One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

Want a easy quick dinner that only dirties one pan? Try this delicious recipe that comes together in no time! I made this last night, and it was a hit! Plenty of leftovers for lunch or another fast dinner!

One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chili Flakes
1 Pound Ground Beef
2 Cups Water
1 large can of Diced Tomatoes
1 box Elbow Macaroni
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half
1-8 Ounce Package Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
Salt and Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet add the ground beef and seasonings and brown lightly on medium , breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and water to the skillet and stir to mix. Add in the pasta and cover, increasing the heat to medium high. Cook the mixture, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Continue to cook until the pasta is tender, about 9-12 minutes.

Take the skillet off the heat and add the heavy cream and 1 cup of the cheese mixture. Taste to make sure it is seasoned properly/to your liking. You could always more chili flakes. Top the mixture with remaining cheese and pop in to the oven under broil until the cheese melts and turns bubbly brown.

Baked Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sausage and Mushrooms

Happy Monday! Going to be catching up on a few recipes and cooking up some new ones this week. On Saturday, I made this scrumptious baked pasta with ground sausage and mushrooms with pre-made sauce I bought at the Farmer’s Market. The noodles were fresh whole wheat spaghetti (I cooked them for about 5 minutes). I sauteed a container of mushrooms with a pound of ground sausage until browned (about 10 minutes). Then I combined the sauce and noodles in a baking dish and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. The last 5 minutes I turned it on broil so the top of the cheese could get all brown and bubbly! Can’t get much easier than that!

Happy customers!

Penne with Vodka Sauce

I made this once before but never blogged about it, because I didn’t quite feel like I had the right proportions for the ingredients. So I did a little research and read lots of recipes. I decided to use Giada’s recipe for Penne with Vodka sauce. It did not fail!

I used my sauce recipe instead of hers, which you can find here (minus the meat).

Ingredients

1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

I added 2 shredded chicken breasts to the mix for a little extra protein. Next time I might throw in some broccoli or other veggies for a nice vegetarian version.

SO GOOD!!!!

Baked Shells with Sausage and Ricotta

Happy Friday everyone! We made it! My parents came over for dinner, and I made this yummy meal. Tonight we are just relaxing and catching up on our TV shows! I am researching Sloppy Joe recipes…the girls have been asking me to make some, so I am looking to switch it up! I’m planning on making them tommorrow night, so I will let you know how they turn out! Yea for the weekend!!!!

Baked Shells with Sausage and Ricotta

Ingredients

1 package of jumbo pasta shells
1 lb Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small container ricotta
salt and pepper
1 package mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in can of diced tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce mixture over bottom of a casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the meat and cheese mixture and place in pan. Pour the jar of sauce over shells and top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes then place under broiler until cheese is browned.

Chicken Carbonara

Evening guys! Catching up on the blog this week. My girls have discovered Netflix and You Tube, so they have been dominating my computer. It really sucks to blog on my phone! Last night I made this yummy pasta. Looking at adding the leftover pasta to my pork dish tomorrow night!

Chicken Carbonara

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut in to bite sized pieces
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into small dice
2 egg yolks (or 3, to make it extra creamy)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
3/4-1 pound pasta- The girls picked corkscrews, but any thick short or long pasta will do (think Buccatini or Rigatoni)

Directions

Bring a large of salted water to a boil over high heat. In a medium sized sauté pan, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Combine the egg yolks, whole egg, Parmesan, and pepper in a large bowl.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta cooking water (the temperature is important because you are going to use it to cook the egg).

While your pasta is cooking, cook your diced chicken in the same pan as you cooked your panchetta. Add a touch of olive oil with salt and pepper.

Next, drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the cheese and eggs, tossing immediately to mix everything together.

Add the pancetta, chicken, and any rendered fat from the pan to the bowl, toss to coat, and add the pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency. Be patient and really mix slowly.

Taste and add any more cheese, pepper, or salt that you may need to add! Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Evening all! So I made this dish for dinner tonight (just me) along with some smoked sausage, peas, and Alfredo pasta for the rest of the family. It was enough to feed four, so I have leftovers for myself and 2 coworkers. I also ate some sausage. It was super yummy!

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Ingredients

1/2 pound spaghetti (or whatever pasta you have)
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of asparagus, cut in small pieces- snap the bigger ends off and disregard
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper- add just more than you think
2 tablespoons heavy cream
However much Parmesan you want

Directions

Cook your pasta (or use leftovers)
In a skillet heated with 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil, cook down all your seasoned veggies for a good 15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes cover you skillet to burst your tomatoes. Add in your pasta with the rest of the butter and oil. Mix well. Add in your cream and cheese. Combine well. Vegetarian’s delight! Make vegan by disregarding the butter and cream. Add sausage, chicken, or shrimp for a protein packed meaty meal. The possibilities are endless!

Swedish Meatballs

Hey guys! I made this last night for dinner and got two thumbs up from everyone! It does not really photograph well, but the recipe turned out pretty yummy. You can make your own meatballs, but it is a Monday night and no one really has time for that, so I used frozen ones. I am also researching ways that I can use my crock pot, so be on the lookout for that.

Ingredients

Ingredients
1 bag of frozen meatballs
1 tbsp. olive oil
5 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups beef broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large skillet heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter. Add the meatballs and cook turning continuously until brown on each side and mostly cooked throughout. They may still be a bit frozen in the center, but you are going to add them back in for a few minutes at the end. Take out the meatballs.

2. Add 4 Tablespoons butter and flour to skillet and whisk until brown. Slowly stir in beef broth and heavy cream. Add Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer until sauce starts to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add the meatballs back to the skillet and simmer for another 1-2 minutes. I served them over egg noodles.

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