Super creamy and cheesy garlic and spinach orzo pasta!

Ingredients

• 1½ cups orzo pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2½ teaspoons minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup milk (I used fat free half & half)
• ⅔ cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
• optional: fresh lemon zest, grated parmesan cheese, and cracked black pepper for topping

• 
  
• Instructions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant
3. Add flour to form and stir for one minute. Add about ¼ cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps. When lumps are gone, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
4. Add chopped spinach to sauce. Cook an additional 2 minutes or so until spinach is soft and dark. Remove sauce from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. When cheese has melted, add orzo and stir to combine.
5.  Serve with extra parmesan cheese and serve immediately. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA - 30 MINUTES

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA - 30 MINUTES

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Chicken Enchilada Pasta is a hearty, easy and delicious weeknight meal, made with just a few ingredients and ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups Barilla Penne or Farfalle pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can (20 oz) red enchilada sauce
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded American cheese

Toppings:

• 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup American cheese shredded
• 1 avocado halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup corn chips
• 2 tablespoons parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Add water to a medium pot and bring to boil. Cook pasta al dente, following package instructions.
2. Add olive oil to a large skillet or dutch oven and heat over medium - high heat.
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to skillet.
4. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring with a spatula.
5. Stir in minced garlic, diced tomatoes with green chilies, enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Stir until Add in cooked and drained pasta, stir to combine.
6. Add in cheddar and American cheese and stir until melted and combined.
7. Take skillet from heat, top with extra cheese, fresh chopped parsley, avocado and crushed corn chips.
8. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes Crock Pot Recipe

Cheesy Potatoes Crock Pot Recipe

Recipe type: Side Dish

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  2 hours

Total time:  2 hours 15 mins

Serves: 10 servings

These cheesy potatoes are so good and since they're made in the crock pot, they're insanely easy as well. Win-win!

Ingredients

• 1 bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns thawed in fridge for 2-6 hours
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1½ cups cheese - shredded cheddar divided (colby jack, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar - any will do)
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• 5 tabs butter

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients minus the butter in the crock pot.
2. Top with tabs of butter
3. Cook on high for 2 hours
4. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup of cheese until melted and enjoy
5. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups

Ingredients

• 2 cup shredded cooked chicken
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Buffalo wings sauce
• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
  Coupons
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoon sour cream
• 4 (6 inch) large flour tortillas
• * 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl combine the blue cheese,cream cheese,sour cream and the cheedar cheese.
2. Toss in chicken with 1/2 cup buffalo wings sauce.
3. Lay a tortilla out on a plate and spread an even layer of the chicken and cheese mixture all the way to the edges (about 2 to 3 tbsp).
4. Roll up tortilla tightly and place on a plate and then repeat until all the ingredients have been used.
5. Pop into the fridge to chill for 2 hour.
6. Slice each rolled tortillas off the ends and set aside.
7. Garnish with sliced green onion.
8. * - make sure your tortillas are at room temperature before you roll them so they are nice and flexible.
9. * -Smaller tortillas may be used, however you will need to adjust the amount of chicken and cheese mixture you add to each tortilla.
10. * -If time is an issue, you can skip the refrigeration before slicing or refrigerate for less time. However, for best results, refrigeration is recommended.

Rose Victoria's Lemon Bars

 Rose Victoria's Lemon Bars (Makes 20 squares or 40 triangles)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar. 

Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing – this salad is easy, quick, healthy, and tossed in the most addictive teriyaki vinaigrette dressing! 

Happy Salad Monday!!! I’ve been looking forward to this moment because this salad is my new obsession. I mean… it’s not like I’ve already made it three times in the past five days or anything…
Oh wait. yes I have.
Once for my husband and myself, then for a neighbor (and myself), and then for a huge family gathering on Sunday (where I was present). Every single time it completely disappeared and everyone raved about it.

And I’m just going to be totally honest – this dressing is positively addictive. It completely makes the salad. And that’s saying something because the combination of craisins + spinach + mandarin oranges + pine nuts + cilantro borders on magical. But the dressing. THE DRESSING.
It makes me want to cry.
Tears of blissful heavenly joy.

I’ve actually doubled the dressing recipe and saved half to keep in the fridge. All day long I find myself looking for anything and everything to dip in this stuff. Pasta, chicken, pretzels, cucumbers. And yes, once or twice I may have opted to go straight for the spoon.
One taste and you will understand what I’m talking about. I am begging you. Make this salad.
Pretty pretty pretty please. Something this incredible has to be shared.

 

 

This salad is easy, quick, healthy, and tossed in the most addictive teriyaki vinaigrette dressing!

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bowtie pasta noodles
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ½ cup craisins
• ⅓ cup cashews or Diamond of California Pine Nuts
• 1 4-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

dressing

• ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce (the thicker, the better!)
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar (may sub apple cider vinegar)
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder (if you have it)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup oil (such as vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, prepare the dressing. In a jar combine all dressing ingredients. Cover and shake to combine. Chill until ready to use.
3. In a large bowl toss together pasta, spinach, raisins, nuts, mandarin oranges, and cilantro. Just before serving pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve.

One-Skillet 20-Minute Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Everyone in my house absolutely loves mac and cheese!  It’s pasta covered in cheese, how can you go wrong? Well, some recipes call for up to 3 pots to make that simple dish. Honestly, I could stand in the kitchen and cook all day if I didn’t have to do the dishes – I think washing dishes is my least favorite chore. So when I can make a scrumptious one skillet meal and only have one pan to wash I am doubly thrilled!

This Cheese Lover’s Mac and Cheese is cooked in butter and milk, then its loaded with oodles of cheddar and broccoli.  You could even add leftover chicken if you are looking for a meaty dish.  This fabulous one skillet meal goes from prep to plate in just 20 minutes and will be on our table again and again.
With love from our Simple Kitchen to yours!

• Serves

  4
  

• Active Time

  10 min.
  

• Total Time

  20 min.
  

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
• ½ tsp dried chipotle chile pepper
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups + 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 8 oz dried elbow macaroni
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 12 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high; add butter, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add 3 cups of milk, then cover.
2. Once milk starts bubbling add macaroni. Allow to bubble for 4-5 minutes, until pasta is almost cooked though, stirring occasionally.
3. Add broccoli and stir to combine. Bubble for 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile in a resealable jar create slurry; combine 2 Tbsp milk and 2 Tbsp flour. Shake until well combined. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to broil. Stir in 8 ounces cheese. Add slurry. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 4 ounces of cheese. Place under broiler for 2-4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden browned.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4.