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My 10 Favorite Recipes from 2022

December 26, 2022

It’s the last week of the year.

Hip hip!

Time to look back at all the deliciousness that came to life in 2022! This is essentially my recipe version of the Spotify Top 10 – showing off what was most made, most eaten, and most thought about in my food life this year.

It’s hard to choose when you love all your children, but there were some clear favorites for me this year. Here’s my top 10 list of new recipes in 2022!

1. Smash Burgers with House Sauce

Hands holding a juicy smash burger with sauce.

This is an absolute burger-game changer that is quite literally smashed on a very hot griddle and quickly seared to a stunning crisp. Do not sleep on adding a swath of the zippy house sauce magic. Get some crisp lettuce leaves up in there, maybe a juicy tomato slice, and oof.

It’s perfectly juicy, full of unbelievable flavor, and gets a BIG 10/10 from me.

I bought a Blackstone griddle just for this recipe!

2. Pistachio Loaf

Pistachios are already just so special and then they became a beautiful breakfast / brunch / afternoon snack loaf cake, and it was even more special. This is such a happy treat!

I made this one SO MANY TIMES to share with friends (and… myself) and I have never had so many people text me with raving reviews.

3. Saucy Gochujang Noodles with Chicken

Bowl of gochujang noodles with chopsticks.

Thank you gochujang sauce for blessing our kitchens this year. If you can handle this, I would describe this as spaghetti meets stir-fried noodles meets gochujang. It is weirdly family-friendly (just scale back the gochujang for less heat) and my girls actually really enjoyed it.

4. Cauliflower Orange Gnocchi

This is my at-home version of a Minneapolis need-to-have-when-you-are-in-town at a restaurant called Bar La Grassa. Tiny pieces of gnocchi that are like actual pillows with little bits of supremely thin roasted cauliflower slices plus a light coating of creamy, slightly orangey sauce with a handful of chives over the top. A rare and unexpected gem in a bowl that is landing in my forever files after this year!

5. Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice

Y’all loved this one! (And me too!) So many incredible pictures of this “ginger-spiked chicken sitting on fluffy, coconutty rice” combo were shared on Instagram – and for very good reason. So SOS-friendly, very big flavors, and just an A+ eating situation all around. The lime drench, the fresh ginger, the bright cilantro, the crunchy peanuts – BIG WINNER!

6. Instant Pot Spicy Short Rib Noodle Soup

Short rib noodle soup in a bowl with a spoon

This star was part of our February Fun Series, and those slurpy, spicy noodles really do pack the fun! I’m not a huge beef person but DANG. Those short ribs are fall-apart incredible! Add bright sauteéd spinach, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, a swizzle of toasted sesame oil – slurpy, spicy, and glorious.

7. Cauliflower Black Bean Tostadas with Queso and Pickled Onions

I would say I think about this recipe about once / week. I just loved it so much. A quick-fried tostada topped with creamy refried beans, seasoned and roasty cauliflower, tangy pickled onions, and a drizzle of your favorite queso. WHY IS IT SO GOOD. I have eaten them cold, leftover, for breakfast. Thank you, black bean tostadas, for saving dinner. Thank you!

8. Ang’s Chicken Wraps

Juicy close up of the chicken wrap with toppings falling out.

If I could sum up my summer lunches in one photo, it would be this. These wraps are a quick and delicious lunch with not one but TWO sauces. Shredded chicken, crispy cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes and corn, a bit of lettuce, pickled red onions, and you have a lot going on in the best kind of way. Another goodie from Ang, so you know you won’t be steered wrong.

9. Crispy Chicken Tikka Bowls with Mint Sauce

Crispy chicken, cucumbers, quinoa, and pickled red onions in a bowl with mint sauce and a fork

Hello, hello! Flavor parade coming through! These were just fun and super textured and flavorful and that’s why I loved them. Crispy chicken tenders brushed with your favorite tikka masala sauce and roasted to a perfect crisp. There’s fresh cucumber crunch in the bowl alongside a creamy slaw and some quick pickled onions, all piled high on a bed of nutty quinoa and the most drinkable mint sauce over it all.

10. Kimchi Grilled Cheese

HOLY SMOKES I made these a lot, too. Golden-brown pan-grilled slices of sourdough, the meltiest of melty cheeses, and a smoky-meets-caramelly-meets-jammy kimchi and bacon filling. And, of course, the great question here of what will get you that golden exterior on your grilled cheese ensued on Instagram – is it mayo or butter? (It’s mayo.)

That’s a wrap! Share below – what were your favorite POY recipes of 2022?

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Chicken Orzo Tomato Soup

October 17, 2022

This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo

Chicken and orzo literally never fail. It can do no wrong. And make that chicken and orzo in an almost tomato soup form and you have a foolproof, everybody-likes-it dinner that is practically SOS-level easy.

This soup is a pantry essential with just a few ingredients coming straight out of the cupboards: tomato paste, garlic, broth, and orzo. And this is one of those cases where simplicity just wins.

Chicken orzo soup in a bowl with a spoon

The Flavor Of This Soup

This chicken orzo tomato soup can be a little bit of a chameleon – you can give it the flavors that you like. You build the base by caramelizing tomato paste and garlic (idea coming from a recipe in a Milkstreet cookbook!) and you can spice to your heart’s delight. I like to stay in the mainstream flavor zone for this one with Italian seasoning (almost has a pizza-like flavor to it with the tomato paste and garlic), but I feel like smoked paprika or other more zippy herbs could also be successful. The version I was inspired by in the Milkstreet cookbook had mint as one of the herbs! I wasn’t quite ready for the mint jump, but I’m just saying, you have options. Let the spirit lead!

In This Post: Everything You Need For Chicken Orzo Soup

My Preferred Orzo

I consistently use DeLallo orzo – it is made IN ITALY and it’s bronze cut, which gives it unparalleled texture. It’s available in both semolina and whole wheat varieties, which is just really wonderful. Whole wheat orzo can be almost impossible to find, so if you’re looking for a stock-up, DeLallo is your place.

We’ve worked with DeLallo forEVER and we love their products.

Package of orzo pasta next to a bowl of soup

The Pesto Bread Dip Situation

Let it be known that I am a big fan of homemade pesto here, and I find that the best way to do things is to first dunk your bread in the pesto (it’s thick, flavorful, and delicious) and then dunk your pesto-ed bread into the soup. SO GOOD.

Fresh flavor in every nook and cranny.

I still have a bunch of basil left in my garden that is nearing the end of its life (aka winter is coming), so I am excited to be making a bunch of pesto right now. And the flavor – ugh. It’s so fresh and so good. I was licking the remnants of it right out of the food processor.

This recipe is so easy that I promise this extra step won’t feel like too much.

Variations On This Chicken Orzo Soup

Few ideas if you want to play around with it:

Get some wilted greens right up in the soup!
Try white beans in addition to (or instead of) chicken.
Reduce the broth and use ground Italian sausage for your protein – think Hamburger Helper but Italian style and homemade. Yum.
Omit any additional protein at all and just serve it like a spaghetti-o’s old school bowl of soup! Truly so magical.
Use cashew cream instead of heavy cream.
Add some pureed roasted red peppers for a red pepper flavor.

What To Serve With This

I mean, bread is a given. A take-and-bake loaf is great – but if you want to make your own, you need to try this No-Knead Miracle Bread.

Salad is nice – just something to really make this into a real you-pick-two lunch or dinner situation. And yes, once again, I would recommend the Simple Green Salad that goes with everything.

And if you want to go all-out with your veggies, Liz’s Roasted Broccoli Salad is legitimately exciting every single time.

This soup is cozy and comforting, easy and crowd-pleasing, and kind of just a love letter to all things simple and uncomplicated. Thank you, chicken and orzo!

Chicken Orzo Soup: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make this soup vegetarian-friendly?

Easy! Just sub a can of white beans instead of the chicken and use veggie broth.

How do I make my own pesto?

Just blitz 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste), 1 cup packed basil leaves, and 1 cup packed other greens, like spinach (!), in a food processor until it makes crumbles; drizzle in about 1/4 cup olive oil until it comes together into a sauce. Finish with a bunch of lemon juice and you’re good to go!

How can I make my own bread for lots of delicious bread dips?

The very best (and incredibly easy!) bread recipe can be found here!

Chicken Orzo Tomato Soup

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

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Description

This soup is the perfect ode to fall! Chicken meets orzo in an almost tomato soup form plus lots of bread dips, of course. Let’s go!

Ingredients

Units

2 tablespoons DeLallo Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
1/4 cup DeLallo Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 cups chicken broth
salt to taste
1 cup DeLallo Orzo Pasta
2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken (I use the pulled meat from a rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1–2 cups water as desired
parmesan, herbs, red pepper flakes, and lemon for serving
bread for serving
pesto for serving (optional – recipe in notes)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. (See notes on types of pan to use!) Add the garlic; sauté for 1-2 minutes until soft and fragrant but not browned.
Add the tomato paste and Italian seasoning; cook until it becomes caramelized and turns a deep red color, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth gradually until the mixture incorporates into a smooth liquid. This is a good time to add salt; I recommend tasting the liquid to see how much salt it needs depending on how salty your broth was. Otherwise just add 1/2 teaspoon to start, and add from there.
Add the orzo and bring the whole thing to a simmer for about 10 minutes until the orzo is soft. If needed, add a cup more of water and/or broth to get your desired consistency. Stir in heavy cream.
Add the chicken and squeeze in a bunch of lemon juice to wake the whole thing up.
Serve topped with Parmesan, herbs, red pepper flakes, and hot crusty bread. If you want, serve with a little side of pesto for dipping the bread in before dunking in the soup. YUM. So good!

Notes

I recommend using a nonstick pan for this – you can also use a Dutch oven or another type of pan, but you’ll need to stir periodically so that the orzo doesn’t stick. If the only nonstick you have is a large-ish sauté pan, I would use that!

For the pesto, I blitz 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste), 1 cup packed basil leaves, and 1 cup packed other greens, like spinach (!), in a food processor until it makes crumbles; then I drizzle in about 1/4 cup olive oil until it comes together into a sauce. Finish with a bunch of lemon juice and you’re good to go! Perfect bread-and-soup dunking companion.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian-Inspired

Keywords: orzo soup, chicken soup, chicken orzo soup

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Thanks to DeLallo for sponsoring this recipe!

More Favorites with Orzo

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo (fresh, filling, and so vibrant)
Greek Baked Orzo (all baked in a skillet)
Chicken Meatballs with Peppers and Orzo (this is the BEST combo)

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Cauliflower Orange Gnocchi

September 19, 2022

This post is sponsored by DeLallo and is a brand new recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.

TODAY IS A BIG DEAL!

This recipe is a recipe that I’ve thought about recreating for a long time, and here we are. It’s happening.

And doubly awesome is that it’s happening SOS-style! Three cheers for delicious and easy.

This gnocchi comes from a restaurant (more on that in a second) and if you’ve never had it, it’s going to shock and delight you:

pillowy bites of gnocchi
supremely thin-sliced cauliflower
minced shallot
all browned in some butter
tenderly coated in a light cream “sauce” if you can even call it that
with orange juice and zest (yes, orange)
and just a little spicy from some red pepper flakes
and a handful of chives on top

Oh my word, it’s so good. I wish I was eating it right this second.

In This Post: Everything You Need For This Gnocchi

Bar La Grassa Cauliflower Orange Gnocchi (The OG)

The OG of this recipe comes from a restaurant in Minneapolis called Bar La Grassa – the gnocchi is beautiful, luscious, rich, and simultaneously delicate. The actual pieces of gnocchi are tiny and pillowy and light, and the little bits of roasted cauliflower plus a light coating of creamy, slightly orange-y (!) sauce with a handful of fresh chives over the top just make the whole dish a rare and unexpected gem.

There are very few meals I’ve had that have ever made me cry, but the first plate of this gnocchi that I ordered after all the pandemic lockdowns and shutdowns of the last few years literally brought me to tears. It is heavenly. Otherworldly. Just so darn good.

A year or so ago, I posted a video of this gnocchi to Instagram and someone (hi, Alix!) followed up with an email in which they SENT ME THE RECIPE. The restaurant recipe. There was some uncertainty on where it came from – best guess from the original sender was that they wrote it down from a televised interview with the head chef Isaac Becker years ago (this is why I love all of us).

I balked at it for a while – how could I even attempt to make this at home? I couldn’t. Or… could I?

But what I’ve settled on sharing is a homemade version that is REALLY, REALLY GOOD – mostly true to the recipe that was emailed to me, but just a bit more semi-homemade than the real deal restaurant version, making it ideal for the regular home cooks of the world who love delicious things.

So, yes, you have to go to the restaurant to experience the real, life-changing thing.

But you can, in fact, get the truly amazing restaurant flavor at home as an easy, easy, easy weeknight dinner.

Homemade Gnocchi Vs. Pre-Made Gnocchi

When I made the gnocchi from scratch (as instructed from the recipe), I didn’t feel like it had a huge payout. After a lot of admittedly amateur work, my gnocchi didn’t turn out nearly as tender and lovely as the restaurant version.

So I’ve decided to leave that to the pros and use pre-made gnocchi. It saves time, of course, but also – if you buy the right brand (DELALLO!) it’s going to be very, very delicious and make you wonder why you were ever spending all that time making your own gnocchi anyway.

I keep my pantry stocked with these packages of gnocchi and use them for all kinds of quick meals – most commonly, the millionaire gnocchi and the crockpot chicken gnocchi soup.

And now, this cauliflower orange gnocchi. I cannot get enough of this, and thanks to our fave brand of all truly authentic Italian products, it can become a FAST and delicious weeknight masterpiece.

(For the record, it’s not hard to make homemade gnocchi! I don’t want to discourage you from trying it, especially for a weekend. I find this gnocchi – with ricotta! – is incredibly forgiving if you have the time and desire to try your hand at the homemade stuff.)

How To Cut Cauliflower On a Mandoline

How you cut the cauliflower will make or break this dish.

You have to cut the cauliflower on a mandoline.

Something magical happens to that cauliflower when it is sliced into thin little papery pieces and then hits a hot pan of sizzling butter with a bunch of freshly minced shallots. OH BABY. This is next-level cauliflower.

Here’s a little video showing how you can cut the cauliflower on a mandoline:

VIDEO

Basically, you’ll want to remove the bigger portions of the stem and break the cauliflower down into medium-large florets. From there, you’ll turn the florets sideways to run them down the mandoline. You don’t want to put the top of the floret directly onto the mandoline – it’ll just crumble everywhere. The stem is what holds it together. What you’ll be left with kind of looks like flat, papery little trees, with stems and tops.

I often find that I end up with a little side-bowl of the crumbles and extra bits that fall of the sliced cauliflower – it’s just going to happen, even when you do it correctly, because cauliflower is crumbly like that. But it’s all good – those extra pieces are perfect to save and use in a super fast batch of cauliflower walnut taco meat or cauliflower soup.

If you don’t have a mandoline, I’d recommend just using a sharp knife to try to replicate what you see in the video – thin, tree-like slices.

This recipe is just a thing of beauty. Weeknight-friendly, restaurant quality, and just so many happy, pillowy, cozy little bites.

Cauliflower Orange Gnocchi: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make homemade gnocchi for this?

Sure can! We have a guide to making homemade gnocchi that will get the job done.

How could I add meat to this?

The gnocchi in itself can be a full meal, but if you wanted to eat it as more of a side, I’d imagine it would go beautifully with some roasted chicken or grilled steak!

Is gnocchi gluten-free?

Typically, gnocchi is not gluten-free because it contains wheat flour. BUT DeLallo is a genius and also sells gluten-free gnocchi as well as CHICKPEA GNOCCHI! Gnocchi for everyone!