Meals With Monet: Weekly Meal Plan #29

It’s Disney week! This week, we are bringing the most iconic recipes from some of the most iconic movies right to your home. Whether you and the kids frequent the theme parks, or you’ve just seen three movies, you’ll love these Disney-themed recipes!

Grocery List

Monday: Ratatouille From Ratatouille

Thank you One Sweet Appetite for the recipe!

Ingredients

• ½ an 8-oz. can of tomato sauce

• ½ onion (chopped)

• 2 tsp garlic paste

• 1 small eggplant (sliced)

• 1 small zucchini (sliced)

• 1 small yellow squash (sliced) 

• 1 red pepper (sliced) 

• 1 yellow pepper (sliced)

• 4 Tbsp olive oil 

• ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

2. Stir the onion, garlic paste, and tomato sauce together. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pan. 

3. Line all of your chopped veggies in the dish. Start on the outer edge and work your way in. Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. 

4. Cover with a piece of parchment paper tucked between your baking dish and veggies. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until your veggies are tender. Sprinkle it with cheese and serve.

Tuesday: Ajiaco from Encanto

Thank you Kitchn for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts 

• 1 large yellow onion (coarsely chopped)

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt 

• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 + ½ lbs. mixed potatoes (peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks)

• 2-3 ears of corn (cut crosswise into quarters)

• 1 bunch cilantro (tied with kitchen twine)

• 1 bunch green onions (tied with kitchen twine)

• 2 Tbsp dried guascas/oregano

Toppings:

• 2 avocados (pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced)

• ½ cup sour cream 

• ½ cup cilantro leaves

• 2 Tbsp drained capers (chopped)

Directions

1. Place the chicken, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a baking dish and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy 4-quart lidded pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken with its marinade and brown each side for about 6 minutes in total. Pour the broth in and raise the heat to high. Once the mixture boils, lower the heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Transfer the chicken to a platter, reserving the cooking liquid in the pot. When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Cut or tear the chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and discard the bones. 

4. Place the potatoes in the pot with the leftover cooking liquid and set them over medium heat. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. 

5. Add the corn, scallions, cilantro, and guascas/oregano to the mixture. Simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, but not overcooked. Remove the cilantro and scallions and add the shredded chicken back into the pot. Simmer for another few minutes until the chicken is warmed through. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and place the toppings on the table.

Wednesday: Gumbo from The Princess and the Frog

Thank you Add a Pinch for the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 lb. whole chicken

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 2 medium onions (diced)

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 2 medium bell peppers (deseeded and diced)

• 2 cups sliced okra

• 3 garlic cloves (minced)

• 1 lb. smoked Polish sausage (cut into 1-inch slices)

• 1 cup diced smoked ham

• 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes (with the juice)

• 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes with peppers (with the juice)

• 1 10-oz. can navy beans

• 2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning 

• 2 bay leaves 

• 2 cups chicken stock or broth

• 1 lb. raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, and cleaned)

• 4 cups cooked rice (optional)

Directions

1. Wash the chicken and place it in a large Dutch oven. Cover it with water plus about 2 inches and bring it to a boil over medium heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the water and set it aside to cool. Add the butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, okra, and garlic to the chicken stock. 

2. Pull the chicken from the bone and add it back to the stock. Add in the Polish sausage and ham and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to incorporate. Pour in the diced tomatoes and peppers. Smash the navy beans with a fork while they’re in the can, then pour them into the gumbo with the Old Bay seasoning and bay leaves. 

3. Bring the gumbo to a boil and stir in the additional chicken stock. Cook for 10-15 minutes, then stir in the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp has turned pink, about 5 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the gumbo and take the Dutch oven off the heat. Serve the gumbo over rice or by itself.

Thursday: Spaghetti and Meatballs from Lady and the Tramp

Thank you The Hopeless Housewife for the recipe!

Ingredients

Meatballs: 

• ½ lb. ground beef

• ½ lb. ground pork 

• ½ lb. veal (or ¾ lbs. ground beef and pork)

• 3 garlic cloves (smashed and minced)

• ¾ cup fresh white bread crumbs

• 1 egg

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

• 3 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley (minced)

• ½ tsp salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ cup milk 

• ½ cup vegetable oil

Sauce: 

• 1 whole yellow onion (diced)

• 2 garlic cloves (smashed and minced)

• 1 6-oz. can tomato paste 

• 2 29-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

• ¾ cup red wine

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 + ½ tsp salt 

• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley (minced)

• 4 whole fresh basil leaves (torn into small pieces)

• 1 lb. spaghetti (cooked)

• ½ cup grated Parmesan (for topping)

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the oil into a mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients by hand, then roll the meat into 18 1-inch balls. 

2. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs into the pan. Brown each meatball on all sides, then drain and place them on paper towels while you work on the next batch. Repeat these steps until the meatballs are all cooked. 

3. In the same pot, lower the heat to medium and add the onions until they’re almost translucent — about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns dark. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, sugar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley to the mixture. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered until the sauce thickens a bit, about 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and sugar. 

4. Add the basil to the reduced sauce and stir well. Add the meatballs and cook for another 20 minutes, being careful not to smash the meatballs. 

5. Serve with cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.

Friday: Abuelita’s Pork Tamale Recipe from Coco

Thank you Whole Heartily for the recipe!

Ingredients

Red Chili Sauce:

• 15 large dried chilies 

• 2 tsp ground cumin 

• 4-5 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp salt 

• 2 tsp olive oil 

• 2 tsp all-purpose flour

Tamales:

• 3 + ½ lb. pork shoulder or butt (cut up and trimmed of fat)

• 10 cups water

• 1 medium onion (peeled and quartered)

• 3 garlic cloves (minced)

• 3 + ½ tsp salt 

• ¾ cup shortening 

• 6 cups masa harina

• 1 + ½ tsp baking powder

• 50 dried corn husks

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove any stems and seeds from the dried peppers. Place the peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 2-5 minutes or until you smell the aroma. Remove the peppers from the oven and soak them in enough hot water to cover them for about 30 minutes or until they’re cool. 

2. Put the peppers, 2 + ½ cups of the soaking water, cumin, garlic, and salt into a blender. Cover and blend until the mixture is smooth. 

3. In a small saucepan, mix the olive oil and stir in the flour over medium heat until it’s browned. Gently stir in the blended chili mixture and simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness.  

4. In a Dutch oven, bring the pork, water, onion, garlic, and 1 + ½ teaspoons of salt to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 2 + ½ hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the broth and allow everything to cool. 

5. Use two forks to shred the meat and strain the broth, reserving 6 cups. 

6. Start to soak the corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes. Rinse to remove any corn silk and drain well. 

7. In a large saucepan, heat 3-4 cups of red chili sauce. Add the shredded meat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. 

8. Beat the shortening on medium speed in a large bowl for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, stir the masa harina, baking powder, and 2 teaspoons of salt together. 

9. Add the masa harina mixture and broth to the shortening, alternating between both and beating well after each addition. Add just enough broth to make a thick, creamy paste. 

10. To assemble each tamale, spread about 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture on the center of a corn husk. Place 1 tablespoon of meat and sauce on top and fold in the sides of the husk, then the bottom. Using strips of corn husk, tie each tamale together. 

11. Place a mound of husks or a foil ball in the center of your steamer basket, then place the tamales in the basket, open side up. Add water to your steamer, just below the basket, and bring it to a boil. Cover and steam for 40 minutes, adding water when necessary.

How excited are you for this week’s Monet Meal Plan? If you have any more theme ideas, please comment below!

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