Eat at Home

Everyday Food for Busy People

crushed tomatoes

Popcorn Chicken Parmesan – 15 Minute Meal

by 11 Comments

Popcorn Chicken Parmesan - 15 Minute Meal

I’m a little bit proud of myself for this recipe.  I’d be willing to bet that a bag of frozen popcorn chicken has never been elevated to such a fantastic meal before.

In fact, it tastes homemade.  It tastes like you’ve spent quite a long time simmering and seasoning in the kitchen.  Certainly, longer than the 15 minutes it actually took.

So what’s the secret?  Fresh garlic cooked in olive oil.

Fresh garlic is quick to use and it makes a huge difference in how your food tastes.  There’s really no comparison between fresh and the jarred kind.  And garlic powder and fresh garlic aren’t even the same thing.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not above using the jarred garlic and I have garlic powder in my pantry too.  But if you want real, homemade flavor you have to use the real deal.

And if you get a great garlic press, it will be just as quick as popping the lid on the jar of garlic.  I promise!  Once I got a decent garlic press, I never bought the jarred kind again.

My press comes from Pampered Chef.  But there are other good ones on the market.  This Oxo Steel Garlic Press is $19.99  and gets good reviews on Amazon.  This Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press also gets good reviews and it only $14.12.  I promise you, the cost will be worth it.  I thought it was a bit too much before I bought one, but I use it all the time and the fresh garlic really is fantastic in recipes.

Okay, back to the recipe today.  You really can make this Popcorn Chicken Parmesan in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta.

You’ll use that garlic press to crush several cloves of garlic and cook them in olive oil.  Add a handful of shredded Parmesan cheese and toss with the garlic and oil.  Then toss the frozen popcorn chicken with the garlic and cheese, before popping it in the oven to bake.

While the chicken bakes, you’ll put together a quick homemade sauce with crushed tomatoes and Italian herbs.  Add the chicken back into the sauce once it’s baked and serve it over the hot cooked pasta.

Easy!

Here’s what you’ll need:   [Read more…] about Popcorn Chicken Parmesan – 15 Minute Meal

Sweet Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce in the Slow Cooker

by 5 Comments

 

This hearty pasta sauce is full of flavor.  Slices of sweet Italian sausage links, combine with bell peppers, onions and garlic in thick tomato sauce.

I like for most slow cooker recipes to not need any kind of browning or cooking on the stove, but this one does require some pre-cooking.  Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes to get everything into the crockpot.  I made this on a Sunday morning before church.  The hands-on prep only took about 15 minutes.

You could also continue cooking it on the stove, but I like the convenience of the crockpot.  No need to stir or tend the pot and you can leave the house while it’s cooking.

Here’s what you’ll need:  [Read more…] about Sweet Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta – 15 Minute Meal

by 9 Comments

I am a huge fan of the 15 minute meal.  Some days, there just isn’t any more time than that to pull dinner together.

This meal idea came from my mom.  She had something similar when she ate out recently.  I’m not sure what restaurant and I don’t know exactly how she fixed hers.  There are many different ways you could take this, depending on what your family likes and what you’ve got in the pantry.

I happened to have a variety of bell peppers in the fridge, so I used them to add color and flavor.  Doesn’t this pan of cooking peppers and onions look good?

Here’s what you’ll need for this quick meal:  [Read more…] about Pepperoni Pizza Pasta – 15 Minute Meal

Pesto and Crushed Tomato Shells – 3 Ingredients, 15 Minutes

by 7 Comments

So I just read the title and it is a bit misleading.  This recipe contains no shell of tomato, crushed or otherwise.

It does have pesto, crushed tomatoes and pasta shells.  And that’s it, except the mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top.  Because you know how I can’t resist cheese.

15 minutes, start to finish and that includes time to boil the water.  Throw a salad at it and call it dinner, and a good one too.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Pesto and Crushed Tomato Shells – 3 Ingredients, 15 Minutes

Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers

by 15 Comments

There are nights when I stare into my pantry, wondering what I’m going to fix.  On this particular night, the contents of the pantry made me consider making Italian Sausage with Bowties but I didn’t have any stewed tomatoes.  I decided to change the recipe up a bit and came up with this.

Like the original, it’s a cinch to make and quick too.  This one gets an added taste boost from the peppers.  Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers