Chicken Enchilada Soup

I made this soup for a nice Sunday dinner with a friend and it was way good!  You can't really go wrong with chicken enchilada soup.  And the jalapenos made it that much better!  Definitely a fan of this one.  And although I made this on the stove top, apparently you can make it in the crock pot... So even that much better!
Time: About 1 hour 30 min (on stove top)
Enjoy!


Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock
2 skinless, chicken breasts
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
8 oz pepperjack cheese, divided
1 cup cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips


Directions:
In a large pot, add chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Simmer about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, shred into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Stove top: Add tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down. Add black beans, corn, and tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add cotija cheese and half of the pepperjack cheese and stir to melt. Return chicken to soup and cook about 20 more minutes until desired consistency.

Crock pot: To cook in a crockpot, add all ingredients (including the chicken stock you used to cook the chicken, but besides the cooked chicken itself and cheese) to the crock pot and cook on low; the longer the better, but at least 3 hours. Add chicken and cheese about 30 minutes before serving.

If soup isn't as thick as desired, you can add strips of flour tortillas. They will dissolve into the soup to thicken the broth. Add cilantro, reserving some to top individual bowls if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, reserved pepperjack cheese and cilantro if desired.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus & Balsamic Butter

 

I made this tonight...  And I can absolutely say this might be one of my new favorites!  It is SO good!  The roasted asparagus I really could have eaten by itself, it was so good and salty...  MMM!  And if you like balsamic vinegar, you'll like it even more. The only things I would have changed would to maybe not put quite as much salt (and I like salt), and put a LOT more asparagus in!  ;)

Time: About 30-40 min.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 pound asparagus 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 teaspoons salt 

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 

1 pound penne 

1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces 

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°. 

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan. 

Pasta with Roasted Pepper & Cream Sauce

This one is definitely a favorite!  And hey, who doesn't like fun little seashell noodles?!
Time: About 30-40 min.
Enjoy!


Ingredients: 
1 pound uncooked seashell pasta
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided 
Thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)


Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar; cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.

Place bell pepper mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Return bell pepper mixture to pan; cook over low heat until warm. Combine half-and-half and tomato paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir tomato mixture into bell pepper mixture, stirring with a whisk until well combined. Stir in ground red pepper.

Combine pasta and bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup cheese, tossing to coat. Spoon 1 1/3 cups pasta into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with about 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Baked Spaghetti

I stole this picture online. It sort of kind of [not at all] doesn't look like this. Close enough. I'm sorry, I was too busy eating!!!

One of our absolute favorite in the Wilburn household!  Ooooh goodness!  We probably make this at least 2-3 times a month.  It's a little ridiculous.  Soo easy and leftovers are soo good!!!  Highly recommend!
Time:  About 60 min.
Enjoy!


Ingredients:
1- 8 oz package of spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 T butter
1- 28 oz jar of Classico vodka sauce [I usually use Victoria, not Classico]
1 lb ground beef
1 c grated parmesan cheese, divided
1- 24 oz container of cottage cheese
1- 8 oz package of shredded mozzarella


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. 

Combine hot cooked spaghetti with butter; stir to coat.  Add 1/2 c parmesan cheese; stir to coat.  Arrange spaghetti in an even layer in pan.  Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti.  Sprinkle with 1/4 c of parmesan. 

Brown ground beef and drain grease.  Add pasta sauce and heat until bubbly.  Spoon over cheeses.  Top with mozzarella and remaining parmesan. 

Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil cover and continue baking for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. 

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is what I made for dinner tonight, and it was very yummy!  Instead of chopped sun-dried tomatoes [since we didn't have any], I added some crushed red pepper because I like SPICY...  And oh BOY, was it spicy!  Also, I don't really know why, but this might have been the most tender chicken I've ever cooked.  I always try so hard and my meat usually comes out tough.  But this was really tender!  Mmm, it was divine!
Time: Less than 30 min.
Enjoy!!!


Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes [raw, not already cooked]
8 ounces linguine, cooked al dente
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream [I used 1 cup 1% milk and 1 cup whipping cream, to be a little on the healthier side]
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes [I used about 1 1/4 T of crushed red pepper instead for some SPICE]
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese


Directions:

Place chicken cubes and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat add heavy cream/milk, dried tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through.  [I added about 1 tablespoon of flour to thicken it up a bit]

Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.