Main Dish – My Recipes

Pork Chile Stew

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 2 inch strips
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1-3 (15 ounce) cans black beans
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
½-1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder

Directions

Combine pork tenderloin, onion, red pepper, black beans, salsa, chicken broth, oregano, cumin, and chili powder in a slow cooker. Set to Low and cook for 8 to 10 hours.

Break up pieces of cooked pork to thicken the chili before serving.

Hashbrown Casserole

Servings12 servings
Author: John Kanell – Preppy Kitchen
Notes
For an extra crunchy texture, you can add some panko breadcrumbs, cornflakes, or crushed Ritz crackers tossed in melted butter over the cheese. However, you’ll have to cover the baking dish with foil until the last 5 to 10 minutes to ensure the crunchy toppings don’t burn.

You can use frozen cubed hashbrowns if you can’t find shredded hashbrowns.

If you’re not a fan of cheddar cheese, you can use any type of melty cheese in its place, such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Gruyere, and provolone.
You can add some meat to this hashbrown casserole, such as shredded chicken, cubed ham, or crumbled bacon bits.Add some heat to this old-fashioned hashbrown casserole by adding some diced jalapeños.
Equipment
9×13″ casserole dish
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g)
2 cups sour cream (480g)
1 (10.5-ounce/298g) can cream of chicken soup
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided (12 ounces/338g)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (30-ounce/850g) bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the melted butter into a 9×13-inch baking dish and swirl to coat.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, cream of chicken soup, 2 cups of shredded cheddar, onion, salt, and pepper. Fold in potatoes until well coated.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheddar cheese.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and beginning to brown at the corners. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Flatbread Pizza

If you want dinner on the table in under 30 minutes, try this store-bought flatbread pizza recipe. No fuss and minimal effort!

Servings2 pizzas
Author John Kanell

Ingredients

2 (7 to 9-inch) premade flatbreads or naans
½ cup pizza sauce (120mL)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella torn into pieces (225g)
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Torn fresh basil to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place the flatbreads on a large baking sheet. Divide the sauce evenly among the flatbreads, and spread into an even layer, leaving about a 1/4-inch border on each. Sprinkle each with mozzarella. Top with cherry tomatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Top with basil, if desired.

Notes

Save time with this store-bought flatbread pizza recipe. I’ll be honest: On a busy weeknight, I want to make dinner as quick and easy as possible. Using my favorite store-bought flatbread is such a simple way to save time and energy! I like the puffiness of naan, but any flatbread you like will work, even pita bread.

Turn pizza night into a family affair! If you have children old enough, put them in charge of pizza toppings. My sons love helping me and choosing the toppings for their own pizzas.

Change up the base. Swap the tomato sauce for pesto, a creamy white sauce, or something more unique like barbecue sauce!

Use garlic naan. If you are all about garlicky flavor, up the ante with garlic naan.

Nutrition

Corn and Poblano Lasagna

Serves:6 to 8

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears), or frozen and thawed
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 poblano chiles, charred, peeled, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
12 (7 by 3-inch) no-boil lasagna sheets
2 cups shredded Oaxaca cheese, or mozzarella

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2/3 of the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Mix in the corn and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and thyme. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the zucchini and poblano strips and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Spread about 1/4 of the corn mixture over the bottom of an 11 by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of 3 lasagna sheets. Spread 1/4 of the poblano mixture and 1/4 of the cheese over the pasta. Repeat the layering 3 more times. Cover with foil.

Bake until the pasta is cooked and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and turn up the oven temperature to broil. Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Amy’s Italian Chicken

This is the easiest chicken in the world to make, and one of the tastiest for a main dish, leftover cold chicken sandwiches, or sliced over salads or hot pasta dishes. Thanks for the tip Amy.

6 chicken breasts, boned or not
1 large bottle of Italian dressing

Place chicken in casserole baking dish and pour the dressing over all to coat. Try not to stack the chicken.
Bake in 375° oven until chicken is done. Try not to over bake it, and check to make sure there is enough liquid in baking dish so chicken does not burn. If needed add ¼ cup HOT water.
Remove chicken from oven when it is done, and leave in juice about 3-5 minutes.
Remove chicken from juice after 3-5 minutes, as chicken will soak up the dressing and is usually too vinegary after that time.
6 Servings

Benihana Sesame Chicken
From one of the knif weilding experts!

This is a single serving recipe that can be doubled or tripled or more as need.

1 tsp soybean oil, or sesame oil
5 ounces skinned, boneless chicken breast
2 mushrooms, sliced into 8 pieces
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
Salt and pepper (optional)

Add oil to heated nonstick skillet (for electric skillet, set at 360 degrees F).

Cut chicken breast into bite-size pieces, sprinkling with salt and pepper if desired.
Cook for 8 minutes or more until chicken is white in appearance and firm to the touch.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and sesame seeds. Add mushroom slices, cooking 2-3 minutes more and serve hot.

Hearty Chicken & Noodle Casserole

serves:4 calories:361
Ingredients:
1 can (10.5 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom
Soup
1/2 cup reduced fat (2%) milk
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, corn, peas)
2 cups cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
1 1/2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions: Stir the soup, milk, vegetables, chicken, noodles, Parmesan cheese and black pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
Bake at 400°F. for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese.
Tips
Transforming leftovers is simple with easy casserole recipes like this one. Cooked chicken, turkey or ham
will all work in this recipe.
•
For Golden Onion Chicken & Noodle Casserole, substitute 1/2 cup crushed French fried onions for the
Cheddar cheese.
• For Hearty Chicken Casserole with a Twist, substitute 2 cups cooked rotini pasta for the egg noodles.
Make Ahead Freezer Meal: Assemble as directed (including topping with the cheese), wrap tightly (add a
layer of parchment on top under the foil so the cheese won’t stick) and freeze. From frozen, bake, covered,
at 400°F. for 55 minutes or until hot. Or, thaw in the refrigerator and bake, covered, for 35 minutes or until

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

SERVES 6 to 8, or 10 to 12 as a side
TIME 1 hour
For a macaroni and cheese recipe that would appeal to adults and kids alike, we kept things simple, staying away from pungent cheeses and overly rich eggs and cream. Instead, we tossed al dente pasta with a béchamel-based cheese sauce, using a combination of sharp cheddar for flavor and Monterey Jack for creaminess. To give our macaroni and cheese recipe a crunchy topping, we tossed homemade bread crumbs with melted butter, sprinkled them over the casserole, and browned the dish quickly under the broiler.
Ingredients:
3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled, plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound elbow macaroni
Salt
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 cups whole milk
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

Instructions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Pulse bread and chilled butter in food processor until coarsely ground, 7 to 10 pulses; set aside.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until tender. Drain macaroni and set aside in colander.
Melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses until fully melted. Add macaroni and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.
Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch broiler-safe baking dish. Top with bread-crumb mixture and broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating dish if necessary for even browning. Let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

Chicken Pot Pie for Two

SERVES 2
TIME 1½ hours
Why This Recipe Works
To simplify our Chicken Pot Pie for Two, we opted to make two individual pies inside of ramekins. A single boneless, skinless chicken breast was super easy to work with and substantial enough for two pies when combined with the rest of the ingredients. Cooking the chicken right in the sauce imparted layers of flavor and also saved time on cleanup. A little soy sauce added complex flavor that would normally require hours of simmering to achieve. For the crust, we turned to a store-bought option, which we parcooked on a baking sheet to ensure it didn’t collapse into the filling.
Ingredients”
1 Pillsbury Just Unroll! Pie Crust
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small celery rib, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
¼ cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
Before You Begin
We use two ovensafe 12-ounce ramekins or bowls to make this dish. If you don’t own any, you can use 14-ounce disposable mini loaf pans, cutting the crust to fit.
Instructions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll dough on baking sheet. Use 12-ounce ovensafe ramekin as guide to cut out 2 rounds of dough about ½ inch larger than mouth of ramekin. Fold under and crimp outer ½ inch of dough, then cut 3 vents in center of each crust. Bake until crusts just begin to brown and no longer look raw, about 7 minutes; set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in broth, cream, and soy sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle chicken into sauce and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, return pan with sauce to medium heat and simmer until thickened and sauce measures 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, return shredded chicken and accumulated juice to pan. Stir in peas, parsley, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide filling between ramekins and place parbaked crusts on top of filling. Place pot pies on baking sheet and bake until crusts are deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pot pies cool for 10 minutes before serving.

One-Pan Easy Baked Mac and Cheese

SERVES 4
TIME 1 hour
To make things totally simple, we wanted to be able to cook the pasta without having to heat up the water or toast the macaroni. Cooking the pasta at a relatively moderate temperature in a mixture of water and evaporated milk helped us do just that while also establishing a creamy base for the cheese sauce. Stirring in a meltable blend of shredded cheddar and American cheeses at the end of baking gave us perfectly and evenly cooked pasta in a lush, smooth sauce. And panko bread crumbs, browned in the microwave and sprinkled on before serving, provided irresistible crunch.
Ingredients:
12 ounces (3 cups) elbow macaroni
2½ cups water
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1½ cups)
6 ounces American cheese, shredded (1½ cups)
½ cup panko bread crumbs, toasted
Instructions:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spread macaroni into prepared dish. Whisk 2 cups water, evaporated milk, dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Pour into baking dish and stir gently to combine.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake, stirring occasionally, until macaroni is nearly tender and most liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.
Remove dish from oven and stir macaroni thoroughly, scraping sides and bottom of dish. Stir in remaining ½ cup water, cheddar cheese, and American cheese. Cover dish with foil and return to oven to bake until macaroni is tender and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove dish from oven. Stir to coat pasta evenly in sauce, and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted panko before serving.

Olive Garden Style, Chicken Vino Bianco

This is defiantly one of my favorites. I sometimes add 2 cans of chicken stock to make more liquid while cooking. I then add two tablespoons of cornstarch to ¼ cup of water, mix well and add to the chicken mixture for a thickening, the last 5 minutes of cooking. I like a gravy sauce for the pasta.

2 Tb olive oil
2 Tb butter
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1 ½ inch to 2” wide strips. If breasts are partially frozen they will slice better.
3 Tb flour
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
4-6 sliced and separated red onion slices
¼ cup julienne cut, gold or red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ sliced mushrooms
¾ cup white wine
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
¼ cup tomato sauce
2 Tb celery, chopped
1 small can about ¼ to ½ cup, whole, pitted black olives
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice prepared according to package directions

Heat oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

Toss chicken strips in flour and season with a little salt and pepper. Quickly brown strips in hot oil, be sure to not cook chicken all the way through, just lightly brown the chicken strips and remove from hot oil.

Stir in butter, chopped onions and garlic into the skillet, and cook until just tender, not browned.

Stir in white wine, tomato sauce, and 14 oz can of chicken broth. Add chicken strips, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for about 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is almost, but not completely done.

Add more chicken stock or a little water if necessary. You will want at least 1 cup of sauce when cooking is done.

Add mushrooms, sliced red onion, olives to skillet mixture, and cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are just tender, be sure to not over cook. Turn off skillet heat.

Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and stir well.

Test taste for salt and pepper, add if needed.

Cover and let chicken set for 5 minutes.

Serve warm over pasta of your choice.