One-pan pasta with broccoli and mushrooms is a sanity saver on crazy nights when you can’t stand the thought of dirtying more than one pan! It’s comfort food at its best and I am pretty sure that with all those vegetables you can call it healthy too. Broccoli, mushrooms, onions, pasta, chicken broth (or vegetable broth), butter, a little cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cheese. Why wouldn’t you make this easy one-pan dinner?
Quick and Easy Pizza Skillet + Video
This quick and easy pizza skillet is like an amazing pan pizza baked and served in your favorite cast iron skillet, and it’s completely customizable! Scroll down for video!
Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!
Summer Break is in Sight!
We’re down to the last couple of weeks of the school year, and I have to admit that it seems like it’s been crazier this year than in any of the previous 16 school years that I have completed (sixteen!!! That’s just crazy.). I’m sure I probably say that every year, though. It just seems like this year I thought that things were going to slow down here at the end and they didn’t. Not at all. If anything, they picked up. That’s the nature of this job, though. You can’t predict anything. There are no patterns. And that’s okay…but I’m tired.
Summer Blogging Bliss
I’ve worked the last couple of summers, and this summer I don’t have to. That means two months of blogging bliss, so I’m excited to see what I can get done this summer. If I can only make it to summer break, anyway. I’ve been working on getting organized, determined to treat blogging like a full-time job this summer, just to see where it gets me. I’ve got a free event on the books with All-South Appliance, and I have some other stuff in the works too. Super-excited.
Instant Pot Obsession
Right now, it’s all I can do to get dinner on the table at night. Since I ended my restaurant fast, all I want to do is go out to eat…you know, because I can. But I’m not gonna. I’m kind of obsessed with my Instant Pot (<–affiliate link), but I guess you guys probably don’t want Instant Pot recipes every day. I’ve occupied myself with finding meals that are equally easy and delicious.
Quick and Easy Pizza Skillet
When Philip and I first got married, every Friday night was pizza night. We bought a Mama Mary’s crust from the grocery store and topped it with store-bought “pizza sauce” (that’s what the label said!), grated pizza cheese (again, on the label), and pepperoni. It’s been a long time since I’ve bought a store-bought pizza crust, jarred pizza sauce, or grated cheese, but honestly, the homemade pizza that I make not is barely more difficult and it’s 1000% more delicious.
Click here to save this recipe to your dinner, easy, or pizza boards now!
Every time I make pizza I remember how simple it is, and how happy it makes me to turn out something that tasty, that simply. I recently decided to make it a thick crust “pan” pizza by oiling up my cast iron skillet (preheated in the oven) and tossing the pizza crust in there, then topping and baking. I was not disappointed. My pizza skillet turned out perfectly…better than any thinner crust pizza I’ve ever made. I think that this pizza skillet might be my new “go-to” way to make pizza!
For an easy homemade take on thick crust pan pizza, try my pizza skillet!
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click through a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!
Click here to save this recipe to your weeknight cooking board!
Mary
Yield: 2-4 servings
10 minPrep Time:
12 minCook Time:
22 minTotal Time:
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12-16 ounces fresh pizza dough (make it yourself or buy a ball at the grocery store or your favorite pizza shop)
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- desired toppings (don't overdo it or the pizza will get soggy)
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the highest position. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. On a lightly-floured surface, roll the pizza dough out into a 10-inch circle.
- When the oven has preheated, remove the skillet and pour in two tablespoons of the oil, then swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan. Carefully transfer the circle of pizza dough to the pan. You'll have to do some arranging to fill up the whole pan; be careful not to burn yourself.
- Brush the top of the pizza dough with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Spread the tomato sauce on the dough, leaving about 1/2-inch of the dough at the edges. Sprinkle the oregano over the sauce. Top with the cheese and desired toppings.
- Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned. If desired, broil lightly for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese. Use a large spatula to remove the pizza from the pan and slice. Serve immediately.
Notes
Prep time does not include time to make your own pizza dough.
Instant Pot Chili Mac + Video
This Instant Pot chili mac hardly requires any effort. It’s ready in 45 minutes, mostly hands-off! Super-cheesy but also packed full of vegetables! It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser, and it’s perfect for a chilly night, but I serve it year-round! It’s a great dish to help you learn how to use your Instant Pot. Scroll down for video.
Click here to save the recipe on Pinterest!
Instant Pot Love
I have recently discovered the joys of the Instant Pot (<–affiliate link). It’s seriously like the best thing ever, you guys. I’ve talked about it before, but I honestly just can’t say enough about how cool this little gadget is. It’s a slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, sauté pot, rice cooker…it’s the best. I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot of use over the summer, because it allows me to cook pretty much anything without heating up my kitchen. Love.It.
Pressure Cooker Perfection
I picked up a book at McKay’s recently called Pressure Cooker Perfection (<–affiliate link) from none other than my favorites at America’s Test Kitchen. Um, I had no idea that you could cook pasta right in the sauce in your pressure cooker. Yesssssssss. This book is a tiny little pressure cooker bible, and I’m in love.
Pasta in the Instant Pot
One of the recipes in Pressure Cooker Perfection is a recipe for Tex-Mex Chili Mac. Honestly, chili mac isn’t something that my mom ever made, so it really never caught my attention until I saw an episode of Cook’s Country (what else??) recently where Christopher Kimball was talking about Tex-Mex and he casually mentioned chili mac. Suddenly I was obsessed and had to make it. I was pretty happy when I saw this recipe in the pressure cooker book.
Instant Pot Chili Mac
Instant Pot chili mac is based on the recipe from the book, but I took some liberties to make it little fresher and more colorful. The important thing is that it is: quick, easy, and delicious. It takes about 15 minutes of hands-on work, including chopping the vegetables, sautéing everything in the pot, and grating the cheese. The pasta in this cheesy chili mac comes out perfectly cooked without any boiling or draining water. Perfection, indeed.
Give my cheesy chili mac a try for an easy, low-effort weeknight dinner!
Shared on the Weekend Potluck on Served Up with Love and Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!
Click here to save this recipe to your Instant Pot or pasta boards on Pinterest!
Mary
Yield: 6-8 servings
This recipe was adapted from the book Pressure Cooker Perfection from America's Test Kitchen.
10 minPrep Time:
35 minCook Time:
45 minTotal Time:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (I press mine through a garlic press)
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 pound ground beef, 85 percent lean
- 2 cups water
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 ounces cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, or a blend
- sour cream and avocado, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the pressure cooker over medium heat (or use the sauté setting on the Instant Pot). Heat the oil until shimmering. Sauté the onion and red pepper until softened, then add the garlic and jalapeño and sauté until fragrant.
- Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon while cooking. Stir in the chili powder and cayenne pepper (if using). Add the water, tomatoes, and pasta.
- In a regular pressure cooker: bring to high pressure over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for five minutes. Quick release the pressure.
- In an Instant Pot, set to bean/chili and set time for five minutes. At the end of the cook time, turn the Instant Pot off and quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the corn and the cilantro. The residual heat from the pot should thaw the corn. Salt and pepper to taste then stir in the cheese. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream and avocado if desired.
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click through and make a purchase on Amazon, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!
White Skillet Chicken Lasagna
If you hate washing more than one pan when you cook dinner, this white skillet chicken lasagna is a delicious one-pan solution to your problem!
Raise your hand if, on any given weeknight, the thought of having to wash more than one pan makes you want to crumple into a ball on the kitchen floor and have someone hand you the phone so you can call for pizza delivery. Me? No no, I never have those nights.
Just kidding. I have those nights weekly. Sometimes more than once. Sometimes I even text Philip and have him bring the dinner to me. It happens, and it’s okay.
Most of us are trying to eat better, trying to stay in a budget, trying to cook more. And it’s hard. Skillet meals make it a little bit easier. Because one pan to wash. Who can argue with that?
I first discovered that you didn’t have to boil pasta on its own before adding to to a dish quite a while back, and I shared that knowledge in this sad, poorly photographed post that I still refer to when I can’t remember the proportions of milk to pasta. The point is, you can cook your pasta right in the milk and the starch from the pasta will thicken the milk to a sauce so glorious that you’ll wonder why anyone ever did it any other way. Because one pan to wash. And sauce. Glorious sauce.
White skillet chicken lasagna starts with a base of sautéed chicken thighs, which add lots of flavor because of the fond that builds in the pan. Mushrooms go in next, then the pasta – just broken lasagna noodles, which gets cooked in milk and, if you’re me, just a little (as in a cup) heavy cream. At the end, a little spinach gets stirred in, and then the whole thing gets topped with ricotta and mozzarella before it goes for a ride under the broiler.
Then, you serve up white skillet chicken lasagna and get just a little excited because there’s only one pan to wash. Oh, and it’s delicious.
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate.
Mary
Yield: 6 servings
10 minPrep Time:
25 minCook Time:
35 minTotal Time:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cubed
- salt
- 4 ounces (1 cup) cremini or white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream (or just use a third cup of milk)
- 8 lasagna noodles, broken into 1-2 inch pieces
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
Instructions
- Place the chicken cubes on a plate and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Flip the pieces over and sprinkle the other side with another 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they just begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the butter to the pan and stir until melted. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add the milk and the cream and another teaspoon of salt, stirring constantly. Add the noodles to the pan and stir so that as much of the liquid covers the noodles as possible. Cook, stirring frequently to keep the noodles submerged and keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the noodles are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the spinach. Cover the pan for 2 minutes, then remove the lid and stir the spinach into the pasta. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the broiler with a rack 8 inches from the broiler. Dollop the ricotta in spoonfuls over the top of the lasagna then arrange the cheese slices over the lasagna. Broil until lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Easy White Chicken Chili
This easy white chicken chili only requires one pan and you can get it on the table in 40 minutes or less. What more could you want?
Do you ever have times that you feel like it’s all you can do to put one foot in front of the other? Or when you don’t actually stop moving until it’s basically bedtime? How about throwing up your hands – literally – when the alarm goes off in the morning? It seems like lately that’s been me every. single. day. Last week was fall break, so I got a little bit of a reprieve. You know…only doing one job instead of two. Going back to work this week has proven to be a proposition that has made caffeine very necessary. I am sure that you can relate.
When those days, weeks, months, and, let’s be honest, years, crop up, you have to have some quick and easy recipes in your repertoire. This easy white chicken chili is right up there. The recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous: The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food (which will be released on 10/25/16). Yes – real, unprocessed meals can be quick and easy (didn’t I teach you guys that already?). In her second cookbook, Lisa Leake shares 100 quick and easy recipes that are free from additives but full of flavor and goodness.
I first discovered 100 Days of Real Food shortly after starting Chattavore. I will admit, we are far from perfect as far as avoiding processed foods goes…but we try. 100 Days of Real Food was where I really learned about what to look for when reading labels and encouraging me to cook more from scratch. When Lisa’s first cookbook, 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love, came out I had it pre-ordered so it popped up on my Kindle the moment it was released. I was so excited when I was chosen to receive a copy of her new book so I could share it with you guys!
A large portion of the book is devoted to teaching readers what to look for when shopping – from what’s really meaningful when buying meats to what sweeteners and additives to look for and what oils are best for different cooking methods. As for the recipes, you’ll find delicious breakfasts, lunches, salads, sides, snacks and appetizers, soups and stews, simple dinners, special treats, and homemade staples.
I chose this easy white chicken chili because it fit best into my life this week – a meal that required no other dishes, aside from my knife and cutting board. I won’t lie, even that threw me. I planned to make it on Monday then realized I had forgotten chicken stock, avocado, and Monterey Jack cheese. I realized this at 7:00 p.m. Philip picked up dinner on the way home from work (this was the same day that I had resolved to STOP eating dinner out on the weekends. Oops.). When I finally got all of my ingredients, though, I found that this easy white chicken chili came together so quickly and required minimal cleanup – most of which I did while the chili simmered on the stovetop. It took me about 40 minutes from start to finish – prep included. We ate our white chicken chili with baked tortilla strips on top to add the perfect crunch. It was warm and comforting, just a little spicy, and super-tasty.
If you need a quick weeknight dinner, try this easy white chicken chili – and check out Lisa’s new book!
Disclaimer: I received a cookbook in exchange for writing a post about 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous. I have been a follower of 100 Days of Real Food for five years, so of course all opinions are (as always) my own.
This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!
To buy Lisa’s books:
Lisa Leake, 100 Days of Real Food
Yield: 4 servings
This recipe is from 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous , by Lisa Leake .
10 minPrep Time:
30 minCook Time:
40 minTotal Time:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced (I used a whole jalapeno)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans (such as Great Northern or cannellini), drained and rinsed
- 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Toppings, such as diced avocado, chopped cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, or crispy tortilla strips (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened (2-3 minutes).
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the outside and no longer pink on the inside (4-5 minutes).
- Add the garlic, spices, and salt to the pot and stir to coat the chicken. Add the beans, corn, and chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for twenty minutes.
- Using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, mash up some of the beans to thicken the chili. Stir in the cream. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
To make crispy tortilla strips, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush or spray corn tortillas with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until browned and crispy. Cool slightly and break into pieces.