Tag Archives: Cheese

Cheesy Bacon Chicken Pasta

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bacon-chicken-mac

 So delicious!

 

Ingredients:
12 oz Penne
6 Thick Cut Slices Bacon
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Cups Shredded Cheese, divided (1 ½ cups poured into sauce and ½ cup on top)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt water, add pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and reserve.

While the pasta is cooking.  Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat.  Cut bacon into ½-1 inch pieces.  Cook until crisp and remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.  Leave the bacon fat in the pan.

In the same skillet over medium/high heat, add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add chicken, cooking until browned.

While the bacon and chicken is cooking, make the sauce by melting the butter in a medium size saucepan over medium/high heat.  Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in broth and milk.  Bring to a bubble, reduce and simmer until thickened.  Add 1 ½ cups shredded cheese, stirring to melt.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the pasta, chicken and sauce together in a 9×13 inch casserole dish.  Top with bacon then remaining cheese.  Bake until the cheese is melted and delicious, about 20 minutes.

 

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Fancy Mac and Cheese

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fancymacOh my!  This was amazing.  I need to make this again very soon.  Chloe loved it too.  She loved the bacon, mushrooms and onions the best.  The roasted mushrooms and sautéed onions are amazing.  The mixture of cheeses make this mac and cheese super awesome amazing.  I didn’t end up using the Gruyère cheese, so I just added more parmesan and fontina cheeses.

Ingredients:
16 oz White Mushrooms, sliced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ lbs Macaroni
8 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
2 Onions, thinly sliced
4 Tablespoons Butter
¼ Cup Flour
2 Cups Whole Milk
½ Cup Half-and-Half
2 Eggs, beaten
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
½ Cup Gruyère Cheese, grated
½ Cup Fontina Cheese, grated
4 oz Goat Cheese (chèvre)
4 oz Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Place mushrooms on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until browned, about 20-25 minutes.  Reserve.  Turn oven temperature down to 350°F.

Cook the macaroni to al dente.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels, leaving 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet.  Chop the bacon and reserve.

In the same skillet with the bacon fat, cook the onions over medium-low heat.  Stir occasionally until light brown, about 15 minutes.  Reserve.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook for about a minute.  Whisk in the milk and cook for about 4 minutes until thick and bubbly.  Whisk in the half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Temper in the eggs by adding a ladle of the sauce into a bowl with the eggs.  Mix with a fork while adding the sauce.  Pour the eggs into the sauce while whisking.  Stir the parmesan, Gruyere, fontina and goat cheeses into the sauce to melt.  Fold in the cooked macaroni until coated with the cheese sauce.

Butter a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  Layer in half the onions, half the macaroni, half the mushrooms, half the Gorgonzola, and half the bacon.  Repeat these layers.

Bake until bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 6 for main dish/12 for side dish
-Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook-

Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Broccoli-Cheese-Soup

Ingredients:
5 Heads Broccoli (divided), cut into florets
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
4 oz Unsalted Butter
1 Onion, diced
1/3 Cup Flour
4 Cups Whole Milk
2 Cups Half-and-Half
Pinch Nutmeg
3 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut one head of broccoli florets in half and lay cut-side down on a foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until browned, about 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat.  Add onions, cooking until softened.  Sprinkle with flour and stir for about a minute.  Whisk in milk and half-and-half.  Add nutmeg, broccoli and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer with the lid on over low heat until the broccoli is tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in cheese until melted.

Puree soup with a blender or immersion blender.

Serve with roasted broccoli on top and additional cheese.

Yield: 8-10 Servings

-Recipe slightly adapted from Food Network-

Green Chile Enchiladas

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Green-Chile-Enchiladas

 

These Green Chile Enchiladas are really tasty.  Chloe even ate them!  I made them with shredded turkey instead of chicken.  The original recipe calls for 1 lb chicken breasts, cooked with the onion.  Either way they are amazing enchiladas.  I ended up adding a little extra turkey and made 13 enchiladas.  I fit 9 of them in my casserole dish and froze the remaining 4.

 

Ingredients:
3 Cups Shredded Chicken
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
8 inch Flour Tortillas (8 or more depending on how full you fill your enchiladas)
2 Cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 oz Can Green Chilies

 

Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9X13 inch casserole dish.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add chicken and cook until warmed.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium/high heat.  Whisk in flour and let cook 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth.  Bring to a bubble and let simmer until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies.

Place a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and top with a spoonful of cheese.  Roll up tortillas and place seam side down the casserole dish.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.  Bake until sauce is bubble, about 15-20 minutes.

 

Yield: 8-13 Enchiladas

-This recipe is found many places online…although a good friend made it for us and sent me the recipe-

Slow Cooker Chile Colorado Burritos

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Chile Colorado Burritos

 

These burritos are amazing!  The enchilada sauce you use will really make a difference in the overall taste of the burritos since the meat is slow cooked in enchilada sauce.  My favorite enchilada sauce is Mayaco’s brand.

 

 

Ingredients:1.5-2 lbs Stew Meat28 oz Can Red Enchilada Sauce1 Can Refried Beans4-6 Flour Tortillas2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 

Combine stew meat and enchilada sauce together in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

After the meat is finished slow cooking, heat the refried beans in the microwave or on the stove top.

Assemble the burritos by scooping on some of the meat with a slotted spoon onto a tortilla.  Top with refried beans.  Fold in the ends of the tortilla and roll up.  Place burritos in a casserole dish.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, meat and beans.

Top with the enchilada sauce from the slow cooker and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Broil until cheese is melted, 2-4 minutes.

 

Yield: 4-6 Burritos

-Recipe adapted from Food Pusher–

Cheesy Taco Soup

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This is a wonderfully cheesy soup that is perfect for fall!

 

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 1/2 Cups Milk, divided
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, and more for topping
1-2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
10 oz Can Rotel
12 oz Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
Tortilla Chips, crushed for topping

 

Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Brown beef and season with salt and pepper.  Drain off excess fat and return beef to the pot.

While the beef is cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute.  Whisk in 1 cup milk and season with salt and pepper.  Using a wooden spoon, stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes to thicken sauce.  Remove from heat.  Stir in shredded cheddar cheese until sauce is smooth.

To the soup pot, add taco seasoning, Rotel, black beans, cheese sauce and remaining milk.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a bubble, reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Serve with  additional cheese and tortilla chips.

 

Yield: 4 Servings

-Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats–