September is a hectic month in Louisiana: hurricane season isn’t quite over, and while fall technically starts on the twenty-second, we all know that the cool fall weather is probably still a month away at least. On top of that, school is back in full swing and for parents, the afternoons and evenings are a flurry of cleaning, homework, cooking and more. When you consider how overwhelming the process is, it’s hardly a surprise that we sometimes cut a few corners and take the easy options where food is concerned. Unfortunately, this often results in a meal that pales in comparison with a real homemade dinner. The standard for frozen foods and quick-and-ready meals is a flavorless and boring entree, riddled with bad textures and filled with unhealthy preservatives. The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way! There are plenty of convenient meals that are filling and enjoyable!
We’ve always believed one of the greatest pleasures in life is a delicious home-cooked meal (preferably a Cajun one) shared with the people you love. Modern life often makes these occasions more difficult to come by, with the major barriers being time, money, expertise, and access to ingredients. The good news is that Cajun food is famed for its simplicity: it doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming to have ready-to-cook meals of your own on hand for an delicious and convenient meal that won’t break the bank.
The simplest kind of convenient meals are stuffed specialty meats: Cajun classics where one kind of meat is stuffed with something delicious. Not only are they filling and tasty, you can make a few at once, freeze them, and thaw as needed! If you want to make it extra easy on yourself, consider ordering them from our site or stopping by one of our several locations! You can stock up on frozen specialty meats that were made by the flavor experts at Billy’s!
Stuffed Poultry Dishes
Chickens and other poultry are convenient for stuffing because they have a cavity in which you can put meats, vegetables and other fillings which help keep the meat from getting dry while simultaneously absorbing flavor. For many, the first thought when considering stuffed poultry is a turkey, but every bird is good for stuffing—and cornbread stuffing is only one way to do it!
A good rule of thumb for baking a stuffed chicken is to multiply the weight (in pounds) by 20 and bake it for that many minutes at 325 F. A few flavorful stuffings we recommend are:
- The classic Cajun trinity (celery, bell pepper and onion) with some fresh garlic and parsley
- Loose boudin mixture
- Louisiana crawfish tails
- Spinach and pepperjack cheese (like we use in our cornish hens and stuffed chicken breasts)
- Cornbread dressing
- Ground beef with cheddar cheese
- Sausage
A few tips for your next stuffed bird:
- Tuck the wings under the fowl. This keeps their tips from burning!
- Leave a little room in the cavity of the bird for steam to form.
- Cut slices under the breasts and put butter and herbs inside before baking.
If you really want to take the easy way out, order some of our stuffed chickens, chicken breasts, cornish hens or turkey rolls and cut out the prep entirely! Just thaw one out ahead of time and put it in the oven in the evening!
Stuffed Pork Dishes
Another popular choice for a quick and convenient meal involves our personal favorite: pork. With so many stuffable cuts, pork provides lots of options for a savory pork roast. The following cuts are great for stuffing with your favorites—you can even stuff them with boudin mix for that double-pork flavor!
- Boston butt (pork shoulder)
- Pork loin
- Pork tenderloin
- Picnic ham
- Chops and rib chops
A few tips for making a great stuffed pork roast or pork chops:
- Use a fatty cut to avoid drying.
- Wrap loins and tenderloins in bacon before putting them in the oven for a crispy, flavorful exterior.
- If you’re able to do a butterfly cut on a loin or tenderloin, you can roll the roast into a spiral.
- Use butcher’s twine to keep the roast intact while it cooks.
- Brine the pork before you stuff it for a more juicy, flavorful meal!
If you’re unable or unwilling to prepare stuffed pork yourself, be sure to check out our selection of pork products either for ordering or just for inspiration!
Stuffed Beef Dishes
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without stuffed beef dishes. A good stuffing can elevate even the most sumptuous of beef cuts. There are so many forms of beef that can benefit from a simple stuffing that it means you have lots of options: from cheese-stuffed burgers and meatballs to a vegetable-stuffed chuck roast, the combinations are virtually endless. Granted, pre-prepared beef dishes don’t freeze as well, but there are a few items that hold up well in the fridge when you prepare them at the start of the week!
A few stuffed beef dishes you can prep ahead of time are:
- Cheese stuffed meatballs
- Vegetable stuffed chuck roasts
- Cheese stuffed hamburger patties
- Bracciole (flank steak stuffed with parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic)
- Boudin stuffed flank steak or tenderloins
Get Creative
Once you have a general idea of how long it takes for different types of meats and stuffings to cook, there’s no limit to what you can create! Furthermore, there are lots of other foods that you can stuff for a filling, easy meal such as bell peppers, mushrooms, fish filets and more.
Don’t forget that Billy’s carries a wide variety of stuffed dishes and other specialty meats that are completely prep-free for extra convenient meals! Swing by any of our four locations to grab a few, or you can order online to have some shipped to you anywhere in the US! Oh, and don’t forget to grab some boudin while you’re at it!