GARLIC ROASTED CHEESY ASPARAGUS

Looking for a new quick & easy side dish? This Garlic Roasted Cheesy Asparagus is made on a single pan, within 20 minutes, and comes out perfect every single time. 

This Garlic Roasted Cheese Asparagus is super simple and a total crowd pleaser. It doesn’t get any easier.

A little olive oil, a bit of garlic, a liberal seasoning of salt & freshly ground pepper- that’s all you need to make some of the best roasted asparagus you’ll ever need. All made on one pan...even better!

Sprinkled with a blend of mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses that are melted and broiled to golden brown, bubbly cheese perfection- this Garlic Roasted Cheesy Asparagus is bound to be your new go to side dish.

Love it or hate it, 20 minutes is all you’re going to need to discover how much you were missing out on with this particular green veggie.

Who knew such a tasty, mostly good for you green side dish was so simple to throw together?! Now we all do. As irresistible as this asparagus recipe is, and as hard a time as I have stopping myself from eating them all directly off the sheet pan- it’s not really a sufficient meal.

MAKING IT A MEAL? WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS ROASTED ASPARAGUS? 

With a great side dish, you want an equally great main dish. We love pairing this with meatier meals like Salisbury steak (RECIPE COMING SOON!)

Yield: 4

Author: Rachele Barbieri Wright - Living the Simple Country Life

GARLIC ROASTED CHEESY ASPARAGUS

An easy side dish, this roasted garlic asparagus is cooked on a single sheet pan with a cheesy topping.

ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh asparagus, ends snapped off
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

instructions:

How to cook GARLIC ROASTED CHEESY ASPARAGUS

1. Spread the asparagus, evenly, in a single layer on a large sheet pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and garlic until evenly combined. Pour the mixture evenly out over the veggies. Using your hands, toss the asparagus just until completely coated. Spread back out into an even, single layer.
3. Liberally salt & pepper the asparagus. I recommend more freshly ground black pepper than salt.
4. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until the asparagus has become tender, but not yet wilted.
5. Carefully take the pan from the oven, sprinkle the cheeses evenly out over the asparagus. Return to the oven, baking an extra 2 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.
6. Turn the broiler on, and broil just until the cheese bubbles and begins to turn golden brown.
7. Serve, and enjoy!

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ON SUNDAY'S I PLAN FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

 Before I discovered how to meal plan, my weekly routines were a disaster. I never had a plan when it came to grocery shopping or cooking meals. Each week I would go to the store with a “list” and would buy whatever I thought we might need. I was pretty much just guessing as I walked through the aisles.

Throughout the week I would struggle to think of meal ideas. And inevitably I would try to cook something and end up not having one or two ingredients.

As the week went on, all the fresh produce I had bought would start to go bad and I would end up throwing away so much food.

I never had a plan and the weeks always felt chaotic. Sound familiar to anyone else?

I knew there had to be a better way to organize our family meals. I needed a solid system that I could implement week after week to help me manage all our food needs.

That’s when I discovered meal planning.

Meal planning helps me to stay organized, stick to a plan, and save money. When I plan out our meals in advance, I know exactly what food I need to buy at the store. And I know exactly what to make for each meal. My weeks are so much more efficient and a lot less stressful.

When I was trying to get organized, I found it so helpful to see what others were doing and figure out how I could apply their ideas to my meal planning. I know how hard it can be to get organized, so I wanted to share with you exactly how I meal plan and grocery shop.

How I meal plan and create my grocery list

Meal planning can be a difficult skill to master. There are so many different methods out there that it takes some trial and error to narrow down what will work for you and your family. This is just the method that I’ve found works best for me.

**I only meal plan for dinners, but this method can work if you need to plan out breakfasts and lunches too.**

FREE Meal Planning & Grocery List Printable

The first step to creating an organized meal plan is to print out my all-in-one meal planning and grocery shopping printable. This printable lets me plan for up to two weeks of meals and two grocery trips to the store. You can grab a copy of this free printable for yourself here.

When it comes to meal planning, I like to keep things simple. That’s why I created this all-in-one printable meal planner. I love being able to plan out all of our meals and create my grocery list in one place.

At the top of the sheet, there is a two-week calendar. I’m a visual person, so I find that planning out my meals in a calendar format is the most helpful for me.

At the bottom of the sheet, there are grocery lists for each week. I normally try and go shopping once a week, but since I’m planning two weeks at once on this sheet, I added two separate lists.

Take a look at our schedules for the next couple of weeks

Before I even start thinking about recipes and ingredients, I open up my calendar on my phone. I start by writing down any events we have during those two weeks and I include notes about the events.

For example, maybe one night we have plans to go out somewhere to eat. I’ll mark that on the calendar so I know I don’t need to plan a meal for that night.

Maybe we have a crazy schedule after work one day and won’t be home until later. I’ll write down a note about having leftovers that night or eating a quick dinner. I try to include as much information as possible so that I know everything that’s going on.

It’s so important to look at your weekly plans and see what you have going on before you start planning out tons of meals for the week. While I would love to cook at home every day, that’s just not possible. I need to be realistic so I can make a meal plan that I can stick to and will actually work with my schedule.

This is also why I only plan two weeks at a time. Some people like to plan all the meals for an entire month, but I never seem to be able to stick to that type of plan. That’s because I don’t know our schedule that far in advance. I’ve found that two weeks seems to work best for us and I’m able to create a pretty accurate plan.

Browse thru Pinterest and Create a Plan

Once I’ve got everything from my calendar into my meal planning printable, I switch over to my Pinterest app and start looking for recipes. Pinterest is my favorite recipe app. It keeps all of my recipes from books, family, websites, and more organized in one place.

By having my recipes categorized like this, I avoid having to search through tons of recipes that don’t necessarily fit into normal meal planning.

Plan Meals & Create Notes

Once I find recipes that I want to make, I start filling in my printable. I look at the schedule that I’ve filled out and try to put meals in where I think they will fit.

The notes that I wrote in from my schedule help me pick which meals should go on certain days. If I know we are going to have leftovers one night because of a crazy schedule, then I try to plan a bigger meal the night before so that we will actually have leftovers.

I also add additional notes for certain recipes, like if I need to defrost meat or prep a slow cooker the night before.

Make your Grocery List

Considering what I already have on hand in my pantry and freezer, I write down any ingredients that I need to buy on my grocery lists. Once I’ve gone through all the recipes, I’m left with two weeks of grocery lists ready to go.

At this point, I add in any other things that I know I need to buy for each week.

To keep track of the food that we need, we always keep a notepad and pen on our fridge. As we notice things are running low, we add them to the list. When I’m making my meal plans and grocery lists for the week, I grab this list and add the items to the appropriate sections.

The best part about this printable is that when I am done meal planning, I just grab some scissors, cut on the dotted lines and separate the meal plan from the grocery lists. I put the calendar on our fridge and the two grocery lists go into my purse.

And that’s it, I’m done!

My full two-week meal plan is right there in the kitchen so I know what to make each night. My two grocery lists are complete so I know exactly what to buy at the store. All of the guesswork is gone!

Don't forget to follow the link above for your Meal Planning & Grocery List Printable

- If meal planning on your own is just too confusing and you would rather have me do it, membership is now open for my monthly meal plan. I provide a calendar full of planned meals along with full recipes and a grocery list too! You can subscribe and cancel anytime. 

All meals are based on a family of 4 but can easily be cut down or doubled to accommodate your families needs. You will receive the next month calendar, recipes and grocery list on the 25th of every month, so you have plenty of time to get the grocery items and be ready to go. You can sign up today here.

Living the Simple Country Life Meal Plan

Save Time - Save Money - Eat as a Family

Stop stressing over your dinner plans, stop rolling the dice on internet recipes, and start enjoying your weekly dinners as a family.

Living the Simple Country Life Meal Plan gives you monthly meal plans filled with family-friendly recipes, and complete grocery lists to take the stress out of mealtime.

What’s Included in Your Meal Plan

Pre-Planned Monthly Calendars - you will receive your meal plan for the month on the 25th of every month. This gives you time to shop and prepare for the following month.
Each meal plan calendar consists of dinner planned for every weeknight of the month, leaving weekends free for whatever you prefer to have.

Grocery Lists that Fit Your Lifestyle
You can choose to shop when you like with monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly shopping lists!
Grocery lists are sent along with the monthly calendars so you can prepare for the whole month no matter how when you choose to shop.

Family-Friendly Recipes
All our recipes are approved by my family of four!


Our meal calendar makes it easy for you to pull up your daily recipes right from the calendar.
-For Moms Who Need a Plan but Hate Planning
-No more last-minute grocery or fast food runs.
-Spend more time with your family, and less time planning.
-Save money on your grocery bill.
-Have delicious family-friendly meals on the table every night.


For Moms Who Need a Plan but Hate Planning
No more last-minute grocery or fast food runs.
Spend more time with your family, and less time planning.
Save money on your grocery bill.
Have delicious family-friendly meals on the table every night.

Why I Created Living the Simple Country Life Meal Plan

I have always enjoyed cooking for my family, but I hated trying to come up with meals. I would spend countless searching for recipes to make and hope that I had the ingredients needed.

I would overspend at the grocery store, filling my cupboards with food items that had no meal or purpose.

I got sick of doing things this way, so I decided to start planning my meals monthly. I make one big grocery run at the beginning of each month with only a few quick trips in between for perishables.

Now, I save between $100-$200 per month and I never have to throw unused food away. My stress level has gone down, and my free time has gone up. I have not looked back!

I want to take away the stress of planning meals, and help you save money!
-Make Weeknight Dinners Less Chaotic
-Spend More Time with Your Family


With a monthly meal plan, you never have to wonder what to make for dinner again!

Grocery shopping is faster and easier with pre-made grocery lists that fit your lifestyle.

My family-friendly recipes are sure to be a crowd pleaser even with those picky little ones.
Ready to Simplify Dinner?

Membership is open. Sign up today! Click here. 

Salisbury Steak with Gravy

This Salisbury steak in mushroom onion gravy is a delicious homemade family favorite meal. Made with oval-shaped ground beef patties, pan seared and then cooked in a rich and savory, homemade, mushroom onion brown gravy. Good ol’ down home cooking and comfort food at it’s finest. A fairly quick meal to make that’s easy and delicious and can be on the table in about 45 minutes, depending on how long you cook the steaks in the gravy.

COMFORT FOOD

Ground beef patties pan seared and cooked in a delicious, savory, mushroom onion gravy that’s to die for, served over mashed potatoes and then smothered with more delicious gravy, what’s better than that? Oh, then served with a delicious vegetable on the side. A perfect comfort food and meal the whole family will enjoy!

HOMEMADE SALISBURY STEAK

I love this Salisbury steak recipe with broccoli or asparagus as the side but decided to use peas today, mainly because I didn’t have either of my two favorites and I had just used corn in my chicken fried steak with country gravy recipe the other day.

HOW TO MAKE SALISBURY STEAK

This Salisbury steak in mushroom onion gravy is easy to make. Grab a mixing bowl, and mix ground beef, onions, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, crushed red peppers, parsley and pepper together. Divide the ground beef into equal amounts and shape into oval patties about 1/2 inch thick. Should be able to get 5 or 6 patties out of this mixture. Heat a cast iron pan, or large frying pan, over medium high heat and cooked each patty for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Once golden brown and crispy on both sides, remove them from the pan and place on a plate.

PAN SEARED DELICIOUSNESS

Reduce the heat to medium, add onions and garlic to the pan along with the drippings from the steaks, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and continue cooking for another few minutes. Sprinkle flour into pan, stir and cook for another minute or so. Next, add the beef broth, stir for a few minutes and then place the Salisbury steaks back into the pan. Cover the steaks in the gravy mixture and let the juices from the gravy saturate throughout the patties, cover the pan and cook for about 20-30 minutes. The gravy will also thicken up as it cools. That’s pretty much it. Pretty easy, right? Now just get some mashed potatoes and a vegetable to serve alongside and you will have a delicious homemade comfort meal that is absolutely scrumptious.

BEST SALISBURY STEAK RECIPE

Who doesn’t love a delicious meal, whatever it is, when it’s smothered in gravy? Well, this Salisbury steak recipe is definitely one you are going to love. Ground beef patties smothered in mushroom onion gravy. Just plain yum!

Author: Rachele Barbieri Wright - Living the Simple Country Life

Salisbury Steak with Gravy

Ingredients

• - For the Salisbury Steaks
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/3 cup onions chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
• - For the Mushroom Onion Gravy
• 4 cups beef broth
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. For the Salisbury Steaks
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix ground beef, onions, egg, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, crushed red peppers and pepper together. Divide into equal amounts and shape into oval patties about 1/2 inch thick. Should get 5 or 6.
3. Heat a cast iron pan or large frying pan over medium high heat and cooked each patty for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
4. Once cooked on both sides, remove from the pan and place on a plate.
5. For the Mushroom Onion Gravy
6. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and garlic to the pan along with the steak drippings. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and continue cooking for another few minutes.
7. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and onions, stir and cook for another minute or so.
8. Next, add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Stir for a few minutes and place the Salisbury steaks back into the pan and cover with the gravy mixture.
9. Cover pan and cook for about 20-30 minutes gently stirring occasionally. The gravy will also thicken up as it cools so make sure not to cook it too long or your gravy will be too thick. If that happens, just add a little more beef broth to thin it out.
10. Serve over mashed potatoes with a delicious vegetable.
11. Enjoy!

Notes:

*And if the gravy seems to thin, mix 1 tsp corn starch with 1/8 cup water, then add to pan, stir and let simmer for a few more minutes

Created using The Recipes Generator