Cheesesteak Sliders

This is the last recipe I have to post about from our 4th of July celebration in DC.

I am always drawn to healthy recipes with lots of vegetables, which is why we had the Edamame Bread Salad, Garden Sliders, and Summer Squash Stacks, oh, and the
Oven Baked Onion Rings, with our meal on the 4th.

I am not a meat lover, but some members of my family are and so, I decided that I should make something that they would really love.

My hubby really likes Philly Cheesesteaks. When he was working at a hospital, when we were first married, I would go and meet him for lunch at the cafeteria occasionally. (Isn't that romantic?) He would always order a Philly Cheesesteak there and there are other places where that is his menu item of choice.

I saw these cute little sliders and thought they would work with our other lunch items.

There was a lot going on in the kitchen on the day we made these, so I have to be perfectly honest and say that my cutest little sister ever, Laura Dawn, did all the work on these. (She really isn't little, she is only a few years younger than me, but I still call her my little sister).

She prepped the meat, cut the peppers, cooked it all and the results were super good.
She actually surprised herself when she took a bite. She couldn't believe they were so good because the recipe was soo easy.

The meat lovers in the family were happy and so was everyone else.

Cheesesteak Sliders from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine

• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (We reduced the amount of oil a bit-can't remember exactly)
  
• 1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 16 dinner rolls, split
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups) (We used sliced)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Season the beef with salt and pepper, increase the heat to high and cook in the skillet for 3 minutes; flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.

2. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.

3. Place the roll bottoms on a large rimmed baking sheet and top each with the beef and vegetables; sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with the roll tops.

Cooking Light Night-Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

CB came up with the beautiful logo at the beginning of this post. She started a Cooking Light Night, and I thought it was a great idea. Since I use Cooking Light all the time, I decided I would start calling some of these posts, Cooking Light Night. This is a wonderful dish that I showed my sister a couple of years ago. I wasn't sure of my love of winter squash at that point, but now that I know, watch out! I have been buying squash of all kinds and this was a very delicious dish. The only thing I changed was that I used turkey bacon, because I always do. I usually use whole wheat pasta in all my pasta dishes, but I used mini penne in this one because that is what it called for and I figured there was enough good stuff in this dish for it to be okay. This was the first time I have made a roux with absolutely no fat at all and I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out, but it was delicious with the cheese melted in.

This dish also used cooking spray to roast the squash and it turned out beautifully. I love the color of it. The provolone, bacon, squash, and rosemary, all really played off each other in this dish. It was a definite favorite for me. (Could I use the phrase "this dish" a few more times?)

Try this one- it is GOOD!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta from Cooking Light March 2004

Mini penne pasta works well in this dish since it's about the same size as the squash. You can also use elbow macaroni, shell pasta, or orecchiette.

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

Cooking spray

6 slices turkey bacon, raw

1 cup thinly sliced shallots

8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Up Next- Tuesday's with Dorie- Rugelach!