Vodka Cream Sauce Soup (Tuscan White Bean Style)

Not just for Pasta

When you thought Vodka Cream was just for pasta, it turns out it makes a pretty incredible soup.

This recipe came together the way most good weeknight dinners do — with what was already in the fridge and pantry. One 16 oz container of Vodka Cream, a can of white beans, a couple of carrots, kale, and good chicken broth. That’s it.

Homemade chicken broth is always best if you have it. But when time isn’t on your side, Better Than Bouillon or a good-quality store-bought broth absolutely does the trick.

The sauce already includes tomato, cream, sausage, garlic, and basil — so the flavor foundation is already in place. Instead of tossing it with pasta, you stretch it into something cozy and comforting.

What You’ll Need

Serves 4–6 | Ready in about 30 minutes

1. 1 (16 oz) container of Totally Sauced Vodka Cream sauce

2. 2¼–2½ cups chicken broth (homemade or good-quality store-bought)

3. 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4. 1–2 carrots, diced small

5. 1 large russet potato, cubed (skin on is fine)

6. 2 cups chopped kale

7. Olive oil

8. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

9. ½ lemon

   
   Equipment: You will need a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven

How to Make It

Here’s how this one-pot weeknight soup comes together — using simple, affordable ingredients you most likely already have in your fridge and pantry:

1. Add diced carrots and potatoes, sauté for 4–5 minutes, until slightly softened and lightly golden.

2. Stir in the full 16 oz container of Vodka Cream and warm through for 1–2 minutes.

3. Pour in 2¼–2½ cups chicken broth and add one can of drained cannellini beans.

4. Bring to a gentle simmer (avoid a hard boil) and cook for 8–10 minutes to let flavors meld.

5. Add chopped kale and simmer for 3–4 minutes, just until tender.

6. Remove from heat and stir in freshly grated Parmesan.

7. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten.

Simple, comforting, and very weeknight-friendly.

Serve it with warm, crusty bread for dipping to soak up every yummy spoonful. It’s creamy without feeling heavy, comforting but still balanced — reminiscent of a Tuscan-style bean soup, yet built from a container you already had in the fridge.

One container. One pot. Under $30.

Proof that Vodka Cream was never just meant for pasta.

One-pan Lentil Stuffed pepper casserole

Stuffed pepper Rice casserole

This one-pan lentil stuffed pepper casserole made with Totally Sauced Tomato Basil is one of those recipes I make when I want something comforting but don’t have a lot of time (or energy). It’s quick, affordable, and made with simple ingredients you probably already have—perfect for a busy weeknight.

It tastes just like my mom’s stuffed peppers growing up. Honestly, that was always one of my favorite dinners… but I have to admit, I never really ate the pepper. I only wanted the inside. This is exactly that, minus the fuss.

Easy, filling, and the kind of meal that feels like home.

Tomato Basil

The tomato basil sauce is a big reason why. It’s one of the original K-Pasta recipes I learned years ago from an Italian grandma at a restaurant in Liberty Station. Simple and honest: whole plum tomatoes, garlic, onions, and fresh basil. Naturally sweet without any added sugar. It’s a sauce I use constantly.

Some nights it’s just a quick bowl of angel hair with chili flakes, really good olive oil, and lots of freshly grated parmesan (my favorite). Other times, it becomes the base for minestrone soup—or, like here, the backbone of this lentil and rice dish.

Simple, versatile, and nostalgic. The kind of food that quietly becomes part of your everyday cooking.

What You’ll Need

• 1 (16-oz) jar tomato basil sauce

• ¾ cup white rice

• ¾ cup brown lentils, rinsed

• 1½ cups vegetable broth

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 medium zucchini, diced small

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

You will also need a deep skillet pan with a fitted lid that is oven-ready. Otherwise, cook it in a saucepan and transfer it to a baking dish. Just trying to make it a one-pan dish for easy cleaning.

How to Make It

Preheat your broiler to high and position a rack in the upper third of the oven.

1. In a deep, oven-safe skillet with a tight-fitting lid, combine the rice, lentils, chopped bell peppers, the entire jar of tomato basil sauce, broth, salt, and pepper. Stir well.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18–20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the rice is cooked and the lentils are tender.

3. During the last few minutes of cooking, uncover and stir in the diced zucchini and parmesan. Continue cooking until the zucchini is just tender and everything comes together.

4. Remove from heat, sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top, and place under the broiler for 2–4 minutes, until melted and lightly golden.

5. Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Simple, comforting, and very weeknight-friendly.

This is the kind of dinner that fits real life—simple ingredients, one pan, and big comfort. It’s fast enough for a weeknight, affordable, and somehow still feels special. The kind of meal you make once… and then keep coming back to.

Pickled Fennel

Pickled fennel

I get a lot of questions at the farmers’ market about how to make our pickled fennel; it honestly never gets old. I love that you love it, because it’s one of my favorites too.

I’m also asked all the time, “What even is fennel?” and I do my best to explain it: it’s part of the carrot family, with those pretty green fronds and a bulb that has a light, natural licorice taste. Not the black candy kind—something much softer.

But really, the only way to understand fennel is to taste it. It’s different from anything most of us grew up eating, which is probably why people are so curious about it. Another reason why I love it. It’s different. Interesting?

And when you pickle it with our Golden Child DIY Pickling Packet, it turns a beautiful golden color, becomes bright, crisp, and so easy to fall in love with.

Our Quick pickling Mix

Our pickling packets were created to make real, homemade pickles feel easy, approachable, and fun for anyone—whether you’ve been pickling for years or you’re trying it for the very first time.

We wanted to take the guesswork out of pickling and give you a simple way to transform fresh vegetables into something bright, beautiful, and full of flavor.

Each blend has its own personality, but Golden Child is one we rely on often. It has that classic pickling flavor profile—bright, warm, a little nostalgic—and it somehow works with almost every vegetable we throw at it: asparagus, fennel, carrots, all of it.

It’s also the base for our spicy dill pickle, which tells you how much we rely on it. It’s in our top three favorites for sure.

“Fennel is nothing like the awful black licorice that your parents bought at the movie theater.”

— me

What You’ll Need

• 1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced

• A few strips of orange rind

• 2–3 sliced garlic cloves

• A small handful of fresh dill

• 1 Golden Child pickling packet

• 2 cups water

• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar

How to Make It

Add the fennel, garlic, orange rind, and dill to a small pot. Pour in the water and vinegar, then sprinkle in the Golden Child packet.

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat, let it cool, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

Golden, crisp, and ready in about a day.

When Is Fennel in Season?

Fennel shines in the fall and winter months, especially from late October through early spring. That’s when it’s sweetest and most tender—perfect for pickling.

How to Use It

Pickled fennel is stunning on:

• A charcuterie board with hard salami + cheese

• An antipasto chopped salad

• In place of sauerkraut on sandwiches or sausages

• Any salad that needs a bright, crunchy, “who made this?!” moment

Bright, crunchy, citrusy—and totally Golden Child.

If our pickled fennel were a person, it would be in the Jackie Kennedy–meets–supermodel category—effortlessly elegant, refined, and the kind that turns heads without even trying.