On this rainy Monday, and with winter weather plaguing a lot of the country, we all need some good ole fashioned comfort food in our lives. Some would say there is nothing more comforting than a chicken pot pie, however I beg to differ. We’ve got Italian Pot Pies on the mind today, and the craving is out of control.

With ingredients that are staples in my house, I can bet that some of you could make these for dinner tonight without venturing out in this weather to get to the market. You’ve some ground beef, diced onion, shaved carrots, and marinara sauce for the filling. And butter, milk, flour, dried rosemary and baking powder for the crunchy tops.

With simple ingredients, and easy steps this is a great recipe to get your kids to be more active in the kitchen. Both Sammy and I grew up in households where learning to cook and helping in the kitchen was a must. It was always fun, educational, and eating your creation in the end was so satisfying. Even as an adult I feel that satisfaction, but it was certainly a bigger deal (like most things we’re) when I was young. It’s also just important to teach the younger generous the basic need of feeding themselves. It surprises me how many people from my generous that take the easy and expensive way out and just order in.

If your one of those people, no judgment here I promise. A lot of the problem is just the lack of time that the average person has to spend in the kitchen. A common problem that can be solved by tuning into food blogs likes ours (shameless plug I know), cookbooks/meal plans that focus on manageable and better than take-out recipes.

Having said that, these italian pot pies are a great place to start. It is both manageable and better than any take-out you can order. Give it shot, and let us know what you think. It’s been awhile since we mentioned that we love hearing from our readers with questions, thoughts, or even recommendations on what you’d like to see. Let’s get a dialogue going! Comment below and we’ll get back to you ASAP!

That concludes our post for today, and we hope you have enjoyed your time with us. Stay tuned for a delicious dessert trifle coming to the blog Wednesday, and until then happy cooking!

Quote of the Day: “Common sense is not so common.” – Voltaire

Italian Pot Pie

A perfectly delicious spin on a traditional pot pie, these Italian pot pies are filled with beef, onions, carrots, and marinara sauce.

Passive Time

35 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 tbs olive
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 finely chopped carrots, or shaved
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb ground beef
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp dried crushed rosemary
4 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk

Passive Time

35 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 tbs olive
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 finely chopped carrots, or shaved
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb ground beef
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp dried crushed rosemary
4 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce; bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat mixture has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; make a well in center, and add butter and milk. Stir just until dough comes together.
Spoon meat mixture into six 6-ounce ramekins; mound dough on top. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet; bake until topping is golden brown about 15 minutes.