Minneapolis cook Megan Sheley explains her shocking departure from Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef’

In the end, Megan Sheley’s biggest challenge on “Next Level Chef” didn’t take place in the kitchen.

Viewers of the Fox reality competition series learned Thursday that the Minnesota-raised chef had to leave for health reasons.

Sheley, 34, didn’t explain her departure on the episode, but she talked about her decision with us last week in a Zoom interview from her Minneapolis apartment.

Q: Take us through your decision to leave the competition.

A: I had my autoimmune disease flare up because of the stress of the show. I was so debilitated, I couldn’t leave my hotel room. It was such a bummer.

Q: The current season was shot over a year ago. How are you feeling now?

A: I’m physically fine now. I’m just dealing mentally with my departure. It’s one thing if I had gone home because I did my best and that wasn’t good enough. But in this case, I was performing well and I’ll never know how far I could have gone. Maybe they’ll do a redemption season and I’ll get another chance.

Q: You seemed to have a real connection with your mentor on the show, Gordon Ramsay. How is he different from the guy we see on TV screaming at people?

A: This was not the “Hell’s Kitchen” version of Gordon, by any means. In this show, the celebrity chefs are mentors and they want us to succeed because we are on their teams. So it wouldn’t be productive for them to yell at us and be intimidating. Plus Gordon has six kids now. He’s mellowed. My favorite memory with him is when I was preparing gator meat, something I wouldn’t normally gravitate to. Having him next to me, advising me, was a career highlight. I’m just a Minnesota girl who started posting recipes online and now I’m in the kitchen with Gordon Ramsay. How did I get here?

Q: What kind of meals did you eat while growing up in Eden Prairie?

A: It was typical American ’90s food. Pop-Tarts. Hamburger Helper. Jars of spaghetti sauce. I didn’t grow up in the kitchen. But I was always fascinated with food. When I would write home from camp, my letters said nothing about activities or friends I had made. They would be all about the salad bar. But cooking didn’t really become a passion of mine until I was around 25.

Q: When you were a kid, where did you go for birthday parties and special occasions?

A: I’d make my family take me to Old Country Buffet. It’s so crazy to me. How did I eat that stuff growing up and then end up on a cooking show with famous chefs?

Q: What restaurants in the Twin Cities do you like now?

A: Porzana is always up there. Young Joni is still amazing. The smashburger at Petite León is one of my favorites. Saturday Dumpling Co. is really good.

Q: You have a lot of recipes for snacks on your website (megansheley.com). What is the perfect snack while watching “Next Level”?

A: Chocolate chip cookies. I talk about them all the time. I like them thick, chewy, dense and undercooked. I don’t want them thin and crispy.

Q: Do you have any desire to open your own restaurant?

A: I could see myself opening up a little coffee shop or bakery. But not a restaurant. I want something more peaceful. For me, cooking is like meditation. I like being in my house, playing music, cooking slowly. That’s why the show was so stressful. I wasn’t used to having to cook a dish in 20 minutes with Gordon Ramsay looking over my shoulder.

Q: What kind of music do you play in your kitchen?

A: Jazz. I also listen to a lot of old-school Taylor Swift and John Mayer. He’s definitely my favorite all-around artist.

Q: What’s the last book you read?

A: Right now, I’m in the middle of “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. It’s all about releasing yourself from the control of other people’s actions.

Q: Sounds interesting, but what do you do for fun? Any TV shows?

A: I actually don’t watch a lot of TV. I spend my free time cooking, going to farmers markets. Travel is a huge part of my life. The food in Mexico City is insane. The next places on my list are South Africa, Tanzania and Japan. I recently went through a breakup so I’ve been navigating that for the past five months. I go to sleep early. I’m kind of a boring granny girl.

Q: You’ve served as a personal chef for dinner parties in the past. Which celebrity would be the most fun to cook for?

A: Paul Rudd. I love every movie he’s ever been in. He just seems so chill and cool. And I’m sure he would have some cool friends over.

Serves 8.

Before the Fox series, Megan Sheley was best known for creating this lasagna soup recipe, which has more than 35 million views. Find more of her recipes at megansheley.com.

Directions

Put a large soup pot on the stove and set to medium heat, allow the pan to get pretty warm, about 90 seconds.

Add the ground beef and ground sausage and sauté until fully cooked through; remove from pot.

Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes; add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. To the garlic and onions, add the diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, broth, tomato paste, chili peppers, cream, oregano and parsley; stir well to combine. Return meat to the pot and bring soup to a light boil.

Meanwhile, on a separate burner, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add in a good amount of salt and once it’s boiling, add in pasta. If you plan to eat a good amount of this soup right away, cook pasta for 4 to 5 minutes, until it’s just underdone. Drain and set aside. (If you are making ahead or planning leftovers, cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and keep the pasta and broth separate to avoid the pasta getting extremely soggy.)

Add pasta to the soup and lightly boil for 5 minutes, or until the pasta is done to al dente. If necessary, add more broth for a “soupier” consistency. (If making ahead, remove soup from heat and keep pasta in a dish next to your soup to assemble when ready.)

In a small bowl, prepare the ricotta mixture by combining the ricotta, mozzarella and shredded Parmesan. Add in garlic salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with a dollop of cheese mixture and garnish with fresh basil. (Alternatively, assemble pasta in a bowl and top with soup mixture and mix well, before adding cheese mixture on top and garnishing with basil.)