Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd

Every year over Labor Day weekend, my extended family has a big get-together at the beach.  Each family is in charge of a dinner on a particular night.  This year I decided to make chicken spaghetti.  It's easy, makes a ton and it freezes well, which allowed me to make it ahead of time.  Also, it's very economical to make for a large group.  I was able to feed about 25 people for under $15.

Chicken Spaghetti for a Crowd

Adapted from this recipe on TasteofHome.com

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 lb. Velvetta, cubed
• 1 package (12 oz.) spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced olives, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and celery in 2 tbsp. of butter or olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the sauteed veggies, cooked chicken, mushroom soup, chicken broth, parsley, salt, pepper and Velvetta over medium low heat.  Stir until cheese has melted.  Add the spaghetti, and olives is desired.  
3. Pour into a greased 11 x 13 baking dish.  Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

Notes & Suggestions:

I used my Boiled Chicken recipe to make the chicken for this.  I was also able to reserve 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth from the boiled chicken to use in this recipe.  I used the rest of the chicken broth to cook the spaghetti in, which gave it a lot of flavor.

I used 1/2 the amount of Velvetta the recipe called for because I had some people in the crowd that weren't big cheese lovers.  You can use any other kind of cheese if you don't like Velvetta.  It just may not be as creamy.

For a little kick, you can add in 1 can of Rotel.

This can be frozen for up to 3 months.  Make as directed but don't bake.  Freeze, then thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  Bake as directed.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

This is one of our favorite go-to recipes.  It's great served with garlic bread and a salad.

Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

Inspired by this recipe on Kraftfoods.com

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 package (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 package (10 oz.) of fresh sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook pasta as directed on package.  One minute before the pasta is done, add the spinach to the boiling water.  
3. While pasta is cooking, saute the chicken in 1 tbsp. olive oil a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove and place in a bowl.  
4. Add the onions, red pepper and mushrooms to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  
5. Add the chicken back in the pan with the vegetables.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and cream cheese.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese has melted.  
6. Drain the pasta mixture and return to pan.  Add the chicken mixture and stir until combined.  
7. Spoon into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
8. Bake 20 minutes.

Notes & Suggestions:

In order to same some time, you can use leftover Perfect Roasted Chicken or pick up a cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocery store.  Just pick the chicken off the bones and use 2 - 2 1/2 cups of the shredded chicken in place of the chicken breasts.  I do this with a lot of casserole dishes to make it faster and easier.  Make sure you season whatever chicken you use.  Otherwise, it will be bland.  

For a healthier version, you can use whole grain or whole wheat pasta, Neufchatel cheese (low-fat cream cheese), and 2% mozzarella cheese.  

Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin & Yellow Squash Casserole

Tonight we tried a new pork tenderloin recipe.  Pork tenderloins don't go on sale very often, so when they do, I buy a couple, vacuum seal them and throw them in the freezer.  (I try to do this with other types of meat that are on sale as well).  I have a handful of favorites recipes for pork tenderloin (I will share these in future posts), but I wanted to try something new.  I came across this recipe, and It turned out really yummy!  

Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3/4 tsp. onion powder
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin

Directions:

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, salt and brown sugar.  Put the pork tenderloin in the bag and shake to coat evenly.  Refrigerate 10-15 minutes (or longer if desired).
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-425 degrees).  Cook pork tenderloin for 4 1/2 - 5 minutes per side (for a total of 18-20 minutes), depending on desired doneness.  
3. Let meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Notes & Suggestions:

Before putting the rub on the pork tenderloin, I marinated it in pineapple juice (a 6 oz. can).  After a couple of hours, I drained it, put the rub on for another 2 hours.  About 15-20 minutes before grilling time, I took the meat out of the fridge so it can warm up a bit.  We do this to any type of meat before we grill it because it allows the meat to cook more evenly.  If the meat is really cold, it won't cook as well in the middle.  Another tip is to use tongs and not a fork when you're grilling any kind of meat.

My husband grilled the pork tenderloin for 4 minutes and 45 seconds per side, and it was still a little pink in the middle, which is the way we prefer it.  Remember to always let any meat rest after grilling before you cut into it. It keeps the juices in and keeps it from drying out.  Plus once you cut into it, it cools quickly so don't cut it until you're ready to eat.  

We both liked this recipe a lot.  My husband thought it needed some type of sauce, but I thought it was great the way it was. It is a little spicy, but not so hot that you can't eat it.  If you don't like a lot of spice, just cut back on the chili powder.  The whole tenderloin was plenty for the 2 of us, with enough leftover for one of us for lunch.  We also made the following squash casserole to go with it.

Yellow Squash Casserole

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 large yellow squash, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 35 buttery round crackers, such as Ritz or Town House
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp. salt
• ground pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  
• Place squash and onions in a large skillet with 1-2 tbsp. olive oil.  Saute over medium high for about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Saute another minute or until squash are tender.
• In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese.  Stir half of the mixture in with the cooked squash and onions.  
• In a small bowl, mix together the eggs and milk.  Add to squash mixture.  
• Stir in melted butter.
• Spread mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and spread with remaining cracker mixture.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Notes & Suggestions:

I used my mandoline to slice the squash into 1/4" pieces.  While I was sauteing the squash, I seasoned it with 1 1/2 tsp. of Tony Chachere's instead of the salt.  I've made this dish a couple of times before and it never seems to have enough seasoning, so I figured I'd try that.  If you don't want to saute the squash and onions, you can also steam them.  Place them in a large skillet, add a small amount of water, cover, and cook until squash are tender, about 5 minutes.  You can also substitute zucchini for the squash as well.

The squash still turned out a little bland, so next time I will add some salt as well as the Tony's.  This doesn't make very good leftovers because when you reheat it, it becomes mushy.  So I would suggest cutting the recipe in half if you're only serving 2-4.