Orzo Chicken Casserole

 Y’all! This was another TikTok recipe I saw and had to try! Tonight I’m home alone as our youngest is at work and the middles are with my hubby packing bacons and hams. Even though I’m alone, I made dinner tonight for them to have when they all get home. Let me tell you, I LOVE IT! The kiddos who don’t like mushrooms may not care for it but.. It’s a rather easy, one pot/pan meal. Let’s get into it.

Orzo Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

2 C uncooked orzo pasta 

3 1/2 C chicken broth

1 pkg Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 rotisserie chicken, deboned

8 oz sour cream

1 can cream of mushroom soup 

Spinach, fresh and as much as you want (I used baby spinach and chopped it up a bit)

Mushrooms, fresh and as much as you want (I used sliced Portabella mushrooms and chopped those up a bit)

Shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425* F

Spray a 9x13 baking dish and add in your orzo pasta, chicken broth, beefy Lipton soup mix, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, sour cream and soup.

Give it a light stir, be sure to keep orzo covered in the broth.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir really well. Top with parmesan cheese.

Place back in oven for another 15 minutes.

One Pot Rigatoni

 We made this a while ago and it was a huge hit in this house .. can’t believe I forgot to share it!! Let’s do it!

One Pot Rigatoni 

Ingredients 
1 lb Ground Italian Sausage
8 oz Rigatoni
1 Tbsp Garlic
1 can Tomato paste
Italian seasoning
8 oz can Tomato sauce

2 C Chicken stock
1 C Heavy Cream

Directions

Brown sausage, drain grease off

Add heaping scoop of garlic and tomato paste - give it a good mix

Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and tomato sauce

Add rigatoni 

Add chicken stock & heavy cream

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes

Let stand a few minutes before serving 

Tomato Soup

 Another new to us recipe that we loved and want to keep around is homemade tomato soup! Yup! We served this with grilled cheese we made on the blackstone grill using shredded sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. I wish I could’ve gotten a picture of the cheese pull. It was phenomenal. This makes a huge batch. It filled my Dutch oven. We canned the leftovers to use at a later time. 

Homemade Tomato Soup

Ingredients 

6 pounds ripe tomatoes

8 cloves garlic peeled

1 onion diced

1 red bell pepper diced

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano

1/2 cup parmesan cheese optional garnish

Instructions 

-Preheat oven to 450°F.

-Wash the tomatoes, or peel them if desired. Cut smaller apricot sized tomatoes in half and cut larger tomatoes into quarters or eighths. 

-Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs on a large rimmed baking sheet.

-Roast 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil 3-4 minutes or until some of the tomatoes get a little bit of char color on them.

-Bring chicken broth to a boil, add tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Using a blender or hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream if using. We did!

-Top with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream.

Beef Tips & Gravy

 Well another successful instant pot dinner tonight! No story to go along with other than it beats using stew meat for stroganoff or beef stew! 

Beef Tips & Gravy

Ingredients 

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 yellow onion - chopped

1 tablespoon oil

2 pounds chopped beef - (stew meat or top sirloin cut into 1-inch pieces)

4 cups beef broth

¼ cup worcestershire sauce

1 cup sliced mushrooms - optional

1 teaspoon Italian blend seasoning

2-3 teaspoons salt - or to taste

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper - or 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

¼ cup cold water 

3 tablespoons corn starch

4 cups cooked white or brown rice OR mashed potatoes OR cooked egg noodles

Instructions

Set your pressure cooker to SAUTE. Add the oil, onions, and garlic and stir until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes. 

Add beef chunks, sear for 1 minute or so. Add beef broth, worcestershire, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and stir to combine. 

Cover and set to PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL, turn the valve to the SEAL position. and set the time for 35 minutes. 

When the time is up, let the pressure naturally release (do nothing) for 10 minutes. Then, quick release (turn the valve to VENT). Once float valve has dropped, remove the lid and set the pot to SOUP. 

When it starts to boil, stir together water and corn starch, then stir corn starch slurry into the pot.

Once the gravy thickens, taste it add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Oh man! This side dish is absolutely one we will be keeping around! It’d be really good on the smoker too! I do feel like it’s missing some seasonings so the next go around we will play with adding in some smoked paprika and garlic too! 

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients 

8 medium russet potatoes, thinly sliced

2 medium onion, sliced into rings

salt and ground black pepper to taste

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

 

Directions 

Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Layer 1/2 of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish; season with salt and pepper.

Layer onion slices over top, then top with remaining potatoes. Season again with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour and salt and cook, whisking constantly until raw flour flavor has cooked off, about 1 minute.

Gradually add milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition to incorporate; the gradual addition and whisking of milk will help avoid lumps in your sauce.

Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in cheese all at once; continue stirring until melted, 30 to 60 seconds.

Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender and sauce is bubbly, about 1 ½ hours.

Chicken/Turkey Tetrazzini

It’s been a hot minute but this was dinner this evening and it was delicious! It reminds me of the Bear Creek Pasta from a local place called Grizzly’s. Next time though I don’t feel like I’ll use the Italian seasoning. It just didn’t fit this dish. Also, I did use two 8oz packages of mushrooms I sliced. 

Chicken/Turkey Tetrazzini 

 INGREDIENTS

1 package of spaghetti or fettuccine pasta -we used angel hair pasta

3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken -we used 4 cups of smoked turkey

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 package of mushrooms -we used 2 8oz packs, and sliced the mushrooms 

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil -we used 3 Tbsp of butter

1 (16 oz) container of sour cream

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning -we won’t be using Italian seasonings again

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. cook pasta according to package
3. Add 1 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of minced garlic to a pan. Cook garlic until fragrant, then add mushrooms and sauté until soft.
4. Combine shredded chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup. sour cream, butter, chicken broth, sautéed mushrooms, 1 cup of mozzarella, and seasonings in a large bowl.
5. Add cooked pasta to mixture, we found it easier to use tongs and toss
6. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hotdish

 I know you don’t put corn on a cheeseburger but this is a mash up of a bacon cheeseburger and tater tot hotdish so… it’s delicious! Just try it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Hotdish

Ingredients:

1½ pounds ground beef

1 lb cooked chopped bacon

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 (32-oz) package frozen tater tots + some to top with

1 (10.5-oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

1 (16-oz) container sour cream

1 (10-oz) bag frozen corn

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink. Drain fat.

In a large bowl, combine cooked beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, tater tots, cheese soup, corn and sour cream. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Spread mixture into prepared pan. Top with more tots.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until bubbly.