Creamy One-Pot Beefy Orzo

This was a quick and flavorful, one-pot easy pasta dish. My fam enjoyed this. Serve it with a green salad or some roasted broccoli (I even use frozen for ease) and you have a complete meal. 

Creamy One-Pot Beefy Orzo  

adapted from the Kitchn

1 ounce Parmesan cheese (1/2 packed cup freshly grated or 1/4 cup store-bought grated), plus more for serving
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 cups or 1 (14.5-ounce) can beef broth, plus more as needed
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup dried orzo pasta (about 6 1/4 ounces)
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, if using, in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add 1 pound lean ground beef and season with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

2.  Add 2 cups or 1 (14.5-ounce) can of beef broth, 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, and 1 cup dried orzo pasta. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring constantly so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes or according to package instructions. (If the orzo isn’t completely cooked at this point, add more broth or water to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.)

3.  Remove the pot from the heat. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half and the Parmesan, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. Serve topped with more Parmesan cheese and torn fresh basil leaves if desired.

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Super-Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu w/Roasted Broccoli

This recipe was super good, and super easy. It is Chicken Cordon Bleu; by far, the easiest version I've ever made (and I've made other easy versions!) This one is just layered on a pan, no stuffing/rolling involved, and your veg bakes right along with the chicken, so it can be a one-dish meal. One can add rice or a parmesan orzo to make the meal go farther, but it's not needed.         

Super-Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu w/Roasted Broccoli

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds broccoli, cut into spears/thin wedges 
Salt and pepper
4-5 thin chicken breast cutlets (buy cutlets, or cut breasts in half and pound thin) 
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 to 8 slices deli ham, exact amount depends on brand/size of slices
4 to 8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese
¾ cup Ritz crackers (about 15), coarsely crushed

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the lower-middle position. Brush a large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X18-inches) with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Place the broccoli on one side of the sheet pan, and drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Place the chicken cutlets side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add one or two slices of the cheese evenly across the top. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese and press lightly so the crumbs aren’t loose.

3.  Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer and the broccoli is roasted and tender. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. If the chicken still needs more time but the broccoli looks like it is finished, scoop the broccoli off the sheet pan onto a plate and lightly tent with foil while the chicken finishes cooking.

4. For a better presentation, remove the chicken and broccoli as soon as it comes out of the oven so it doesn't sit in the juices in the bottom of the pan. I did not do this; to keep with the ease of a one-pan meal (and laziness). It was fine to leave it in the pan for serving. 

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One-Pot Pasta & Meatballs (Homemade Spaghettios II)

This pasta was delicious and a hit with the fam.  It was pretty easy, too.  The hardest part is finding the correct pasta shape, which is very important to me! Lol.  You need anelletti for this, and I have a hard time finding it here in Italy, even!!  Maybe it's more common in the South.  I had a bag of it in my pantry from somewhere- I have no idea where I bought it, unfortunately, or I would go back and buy a lot more.  It's such a fun shape! I made a similar recipe many, many years ago, but with a creamier tomato sauce.  I think I might revisit that one and make it meatless next time.  Back then I got the pasta from Trader Joe's.  I have no idea if they still carry it. 

One-Pot Pasta & Meatballs (Homemade Spaghettios II)
adapted from The Kitchn

1 pound uncooked Italian bulk sausage (not links)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 to 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces dry O-shaped pasta (2 cups), also known as anelli or anelletti
For serving: Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes

1.  Divide the sausage into 32 (1/2-ounce) portions and roll each one into a tablespoon-sized meatball. (I used a cookie scoop that held one tablespoon for this.  My 7-yr old also helped with this part and loved it.)

2.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. The meatballs might not be completely cooked at this point. Transfer to a plate.

3.  Return the pan to medium-high heat and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the onion, salt, and pepper, and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes, 2 cups of the water or broth, vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Stir in the pasta and meatballs, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil.

4.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes, adding more water or broth as needed if you want a soupier consistency. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired.

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One-Skillet Cheesy Rice, Chicken & Broccoli

My husband and I really loved this dish.  It was so easy too, which made me love it even more. Unfortunately some of my kids seemed to be frightened of it.  I know it can be scary to have your food all mixed together.  Lol.  (Rolling my eyes.)  I still want to make this again and maybe they'll react better next time.

One-Skillet Cheesy Rice, Chicken & Broccoli

adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced finely
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked extra long grain white rice
2½ cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
2½ cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1-2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1.  In a large skillet or pan, sauté onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.  Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.

2.  Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.  Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 12 minutes.

3.  Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.  Continue to cook covered another 8 minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.  Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top (I found it was fine not using the whole amount of cheese) and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted.

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One-Skillet Alfredo Pasta

We've enjoyed this quick and tasty meal twice in the past two months.  It comes together quickly and makes everyone happy.  Just serve a good salad or some green veggie on the side.  I like to use a large nonstick soup pot for this.  I don't have many uses for a nonstick soup pot but I like to use it for this, because the pasta can stick pretty badly to the pot/pan otherwise.

One-Skillet Alfredo Pasta

adapted from The Kitchn

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth, preferably low-sodium
1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta
1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream or half-and-half, warmed (may need more, or some milk)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

1.  Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a very large skillet (or soup pot even- I prefer to use non-stick here) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, in batches if necessary, and sauté until nicely browned on the outside, but still a bit pink inside, about 4 minutes (the pieces don’t have to be browned on all sides; two sides is fine). Remove the chicken and set aside on a plate.

2.  Do not clean the pan- those brown bits on the bottom of the pan are going to add flavor to the sauce. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté over medium heat until you can smell it, 30 seconds. Turn the heat to high, add the chicken broth, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up all of those caramelized bits. Bring to a simmer, lower to medium heat, and add the pasta, stir well, and simmer until the pasta starts to soften, about 8 minutes.

3.  Stir in the warm cream or half-and-half and the browned chicken with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, most of the liquid has been absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes more.  (You may need more liquid at this point.  I add the remaining half-and-half in my container.  You can use just milk or broth, though.)

4.  Stir in the Parmesan until well incorporated, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the parsley, if desired. Serve hot and pass extra Parmesan at the table.

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One-Pot Chicken & Rice

This was a good and simple chicken dish with great flavor.  The rice, chicken and peas all cook together in the same pot.  Add a salad to round this out a bit more.  You may want to use a non-stick pot, because my rice kind of burned onto my stainless steel pot.  It didn't taste bad though; actually, I was scraping those brown parts off and eating them because they tasted good to me!  I used a cut-up chicken for this, but you could probably use chopped boneless chicken if you want; just cook for less time. 

One-Pot Chicken & Rice

adapted from Cake Duchess

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds chicken legs and thighs (or 1 cut-up whole chicken; minus wings)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup medium- or long-grain white rice
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup peas (frozen)
salt and pepper, to taste
squeeze of lemon juice

1.  Add the oil to a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. (I used stainless steel and the rice stuck badly, but still tasted good.  Will try non-stick next time.)  When oil is heated, add the chicken pieces, skin side down. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and cook for about 5-10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and sprinkle on a little more salt and pepper (to taste) and cook; approximately 10-15 minutes total. When evenly browned, remove the chicken pieces from the pan.

2.  Remove some of the oil if necessary (you'll just need 2 Tablespoons) and add the onions. Cook until they are transluscent. Add the rice and bay leaf. Stir to combine.  Add the broth and bring to a boil. Place the chicken pieces back in the pan and make sure the rice is surrounding the chicken all around it (not all the rice in one pile underneath it).

3.  Cover the pan with the lid. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. (If you would like to check the temperature of the chicken, put the thermometer in thickest part of the thigh and temperature should be between 155-165 F) The rice should be tender and the chicken cooked through. If the rice seems too dry and the chicken isn't ready, add another 1/4 cup of hot stock and let it cook for about another 10 minutes. When it is cooked, remove the pan from the heat; add the peas and check the seasoning. Add the lemon juice (optional). Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Stir together to combine and let the pan sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes.



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Baked Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans (One-Dish Meal)

A cooking friend made this not too long ago, and I was intrigued at the idea of such an easy one-dish meal.  I made it right away, but couldn't get a good picture because of it being too dark outside.  My fam really enjoyed this, even if the kids didn't like the green beans... they loved the chicken and most liked the potatoes. My husband and I (along with our baby) ate all the green beans and it was fine, because they are really good.  (Those are flat green beans, BTW, the kind I can usually get here.)  Anyway, I made this again recently and tried to get some better pics.  The fam still enjoyed it, and I didn't even need to look at the recipe to make it- is' so easy.

The recipe is just potatoes, green beans, and chicken, with a little butter on top, and a packet of dry Italian dressing mix.  If you don't want to use the mix, I'd just sprinkle with my favorite seasoned salt (or even salt-free, if you want) and a mix of dried herbs, like basil, oregano and parsley.  The first time I made this, I used salted butter and it was a little too salty because of the seasoning packet.  I used unsalted butter next time and it was great.  

Baked Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans

adapted from Domestic Creativity

4-6 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups green beans, cut into even pieces
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 package dry Italian dressing mix

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.  Fill half of the pan with green beans.  Fill the other half of the pan with the potatoes.  Cover the vegetables with the chicken breasts.

2.  Cut butter into small pieces (like 1/2 tablespoon) and layer over the green beans, potatoes and chicken.  Sprinkle Italian dressing over the entire pan. Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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One Pot Stovetop Mac & Cheese

I made this a while ago, like maybe two months ago?  It was a fun little experiment one day for lunch while the kids were home.  Only half of the kids really liked it, so I probably won't do it again, but I thought it was pretty good, and it actually worked!  You just boil macaroni noodles in milk until it is all absorbed and the noodles are tender, then stir in your cheese.  Read the original post over at White on Rice because there are a lot of helpful tidbits over there. 

One Pot Stovetop Mac & Cheese

adapted from White on Rice Couple

2 cups large elbow Macaroni, uncooked (about 1/2 lb)
2 cups low fat Milk (about 16 oz) , or more if needed **if more is needed, additional 1/4 cup milk at a time for final cooking.
1 tablespoon Butter, for flavor
1/2 teaspoon Mustard powder
1/2-1 teaspoon Salt, plus additional for final season later
1 cup Grated Cheese, any one or combination of ( jack, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan*, asiago*, pecorino*) *Hard cheeses are best combined with a secondary, softer, better melting cheese. Cheese varies in flavor and salt level too!
black pepper to taste (optional)
additional toppings: bacon bits, bread crumbs, chopped parsley, diced tomatoes (optional)

1.  Place raw elbow macaroni in colander and quickly rinse under water. Let drain.

2. In medium-large sauce pan (about 3.5 qt), add milk, raw elbow macaroni, salt, butter, and mustard powder. 

3. On medium heat, slowly bring milk/macaroni mixture to a simmer, stirring the macaroni frequently as it comes up to a simmer. This will separate macaroni and keep them from sticking together. DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE! The milk mixture will come to a boil very quickly and leaving it unattended will leave a big mess on your stove stop.

4. Once mixture comes to a simmer, immediately turn down heat to LOW.  Macaroni will slowly cook in the milk. Having your heat too high will evaporate the milk too quickly!

5. Continue to stir the mixture frequently so that macaroni will cook evenly and absorb milk evenly. If you don't stir your mixture frequently, you will get a big clump of macaroni in the end! Keep stirring! 

6. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until milk has been fully absorbed.  **If macaroni is not cooked fully, add a little more milk or water to mixture ( in small amounts) until macaroni is fully cooked. This will take about another 5 minutes.

7. When milk has evaporated, stir in grated cheese of your choice. Stir the cheese evenly into the macaroni.

8. Turn off heat. Place lid on top of pan and cover for about 5 minutes. This rest period will allow macaroni to plump up and absorb any excess milk.

9. Take a final taste and add additional salt to taste. Before serving, stir one final time to mix everything together.  Serve immediately.

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