The Soul Pan Kitchen

Author: Hunter Padgett

  • Creamy Tater Soup

    One thing we used to do when we were in the lowcountry of South Carolina, was make a pot of potato soup on rainy or cold days! Potato soup always was a go to for me!

    I start off with a bag of small golden potatoes. They’re easier to peel or halve. I half them and set them aside. I gather Parmesan cheese, carrots, celery, purple onion and dice these real good and place them to the side.

    Start with Ya Bacon

    In a Dutch oven on medium heat I throw bacon pieces into the pot and get them nice and brown. I then remove them from the heat and leave the fat in the Dutch oven. I then throw in the onions and butter and a dash of flour. I let this simmer until the onions are translucent and the butter has completely melted. Around 4-5 minutes.

    Add Ya Taters Y’all

    Take your potato halves and throw ‘em in the pot. Pour in 4 cups of your chicken stock, 2/3 cup of heavy cream, quarter your cream cheese and add, then add the remainder of your veggies, salt and pepper.

    I use hot jambalaya seasoning as well

    Simmer Down Now

    Let this boil for around 10 minutes and stir occasionally. Turn back the heat and let simmer with the top on for 5 additional minutes.

    Place in a bowl and top with the bacon bits, green onion and more Parmesan cheese!

    It is DIVINE!

  • Blueberry Coffee Cake

    Ingredients:

    ½ cup (1 stick) Butter, melted

    1 (12-oz) can buttermilk biscuits 

    ½ teaspoon cinnamon 

    1 cup packed light brown sugar 

    1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, divided

    1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

    ½ cup granulated sugar

    Directions:

    Preheat oven to 375 °F. Generously grease a 9-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well with a fork. Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters, and dip each piece in melted butter and coat with brown sugar mixture. Arrange in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup of the oats. Combine blueberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and toss to coat. Spoon over oats and biscuits and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup oats. Drizzle melted butter on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and center is done. Cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

  • White Wine Mussels, Stuffed Mushrooms and Asparagus

    Southern food has always been a part of my life. From a young kid to adulthood, I’ve leaned into my roots and truly embraced southern cooking! But when we add in seafood, it takes me back to those beautiful lowcountry nights in McClellanville, SC with my dear friends, Marsha and Billy!

    Tonight, I made it very easy! White Wine Mussels with Stuffed Mushrooms and Asparagus.

    I preheated my oven to 350 degrees

    I started out by hollowing out the mushrooms and packing them with Parmesan cheese! I greased my cookie sheet and placed each one around 2 inches apart. I did this because mussels only take around 6 minutes to cook!

    Coat that Pan Y’all

    I then moved on to coating a pan with olive oil, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. When the oil was hot, I snapped my asparagus at the ends (usually you can feel where to snap them) and threw them in the pan. I let them simmer for about 7 minutes until they were nice and browned.

    Back to the Mushrooms

    Moving back to the mushrooms, I placed them in the oven setting the timer for around 5 minutes.

    Mussel Mania

    I placed my mussels in a bowl of baking soda and water and left it for about 20 minutes prior to starting the recipe to get any remaining debris off of them. While this was happening, I made my sauce. To 1 cup of white wine, I added heavy cream and a dash of Cajun seasoning. I brought this to a boil. Added in the mussels and left them for 6 minutes!

    Flavors Beyond Flavors

    At first bite, this decadent dish was absolutely phenomenal. The mussels were cooked to perfection in the delicious sauce, the mushrooms were super savory and the asparagus had a true kick to it.

    Y’all try it out and let me know what you think!

  • Mama’s Catalina Chops

    Honey, there isn’t a thing better than this!

    Ingredients:

    5 pork chops, medium cut or thin

    1 bottle Catalina dressing

    1 bag shredded sharp cheese

    4 tbsp olive oil

    Adobo seasoning to taste

    Salt and Pepper to taste

    Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your chops in your dish to where they are not sticking together. Season both sides of the chops with adobo, salt and pepper. Pour olive oil over the chops in the pan. Place them in the oven for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness.

    Once you remove from the oven, drain excess juices from the dish. Pour 1 whole bottle of Catalina dressing over the chops, top with an entire bag of cheese and place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes under the broiler. Let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with basil.

    Enjoy!

  • Lemon Pretzel Salad

    Y’all, once in a while I get a sweet tooth and this satisfies both sweet and savory!

    INGREDIENTS
    CRUST
    2 1/2 cups of pretzels, crushed
    2/3 cup of brown sugar
    2 tsp. vanilla extract
    2 TBS all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup of butter, melted

    FILLING
    8 oz. cream cheese, softened
    1 (8 oz.) container of Cool Whip
    1 (21 oz.) can of lemon pie filling

    CRUST
    Preheat your oven to 375°.
    Put the pretzels in a Ziploc bag and crush them.
    In a medium-sized bowl, place the crushed pretzels, flour, brown sugar, vanilla, and butter. Mix.
    Press the pretzel mixture into a 9×13″ baking dish. Save about 1/4 of a cup of the mixture to use as decoration.
    Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

    FILLING
    Mix your softened cream cheese with your hand mixer until creamy.
    Fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese.
    Spread it on top of the cooled pretzel crust.
    For the final layer, spread the lemon pie filling over the top.
    Sprinkle a little bit of the unused pretzel mixture to the top for decoration.

  • Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Broccoli with Buttery Orzo

    Ingredients:

    1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, diced

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    2 cloves garlic, minced

    1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

    Salt and black pepper to taste

    1 ½ cups uncooked orzo pasta

    3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

    2 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)

    1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

    1/2 cup heavy cream

    1 tablespoon butter

    Fresh parsley or basil, chopped (for garnish)

    Directions:

    Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.

    Add diced chicken, season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Sauté until the chicken is golden and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

    In the same skillet, melt butter. Add the orzo and stir frequently for 2 minutes until slightly toasted.

    Pour in chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until the orzo is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed.

    Stir in the broccoli and cooked chicken. Cover and cook for 3–4 more minutes until broccoli is bright and tender.

    Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir until creamy and smooth.

    Adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with parsley or basil and serve hot.

    Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

  • Baked Parmesan Pork Loin

    Feast your eyes (and taste buds) on this Baked Parmesan Pork Loin served over a flavorful bed of teriyaki rice 🍚—a perfect harmony of savory and sweet! And no meal is complete without sides… so of course, there’s a tender, oven-baked sweet potato bringing that extra comfort to the plate. 🧡

    So delicious, so satisfying, and definitely going on the repeat list! 🙌🔥

    HomeCooking #DinnerInspo #PorkLoinPerfection #SweetPotatoLove #FoodieFavorites

  • Cream Cheese Chicken

    Put some souf in ya mouf!

    Cream Cheese Chicken is a fan favorite! Here’s the recipe!

    Ingredients:

    1 small yellow onion
    4 cloves garlic
    1 small bunch fresh dill
    8 ounces cream cheese
    4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
    3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more as needed
    4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    1/2 cup dry white wine
    1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

    Instructions:

    1. Finely chop 1 small yellow onion and peel and mince 4 garlic cloves. Pick the fronds from the 1 small bunch fresh dill and coarsely chop until you have 2 tablespoons. Cut 8 ounces cream cheese into 8 pieces. Pat 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
    2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, flipping halfway through, until golden on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate (it will not be cooked through).
    3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant and golden-brown, about 1 minute more. Pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.
    4. Pour in 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth. Add the cream cheese, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, until the cream cheese is melted and combined. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
    5. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring back to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the dill and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

  • Salmon Charleston

    Now, y’all this recipe cuts deep! Just about as southern as it gets! Lowcountry style cookin’ at its finest!

    I start out by sectioning my salmon into portions, around 8 ounces per filet. Then, I coat them very well with a Teriyaki marinade. I usually use Lawry’s Pineapple Teriyaki marinade with a dash of Seafood seasoning! Oh so yummy!

    I let the portions marinate for about 30 minutes! I preheat my oven to 350 degrees! In a cast iron skillet, I put a little olive oil in the pan, then I place the filets in the pan. While this is sitting, grab a bunch of Brussels sprouts out of the icebox and cut the stems and slice them in half lengthwise.

    Grab a gallon size ziplock plastic bag, in the bag put marinade, salt, pepper, soul food seasoning and shake the bag well. Empty the contents in the skillet!

    Place skillet in the 350 degree oven for 35 minutes! top it with Parmesan cheese straight out of the oven!

    Honey, this will be absolutely fabulous once it comes out! The tangy flavor of the salmon and roasted Brussels brings back so many memories of good Charleston, lowcountry flavor!

    Serves: 4