Sour Cream Noodle Bake

If I ever want a simple meal that everyone will eat, THIS is my go to dish. I have made this for meal for a crowd, I have made it for kids, and have made this to take to someone (it is easy to freeze)! Another good thing.. this is cheap! If you are on a budget, this is wonderful meal to cook, because it makes so much for what you pay! A lot of people worry about the cottage cheese, but trust me, include it, you won't be able to taste it (even if you don't like cottage cheese). This dish goes great with a salad, steamed veggies, or some garlic bread. This is a must try dish!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground beef

1 (15-ounce) can tomoato sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper, to taste

8 ounce (weight) egg noodles

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Then rinse the ground beef and drain the fat. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the skillet, let simmer on the stove. 

3. Cook the egg noodles and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, mix the sour cream and cottage cheese together. Add in plenty of pepper, the noodles and the green onions. 

5. To assemble your dish, pour half of the noodles into a large casserole dish. Top with half of the meat and sauce mixture. Then sprinkle on half of the cheese. Repeat all layers, starting with noodles, then meat and sauce and top with the rest of the cheese. 

6. Bake for 20 mins until the cheese has melted.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com

 

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie

I have tried a lot of chicken pot pies, and I had yet to find the perfect one.. until now. Some were made with biscuits, others lacked flavor and that creamy gravy. But this.. this is THE chicken pot pie recipe. It has delicious soft vegetables, a creamy flavorful broth, and a buttery flaky crust! I will never make another one. It is seriously that good! Now, I have heard a lot about preparing and then freezing meals, but I have never took the dive and tried it, until now. This recipe is actually recommended to make ahead of time and freeze. The first time I made it, I had cream, celery and pie dough left over. Of course, it felt like a waste of money. We loved it so much, that I made it again the next week, using enough ingredients for 2! It was so much easier, the portions are just right for 2 batches and I love that I have nice, delicious chicken pot pie in my freezer waiting for me to feel like having a lazy dinner and not wanting to cook!

Ingredients (for 1 pie):

3 celery stalks

3 medium carrots, peeled

1 large yellow onion

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of butter

2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock

1 chicken bouillon cube

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup heavy cream

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper, for seasoning

pie dough, store bought or homemade (homemade recipe below)

Directions:

1. Begin preheating the oven to 400 degrees and by dicing the celery, carrots, and onion into small, fine dice. 

2. Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Saute the vegetables for a few minutes, until translucent. 

3. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes, gently stirring. 

4. Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Add the chicken bouillon cube and stir. The mixture should start to look like a creamy gravy, but still runny. Next, stir the frozen peas in.

5. Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the mixture can thicken. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Be sure to taste it and make sure it is seasoned good!

6. Pour the mixture into a deep pie pan, or small casserole dish. (If you are freezing one, the foil pie pans work great!

7. Place the crust onto the top of the pan, pressing the edges down (it doesn't need to be prefect) and place a few slits in the crust to make sure the mixture can let out steam. 

8. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before eating (this will help the mixture to thicken some as well). 

Thyme Pastry Dough

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 egg

2 1/2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 

1 spring of fresh thyme leaves, thinly diced

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and salt in large bowl. Use a pastry cutter or 2 forks to gradually work the cold butter into the flour until it resembles small pebbles, this should take about 3-4 minutes.

2. Lightly beat the egg with the fork and add it to the mixture. Next, and the old water and vinegar and stir until combined. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated at this point)

3. When ready to use the dough, cover a clean surface with a small amount of flour, and in the thyme and knead the dough to mix it in. Then, begin to roll out the dough1 inch larger than the pie pan. 

Comment if you made this and loved it! 

Photo Source: lydias cozy corner
Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com 

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

Baked chicken breasts, rolled up with cheeses and spinach, covered in bread crumbs and topped with cheese.. perfect! This recipe is a huge hit at my house. It gives the kids there veggies, tastes amazing, and baked chicken is always healthier than fried! This is a great recipe from SkinnyTaste, that has LESS THAN 200 calories a serving! It goes great with a salad!

Ingredients

olive oil non-stick spray

8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

6 tablespoons egg whites

6 oz part skim mozzarella

5 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry of any liquid

6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup marinara sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450° and spay an 8x12 casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray

2. Wash each of the chicken cutlets and season with salt and pepper

3. Combine the breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese into a bowl

4. In another bowl, whites 1/4 cup of egg whites (only using egg whites makes it healthier)

5. In another bowl, combine 1.5 oz of mozzarella cheese, the rest of the parmesan cheese, spinach, ricotta cheese, and 2 tbsp of egg whites

6. Lay the chicken cutlets out flat, and spread 2 tbsp of the spinach mixture onto each cutlet, making sure to cover the whole surface. Roll the cutlets up and keep the seam side down to keep them intact.

7. Dip each rolled up chicken cutlet into the egg whites, and then into the breadcrumbs, making sure to cover all surfaces. Once they are covered place the chicken roll ups into your baking dish

8. Lightly spray all of the chicken cutlets with an olive oil cooking spray (this helps them get crispy)

9. Bake for 25 minutes. Then cover the chicken with the marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for another 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and is bubbly.

Enjoy! :)

Source: Skinny Taste

Creamy Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

This recipe has been a family favorite of mine since I was a little girl. My whole family loves this recipe, even my 1 year old! It’s a very easy and delicious casserole, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Since I’m a stay-at-home Mom, I boil my chicken early in the morning, and then store the chicken and the broth in the fridge, until I’m ready to use it. You never know what will happen! So I’m prepared to make dinner within minutes! I love this dish with a nice salad, and a side of broccoli or green beans! 

Ingredients:
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 stick butter, melted
8 oz. package of Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing Mix
1 can of cream of chicken soup
8 oz. of sour cream
1 ½ cups of chicken broth (from boiling chicken)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large pot, boil the chicken in water on medium-high heat for 15-20 mins. Make sure they a thoroughly cooked through.
3. Keep 1 ½ cups of the water that the chicken is boiled in, with no pieces of fat or chicken it (you may want to strain it).

4. Dice the chicken into pieces

5. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, salt and pepper togther.
6. Mix the stuffing mix and the butter together. Keep ½ cup of the stuffing mix for topping. Press the stuffing onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. 

7. Lay the diced chicken on top of the stuffing mix.

8. Pour the soup and cream cheese mixture on top of the chicken, make sure it spreads out evenly.

9. Sprinkle the top with the set aside ½ cup of stuffing mix.

10. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 

Enjoy! :) 





Photo: coffeeandcannolis.com

Spinach and Chicken Stuffed Shells

Spinach and Chicken Stuffed Shells

 

These are amazing. They take a while to make, but it is so worth it. In my house we will try any recipe with spinach, and we loved these! 

Ingredients: 

1 box of Jumbo Pasta Shells

2 cups of chopped, cooked Chicken Breast

1 box of frozen, chopped Spinach, thawed

2 cloves of minced Garlic 

15 oz container of Ricotta Cheese

8 oz package of Cream Cheese, softened

1 2/3 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, beaten 

1 tbs of Dried Parsley Flakes

1 tsp of Italian Seasoning 

1/2 tsp of Salt

1/2 tsp of Pepper

2 cups of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Boil shells according to the package directions. Drain them and rinse them with cool water to prevent them from sticking to each other.

3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, spinach, garlic, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the mixture.

4. Grease 2 9 x 13 baking dishes, spread 1/2 of the sauce into both pans

5. Spoon the mixture into the shells, be generous! [or use a ziplock bag with the tip cut off and pipe the filling into the shells. 

6. Lay the stuffed shells on top of the sauce

7. Very lightly top the shells with the remaining sauce

8. Cover with foil, and bake for 40 mins

9. Uncover, Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 5-10 mins [until cheese has melted]

Enjoy :)

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com

Baked Spasagna

This is a mix between a baked spaghetti and a lasagna. It is amazing! I wouldn't eat baked spaghetti any other way! It combines the spaghetti sauce and cheese from spaghetti, but has that layer of ricotta cheese from lasagna.

Ingredients: 

1 lb of Ground Beef

1 can of Spaghetti Sauce

8 oz of Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup of Sour Cream

15 oz Ricotta Cheese (the smaller container)

1 stick of Butter

3/4 of a box of Spaghetti Noodles

2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°

2. Boil the noodles according to the directions on the box, I use 3/4 of a box, because it feels like too much noodles to use a whole a box. You can use more or less if you want to. 

3. In a skillet, brown the beef, then drain and rinse it

4. Add the spaghetti sauce into the pan with the beef

5. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta cheese together

6. In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, slice 1/2 of the stick of butter into thin slices and layer them on the bottom of the pan. 

7. Layer 1/2 of the noodles onto the pan (on top of the butter)

8. Spread all of the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of noodles

9. Layer the rest of the noodles

10. Use the last of the butter stick and lay thin slices of butter on top of the noodles

11. Pour the beef a spaghetti sauce mixture onto the top

12. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes

13. Take out and top with all of the cheese, bake for another 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. 

Enjoy :)

Recipe Adapted and Photo Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com