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parmesan cheese

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

April 18, 2020 by Marisa 38 Comments

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

Parmesan crusted potatoes with asparagus is a simple and delicious one pan side dish. It features just a few ingredients and can be prepared on any busy weeknight. 

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

My family is a huge potato lover!

Growing up, my mom was never able to prepare enough potatoes to satisfy everyone at family gatherings!

We would often find ourselves wrestling each other at the diner table for her oven roasted potatoes. 

So naturally I began to prepare oven roasted potatoes by making sheet pans loaded with our favourite buds. And I usually combine them with some other yummy veggie such as my Oven Roasted Potatoes and Fennel recipe.

I used a delicious combination of red and yellow little creamer potatoes, this time around. They’re thin skinned, buttery and nutritious and also pair so well with the fresh asparagus.

Although I can make an entire meal out of crispy potatoes, I find that roasted alongside some vibrant green asparagus makes for one remarkable side dish!

You can serve them alongside steak, chicken or even fish.

Or, go vegetarian by topping the roasted vegetables with a fried egg. Yummy!

Bright green asparagus stalks on a cloth kitchen napkin.

How To Trim Asparagus

There is no rocket science behind trimming asparagus stalks. And, you probably know this already if you’re a seasoned cook.

However if you’re new to this, it’s really a simple process. All you do is bend the woodsy end of the asparagus spear and it naturally snaps off at its driest point.

You’re left with perfectly tender and juicy asparagus spears ready to be used in your favourite recipe.

Red and golden baby creamer potatoes in a basket.

Creamer Potatoes

Creamer potatoes are small thin skinned, bite-size baby potatoes anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in size.

They’re buttery in taste with a creamy-like texture making them a cinch to prepare.

I used the red and yellow coloured creamer potatoes for this recipe. However, you can also add the blue coloured ones, should you come across any!

Sliced red and golden potatoes on a baking sheet.

How to Roast Asparagus and Potatoes in the Oven

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.

This ensures that the potatoes don’t stick to the pan and it’s easy clean up!

Toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Spread them out in a single layer, giving them room to brown and bake for about 20 minutes.

Chopped baby potatoes with asparagus topped with parmesan cheese.

After the initial first 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and flip the potatoes over.

Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper and nestle them between the potatoes in a single layer.

You’ll then return the sheet pan to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes more.

Roasted baby potatoes and asparagus on a baking sheet.

When the asparagus are almost tender, sprinkle the veggies with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes.

The cheese will melt and develop a wonderful golden brown crust over the vegetables which will impart another layer of goodness to the veggies. It’ll render them so irresistible!

It’s that simple! And that delicious!

Oven roasted baby potatoes with asparagus

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Freshly roasted asparagus and potatoes on a cutting board.

This recipe for Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus was originally published on April 22, 2016, and updated with new content and photos on April 18, 2020.

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus
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Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus

These Parmesan crusted potatoes are a healthy and delicious combination of red, yellow and blue Grelot potatoes. The vegetables are oven roasted to a golden brown perfection.
Course: Vegetable
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keyword: Parmesan Crusted Potatoes with Asparagus
Servings: 4
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds small baby potatoes sliced in half
  • 1/2 pound asparagus tips trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a medium sized bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Spread on the prepared baking sheet, in a single layer.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  • Using the same bowl, toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Remove the pan with potatoes from the oven and flip the potatoes over.
  • Add the asparagus to the pan and bake along side the potatoes for 15 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden in spots.

 

Filed Under: Salads & Side Dishes, Vegetable, Vegetarian Tagged With: asparagus, brunch, lunch, olive oil, parmesan cheese, potato, roasting, supper, vegetable, vegetarian

Chicken Parmesan With Kale

June 1, 2015 by Marisa 5 Comments

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Moist and tender Chicken Parmesan with Kale is a complete meal made in one pot from start to finish.

Chicken Parmesan with Kale

This classic Italian-Canadian dish is revisited with the addition of kale, into a one pot wonder. A leafy green vegetable and a nutritional powerhouse rich in vitamins A, C and K as well as iron and calcium with high levels of beta-carotene. Kale is slightly sweet in taste with a hint of pepper. The hearty texture of the kale leaves cooks up beautifully in this dish, soaking up all the wonderful flavors of the chicken and the marinara sauce.

This dish is a lighter and healthier version of the original Chicken Parmigiana and completely gluten free. The chicken breasts are seared not fried, cutting out most of the calories but not skimping on taste. Easy and delicious comfort food, made and finished in one pan. It comes together so easily making it great for a busy weeknight and yet elegant enough for a special occasion. It can be served with a side of rice, pasta, or even extra vegetables and rounded off with a crispy salad. My kind of meal !!

Preparing the kale:

purple kale  Kale 1

Remove the tough stem and central rib by cutting it out with a knife or tearing the leaf away from the rib. Roughly chop the leaves and wash in a bowl of cold water. Swirl the leaves in the water bath to encourage any bits of dirt to float off and to ensure that any critters clinging to the leaves have washed away. Dry the leaves in a salad spinner and set aside.

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts halves
  •    kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (approximately 8-10 cups)
  • 2 cups Marinara sauce, or your favorite tomato sauce
  • 8 slices mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C)

Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Warm the oil in a large OVEN PROOF pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 7 minutes, turning once. The chicken will have a nice sear on both sides and should look golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.

Add the chopped kale to the frying pan and cook over medium heat just until wilted for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken with any remaining juices back to your pan with the kale and pour the Marinara sauce over the chicken. Divide the mozzarella slices evenly over each chicken and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

chicken and kale

Place your pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, just until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Serve while still warm.

Yields 4 servings.

Chicken with Kale

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cookbook.

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Course, Meat & Poultry Tagged With: chicken, gluten free, Healthy, Italian Food, kale, Marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese

Lasagna

March 9, 2015 by Marisa 11 Comments

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My mother was a kind and gentle soul. On Sunday afternoons she would happily look forward to the arrival of her daughters and grand-kids, greeting everyone at the door and after the initial “buon giorno” she would turn to her grand-kids and proclaim “mi sembra dimagrito”, you look like you’ve lost some weight. Come, come nonna will feed you!  And so the Sunday feast would begin!!!

My Italian meals are often based on my own mother’s recipes. She truly made the absolute best Lasagna but maybe I’m just biased that way! It certainly was not a recipe that can be thrown together after a busy day at work. It was one reserved for special occasions like Christmas, Easter or even a birthday celebration. It was one she would take great care and time to create, making most of the prep work the day before and she would assemble and bake it the same day it was served. I will share her recipe with a special secret ingredient in a later post to truly do it justice!

This lasagna recipe I’ve adapted better suits a busy mom. It is one I have made over and over again for my own family. While you can use any canned tomatoes of your choice I highly recommend San Marzano. They are much sweeter and have low acidity and seed count and are by far the most famous tomatoes to come out of Italy.

This recipe serves 12 people. You will need a pan about 15 by 10 1/2 by 2 1/2, approximately.

My daughter and her friends are eagerly waiting for the recipe so here it is girls!  Buon Appetito!!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 lb minced Veal
  • 1 lb mild Italian Sausage, casings removed
  • 2  28 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
  • 1  5.5 ounces tomato paste (small can)
  • 1 tbls  dried basil
  • 1/2 cup snipped fresh basil
  • 1 tsp  kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp  black pepper
  • 4 cups  water, approximately
  • 375g   lasagna noodles, oven ready (no boil)
  • 4 cups  grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet or saucepan, add the olive oil, chopped onion, minced garlic, veal and Italian sausage. Cook on medium-high heat until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent using a wooden spoon to break down the meat as it cooks. Drain off the fat.

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Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and both dried and fresh basil. Rinse out the tomato cans with the water and pour this into the saucepan. Turn up the heat, cover and bring the sauce up to a boil, stirring and checking it frequently. Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to low and let it simmer gently for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Taste for salt at the end of cooking and add more if needed.

Preheat oven to 375*

Assembling the Lasagna

Coat the bottom of your lasagna pan with some meat sauce. Layer the lasagna noodles side by side in a single layer.You may need to snap off the ends on a couple of noodles to fit the pan. Spread meat sauce over the noodles to cover. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat, layering the noodles, meat sauce and cheeses two more times. If you are running low on meat sauce for the last layer, just add some water to your sauce.

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Cover loosely with aluminum and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes.

lasagna

Let stand 1/2 hour before serving.

Serve and enjoy!!!

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Filed Under: Pasta, Soups Pasta Sauces Tagged With: authentic italian, baked, lasagna, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, tomato sauce

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