The Cast Iron Skillet supper thread - one pan wonders for busy folks.

[Farmfresh]

My friend sunsaver and I were over on his journal and got to talking about our favorite Cast Iron Skillet dinner recipes. You simply can't go wrong with a meal that can be cooked and served in one easy to clean pan!

I use Cast Iron Skillet recipes the most in the summer time or days when I am a real rush, since most of these recipes whip up in no time. I know I am not alone out there, so here is the spot to post your favorite dinner recipe for your favorite old iron pan!

I will start you off with:

Grandma Nettie's Spaghetti Red

1 pound +/- either ground pork, sausage or hamburger
1 clove garlic minced
1 small onion chopped
peppers diced (optional - hot or not)
1 qt soupy home canned tomatoes
oregano
thyme
marjoram
chives
(basically what you like)
1 to 2 cups small pasta
dab of water if needed

** Saute either ground pork, sausage or burger with lots of garlic and onion. Next she would add a jar of soupy canned tomatoes and chopped fresh herbs. Finally she would toss in that handful of pasta. It would cook in the tomato juice. The flavors were all very concentrated and it was YUMMY! droolin

Now your turn!

 

[Wannabefree]

I made one up yesterday and it turned out pretty dang good. I always play with my food

Whatever ya wanna call it
-------------------------

Smoked sausage link
smoked ham trimmings
2 cups cooked rice
2-4 summer squash
2-4 green tomatoes
1 cup of fresh green beans
half a large onion diced
salt pepper and spices to taste


Basically chop to the size you want & scramble everything together in bacon grease and serve over the rice. Add your favorite spices and serve. We used garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper, salt, and a splash of lemon juice. I had experimented with cucumber in this as well, but it was kind of gross We loved it, sans cukes, overall and it is very filling.

I do this grab whatever meat and whatever veggies that are leftover from time to time and just cook it all together if it sounds like it will go well. Yesterday was an I don't want to put these veggies away so I'll eat them kind of day

 

[TanksHill]

Breakfast in my 12 inch pan are a given around here.

Saute the sausage, throw in onions, peppers and whatever else you have on hand. Sometimes I add shredded potatoes after the saute. Crack a dozen eggs add them in. Cook up the scramble. Top with cheese and salsa.

 

[sunsaver]

What an excellent topic, FF! Okay heres a good one:

Classic Beef Stroganoff

Fill cast iron skillet, with beef broth and water. Add stew meat. Simmer until meat is tender about 45 min. to an hour. Strain off the broth (save it for later) and add a little garlic powder, salt, and some black pepper. Sear the meat on medium high until all sides are browned, Remove the meat and set it aside. Lower the heat and add 1/4 stick of butter, and some chopped onions and mushrooms. Saute' on low until onions are are nice and brown. Add several pinches of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Return some of the broth, about an inch deep. Bring to a boil and add bow tie pasta or egg noodles. simmer uncovered until most all of the water is gone. Return the beef pieces to the pan. Turn off the heat, and add 1/4 stick of butter, 4 oz of cream cheese, and 8 oz of sour cream. Add some fresh chopped parsley and a squirt of lemon juice. Stir to melt cheese and combine ingredients. Serve immediately.

This is one of my favorite meals and i highly recommend it Enjoy!

 

[big brown horse]

Great thread!

I make everything in my cast iron. That is all I use to cook with these days since I got rid of every other pot and pan 'cept for a few small s.s. sautee pans.

My favorite one dish wonders is chili. Simple eh? Ground meat, bell peppers, onions, jarred tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 a beer, chili seasonings and cayenne.

I also love to slow cook a pork sholder with salsa, cumin, salt and pepper in my cast iron dutch oven. (OFG gave me the idea a while back.) Shred the meat and serve on your favorite tortillas with some fixins like lettuce, cheese, more salsa, cilantro etc or over a bed of greens, that is how I make it now since doing low carb.

 

[Farmfresh]

I'll share another one.

Skillet Frittata

sausage, bacon or ham or chorizo sausage
onions or green onions - chopped
summer squash - sliced
cherry tomatoes - quartered
chard or spinach or beet greens chopped
peppers chopped - hot banana, jalapeno or bell depending on heat level
cilantro chopped
salt and pepper
most of a dozen eggs
cheese shredded cheddar, monterey jack or pepper jack

Start the dish by cooking the meat until almost completely done. Add the veggies a few at a time with the cilantro and the greens added at the end.
Turn the heat down to medium low. Whip up the eggs thoroughly add salt and pepper and pour a little over half of them in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Stir so that the eggs are well mixed in with the veggies. Now pour in the rest of the eggs and cover generously with the cheese. At this point the pan should be full. Do not stir. Allow the frittata to cook slowly until the edges start to pull away from the side of the pan. Turn off the heat and move the pan to the broiler set on low. Allow the frittata to cook under the broiler until the top is set and the cheese is beginning to brown. Remove from oven and slice like a pie. Serve in the cast iron pan. It will keep the frittata warm for quite a while. Serve this for breakfast, brunch or dinner. It even makes a delicious snack cold!

 

[sunsaver]

Sounds delish, FF! I can't wait to try it out. I always eat right out of the skillet because it keeps the food warm for so long. I don't bake often because it's so much trouble firing up the stone oven, so nearly every meal is done in my ancient skillet. Its so well seasoned that even scrambled eggs won't stick to it.

 

[Farmfresh]

Personally I switch hit. I have a few well seasoned skillets and a dutch oven that are in constant use. I also have a waffle iron, a wok (which is super cool), a flat skillet, a griddle and a spider. They all see lots of use!

 

[Farmfresh]

Sounds delish, FF! I can't wait to try it out. I always eat right out of the skillet because it keeps the food warm for so long. I don't bake often because it's so much trouble firing up the stone oven, so nearly every meal is done in my ancient skillet. Its so well seasoned that even scrambled eggs won't stick to it.

Make this dish when you are already baking up some bread or something, then you can have leftovers for several days lunch. I personally love this dish cold as a leftover - maybe with a bit of salsa on top and a tortilla or two.

 

[Marianne]

I love frittatas!

Our favorite lately is Spicy Linguini

Brown up 1" chunks of smoked sausage and remove from pan.
Add a bunch of chopped onion and bell pepper to pan and cook until onions are translucent.
Add a jar or two of your favorite salsa and a TBSP of whatever your favorite Italian seasonings are (I like Tone's better than my homemade mix)

Add sausage and simmer for a bit. Stir in pasta or pour over a plate of liguini.

The first time I tried this I thought the salsa and Italian seasonings just didn't go together. The salsa just cranks up the spice level of what normally would be just spagetti sauce.

I use my bigger pan to make this, then I can boil the linquini in it first and use the same pan to cook up the rest.