbs toward the end of cooking to preserve their bright flavor and freshness.

Shop the picture : Stainless steel saute pan

Ingredients

• 2 medium size zucchini
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 small eggplant peeled
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 bell peppers
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp, chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

1. Start by peeling and cutting the potatoes and eggplant into medium size cubes. Then boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Save one cup of the water before draining
2. In a saute pan over medium high heat add the olive oil add the onion and  garlic. Sauté until soft and just begin to brown. Add the celery, peppers, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, marinara sauce and potato water. Simmer until sauce thickens and tomatoes burst. Add the zucchini.  and par boiled potatoes to the  tomato mixture
3. Simmer until the zucchini and potatoes are fork tender but still crisp. Add the Italian parsley. ENJOY!!!!

 Easy Cranberry Sauce in Minutes

You won’t believe how quick this Easy  Cranberry Sauce comes together.  It takes just minutes to make, and taste so much better than store bought you won’t be buying store anymore.

Fresh cranberries, oranges and cinnamon make this a favorite Thanksgiving side. Cranberry sauce is under rated. I love it and can’t image Turkey without Cranberry Sauce, they go together like peas in a pod.

And because it’s so easy to make- don’t save making it only on Thanksgiving, it’s a prefect bruschetta topping and delicious over ice cream!!

Things to about this Easy Cranberry Sauce in Minutes recipe

I love easy recipes that come together quickly, use few ingredients and taste delicious. This Easy Cranberry Sauce has the trifecta

for recipe love.  It’s one of those recipes you just put in the pot and stir occasionally.

I will say that it does taste better the day after you make or even two days before you plan on serving it.

To add a festive touch to your holiday table serve this Easy Cranberry Sauce in a pretty serving bowl.

If you make this recipe please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. I love hearing from you it’s my favorite part!!!! And if your looking for more easy side dishes try my roasted parmesan broccoli side dish

Ingredients

• 1 lb. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon orange rind
• 2 oranges peeled and pitted cut in small dice

Instructions

1. Rinse the cranberries
2. put all ingredients in medium saucepan
3. Simmer covered 15 minutes
4. Remove cinnamon sticks
5. Refrigerate  over night

This is the saute pan I like to use when braising meats or vegetables on the stove top. To protect the  surface of non stick pans I  use wooden utensils not to scratch the surface.

You can adjust the the amount of sugar, according to your taste, or leave it out. The balsamic vinegar, sweetens the Brussel sprouts adding a syrupy delicious glaze, eliminating  the need for sugar.

To add extra flavor let the Brussels sprouts simmer in the bacon drippings  before adding the liquids.

With just one pan, a handful of ingredients, and bold, smoky flavor, these glazed Brussels sprouts are sure to impress. Whether you’re serving them at a family dinner or bringing them to a potluck, they’re guaranteed to be a hit.

Give this easy recipe a try and don’t forget to share it with friends or pin it for later! 

Healthy baked Eggplant parmesan

This healthy baked eggplant parmesan is such an easy vegetarian Italian recipe. In this heathy  baked eggplant parmesan version I left the grated bread coating off. Instead of frying I coated the eggplant in extra virgin olive oil, garlic and Italian parsley and roasted it.

This healthier eggplant parmesan still has bubbly cheese, garlicky tomato sauce and savory meaty roasted eggplant.

This is my best heathier baked eggplant parmesan recipe. faster and easier and full of delicious Italian flavors.

I hope it becomes one of your family’s favorite like it did in my.

Tips for this healthy baked parmesan recipe

To peel or not to peel the eggplant in this healthy eggplant parmesan recipe ? That depends on your taste, what you plan on using it for and how fresh the eggplant is.

What I like to do is peel  strips of the eggplant off and leave some of the skin on.

The other debate about eggplant is whether to salt to extract the bitterness out of it or not to salt. If the eggplants are just picked farm fresh I don’t salt them.

It’s not eggplant season so I did salt the eggplant in this recipe. It’s not necessary to salt the eggplant any longer than 15 minutes. Prior belief was you had to salt the eggplant for a few hours. Now they bred eggplants to be less bitter. I found that 15 minutes is enough.

This heathy eggplant recipe takes about 45 minutes to make, which is not always possible for a busy weeknight meal. I usually make this one on the weekends.

I hope you make this easy eggplant recipe. And please let me know how it works out for you.

Ingredients

• 2  medium eggplant
•  3 cups shredded mozzarella
•  1 cup grated parmesan cheese
•  3 cups  marinara sauce
•  4 Tsps. olive oil
•  1 Tbsp. minced garlic
•  2 Tbsp. of a combination of  Italian herbs dry or fresh, Parsley. thyme and oregano.
• salt

Instructions

1. Slice the eggplant into medium thick round slices
2. salt the eggplant on both and let sit for at least 30 minutes
3. rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels
4. In a bowl toss the eggplant with extra virgin olive oil, the minced garlic, light salt and Italian herbs.
5. Roast in a pre heated 375-degree oven until golden brown about 20 minutes
6.  Take out of the oven and spread with my easy marinara sauce, the shredded mozzarella, grated parmesan and Italian parsley repeat the process stacking  three eggplant slices together. starting with the eggplant and ending with the cheese
7. Set oven to broil and broil until cheeses are melted and golden brown
8. Finish off with marinara sauce more grated parmesan and a sprinkle of Italian parsley. ENJOY!!!!

Crispy Italian Flavored Tacos

This crispy Italian style taco recipe combines two of my favorite flavors Italian and Mexican.

A taco recipe can be made with a variety of fillings and seasonings, including beef, pork, chicken or fish, just to name a few.

Some people want the traditional Mexican ground beef kind, and me I like to experiment  with different combinations of fillings and taco shells.

I would like to say these tacos came about from a brain storm, but the truth is, my intention was to make a Philly sandwich using ground sirloin on sourdough bread until I realized I didn’t have the bread but I did have corn taco shells, a recipe is created just like that sometimes.

How I Made these Crispy Italian flavored Tacos

This crispy Italian flavored Taco recipe started like this.

First I sautéed the peppers, onions and garlic, then I added the ground sirloin, you can use any ground meat you like. Be sure not to over cook the meat, since it will be cooked twice.

Then I filled corn taco shells with the Italian flavored mixture, covered them with mozzarella cheese baked them in my toaster/air fryer until crispy and  the cheese  melted and golden brown.

Just like that a new recipe was created and let me just say put a few aside for yourself before serving them, these Italian inspired tacos tend to disappear quickly.

Ingredients

• 8 corn taco shells
• 1 Lb. ground sirloin
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 green and1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 sliced yellow onion
• 1 Tbs. minced garlic
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup prepared marinara

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan over bring the olive oil and butter to medium high
2. Add the  onions, bell peppers and garlic saute until tender and just beginning to brown
3. Add the ground sirloin saute until brown salt and pepper
4. Add the marinara and mix well
5. Divide beef mixture among the taco shells in a oven proof casserole dish
6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes add the cheese last 5 minutes
7. ENJOY!!!

Garden Pesto Bruschetta Pizza

This garden Pesto bruschetta Pizza is easy and quick when you use some store- bought ingredients.

I love pizza just about as much as I love pasta, and for almost the same reasons.

Just like pasta pizza is versatile and if you use some store bought ingredients it’s easy and quick Too!! With pizza It’s all about the topping. Although topping combinations are endless I like to top my pizzas with simple in season ingredients.

This pesto bruschetta pizza uses few ingredients, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s flavorless, it’s not, in fact it’s so full of flavor, it should come with a warning sign!!! Addicting!!!

3 Tips for Delicious results When Making this Garden Pesto Bruschetta Pizza

First tip when making any pizza is the crust has to be good. In this Garden Pesto Bruschetta Pizza recipe I used a good quality pizza crust imported from Italy. You can use your favorite store bought crust or you can make your own if you want to go that route.

Second, after the crust, the main ingredient in this bruschetta pizza recipe is tomatoes. And although using garden tomatoes produces the best taste, you can find  tasty tomatoes every where when they are in season.

And third, to prevent a soggy crust I like to precook it, for 5 to 10 minutes before topping it, to prevent a soggy crust.

One more thing please leave me a comment if you make this easy Pesto Bruschetta Pizza. I love hearing from you, it’s my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1 store bought pizza crust
• 1/2 cup my walnut pesto sauce or your favorite pesto
• 3 to 4 tomatoes of your choice thinly sliced
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls
• 2 Tbls. chopped garlic
• 1/2 bunch chopped basil
• 2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Spread the prepared pizza crust with the pesto

2. Line with the tomatoes overlapping

3. Randomly place the mozzarella balls

4. drizzle with the olive oil

5. Top the grated cheese and basil salt and pepper to taste

6. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Hello Everyone!

This raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing is so easy to make and taste way better than store bought. You only need a few ingredients and just a few minutes to make a salad dressing so good you’ll want to make it often.

Everyone loves raspberry  salad dressing, but they don’t realize how easy it is to make at home!!! To be honest this  salad vinaigrette is so easy to make, I was hesitate on whether it was a worthy enough blog post.

3 Tips for success With this Raspberry vinaigrette Salad Dressing

The first tip for success when you make this raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing is to use fresh or frozen real  raspberries. There is just something about fresh raspberries in salad dressing  verses using fruit jams.

Second, in vinaigrette salad dressing recipes the oil you use is very important. In these oil based vinaigrette recipes use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.

And third one of the most important tips when making oil based salad dressing vinaigrettes, the oil goes in last, in a slow steady stream with the blender or food processor running.

One more thing if you make this Raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing please leave me a comment. I love hearing from you it’s  my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp. chopped garlic
• 1 Tbls raspberry or strawberry jam
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a food processer or blender pulse the washed raspberries until smooth
2. With the blender running add the rest of the ingredients up to the olive oil
3. Add the olive oil at the end with the blender running in a slow steady stream
4. Store in glass jar in fridge up to 2 weeks

Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta

This Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta is prefect when your looking for a filling appetizer or a light lunch.

Succulent large shrimp coated with pesto, sautéed in  a delicious sauce flavored with salty crispy prosciutto makes this the prefect topping for the toasted Italian bread smeared with pesto, then topped with tangy feta cheese.

Here’s How I made this Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta

When I made this Pesto Shrimp Bruschetta, I started by slicing some good quality Italian bread on a diagonal into roughly 1/2  inch thickness, and toasting it, in my  toaster oven/ air fryer. This step can be done ahead of time even the day before.

Next I defrosted the shrimp in cold water for a quick thaw, this or defrosting the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight are the best methods of defrosting food.

Finally in a large saute pan, I sautéed some red onion and garlic,  threw in a hand full of tomatoes, deglazed the pan with chicken stock you can use white wine if you prefer, then I sautéed the shrimp to a beautiful sear, and topped the toast with the shrimp and some feta cheese.

If you make this recipe please let me know how it goes. leave me a comment. And please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. I love hearing from you, It’s my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 Lb. large cleaned shrimp
• 1/2 loaf Italian bread cut into 1/2 inch slice
• 2 slices prosciutto thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce plus 1/3 cup to brush on  bread
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. each chopped Italian parsley and basil
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/3 cut chopped red onion
• 1 Tbs. chopped garlic

Instructions

1. Toast bread then spread lightly with pesto set aside
2. Toss shrimp in the pesto sauce set aside
3. Meanwhile in a large sauté pan bring the butter and oil to medium heat
4. Add the onion and garlic saute until tender and just beginning to brown
5. Add the prosciutto saute until crisp
6. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth simmer about 5 minutes
7. Add the shrimp cook just until shrimp is cooked through 4 to 5 minutes
8. Add the Italian parsley and basil
9. Top toast with shrimp sprinkle with feta cheese… ENJOY

Roasted Grape Pizza

Pizza has came a long way since our days in the Pizza business. Back then Canadian bacon and pineapple toppings on pizza were a novelty.

Now there are as many different pizza toppings and combinations as there  are people who love pizza.

This Roasted Grape Pizza may sound like an unusually mix of ingredients but it all comes together with the most delicious flavor.

Roasting the grapes sweetens them and releases their juices producing a sweet, syrupy pizza sauce. Mix the sharp bite of the gorgonzola with the mild taste of grapes, honey and thyme, add crunchy walnuts and you a recipe for delicious results.

3 things to know About this Roasted Grape Pizza Recipe

The first thing to know about this Roasted Grape Pizza is I used The pizza dough from Trader Joe’s you can use any pizza dough you like.

Second any grape works with this recipe, I’ve used white and it was just as delicious as using the red grapes. Third and one step not to miss is to prebake the crust, so you don’t end up with a soggy crust. One more thing I  baked this this pizza in my Cuisinart Toaster Oven/ Air fryer my most used small appliance.

And lastly please leave me a comment if you make this Roasted Grape Pizza and please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations.

I love hearing from you, it’s my favorite  part!!!!

Ingredients

•  1 lb. prepared pizza dough
• 3 cups red grapes
• 2 cups gorgonzola cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 Tbs. thyme leaves
• 4 Tbs. honey
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Stretch dough into thin 12 inch circle let rise for 15 minutes
3. Meanwhile drizzle cleaned and separated whole grapes  and walnuts with olive oil, salt and thyme
4. Roast grapes and walnuts on a small cookie sheet in  the preheated oven for 15 minutes set aside
5.  Brush the crust with olive oil Pre bake the pizza crust for ten minutes or until crust is lightly golden
6.  Top pre baked pizza crust with the roasted undrained grapes, gorgonzola and parmesan
7. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted ……ENJOY!!!!

Buffalo Langostino Lobster Bruschetta

Don’t let the sound of this Buffalo Langostino Lobster Bruschetta intimidate  you.  It’s an easy recipe and affordable too when you use langostino lobster.

Consumers are attracted to using langostino lobster for two main reasons size and cost. The size of the langostino tail is ideal for cooks looking for bite size portions of meat. Moreover the price of langostino lobster is well under half the price of lobster.

As far as am concerned, they taste and eat pretty much the same and are prefect in this bruschetta recipe.

Langostino lobster is an affordable alternative to higher priced shellfish, and can be used in any recipe that calls for lobster, shrimp or crab.

How To Make This Buffalo Langostino Lobster Bruschetta

Start making this Buffalo Langostino Lobster Bruschetta by first toasting some really good crusty Italian bread spread with some really good pesto store bought or homemade. Next simmer the butter and Franks Hot sauce on low heat, stirring constantly.

Third you can prepare the topping ahead of time and assemble the bruschetta just before serving. This is a delicious recipe made more affordable by using less expensive Langostino Lobster.

I hope you try it and please don’t forget to leave me a command. I love hearing from you it’s my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

• 8 slices crusty Italian bread
• 1 cup prepared pesto sauce
• 1/2 lb. langostino lobster meat
• 1 cup Frank’s Hot sauce
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 stalk thinly sliced celery
• 1 bunch thinly sliced radishes
• 1/2 small dice red onion
• 1 Tbls. chopped garlic
• Juice from one lemon
• 1 Tbls. chopped Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Spread the bread with the pesto sauce toast until golden brown
2. Meanwhile in a medium saute pan heat the butter to medium high
3. Add the Garlic saute until tender and just beginning to brown
4. Add the hot sauce simmer until the sauce thickens slightly about 5 minutes
5. Add the lobster simmer 5 minutes more
6. Make the celery slaw by mixing the celery, carrot, radishes, Italian parsley, gorgonzola and lemon juice
7. Mix the buffalo lobster with the celery slaw
8. Top the toasted pesto bread with the lobster mixture….. ENJOY!!!!