Hello, new favorite! I think of this Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet kind of like “jambalaya light”. It has similar flavors and ingredients as jambalaya, but it’s a slightly scaled back, simplified version, perfect...
Chicken Broth
I’m all about the quick skillet meals because, let’s face it, sometimes after a long day of work you don’t really want to cook anything… but you still gotta eat. This super quick Creamy...
When lockdown started a few months ago I focused on buying vegetables that would last a long time in my fridge or pantry so I could continue to eat a well rounded plate without...
Y’all know I love one pot pasta meals, and I know a lot of you do too. They’re quick, easy, and pack a lot of flavor into only one little dish that needs to...
Soup season is already on its way out, but I couldn’t resist one more warm and cozy pot of goodness. For this super easy and deliciously chunky Ham and Bean Soup I took cue...
It’s almost Friday and it’s this part of the week when my cravings for comfort food really start kicking in. It doesn’t help that it’s been dark and rainy non-stop for like, the last...
This Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is the perfect example of why people love slow cookers so much. You literally just dump everything in the slow cooker, give it a quick stir, then turn...
This One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta was inspired by those little packets of powdered pasta sauce mix I always see in the grocery store. While those little packets are probably great for camping,...
Y’all, I’m reaching waaaaay down into the Budget Bytes archives with this one. I first posted this Easy Pumpkin Soup in 2009, just a few months into my blogging journey. When October 1st hit...
I’m a soup-all-year-long type of person. Soup is tasty. Soup is filling. Soup freezes well. And this Chicken and Lime Soup is where it’s at. The clear broth is light enough for summer, and...
What am I doing over here cooking a casserole on one of the hottest days of the summer? Crazy, perhaps, but the stomach wants what the stomach wants, and mine wants King Ranch Chicken...
It’s no secret that I love spinach artichoke dip and I’m always looking for ways to make it into a legit dinner, instead of just an appetizer that I accidentally over-indulged in. For this...
I went down the rabbit hole of looking at diet or macro-friendly meal delivery services online the other day. It’s a booming business these days and I was really curious about what kind of...
It’s self care Saturday over here at the Budget Bytes house and I’m eating this super cozy Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup. With chilly temps outside I knew I wanted to make a pot of...
Today is the most fall day of all fall days. The fall colors are at their peak here in Nashville, the air smells like wet leaves, it’s a little overcast and spooky looking, and...
It’s been a while since I’ve made a one-pot pasta! But this weekend I got a craving for a creamy, smoky, spicy, easy one pot dish, so I set to work! This One Pot...
Zuppa Toscana… it’s one of those recipes that every food blogger has made. I see it on Pinterest at least once per day. At least. I usually try to avoid over-hyped recipes like this but, this one...
If I’ve said it before, I’ll still say it 100 times more, simple pan sauces are life! 🙌They’re the fastest, easiest way to create a flavorful meal from a simple cut of meat. This...
There’s nothing quite like a hot soothing soup when you’re feeling under the weather. This fast and easy homemade egg drop soup comes together in just a few minutes and has a ginger infused...
It used to really irk me when recipes called for “pre-cooked chicken.” I was like, “What the huh, who has pre-cooked chicken laying around?” But then I kind of warmed up to the idea of...
Spring is kind of a strange time of year to be making soup, but I know at least some of you are still experiencing freakish January-style winter blizzards. Plus, this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla...
Chicken and Dumplings. What does that mean to you? There are about a million (okay, maybe more like 900,000) different interpretations of this comfort food. When I was growing up it was basically chicken...
When I need a fast no-brainer meal, it’s all about a quick skillet-cooked chicken and an easy pan sauce. Those rich flavorful pan sauces are absolute heaven and can be spooned over rice, tossed...
I’ve been waiting for months to share this new book with you, you guys! My friend, Daniel Shumski (author of Will it Waffle? and Will it Skillet?) just came out with his third book,...
Need a main dish that’s full of flavor but only requires a few ingredients? I’ve got you covered. This Chicken Piccata is simple and flavorful, yet elegant enough to impress a date or your...
I had a very “Louisiana” day yesterday. I made a big pot of red beans during the day and then went to a crawfish boil at night. :P I was craving red beans, so I...
Stop everything and listen closely. I’ve been making new recipes every week for over seven years and can honestly say this One Pot Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is one of the best things...
I’m alllll about the casseroles in winter. They’re warm, filling, and comforting. This week I took my favorite Broccoli Cheddar Casserole and beefed it up a bit. …Er, chickened it up a bit. I...
Hey guys! Sorry it’s been a minute since I posted a new recipe, but I went through a few days of creative block (I think the unusual below freezing temperatures in New Orleans also froze...
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a bit obsessed with cabbage lately. It’s inexpensive, healthy, and lasts a long time in the fridge. Because I always seem to have some in my...
As I mentioned in my last post, I’m having fun exploring the new Trader Joe’s in New Orleans. I asked everyone on Instagram to share their favorite products with me so I could sample...
I really wanted to have this recipe ready for y’all yesterday, because it really is one of those “weekend day-cooking” sort of recipes, but I have been glued to social media since late last week,...
Remember that Thai Curry Vegetable Soup that I made a while back that was like, “GAH! THIS IS SO GOOD!”? Well, yesterday I had a craving for those flavors again, but decided to do...
Let me start by saying, this is not authentic phở. This is “I need something that tastes good, is fast, has noodles, and kind of tastes like phở.” AKA Quickie Faux Phở. It does the...
I’ve been craving the salty, briny flavor of kalamata olives lately, so I bought a handful of olives off the olive/salad bar at the grocery store, combined them with a can of diced tomatoes,...
I don’t know if you know this, but I avoid mashed potatoes like the plague. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat them, but I just hate to make them. Part of that reason is...
This Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet combines one of my favorite foods in the world, Yellow Jasmine Rice, with a couple of items that I found in the back of my freezer. I found some...
Welcome to another episode of “How can so few ingredients make such a delicious meal?!” Skillet meals are a miracle, my friends. And this Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo is the perfect example. They’re...
I’ve wanted to make a BBQ Chicken “bowl” meal for a couple weeks now. I love bowl meals because they are easy to prepare, hold up well in the fridge, and offer a great variety...
Happy Mardi Gras!! It was an icy cold and grey morning here in New Orleans, so instead of going out and enjoying the parades, I decided to take it easy, stay warm, and cook up a...
Do you ever get tired of plain old red sauce? …Yeah, no, I don’t either. But if for some reason you did want to try something new, this quick and creamy pumpkin sauce is a great...
I’ve been making so many “one pot” recipes lately that I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve made a good ol’ side dish. Well, I had a bag of orzo sitting in my...
Ever since I discovered how delicious pasta is when cooked in broth instead of water, I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of different ways to play up this simple trick. By simply changing up the...
Hola friends! Late last night I flew back home from my vacation in Mexico and I couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen today. One of my wonderful readers suggested Sopa de Fideo to me a...
I’m loving these one skillet meals not only because they’re so easy to make, but because they’re so easy to eat. Instead of filling my plate with a main dish and a couple of sides,...
So, you remember how much you love those Taco Chicken Bowls? And how they’re so easy because you just pour everything into the slow cooker and press go? Well guess what… You can do...
Jambalaya is one of the easiest, filling, and inexpensive dishes you can make. Just ask anyone from Louisiana—we live off the stuff. Flavorful sausage, savory aromatic vegetables, and rice all cook together in one...
(a.k.a. ANGRY BIRDS) I got an email a while back from a reader who wanted to know how to make arrabbiata sauce, so I set out to find out how to do so. I...
I had some split pea soup from the hospital cafeteria the other day and while it was satisfying, something about it just didn’t taste genuine. So, I thought it was time to make some...
Chicken and pumpkin? Sounds weird, right? Well just wait until you taste it… I made this simple pumpkin soup ages ago and decided to make a newer, better, more powerful version today. I took...
I came up with this recipe because I had half of a flank steak in my freezer that I needed to use up. As usual, I bulked up the meat with beans, rice, and...
I was talking with a friend recently who was so excited to be finally getting stove in the house that he’s been remodeling and living in. So I asked, “What is the first thing...
I’m still all about these easy, one dish dinners. This one is very similar to the ultra popular Taco Chicken Bowls, but it’s made in the oven and takes about an hour, as opposed...
I saw this recipe over at Kevin & Amanda the other day and immediately knew that I wanted to make it. Of course, I made some changes to fit the ingredients I had on...
I’ve hesitated to make potato soup for quite some time because all I could think about is how creamy and carby it must be. Surely it’s not good for me to eat that every...
Okay, this is a pretty big statement to make, but… This Yellow Jasmine Rice is the best rice I’ve ever had. Yep. The flavor is simply out of this world. The aroma as it...
This Spicy Coconut and Pumpkin Soup is a keeper! It’s super quick to make and insanely delicious—my favorite combination. It’s light enough to act as a starter or side for your meal, or you can pair...
Have you ever seen those bags of 16 bean soup mix in the dry bean aisle at the grocery store? Well, they’re kinda like the ramen of the bean world. They come with their...
This post is dedicated to all of you who are still going out to eat at the Olive Garden. ;D This is a super simple, very flavorful pasta dish that will cost about the...
Oh, I’ve been wanting to make this Coconut Chicken Soup for such a long long time! There are few things that I like more than coconut milk so I just knew this was going...
Are y’all ready for this? …No, no, I don’t think you are. Okay, if you insist. But if your head explodes upon contemplating the deliciousness of these Apple Spice Pork Chops, don’t say I...
In hope of good luck and prosperity in the new year, I cooked up a pot of black-eyed peas yesterday. Eating black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread on the first day of the new...
Last year for Thanksgiving I made an apple walnut stuffing that was *out of this world* good, despite using a boxed mix. I was so happy with that recipe that I really didn’t plan...
Okay, you’re really going to have to try not to judge a book by it’s cover here. I know this Lentil & Sausage Stew isn’t the prettiest thing to look at but, OMG, it...
In effort to use up some of the things stored in my freezer and pantry, I took a quick survey of what I had available. I had a left over ham hock from making...
Today I learned to love the ham hock. They used to scare me. Well, scare me and fascinate me all at the same time. I remember seeing them in the grocery store as a...
One of my goals this summer was to make tomato soup from scratch… and by scratch I mean whole tomatoes, not canned. Tomato soup made from fresh tomatoes is a completely different beast from...
I made this Cilantro Lime Rice as a side dish for the Shrimp Tacos that I made last weekend (my apologies for taking so long to post it). This rice is very simple and...
