Roast Chicken Bacon Cauliflower Bolognese

This roast chicken, bacon and cauliflower Bolognese is rich and flavorful, putting your leftover roast chicken to the best use, a whole new delicious meal!

I must confess, and I don’t think I’m alone here, but I am generally incapable of going to Costco and not buying one of their roasted chickens. They are so much bigger and cheaper than grocery store chickens so I know that there will always be leftovers to make another dish. Often more than one! 

Our favorite is chicken salad with hardboiled eggs but it is followed on closely by any sauce to serve over pasta, sometimes creamy and/or cheesy, sometimes tomato based. And, then, of course, I must simmer the bones for stock/soup.

Honestly, priced at $4.99 since 2009, there is no bigger bargain that can be stretched to make a few meals than a Costco roast chicken.

Note to my friend Wendy and others who are vegetarian or have vegetarian family friends and family they cook for: Skip the bacon and set aside some sauce before you add the chicken and everyone can eat together! 

Roast Chicken Bacon Cauliflower Bolognese

If you have a little more or a little less chicken, if your cauliflower is a bit smaller or larger, it’s all good. This sauce is very forgiving on amounts and will still taste wonderful. P.S. Just to be clear, I am NOT being paid to talk up Costco. I just love that store, its staff members and their inclusive ideology.

Ingredients

10 1/2 oz or 300g leftover chicken (weight without bones or skin)

1/2 head cauliflower (about 1 lb or 450g)

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 cup or 60g cooked real bacon crumbles

1/2 cup or 120ml red wine

2 cans (14.5oz or 411g) crushed or petite diced tomatoes (no salt added)

1 can (6 oz or 170g) tomato paste

2 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 bay leaf

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

To serve:

1 lb or 450g of your favorite pasta, cooked al dente to package instructions. 

Grated Parmesan

Chopped parsley

Method

Pull the chicken apart into pieces. I like to make most of them a bit bigger than bite-sized because then they don’t completely shred while cooking. Set side. 

Blitz the cauliflower, including stalks, in your food processor. You may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your processor. We are looking for fluffy pieces like cauliflower rice, not puree. 

Chop and peel your onion. Finely chop it or since the food processor is already out, go ahead and chop the onion in it. No need to wash it between uses.

Smash the garlic on a cutting board with a knife. Give the garlic a couple of casual chops as well. 

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, fry the bacon crumbles over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. 

Add in the onion, garlic and cauliflower. Sauté until the vegetables have softened. I find this goes faster with a lid on but make sure to remove it and stir often. 

There’s a lot of moisture in the cauliflower and onion but it can still catch if your lid isn’t really tight fitting. Add a little water if you need to stop it from scorching. 

Add in the red wine and cook for a few minutes. 

Add in both cans of tomatoes along with one can filled with water. Stir.

Add in the can of tomato paste and the Italian seasonings. Stir until the paste has dissolved. 

Add in the bay leaf and the baking soda. Stir well them simmer over a low heat, covered, for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you have more time, a longer simmer won’t hurt.

Add in the leftover roast chicken and simmer, covered, for a further 20 minutes. 

Taste for salt and add some if necessary. We are watching our salt, so I rarely add any in a meaty Bolognese. Even the “no salt added” tomatoes have natural sodium (adding 140mg to the sauce) and, of course, the regular tomato paste adds about 100mg. In this case, the cauliflower is pretty bland so I think it needs some salt. But you do you. 

Give the whole pot a good few grinds of black pepper and stir. 

Serve over your favorite cooked pasta with Parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley, if desired. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing one pot recipes. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures| Check out the links below.

• Bean and Kielbasa Stew by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Korean Style Beef Short Ribs with Bok Choy by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pečena Piletine Sa Rižom (Baked Chicken & Rice) by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Roast Chicken Bacon and Cauliflower Bolognese by Food Lust People Love
• Sama Pulao by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Sukhi Roti Ki Khichdi by Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad

A fresh twist on the classic tomato and feta combo, this kiwi tomato feta salad is bright, flavorful and delicious. 

If you know any New Zealanders, I can guarantee that they will correct you on calling our main ingredient here kiwi without its whole name, kiwi fruit because, of course, the kiwi is also their national bird. Recipes for kiwi? Horrifying. No one eats the flightless bird! At least no one does anymore. 

So, I debated with myself about the name of this recipe. Do I add the word fruit so search engines will know I’m not cooking a protected bird? But then, please forgive me, NZ friends, it occurred to me that most of the world has never even heard of the bird that gives you your nickname. Kiwi tomato feta salad it is! 

As a small aside, regarding the kiwi fruit, I’ve been reading online that you can actually eat the fuzzy peel but I’ll be honest, that really doesn't sound like a good idea to me. (I prefer nectarines to peaches because of the fuzz and peaches aren’t even sharp.) Some Reddit users claim they scrub or even shave the little hairs off to make the peel more palatable and more power to them. I’ll stick with peeling! For this salad, you do you. 

Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad

Since this recipe makes more dressing than you actually need, this salad is very easily doubled. Add a protein, like cooked salmon or chicken and, as is, it makes a lovely lunch for two. I added salmon to mine but since I put it on last, it covered up the lovely green kiwi fruit in those photos, our star ingredient. Without the protein, it's the perfect side salad. 

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 green onion, divided

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder (like Colman’s)

Good pinch flakey sea salt

A few good grinds of black pepper, plus extra to finish the salad

For the salad:

3 ripe but firm kiwi fruit

1 ripe but firm tomato

1 oz or 28g feta cheese

Method

Slice the green part of the green onion and finely mince the white part. 

Put the white part in a small jar with the vinegar. Set aside for a few minutes then add the rest of the dressing ingredients. 

Give it all a good shake until fully mixed, then set aside. 

Peel and slice the kiwi. 

Core and cut the tomato in to small pieces. 

Lay the kiwi slices out single file on a plate. Scatter the tomato on the sliced kiwi. 

Crumble the feta and scatter it on the kiwi and tomato. 

Give the salad dressing another good shake and then pour or spoon some over the salad. You will not use it all and the rest of the jar can be stored in the refrigerator. Sprinkle on the green onion.  Give the whole thing another couple of grinds of black pepper to finish. 

Like all good tomato salads, this is best served at room temperature. My husband and I both loved the salad, agreeing that the kiwi was a great addition to the classic tomato feta combo. I don’t buy kiwi fruit very often but using it in this salad will certainly change that! 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 11th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter K. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the K recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Khoya/Mawa Gujiya With Dry Fruits 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Strawberry Kuchen 
• Food Lust People Love: Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Kachumbari,Kenyan Salad 
• Blogghetti: Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kabobs 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fresh Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner 
• A Messy Kitchen: Kimchi Udon 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Cheese Tortellini Soup with Kielbasa and Kale 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Fresh Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Magical Ingredients: Kimchi Gochujang Dip

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad – this post! 

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Caprese Prosciutto Salad

What is better than a classic Caprese salad? A Caprese Prosciutto Salad, with the addition of salty, savory ham! If you’ve been making it plain, time to level up.

I have soooo many pictures of almost this exact salad in my photo library because it’s one of our favorite things to make and eat, especially in the summer when the local tomatoes are ripe. But honestly, we make this all year round. 

Sometimes I don’t have prosciutto so I substitute either parma ham, speck or Serrano ham. They all add a welcome saltiness and flavor that goes perfectly with the ripe tomatoes and creamy fresh mozzarella. 

This summer, my basil plants have gone to flower so I’ve been adding a sprinkling of those as well. Basil flowers are pretty and so tasty! They are a great addition to just about any salad so when you are trimming and pruning, don’t just toss them out.

 

Caprese Prosciutto Salad

My typical fresh mozzarella ball weighs a little more than 1/4 lb or 125g if I’m shopping in the UK and 8 oz or 226g, if I’m in the US. In the case of the smaller ball, I use the whole thing for this salad. If you have a bigger ball, add a tomato, it’s all good. 

Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes

1 ball fresh mozzarella (see note above)

1-2 slices prosciutto

Fresh basil leaves

Optional, if you can find them, basil flowers

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Method

Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a platter. 

Slice the mozzarella and add one piece (or part of a piece) to top each tomato slice.

Cut the prosciutto into pieces and add one on top of each mozzarella. 

Top each piece of ham with a basil leave.  Season the salad with a few generous grinds of black pepper and a good drizzle with olive oil. 

And, if you have them, add a pretty sprinkle of basil flowers. 

This salad is best served at room temperature or just slightly chilled so if you make it ahead and store it in the refrigerator, take it out about half an hour before serving so it can warm up a bit. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since summer up here in the northern hemisphere, we are sharing salad recipes. Check out the links below. 

• BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caprese Prosciutto Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Mexican Street Corn Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Roasted Beet & Blackberry Salad from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Dressing from Palatable Pastime
• Strawberry & Green Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Super Delicious Keto Salad from Sneha's Recipe
• Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Thai Beef Salad) from Culinary Cam

 

>We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry

Ripe, juicy tomatoes add a wonderful fresh zing to the fragrant sauce in this easy lamb and fresh tomato curry. Cook it down slowly to intensify the flavors.

Many years ago, my husband and I were living in Abu Dhabi where there is a large Indian and Pakistani population so good curry restaurants abound. We either ate out or ordered in at least once a week. 

He always got the chicken jalfrezi, a relatively dry curry with lots of peppers, tomatoes and tender chicken. I always ordered the chicken maharajah, which came covered in the richest, most succulent sauce. There might well have been ground cashews in there. When I close my eyes, I can still taste it!

Here’s the rub. He always wanted some of my sauce! Nice person that I am, I did share, but not without thinking to myself that he could order his own darn sauce. Am I right?

These days I am way more likely to cook curry at home than to go out, so I always make sure it’s a saucy dish. This particular curry is full of flavor and, thanks to puréed fresh tomatoes, it has plenty of sauce to go round for all the family. 

Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry

I know that not everyone is fond of lamb. If you aren’t lovers of lamb, by all means substitute beef. For me, curry is all about the sauce and this dish is one of my favorites, whatever protein you choose.

Ingredients

1 lb 13 oz or 840g lamb ribs, chopped into bite­sized pieces 

1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste when the dish has finished cooking

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 large ripe tomatoes (1 lb 113⁄4 oz or 786g) 

1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil for browning the lamb 

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red chili peppers, minced

3 tablespoons curry paste

1⁄4 cup or 60g plain yogurt

Good handful cilantro, chopped

Optional for garnish:

dollop of yogurt

chopped cilantro

Method

Chop the lamb into bite-sized pieces and put them in a non-reactive bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add vinegar and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate.

Core your tomatoes, cut them in quarters and pop them in a blender. Process until completely liquid. You might have to add about 1/4-1/2 cup of water to get them moving.

In a large skillet over a medium high heat, heat the olive oil and brown the lamb in batches, and remove to a plate.

Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and chili peppers and stir.

Add in the curry paste. Stir and fry for a few more minutes.

Put lamb back in the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Stir well to cover the lamb with the curry paste, onions and garlic.

Pour in the puréed fresh tomatoes. 

Stir well. Bring to the boil then reduce the fire to a slow simmer.

Cook covered for 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, so the sauce is thick and concentrated. This could take another 10­-15 minutes. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Finish by stirring through the plain yogurt and chopped cilantro.

Garnish with a dollop more of the yogurt and cilantro in your serving dish, if desired. Serve with rice or naan.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 12th edition of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, brought to you by the letter L. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the L recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Lemon Rice/Chitranna 
• Food Lust People Love: Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry
• Culinary Cam: Lingcod Over Legumes 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Lemon Vinaigrette 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Melody’s Homemade Lemonade 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Mediterranean Lentil Salad 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Barbecue Pork Lo Mein 
• Blogghetti Lemon Pepper Tilapia Sheet Pan Dinner 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon 
• Palatable Pastime: Liver and Onions 
• A Messy Kitchen: Lemon Balm Jelly

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry - this post!

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Lobster Bruschetta

Lobster bruschetta is a wonderful appetizer with bright flavors from ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil, sharp garlic and, of course, succulent lobster. Treat your friends and family with this delicious finger food. 

Years ago, when our girls were young and we lived in a house with a pool, Sunday afternoons were devoted to swimming and lounging around. Mid-afternoon, I’d head to the kitchen to toast some baguette slices and stir up bruschetta as a snack. 

Our traditional bruschetta was very much like this lobster version, sans the lobster, of course. Tomatoes, basil and garlic combined with olive oil and vinegar – sometimes dark balsamic, sometimes white – create a flavorful mouthful that is more than the sum of its parts. 

Lobster Bruschetta

I made this recipe with the meat of one lobster and since I wasn’t serving many people, I kept the lobster bits pretty chunky. If you need to stretch it to serve more, you can add more tomatoes, garlic and basil and chop the lobster a little bit smaller. It will still be quite delicious. 

Ingredients

1 cooked lobster, about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, almost 9 oz or 250g whole

Leaves from one sprig fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced, plus more to rub on toasted baguette

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

About 20 slices baguette, toasted

Method

Rub the toasted baguette slices with garlic and set aside. 

Remove the meat from the lobster and cut it in to small chunks. 

Cut the tomatoes in half. Cut out the hard core and remove the pulp and seeds. Dice them into small cubes.

Stack the basil leaves one on top the other and roll them up. Slice them thinly, a technique chefs call chiffonade. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil and sea salt along with the olive oil and vinegar. 

Add in the lobster and stir again.

Or if you are passing the lobster bruschetta around and it will get eaten quickly, you can top them all just when you are ready to serve. If you top the bread too early, it can get soggy and no one wants that. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes that would be perfect for a Spring brunch. Check out the links below. 

• Baked Garlic Cheese Grits from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Tarts from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Lobster Bruschetta from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Stuffed Potato Masala Idli with Pumpkin Sambar from Sneha's Recipe
• Torijas with Honey Orange Syrup from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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