skillet dinner Archives - The Midnight Baker

Umbrian Chicken Cacciatore

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 00:00:09 +0000

Umbrian chicken cacciatore gets it’s great flavor from herbs and olives. It’s easy to make in just one skillet!

Umbrian Chicken Cacciatore: A Change Of Pace

The standard chicken cacciatore we are all used to eating comes from the southern part of Italy.

But here we head north and savor the flavors of Umbria which is in the central part of the country. And Umbria’s version of this classic dish is quite different from what we are all used to eating.

This recipe tastes like it came from an upscale restaurant, but it’s pretty quick and easy too!

No Tomatoes And No Cheese

This delicious chicken doesn’t rely on tomatoes nor gobs of mozzarella cheese for it’s flavor. Simply put, it has neither of those ingredients.

You’ll be surprised to know that this dish gets it’s great flavor from the brined olives that’s in it! Of course the rosemary and sage add to the flavor as does the highly flavorful wine sauce it’s cooked in.

All the lovely herbs and aromatics infuse into the chicken while it braises. This will really spark your taste buds!

Use Fresh Herbs And Fancy Olives

OK, you all know that I’m a major advocate of using what you have in your pantry to prepare great meals, but this time I’m deviating from this mindset a tiny bit.

Since the flavor of the braising liquid is so important for the subtle taste it imparts to the chicken, it’s important to use fresh herbs in this. The ones that are dehydrated and sold in the jar won’t work well here because when they are dehydrated, they intensify in flavor. Especially the varieties used here; rosemary and sage. Fresh herbs produce a lighter and more lilting flavor and that’s what you want here, so bite the bullet and buy fresh. Remember, you can always air dry what’s left so you won’t be at any loss.

The olives you use are extremely important for the flavor. I used Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives–with the pit. Funny enough the flavor does come from the pit so it’s important. Using cocktail, Spanish olives or black olives won’t give this dish any oomph. Again, bite the bullet and buy the varieties I mentioned.

I’m as thrifty as the next guy, but it’s important to have the right ingredients and not to skimp. Trust me, you won’t be sorry!

A Family Pleaser

This is a meal even the kiddos will love. I’ve even heard that small children really liked it made as-is. One thing is that the juice is a bit on the tart side, so before serving, if you find it’s a bit too tart for you, then a tablespoon or two of honey can be added.

The Recipe

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Umbrian Chicken Cacciatore

Umbrian chicken cacciatore gets it’s great flavor from herbs and olives. It’s easy to make in just one skillet!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, skillet dinners

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken cacciatore

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 644kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 onion sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic very finely minced
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup whole Kalamata olives
1/2 cup whole Castelvetrano olives
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 cup sage leaves
Salt and black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add chicken pieces and sear over medium heat until well browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and drain off the excess fat (if any) from the bottom of the pan.
Turn heat to low, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onions and stir frequently until they just begin to get brown around the edges. Add minced garlic, capers, olives, rosemary sprig and sage leaves. Season with just a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
After a couple of minutes, when everything smells fragrant, add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Make sure to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer very slowly until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Discard rosemary sprig.

Nutrition

*Adapted from NYT

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Rosemary Cream Pork Chops

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 00:00:01 +0000

These rosemary cream pork chops are ready in 30 minutes and are so delicious, they’ll beg for seconds!

Pork Chops Go Gourmet

This recipe turns ordinary pork chops into something fabulous!

Adding herbs and a splash of brandy adds tons of flavor to these chops. And the best thing? This is easy to prepare and on the table very quickly!

Rosemary Adds Great Flavor

You’ll be surprised how the addition of a little rosemary makes these pork chops into a restaurant-quality meal.

I tend to use rosemary very lightly in recipes. I’d rather err on the side of mild flavor with this herb as for my taste, too much tastes medicinal. I do love the flavor, but just not a robust flavor. However, if you are a big fan, feel free to add more.

Fresh rosemary works best here, but if you don’t have it and only have the dehydrated stuff in the jar, use that but cut the amount in half. As a rule, substituting dry herbs for fresh, you use half the amount.

Yes, Whole Grain Mustard

This may be one thing you need to buy for this recipe, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed! Whole-grain dijon mustard is awesomely delicious and you’ll find many more uses for it. Mix a bit with mayo for a great sandwich spread and also use it in Slow Cooker Dijon Pork Chops & Potatoes and French Onion Soup Pork Chops.

The Recipe

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Rosemary Cream Pork Chops

These rosemary cream pork chops are ready in 30 minutes and are so delicious, they’ll beg for seconds!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Everyday Meals, Pork, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: 30-minute meals, pork chops, rosemary

Servings: 4

Calories: 448kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 large boneless rib pork chops
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary -OR- 1/2 tbs dried rosemary
1 cup roughly chopped crimimi or baby bella mushrooms
2 tbsp brandy or dry white wine see NOTES
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sour cream

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Sprinkle the chops with the salt. Brown pork chops well on both sides.
Remove pork chops to a plate; set aside.
Add the onion, rosemary and chopped mushrooms, stirring this constantly so it doesn’t burn for 3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Pour in the chicken stock and mustard. Place the pork chops back in the pan. Bring liquid to the boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
Again, remove chops from the pan and set aside. Add the butter to the pan juices and stir until butter is melted. Stir in the heavy cream and the sour cream. Blend sauce well until it’s smooth. Place pork chops back in the pan and heat through.

Notes

If you don't want to use the liquor, use an equal amount of chicken stock.

Nutrition

* Adapted from Vikalinka

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Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 00:00:06 +0000

A dinner for garlic lovers! Succulent chicken topped off with a creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce. One-skillet easy!

Having literally loads of boneless skinless chicken breasts because I buy in bulk whenever they are on sale, I’m always looking for different ways to make them. Personally I find them too dry to bake so I try to introduce sauce into the mix and I prefer to cook them stovetop so they don’t overcook.

I visit Allrecipes often because there I find lots of every-day-type meals that have many photos from folks who’ve actually made the recipe and lots of reviews where cooks tell it like it is! And that’s where I found the original recipe for this chicken.

One thing I didn’t care for and changed was the way the chicken is cooked. Originally, it was done on a BBQ grill. There were instructions for oven, but as I said before, I prefer not to cook this cut by either of those methods.

So what I did was bread them with Italian-flavored bread crumbs and saute them in a bit of olive oil. Another thing I always do is hammer chicken breast to a uniform thickness so the cutlet cooks evenly. I also find it tenderized them some and does prevent them from becoming too dry. One more plus to doing this is they cook faster–and that always helps with this less-juicy cut.

I also changed the proportion of garlic and cheese. I wanted the cheese to be at best a condiment and let the garlic shine through. I also found that this needed double the amount of flour because the sauce was on the thin side for my taste.

After I cooked the chicken, I did something I rarely do–wiped out the pan with a paper towel. Reason is, I wanted the sauce to be totally white and not get discolored from the browned bits in the pan. If you don’t mind a slight discoloration, then don’t wipe out the pan. Your sauce, of course, will have more flavor because the browny bits are loaded with flavor.

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The Recipe

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Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce

A dinner for garlic lovers! Succulent chicken topped off with a creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce. One-skillet easy!

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: Chicken, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken recipe, garlic

Servings: 4 -8

Calories: 859kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup half-and-half -OR- light cream
1 - 1 1/2 cups Italian flavor bread crumbs
2 tbsp olive oil divided

SAUCE

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream heavy cream preferred
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Instructions

Using a meat mallet (smooth side), pound each breast between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness. This will give you a pretty large piece of chicken, so what I do is cut each pounded-down breast in half lengthwise.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add 1 tbs of the olive oil.
Dip each piece of chicken in the cream, letting excess cream drip off, then dredge in the Italian bread crumbs. You will probably have to cook the chicken in 2 batches.
Place chicken in hot skillet, browning well on each side, about 5 minutes each side, until chicken tests done (175 degrees F or juices run clear when you cut.
Add remaining 1 tbs of oil and repeat browning with remaining chicken.
Place chicken on a platter, cover and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven.
Wipe out the skillet, if desired.
Melt the butter over medium heat and add the garlic.
Cook garlic until it becomes fragrant--about 3-5 minutes--don't let it brown!
Add the flour and blend it well into the butter/garlic. Let this cook about 1 minute.
Slowly add the chicken stock stirring constantly until there are no lumps.
Slowly blend in the cream then add the salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the Parmesan and cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese melts and blends into the sauce.
Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
Serves 4 hearty appetites, 8 light appetites

Nutrition

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Chicken Gabriella

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:21 +0000

A rustic Italian chicken stew, chicken gabriella is fancy enough to be served to guests, easy enough for a weeknight meal.

I fell in love with this recipe when I first saw it on Epicurious. Not only did it look delicious, but it was quick and easy too.

The original seemed to have too much rosemary for my taste so I cut that in half. Also cut the sage to 3 large leaves. To me, it’s better to have a whisper of flavor rather than it be overpowering and rosemary and sage are not only overpowering herbs, but too much tastes medicinal and to me, ruins the flavor.

Cutting down on the herbs was the correct choice, at least for me. This chicken had a wonderful flavor–bold but not overpowering, I also added a tablespoon of butter for that extra flavor and butter seems to meld flavors, unlike using oils alone.

I didn’t cut up a whole chicken. I’m not sure I really understood the originator’s description of how the chicken should be cut. It sounded a lot like the way the Chinese cut up a whole chicken. However, I intended to use parts anyway, so the butchering was a moot point to me. I used boneless skinless thighs–because they were on sale this week and I thought they’d be perfect for this.

Drumsticks would work too–not sure about breast, but my intuition tells me it would be good as well. I just thought the bold herb flavor needed a deeper chicken flavor, i.e. dark meat. But that’s only my individual taste. Use whatever you prefer.

This is SO good, it really doesn’t need any salt, which makes this an excellent meal for those watching their salt intake. Before you add, taste it. The salt is added in the final stages of cooking anyway. I do believe it’s the splash of lemon that makes this so tasty it doesn’t need any salt, but your mileage may vary, so salt to taste.

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Chicken Gabriella

A rustic Italian chicken stew, chicken gabriella is fancy enough to be served to guests, easy enough for a weeknight meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken recipe, skillet dinner

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 721kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks skin removed
2 onions chopped
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 cup dry white wine
1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprig; discard stem and chop the leaves very finely.
Chop sage leaves finely.
Heat a large skillet (about 11-12 inches) over medium heat.
Add chicken, rosemary, sage, onion and olive oil; stir to coat well.
Cook until chicken is golden brown and onion begins to brown, about 20 minutes.
Add wine, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until chicken tests done by either the juices running clear or internal temperature is 175 degrees F.
Add butter to the pan and mix well until blended.
Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice over chicken
Serve over pasta or rice

Nutrition

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Ground Beef & Pasta with Gravy

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Ground Beef & Pasta with Gravy

A quickie beef and pasta dinner that tastes like roast beef!

Recently I discovered I had quite a bit of ground beef vacuum sealed in my freezer. It’s funny how those half-pound Foodsaver bags get lost in the shuffle.

Anyway, I figured it was time to use some of it.

Tastes like roast beef

I’d had a hanker on for roast beef lately, but cooking a big roast is just out of the question for me for several reasons, one being it’s summer and I try not to use the oven.

To me, adding brown gravy to ground beef sort of tastes like roast beef. Of course this lacks the necessary mashed potatoes–they heat the kitchen when boiling–so I substituted the tag end of some spiral pasta I had which cooks much quicker.

Ready in no time

The result was this dish and while it’s not a roast beef dinner, it’s pretty tasty! I garnished with chives from my garden, which tasted lovely, but they are optional here.

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Ground Beef & Pasta with Gravy

A quickie beef and pasta dinner that tastes like roast beef!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: beef, Everyday Meals, pasta, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef recipes, pasta, skillet dinner

Servings: 4

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp minced onion
8 oz uncooked spiral pasta (or shape of your choice)
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
Pinch of thyme -OR- 1/2 tsp roast beef seasoning
2 pkgs brown gravy mix
1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

In a large skillet (12-inches preferably), brown ground beef; drain.
Add mushrooms and onion and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the uncooked pasta, the 3 cups water, thyme (or roast beef seasoning) and salt. Bring water to a rolling boil and cook for 10 minutes or until water is almost absorbed.
Mix the gravy mix and 1 1/2 cups water in a small bowl, mixing water in gradually so there are no lumps.
Pour the gravy mixture into the pan and stir until thickened. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition

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Merlot Mushroom Pork Chops

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 05 May 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Merlot Mushroom Pork Chops

These pork chops with a delicate merlot cream sauce are easy, have few ingredients and are deliciously gourmet.

Gourmet Pork Chops

Pork chops are one of my favorite things to eat. Much like chicken, they are very versatile.

I had a bottle of nice white merlot handy so I decided I’d try it with these chops. The white variety–which is still red, but a lighter red–isn’t absolutely necessary as you can use the regular darker red version and get a slightly deeper flavor in the sauce.

Few ingredients, great taste

If you prefer not to use the wine, then a mix of a good and rich-tasting beef and chicken stock would be a very good substitute.

Wine/cream sauces are so simple, yet seem to raise any savory dish to a gourmet level. The sweetness of the cream seems to blend well with the tartness of the wine. This sauce is just gorgeous. You don’t need much more than the garlic and earthy mushrooms to flavor it. If you want to get adventurous, then a pinch or two of your favorite herb would be nice. But just make sure that herb tastes good with pork! For me that’d be thyme.

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The Recipe

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Merlot Mushroom Pork Chops

These pork chops with a delicate merlot cream sauce are easy, have few ingredients and are deliciously gourmet.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Everyday Meals, Pork, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork chop recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 590kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 bone-in rib/center cut pork chops
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
8 oz fresh mushrooms sliced in half
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup merlot white or regular
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Mix the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp of pepper to make seasoned flour. Place on a plate (makes dredging easier). Dredge pork chops in seasoned flour.
Heat a large (12-inch or bigger) skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbs butter (it will brown, it’s OK).
Brown pork chops on both sides–you may have to brown in shifts if you use a smaller skillet. Remove browned chops and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tbs of butter and lightly saute the mushrooms and garlic.
Deglaze pan with the merlot, scraping up all the browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
Add the additional 1/2 tsps of salt/pepper if necessary.
Place pork chops back in the pan with the sauteed mushrooms and garlic.
Heat the merlot to boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
Remove chops and mushrooms to a serving platter; cover and keep warm while making sauce.
Turn heat under skillet up to medium-high. Stir in the 1/2 cup heavy cream. Simmer until sauce is reduced by 25% (about 5 minutes).
Pour sauce over chops and mushrooms on serving platter.

Nutrition

Merlot Mushroom Pork Chops

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Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

Here’s a quick and easy ground beef skillet dinner that’s a real family pleaser. Cheaper than Hamburger Helper and tastier too.

My friend Maria is always posting such good recipes on Facebook. When she posted a similar skillet dinner, I knew I had to try it.

The source of the original recipe was unclear as this has probably been passed around to friends so much the original version has become lost in space.

The version Maria posted had quite a bit more BBQ sauce in it and also contained chopped sweet pickle. Since too much BBQ sauce–even a good one–crimps my tastebuds a bit, I reduced it significantly in my version. I also used dijon mustard and eliminated the pickle merely because I had none.

Quick and easy family meal

This version cooks the pasta in the same pan. The original used pre-cooked pasta. I don’t like to dirty additional pots if I don’t have to, so I cooked it right in the same pan. You just have to make sure the pasta is as much under the water as possible and stir occasionally while it’s cooking.

And of course, my version contains more cheese and bacon than the original–you can never add too much cheese or bacon to anything!

The Recipe

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Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

Here’s a quick and easy ground beef skillet dinner that’s a real family pleaser. Cheaper than Hamburger Helper and tastier too.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: beef, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon, cheeseburger, skillet dinner

Servings: 4

Calories: 593kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 cup uncooked macaroni or any similar-shaped pasta*
1 1/2 cups water*
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 slices crisp-cooked bacon diced
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

SAUCE

1 1/4 cups ketchup
1/4 cup BBQ sauce I used Sweet Baby Ray's
1/4 cup mustard
1 tsp sugar optional

Instructions

*Pre-cooked pasta may be substituted for the uncooked. If so, eliminate the water in recipe and add the cooked pasta (approx. 2 cups) with the sauce.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown ground beef & onion; drain any fat.
Add the uncooked pasta, water, salt & pepper. Stir well, making sure pasta is submerged in the water as much as possible. Heat to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 10 minutes or until water is absorbed by pasta.
Stir in sauce & bacon; heat through over low heat. Top with cheese and replace cover so cheese begins to melt (about 5 minutes).

Nutrition

Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet Dinner

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Bacon Wrapped Steak Strips with Mushrooms & Onions

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Bacon Wrapped Steak Strips with Mushrooms & Onions

These juicy bacon-wrapped steak strips will be a real hit with bacon and steak lovers! Tons of flavor, simple ingredients.

It was clean-the-freezer time again here.

This time I found a sirloin steak I’d been keeping for some reason or other. At any rate, I forgot exactly what I was saving it for now, but I did want to use it. I’m getting a lot better at rotating my stock now (all my meat is vacuum sealed so it does keep well).

I also felt like combining bacon with this since I had quite a bit of that too thanks to a buy 2 get 3 free sale–I’m such a sucker for those things….

Anyway, I just kept it simple. Sliced the steak like you would chicken strip tenders and wrapped some bacon around it.

Simple and tasty

I browned the steak first, as I’d usually do because I wanted to seal in the juices–and it looks more appetizing.

Since nothing goes better with steak than mushrooms and onions, I threw some of them in as well.

The result was a very tasty (and I understand low carb) dinner. This type of food reminds me of English country pubs. I don’t know why–perhaps that it’s simple, tasty and hearty all at the same time.

And on that note, served with a nice glass of ale, it’s an excellent dinner.

Bacon Wrapped Steak Strips with Mushrooms & Onions

1 1/2 lbs boneless sirloin steak
8 oz whole mushrooms, sliced in half
1 medium onion, sliced
8-10 slices bacon*
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

*You will need one slice of bacon for each steak strip. I got 9 strips from the steak I used. Your mileage may vary.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut steak into strips approximately 4-inches long and 1.5 inches wide.

Heat a large heavy totally oven-proof skillet over high heat. Brown steak strips on all sides. Remove browned strips to a plate; cool about 10 minutes. Don’t wash the pan–you are going to saute the veggies in it. Heat it over medium heat.

While the steak is cooling, add the 2 tbs olive oil to the pan used for browning. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes; remove mushrooms & onions, set aside and drain pan of any fat.

Wrap each cooled steak strip in one slice of bacon. Place steak strip into skillet; repeat with other steak strips.

Roast steak strips 20-25 minutes. Drain off any bacon drippings. Top with reserved mushrooms & onions.

Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Serve with a green vegetable and french/steak fries.

Serves about 4.

Bacon Wrapped Steak Strips with Mushrooms & Onions

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Creamy Mexican Pasta with Smoked Sausage Skillet Dinner

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Creamy Mexican Pasta with Smoked Sausage

Creamy cheesy and delicious Mexican-style meal that’s on the table in 30 minutes.

Another dinner-in-a-dash recipe.

I’ve seen similar recipes all over the net and they all looked very tasty. I had some smoked sausage I wanted to use up so I decided to make a meal similar to what I’d seen.

Quick and tasty dinner

All of them used canned tomatoes–I have them; I’ll use them; but I’m not a huge fan. I prefer fresh and I did have a nice tub of grape tomatoes I’d just bought. Perfect!

I had a hankering for something sort of Mexican but I didn’t want canned tomatoes nor the Rotel variety since I didn’t want the green chilis. I much prefer jalapenos. Yep, it makes this a bit zippy so if you’re a bit wimpy about heat, leave them out or substitute green chilis! It’ll taste good. All it will lack is the heat.

Pop it under the broiler for a bit of crunch

Any kind of cheese will do here. I used jack cheese because I had about a 4 oz. block that I’d opened. Jack cheese is creamy in texture so it’ll add to the already creamy texture of the sauce. But if you don’t have that, cheddar will do just fine!

If you are really in a hurry, for the final step, just place the shredded cheese on the top and cover the skillet–it’ll melt just fine. I preferred to put it under the broiler, as was suggested in one of the many recipes I’d looked at. I’d recommend doing that since it added a slight crunch and it just looked better.

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Creamy Mexican Pasta with Smoked Sausage Skillet Dinner

Creamy cheesy and delicious Mexican-style meal that’s on the table in 30 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Everyday Meals, pasta, Pork, skillet dinners

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: mexican pasta, skillet dinner, smoked sausage

Servings: 4

Calories: 867kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb smoked sausage -or- kielbasa
8 oz uncooked tubular pasta
1 onion chopped
2 tbsp diced jalapenos fresh or canned
1 cup salsa
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 tbsp oil
1 green onion sliced thinly (for garnish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice sausage in 1/4-inch slices.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil; heat till oil is hot.
Brown the sliced sausage on both sides. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
Add the pasta, jalapenos, salsa, chicken stock, tomatoes and cream. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until most liquid is absorbed by the pasta.
Stir in 1/2 cup of the jack cheese, combining well so cheese melts.
Remove from heat and top with the remaining cheese. Cover for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
-OR-
If you used a completely oven-safe skillet, you may eliminate this last step and pop the entire skillet under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and just begins to brown.
Garnish with sliced green onions.

Nutrition

Creamy Mexican Pasta with Smoked Sausage

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Deluxe Skillet Taco Pie

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Deluxe Skillet Taco Pie

This taco pie skillet dinner is a tasty weeknight family meal. Very easy to make!

What a family pleaser this pie is! It’s like one giant self-contained taco.

This is actually a hack of those “Impossible Pies” that Bisquick has so many of. However, most of that fare seems a bit bland and tasteless to me, so I tried to improve a bit upon the original.

Great family dinner

I like–well, no, I rather LOVE chipotles and the flavor they impart to most things so in anything vaguely Mexican, I throw it in (and even non-Mexican, but I won’t get into that here).

The salsa–another beloved concotion–I had some left over from making my Mexican Seven-Layered Dip so that made it into the mix as well. I thought it would improve the flavor of the “crust.”

And lastly, the original was a bit skimpy on the cheese–I mean 3/4 cup??? Oh, no, that’s blasphemy. And I thought I was being conservative here with 1 1/2 cups. But use as much as you want. Even mix in some jack cheese–it only gets better.

Since this is going in a 400 degree oven, make sure your skillet can stand the heat. I used my cast iron pan…which I thought was perfect and made a nice presentation too.

Serve with plenty of shredded lettuce and tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream…and dig in!

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Deluxe Skillet Taco Pie

This taco pie skillet dinner is a tasty weeknight family meal. Very easy to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: beef, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, skillet dinners

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: skillet dinner, taco pie, tacos

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 566kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb very lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 large chipotle in adobo, chopped very fine
4 oz can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup baking mix i.e. Bisquick
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp salsa mild, medium or hot
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Brown ground beef and onion in a large (10-inch) heavy *OVEN-SAFE* skillet; drain off any fat. Stir in taco seasoning.
Stir in chopped chipotle. Top with green chilies and 1/2 cup of the cheese.
In a small bowl, combine the baking mix, eggs, salsa and milk. Beat well to combine. Pour over meat mixture in skillet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out clean.
Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Deluxe Skillet Taco Pie

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