Recipes and photos by Ann Elizabeth Gillespie
For Ann Elizabeth Gillespie, fall cooking is about letting great ingredients shine. The Jackson recipe developer embraces the season with her collection of fresh, vegetable-forward dishes—including a Caesar salad with clever salmon croutons—that are as approachable as they are delicious.
Oven Roasted Fall Veggies with Gnocchi, Sausage, and Burrata
This quick weeknight dinner uses some of fall’s favorite vegetables. The veggies and gnocchi sizzle with the sausage in the oven, and everything is combined with a flavorful, punchy Italian salsa verde. Don’t leave out the anchovy. You won’t be able to taste it, and it adds a nice salty depth to the sauce. – Ann Elizabeth Gillespie
For the oven:
4 medium carrots, split down the middle and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 16-ounce box potato gnocchi (found in the pasta section)
1 pound ground Italian sausage
2 to 3 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of chili flakes
For the Italian salsa verde:
1 bunch parsley (2 cups lightly packed)
1 tablespoon capers
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 2 anchovy filets from a tin
½ cup oil
1 4-count container burrata cheese (Fresh mozzarella is a great substitute as well)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place the carrots on a large sheet pan and roast them first, since they’ll need a little more time than everything else. Roast for about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the broccoli, gnocchi (no need to pre-cook), and crumbled Italian sausage to the pan. The pan will be crowded and that’s fine. Drizzle everything with oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a sprinkle of chili flakes. Return to the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until desired doneness.
To make Italian salsa verde, add all ingredients except oil to food processor, and turn on low. Slowly drizzle in the oil until mixture thickens and a sauce forms. If you don’t have a food processor, ingredients may be finely chopped and combined by hand. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
To serve, allow burrata to come to room temperature. Divide the roasted vegetables and sausage onto 4 plates or bowls, top each with burrata ball, breaking open on top of each serving. Generously drizzle with the salsa verde and enjoy.
Serves 4
Autumn Vegetable Lasagna
Homemade lasagna is never a quick dish, but I’ve streamlined this recipe so that it takes only an hour and a half from start to finish, including cooking time! It may also be assembled the day before to bake the next day.
For the vegetable filling:
1 long necked butternut squash
1 cup split cherry tomatoes
2 large handfuls spinach (or kale)
2 cloves grated garlic
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons oil of your choice (I prefer avocado oil)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
pinch black pepper
For the Béchamel:
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup grated parmesan
For assembly:
1 box oven ready lasagne noodles
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan
Thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Trim the neck off the butternut squash and peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler. Once the skin is removed, continue to “peel” the squash into strips until it’s nearly gone—the most tedious step of the process! Add the butternut strips to a large bowl with the split cherry tomatoes and spinach. Make a quick dressing by grating the garlic cloves into a small bowl and adding the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables in the dressing to evenly coat them. Set aside.
To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flour has cooked a bit. Add the thyme and whisk for 30 seconds, then slowly whisk in the milk. Add salt and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently so the bottom of the pan doesn’t scald. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted.
To assemble the lasagna, pour ½ cup of béchamel into the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch square baking dish. Layer the lasagna noodles in a single layer, breaking them to fit, if necessary. Spread half of the vegetables over the noodles, making sure to evenly distribute the tomatoes, and pour over ¾ cup of béchamel. Repeat the steps, with another layer of noodles, vegetables, and the remaining béchamel. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Place the assembled lasagna on a sheet pan and cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes, then remove the foil, garnish with thyme sprigs and return to the oven to brown the cheese. To check for doneness, test the noodles to be sure they’re tender. Let the lasagna sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Serves 4 to 5
Caesar Salad with Crispy Salmon Nuggets
I love a salmon Caesar. For this recipe, I turned the salmon into crunchy nuggets to give you that satisfying crouton-like crunch, while adding a boost of protein. Maybe you can even trick your kids into eating it, too.
For salmon nuggets:
1 pound salmon filet, cut into large chunks (with skin, or without—
your choice)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
2 teaspoons salt, divided
pinch of pepper
1¼ cups panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons oil of your choice
10 ounces fall greens (use your favorite, such as arugula, classic romaine, or kale)
For Caesar dressing:
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce or 2 filets of
anchovy (optional, but so good)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon pepper
pinch of salt, or to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon of salt, dijon mustard, buttermilk, and pepper. Add salmon nuggets and toss to coat well.
In a separate bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, Italian seasoning, remaining teaspoon of salt, and oil. Mix together so the oil is evenly incorporated into the panko mixture. Generously coat salmon nuggets, a few at a time, with the panko and evenly space nuggets out onto sheet pan, leaving room at one end. Pour the remainder of the panko out onto the pan, spreading it into an even layer. Cook the nuggets and panko for 10-12 minutes. Check for doneness, nuggets should have a flaky consistency.
While the nuggets cook, make Caesar dressing. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process for about 20 seconds. If you don’t have a processor, finely chop capers and garlic, and whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until emulsified.
To assemble, in a large bowl, toss the greens with the dressing, a handful of toasted panko breadcrumbs, and more parmesan cheese, if desired. Toss well—you want a crunch in every bite.
Divide into 4 bowls and top with the salmon nuggets, and enjoy!
Serves 4
Smashed Parmesan Crusted Sweet Potatoes with Easy Aioli Dipping Sauce
For the sweet potatoes:
1 large sweet potato, split down the middle and cut into large cubes
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of chili flakes
For the aioli:
½ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves grated garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste
Make the aioli:
Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until smooth and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, toss the sweet potato cubes with the oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Arrange them evenly on the sheet pan, about 4 per row. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a small plate. Sprinkle the Parmesan and chili flakes onto the pan, concentrating the cheese where the sweet potatoes were. Return the sweet potatoes to the pan, placing one on top of each pile of cheese. To smash, cover each sweet potato cube with a small square of parchment paper, then gently press down with the flat bottom of a glass or cup. The sweet potato should spread over the Parmesan, creating a thin, crispy cheese crust.
Return pan to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove them once the cheese has turned brown and crispy, and let rest for 5 minutes. With a spatula, loosen the sweet potatoes, breaking up the melted together cheese as you see fit.
Serve immediately with the aioli for dipping. For the best crunch, these are definitely a right-out-of-the-oven kind of dish. Enjoy!
Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer.
