Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Alfredo with Asparagus & Mushrooms

May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello! Hope you all are doing well. I have a new recipe to share!

Today I’m sharing one of my family favorites: Chicken Parmesan Meatball Alfredo. This is so good and comes together fairly quickly. I made my own meatballs, but you can use store bought if your pressed for time and it will be just as good. I served it alongside a bagged Ceasar salad kit for a balanced meal. Read on below to see pics & how I made this.

For the meatballs:

you will need 1lb ground chicken (you can skip this if you want to sub with readymade meatballs)

1 egg

1/4 cup. breadcrumbs

1/4 cup. shredded parmesan cheese

seasonings of choice (I used a sprinkling of Italian, Garlic, Onion, Salt & Pepper)

For the sauce:

1 jar alfredo sauce of choice

Olive oil for sautéing

1 bunch of chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped mushrooms

pasta of your choice (I used a chickpea pasta for fiber and lower carb content)

I started out with seasoning my ground chicken, then added egg, breadcrumbs, & Parmesan cheese. I mixed that up and then scooped the meatballs onto a greased pan using my cookie scoop. I cooked these in the oven about 25min or until golden brown.

While the meatballs cooked, I boiled & drained my pasta and set it aside. I then sauteed my chopped mushrooms & asparagus.

Once the mushrooms were tender and my asparagus had turned bright green in color, I added my pasta back to the pan. I stirred in 3/4 jar of alfredo sauce and seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, garlic, & onion powder. I let this simmer for just a couple of minutes to blend all the flavors together.

After the meatballs were done in the oven, I added them to the pan of sauce & stirred in the remaining sauce, and a 1/4 cup of milk to help loosen the sauce and get the meatballs coated.

Here is the finished pasta all melted together. So good and filling! I plated this up and added a little sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese & a side salad for balance. So good and comforting.

I hope you enjoy this in your home with your family! Thanks for stopping by. Until next time….

Recipes

Family Dinner Faves: Chili Alfredo Pasta

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hello friends, welcome back! I got a new family favorite recipe to share. Chili Alfredo Pasta! It’s so good you’ll want to eat the whole pan, I promise! Read on below for this quick, easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cubed chicken tenderloins

1/2 a box of Penne pasta (I used gluten free)

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce

seasonings: Salt/Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Powder

handful of chopped Cilantro for garnish and flavoring

Start by browning your chicken pieces seasoned with the Salt/Pepper, Garlic & Onion Powder. While it’s browning, boil your pasta according to directions, then drain.
Once chicken is browned, add your Alfredo sauce, season again with the Salt/Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Chili Powder to taste. Add your drained pasta and stir. Let simmer for just a couple of minutes and remove from heat.
Garnish with chopped Cilantro & dinner is ready! It’s spicy & cheesy and the fresh Cilantro adds the perfect touch!

Happy to share this recipe with you! Let me know if you make it and if you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipes

Fall Comfort Food: Shepard’s Pie with Cheesy Tator Rounds Topping

October 20, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hey guys! We had our first cold front blow thru this week and I must admit, I’m loving it! I thought I’d share with you one of my recipes I made this week for dinner. It’s Shepard’s Pie with Cheesy Tator Round Topping instead of the traditional mashed potatoes.

You’ll need:

1 lb. lean ground beef (can use regular, just drain fat after cooking)

1 bag frozen mix vegetables

1 small jar brown gravy

1 small can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1/2 bag of tator-tot rounds

1-2 cups of reduced fat shredded cheese

seasonings of your choice for meat and filling mixture

Cooking:

Cook the tator rounds as per instructions on the bag. While these are in the oven, you can brown the beef and season to your liking.

2. Next, add your mixed vegetables, brown gravy, & cream of mushroom soup. Season and stir to mix. (I used a sprinkling of garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, & pepper) Remove from heat.

3. Place the beef mixture in a casserole dish & top with the tator rounds.

4. Add 1-2 cups of cheese, depending on your liking. (I used about 2 cups)

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 min. or until cheese is melted. Dig in and enjoy!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did! Thanks for stopping by!

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

Quick & Easy Weeknight Chicken Fajita Tacos

March 7, 2017March 15, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Last night I was totally stumped on what to cook for dinner. Does that ever happen to you? Well if it does, you should definitely try this recipe out! It comes together in about 10 minutes and tastes so good. It’s perfect for those late nights when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen or just needing a quick fix.

For this recipe, you’ll need:

1 green bell pepper (sliced in 1/4 strips)

1/2 white onion (sliced in 1/4 strips)

1 half bag of fully cooked, frozen diced chicken breast

8 tortillas

(seasonings of your choice)

*serves 4

kroger.com

Cooking Directions:

Place about half the bag of chicken and 1 tbsp. of water in a microwave safe dish. Cover and heat for 3-4 minutes.
While the chicken is warming, slice your veggies and add to a large frying pan with 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil.
Stir-fry the veggies on high heat until the onion is opaque, about 5 min.
Now add your chicken right to the pan and season with what you like. ( I used a sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin)
Stir-fry the chicken for just a few minutes to brown, about 2-3 min.

There you go…just warm your tortillas and serve! Add a side of rice for a complete meal.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Let me know if you decide to try it. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Turkey, White Bean, and Spinach Soup (photo: rachelcooks.com)

January 23, 2017July 11, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Oh my goodness! I just have to quickly share this turkey, white bean, and spinach soup from rachelcooks.com. It is safe to say this has become a family favorite and one that will be on repeat in our home. I made a big pot Sunday night thinking I would have leftovers and it is completely gone! It’s a 20 min. recipe and healthy too! Perfect for those nights when you need to put together something quickly.

For the soup I used 90% lean turkey and organic broth, tomatoes, beans and spinach. I only had Italian seasoning on hand so I used a sprinkling in place of the 1 tsp. oregano & 1/2 tsp. of basil. I seasoned the meat with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt & pepper while browning, and then again after I added my stock.

This is a great little recipe and I highly recommend you try it out. Head over to her site for more pics and other great recipes!

~The Dimestore Gypsy

Recipes

My Family Dinner Favorites: Chicken and Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers

November 13, 2016March 15, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

It’s finally starting to feel like Fall here in Texas! We have been having some cooler weather the last couple of days and I’m loving it. I made these stuffed bell peppers for dinner last night and they were a big hit so I thought I’d share with you.

While out at the grocery store, these huge, bright green bell peppers caught my eye and I just had to get some. They looked so fresh and I have been wanting to try stuffed bell peppers. I’ve never tried them before so I thought these would be perfect. All together, I believe this meal was under $10 for a family of 3-4.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken (I used Purdue from Kroger)

1 cup of any rice you’d like (I used Knorr rice sides in cheddar broccoli)

1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken condensed soup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1-1.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping

3-4 bell peppers ( I used 3 for my family)

*optional (frozen steamed veggies)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the tops off of your bell peppers and remove the seeds/ribs carefully as to not damage the pepper. Rinse inside and out. Set aside. (Test to see if they stand straight up to act as a cup for your filling. If not, you can cut just a small slice off the bottom to help it stand flat.)
Take a 3 qt. sauce pan and fill with water. Bring it to a boil and add your peppers for 2-3min to soften. Set aside when done.
Next, cook your ground chicken. Be sure to season to taste. (I used a sprinkling of each: salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chili powder, and oregano) While browning the chicken, I used the microwave directions to cook my rice so it would be done at the same time as the chicken.
Now add 1 cup of the cooked rice to your cooked chicken and mix.
Add about 3/4 of the can of soup, add the chicken broth, and mix.
Place your bell peppers standing up in an ungreased baking dish. (I used a small glass rectangular baking dish, but you can use whatever dish you prefer.) Add the filling to each bell pepper and really pack it in!
Next I added a small spoonful of the leftover cream of chicken soup to each bell pepper.
Top each with the shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered for 30 min.

I added a bag off Birds Eye Select steamed Brussel sprouts and our meal was complete!

These peppers were so good and so filling! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how they turn out if you decide to make these.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy