Cheesy Hamburger Pasta Skillet

There is a slightly guilty side of me that loves the kind of macaroni and ground beef skillet dish that comes from a box. It always reminds me of rowdy dinners at home growing up, with my brothers and sisters all around.
This from-scratch version is nearly as easy as the boxed kind, and just as comforting. It also feeds a crowd and makes excellent leftovers!
I like to use cheddar for this recipe, or you can make it with mozzarella for a more mild flavor. Whichever cheese you have on hand is going to be delicious.
And don’t worry that you’ll need too many dishes. You can make the whole thing in one large skillet, noodles and all.

Cheesy Hamburger Pasta Skillet Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef


• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced


• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced


• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper


• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth


• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


• 8 ounces wide egg noodles


• 2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella

Special Equipment:

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Secret Ingredient Tomato Basil Soup

Enjoy a creamy, luxurious tomato basil soup without the guilt! There is no cream, sugar, or any unnecessary additives in my Tomato Basil Soup! Plus, the secret ingredient makes this soup so so good!
What you WON’T find in this homemade tomato soup is a bunch of cream or sugar.

I haven’t been able to get this creamy, luxurious, sweet, and comforting soup out of my mind for weeks. Tomatoes are in full swing this month and i’m taking advantage! I can’t wait to make tons of salads, soups, and other goodies with the best seasonal produce. There is nothing better than eating the freshest produce that’s in season. You can not only TASTE how much better the tomatoes are right now, you can FEEL it too. A tomato that’s in season will almost always feel heavier than it’s off season counterpart.

If you’ve been following LSJ since the beginning, you know i’ve done a tomato basil bisque in the past. My ashamed self is admitting to you that I had to put cream in it to make it taste as good as it did last time. In my defense, I did make that soup in March when the tomatoes weren’t quite at their best. Which meant less natural flavor and that means I needed extra herbs to help make the tomato flavor a little noticeable. But never, ever, ever again.

I can’t wait to make a big batch of this every week to have on hand for lunches and midday snackies. Yes, tomato soup is perfect with a little bit of grilled cheese when you just need a little something to nibble on. Not to mention that it’s extactly what you need if you’ve caught the summer cold that are going around! You will undoubtedly sleep like a 5 month old baby if you’ve got a belly full of this soup in you.

One thing that I forgot to mention is that not only is there a secret ingredient for this tomato soup, there is also a secret method. The thing about this soup is that LOW and SLOW is the way to GO. Massage those tomatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic with some olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and pop them in the oven on a low heat setting for 1 hour. The slow baking process really helps develop more flavor in the tomatoes and causes that natural sweetness to come out. Instead of adding even a teaspoon of sugar to this soup, we’re getting lots of natural sweetness from the slow roasting process and the carrots that are going in to this soup.

Now, go. Use that 1 hour to it’s full advantage. Me? –>I popped in a quick Gillian Michaels workout DVD that I hadn’t done in ages and within 10 minutes I was screaming bloody murder because I couldn’t feel any of my limbs. I spent the following 50 minutes cursing Gillian under my breath and vowing to use this DVD sparingly. Home girl. I’m sure you’ve helped a lot of people, but your beginners level DVD is definitely not for BEGINNERS.

The secret to making delicious tomato basil soup or even minestrone soup is simple. And some of you are now catching on. You know my little secret and you’re sitting there smiling at the screen, thinking ‘of course!’

And…

The Secret Ingredient is…

BASIL PESTO!

How many of your guessed it? That super concentrated flavor of basil pesto really makes this soup NEXT LEVEL STUFF. The pine nuts from the pesto add such nice depth and creaminess that you’ll forget about adding that heavy cream or half and half in and opt for this more flavorful/ healthier option instead.

The parmesan also adds just the right amount of cheesiness to the soup without overpowering it.

This tomato basil soup is exactly what you need to cure that end of summer cold. And it’s perfect to take us right into the fall season! Imagine a chilly evening complete with a warm blankie, comforting tomato basil soup, and a grilled cheese sandwich to dip, dunk and munch on. For the colder months, the grilled cheese is a MUST. For summer, I served this soup with cheesy toasts. It’s just a bit of provolone on a slice of baguette with a pinch of salt, garlic powder, and a bit of Italian seasoning.

So simple and SO YUMMY.

Secret Ingredient Tomato Basil Soup

Prep Time :10 mins
Cook Time:1 hour 10 mins
Total Time:1 hour 20 mins
Enjoy a creamy, luxurious tomato basil soup without the guilt! There is no cream, sugar, or any unnecessary additives in my Tomato Basil Soup! Plus, the secret ingredient makes this soup so so good!

Ingredients:

•     1 lb. cherry tomatoes
•     2 lbs. Roma tomatoes cut in half
•     1 medium onion, cut into chunks
•     7 garlic cloves
•     3 large carrots, cut in half
•     ⅓ cup olive oil
•     salt and pepper
•     4 cups vegetables broth (or chicken broth)
•     2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
•     ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
•     2-3 tablespoons basil pesto

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Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken

Crock pot recipes are one of the easiest ways to cook and my favorite way to save time in the kitchen. My crock pot cheesy chicken is to die for and the flavor is outstanding.  Each bite is loaded with cheese, super flavorful and creamy.

Smelling this crock pot cheesy chicken as it cooked throughout the night was amazing. One thing I always do is throw my meals together at night so they are ready for pics by late morning.

This crock pot cheesy chicken recipe is adapted from a very wonderful lady I met while we were waiting for our patient to arrive home last week. As you know, I’m a hospice admissions RN and with my job I meet the most wonderful patients and families. On this night as we were waiting, my new friend, showed me her family pictures, that were covering her walls, of her wonderful family, her husband and all of her children and grandchildren. What beautiful pictures. Some very old, some recent and my favorite was a silhouette picture of her and her husband. While we were waiting, we started talking food. You know, I’m totally in heaven now. Food? Oh yeah, right up my alley.

Hungry yet?

My new friend was telling me all about her wonderful meals that she makes and her favorite recipes. Her buttermilk pancakes sounded absolutely delicious. As we were talking, I shared with her how my niece, Holli, won Hell’s Kitchen Season 7 and how Holli always knew she wanted to be a chef from just a young child (I’m so proud of her). Anyway, we continued chatting about different foods, our favorites and our specialties we make. The recipe is not the exact recipe she told me about because I didn’t have some of the ingredients she recommended. However, I will be making her recipe at a later time exactly as it was shared with me.

But in the meantime, this crock pot cheesy chicken meal is one that will be made over and over, it’s that good! Because the chicken is so moist and tender, trying to get wonderful pics was a bit difficult. Trust me when I say, even though the pics look a little messy, this crock pot cheesy chicken is so delicious.

This crock pot cheesy chicken would be great served over a bed of rice too. Also, stuffed into a flour tortilla to make a delicious tasting burrito would be tasty. I know what we are having for dinner tonight. Yum

Ready for a delicious meal? Then this is it. You and your family will love this delicious crock pot cheesy chicken dinner.

Try this recipe today

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken

Recipe type: Chicken, Crock Pot Meals, Main Meals, Dinner

Ingredients

•     4 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
•     1 medium onion, chopped
•     8 pieces Swiss cheese
•     1 tsp garlic salt
•     1 tsp pepper
•     ½ cup butter, melted (1 stick)
•     1 10 oz can Rotel®
•     1 10 oz can cream mushroom soup
•     1½ cup dry stuffing mix (I used Stove Top®)
•     1 8 oz chicken broth*

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Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I know what you want – it’s what we all want!  More options for delicious, quick and easy weeknight dinners – right!  This Parmesan Crusted Chicken totally fits the bill.  It’s easy enough to make for a quick weeknight dinner but also elegant enough to serve for company.
I didn’t really think about it but I guess in a sense I’m re-gifting this recipe.  It comes straight from the plains of Oklahoma.  When we lived there many years ago our dear friends Todd & Allison would make this for us.

I remember it vividly… JoJo greeting us at the door doing the pee pee dance and maybe letting a little slip.  (We eventually moved the greeting outside – you know, less clean up that way.)  Oh,  JoJo was their adorable Pomeranian – should have mentioned that as well.  The most delectable smells of garlic and cheesy goodness waffling through the air.  Todd putting the finishing touches on the Atomic Salad (now that’s a recipe you want for sure).  Allison entertaining us, getting us drinks and offering to help Todd (praying he didn’t take her up on it).  She’s not so much for cooking but she can set a mean table and make you laugh – a lot.  Love that girl!

Then the moment we’d all been waiting for…sitting down to the most mouthwatering meal anyone could ask for.  What can I say we’ve had some great times with good friends and always enjoyed wonderful food.  Thanks Todd & Al!

As you can tell this recipe holds a special place in my heart and in my belly.  It’s a really simple recipe but super tasty.  So if cooking isn’t your jam this recipe will be.  It’s so easy – you literally mix, dip and bake.  The chicken comes out golden on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.

How To Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

There are not a whole lot of ingredients or steps involved to put this together.  You basically mix your breadcrumbs, Parmesan, fresh parsley, salt and pepper in a shallow pie dish (or plate).
Then in another dish mix the melted butter, fresh lemon juice and minced garlic.
Dip both sides of your chicken breasts in the butter dish then in the breadcrumbs.
Bake on 350 for 35-40 minutes in a 9×13 baking dish…and DEVOUR!!
 And that’s all there is to this easy chicken & parmesan meal!   See, like I said, a simple recipe that’s easy and quick!  Now I’ll let you make it and experience the delicious part… get ready for this to go into your weekly rotation!  Enjoy

Parmesan Crusted Chicken





This is such an easy recipe - perfect for a weeknight dinner. The chicken is cheesy, moist and so delicious.
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 260 kcal
Prep Time :15 mins
Cook Time :40 mins
Total Time :55 mins

Ingredients

•     5 Chicken breasts boneless, fat and skin removed
•     1 cup panko bread crumbs
•     2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
•     3 tablespoons minced parsley
•     1 teaspoon salt
•     1/4 teaspoon pepper
•     1/4 cup melted butter
•     3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•     2 cloves garlic minced

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