Easy Crockpot Lasagna

Web Admin 0 28 Article rating: No rating
a cooked slow cooker lasagna topped with melted mozzarella cheese

This crockpot lasagna is cheesy, saucy and loaded with layers of tender noodles, beef and Italian sausage, cottage cheese and plenty of mozzarella. With about 20 minutes of prep and no need to boil the noodles first, you get all the layers of a classic homemade lasagna without hovering over a pot of pasta or heating up the oven.

And YES, you really can put the noodles in uncooked! They soften right in the sauce as the lasagna slowly cooks, which is exactly why this has become one of my favorite ways to make lasagna.

Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Lasagna

  • No boiling the noodles: Layer them into the slow cooker straight from the box and let the sauce and steam do the work.
  • Classic lasagna, less work: You still get layers of meat sauce, pasta and three kinds of cheese without boiling noodles or heating up the oven.
  • Extra flavorful meat sauce: Using both ground beef and Italian sausage gives the sauce so much more flavor than beef alone.
  • Creamy cottage cheese filling: Cottage cheese, Parmesan and an egg make a rich, creamy layer that holds together beautifully when sliced.
  • Great for feeding a family: It’s hearty, filling and makes plenty for dinner with leftovers for the next day.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Ground Beef: Adds hearty, beefy flavor to the meat sauce. We combine it with Italian sausage so neither one overpowers the lasagna.
  • Italian Sausage: The easiest way to add loads of flavor without measuring a bunch of extra seasonings. Mild or hot Italian sausage will both work.
  • Yellow Onion: Mince it fairly small so it melts into the meat sauce as it cooks.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic adds another layer of savory flavor to the sauce.
  • Marinara Sauce: This is one place where using a really good jarred sauce makes a difference. We love Rao’s, but use your favorite marinara or Bolognese sauce.
  • Heavy Cream: Just a splash rounds out the acidity of the tomato sauce and makes it a little richer. It’s optional, so feel free to leave it out.
  • Lemon Juice: It might sound unexpected, but a little squeeze brightens the rich meat and cheese layers.
  • Cottage Cheese: Creates the creamy cheese layer in place of traditional ricotta. We love the texture and mild flavor.
  • Egg: Helps bind the cottage cheese mixture so the lasagna holds its layers better when sliced.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan adds salty, nutty flavor to the cottag
Read more

Beef Chow Mein Casserole

Web Admin 0 60 Article rating: No rating
a large serving spoon scooping out a serving of mock chow mein casserole

Confession: this beef chow mein casserole was one of my LEAST favorite dinners as a kid. Right up there with tuna casserole. And now? I totally get why my mom made it.

This old-fashioned mock chow mein casserole is made with ground beef, rice, cream of mushroom soup and a few simple pantry ingredients, then topped with those crispy chow mein noodles that every kid fights over. It’s inexpensive, filling and makes enough to feed the whole family.

As a kid, I would stare at that pan of beef, rice and soup wondering why we couldn’t just order pizza.

Funny how growing up changes things.

Somewhere along the way, I realized my mom’s casseroles weren’t punishment. 😂 They were the recipes she grew up eating—the kind of simple, budget-friendly dinners that could feed a family without a lot of fuss.

And wouldn’t you know it, now I’m the one craving mock chow mein casserole.

Mom, you win.

QUICK LOOK

  • Prep: About 15 minutes
  • Main Ingredients: Ground beef + rice
  • Bake: 2 hours
  • Best for: Family dinners + leftovers
  • Don’t Skip: The crunchy chow mein noodles!

What is Mock Chow Mein?

Despite the name, mock chow mein isn’t traditional Chinese chow mein. It’s an old-fashioned American casserole made with ground beef, rice, condensed soup and soy sauce, with crispy chow mein noodles sprinkled over the top.

It’s one of those vintage recipes that showed up in family cookbooks and casserole dishes for generations and this is the version my mom made for us growing up.

Why You’ll Love This Mock Chow Mein Recipe

  • Budget-friendly: Ground beef, rice and pantry staples make this an inexpensive way to feed the whole family.
  • Easy to make: Brown the beef, stir everything together and let the oven do the work.
  • That CRUNCH: Crispy chow mein noodles on top are easily the best part.
  • Old-fashioned comfort food: It’s one of those simple family recipes that tastes exactly like childhood.

Ingredients You’ll Need

One reason recipes like this have stuck around for generations? Simple, inexpensive ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Ground
Read more

Honey Curry Chicken

Web Admin 0 50 Article rating: No rating
A metal, vintage bowl filled with white long grain rice and shredded chicken with a simple honey curry sauce made in an instant pot with cilantro on top. easy instant pot honey chicken

Our honey curry chicken is a tender chicken recipe smothered in a sweet, savory curry sauce that’s so good you’ll want extra rice just to soak it up.

This Honey Curry Baked Chicken recipe is everything you want in an easy dinner recipe. It comes together with a few minutes prep and it all bakes in one pan! It’s packed with delicious flavors and it’s the perfect weeknight dinner. 

Anyone else tired of the same boring dinner recipes? I need an easy chicken dinner but I’m tired of the same boring chicken. 

I’m so tired of making the same chicken dinner! So I set out to create something new for anyone else that’s trying to make a quick and easy dinner with boneless, skinless chicken.

My qualifications were it had to be:

  • quick
  • family-friendly
  • pantry-friendly
  • inexpensive
  • different enough to feel exciting

I tried a few different chicken recipes from the top bloggers but they ended up laborious, flavorless or kind of dry. I hate dry chicken. Which meant, I had added a new category to my checklist, cannot be dry! And my friends, after months of testing I ended up back at an old, lost recipe from our newlywed years. You are going to be OBSESSED!

Why You’ll Love This Honey Curry Chicken

  • One-pan dinner
  • Just minutes of prep
  • Sweet and savory flavor
  • Juicy baked chicken
  • Family-friendly
  • Great over rice
  • Perfect weeknight meal
  • Pantry staple ingredients
  • Delicious leftovers

Ingredients You’ll Need

Craving Something Different? This Easy Honey Curry Chicken Uses Simple Ingredients:

  • Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts bake up tender and juicy. Chicken thighs also work well.
  • Butter: Creates a rich, silky sauce and helps keep the chicken moist.
  • Honey: Adds sweetness and helps the sauce caramelize beautifully.
  • Dijon Mustard: Balances the sweetness with a little tang and depth.
  • Curry Powder: Adds warm, earthy flavor without overwhelming heat.
  • Chicken Seasoning: Gives the chicken an extra boost of savory flavor.
  • Lemon Pepper: Brightens the rich sauce.
  • Salt: Brings all the flavors together.

Read more

Easy Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl

Web Admin 0 54 Article rating: No rating
a bowl of rice topped with strips of teriyaki chicken and sauteed vegetables

Forget takeout! These teriyaki chicken rice bowls have juicy grilled chicken, fresh sautéed veggies and the stickiest homemade teriyaki sauce, all ready in about 30 minutes.

It’s faster than takeout, uses simple ingredients, and makes an easy weeknight dinner everyone can customize.

Yesterday I said to my husband, I want takeout-style teriyaki chicken, but I need an easy dinner I can make at home. And voila, we made these awesome teriyaki rice bowls!

The reality is, you want takeout but don’t have the time to pick up, budget to eat out or desire to eat fast food. So what do you do when you’re craving takeout?  Skip the Takeout: This Easy Teriyaki Chicken Bowl Is Ready in 30 Minutes and makes a great freezer meal!

The first time I made teriyaki chicken at home I was so disappointed by the dry chicken with a watery sauce that was overly sweet and nothing like my favorite takeout. We had to test a lot of different recipes and styles (ditch the slow cooker this time) to come up with a 20-30 minute dinner idea that’s a cheap recipe on a busy weeknight. Buying a low sodium sauce helps it not be too salty that you need to load it with brown sugar and still maintains the flavor. 

But there was still one problem: thin and watery sauce was not what I remembered from our local restaurant. I need a thick, glossy and sticky sauce. The perfect amount of cornstarch or ez gel solved that problem with just a few turns of the whisk and heat set to simmer! 

QUICK LOOK

  • Time: 30 minutes
  • Protein: Chicken thighs
  • Sauce: Homemade teriyaki
  • Veggies: Carrots, zucchini, squash + onion
  • Best for: Quick dinners and meal prep

Why You’ll Love This Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl

  • Ready in 30 minutes: Chicken, veggies, rice and homemade sauce without spending all night in the kitchen.
  • Better than takeout: That sticky homemade teriyaki sauce makes the whole bowl.
  • Kid-approved: This is one of the few dinners every single one of my kids devours.
  • Easy to customize: Swap the vegetables, protein or rice and make it your own.

Ingredients You Will Need

Teriyaki Chicken

  • Soy Sauce: The salty, savory base of our homemade teriyaki sauce.
  • Brown Sugar + Honey: Add sweetness and help create that
Read more

15 Minute One Pot Parmesan Garlic Butter Pasta

Web Admin 0 70 Article rating: No rating
a large bowl of creamy parmesan garlic ditalini pasta

This one pot Garlic Butter Pasta is creamy, cozy, and packed with rich flavor from garlic, butter, and freshly grated parmesan. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you come back to over and over again.

It’s the perfect quick dinner, easy side dish, or late-night comfort meal that is ready in just 15 minutes!

In college, I lived on buttery noodles with mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. It was quick, easy, and I wasn’t super into spaghetti sauce, so it was my way of enjoying pasta. It’s perfect for anyone who’s single, in college, has a family, or is an empty nester, so I love that it works for everyone! This garlic butter pasta is an elevated version of my dorm room favorite!

Ingredients You’ll Need For Garlic Butter Pasta

This recipe uses just a handful of pantry staples, but when they come together, the result is silky, flavorful pasta with incredible depth. Freshly grated parmesan makes all the difference here, so don’t skip that step.

  • Fresh Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated for the best melt and flavor. Blending it into a fine texture helps it cling beautifully to the pasta.
  • Olive Oil: Sautés the garlic and help toast the pasta slightly for added depth.
  • Garlic: Minced fresh garlic gives the dish its signature savory flavor.
  • Ditalini Pasta: Small tube-shaped pasta that cooks directly in the broth and absorbs flavor as it softens. Orzo or macaroni works in a pinch.
  • Chicken Broth: Cooks the pasta while infusing it with rich, savory flavor.
  • Heavy Cream: Adds silkiness and brings everything together into a smooth sauce.
  • Unsalted Butter: Stirred in at the end for richness and a glossy finish.
  • Salt and Black Pepper: Balance and enhance all the flavors.
  • Fresh Parsley: Adds freshness and color right before serving.
  • Aglio Seasoning or Red Pepper Flakes: Optional for a little heat and extra depth.

With just a few simple ingredients, this one pot garlic butter pasta transforms into a creamy, garlicky dish. Measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make This Pasta Dish

This is a true one-pot pasta recipe, meaning the noodles cook right in the broth. That means less cleanup and more flavor infused into every bite.

  1. Blend: Add a chunk of Parmesan to a blender and pulse until finely grated, almost powdery. This helps it melt smooth
Read more
RSS
1345678910Last