Easy and Creamy Italian Skillet Dinner

From Cooking During Stolen Moments

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz tomato sauce
15 oz diced tomatoes
16 oz ricotta
1/2 lb pasta, cooked
1 cup mozzarella

In a large skillet, cook ground beef with onions and green peppers. Season with salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Drain when browned.

Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in ricotta until combined. Add in pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and cover until cheese is melted.

Comments: This was fabulous to cook. I love one skillet dinners. J loved it because it had ricotta. C loved it, well she just loved it. I definitely plan on cooking this one again.

Chicken with Brown Butter and Caper Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1.5 cups flour
4 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp capers
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 white wine

Pound out chicken breasts to a 1/4'' thickness. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cover both sides with flour.

Cook chicken until done (2-3 minutes per side). Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add butter to skillet. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook about 5 minutes until butter starts to brown.

Add capers, lemon juice, and wine. Cook another 3-5 minutes. Spoon this sauce over chicken to serve.

Comments: Again, another winning dish. I love the taste of capers. This combination of flavors is one of my favorites. J isn't a huge fan, but he did enjoy it. It was very rich tasting. My one complaint about this dish is that it didn't make much. I always like a dish to provide leftover and this one didn't. Next time I will just have to double up on the recipe.

Sesame and Garlic Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

From Stolen Moments Cooking

1/2 cup tahini (check in meditteranean foods section)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil (asian foods section)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag frozen California veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
1 cup frozen peas
1 lb cooked soba noodles (I used regular spaghetti)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Whisk until smooth.

Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Cook in a large skillet with a tbsp of oil. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and add veggies (I actually used broccoli and peas and carrots. I left out the cauliflower because I don't care for it cooked. Choose veggies you like. Sugar snap peas would have been great. Baby corn, etc). Cook veggies about 10 minutes.

Once veggies are cooked add chicken back to skillet. Add cooked noodles and stir to combine.

Stir in sauce and mix well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

Comments: This. Was. AMAZING. I love chinese food (Have you figured out yet that I like most food?). This tasted like some wonderful dish from some wonderful take out place. I was honestly impressed with myself. I was so sad when the leftovers were gone. I actually made this 2 weeks ago and I'm making it again this week. I've been craving it. I plan to add in a few more veggies this time. This is definitely a new favorite of mine.

Easy Posole Skillet

From Pampered Chef Season's Best Spring/Summer 2005

4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp masa harina (all purpose flour can be substitued)
1 can hominy (white or golden), drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups shredded chihuahua cheese (I substituted mexican blend)

Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove, drain drippings (reserve 1 tbsp in skillet). Crumble bacon and set aside.

Place bell pepper, jalapenos, onion and garlic into skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and masa harina (flour) and cook 1 minute while stirring. Add hominy, chicken, and zucchini. Cook for 3 minutes until mixture is slightly thickened, stir occassionally.

Reduce heat to low, stir in half the cheese. Top with bacon, cilantro and remaining cheese. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Comments: As I got into making this I started becoming very skeptical of how it was going to taste. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. It is perfect for summer. All the veggies tasted like summer to me. There are some hard to find ingredients. Masa Harina is a finely ground cornmeal. My grocery has a GREAT latin foods section and I couldn't even find it. Same with the chihuahue cheese. I think those would have to be found at a specialty grocer. I think the substitues worked just as well though. I also tagged this as vegetarian because I think you could take away the bacon and chicken and not miss any of the flavor. If you don't like hominy (why would you not, though?!?) I think corn would also be a good substitute.

One Skillet Chili Bake with Mexi Ranch Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 can red kidney beans
1 can rotel
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 tbsp chili powder
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup water (if needed)

Brown beef in a large skillet and drain

Add beans, rotel, rice, and chili powder to beef. (Also add the water if needed, I did.)

Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Uncover and top with the cheese. Cook until it melts.

Serve over tostada shells. Drizzle Mexi Ranch sauce over top.

Mexi Ranch:

1 cup ranch
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Mix together

Comments: I've had this recipe in my file for a lone time and I was really looking for something easy for this week. This turned out so good. I messed up a little and used the hot Rotel I had for another recipe, rather than the regular Rotel. Hot Rotel isn't kidding around, so Miss C didn't get to test this one out. It was far too spicy for her. J, surprisingly, really enjoyed the heat. The Mexi-Ranch was a late addition because I thought it needed something to counteract the heat. It was a great addition. Again, another easy recipe that will definitely get added to the rotation.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

1 lb spiral pasta
1 lb ground beef
6 strips bacon, diced
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
barbecue sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels. Discard drippings.

Drain pasta. Add to skillet. Add soup, beef and bacon. Mix together and heat through. Mix in desired amount of barbecue sauce (I use a whole bottle, we like it saucy). Sprinkle with cheese and cover until cheese melts.

Comments: This is an old favorite of ours. I have had this recipe for years. Its super quick. It reminds me of hamburger helper, but a homemade, slightly healthier version. Sometimes J and I like to reminisce about poor college days and how we ate way too much hamburger helper. One of my favorite things about the dish is there are so few ingredients.You can kind of throw it together super quick.

Chicken with Mustard Marscapone Sauce

From Milk & Honey

3-4 chicken breasts, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
8 oz marscapone cheese
2 tbsp dijon mustard
parsley

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Ad chicken and cook until just brown. Set aside.

Melt butter in pan and add onion to saute. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute until juices evaporate. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in marscapone and mustard.

Return chicken to skillet and simmer until cooked through and everything is combined well. Stir in parsley.

Serve over orzo (or rice, whatever)

Comments: I was a little concerned about J liking this dish. I knew he would eat it because he basically will eat anything. But I always like to have him enjoy the things I cook. He isn't a fan of mustard, so I was afraid the dijon would be too much for him. He loved it though. C and I were fans also. The sauce was so flavorful. The marscapone made the whole dish. It wasn't super mustard-y. I wasn't a fan of all the time spent standing over a hot skillet, but it was worth it.

Pasta E Fagioli

adapted from Full Bellies, Happy Kids

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 strips bacon, uncooked and cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce
15 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp grated pecorino-romano cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
1 lb of any tubular pasta, cooked

Cook your pasta.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Saute onions for 3 minutes. Add bacon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for 2 minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low. Add sauce, beans, cheese, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and cook for 15 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and mix well. Turn heat to low for a few minutes.

Review: First of all, sorry for the lack of pictures here. I was hungry and my camera batteries were dead. Not a good combination.

Second, I'm going to be honest. I was very skeptical about this dish after I started cooking. I prefer my pasta to be saucy. Like really saucy. I just didn't feel like this was going to provide "coverage" for the amount of pasta. I was also a little skeptical about beans in my pasta. .

This was good. Surprisingly good. The beans were probably my favorite part. I might use less pasta next time I make it because, really, nothing is bad with a little extra sauce.

*I am going to label this as vegetarian because it would be super easy to skip the bacon. I really don't feel like it would take away from the dish at all.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

Taken from The Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner Cookbook



1 tsp AND 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can Mexican style corn
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp Southwestern seasoning mix (I used a Southwestern rub, but taco seasoning can be substituted)
2 cups uncooked Instant white rice
2 cup chicken broth
1.5 cups salsa verde
2 tbsp fresh cilantro (I used about 1 tbsp dried)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend



Add 1 tsp of oil to a skillet; heat over medium high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Meanwhile, drain corn and pat dry with paper towels. Add corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring 5 minutes or until caramelized on one side.



Remove corn from skillet and set aside

As the corn cooks, cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. Combine chicken and seasoning mix. After corn is finished, add chicken to skillet. Cook over medium high heat 5-7 minutes or until the center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to skillet. Add rice; stir until well coated with oil.



Add broth and salsa



Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro



Review: This is not a new recipe. Its one I've made several times and its a favorite. Its so quick and so easy. It has tons of flavor. My suggestion is make sure the seasoning you use on the chicken is one you really enjoy. It seems like its the strongest flavor. I use Adams Reserve Southwestern Rub. I'm not sure if its just a Texas thing or not, but it has a great flavor. This also make plenty for a family. The 2 of us and Cady only ate a quarter of it tonight. And the leftovers are awesome!