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

Rustic Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken & Cheese Ravioli Casserole

September 5, 2018September 5, 2018 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

That’s a mouthful right? Let me tell ya, it is delicious! I needed a quick, hearty dinner this week so I put this together. It was really good and my family enjoyed it.

For this recipe you’ll need:

-ready made ravioli ( I used Buitoni sweet bell pepper & roasted chicken stuffed ravioli)

-your choice of marinara

-shredded mozzarella & grated parmesan cheese

-Italian bread crumbs

First you’ll want to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and boil your pasta per the instructions on the package. Once that’s done, turn off the heat on the pasta and set aside. (I left my pasta in the water so they wouldn’t stick to each other).

Pour about a 1/4 of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish and spread evenly.

Next, transfer the ravioli with a slotted spoon (draining excess water) to the dish overlapping each other like so.

Once you have arranged your pasta, pour the remaining marinara on top and spread evenly.

Now you can go as light or heavy as you want on the cheese! First I sprinkled about 10/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, then about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Lastly, I sprinkled 3 tbsp. of Italian bread crumbs evenly on top of the cheese.

Place it in the oven and bake for about 20 min. or until cheese is melted. Serve this up with a side salad or bread sticks and dinner is done!

Let me know what you think and if you guys enjoyed this recipe.

Thanks for reading,

~The Dimestore Gypsy

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

Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast

August 11, 2017September 19, 2017 The Dimestore GypsyLeave a comment

Hi guys! Today I’m sharing my recipe for this yummy spinach & mozzarella stuffed chicken breast we had a few nights ago. Let me tell ya…it is so good!

Recipe:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 bag of frozen spinach, thawed & drained

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tbsp. olive oil for sautéing

3/4 cup of shredded low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese

*seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, garlic power, & onion powder)

Cooking:

Pre-heat oven to 375. Start with sautéing the bell pepper on med high heat. Once softened, scatter the spinach around, add the chopped green onion, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté this for just a few minutes to let all the flavors mix together. Remove from heat and let cool while you prepare the chicken.

For the chicken make a pocket that you will add your stuffing to.

Transfer your spinach mix to a small mixing bowl. Then add the 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, slightly beaten eggs, and salt & pepper. Stir to mix and it’s ready to add to the chicken.

Now divide the mixture evenly between the 4 chicken breast. Arrange on a 13 x 9 baking pan and season as you normally would. I used a sprinkling of salt, pepper, onion & garlic powder.

Bake at 375 for 40-45 min. or until juice runs clear.

Serve it up with a side of rice or mixed veggies and your meal is complete!

Hope you and your family enjoy this recipe. Let me know if you try it out and what you think!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

~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