Dinner for Two: Skinny Minestrone Pot Pies

Have you noticed Fridays have been a bit more savory lately?  I like to spoil you with desserts during the week, and then beg for your forgiveness on Friday with a dinner for two recipe.  I figured you seriously needed those Bananas Foster baby cakes to get you through the mid-week slump.  Gooey upside down banana cakes will make you lose your mind so you forget how many days 'til the weekend.  And the sweet tea fried chicken? That was just a distraction for those of us who didn't have President's Day off.  I'm placating with food.  I hope you don't mind.

I share 2 to 3 dinner recipes each month in my Cooking for Couples column over on Food Fanatic, but I will be sharing even more right here in the future.

Even though I just took a bath in a chocolate fondue pot for Valentine's Day, I've been craving more savory fare lately.  Plus, I've been making more of an effort to photograph our meals for two.

My typical week looks like this:  I cook one big dinner that serves 6-8 on Mondays, and use the leftovers for hot lunches throughout the week.  Then, for dinner on Tuesday-Friday nights , I always cook for two.  And maybe you'd like to see more of that?  Maybe?  Is this thing on?

For me, minestrone soup has to have a few things:  dark red kidney beans, dark greens of some sort, and gobs of Parmesan cheese.  The amount of Parm that I used to pour on Minestrone was taking this vegetable-packed soup to the dark side---the unhealthy side.  So, I scaled back on the cheese and added flaky phyllo dough for crunch.  Now, I have a light, healthy soup topped with a bit decadence.  That's just the way I like it.

Head on over to Food Fanatic for the recipe for Skinny Minestrone Pot Pies.

There's also a bonus recipe for creamy cauliflower puree that puts mashed potatoes to shame. I swear to it! Plus, it's made entirely in the microwave.

Check out both recipes below, or head over to Food Fanatic.