Category: One pot meal

One Pan Meal- Baked Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Herbs and Garlic

Chicken, One pot meal, potatoes

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Sunday! After yesterday’s race, all I wanted to do today was sleep in and be lazy. I got my wish. We slept until almost 9. The girls came in requesting Waffle House, so we got up and ate some yummy food. I sat outside and read magazines while the girls played. I sat around and watched a bunch of DVR shows that I needed to catch up on…(Bones, The Americans, and The Kitchen). Later I cooked this yummy easy meal.

Baked Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Herbs and Garlic

Ingredients

6 chicken Thighs (on sale for $3.26 at Kroger!!!)
6 small Idaho potatoes, chopped in to small pieces. Use what you have; red, russet, purple, etc…
6 pieces of garlic, crushed and minced
1 large handful of chopped herbs- basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme (mix with garlic and a bit of olive oil to form a paste)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Chop potatoes in to a small dice. Chop your garlic and herbs. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Lay potatoes flat in the pan and coat with olive oil. Add half of the garlic and herb paste. Mix well. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken thighs. Lay on top of the potatoes. Add the rest of the herb and garlic paste to the top of each piece of chicken. Cook for 45 minutes or until potatoes are done and chicken is cooked through.006 012

Chicken with Tomato and Veggie Orzo

Chicken, One pot meal, Pasta, Side dishes...veggies

Hey all! I hope everyone had a great weekend with family and friends celebrating the beginning of Spring, special holidays, and the fact that it is SPRING BREAK!!!! Woohoo! We had lots of fun gardening, playing at the park, and enjoying the amazing Spring weather.

We had a picnic at the park for lunch today. It was glorious to see the girls play and get to eat yummy ham sandwiches and pasta salad. Oh, and my mom makes the best deviled eggs. I think I made them once on the blog. I will have to check it out and make sure I add the recipe if it is not already here. Plus, we had Lay’s chips. Plain. The go to chip in our house. Yes, we love our Cheetos, Cool Ranch Doritos, etc… but there is nothing like a bag of salty crunchy Lay’s. Although those commercials with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head eating the chips is a bit disturbing…

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So with a late lunch and a lazy day, I decided to wing it in the kitchen. I had taken out some chicken thighs from the freezer. I know. Chicken. Again. But it is always a yummy go-to that everyone LOVES. My family loves them some dark meat. When any chicken is on sale, I load up. Luckily, last week, it was thighs. I also had a few random mushrooms, a few carrots and celery, and one onion in the fridge. I also found a large can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of green chilies.
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Chicken with Tomato and Veggie Orzo

Ingredients
3 -4 chicken Thighs
10 mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cooked orzo- I used my leftovers from this…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/04/03/1-pot-veggie-orzo/
1/2 container of broth (I had veggie, but chicken would be perfect.)
1 turn of white wine- acidity is the key to any dish =) use lemon/lime juice, white/red wine vinegar, or red wine…

Directions

Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken liberally.
Brown both sides in a screaming hot cast iron pan or dutch oven- about 6 minutes per side.
Take the chicken out and add in your chopped veggies. Cook down for about 6 minutes. Add in your tomato paste and stir, about 3 minutes. The aroma of smokey tomato should hit your nose. YUM! Add in your wine. Cook for a couple more minutes and add in your canned tomatoes and chilies. Add your broth and your cooked orzo. Stir well and add in your chicken. Simmer until cooked through. Add crusty bread for dipping. DELISH!

Full disclosure- Everyone was STARVING, so I took the chicken out to serve. It was still under cooked, so I cooked it longer and then took it off the bone and added it back in the orzo. Turned out even better than I thought!!!!! Better to be under cooked and cook longer than over cooked and dry as a bone.

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Paired Perfectly with this…
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One Pot Veggie Orzo

One pot meal, Pasta, Vegetarian

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Veggie Orzo

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3/4 quart of veggie stock
1/2 cup orzo
2/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat pan on med heat and add olive oil.
Add the veggies and cook down until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add seasoning, orzo, and broth. Bring the broth to a boil and add the orzo.
Cook until orzo according to package time.
Add cheese.
Stir well. Add more seasoning and cheese of needed.

Meaty Lasagna with Whole Wheat Noodles

One pot meal

Whole Wheat Noodles? Why the heck would anyone want to eat those things? Well, turns out they are not that bad. Dare I say that you can’t really even tell the difference. Seriously. My dad said it was the best lasagna he has ever had. EVER.

It doesn’t really even matter what kind of noodles you use. It is all about this meat sauce and cheese. My husband ate two helpings and raved about it. The next time you are craving lasagna, you should totally make this. Trust me.

Meaty Lasagna with Whole Wheat Noodles

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound ground sirloin
3/4 pound ground Italian pork
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
2 CUPS or more of shredded Italian cheese (I used a large bag from Publix on sale)
1 log mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Salt and pepper your meat. Brown all your meat about half way. Then add in the onions and garlic. Continue to brown.
Add in your Italian seasoning and stir well. Add in your tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.
Add in your wine. Reduce a bit, then add in your Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and beef stock. Mix well.
Then add all your tomatoes. Mix well and simmer for at least 30 more minutes (the longer the better).
Meanwhile, Cook your noodles so they are still under done, about 4 minutes less than the box says.
Cool your noodles just a tad so you don’t burn your fingers.
Spray a large casserole dish. Add a layer of sauce to the bottom. Then start layering your ingredients…pasta, sauce, shredded cheese, about 3 layers. On top, I added the mozzarella slices. Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes.
Serve with some crusty bread!

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Just enough for leftovers!

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Leftover Risotto

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal

Happy Friday! This is a wonderful comfort food meal that I made from my leftovers last night. Not too colorful and a bit foggy, but it is rich, creamy, and super delicious!

Leftover Risotto with Creamy Tomato and Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients
3/4 stick butter, browned
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
leftover chicken thighs in sauce
5 cups simmering chicken stock, a spoonful at a time
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat your dutch oven or large wide pot on med. high heat
Add your butter. Heat until just brown. Add your rice. Mix and toast for 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add your wine. Stir and reduce 5 minutes.
Add your leftover chicken thighs in sauce
Mix and add your stock a bit at a time on med heat until your rice is tender…about 40 minutes.
Check your seasoning and add more if needed.
Add your cheese in the end.

Your chicken should have fallen off the bone and shredded itself into your risotto. Soul Food. 004

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