One-Pot: Part 3

This one was a good recipe, but required a bit of tweaking before it really hit the spot for me. Be sure to be generous with your salt and pepper and add garlic salt or powder to taste to get the flavor just right.

One-Pot Creamy Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef
2 packages (8 oz each) sliced button mushrooms
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 lb uncooked medium egg noodles
1 container (12 oz) chive and onion sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste (my addition)
Garlic salt or garlic powder, to taste (my addition)

Directions:

In nonstick 5-quart Dutch oven, cook beef over high heat, stirring frequently, until brown. Do not drain. Season with salt and pepper and garlic salt or powder.

Add mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes or until browned.

Add evaporated milk, 4 1/2 cups hot water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles. Noodles will not be completely covered at first. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, just until noodles are tender. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream.

Source: Pillsbury website. You can find it here.

Notes: On its own, following the recipe exactly, it was just a little lacking in flavor. However, adding the garlic, to taste, as well as the salt and pepper helped. Some of the reviewers on the Pillsbury website suggested some other additions. One reviewer suggested cooking some chopped onion with the beef while it was browning. One reviewer substituted beef broth for the water. Other reviewers suggested added a can of cream of mushroom soup or cream of onion soup.

I topped mine with some fresh chopped flat leaf Italian parsley.

This made a lot, and we had a lot of leftovers. It reheated very well.

 

Above: Mushroom money shot.

One-Pot: Part 2

Here's another one-pot wonder. I really liked this one. This one is also very kid friendly and super easy to throw together. The leftovers were really good too.

One-Pot Chicken Alfredo Penne

Ingredients:

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 lb. uncooked penne pasta
1 box (9 oz) frozen sweet peas
2 cups shredded or pulled deli rotisserie chicen
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In nonstick 5-quart Dutch oven, heat evaporated milk, 4 cups hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions (mine called for 11 minutes), stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in chicken, peas and Alfredo sauce. Cook 3 minutes longer, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Source: Pillsbury website. You can find it here.

Notes: You can also add a little salt and pepper, to taste, if you desire. I really liked this one. I felt that this one required the least tweaking. It was just good on its own. I did poach my own chicken breasts rather than using a deli rotisserie chicken. This was really good.

One-Pot: Part 1

Earlier this year, I happened upon this super easy, tasty, and amazing recipe. Apparently, a lot of people must have been a big fan of it (like I was), because a bunch of other one-pot meals were created as a result of it. While the original recipe is still my favorite (and still the best of the bunch), the others were also amazingly easy and quite tasty. Let me share my findings!

Three-Ingredient One-Pot Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
Salt, to taste
(Garlic powder or garlic salt, to taste--my addition)

Directions:

In 5-quart nonstick Dutch oven, heat evaporated milk, 4 cups hot water, macaroni and salt, to taste, to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted.

Source: Pillsbury website. You can find it here.

Notes: When this was all done, I tasted it and I felt it was just missing something...so I added a little garlic salt and voila! Problem solved. This is the perfect macaroni and cheese option when you need something a little more than Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (which still has its place, of course) and something a little less than these macaroni and cheese recipes. I really liked this. It is really easy and very kid friendly.

Dee-licious!

 

This has to be one of my most favorite white chicken chili recipes I have ever found. This is really flavorful. Use tamed bottled jalapeno slices if you want less heat.

Green Chile Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (14 ounces each)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 cup pickled jalapeno slices
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 jars (16 ounces each0 salsa verde
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
Optional toppings: shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips

Directions:

Place the chicken, onions, peppers, jalapenos and chilies in a 5- or 6- qt. slow cooker. Pour salsa over top. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred chicken with two forks, discarding skin and bones; return meat to slow cooker. stir in the beans, sour cream, and cilatnro; heat through. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Yield: 10 servings (3 1/2 quarts).

Nutrition facts: 1 1/3 cups equals 320 calories.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: I wouldn't change a thing. If you want it spicy, use untamed bottled jalapenos. If you want it a little more mellow, use tamed bottled jalapenos. Yummy! Good stuff!

Bake Fresh or Freeze Ahead

This is a good meal to double. You can bake one to eat that day and then freeze the other for another day.

Easy Ziti Bake

Ingredients:

12 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
2 pounds ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped basil or parsley to garnish, optional

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook one minute longer. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, and the Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture and stir until blended.

Spoon a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with half of the pasta mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stnd for 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil or parsley, if desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 serving equals 630 calories, 30 g fat, 164 mg cholesterol, 878 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 45 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: I did fewer layers. I did half the meat sauce, all of the pasta, and then topped it with the other half of the meat sauce. I also used a full pound of pasta.

When I made this, I doubled the pasta (using two full pounds of pasta) and tripled the sauce and got enough for three 9x13-inch aluminum pans, which I popped in my freezer. This is really good.

To reheat after freezing, you can either allow it to thaw in your refrigerator overnight and then bake as directed, or you can bake from frozen, allowing for a longer baking time since some of the baking time will be thawing time. Plan for at least double the baking time, but it can take longer than that. Bake it, covered, for at least 30 minutes to thaw, and then uncover and bake until hot and bubbling.

Warm Up With a Bowl of Soup

This was such an easy soup to throw together. It makes a great dinner, and the leftovers make a wonderful lunch.

Weight Watchers Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 medium uncooked onion, finely chopped
4 medium cloves of garlice, minced
45 oz. canned black beans, undrained, divided (three 15 oz cans)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
14 1/2 oz. fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth
10 oz. canned tomatoes with green chilis
11 oz. canned yellow corn, drained

Directions:

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add sauteed onion mixture, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Place second can of beans and broth in blender and puree until smooth; add to stockpot.

Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), tomatoes and green chilies, and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 1 1/2 cups of soup per serving.

Source: Weight Watchers. You can find it here.

Notes: I didn't blend the sauteed onion mixture with the can of beans. I figured I would just have a slightly chunkier soup and save myself a step. This was really flavorful and satisfying. Also, as mentioned above, it was beyond easy, which is always a good thing.

Convincing the Kids

This was one of those recipes that I thought my boys would absolutely love. I mean, they love chicken, they love spaghetti...so, putting chicken and spaghetti together would be a hit, right? Well, they both took one look and turned their noses up at it. Once they figured out that they couldn't eat anything else that night until they at least tried the chicken, they finally ate a few pieces. They put up such a fight! However, then my youngest son proceeded to keep sneaking back and eating a few more pieces until he ate all of his chicken on his own. Hopefully, you can eat this without having to hide the fact that you actually like it!

Herbed Chicken and Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
3 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, drained (I used two cans)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fat free half-and-half

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain well. Meanwhile, mix seasonings in shallow dish. Reserve 2 teaspoons. Stir 2 tablespoons of the flour into remaining seasoning mixture in dish. Coat chicken in seasoned flour. Discard any remaining seasoned flour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken in batches; cook 2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Add additional 1 tablespoon oil as needed. remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Add tomatoes, stock and reserved seasoning mixture; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in half-and-half. Return chicken to skillet; cook until heated through. Season to taste, as desired. Serve with pasta.

Source: McCormick. You can find it here.

Notes: Well, I enjoyed this without having to hide that fact. :) I thought this was really good and the leftovers were good too.