Pizza with noodles

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Made: March 30, 2014

Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 box (16 oz) uncooked Spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 ounces sliced pepperoni
- 1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
- 1 can (16 oz) diced Italian style tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 package (8 oz) shredded Italian cheese blend
- Any other pizza toppings you like (optional)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Boil water and salt for Spaghetti noodles according to directions on package
- Meanwhile, brown meat until no longer pink, drain
- Once noodles are cooked, drain and put in a casserole dish
- Whisk together egg and milk, pour over noodles
- Combime pasta sauce, tomatoes, garlic powder and oregano
- Pour ontop of noodles
- Top with meat
- Top with cheese
- Top with pepperoni and other pizza toppings
- Bake for 30 minutes

I thought I had bought some extra pepperoni for this recipe, but I did not. So my version is without the pizza toppings. But overall, this had a great flavor.

(Recipe used: found via facebook)

Mock Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Made: November 5, 2013

Ingredients
- 1/2 package of linguine noodles
- 1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
- Prepare linguine according to package directions in 3 quart saucepan
- Add broccoli during the last 4 minutes of cooking time
- Drain the linguine mixture well in a colander
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through, stirring often
- Stir soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese (optional)

I made things slightly different depending on what I had in my pantry. I used cheddar and mozzerella cheese since my Parmesan cheese went bad (oops) but it seemed to have the same taste and mixed/melted nicely. As you can see, I also used Bowtie pasta. I think this came out with a ton of flavor and it was super quick dinner. Boil, cook and mix and poof, you have dinner.

(Recipe used: Campbells.com)

Shells Green with Envy

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Made: May 13, 2013

Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups fresh chopped spinach
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
- 1 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce

Instructions
- Cook shells according to package directions
- Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them
- Drain and set shells out individually on a cutting board or baking sheet so that they don’t stick together
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes
- In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce
- Stir in 1 cup mozzarella
- Spoon into shells
- Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes
- Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce
- Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Bake, covered, for 40 minutes
- Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella
- Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes

I had a lot of filling leftover, but I only made 14 shells since we're a small family of 4. I used a Garlic and Onion pasta sauce to go with this and topped it with some shredded cheese. These shells seemed a lot smaller than others I've seen, but they were perfect for us!

(Recipe used: Paula Deen via Facebook)

Meaty Taco Pasta

"Baked Taco Ziti"

Made: May 6, 2013

Ingredients
- 3/4 bag ziti noodles
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 package cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions
- Boil pasta until just cooked (al dente)
- Brown ground beef; drain
- Mix taco seasoning and 1 cup water in the ground beef; stir for 5 minutes
- Add in cream cheese, stir until melted & remove from heat
- Add pasta into a casserole dish, top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese
- Gently pour beef mixture on top and mix with the pasta
- Top with remaining shredded cheese
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, at 350 F, until cheese is melted and the dish is heated throughout

I used a normal sized box of pasta, used about 1/2 for this dish. We made over 4 servings with leftovers. I used a little more than 1/2 of a package of cream cheese and used cheddar jack & mozzarella cheeses. Overall, it came out nice and creamy, gooey and hot!

(Recipe used: via facebook)

Chees'd up Tuna

Sarah's Tuna Casserole Supreme

Made: March 8, 2013

Ingredients
- 16 oz package wide egg noodles, uncooked
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1 - 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 6oz cans tuna, drained
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can golden mushroom souo
- 1/2 pound pasteurized process cheese spread, cubed
- 1 can peas, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup potato chips, crushed
- Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
- Cook noodles as packages directs, drain and set aside
- In a large skillet over medium-heat, sauté onion and celery in butter until translucent
- Add cooked noodles to skillet
- Stir in tuna, soups and cheese spread
- Cook until blended and cheese is melted, one to two minutes
- Stir in peas
- Transfer to lightly greased baking pan
- Top with cheddar cheese
- Bake, uncovered for at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly
- Top with crushed potato chips
- Return to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until chips are golden

I love the cheesiness to this recipe. I didn't use an onion and I used 2 cans of Cream of Celery soup instead. I cooked it for about 12 minutes until the cheese was melted enough to top with potato chips then baked for 8 more minutes.

(Recipe used: Gooseberry Patch; Mom's very best recipes)

Non-lasagna

Easy Bowtie Lasagna

Made: March 6, 2013

Ingredients
- 16 oz package bowtie pasta, uncooked
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 32 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 8 oz container sour cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan chese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions
- Cook pasta as package directs, drain and set aside
- In a skillet over medium heat, brown beef and onion, drain
- Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and simmer for 5 minutes
- Mix cooked pasta with sour cream, Parmesan cheese and garlic powder
- In a greased 13x9 pan, layer half of beef mixture and half of pasta mixture
- Repeat layers
- Top with Mozzarella cheese
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for about 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted

Along with the sour cream, I added in a couple spoons of cream cheese. It's not lasagna without cream cheese!! Overall, I really liked this recipe. I didn't use an onion, so I used Onion flakes instead, just to get that flavor. I also didn't use all the same measurements listed; I only used about 8 oz of pasta and 24 oz of sauce.

(Recipe used: Gooseberry Patch; Mom's very best recipes)

CB Deconstructed

Cordon Bleu Casserole

Made: February 28, 2013

Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 6 oz spreadable creamy Swiss cheese wedges
- 1 cup fat-dree half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon butter-flavored granules
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
- 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
- 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/8 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

Directions
- Cook pasta as directed on package, drain & set aside
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine cheese wedges, half-and-half, butter-flavored granules, garlic salt & pepper
- Cook, stirring often, until cheese is melted and smooth
- Add chicken, ham and cooked pasta
- Stir until well blended and heated through
- Top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs at serving time

I did a couple things differently. I used slices of Swiss cheese, cut up instead of the spreadable wedge as I couldn't find any. They melted quite nicely. I did add in 2 wedges of the Garlic and herb cheese to add a punch more flavor along with some cream cheese and a couple splashes of milk so it wasn't too thick. I used Butter Buds as my "butter-flavored granules".

(Recipe used: Gooseberry Patch; Mom's very best recipes)

Mushroomy beef

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Made: January 18, 2013

Ingredients
- 3 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 2 pounds beef strew meat, cut into 1in pieces

Directions
- Combine soup, sour cream, water and soup mix in slow cooker
- Add beef
- Stir until well combined/covered
- Cover
- Cook on low 6 for hours or high 3 for hours

I didn't add extra mushrooms to this; I think it's what really turns me off from eating this dish personally. But even with 3 hours on low, it cooked quicky and had a nice taste to it. I did cut down the recipe a smidge, I didn't need 6-8 servings. So I used 2 cans of soup (1 mushroom, 1 celery), 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup water with only 1 pound of meat.

(Recipe used: Crock-pot: 365 year-round recipes)

Tomato Stir Fry

Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry

Made: January 14, 2013

Ingredients
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 3  cups broccoli florets
- 1 boneless beef sirloin steak
- 1  can Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1/4 cup water
- 2  packages oriental flavor ramen noodle soup

Directions
- Spray a 10-inch skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute
- Add the broccoli and stir-fry until tender-crisp
- Remove the broccoli from the skillet
- Remove the skillet from the heat
- Spray the skillet with the cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for 1 minute
- Add the beef and stir-fry until well browned
- Stir in the soup, water and 1 ramen seasoning packet (reserve the remaining seasoning packet for another use) and heat to a boil
- Return the broccoli to the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling
- Cook the noodle soup according to the package directions without the seasoning packet
- Drain the noodles well in a colander
- Serve the beef mixture over the noodles

I cut the serving down since I only needed two servings instead of 4. I used a small top sirloin and whatever leftover frozen broccoli I had left as well as only 1 package of ramen noodles. Overall, it was a different take on a stir-fry and a quick dinner.

(Recipe used: recipe.com)

Creamy Veggies

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

Made: January 10, 2013

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup uncooked penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 9 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 tablespoon cream cheese
- 7oz frozen spinach
- Salt & Pepper

Directions
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of slightly salted boiling water, according to the instructions on the package
- Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water for later
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet over medium high heat
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly until the mushrooms are almost crisp
- Stir in the stock, lemon juice and oregano
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the stock has reduced by half
- Stir in the cream cheese and spinach
- Cook over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes
- Add the reserved cooking liquid and the cooked pasta
- Stir well, season with salt & pepper
- Heat throughout gently before serving

I used a small can of pre-sliced mushrooms and a can of spinach. Rotini pasta was the preferred pasta of choice instead of penne, and I used our leftover onion and chive cream cheese from last night's dinner.

(Recipe used: Easy Vegetarian Dishes)

Soupy Noodles

Tomato-Tortellini Soup

Made: January 9, 2013

Ingredients
- 2 14oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 9oz package refrigerated tortellini
- 1/2 8oz tub cream cheese spread with chive and onion
- 1 can condensed tomato or tomato bisque soup
- Snipped fresh chives (optional)

Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling
- Add tortellini; reduce heat
- Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes
- In a bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the hot broth into the cream cheese spread until smooth
- Return all to saucepan along with tomato soup; heat through
- Sprinkle with chives before serving (optional)

I only used 1 14oz can (or rather, 14oz) of reduced sodium chicken broth for this since I only needed two servings. I kept the rest the same though, minus the fresh chives. I needed a quick and simple recipe for the refrigerated tortellini we had leftover.

(Recipe used: Better Homes & Gardens)

Soup & Veggies

Minestrone Soup

Made: January 3, 2013

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup elbow pasta
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes
Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds
Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes
Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes
Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes
Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes
Ladle into bowls and top with the Parmesan

I used black beans instead of kidney beans. The noodles sucked up a lot of the broth, so I might have to add more later on. But overall, I really enjoyed this!

(Recipe used: Food Network)

Cheesy Oven Noodles

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Made: December 25, 2012

Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried elbow macaroni (4 cups)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
- 8 oz pasteurized prepared cheese product, cut up
- 1/4 cup butter, cut up
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
- 1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup or 1 cup process cheese dip
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 F
- Cook macaroni according to package directions
- Meanwhile, let the cheeses and butter stand at room temperature
- Drain macaroni; transfer to a very large bowl
- Add 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese, the cheese product, and the butter to the hot pasta; stir well to combine, set aside
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese soup, and pepper until smooth
- Stir egg mixture into macaroni mixture
- Spoon macaroni mixture into a 3-quart baking dish
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes
- Uncover and stir well
- Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes more or until cheese melts

I used Velveeta for the pasteurized prepared cheese product (2 4oz blocks) cur into small squares and I also added some bread crumb topping on top during the 2nd cheese topping for the uncovered cooking segment for some crunch.

(Recipe used: Better Homes and Gardens)

Homemade Hambuger Helper

Layered Beefy Mac n' Cheese

Made: November 4, 2012

Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (8oz)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (12oz)
- 1 cup soft bread crumbs

Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Spray 2 qt casserole dishe with cooking spray
- Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cooking time
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the ground beef
- Season beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- Cook beef until thoroughly cooked, drain
- In a 2 qt saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
- Stir in flour, cook and stir 1 minute until bubbly
- Add in milk, cook and stir for 5-6 minutes until mixture thickens slightly
- Stir in broth and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Remove from heat
- Stir in cheese
- Fold in cooked macaroni
- Spoon 1/3 of the macaroni mixture into casserole dish
- Top with 1/2 of the beef misture
- Layer with another 1/3 of the macaroni mixture, remaining beef and finish off with the last of the macaroni mixture
- Top with the bread crumbs
- Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown

The only thing different I did was use Velvetta cheese instead of the shredded cheddar cheese. I didn't use a full 12oz of cheese either, just enough to coat the noodles and still be nice and cheesy!

(Recipe used: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2012)

Cheesy Tuna

Tuna Melt Pot Pie

Made: October 21, 2012

Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta (9oz)
- 1 can condensed Cheddar cheese soup (or 1 can condensed cream of mushroom/celery)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4oz)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 can (12 oz) white tuna in water, drained & flaked
- 1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions

Directions
- Heat oven to 375 F
- Spray 9 1/2in glass deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray
- Cook & drain pasta as directed on package
- In large bowl, mix soup & milk
- Stir in cooked pasta, tomato and cheeses
- Gently fold in tuna
- Spoon into pie plate
- Cover with foil, bake 30 mintues
- Uncover, sprinkle onions evenly over top
- Bake 5 minutes longer or until onions are light golden brown

I only did a couple things differently:
- I used a rectangular baking dish instead
- I used both rotini and bowtie pastas as I only had a little left per box and combined I reached the 3 cups needed
- I used cream of celery soup for this recipe; no cheddar cheese soup in the house and since Granny was joining us, no mushrooms
- I forgot about the Parmesan cheese (oops)
- Granny was joining us, so no fried onions.
- I used a can of pre-diced tomatoes. Just as easy and less of a mess to clean up after
- I used 15oz of tuna since my cans are only 5oz each and I like tuna; it evened up nicely in the end
- I used the rest of the shredded cheddar cheese (less than a handful left) and added 4 oz of Veleetta cheese to the mix

Overall, I think this was a new spin on a tuna casserole and I plan to make this again during the Lenten season!

(Recipe used: Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2012)

Taco Pasta

Taco Supper Skillet

Made: October 9, 2012

Ingredients
- 1/2 pound gounf beef
- 1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked wagon wheel pasta
- 1 1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed)
- 1 can (15oz) kidney or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
- In a 12in skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked; drain
- Stir seasoning mix, water, pasta, corn, beans and tomatoes into beef
- Heat to boiling
- Stir, reduce heat to medium
- Cover, cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed
- Stir in sour cream
- Remove from heat
- Sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted

I didn't have any wagon wheel (or rotelle) pasta, so I used eblows instead. I also used a can of stewed tomatoes and chopped them into smaller pieces. I topped with extra cheese, it didn't say too, but you can't say no to extra cheese!

(Recipe used: Best of Betty Crocker 2013)

I like Spaghetti & Cheese

Mac and Cheese Spaghetti

Made: October 4, 2012

Ingredients:
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups coarse white bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Noodles
- 14-16 package dried spaghetti
- 10 oz package frozen peas or fresh broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
- 4 oz American cheese, shredded

Directions
Topping
- Heat oven to 425 F
- In a 15x10x1 in baking baking pan, combine crumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter
- Bake 5 minutes, remove and set aside

Noodles
- In a Dutch oven, cook spaghetti with 1 tablespoon salt added to water; cook to package directions
- Add the peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking time
- Drain; reserving 2 cups of pasta water for later
- Set pasta & peas aside, keep warm
- Return 1 cup pasta water (from above) to dutch oven
- Bring to boiling
- Add the butter and mustard
- Add cheeses, a but at a time, stirring after each addition until melted
- Add in more pasta water if needed
- Add spaghetti, toss in cheese mixture
- Sprinkle servings with bread crumbs

I did a couple things differently. I used 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs, Velveeta cheese in place of American and added a handful of Mozzarella cheese to the mix. I also used a Peas & Carrot mixture. Overall, I loved this dish

(Recipe used: bgh.com)

Tuna Skillet

Tuna & Pasta Cheddar Melt

Made: September 27, 2012

Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 can tuna, drained & flaked
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
- Heat the broth and the water to a boil over medium-high heat in a large skillet
- Add the past and cook until it's just tender, stirring often; do not drain
- Stir in the soup, mulk and tuna
- Top with cheese
- Mix the bread crumbs with the melted butter
- Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top
- Heat throughout

I melted the cheese within the pasta than just sprinkling it on top. I also used about 1 1/2 handfuls of the shredded cheddar cheese we have left and used a good 2 tablespoons of Velveeta cheese :) I also used cream of broccoli soup since my Granny was joining us for dinner.

(Recipe used: Campbell's Easy Skillets)

A new lasagna for Garfield

Chicken lasagna

Made: September 9, 2012

Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese
- 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups cooked chicken
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 1 can condensed cream of celery coup, undiluted
- 2/3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
- 1 package (6 oz) stuffing mix
- 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions
- In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and cream cheese
- In a large bow, combine the chicken soups, milk, onion and salt
- Spread 1/2 the chicken mixture into a greased 13x9in baking dish
- Top with 3 noodles
- Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture
- Repeat layers
- Toss the stuffing mix with the butter
- Sprinkle over casserole
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 F for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

Overall, I loved this dish. I will be tweaking a few things next time I make this though. I will use more cream cheese in the cheese mixture, more stuffing as a topping, not a sprinkle overtop & cut the chicken into slightly smaller chunks. I also added a dash of onion powder instead of actual onion for my Granny. But I can't wait to make this dish again. So yummy!

(Recipe used: Taste of Home Everyday slow cooker & one dish recipes 2012)

Mac & chicken

Chicken, Macaroni, and Cheese

Made: August 20, 2012

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast; cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 6.5oz light semi-soft cheese with garlic and herb
- 1 2/3 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions

- In a medium saucepan, cook macaroni according to package directions; do no add salt & drain
- Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with cooking spray
- Preheat skillet over medium-high heat
- Add chicken and onion to skillet
- Cook for 4-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender, stirring frequently
- Remove skillet from heat
- Stir in semi-soft cheese until melted
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth
- Add all of the flour mixture to the chicken
- Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly
- Reduce heat to low
- Stir in cheddar cheese until melted
- Add cooked macaroni; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until heated through
- Stir in cherry tomatoes and serve

I omitted the onion, and instead of shredded cheddar cheese, I used some of the Velveeta block I had left over from a precious recipe. Overall, it was quite cheesy and good :)

(Recipe used: Better Homes and Gardens Homestyle Favorites)