When it comes to planning everyday dinners, we all face the challenge of keeping our meals fresh. It’s easy to fall into a food rut with the same old recipes on repeat. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, dinner often becomes a routine affair. But I am here to tell you that there’s an easy solution to bringing some panache back to the dinner table. Enter the Boar’s Head Dinner Collection.

The Boar’s Head Dinner Collection features three fully cooked premium meat roasts, which only require to be heated in the oven for around 20 minutes. While your meat entree is heating up, you can be busy preparing complimentary side dishes to round out the meal.

Boar’s Head Dinner Collection

When planning your grocery shopping, you can select from these three meat options. The Dinner Collection can be found in the Meat Department at Safeway.

How Boar’s Head Makes Everyday Dinner so Easy

We’ve partnered with Boar’s Head and Safeway to bring you some easy meal-solution options for everyday dinning. Boar’s Head has always been known for only offering exceptional craft meat products with uncompromising standards by using only the finest ingredients. When you plan your dinner with Boar’s Head on the menu, you can feel confident that everyone will enjoy the meal.

Traditionally these main courses are centered around a meat-based main dish, which can be very intimidating to make from scratch. It takes a very skilled home chef to make a turkey, ham or pork loin from start to finish. Luckily the Boar’s Head Dinner Collection is here to make your main dish a breeze in the kitchen!

The Boar’s Head Dinner Collection offers pre-seasoned and fully cooked main course meats that only require heating in the oven. They made it possible for a home chef to make the highest quality hams, turkeys and pork loin for their family with minimal effort in the kitchen. The petite protein cut is the perfect amount to serve a table of 8 - 10 people, and it ensures you’re only paying for the most quality parts of meat.

Simple Heating Instructions for the Boar’s Head Dinner Collection

As I mentioned above, heating up the Boar’s Head Dinner Collection meats is very easy and simple. All you have to do is follow these steps. The meat is fully cooked already, so it’s just a matter of heating it up.

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Remove (either ham, loin, or turkey) from package, saving liquid contents.
Place into a shallow pan with cut surface down.
Add liquid contents from bag along with ¼ cup of broth or water to the pan.
Tent with foil, sealing edges tightly.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes per pound.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.
Eat and Enjoy!

Flavor Matching Your Side Dishes

Now that your main course has been made so easy with a Boar’s Head Dinner Collection meat, it’s time to figure out side dishes that compliment the flavors and enhance the dining experience.

Each one of the Boar’s Head meats come with a flavor profile, which can be used as a guide to building out the rest of the menu. In this blog post I have created a “cheat sheet” with familiar and universally loved vegetable-based and carb-based side dishes that go perfectly with each Boar’s Head Dinner Collection main course meat.

Complimentary Dishes for the Boar’s Head Hickory Smoked Roast Uncured Ham

Hickory Smoked Roast Uncured Ham Flavor Profile

When looking at the flavor profile for the Hickory Smoked Roast Uncured Ham, it includes sea salt, lemon, brown sugar and hickory smoke. As recommended by Boar’s Head, complimentary side dishes include butternut squash, mac and cheese, potato dishes and vegetables.

My Side Dishes for the Hickory Smoked Roast Uncured Ham

The recipes I selected to accompany our ham dinner were:

Butternut squash soup made with tart green apple
Mac and cheese made with smoked paprika
Poppy seed dinner rolls
A light dessert of baked pears with Boar’s Head gorgonzola cheese and pecans

Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup

This Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup has been on my blog for many years and it’s a healthy staple in our house. I always think a hot bowl of freshly-made soup always feel great during the winter months. It’s very versatile and can be served alongside made main course meat dishes.

Mac and Cheese Flavored with Smoked Paprika

As a mom I am always trying to find recipes that satisfy the adults, while also having kid-friendly food options that my kids will eat. This recipe of mac and cheese is extra creamy with dynamic flavors from the smoked paprika.

Ingredients List:

1 pound dried elbow pasta
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups half and half
6 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease your baking dish. This recipe makes a large amount of pasta so make sure you have a large baking dish. Mine is 9.5” x 13.5'“ x 2” deep.
Cook the entire box of pasta in a large pot, but only cook noodles until they are al dente and not fully soft. You definitely do not want to have mushy pasta. Drain the pasta, add it back into the pot, and melt some butter into the noddles. This is to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
In another large pan, melt the 1/2 cup of butter on medium-low heat. Slowly add in the flour and stir with a whisk continuously until the consistency is smooth. Continue to stir with heat on for another minute. Begin to slowly add in the half and half, and then whole milk. Keeping the heat on medium-low and continuously whisking. Eventually the consistency will get thicker, like a creamy soup.
Remove from heat and add the spices salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Whisk until completely mixed.
We will start adding 3 cups of the shredded cheese to the mix to make the cheese sauce. Slowly mix in the 3 cups of shredded cheese in small batches, stirring until it’s completely melted.
Add your pasta noodles to a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the cheese sauce and mix it all together until all the noodles are coated.
In your greased baking dish, add half of the pasta mixture in the dish. Spread it into an even layer, and then top it with a thick layer of shredded cheese.
Pour the remaining pasta mixture into the baking dish, and the top it with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake the dish for about 20 minutes in the oven, removing when all the cheese has melted and there’s a slight golden brown color on the top.

Honey Glazed Baked Pears with Gorgonzola and Pecans

I first came up with this recipe back in 2017 and I come back to it often. It’s a great way to either start or end a meal with a light but still flavorful small bite. It works as both a pre-dinner hors d'oeuvre, or a light dessert afterwards. You can find the recipe here, where I used walnuts which can be switched out for pecans.

Complimentary Dishes for the Boar’s Head Maple Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Maple Glazed Roast Pork Loin Flavor Profile

The flavor profile for the Maple Glazed Roast Pork Loin includes maple syrup, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. These are definitely classic fall and winter flavors, and lend themselves to many popular seasonal side dishes.

My Side Dishes for the Maple Glazed Roast Pork Loin

The recipes I selected to accompany our pork loin dinner were:

Sweet potato casserole with a brown sugar and pecan glaze
Roasted Brussels sprouts with Boar’s Head bacon and maple syrup
Classic cornbread
I recommend a pumpkin or pecan pie for dessert

Yams Casserole with a Brown Sugar and Pecan Glaze

This yams casserole is a family recipe that I’ve made from memory for years, but this is the first time I am officially documenting the ingredients and cooking instructions. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and earthy roots from the yams. Probably my favorite side dish!

Ingredients List:

4 peeled, cubed yams (you can also sweet potatoes)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons of softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients List for Pecan Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons of softened butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Put yams in a large pot and cover with water. Cook over medium-high heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Mash yams with a fork. Add eggs, sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix completely until smooth.
Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and make sure it’s evenly distributed.
Next step is to start the pecan topping. Mix brown sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Mash butter with a fork until mixture is coarse and has thick chunks. Make sure not to over mix, you want the chunks to remain. Stir in pecans and lightly mix together.
Evenly distribute the pecan topping over the yams mixture.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until topping is lightly browned.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple Syrup

I always like to serve a vegetable dish on the table, and this one is a crowd pleaser. I mean it has bacon and maple syrup, how can your family not love that combo!

Ingredients List:

1 pound Brussel sprouts washed and cut in half
Half a pack of Boar’s Head classic bacon (make the other half for Christmas brunch!)
Olive oil
1/3 cup real maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the Brussels sprouts evenly distributed in the center of a rimmed baking sheet.
Drizzle the pan with olive oil and maple syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently mix until the Brussels sprouts are evenly coated.
Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Place them on top of the Brussels sprouts.
Bake for 30 minutes until the Brussels sprouts are lightly charred on the outside, tender in the center, and the bacon is crisp.

Classic Cornbread

You may associate cornbread with Thanksgiving, but it my household we have it regularly throughout the year. It’s a very kid-friendly side dish, and goes with many main courses. This is my classic cornbread recipe, along with some twists to the original recipe if you want to add more flavors.

Complimentary Dishes for the Boar’s Head Classic Roast Turkey Breast

Classic Roast Turkey Breast Flavor Profile

Classically flavored turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving, it can severed throughout the entire year. Boar’s Head has used garlic, brown sugar, paprika and traditional turkey spices to build the flavor profile for this classic turkey roast.

My Side Dishes for the Classic Roast Turkey Breast

The recipes I selected to accompany our turkey dinner were:

Creamy sour cream mashed potatoes
Honey garlic butter roasted carrots
Fresh spinach salad with apples, Boar’s Head feta cheese and pecans

Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream Recipe

Mashed potatoes is a dish that needs no introduction, but I always opt for the sour cream version. The sour cream adds a bit of zip and tang, keeping your mashed potatoes from coming out flat and lacking in flavor.

Ingredients List:

3 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes. Peel them and cut into cubes.
1/2 cup whole milk
8 tablespoons of softened butter (the whole stick)
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Put the peeled and cut potatoes into a large pot. Fill the pot up with just enough water to submerge the potatoes. Set the stove to medium high heat. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork, which is about 20 - 25 minutes.
Drain the potatoes with a strainer to remove all the liquid. Put the potatoes back into the pot and cover, allowing them to further cook in the steam for an additional 5 minutes.
In a small sauce pan, heat up the milk on low heat.
Add half the milk to the potato pot, along with softened butter and sour cream. Start mashing until you get your desired consistency.
If the mash is too thick, add a bit more milk until you get your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and serve. Provide your guests with extra sides of butter or sour cream for additional toppings.

Honey Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots

This recipe takes a somewhat mundane side dish of carrots and really brings the flavor and sweetness. The glaze on these carrots compliments the potatoes and turkey, for those who like to mingle food together on their plate.

Ingredients List:

2 pounds of carrots - washed, peeled and cut into quarters lengthwise
5 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of honey
4 minced garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (I also used them to garnish the mashed potatoes)

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Slowly pour in the honey, continuously stirring until completely melted and mixed. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Add the carrots and toss in the sauce. Allow the sauce to further thicken for another minute.
Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer carrots to baking sheet in a single layer so they cook evenly. Drizzle the remaining butter sauce over the carrots.
Roast for 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender when you pierce with a fork.

Spinach Salad with Apples, Boar’s Head Feta Cheese and Pecans

A light salad is a great compliment to a meal with heavier starches such a mashed potatoes. It balances out the plate and provide a lighter side dish to leave your family feeling satisfied but not overly stuffed.

Ingredients List:

Organic and pre-washed baby spinach leaves
1 gala, green or fuji apple finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries'
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup Boar’s Head Crumble Feta Cheese
I used a favorite raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

Salad Assembly Instructions:

Toss all the spinach salad ingredients together in a large bowl, or serve them into individual serving bowls.
Do not add the dressing until right before the dinning time. I personally prefer that guests add their own dressing, to avoid a soggy salad.

In Conclusion

I hope you found all of this everyday dinning content both informative and inspirational. The main takeaway is that with the Boar’s Head Dinner Collection you can take all of the cooking challenge out of the main meat entree, and spend your time cooking and experimenting with complimentary side dishes that really round out the meal.