Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ***

I made this basically as written, except that I added crawfish and used angelhair pasta in place of spaghetti. Oh, and smoked sausage in place of andouille. Those are all just personal preferences, though. It was amazing. It technically does take a bit of prep time, but it's worth it. For me, it helped that I had cooked chicken on hand and used a frozen fajita pepper blend in place of the peppers. All I really had to do was cut up the sausage. I actually need to make it again soon, now that I think about it!

SLOW COOKER CAJUN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Tablespoon)

10 oz (about 2/3 of a 1 lb box) dried spaghetti noodles
1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo sauce
1 medium (about 1 cup) yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 lb andouille sausage, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir GlenOrganic Diced Tomatoes Fire Roasted
1 1/2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

To start, cut the chicken into bite-size chunks and slice the andouille sausage.
Dice the whole onion, chop the bell pepper and mince the garlic. (Prep work over.)
Pour 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker and stir in the onions and garlic. Layer the chicken pieces on top of the saucy onions and sprinkle half of your Creole seasoning over the chicken.
Layer the bell pepper and sausage pieces over the chicken, then pour in the whole can of tomatoes (including the liquid). Top tomatoes with remaining Creole seasoning and Alfredo sauce.
Close the lid and cook on low for 4 hours. After 4 hours, give everything a stir and add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce. Season with salt to taste, and add additional Creole seasoning if desired.
Break the spaghetti noodles in thirds and place them in the sauce. Stir until noodles are completely coated and submerged in the sauce, with no pieces sticking out.
Increase heat to high and cook, covered, for 20-25 more minutes. Give your pasta a good stir or two, and enjoy! NOTE: Keep in mind that once you turn the slow cooker off, the sauce and noodles will continue to cook for a few minutes. If you're not going to eat immediately, reduce the time you cook the noodles so that they are not overcooked by the time you're ready to eat.
*Amy's notes: I subbed angelhair pasta, smoked sausage, and a frozen fajita pepper blend. I also cut back on chicken and added crawfish.

One-Pot Cajun Pasta ****

I'm sorry I've been gone a bit.  I'm still cooking, but I just started a new job last month, after working from home for the past 4 months.  It's been quite an adjustment, so I've been sticking mostly to old tried and true favorites.  Now that I've (hopefully!) found my new rhythm, I plan on getting back in to trying new recipes again!

This was just absolutely amazing.  The kids and hubs raved.  Both kids begged to take leftovers to school.  And the 10-year-old said that when he sat back down at the table after reheating his in the microwave, his friends were all telling him how it smelled like his mom must be a really good cook.  Proud mama moment. :-)  But seriously, this recipe is so amazingly easy that it would be really hard to mess it up.

I took a few little shortcuts, just because I have so little time after work now (my commute home with my new job is longer than it used to be).  For the onion and peppers, I just used a bag of frozen fajita blend peppers and onions.  I meant to set it out to let it thaw ahead of time, but since I forgot, I just threw them in with the chicken at the beginning.  The only difference was that I had to pour out a bit more liquid after everything had cooked down.  No biggie.  Then I used the pre-sliced mushrooms from the produce section.  Ideally, I would have thought to dice the chicken and sausage ahead of time, but alas, that did not happen.

We will most definitely be having this again.  They were all asking me to make it again the very next night, lol.  I'd really like to try it with some crawfish tails.  I can see them being amazing in something like this!

ONE-POT CAJUN PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ BuzzFeedTasty)

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts, diced
8 oz Andouille or smoked sausage, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
16 oz box of the pasta of your choice (we used linguine)
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning

1. Pour olive oil into the pot. Add diced chicken breast to the pot, cover with Cajun seasoning (You can use a store-bought Cajun spice mix or make your own! We used equal parts cayenne pepper, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.), and stir until the chicken is evenly seasoned. Then, add sliced sausage and stir. Cook the meat on medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Once the meat is cooked, add in the garlic, onion, peppers, and mushrooms, and stir. Continue stirring for 3-5 minutes as the veggies cook down.
3. Add the dry pasta to the pot (if using long, thin noodles, break in half), then pour in the chicken broth. Stir until everything is well-mixed. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, keep covered bring the heat down to a simmer for 10 minutes (stirring every two minutes). If there still extra chicken broth, you can discard it, cook longer until the liquid evaporates, or add a little cornstarch to thicken the liquid.
4. Lastly, add heavy cream and Parmesan and stir until your pasta is well blended. Garnish with green onions, more Parmesan, a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning (if you want some extra spice), and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I used a bag of frozen fajita blend peppers and onions and put them in with the chicken at the beginning.

Crockpot Pizza Tortellini ***

This was really good.  I have an old BBC recipe for Crockpot Pizza that we love, but as I was shopping for the ingredients, I decided to remake it into a tortellini dish.  The kids and I love tortellini, so when coupled with pizza, it was just bound to be a slam dunk.  I originally made it with more water and more tortellini, but I've lowered the amounts in the final recipe.  I used the frozen chopped peppers and onions.  You can obviously sub in ground beef.  Ground turkey is just our preference.  I definitely want to make this again!

CROCKPOT PIZZA TORTELLINI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

12-oz dried spinach and cheese tortellini, uncooked
1-1/2 lbs ground turkey, browned and drained
8-oz can sliced mushrooms
8-oz can sliced black olives
1 packet sliced pepperoni
3 (14-oz) jars pizza sauce
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
14.5-oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cups water (enough to cover the mixture)
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients together in crockpot.
Cook on low 7 hours.
Top each serving with a sprinkle of mozzarella.
Serves 6-8

Slow Cooker Cheesy Sausage and Veggie Pasta ***

We loved this so much!  Before you stir in the pasta, it sort of smells like one of my lentil recipes (which is a good thing!).  The cheese thoroughly breaks down during cooking, and it's just this yummy, creamy sauce.  The kids ate every bite, including all the vegetables!  Not only that, but they didn't see the vegetables as actual vegetables, so I got away with serving another veggie (broccoli) on the side!  Score!

SLOW COOKER CHEESY SAUSAGE AND VEGGIE PASTA
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ inspired by Fix-It-and-Forget-It)

2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded fiesta blend cheese (or your favorite cheese blend)
2 lbs kielbasa, sliced into quarters
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 cups carrots, shredded
1 lb rotini pasta

Heat beef stock to boiling on stovetop.  Add in butter and stir until melted.
Add boiling stock to slow cooker.  Slowly whisk in flour until there are no clumps.  Add remaining ingredients except pasta.  Stir well until combined.
Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until vegetables are soft and tender.
When finished cooking, prepare pasta as directed on box. Drain and mix into crockpot.  Stir gently until well mixed.
Serve warm.
Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Cajun Chicken Spaghetti ***

We loved this!  I based it off of a recipe on Tablespoon, but I made so many changes that would affect the end result (good or bad) that it felt wrong using their recipe here.  So anyway, this was great.  I will most definitely make it again.  Even the kids were begging for seconds.

CROCKPOT CAJUN CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ inspired by Tablespoon)

3-4 uncooked large chicken breasts, diced
1 lb turkey Polish sausage
30 oz reduced-fat Alfredo sauce
1 package frozen fajita blend green peppers, red peppers, and onions
28 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 lb dried angelhair pasta

Combine all ingredients except pasta in crockpot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Follow directions on package for cooking pasta.  Drain and add to crockpot.
Stir until all noodles are covered.

Pizza Pierogi Casserole ****

I have no words for how freaking GOOD this is.  The kids would have eaten the entire dish if I'd let them.  It's unusual for all of us to fall in love with the same dish, but this was definitely a winner for us!  I used 4-cheese pierogies with fresh mushrooms.  I'm sticking with that next time.  Just wow.  Obviously, it's not a fancy dish, and definitely not waist-friendly, but so very worth the calories.  Every.stinking.one. ;-)

PIZZA PIEROGI CASSEROLE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ FrugalFoodieMama)

2 (16oz) packages of your favorite frozen pierogies
16 oz jar of your favorite pizza sauce
2-3 oz of sliced pepperoni
1 to 1-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Any additional pizza toppings that you would like

Boil the two packages of frozen pierogies according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Start layering your pizza pierogi casserole in this order - 1/3 of the pizza sauce spread into the bottom of the dish, then half the boiled pierogies, then another 1/3 of the pizza sauce spread over the pierogies, then half the pepperoni slices and any other toppings you wish to add, then half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering again from the pierogies.
Bake in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
To Freeze the Casserole:
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, and then freeze. Allow the casserole to thaw completely in the fridge before baking. Then follow the directions above to bake.
Casserole should keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Blasphemous Pork Chops and Noodles (Crockpot) ***

This was amazing.  I'm not normally all that fond of pork chops (they're too dry for me), but they are fabulous cooked like this in the crockpot.  They're so tender and flavorful.  I think I may cut down a bit on the egg noodles next time, but that's the only thing I'll change.  I did have a bunch of fresh mushrooms to use up, so I threw them in there as well.  I'll definitely keep doing that.  I just love pork and mushrooms together.  Seriously, though, I will be making this again.  Two thumbs up all around!

BLASPHEMOUS PORK CHOPS AND NOODLES (CROCKPOT)
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ GoingReno)

6 pork chops or 1-1/2 pounds pork roast
1-1/2 cups liquid (I used chicken broth)
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
Salt, pepper to taste
1 T Italian seasoning
1 T dry mustard
1/2 cup apricot preserves
Italian bread crumbs

Put the broth, butter, onion, garlic, apricot preserves, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and dry mustard into the crock of your slow cooker. Whisk to combine, then add the pork. Cook on high for four to five hours or low for eight to ten hours. About half way through the cooking time, turn the pork chops so that any part that wasn't already submerged is.
When the pork chops are done, start cooking the egg noodles. Take the meat out of the slow cooker. Remove any fat and use two forks to shred. Put the meat back into the crock.
When the noodles are cooked, drain them, then dump them into the slow cooker with the meat and broth. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and mix everything together. The bread crumbs make a kind of dressing when they’re mixed with the liquid. That’s the consistency you’re going for. I used about a cup of bread crumbs, and it turned out perfect. You might like more or less, so just use your judgement. Taste for seasoning.
Tradition calls for serving pork chops and noodles with applesauce. My kids actually stir it into their noodles. Leaving it off might have caused flat-out mutiny in my house. I like to serve this with green beans or a salad.
*Amy's notes: I added a bunch of sliced fresh mushrooms at the beginning.  SO good!

Tortellini Pizza Bake ***

I just started a new job a few weeks ago, and it's made it kind of hard to cook like I used to.  On top of that, we've had baseball and soccer games 6 out of 7 days for the past month or two, so I've been doing very little cooking at all, other than sandwiches and frozen pizzas.  Anything that's easy to grab on the way out the door, basically.  Our one day a week with nothing to do is Wednesday, so that's typically gotten to be my cooking day.  This was the first time I've done a new recipe in a while, though.

So it could have been our extreme excitement at having a real home-cooked meal again, but we all absolutely loved this one.  Tortellini is one of my favorite foods in the world anyway, as is pizza.  I was fairly certain this one would be a winner for me, lol.  It seriously was great, though.  I used chicken and herbs tortellini, along with mushrooms and black olives.  The recipe doesn't say where to add the garlic powder, so I just left it out.  I honestly don't know why you would need it anyway.  The sauce has plenty of flavor in it already.  We'll definitely have this one again.  And soon!  :-)

TORTELLINI PIZZA BAKE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ What'sCookingInTheBurbs)
Serves 6
WW PP=10
Cal 401, Carbs 50.1, Fat 12.6, Fiber 6, Protein 22.8

1 pkg refrigerated tortellini
1 jar pasta sauce
1 1/4 cups reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 oz. sliced pepperoni
1 tsp. garlic powder
any other additional toppings of your choice (olives, mushrooms, green peppers, onions - anything!)

Cook tortellini to al dente. Drain and set aside.
Spread a small amount of pasta sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Evenly spread half of the cooked tortellini along the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the pasta sauce on top of the tortellini and evenly sprinkle on half the Parmesan cheese. Top with some of the pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Repeat.
Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Enjoy!
*luckymommy/Amy's notes: I added mushrooms and olives and left out the garlic powder.

Crockpot Cheese Tortellini with Sausage **

This was pretty good.  The original poster mentioned that she had used a chicken sausage, so I tried it with Emeril's chicken apple sausages.  The boys and hubby loved it.  It was a bit too salty for me.  I didn't brown the sausages first, so maybe that would have helped.  It was really soupy, but that wasn't much of a problem.  The recipe itself kind of reminded me of Tomato Alfredo Tortellini (which I adore).  It just wasn't as good, though.  Like I said, everyone else raved about it, so maybe it's just me.  Makes me want to try the Tomato Alfredo Tortellini in the crockpot, though.  ;-)

CROCKPOT CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH SAUSAGE
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ Little Fellows via Pinterest)

1 (19oz) bag of frozen cheese tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach (I used about half of a 5 oz package, but more is better!)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese or neufchatel (less fat)
1 lb. of ground sausage or chicken/turkey sausage
4 cups of chicken broth

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 4-6 hrs.
Serves 4-6
*Keep an eye on your tortellini, it may be done sooner.
*If still soupy, leave lid off for the last half hour or so of cooking.
*For a vegetarian version, omit sausage and use vegetable broth instead.

Ham Asparagus Gratin ****

This was our second time to have this one.  It's so quick and easy that it's hard to pass up.  I used canned asparagus, since I was pressed for time, and I used the diced cooked ham.  I normally don't like how salty that ham is, so I rinsed it really well in a colander.  I also doubled the recipe so that we would have leftovers for lunches.  It would be much better with steamed asparagus, obviously, but it was still wonderful. 

Photo courtesy of Campbell's

 

HAM ASPARAGUS GRATIN
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy ~ via Campbells)

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Asparagus Soup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked cut asparagus
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham
2 1/4 cups rotini pasta, cooked and drained (about 4 cups)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheeseor Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Stir the soup, milk, onion powder, black pepper, asparagus, ham, pasta and 1/2 cup cheese in an 2-quart baking dish.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the ham mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the ham mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serves: 4
Amy's notes: I double everything except the pasta. I use 5-6 cups of that.