Runzas

June 1, 2026 by dinnertonight

What exactly is a Runza? 🥟✨

A Runza is a beloved Midwestern comfort food with roots in German-Russian bierocks — soft baked bread filled with seasoned ground beef, cabbage, onions, and often cheese. Made famous in Nebraska, these warm handheld pockets became a go-to meal for busy families because they’re hearty, portable, and completely satisfying.

This easy version uses frozen bread dough instead of homemade dough, so you get all the cozy, nostalgic flavor with a lot less work. Perfect for weeknight dinners, meal prep, lunchboxes, road trips, or grabbing on the go when life gets busy! 🥖❤️

Runzas

Servings

12 sandwich rolls

Servings

12 sandwich rolls

Runzas

Servings

12 sandwich rolls

Servings

12 sandwich rolls

Ingredients

22 ounces refrigerated French bread dough
1 pound ground beef
1 cup yellow onion diced
2 1/2 cups green cabbage shredded
1 Tablespoon water
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon ground oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 ounces Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese

Servings: sandwich rolls

Units:

Instructions

Wash hands and clean all prep surfaces.
Brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain excess fat, if needed.
Add diced onions and shredded cabbage on top of browned beef. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, or until vegetables are softened.
Stir vegetable and beef mixture and add water, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Continue to cook for a few minutes until spices become fragrant. Turn of heat and cover.
While beef and cabbage mixture cools slightly, preheat oven to 350-degrees and prepare the bread dough.
Divide refrigerated dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion of dough into thin rectangles.
Top each dough portion with ½ oz of mozzarella cheese and beef/cabbage mixture.
Pinch dough closed to create rectangular “loaf” shapes. Alternatively, you can shape dough into “rolls”, if desired.
Place filled runzas seam-side down on a sheet pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes

Runzas freeze well!

Make multiple batches and freeze cooked runzas for up to three months.

Don’t want to shred cabbage? Use pre-shredded packages from the produce section or drained sauerkraut instead!

Runzas are delicious hot or room-temperature!

Green Chili Pork Stew

December 19, 2025 by Dinner Tonight

Turn leftovers into a new family favorite!
Got extra Salsa Verde Pork from earlier this week? In just 30 minutes, you can transform it into a hearty Green Chili Pork Stew. 🥣

Add a few pantry staples, serve with warm tortillas or cornbread, and finish with a fresh fruit salad for dessert. ✅ Quick, ✅ Healthy, ✅ Delicious—a complete meal for busy nights!

Green Chili Pork Stew

Servings

10 1 cup servings

Servings

10 1 cup servings

Green Chili Pork Stew

Servings

10 1 cup servings

Servings

10 1 cup servings

Ingredients

2 pounds Salsa Verda Pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion chopped
2 teaspoons garlic minced
8 ounces green chilies chopped, canned
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
15 ounce can low sodium white beans
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cummin
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Servings: 1 cup servings

Units:

Instructions

In a medium pot add olive oil and add onions and cook until translucent.
Add garlic and green chilies and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add chicken stock, white beans, shredded pork, black pepper, cummin and oregano.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. It's ready to enjoy.
Leftovers can be frozen for up to 2 months in an air tight container.

Recipe Notes

Turkey, Broccoli, Rice Casserole

October 29, 2025 by Dinner Tonight

Fall comfort food season is here. Warm up with our Turkey, Broccoli & Rice Casserole — a cozy favorite packed with lean protein, grains, and nutrient-rich veggies.

Perfect for busy holiday schedules:
-Make ahead
-Freeze for later
-Reheat when you need a quick, delicious meal!

Easy, hearty, and family-approved — the ultimate way to stress less and enjoy more this season!

Turkey, Broccoli, Rice Casserole

Servings

8 1 cup servings

Servings

8 1 cup servings

Turkey, Broccoli, Rice Casserole

Servings

8 1 cup servings

Servings

8 1 cup servings

Ingredients

12 ounces cooked light meat turkey, skinless chopped
3 cups cooked white rice
2.5 cups broccoli florets chopped
1 cup mushroom pieces
1/4 cup onion chopped
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1.5 cups 1% Milk
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Servings: 1 cup servings

Units:

Instructions

Wash your hands and clean your preparation area.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook rice according to package directions.
Wash Broccoli and mushrooms. Chop broccoli, mushrooms, and onion into small pieces.
In a saucepan, melt butter and Sauté mushrooms, broccoli, and onions until onions are tender
Sprinkle flour over butter and vegetable mixture and stir until combined.
Add milk, yogurt, and seasoning, and stir to blend
In a large bowl, combine turkey, rice and vegetable mixture.
Spread the mixture in a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until edges are bubbly and the top is lightly browned

Recipe Notes

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

July 1, 2025 by Dinner Tonight

Too hot to cook? No problem! This refreshing wrap is packed with rotisserie chicken, a zesty white bean salad, and crisp spinach—perfect for those sweltering summer days. It’s light, flavorful, and comes together in minutes without ever touching the oven.

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

Servings

6 wraps

Servings

6 wraps

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

Servings

6 wraps

Servings

6 wraps

Ingredients

Marinated White Beans

15 ounce canned white beans drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons parsley chopped
2 Tablespoons oregano chopped
2 Tablespoons basil chopped
1/4 cup roasted jarred red peppers diced
2 Tablespoons shallot finely diced
6 ounce jar artichoke hearts chopped
1 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Wrap

6 Garlic and Herb Tortillas
10 ounces cooked chicken cubed or shredded
2 Cups Spinach cut into bite-sized pieces

Servings: wraps

Units:

Instructions

Wash hands and sanitize the preparation area.
In a mixing bowl, combine white beans, parsley, oregano, basil, red peppers, shallot, artichoke hearts, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Cover with air-tight lid and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to allow flavors to develop.
To assemble wraps, start by laying out tortillas.
Add cooked chicken to center of tortilla, dividing evenly between each wrap.
Top chicken with 1/2 cup marinated white beans.
Add spinach on top of white beans.
To fold wrap, fold in the left and right sides and then roll up wrap from the bottom. Cut wraps in half diagonally and serve.
NOTES Wrap Storage: Wrap each chicken wrap individually or place in air-tight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve for easy, premade lunches. Marinated Bean Storage: Prepared Beans will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Recipe Notes

Baked Risotto with Lemon Seared Scallops

February 13, 2025 by Dinner Tonight

Risotto + Scallops = A Classic Romantic Combo! Normally a more labor-intensive dish reserved for fancy date nights our, our simplified baked version will bring you all the flavors you crave with minimal hands-on cooking time. Packed with leafy greens for fiber and finished with lemony scallops for a lean protein boost, this recipe is a sure-fire way to show your family (and your heart-health!) some love!

Baked Risotto with Lemon Seared Scallops

Servings

8 servings

Servings

8 servings

Baked Risotto with Lemon Seared Scallops

Servings

8 servings

Servings

8 servings

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup yellow onion sliced
2 cups arborio rice dry -
2 cups fresh Swiss Chard chopped
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
5 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups fresh kale chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet peas
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 pound fresh or frozen large scallops
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Servings: servings

Units:

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, arranging a rack in the middle of the oven.
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a 3-4 quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced onion and garlic powder, and sauté about 2 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the rice and stir until each grain is coated and begins to lightly toast (approximately 1-2 minutes).
Turn heat up to high and pour white wine vinegar into the Dutch oven, scraping the pan and stirring constantly until liquid cooks out. Add 4 cups of the chicken broth into the pot, stirring to combine well, and bring to a boil.
Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes until rice is just slightly underdone.
Remove risotto from the oven, and place back on the stove over medium heat. Uncover and add the leftover 1 ½ cups chicken broth, parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp. butter, black pepper, kale, and Swiss chard. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until liquid absorbs and rice becomes creamy (about 5-7 minutes).
Stir in the pesto and the frozen peas to the finished risotto.
In a separate pan, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and ½ Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add the scallops and sauté 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown (internal temperature of 145 degrees). Season with Italian seasoning and drizzle with lemon juice, spooning remaining oil and butter over scallops to coat.
Serve the risotto immediately in bowls, topped with the seared scallops. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

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