It is Tuesday again, and tonight is family dinner night. I used previously prepared chicken pieces for the soup. Get my Perfect Dry Brined Chicken Breasts & Thighs (recipe link coming soon).

🍗 Here is the menu 🍗

Chicken and Italian Sausage soup (recipe link below
Sweet Potato Sourdough Gnocchi (recipe link coming soon)
Cheesy Pesto Sourdough Toast (recipe link coming soon)
Assorted Sourdough Pastries  (Sourdough Pastry Course link)
The two flavours I prepare were >> Pain au chocolat wtih a quick Chocolate Ganache and Pumpkin Pie Danish with Whipped Cream 

Thanks to my “batch cooking” efforts <<see blog on Batch Cooking values>>, I am planning for a lovely evening with food and family, but I don’t have hours to spend. I used some “spare time” and prepared a few of the staples for the menu in advance.

What's the secret to successful batch cooking?

Batch cooking is like a magic trick for busy bees like me. It's all about cooking parts of a meal, when you have a few free moments or a hot oven. Do some of the work in advance, so you can relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour later. Plus, it's a great way to save time and quickly pull meals together and avoid the "What's for dinner?" dilemma every night. Check out the basics of batch cooking here << Batch Cooking values>>. 

How did I prepare for this family dinner?

The main course is always the messiest, so if I can get that part done in advance, I am thrilled. I prepared a BIG batch of roasted chicken. This chicken follows my “batch cooking values” to a T!! It was prepared in a dry brine on Friday, and left in the fridge (recipe link coming soon) to do its magic. Then, I cooked the chicken on Saturday, after I baked a few loaves of sourdough. 

I really try to use my HOT oven wisely, so if I have sourdough to bake, I like to plan a few other things to prepare around that time - either before baking the sourdough, while the oven heats up or after baking the sourdough, while the oven is really hot. Use that oven energy wisely - Batch Cooking Value #1 - reducing energy waste. 

So, while the oven was preheating, I baked about 2.5 lbs of potatoes. I like to keep cooked starches, like potatoes, rice, or pasta, in the fridge for easy meal prep. And since it is the weekend, I figured someone in the house might want hashbrowns with brunch on Sunday. Then the leftovers were transformed into, Crispy Smashed Potato salad with chicken thighs (yes, the ones in the freezer from above) on Monday night.

Let’s get back to how I pulled off the Tuesday night meal. On Saturday morning, once the oven was preheated and the potatoes baked through, I baked 2 loaves of sourdough, then cooked the previously brined chicken. I let the chicken cool, pulled out the bones (placed bones, drippings, and veggies in a soup pot), cut the meat into bite sized pieces, and portioned the meat into ziplock bags for future meals; the breasts into slices for lunches or dinners and the thigh meat separately for other meals, like soup or pasta. 

The bones, leftover juices in the pan, the onion, carrot, and celery all went into the soup pot with lots of water and I let it simmer for the rest of the day - about 5-7 hours. I strained the stock once cooled and put it into freezer containers for future use. I keep about 3 litres of the stock in the fridge for this meal.

Why is batch cooking a game-changer for family dinners?

Imagine this: you come home after a long day, and instead of slaving away in the kitchen, you simply use what you have. Like I mentioned above, I made a great meal with leftover baked potatoes and chicken thighs. I added a quick salad, and dinner was on the table in no time. Plus, there is very little cleanup or prep, so you can use that time to tidy up the house, put away laundry, deal with mail, or just sit and visit with your family while dinner does its thing in the oven. Using a little “batch cooking” is like having a personal chef on call (minus the fancy hat). 

Any tips for aspiring batch cooks?

Start small, my friend. Pick a few main course recipes you love, double or triple the ingredients, and get cooking. Get some freezer ziplock bags or good quality containers  for storage, and you'll be on your way to batch cooking bliss in no time. The main things I like to have on hand are: 

1. Prepared meats - beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc. Fish is great to have as well, I simply freeze it in individual portion sizes and cook quickly in the air fryer on a fish night.
2. Prepared starches - potatoes, rice, and pasta are great options. We eat a lot of rice bowls, so all you need is an idea, some veggies, a meat, and a sauce to get that one on the table.
3. Veggies on hand - veggies are quick to prepare and not messy. I like to have a staple of carrots, celery, cucumbers, and peppers washed and cut at all times. I also like to have cauliflower, broccoli, broccolini, or those packages of Kale/cabbage slaw on hand as well. And, in a pinch, I always have a bag of frozen veggies ready in case I do not have any of the above.
4. Sauces and condiments - this is where you add flavour. It doesnt take much to transform a plain chicken thigh into Texas barbeque, Mexican taco night, Honey garlic rice bowl, and so on.  

So, next time you're feeling overwhelmed by the thought of cooking dinner, check back with me for some inspiration into the power of batch cooking. It's a game-changer for busy families, and it might just save your sanity (and your taste buds).

For the Family Dinner - meal “pull together” …

A comforting soup and sourdough toast made the menu. I know this will be a hit because my daughters LOVE soup and though it is not my son’s favourite, he is out of town, so win-win-win.

The plan: after a hike this morning, a morning of writing and preparing some sourdough sweet potato gnocchi, a dentist appointment in the early afternoon, I have just a little over an hour to pull together dinner.

To make it “family dinner night” worthy, I made Pumpkin Pie sourdough danish and Pain au chocolat croissants last week and put them into the freezer. If you do not know by now, sourdough freezes wonderfully!! To make these pastries extra fancy, I whisked up a quick chocolate ganache and whipped some heavy cream to top it all off. With a few extra minutes to spare, I set the table and voila, family dinner served, on time. If I ran out of time, I would have opted for “buffet style” in the kitchen, you know, grab your food, drink, and cutlery on the way to the table.

Although I was short on time, I was able to make this festive menu of Chicken and Italian Sausage soup with Sweet Potato Gnocchi, a Cheesy Pesto Sourdough Toast, and an assortment of sourdough pastries for dessert. 

This meal certainly is “red carpet” worthy!

With less than 1.5 hours in the kitchen, we enjoyed a beautiful meal. And don’t let those sweet little pumpkin shaped gnocchi fool you, I only made about 1 dozen of those for show, and the rest were done the regular way, quick cut using a bench knife, then added to the pot of soup. One of the reasons I absolutely LOVE making homemade sourdough pasta is that it cooks up in 2-3 minutes. You simply prepare the dough when you have a few extra minutes, let it ferment for a few hours, then place in the refrigerator. Roll it when you have a chance, then pop it into the freezer until you are ready to use it. Bring a pot of water (or in this case, the soup) to a boil, add your pasta and 2-3 minutes later you are ready to enjoy.

Follow along with these meal tips to make your family dinner nights fun, delicious, and memorable. We only get so many moments with the ones we love. Try to enjoy and make them count. 

Happy baking … from my family to yours,

Shannon

Chicken and Italian Sausage Soup with Sourdough Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Shannon Peckford

Servings

6-8

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Category

main

This makes for a STUNNING soup and sourdough toast meal. It comes together pretty quickly if you follow my batch cooking plans. Simply sauté some onion, carrot, and celery, then add in your Italian sausage, chicken, spinach, tomatoes and homemade sourdough gnocchi. Rice or potatoes are a great substitute if you do not have time to make the gnocchi.

Ingredients

• 1 Italian sausage, mild or hot (batch cook the whole package and freeze the leftovers to use on pizza or another dish)
• 1 lb cooked chicken pieces (from batch cooked or a leftover rotisserie chicken)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 small onion, diced finally
• 3 carrots, quartered lengthwise, and finely diced 
• 4 sticks of celery, halved lengthwise, and finely diced
• ¾ cup white wine or water, to deglaze pan 
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar or lemon juice will work too 
• 2.5 liters (10 cups) chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)
• Salt and pepper, to taste (If the stock is unseasoned, approximately 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper)
• 1 tablespoon Shannon’s Steak spice for great flavour (use dill, garlic and a pinch of cayenne if you don’t have it)
•  ½ package fresh spinach, chopped 
• 1 can diced tomatoes or 1-½ cups fresh tomatoes, diced 
• ½ - 1 cup heavy cream or sour cream (optional, but delicious)

Your choice of starch: use from batch cooking items you have on hand 

• 2 cups homemade sourdough gnocchi or pappardelle 
• 2 cups rice, cooked
• 2 cups, potatoes, cooked and cubed 

Directions

1. Preheat a Dutch oven to medium high heat, remove casings from Italian sausage, break up and sauté the Italian sausage, and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pot and drain on a piece of paper towel to remove excess fat.

2. While the sausages, cooking, finely dice the onion, carrots, and celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or use the residual fat from the sausage to sauté the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook over med-high heat until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Deglaze the pan by pouring the wine or water over the veggies. Stir and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar or lemon, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and spices.

4. Cover with lid, simmer on medium low for 30 minutes. Adjust heat so it is just bubbling. Skim off excess foam if desired, this will make the broth more clear.

5. 5-minutes before serving, add the spinach, tomatoes, and choice of starch. Stir until combined. Then, whisk in the heavy cream just before serving, this is optional, but delicious.

6. Enjoy with cheesy pesto sourdough toast or just a big slice of bread and butter.