May 2023

One of the smartest things my mom ever taught me about cooking is that when you are making a large meal or a multi-course dinner, one item on your menu should always be “easy” to make. If every single component of your meal is something extravagant you can end up ruining it all by having too many complex things going on in the kitchen. One of my favorite side dishes to make when I know my main course is going to take a little more time and technique is peppered sweet potato coins. These coins are very easy to make, with the most time consuming part of the recipe being peeling the potatoes. 

Sweet Potatoes (1 per person)

Olive Oil (I use garlic infused for a little extra flavor)

¼ heaping tsp Black Pepper per two potatoes

The interesting part of this recipe is that it doesn’t have exact measurements. A lot of it depends on personal preference and how many people you are feeding. To start out with you will want to pick out one sweet potato per person you are feeding. Deciding which potatoes to buy is an important process for this recipe. Sweet potatoes come in multiple different shapes and sizes. They are probably one of the most awkwardly shaped vegetables out there. The type of potato that you are going to look for are the long and skinny ones. The short and fat ones do not bake as well in the oven. 

You are going to need to peel the potatoes before doing anything else. Sweet potatoes are harder to peel than regular potatoes because of their shape. They are lumpier, which means you have to try a little harder to get all the skin pieces off. After the potatoes are peeled, it is time to cut them into coins. You need to keep each coin only about ¼ of an inch thick. This will help the coins to cook evenly. 

After your coins have been cut, put them all in a bowl. Pour olive oil over the top of them and stir it in. There isn’t an exact amount of olive oil to pour in, you will want to start out with a small amount. When you stir it in, every potato should be covered in a thin layer that looks like a glaze. You do not want to soak them or they will taste greasy. If you still have dry spots after your first stir in, then add more, but remember it is best with this recipe to start with less. You can always add more if you need to. You want to avoid having a large puddle of oil in the bottom of the bowl. A large puddle means you probably poured on a little too much. 

After your coins have been coated in oil it is time to add the pepper. I use a heaping ¼ tsp when I make this recipe for two potatoes. Adjust this in accordance to how many people you are feeding. Mix in the pepper until every coin is coated with some. 

Next, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spread the coins evenly across it. It is okay if the coins are touching, but you will want to make sure they are in one even layer and not overlapping. If you are making a larger batch, you may need to use more than one pan. Bake the coins for ten minutes and then flip them before baking a final 10 minutes. 

Once they are out of the oven you can serve them as is for a healthy approach or to amp up the taste you can drizzle ranch over the top.

Side dishes are something that I always struggle with. I tend to focus so much on making a great entree that the side dish falls to… well, the side. That’s why it’s always great when I can find easy ways to make a tasty side that has the bonus of being healthy, depending on how much butter you add into it. This recipe does work with other types of small squashes, but my personal favorite is acorn squash. To me, the best part of this recipe is that you do not need to worry about cutting the skin off the squash. It saves time and the insides still get perfectly done

Before you start working with your squash you need to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the oven is preheating you will need to find a large chef’s knife. I prefer the 8 inch knife when working with squash because it is very difficult to cut through before it is cooked. You will want to try and cut your squash perfectly in half, working from the stem downward. The stem is usually impossible to cut through, so you will need to start just to the side of it.. Sometimes it works best to start from the top then flip it over and meet the cut from the bottom.

After your squash is cut in half it is time to take care of the innards. You can do this task with a regular spoon; however, I’ve found that it works best if you can pull out your Halloween pumpkin carving kit and take the scooper from there. Since the pumpkin carving kit is designed purely for the purpose of carving and cleaning out innards, this scooper is ideal to take care of this messy job. Using the scooper or a spoon you will want to scrape out all of the gooey innards and seeds and dispose of them. 

When the squash is cleaned you will take both halves and put them in a large 13 x 9 pan. It is important to put ¾ of an inch to 1 inch of water in the bottom of the pan. This moisture will help the squash cook, but you do not want to put the water inside the actual squash bowl. Cover the pan with tin foil and cook the dish for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The goal is to get the squash insides very tender. 

Once the squash is cooked, some of the moisture will have puddled into the bottoms of the bowls. Using a fork and your hand (in an oven mitt, this will be very hot) you will dump the water out of the bowl and move it onto a plate. Be very careful during this process, it is easy to break the squash apart. While this doesn’t ruin the dish, it does make it a lot messier instead of eating it out of a naturally formed bowl.

 When the squash is transferred onto a plate, put the desired amount of butter into the bowl. I use ½ tbsp, but you can use more or less. Then sprinkle pepper to taste into it. Using a fork you will do the finishing touches. You will scrape the edges and bottom of your bowl to mash all the squash and butter together. It should look like the same consistency as mashed potatoes when you are done. You need to be careful doing this though, or you will rip through the bottom of the bowl, and once again, create a mess on your plate instead of keeping it contained in its own bowl. 

I’m going to come right out and say it. I miss going out to restaurants. Take out is great, but it cannot provide a dinner served in multiple courses, so perhaps I should be more specific. I miss the appetizer course. I am of the opinion that the two best courses of dinner happen at the beginning and end of the meal – the appetizer and the dessert. Whenever I open a menu I spend a large portion of time analyzing the appetizer page trying to decide which one I should choose. My absolute favorite is when restaurants offer a “build your own platter option.” Then Cole and I get to choose our favorite four and get a little sampling of each. Not many restaurants offer this, and I wish more of them did, but moving on to the topic at hand – buffalo dip. 

Buffalo sauce is pretty much the world’s greatest condiment, so it makes sense that it would be incredible when used to create a dip. There are many recipes out there, and many techniques for cooking buffalo, but I take the slow cooker approach. I use my slow cookers whenever possible because they make everything so easy. When I approached the idea of buffalo dip I had one issue though. It seemed like a common ingredient in all these dips was blue cheese crumbles, which Cole REFUSES to eat. After a while, I had kind of given up on the idea of making this appetizer, but then I discovered Gorgonzola cheese. 

Gorgonzola is very similar to blue cheese in many ways, but it’s flavor is subtle unlike the slap-you-in-the-face flavors of blue cheese. Once I discovered this monarch of cheeses, it was very easy to create a dip that both Cole and I love. Using some trial and error with the ratio of cheese to chicken, I was able to create a winner dip, and seriously, this recipe is so easy! If you are looking to throw together a simple but delicious appetizer for company or a game night, I highly recommend checking this one out. 

* This recipe can be served out of a small 1.5 quart slow cooker.

8 oz Cream Cheese (spread, not block)

½ cup Ranch Dressing

½ cup Frank’s Buffalo Sauce

1 ½ cups Diced Chicken Breast (¼ inch cubes)

1 tbsp Minced Green Onion (about 2 onions)

¾ cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

4 oz Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles

1. Add the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce to the slow cooker. Turn to low and let sit for 30 to 45 minutes to allow the cream cheese to start to melt.

2. While the cream cheese is melting, dice the chicken into small blocks and mince the green onion. 

Kitchen Tip 1: I have found that it is much easier to dice chicken into small chunks when the cooked chicken breast is cold. I prefer to bake my chicken breast the night before and take it out of the fridge when I am ready to cut it up the next day. 

3. Stir the ranch, cream cheese, and buffalo sauce together; then combine the chicken and onion into the liquid created. It is okay if the cream cheese is still in small clumps at this time as long as it has melted down enough for everything to be stirred together. 

4. Break down any large Gorgonzola cheese crumbles, then add both cheeses to the slow cooker. Stir everything together. (I always shred my own sharp cheddar cheese instead of buying it pre shredded – see my thoughts on shredded vs. block cheese here.)

5. Leave the slow cooker on low for 1 ½ hours; then turn down to warm for at least another hour. 

Kitchen Tip 2: Check the dip about every 15 minutes when it is cooking on low, scraping the bottom of the pot while stirring. Because this dip is extra cheesy, it can start to burn to the bottom if it isn’t stirred occasionally while cooking. 

I love making this dip, because overall, the slow cooker does all of the work for you. It is so easy to throw everything into a pot and stir it together. Even better, buffalo dip can be served with both chips and veggies! I have a lot of friends who like to avoid chips, so finding a dip that can please both chip and veggie lovers is always a plus. Next time you are looking for an easy appetizer, look no further than Gorgonzola Buffalo Dip!

Buffalo flavored food is a trend that is ever growing, and it is one that I have bought into whole-heartedly. I have loved buffalo wings ever since I was a child, and I will continue to be tempted every time I see a new buffalo recipe or item on a menu. 

When I was in college I saw a jar in the grocery store labeled buffalo pizza sauce. Of course, I had to buy it, and it was delicious. Unfortunately, after about a year, I was unable to find the sauce sold anymore. I was so disappointed. This was before I was making my own homemade crusts, but we were still enjoying the occasional buffalo chicken pizza rolled out on Pillsbury Pizza Dough. 

As soon as I started making my own homemade pizzas this summer, I knew I had to figure out how to make a buffalo chicken version. Even though it has been four years since buying the jarred buffalo pizza sauce, I did a quick memory recall, and could remember a distinctive Parmesan taste in the sauce. This led to the creation of my Buffalo Parmesan Sauce. The sauce mimics an Alfredo sauce, but with an addition of the buffalo flavor. I haven’t tried this sauce on anything but pizza yet, but I honestly think it would taste amazing on pasta too. 

If you love pizza, and want to change things up from the classical version, I highly recommend making this sauce and following the instructions at the bottom of this recipe for whipping up a delicious Buffalo Chicken Pizza. 

1 ½ cups Heavy Whipping Cream

⅓ cup Buffalo Sauce (I always use Frank’s Hot)

½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tbsp Parsley

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1. The first step to making Buffalo Parmesan sauce is to simmer the whipping cream. This can be a tricky process. The goal is to keep the cream at a light boil for the entirety of the 15 minutes, not letting the boil stop or get too rapid. By simmering it for a full 15 minutes the cream will thicken up nicely. Make sure to stir the whipping cream the entire time. This will stop clumps from appearing along the side of the pot. 

Kitchen Tip 1: If you decide to double this recipe you will need to simmer the cream even longer. The more cream you have, the longer it takes to thicken. It can be easy to be impatient with this, but thin sauce is a pain to deal with, especially when spreading it on pizza. It’s worth it to take the extra time. 

2. After the cream has been thickened add in the buffalo sauce and stir to combine.

3. Once both liquid ingredients have been combined, this recipe finishes off quickly. Add in the seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Stir the sauce until the Parmesan is completely melted. 

Kitchen Tip 2: Do not panic when the sauce has a slight gritty texture. There is a lot of Parmesan cheese in this recipe and it causes a texture change to occur. While this is off-putting when testing out a spoonful by itself, the problem goes away when the cheese melts down even further after combining the sauce with pizza. I’ve haven’t tried this with pasta yet, but I would suspect the same thing would happen when adding the sauce to hot pasta noodles. 

4. After the sauce is complete, keep it warm until serving. Sauces with a whipping cream base can be difficult to reheat, so it is best to avoid cooling it off too much. If you do need to reheat the sauce, make sure to do this on a low heat. It will not reheat well over high heat. 

Pizza Crust 

Buffalo Parmesan Sauce

12 oz Shredded Chicken

¼ cup Diced Green Onion

1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

*These instructions follow the steps for baking my Homemade Garlic Pizza Crust. If you are using a different crust, make sure to follow the baking instructions for the product you are using. If you are using the homemade garlic pizza crust, preheat the oven to 400 degrees

1. Before building the pizza, the chicken and green onions need to be prepped. Personally, I like to grill the chicken breasts up ahead of time, but they can easily be baked in the oven too. Shred the chicken and dice the green onions up into small pieces.

Kitchen Tip 3: I like to cut up both my chicken pieces and onion chunks pretty small, especially the onions. This is just a personal preference because I like to have a little bit of each ingredient each time I take a bite of pizza, but it is entirely up to you depending on your own tastes. 

2. After the ingredients are prepped, put the rolled out pizza dough in the oven for 5 minutes by itself. Since my garlic pizza crust recipe creates a thicker crust, it needs a little time to prebake before putting the other ingredients on. 

3. Take the crust out of the oven, and spread the sauce out to the edges, leaving about a ½ inch plain along the entire circumference. It is possible that some sauce will be leftover depending on how saucy you like your pizza to be. I usually make the layer thick enough for the crust to be hidden beneath it because the sauce is my favorite part of the pizza. After the sauce is spread out, add the chicken and onion pieces over the top of it. 

4. Bake the pizza for another 15 minutes then take it out and add the cheese over the top. Using the full amounts of cheese listed will create an ultra-cheesy pizza. This is the way my husband likes it. Feel free to lessen the amount of cheese depending on your own preferences. Put the pizza back in the oven for another 4 minutes to melt the cheese. 

This pizza is a super cheesy concoction with a slightly spicy flavor. Even though it is a buffalo recipe, do not expect your taste buds to burn off. The cream in the sauce and the cheese on the pizza do a great job of balancing everything out. This is a new favorite in my house, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

I LOVE brownies, and yes, the word LOVE does deserve to be in all capitalized letters when we are discussing this particular food. Brownies are gooey, chocolatey deliciousness served in a pan, and when I’m faced with a pan of them, I literally cannot stop myself from digging in. I mean seriously, it’s bad. The last time I made these S’more Brownies I took the 8×8 pan into the living room with me and ate half of them instead of serving myself a reasonable portion on a plate like a polite human being. The worst part – I didn’t even feel guilt about it after the fact – and I feel no shame admitting it in this blog post. Brownies are always worthy of pigging out on, but once you s’more ingredients are added in, there’s no going back. 

1 cup Sugar

⅓ cup Special Dark Cocoa Powder

¼ tsp Salt (plus more for later on in the recipe)

¼ tsp Baking Powder

⅓ cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

½ cup Melted Butter (plus 1 more tablespoon for later in the recipe)

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

½ cup Flour

2 Graham Crackers

18 Marshmallows

Chocolate Syrup/Sauce

1. Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips together. 

2. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Set it off to the side and let it cool a little bit before mixing it in. 

3. Crack open and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Then, pour the eggs, cool butter, and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Stir until everything comes together. 

4. Add the flour into the batter, making sure to stir until it is completely combined. Do not be surprised by the thickness of the batter. This is a very sticky batter, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

5. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking pan and spread it out from corner to corner. 

Kitchen Tip 1: I’ve found that when baking brownies glass pans typically work better and provide more even baking than metal pans. Either pan works, I simply prefer the texture of brownies cooked in the glass pan. 

6. Crush the graham cracks into a mixture of both some bite sized pieces and some dusty smaller crumbs. 

7. Start by spreading the dusty crumbs over the top of the batter, then spread the bite-sized pieces put over the top of that. Press the pieces down lightly so they are slightly compressed into the batter. 

8. Melt the last tablespoon of butter and drizzle it over the top of the graham crackers. 

9. Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out slightly clean. 

10. Rip 18 marshmallows in half while waiting for the brownies to cook. After the brownies come out of the oven, line the halves over the top with the ripped side facing down. Place them in rows of 6. 

11. Broil the marshmallow topped brownies on high for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasty brown. 

Kitchen Tip 2: It can be helpful to flip the pan of the brownies halfway through the broiling process; otherwise, one side of the pan has a tendency to get browner than the other side.

12. Very lightly shake dust the tops of the marshmallows with salt. DON’T OVERDO IT. This small amount of salt helps cut through all the sweetness, but this is still a dessert. It’s not intended to be super salty.

13. Drizzle the pan with chocolate syrup or sauce and let the pan sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving the brownies warm. DO NOT cut into them before letting it sit for at least 10 minutes. Not waiting will result in a sloppy mess instead of decently cut brownies.

These brownies are super easy to whip up quickly, but they taste like a gourmet dessert. If you are ever craving dessert and want to take your brownies to the next level – make them s’more!

*Special Note* I think it goes without saying that marshmallows are super sticky. Because of this, these brownies taste best on the first day. They can still be saved and eaten for the next couple of days, but the marshmallow topping will stiffen up a little bit over time. Warming them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds can help the gooey texture to return a little bit though. 

When most people think of a tomato they automatically label it as a healthy food, and for the most part, they would be right. However, there is one flaw when it comes to tomatoes and tomato products sold in the store – sugar. For a person with fructose intolerance this is not just a problem, but can eventually lead to the hate of all things tomato flavored. 

A tomato already contains a decent amount of fructose on its own, and then many store bought products such as pizza sauces and pasta sauces like to load up their recipes with an abundance of extra sugar. This is unhealthy for everyone, and for a person with an intolerance, it can cause a major stomach ache. 

For this reason, when I decided to start making my own pizzas this summer, it was very important to me to figure out how to make a low-sugar marinara sauce that would taste good on both pizza and pasta. My recipe isn’t devoid of sugar, because a little was needed to balance out the spice brought in by the red pepper flakes, but it only has a scant amount in comparison to what you might find in stores. 

If you are reconsidering the amount of sugar you are consuming, this homemade marinara sauce can provide an alternative to the store bought cans and jars that you can purchase, and it can be made up super quickly!

*This recipe makes between 10 and 12 ounces of sauce after it has been simmered.

16 oz Tomato Sauce (I use Hunts since they are natural and do not add in extra sugar)

½ tbsp Butter

1 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

½ tsp Oregano

½ tsp Onion Flakes

¼-½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Basil

½ tbsp Parsley

½ tsp Sugar

¼ tsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. The first step to making a homemade marinara sauce is to saute the garlic. Melt the butter over medium heat, then add in the garlic. Cook it for about two minutes to give the garlic a chance to soften.

2. After the garlic has been sauteed, add in the tomato sauce, all of the spices, and the lemon juice. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce has warmed up. 

Kitchen Tip 1: If you prefer a mild sauce, start out with only ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes. This spice packs a punch, and using ½ tsp creates a sauce that has some zing. If spicy isn’t your preferred taste preference, err on the side of caution. You can always add more in, but you can’t take it out once it’s mixed into the pot. 

3. Once the sauce is warm, pour in the parmesan cheese and stir until it is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce. 

Kitchen Tip 2: If you are using this as a pizza sauce the sauce will be complete as soon as the Parmesan cheese is melted. However, while a pasta sauce uses these same ingredients, most of the time, pasta sauce is thicker. To achieve thickness, leave it simmering on low heat for at least 20 minutes. This simmering will help the sauce to reach the consistency you would hope for in a pasta sauce.

There you have it! Easy as 1, 2, 3. This marinara sauce is so simple to make that you will never be buying it from the store again. As an added bonus, if you are concerned about time, this sauce can be made up ahead of time and frozen!

Like this recipe? Check out my other pizza recipes to make a complete homemade pizza.

Garlic Pizza Crust https://soupsonwithschallock.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/homemade-garlic-pizza-crust/

Italian Sausage Pizza Pieces https://soupsonwithschallock.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/italian-sausage-pizza-pieces/

One of Cole’s and my favorite restaurants in this whole world in Samoeun’s Happy Wok in Plover, Wisconsin. If you are looking for someone who is the master of making authentic sauces for stir fry, they have it figured out. We go there every single time that we travel to visit my parents. Seriously, some of the best food you will ever eat. After going there a couple of times, I was determined to try my best to replicate their Sweet Hot Chicken Stir Fry. While I am nowhere close to as skilled as the chefs at Happy Wok, this dish is my best attempt at replicating it, and it tides Cole and I over while we eagerly await our next visit to Plover. I’ve included two different options for flavoring the sauce, depending on whether you prefer a mild or spicier version of the dish. 

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

½ cup Honey

⅓ cup Soy Sauce

⅔ cup Ketchup

2 ½ tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 tsp Sriracha Sauce 

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

3 Whole Dried Red Chili Peppers

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ tsp Minced Garlic

½ cup Honey

⅓ cup Soy Sauce

⅔ cup Ketchup

2 ½ tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

4 tsp Sriracha Sauce 

¼ tsp Ground Ginger

¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 ½ lbs Chicken Breast

½ cup Corn Starch

Olive Oil

15 oz Broccoli Florets

3 cups Minute Rice

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and saute minced garlic. 

Kitchen Tip: When measuring the ketchup, fill the ⅔ measuring cup just below the rim. If it is filled to full ⅔ cup, the flavor of the ketchup can overwhelm the rest of the sauce. The spicier you prefer your food, the less of this ingredient you may want to use. 

2. Add in honey, soy sauce, ketchup, red wine vinegar, and sriracha sauce. Stir until it is fully combined. 

3. Add in ground ginger, and either the whole peppers or the red pepper flakes depending on which version of the sauce is being made. The red pepper flakes cause the sauce to develop slightly more spice than the whole peppers. Use a whisk to ensure that the ground ginger doesn’t clump. 

4. Move the sauce to a back burner and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes to develop more flavor. 

5. Cut up the chicken breast into small cubes, about ½ inchwide. Use a ziploc bag to combine the chicken and corn starch together. 

6. Pour olive oil into a large frying pan until it is generously coating the bottom of the pan, and heat on high. 

7. Fry the chicken pieces in the pan until it is crispy and the insides are white when a piece is cut open. This usually takes 10-12 minutes. Dump the chicken onto a paper towel lined plate to reduce the grease sticking to it.

8. Steam the broccoli florets and make up the Minute Rice according to the instructions on the box. 

Kitchen Tip: If you are a veggie fan, feel free to incorporate more ingredients to this stir fry. If Cole didn’t have an aversion to mushrooms, I would definitely saute some to add in, and I’m always a fan of the cut baby corn pieces that you can buy in the store too. Broccoli is simply the easiest addition since it can be bought frozen and steamed in the microwave. 

9. Combine the rice, chicken pieces, and broccoli together. Allow each person to individually decide how much sauce they would like to spoon over their stir fry. 

While this dish has quite a few components to make, it is still relatively easy to make if you tackle the tasks in order. Sauce first, then chicken, then the rice and broccoli. This dish serves four people with comfortably large portion sizes. 

Side Note: If you want to make this dish even easier (or healthier) you can choose to bake the chicken breast in the oven and shred it instead of coating it in cornstarch and frying it. I often choose to make the dish this way during the school year since it is way easier to shove chicken in the oven instead of cutting it up into small pieces and frying it. I personally prefer the taste and texture of the fried version, but there are definite health perks to roasting it instead. 

Potatoes, simply put, are one of the most delicious foods on this planet. They taste good in almost every way that you can prepare them, and that’s one of their best features – their versatility. Potatoes can be made in so many ways and with so many different flavors. For this reason, this recipe isContinue reading “Buttery Potato Packets”

One of the smartest things my mom ever taught me about cooking is that when you are making a large meal or a multi-course dinner, one item on your menu should always be “easy” to make. If every single component of your meal is something extravagant you can end up ruining it all by havingContinue reading “Peppered Sweet Potato Coins”

This recipe was born purely from a TikTok trend. My friend Becky had shown me a recipe she found on TikTok that included baby tomatoes, feta cheese, olive oil, Italian seasonings, and pasta. The first time I tried the dish both Cole and I agreed that it was good, but there was a lot that could be done to make it even better. With a lot of changes and additions of ingredients, this dish has become something that Cole and I have absolutely fallen in love with, and I anticipate making a lot more in the future, especially since it is so easy to make, and leaves a bunch of leftovers that can be reheated throughout the week. 

2 pints Grape Tomatoes

2 ½ tbsp Olive Oil (divided)

Dried Thyme

Dried Basil

Black Pepper

Salt

15 oz Skim Ricotta Cheese

2 tsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 tsp Dried Onion Flakes

12 oz Tri Colored Rotini

15 oz Alfredo Sauce

8 oz Shredded Chicken Breast

1 ½ cup Broccoli Florets

½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp Butter

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1. Lay out the tomatoes in an even layer across the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish. Make sure they are all touching the bottom. Do not stack them. Pour 2 tbsp of Olive Oil on top of them and sprinkle them with dried thyme, basil, black pepper, and salt. There should be just enough seasoning to be visible. Stir it all together making sure to resituate it in a way where all the tomatoes are once again in a layer across the bottom. 

2. Steam the broccoli florets until they are fork tender, about 5 minutes. Spread them on top of the tomatoes. Place the ricotta cheese in the middle of the pan, pour the remaining ½ tbsp of olive oil on top of it, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

3. While the tomatoes are baking, shred the cooked chicken breast into bite sized pieces, and cook the pasta according to the box instructions. When the pasta is done cooking, strain it and mix it together with the alfredo sauce.

4. After the tomatoes are done cooking, stir the mixture together. Any tomatoes that do not break apart during stirring should be popped open by pressing them to the side of the pan with a large serving spoon. 

Kitchen Tip: Make sure to wear an apron when popping the tomatoes. They may splatter as they pop. 

5. Mix in the pasta, shredded chicken, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bake this mixture for 8 more minutes.

6. Melt the butter and combine in a small bowl with the panko and garlic powder. Spread this mixture on top of the pasta. Bake for 3 more minutes to brown the panko. 

Kitchen Tip: If you like a little bit of spice you can sprinkle a small amount of red pepper flakes across the top too. 

This dish is amazingly hearty, filling, and makes for delicious leftovers the next day too If you are a pasta fanatic, you are absolutely going to love this recipe! 

It is an age old debate…do noodles truly belong in chili? It’s also a debate that we have in my house every time I pull the chili ingredients out from the pantry. Personally, I love chili just the way it is, but my husband believes chili is only worth eating when it has noodles in it. I can also see the other positive side to noodles in chili, when you add noodles you need more water, and with more water, and pasta involved, the pot of chili can spread out a lot further. This is an excellent thing to consider when preparing soup for a potluck, a family get together, or even preparing a dinner on a Sunday night and knowing you may need leftovers for the long week ahead. I’ve provided you with two different versions of my spicy chili, so you can be happy no matter which side of the debate you fall on. 

I’ll start with chili without noodles since that is considered the standard approach. For me, chili is a slow cooker meal. This also makes it a pretty easy meal to make since I can leave it alone to cook after mixing the ingredients together.

1 lb Ground Round

1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 can Low Sodium Kidney Beans

1 can Chili Beans with Hot Sauce

½ can Low Sodium Black Beans

½ tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Dark Chili Powder

1 tbsp Mexican Chili Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp Crystal’s Hot Sauce (You can use other brands, but I’ve found it tastes best with this one)

2 ¼ cups Water

The first step to making chili is to brown the ground round, making sure to strain the grease from the pan before dumping the cooked meat into the slow cooker. After the meat is in the pot, mix in the petite diced tomatoes and the chili beans. Before mixing the kidney beans and black beans in they need to be strained and rinsed. 

After all of the canned goods have been mixed in, the spices and sauces can be stirred in. Finish the chili by pouring in the water. I like to use 2 ¼ cups of water to get the chili to the desired thickness, but this can change depending on the consistency you like your chili to be. 

Once all of the ingredients are added in, turn the slow cooker on low and cook the chili for 5-6 hours. 

Making chili with noodles is very similar to cooking without them, but there are some things to consider. First, by adding in pasta, you are automatically taking away from the spice of the dish, so more has to be added in. Secondly, more water has to be added in because the noodles will soak a lot of it in as they are cooking. 

1 lb Ground Round

1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 can Low Sodium Kidney Beans

1 can Chili Beans with Hot Sauce

½ can Low Sodium Black Beans

½ tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Garlic Powder

2 tbsp Dark Chili Powder

1 tbsp Mexican Chili Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp Crystals Hot Sauce (You can use other brands, but I’ve found it tastes best with this one)

4 ¼ cups Water

¾ cups Elbow Noodles

Just like the regular chili, the first step to making chili with noodles is browning the meat, straining it, and mixing it with the canned items. The kidney beans and black beans still have to be strained for this version also. 

The process continues to be the same as you mix in the spices, sauces, and water. There is one important detail though – you DO NOT add the noodles into the pot right away. While you will still have a finished edible product if you do, you will end up with overcooked, incredibly mushy pasta. Instead of adding them right away you should let the chili cook on low for about 4-5 hours, then you can add the noodles in and leave the chili for another hour. It is very important to let the noodles cook for a full hour in the crock pot before eating it. The noodles will most likely finish cooking before this hour is up, but they will not have the full flavor of the chili infused into them unless they cook for the full hour. 

Whether you prefer chili with noodles or without noodles, this is a great recipe to eat on a cold snowy or rainy day. I like to garnish my bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a ¼ cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and of course no meal of chili could be complete without a corn muffin on the side! 

Looking for a great side to go with this dish? Check out my recipe for Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins!