Nothing says summer like a fresh, delicious brie appetizer! And this grilled cedar plank summer berry brie is an absolute showstopper. It’s the perfect dish to serve at any gathering, whether it’s a BBQ or a beach picnic. This brie appetizer is an absolute delight, combining creamy brie cheese with sweet summer berries and woody, smoky cedar plank.

This culinary adventure marries the rustic charm of cedar plank grilling with the vibrant flavors of summer. It also serves as a feast for the eyes and will look impressive in your spread.

I’ve not always been the biggest fan of softer cheeses – much to my wife’s dismay. But I wanted to make a recipe for her and thought she would enjoy this one. So I ended up with this after thinking of ways to use up leftover cedar planks from back when I made my glazed cedar plank salmon.

And of course, I had to try it out too. I will say that it won me over. If I’m going to have brie, this is truly the only way to have it.

So, fire up the grill and prepare to embark on a journey that celebrates the essence of summer through every delectable bite.

Gather the Ingredients for Summer Berry Brie

Creating the stunning summer berry brie begins with assembling the ingredients, each capturing the essence of the season. These components work in concert to craft a dish that’s as visually stunning as it is delicious. Here’s what you’ll need:

Brie: Central to this culinary masterpiece is a high-quality wheel of brie. Ideally, it should be at room temperature, ensuring a luxurious, creamy texture when grilled.

Cedar Plank: You can’t have cedar plank grilling without the cedar plank itself. This aromatic wood imparts a delicate smokiness to the brie.

Assorted Berries: Embrace the full spectrum of summer’s bounty by including an assortment of fresh, vibrant berries. Blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries each bring their unique sweetness and flavor to the dish.

Red Wine Vinegar: A touch of red wine vinegar adds a subtle but essential tanginess to the berry compote, elevating its depth of flavor.

Sugar: To make sweet berries sweeter, a modest amount of sugar is added.

Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is employed to brighten up the compote, imparting a zesty and citrusy counterpoint.

Fresh Mint: Fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, add a layer of freshness and aromatic complexity to the dish.

Salt: Basically every dish needs salt…

So gather up the fresh ingredients and get ready to start making this brie appetizer.

Prep and Soak the Cedar Plank

Before getting the grill ready, it’s essential to ensure your cedar plank is primed for the heat. This aromatic wood is not only a flavorful foundation but also a key element in imparting that unique smoky essence to your dish. Here’s how to prepare your cedar plank:

Getting a Plank: Begin by acquiring a high-quality cedar plank. These planks should be available at most grocery stores or specialty food shops. If you can’t find one locally, you can find cedar planks on Amazon. When choosing one, look for a plank that is untreated and free from any chemical additives. The size of the plank should accommodate the mini brie wheel. Unfortunately, most cedar planks are made to hold a fish filet and are a bit long for this recipe. If needed, trim the plank to the appropriate size for your cheese wheel. Or, double the recipe and make two at once, one on each end.

Soaking the Cedar Plank: Cedar planks need to be soaked in water before grilling to prevent them from burning up in the heat. Submerge the cedar plank fully in water for a minimum of 30 minutes. You may need to use some mugs or something else heavy to weigh down the cedar plank.

Once the plank has soaked long enough, remove it from the water and wipe off the excess liquid. With the plank ready, it’s time to assemble the appetizer.

Cook the Berry Sauce

It’s time to get to work crafting the delicious berry sauce. This sauce makes a great accompaniment to your brie, adding a unique, sweet flavor, and is really easy to make. It is just a quick homemade berry compote (don’t be scared by the fancy term). Here’s how to create this delectable sauce:

Start with a medium-sized saucepan. Combine one cup of your favorite berries, sugar, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and half of the mint in the saucepan. I suggest using a mix of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries but you could honestly do just a single berry variety.

Set the mixture over medium heat and let it come to a simmer. Stir often. As it begins to cook, Let the mixture simmer for about xx minutes in total.

Lastly, taste the sauce and adjust the flavors as needed. Add more sugar if it’s too tart, or a few drops of lemon juice if it’s too sweet. Once the flavors are just right, turn off the heat and let the sauce cool.

With the sauce prepared, we’re now ready to assemble and grill the whole appetizer.

Preparing the Brie

Now that you’ve prepared your flavorful berry sauce, it’s time to move on to the star of the show – the brie. This creamy, delicious cheese is a crowd-pleaser, but this recipe turns it up a notch.

First, you’ll need to find the perfect brie. The goal here is to find a mini wheel of brie cheese that will perfectly fit on your cedar plank. Once you’ve found your brie, you’ll want to remove it from the packaging and set it on a cutting board or platter.

Next, you’ll want to prepare the surface of the brie. To do this, you can use a sharp knife to remove the top covering of the cheese. This will expose the actual cheese and make it easier for the berry sauce to penetrate the brie.

Now it’s time to add the berry sauce. Place the prepared brie wheel on the cedar plank. Spread the berry sauce on top of the brie. If you don’t, just spread it over the top of the brie. Then, you can sprinkle some chopped nuts or dried fruit over the top, if desired.

Grill the Berry Brie

Now it’s time to get grilling! Grilling is one of the best ways to get that melty, ooey-gooey brie that you know and love. Plus, the cedar plank adds a hint of smoky flavor that just can’t be beat.

To get started, you’ll need to warm up the grill and get it nice and hot. Turn it to medium heat and let it preheat for about 15 minutes. Once your grill is hot, you can place a cedar plank on it.

After 9 to 11 minutes, your brie should be nice and melty. The berry sauce will be bubbling around the edges and the bottom of the cedar plank will be a bit charred. To test if your brie is done, you can use a fork or toothpick to poke the cheese and see if it’s melted. If not, you can give it a few more minutes to finish cooking.

Once your brie is done, you are ready to dig in!

Serving the Summer Berry Brie

Now that the brie is grilled to perfection, it’s time to serve it up! It’s one thing to make the brie, but a completely different thing to plate it. Let’s look at a few tips on how to serve your brie in style.

First and foremost, presentation is key. Make sure you have a nice platter to put your brie on. You may leave the brie on the cedar plank, as I did in the photos here, or remove it to a different plate or platter. Please note that the berries do have a powerful color and may stain different items – especially if they are porous.

Next, you’ll want to choose a few accompaniments. Consider adding some dried fruit, nuts (especially walnuts), bread, or crackers. These items can help tie the flavors together and make the brie even more delicious as well as giving a vehicle for actually eating the brie.

Make sure you have a good cheese knife on hand for cutting. If you don’t have one, a butter knife will do the trick. When you’re slicing, be sure to go in a circular motion to ensure even pieces.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, try drizzling a balsamic glaze over the top!

When it comes to portioning, you should aim for roughly two ounces of brie per person. You don’t want to give too much, but you want to make sure everyone has enough to enjoy.

The result is a delicious, stunning brie appetizer that will wow your friends and family. So go ahead and give it a try – you won’t regret it!

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this summer berry brie! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Grilled Cedar Plank Summer Berry Brie

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, Platters, SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Experience summer flavors like never before with this stunning grilled cedar plank brie topped with a simple berry sauce and mint.

Ingredients

• Cedar plank, cut to size

• 8 to 10 ounce mini brie wheel

• 1/4 cup blackberries

• 1/4 cup strawberries

• 1/4 cup blueberries

• 1/4 cup raspberries

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, divided

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Crackers or sliced bread to serve

Directions

• Begin by submerging the cedar plank in water, ensuring it’s fully submerged, and weighing it down if necessary. Allow it to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes before grilling. If necessary, cut the plank to the desired size before soaking.
• While the cedar plank is soaking, chiffonade the mint, juice the lemon, and rinse the berries.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the berries, red wine vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and one tablespoon of sliced mint leaves.
• Allow this mixture to gently simmer for approximately 15 minutes, ensuring you occasionally stir and gently crush the berries as they cook.
• As your berry compote simmers to perfection, preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
• Carefully cut off the top rind of the brie, revealing its creamy interior.
• Remove the cedar plank from the water and pat it dry, place the brie wheel atop the soaked cedar plank, then spoon the berry compote on top of the brie.
• Place the cedar plank and brie on the grill and cook for 9-11 mins, testing with a fork or toothpick to see when the cheese is soft and ready to serve
• Remove the brie from the grill, top with the remaining chopped mint, and serve

Notes

• With how large most cedar planks are, you could double the recipe and cook two mini brie wheels on a single plank if you don’t want to cut one down or waste so much extra space

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I’m not gonna lie, it is kind of an involved recipe to make your own ravioli at home. But when you can get this delicious cheese and pear ravioli filling as a result… mmmmmmm is it worth it.

It’s been blazing hot outside, but mother nature finally decided to blow in some cool weather and rain. So it is beginning to feel like fall outside. And what better way to celebrate than trying to come up with a delicious meal to eat?

This creamy two-cheese ravioli is loaded with tangy gorgonzola and slightly sweet ricotta. Combined with the pears and herbs, it’s sure to be a hit however you serve it. The secret to the filling is just a quick cook all together until the pears are just soft.

So, if you’re up for a little bit of a kitchen adventure, then walk through this pear ravioli recipe with me.

Making the Cheese and Pear Filling

To try and get that fall flavor, I wanted to use ingredients that would be freshest at this time. So I got some sage and thyme from the garden and then bought some pears, shallots, gorgonzola, and ricotta from the store.

Melt the small amount of butter in a pan. I know, it should totally be more butter than this for sauteeing something. But, we don’t want too much liquid in the filling. It is just much easier to work with the drier the final result is. So please use a little constraint. I know it is difficult.

With the butter melted and the pan hot, add in the shallots

Once the cheese sauce has finished cooking, you’ll want to add in the shredded mozzarella. Once the cheese has melted, you can remove the pan from the stove. Now, you’ll be ready to fill the raviolis.

For this part of the process, you will need to take a piece of fresh pastry. This is because you will be using it to cover each of your filled ravioli. You will then lay down a strip of the cheese and pear filling. Next, you will fold the top half of the pastry over the bottom half.

Homemade Dough and Other Options

I love homemade pasta. There is nothing like the taste of fresh noodles made from scratch. And you can totally use your own homemade dough to make this ravioli. Just check out my recipe for homemade pasta if you want to give it a try – you’ll need two batches of that recipe to make this ravioli.

I typically make my own pasta dough in a KitchenAid stand mixer, let it rest in the fridge for the required time, and then roll it out using the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment. It makes things a whole lot faster when making pasta. But there are tools and methods to make it all by hand if that’s your jam.

Plus, there are other options if you don’t want to or have the time to make pasta dough.

Most stores do not carry fresh pasta dough. However, they frequently carry refrigerated or frozen wonton wrappers. And those are almost the perfect size for making this ( or any other) pear ravioli at home. Instead of using a ravioli maker or a pastry wheel, just lay the single sheets out and place the filling in the center. Lightly wet the edges, place a second wrapper on top, and then crimp the edges with a fork.

You can also use a single wonton wrapper with filling in the center, folded in half on itself and pressed together for smaller pasta.

How to Fill the Pear Ravioli

I tried making the ravioli two different ways, both using homemade pasta. The first was by using this ravioli maker and press.

First off, if you are using this, make sure to use olive oil to grease the form before you put any pasta into it. Otherwise, it will be a nightmare to get the pasta out, and you may ruin some or all of the ravioli in the process. Definitely not speaking from experience here…

Roll the pasta out flat and cut out two sheets that will fit the ravioli maker. A little overhang on all sides is a good thing. Add one of the sheets to the ravioli maker. Then press down with the bumpy plastic thing into the holes to indent the pasta sheet.

Now, spoon the filling into each indent – making sure not to overfill. It was like 1/2 to 3/4 of a tablespoon. Too much filling means it’ll be more likely to burst open when trying to cook it. With all of the pasta filled, place the second sheet of pasta on top and make sure it all lines up.

Then use a rolling pin to smoothly roll the top pasta sheet down into the form. This will both seal and cut the pasta. And then you should be able to turn it over and give it a whack or two to make the pasta fall out.

Rolling and Cutting Homemade Ravioli

The second method for ravioli making takes a little more judgment on your part. Without a set form, you are the one guessing the right spacing and making sure everything lines up well. But, there are no chances of the pasta sticking to a form and tearing apart when trying to push it out. So there’s that.

To make this dish, you need to roll out the dough into thin sheets. Make sure it is pretty thin, otherwise, the final ravioli will be quite thick since we stack two sheets together to make the pasta.

Get two mostly similar-sized sheets and lay them out on your work surface. On one of the pasta sheets, place 1/2 to 3/4 a tablespoon of pear and cheese filling about 1/2 an inch apart from each other.

Once all of the filling you can fit on a sheet is placed, wet the areas between all of the filling. Now place the second pasta sheet on top of the one with the filling. Press down all of the areas where the pasta touches together. Then use a pastry wheel, bench scraper, pizza wheel, or whatever you’d like to cut the ravioli apart from each other.

Cooking and Serving the Pear Ravioli

So, now that you have a bunch of ravioli cut out, it is time to cook it up. Luckily, the cooking happens rather quickly. Just get a large pot of salted water boiling over high heat.

For cooking fresh ravioli, it is best to do it in batches. This helps prevent overcrowding and makes it less likely that any of your precious ravioli will burst while cooking. I like to use a spider strainer to pull them out when they have finished and still keep the boiling water ready for the next batch. A mesh strainer or possibly a slotted spoon could also work.

The pasta will cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. So be ready to pull them out when they’re cooked through.

For serving your ravioli, try the following:

• Brown Butter Sage Sauce (the most popular recipe on the site to date)
• Creamy White Wine Sauce
• Butter and Walnut Sauce
• Crispy Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making homemade pear ravioli! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Creamy Two Cheese Pear Ravioli

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, EntreesDifficulty: Hard

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Flavorful fall ravioli filled with pears, two kinds of cheese, and some fragrant sage and thyme. Should make about 50 filled ravioli.

Ingredients

• 3 bosc pears

• 1 small shallot

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

• 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese

• 100 wonton wrappers or 8 fresh pasta sheets (double the linked recipe)

• Small bowl of water

Directions

• Peel and cut the pear into 1/4-inch pieces, and mince the shallot
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pears, shallot, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes while stirring until the pears just get soft
• Add the gorgonzola and ricotta cheese to the pan and stir until melted, about 3 minutes
• Remove the pear mixture from the heat, transfer it to a bowl, and place it in the fridge to chill at least 20 minutes
• While the pear filling is chilling, get out your pasta sheets or wonton wrappers and place them out on a lightly floured work surface with the small bowl of water nearby – if you are using a ravioli maker then have that ready to go at this step, spread a bit of olive oil so the pasta won’t stick, place a pasta sheet on top, and press down to make indents for filling
• When the filling has chilled, remove it from the fridge and get out a small spoon to use when filling the ravioli
• Start spooning about 1/2 a tablespoon of filling either in the divots that the ravioli maker has made, onto the individual wonton sheets, or spaced about 1/2 inch apart from each other on the sheets of pasta
• Wet your fingers in the small bowl of water and then run them along the edges of the pasta or wonton wrappers, rewetting as necessary, until all outlines of ravioli are damp
• Cover the pasta sheets with a second sheet of pasta and cover the wonton wrappers with another wrapper, then press everything together to seal the wet edges
• For the wonton wrappers, use a fork to press down the edges for a better seal, use a rolling pin on top of the ravioli maker and then push the ravioli out when finished, and for the pasta sheets use a pastry wheel or knife to cut out the individual ravioli
• Repeat the process until all of the ravioli have been filled but, while working on the last batch of ravioli, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then finish filling the rest of the ravioli
• In batches, add around 9 ravioli to the boiling water and cook until ravioli begin to float, about 3 minutes then use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove the pasta to a plate
• Repeat until all ravioli have been cooked, and then serve with any desired finishes

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The post Delicious Creamy Two Cheese Pear Ravioli Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This recipe is for when you can’t decide between a quesadilla and a burrito. Just have them both, together! And that’s how the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito recipe is born.

Though not invented by Taco Bell, the quesarito was certainly made famous when they released it back in 2014. And it really just makes sense. Instead of just making a burrito with a plain tortilla, make a burrito using a quesadilla as the delicious cheesy vessel to roll everything up.

This copycat Taco Bell recipe is surprisingly simple to make. There are a few ways you can customize the recipe. But it’s not as hard as you might think to recreate the meal you are used to getting from the drive-thru.

This is my recipe for the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito, which you can enjoy for dinner whenever you’d like. Here’s how to make it at home.

Prep the Quesarito Recipe Fillings

We’re going to make our copycat quesarito recipe using a few other recipes from the site to help us out. If you have another favorite recipe for some of these fillings, then feel free to make those instead.

But, of course, I feel like mine are pretty darn good.

Starting with the ground beef. This was my sort of copycat recipe of Taco Bell’s ground beef. Though it is very much a homemade version. So what better recipe to use than this simple ground beef taco meat?

Next, make some Mexican rice. I made this recipe for Mexican rice in the rice cooker. That way it is very simple to prepare and takes a little less babysitting than traditional rice cooking. But it still packs a ton of flavor.

For a bit of sauce and flavor, prepare some chipotle crema using mostly sour cream and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

I’ve not included them in my recipe, but pan-fried potato bites could also make a wonderful addition. Just chop, parboil, and then pan-fry them up with some seasonings for another tasty filling.

So, once you’ve got the beef, rice, and sauce ready to go, it’s time to make the quesadilla. 

Build the Quesadilla Shell

Now, we’re going to build our quesadilla.

Start with a large, hot skillet and the biggest tortillas you can get your hands on. The huge tortillas will make a large quesadilla that will be easier to roll and fold up all your fillings.

Toss one tortilla into the pan. Then add an even layer of shredded cheese and a layer of nacho cheese. Note that I just kind of plopped the nacho cheese around. Then when I put the other tortilla on top, I figured that would spread things around evenly.

For the cheese, I suggest choosing one of the following high-moisture melting cheeses: Oaxaca, asadero, queso quesadilla, Monterey Jack, and Colby Jack. However, you can use whatever cheese you prefer to make this. You can even use a mix of different cheeses. I used a mix of Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheese.

Also, know that shredding your own cheese straight off the block is better than pre-shredded cheese in most cases. Pre-shredded stuff usually has added anti-caking things in it that make it a little more difficult to get that perfect melt. But, it definitely isn’t a make-or-break, especially for this recipe. It is more important for cheese sauces like making homemade mac and cheese.

But, perfectly melting cheese is what we aim for in a quesadilla.

Assemble Your Quesarito Recipe

Once the quesadilla is made, gather all of the other ingredients around so we can get to assembling our copycat recipe.

With the quesadilla laid out flat on a plate, start filling it with meat, beans, rice, sour cream, nacho cheese, and chipotle crema. I just kind of randomly piled the fillings in and tried to mix them around a bit so that I don’t get one pocket of a single filling.

Place the ingredients a few inches in from the outer edge. And group the filling on one side of an imaginary diameter of the quesadilla. This will all make it easier to fold and roll the burrito.

Do not overfill the tortilla! That is typically the biggest issue when it gets time to fold it all up. I know all of the ingredients are delicious and so it can be hard to use restraint. But fight the urge to overfill and it will be better in the end. In my opinion, the tortilla looks a little bit empty still when there’s enough room to properly fold it.

Once filled, it’s time to actually roll up your quesarito properly to make sure nothing falls out. Use this guide on how to fold your burrito. It’s one of my most popular pages on the site because it really is a pretty simple step-by-step guide.

Garnish and Serve Your Quesarito

You don’t have to limit yourself just to what goes inside the copycat quesarito recipe. Add some toppings or garnishes to lend even more flavor to this dish.

Use lettuce, sour cream, crema, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, and fresh lime wedges to top it off. You can also drizzle the chipotle crema over top, or try adding some pickled red onions to the mix for a bright, vinegary flavor. Have some beans, rice, street corn, or frijoles charros on the side to complete the meal.

In the end, it’s really about making this your own and deciding what you’d love most inside, on top, and on the side.

And there you have it! You’ve just made the ultimate meat and cheese quesarito recipe.

If you’re feeling like it, try making some Mexican desserts for when you’ve finished your meal. Fried ice cream, churros with dipping sauces, homemade flan, or tres leches cake would each make a delicious dessert.

If you’re looking for something similar to this recipe, check out these other burritos:

• Fully Loaded Breakfast Burrito
• Fried Baja Shrimp Burrito

Whatever you make, enjoy your next meal and let me know how it went.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making a quesarito at home! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Ultimate Meat and Cheese Quesarito (Taco Bell Copycat)

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

Burrito or quesadilla? Don’t make a decision, just have both with this ultimate quesarito recipe. It’s a Taco Bell copycat recipe that’s easy to make and tastes amazing!

Ingredients

• 10 large flour tortillas

• 3 cups shredded cheese (see above for best varieties)

• 15 ounce can nacho cheese

• 2 pounds ground beef taco meat

• 2 cups Mexican rice

• 16 ounce can refried beans

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 cup chipotle crema

Directions

• Add a tortilla to a large frying pan over medium heat
• Spread a layer of shredded cheese and nacho cheese onto the tortilla
• Place another tortilla on top of the layer of cheeses and let it heat until the cheese has nearly melted then flip it over to finish cooking until everything is melted
• Repeat steps 1-3 to prep all of the quesadillas
• With the quesadillas done, add layers of beef, beans, rice, nacho cheese, sour cream, and chipotle crema to the lower half of the quesadilla
• Fold in the sides, fold up the bottom and then roll the burrito up, see burrito folding instructions if needed
• Garnish and serve as desired

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The post The Ultimate Meat and Cheese Quesarito Recipe (Taco Bell Copycat) appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This healthy salad is made with almonds, fresh berries, and a splash of tangy blueberry vinaigrette. It’s the perfect berry salad for a light lunch or side dish.

And this salad is all about the berries. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

I’ve mentioned before in my gorgonzola pear salad recipe that I haven’t always had the best idea of what a salad could be. It would conjure up images of sad greens with no toppings and flavorless dressing.

Not so here! With the perfect balance of sweet and savory, this salad will leave you feeling like you just had a big bowl of yummy goodness.

This salad was inspired by my wife’s love of the Nuts About Berries Salad at Cafe Zupas. However, I chose to make a blueberry vinaigrette instead of the poppyseed dressing that they pair with their berry salad. The dressing packs a nice punch of flavor, but it’s even a delicious berry salad without the blueberry vinegarette.

Hopefully, you enjoy this recipe as much as my wife and I do.

Making the Blueberry Vinaigrette

I typically start off by making the dressing. Then I can set it aside in the fridge and all it may need is a quick shake for it to be ready to serve when the rest of the salad is ready. Plus, it can give all those dressing ingredients a bit of time to mix flavors.

The best part about most salad dressings is the fact that you can usually just toss all the ingredients into a blender. You can also shake or whisk it together as well.

Vinegar and lemon juice add acidity to the dressing. The honey and blueberries lend both sweetness and flavor. Olive oil helps provide body and a base for the rest of the dressing. A bit of salt and pepper are good finishing touches.

In this case, I used red wine vinegar for the blueberry vinaigrette. The flavor of the red wine vinegar really brings out the best in the blueberries.

As I said above, I like to make my dressing a few hours before I plan to serve the salad but it’s totally up to you. It can be made right before serving as well.

Making the Berry Salad

This salad is just the kind of thing that you can make for a casual lunch or side salad. It’s light but still packed with healthy and filling ingredients. You can also make substitutions to use whatever ingredients you have on hand (more on that in the next section…). And it only takes about 10 minutes to fully put together.

Salads are all about fresh ingredients. So, it’s important to use the freshest ingredients possible when making this. The crisp, crunch, and flavor of fresh berries and greens are so delightful.

Making the salad itself is quite easy.

First, make sure to wash all of the salad greens and berries. Then add all of the salad greens to a large bowl. Cut the strawberries into slices. Now add all of the berries on top of the greens. Top it with almonds and cheese. Then toss everything together and drizzle the blueberry vinaigrette on top.

It comes together quickly and you really just need to add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Though you may want to reserve the dressing for diners to drizzle to their own liking.

What to Put In a Berry Salad?

First, I’d recommend trying out the recipe as listed below. This includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries as the fruit. For toppings, I include mozzarella cheese and candied sliced almonds. Then drizzle the blueberry vinaigrette on top.

But I am definitely in favor of mixing things up with a recipe and trying out different combinations. Plus, sometimes you don’t have everything on hand for a recipe and you need to make some substitutions. Here are some of my thoughts:

Nuts – I use some homemade cinnamon candied sliced almonds for this salad. Pecans and walnuts could be great subsitutions for the almonds. And you don’t necessarily need to use candied nuts, I just think it lends a nice crunch and sweetness to the berry salad. The real purpose of including nuts in the salad is for the texture and crunch.

Cheese – I use some thick-shredded mozzarella for its creamy texture. But changing up the cheese is probably one of the easiest ways to mix up the flavor of the salad. Try goat cheese or gorgonzola for a powerful tangy punch. Use feta for a salty, creamy addition.

Fruit – I obviously think that this salad should have some berries – it is a berry salad after all. But if you want to sub out one type of berry or even just add to it, there are options. Try crisp apples or pears, sweet grapes, or even sliced kiwi as an addition to the berries in this salad.

Dressing – The restaurant salad that this recipe was inspired by uses a poppyseed dressing. So you can give that a try. My wife might even prefer that as a dressing, because she really likes poppyseeds. Any other lightly sweetened vinaigrette should also work with this salad. Or try using strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries for the dressing instead of blueberries.

If you’re looking for something different this summer, try out this fresh berry salad with all of the summer berries. It’s so delicious and easy to make!

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this almond and berry salad! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Almond and Berry Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

15

minutes

This almond and berry salad is loaded with berries and paired with a delicious blueberry vinaigrette for a fresh, tangy, sweet flavor

Ingredients

• Blueberry Vinaigrette

• 1 cup blueberries

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

• Berry Salad

• 2 cups strawberries

• 8 cups baby red butter lettuce greens

• 1 cup blueberries

• 1 cup blackberries

• 1 cup raspberries

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup cinnamon candied sliced almonds

• 1 cup prepared blueberry vinaigrette

Directions

• Blueberry Vinaigrette
• Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a blender or food processor
• Pulse for 15 to 30 seconds until the dressing is fully combined
• Refrigerate the vinaigrette until ready to use
• Berry Salad
• Cut the strawberries into thin slices
• Add the greens to a large bowl and top them with the strawberry slices, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mozzarella, and candied almonds
• Toss the salad together
• Serve the salad and top each serving with the blueberry vinaigrette

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I’m not as big a fan of breakfast as my wife. In her best life, I think she would probably just have breakfast items for every meal every day. But one of the few ‘breakfast’ foods that I am more excited to get behind as a possible lunch or dinner option are these ultimate fully loaded breakfast burritos.

With a name like that, how could I not want to have them?

Because they are customizable, savory, and so fully loaded with items, I think they seem to transcend breakfast in my eyes. So I don’t mind having them even for lunch or dinner. Just look at that mix of filling. And then in the end you can top it with all sorts of things – including my favorite Cholula hot sauce.

Basically cramming every good savory breakfast thing into a tortilla.

So, unlike my Baja shrimp burrito, don’t be afraid to give these a try any time of day – morning, noon, or night.

Making Loaded Breakfast Burritos

First off, make sure that you start out with the largest tortilla you can find. Trust me, it will help. Otherwise, you are much more likely to overstuff your burrito and it will end up more like a large floppy taco. Still tasty, but harder to eat.

Start off sauteing some of the veggies, adding in and browning the sausage, and then set that aside. Then whisk together the eggs with a bit of seasoning and cook them in that same pan. Once the eggs are cooked, time to start filling your tortilla.

Once the filling is on the tortilla, it is time to fold and roll it up. If you’d like some help with this step, try checking out my post on how to fold a burrito for helpful tips.

After assembling and rolling up the burrito, you can bake or pan fry it to melt the cheese, heat everything back up, and help seal the burrito fold. Just be careful not to over-heat cause it can start to dry things out, especially the tortilla.

Fillings, Toppings, Dips and Sauces

The reason these loaded breakfast burritos are so awesome is all of the options.

I find it best to just have everything available and serve them as a build-your-own burrito special. Then everybody can get exactly what they want. Plus it can help out when there are people with different food allergies present. It can be an inclusive meal.

But maybe you want a little help deciding what to put inside a breakfast burrito. So here are my thoughts on the colorful spread of ingredients you can include:

Fillings

The filling is everything you put inside your burrito. And is the main part of why these are fully loaded breakfast burritos. Eggs are the main portion of the filling, along with savory meats and veggies to help round things out. Serve any of the following:

• Eggs
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Chorizo
• Ham
• Steak
• Cheese
• Potatoes
• Avocado
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Bell Pepper
• Spinach
• Black Beans
• Tomatoes

Toppings

Just because the burrito has been filled and rolled up doesn’t mean that all is said and done. Try topping it with cheese and melting. Or serve it enchilada-style doused in sauce. Here are some topping ideas:

• Cheese
• Avocado
• Enchilada Sauce
• Cilantro
• Squeezed Lime

Dips and Sauces

Finally, serve any of these alongside your loaded breakfast burritos for added flavor or heat:

• Salsa
• Hot Sauce
• Sour Cream
• Chipotle crema
• Cilantro-Lime crema
• Ketchup
• BBQ Sauce

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making fully loaded breakfast burritos! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Ultimate Fully Loaded Breakfast Burritos

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Breakfast, BrunchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

Adding in almost every savory breakfast item helps to make these the ultimate fully loaded breakfast burritos of your dreams

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 red onion

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 green bell pepper

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 pound mild Italian sausage

• 12 large eggs

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 8 large burrito-size tortillas

• 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese

• 8 slices bacon, cooked

• 8 hash brown patties, cooked

• 3 large avocados

• 2 large tomatoes

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• Hot sauce

• Salsa

• Sour cream

Directions

• Mince the garlic and chop the onion and red and green bell pepper
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in the butter for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Crumble the sausage into the pan and continue to cook everything until the sausage is fully cooked, 10 to 15 minutes
• While the sausage is cooking, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and paprika in a large bowl
• When the sausage is cooked, pour everything from the pan to a plate and set it aside for later
• Pour the egg into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to scramble the eggs, and cook until done
• Remove the eggs from the heat
• Lay the tortillas out on plates, add in the desired fillings, then fold and roll them tightly
• Top with cilantro, hot sauce, salsa, and sour cream as desired and serve

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Holidays, relationships, family, and traditions. When we were first married, I learned some of my wife’s family holiday traditions just as she learned some of mine. And one of her family’s biggest Christmas traditions was a huge family dinner featuring their lasagna recipe.

Though I’d had lasagna before, to me it was just another meal. But for her, it is a symbol of family and traditions. And so it became an important meal to learn how to make properly.

Many times my wife and I will work together in a tag team to make this recipe.

I will start off boiling the water, browning the beef, and seasoning the sauce. Then when it is all prepped, my wife will then start assembling the lasagna layer by layer. Together we throw it in the oven, make a few sides, and enjoy a family meal.

Simple Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna is all about the layers. Meat in a tomato sauce, noodles, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

It starts with cooking the meat and doctoring up the tomato sauce. Adding in some garlic, onion, and herbs really helps up the sauce game.

Cook the noodles while the meat is browning and make sure all your mozzarella and parmesan are shredded and ready to go. Then it is a matter of layering and baking.

The number of layers you get may depend on how deep your pan is, but most 9 x 13 pans should fully fit this recipe. I recommend having a kind of assembly area set up with your pan in the center and all of the layer ingredients nearby. Then just stack up all the layers basically until your ingredients are gone.

Once you’ve layered and baked it right, you’ll have a dish oozing with cheesy flavor and packed with perfectly seasoned sauce.

Bread and Other Accompaniments

Maybe more than any other food, my wife loves bread. So I guess it just makes sense that this lasagna recipe goes perfectly with bread of all varieties. The bread is great to mop up the leftover red sauce as you eat the lasagna. Because you don’t want any of that to go to waste.

Pair this with any kind of bread – dinner rolls, garlic knots, garlic bread, cheesy bread, focaccia, ciabatta, sourdough…

But bread is not the only pairing for lasagna. For other side dishes, try any of the following:

• Roasted Asparagus
• Caesar Salad
• Garlic Butter Sauteed Green Beans
• Simple Side Salad

So bring your favorite bread and side to join in with this delicious oven dish.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this lasagna recipe! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Family favorite three-cheese lasagna recipe with a deliciously flavored meat sauce, tons of gooey cheese, and a perfectly browned top

Ingredients

• 1 package lasagna noodles (16 oz)

• 3 pounds ground beef

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

• 4 cups prepared tomato sauce

• 3 cups cottage cheese

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella

• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

• 9 oz fresh mozzarella

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Set a large pot of salted water over high heat, bring it to a boil, add in the lasagna noodles, and cook until al dente according to package directions
• While the water is heating, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat
• Drain the fat from the beef after it has fully browned
• Add the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, thyme, and parsley to the beef and cook for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring
• Pour the tomato sauce over the beef, stir to combine, and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Get a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and gather together the cooked noodles, beef in red sauce, and various cheeses to begin assembly
• Spread about 1/2 cup of meat and sauce into the bottom of the pan
• Place down noodles in an even layer to cover the meat sauce
• On top of the noodles, evenly spread about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of the meat in red sauce
• On top of the meat sauce, evenly spread about 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup cottage cheese, and 1 tablespoon parmesan
• Repeat steps 8 through 10 two more times for a total of three layers of each ingredient
• Add one more layer of noodles on top of the cheese, spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles, and then cover it with an even layer of fresh mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Place it in the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese on top is fully melted and bubble
• For slight browning on top when it has finished baking, switch your oven to broil and let the lasagna broil for about 3 minutes until the cheese on top is nicely browned – watch it carefully to avoid burning
• Let the lasagna cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving

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The post Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Fry it in oil and it will taste good. Add in a flavorful breadcrumb coating and it will taste even better. Accompany it with a sauce and you’ve got a perfect appetizer. Savor this crispy, crunchy fried cheese ravioli by ticking all three boxes.

Let me recover from the food coma I am in from eating these before I continue. Just look at the picture below for a moment and I’ll get back to you.

Okay, I think I can soldier on now.

Make this recipe for pillowy, golden-brown, cheesy perfection in a bite. It is a delicious appetizer, can be a great crowd-pleaser, and can be made in large batches for all your guests.

Dredging and Frying

Dredging can mean pulling up fish, dirt, or silt from waterways. But we will not be doing that today. Maybe some other time.

For our cooking purposes, it refers to coating with flour. And from there we will coat in egg and dunk it in a breadcrumb mixture. This helps create a solid breading that really sticks to whatever you are cooking – the ravioli in our case.

My fried shrimp burrito and gorgonzola pear salad with breaded chicken recipes also use a similar dredging process for frying the main protein.

To do this, you’ll have to set up a dredging station. And by that, I just mean setting out some shallow bowls to help take the ravioli from one step to the next until they are coated.

I typically have one plate that they start on, a shallow bowl for flour, a bowl for whisked eggs, a bowl for the breadcrumb mixture, and a plate for the coated ravioli.

Then you can easily dunk the pasta from one bowl into another without a whole lot of mess.

I recommend working in sort of mini-batches by coating 4 to 5 pieces at a time in each bowl. I like to let them sit in the egg bowl for a few seconds so that it soaks a little bit more than just a short dip. If not left in longer, the flour will sometimes create a barrier and the egg will just slide off instead of coating the pasta.

Once it is fully coated, get to frying them up. But be careful of oil splatters!

Fried Cheese Ravioli Appetizer

This recipe is sped up using refrigerated ravioli and jarred marinara sauce. You could always make your own from scratch and bump this recipe to the next level. If you want to make homemade marinara, I recommend this pizza sauce recipe from Serious Eats.

But I will typically use Rao’s jarred marinara that I keep in stock in my pantry, typically from Costco. And then find whatever ravioli seems good from the refrigerated pasta section.

Note that if you want to venture out from the norm, you can experiment with different types of ravioli.

I’ll admit that when I made this batch of fried cheese ravioli, I also snuck in some spinach and cheese ravioli to see how they fared.

And they were quite delicious as well. So feel free to see what flavors of ravioli you prefer.

Fried Cheese Ravioli with Marinara

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: AppetizersDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Try these fried cheese ravioli for pillowy, golden-brown, cheesy perfection in a bite, and savor this crispy, crunchy pasta dipped in marinara

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tablespoon dried basil

• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese, divided

• 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley, divided

• 24 ounces refrigerated cheese ravioli

• Vegetable oil for frying

• 1 cup marinara sauce

Directions

• Create a dredging station: put the flour in the first shallow bowl, whisk the eggs together in a second shallow bowl, then in a third bowl stir together the breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, thyme, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1 tablespoon parsley
• In batches of 3 to 5 pieces, complete steps 3 through 5 until all ravioli has been breaded
• Dip the ravioli into the flour and then dust it off so that it is just barely coated with no large pockets of flour stuck to the pasta
• Next, dip the flour-coated ravioli into the egg mixture and make sure that all of the pasta has been coated, let the excess egg drip off when removing the pasta for the next step
• Now place the egg-coated ravioli into the bowl with the breadcrumb mixture and fully coat each piece with breadcrumbs
• Once all ravioli is coated, pour vegetable oil in a large deep skillet or shallow pot so that it reaches 1 and 1/2″ up the side and heat it on medium-high
• When the oil is hot, add the coated ravioli in batches to the oil and fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown, flipping the ravioli halfway through
• Remove golden-brown ravioli from the oil and place it on a paper-towel covered plate
• When all ravioli are cooked, spread them out on a platter, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and parsley, and add the marinara sauce to a bowl in the center for dipping

Notes

• If using fresh herbs instead of dried, use half the amount listed

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The post Crispy Fried Cheese Ravioli with Marinara appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This recipe comes by way of one of my mom’s college roommates. My mom was a college student with a short budget and a need for some cheap food. That roommate took charge and showed her the ropes of this simple and inexpensive meal. It stuck around long enough that I was introduced to the delicious and easy meal that is a ramen omelet while growing up.

It is some weird concoction that strangely works in a way that doesn’t seem like it should. Soft-boiled eggs are commonly served with a bowl of ramen. But I have not seen this mix of egg and ramen outside my house. Not saying nobody’s done it before, but it is not common. If you try this, you will have to let me know what you think of it.

But don’t be fooled by the name, it isn’t just a regular omelet that is filled with ramen noodles. It actually isn’t super omelet-like, now that I think about it. And it is not something that I would really think to have for breakfast. It is more of a lunch kind of meal in my head.

It is more like pan-fried egg and ramen that isn’t scrambled and is then topped with cheese and whatever other toppings you want. Like a ramen frittata or something. But I always have and always will call it a ramen omelet. And if you are looking for other inexpensive meals after giving this one a try, make sure to check out how to make the perfect baked potato for another cheap meal.

Basic Ramen Omelet Steps

Making a ramen omelet takes a few simple steps. I think one of the reasons my mom taught it to me while I was young is that it is so easy. I could make it as a child and it was a great recipe to learn from early on. It truly does bring back memories from growing up for me.

First, cook the ramen noodles until they are just tender and then drain them. I recommend putting about half of the seasoning packet into the water that you use to cook the ramen. Let the noodles rest in the strainer for a minute while you crack an egg into a bowl. Whisk the egg until smooth. Then add the drained noodles to the bowl with the egg and stir to combine. Add the rest of the flavor packet into the bowl and stir.

Heat a small skillet on medium and then melt a little butter in it. Add the egg and noodle mixture to the pan and let it start cooking. Flip it over after a few minutes so that the other side can cook. Cover the cooked top side with cheese so that it can melt while the bottom cooks.

Once it is cooked through, remove it from the pan, add any toppings that feel right, and then enjoy your meal.

Flavor Your Ramen

This is an inexpensive meal when you can get a 24 pack of ramen for less than $12, and then you have the eggs and cheese that won’t break the bank. But even though we’re going light on money, we don’t want to go light on flavor.

The most simple version of this recipe doesn’t add on a whole lot of complex flavors. Ramen, egg, and cheese. The flavor packet of your selected ramen lends a bit of nuance. And it is a great dish served in its simplicity. But it can also be a whole lot more if you have some imagination in the kitchen.

Throw some aromatics into the butter and sauté them before adding in the noodle and egg mixture. The best ones would likely be garlic and onion. Just mince them up, toss them in for a quick pan fry, and then continue cooking everything else as normal. If you are feeling like adding a bit more flavor and zing, try grating in some fresh ginger.

You can also try adding some other sauces to the mix – soy sauce, sriracha, chili garlic sauce, gochujang, or save some of the flavor packet to sprinkle on top. When stirring together the egg and noodle, try throwing some spinach or crumbled bacon into the mix. Try topping it with green onion or sliced avocado.

However you flavor it, just know that it comes from a fond place of childhood memories.

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Easy Instant Ramen Omelet

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: LunchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Ramen noodles and egg combine to make a unique, springy ramen omelet that can be topped with cheese, green onions, chili sauce and more

Ingredients

• 1 packet instant ramen noodles

• 1 green onion

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tablespoon butter

• 1/4 cup shredded cheese

• 2 tablespoons hot sauce or garlic chili sauce

Directions

• Cook the ramen noodles in boiling water with half of the seasoning packet for 2 to 5 minutes until tender
• While the noodles are cooking, slice the green onions
• Drain the noodles with a colander
• Put the cooked noodles in a mixing bowl, crack the egg and add it to the bowl, and add the remainder of the ramen seasoning packet
• Whisk together the noodles, egg and seasoning in the bowl until thoroughly mixed
• Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat
• Pour everything from the bowl into the pan to start cooking
• Let it cook about 5 minutes until the egg on the bottom is cooked and flip to cook the other side
• After flipping, top the omelet with the cheese so that it can melt
• When the other half has fully cooked, and the cheese is fully melted, about 5 minutes, remove the ramen omelet from the heat
• Top the ramen omelet with sliced green onions, chili sauce, and any other toppings

The post Easy Instant Ramen Omelet Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.