Creamy Minestrone Soup

Jana got this recipe from Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit.

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef or Ground Sausage or both
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables, with
liquid (Jana used fresh cut-up vegetables)
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, with liquid
2 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes,
with liquid
1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping


Directions:
1. In a large stock pot over medium heat, stir and cook onions in butter until soft. Add ground beef/Sausage and cook until browned. Add broth, mixed vegetables, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach, and tomato paste; simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the vegetables to a blender or food processor, reserving liquid in stock pot. Puree the vegetables until smooth and return them to stock pot. (Jana did not puree - she left the vegetables chunky and I agree - loved it with the chunky veggies)
3. Stir in garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, macaroni, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, garbanzo beans, and heavy cream; cook for 1/2 hour, stirring frequently. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. (Jana likes to add Basil, if she has it on hand)

Parsely Parmesan Chicken

I got this recipe from the Freezer Chicks who do a freezer swap like we do. I stumbled across their site this past week and think I may be using many more recipes from there soon! I've modified the recipe to show it on a single dish scale.

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 6-8 chicken breasts)
1/3 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 c dry bread crumbs (used Seasoned Italian bread crumbs)
1 1/2 T parsley flakes
1/2 T paprika
Salt & Pepper

Assembly Directions:
Marinate chicken in dressing overnight.
Mix the remaining ingredients and bread each breast with coating.

To Freeze: Lay chicken breasts side by side on baking sheets and place in freezer for 1 to 2 hours to firm up. Place chicken in labeled gallon size Freezer Bag and freeze.

Cooking Directions:
Thaw & bake at 350 uncovered for 30 minutes or until done.

Makes 8 (4 oz) chicken breasts Cost $5.50 per meal (Chicken on sale for $1.99/lb)

This was super easy to make and they smelled delicious! Haven't cooked ours yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Going to serve with it with Marci's Zucchini Mozzarella Medley

Update: The Hubs made this dish while I was finishing up some work, and he made it with Asparagus and rice instead of the Zucchini. It was super yummy and I'll be making multiple batches again!

Chicken Cacciatore

So I didn't get a picture of the actual meal, but I did take a shot of all my Grocery's to make 8 6-serving dishes!

2 lbs. Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 can Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Oregano
*On hand: 12 oz. Spaghetti

Prep Day:
Cut Chicken breasts into quarters. Combine with all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag and mush.

Serve: Place Cacciatore, frozen, into a crockpot and cook all day on low. Serve over cooked spaghetti.

Serves 6, Cost per dish $4.98

Chicken Tetrazzini

Kathy got this recipe from Southern Living.



Prep: 20 min., Bake: 35 min.
Yield

Makes 12 servings
Ingredients

* 1 (16-ounce) package vermicelli
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (see recipes on page 166)
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
* 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
* 1 (6-ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation

Prepare vermicelli according to package directions; drain. Return to pot, and toss with chicken broth.

Stir together chopped cooked chicken and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl; add vermicelli, and toss well. Spoon mixture into 2 lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with Cheddar cheese.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Note: Freeze unbaked casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, and bake as directed.

Personal Notes: I suggest adding more spice if you like it. Maybe marinate/season the meat beforehand. I added garlic and italian seasoning spice. Enjoy.