Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli

I am not a fan of Italian food. There, I said it. I'm that crazy person you find in every group who detests lasagna and doesn't want any sauce on their pizza. On those rare occasions when we go to Olive Garden, this is what I order, along with salad and breadsticks. It's crazy good!

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup julienne carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, with liquid
1 can white kidney beans, with liquid
15 oz. tomato sauce
12 oz. V-8 juice, plus extra as needed
1 tbl. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 lb. ditalini pasta

Brown ground beef in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Transfer to crockpot and add remaining ingredients, except pasta. Cook on low 5 hours. Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente and stir into soup. Makes 8 servings.

Notes:
• If soup is too thick, add more V-8 juice until desired consistency is reached.
• Substitute 2 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning for oregano, basil, and thyme, if desired.
• Try adding pasta to serving bowls and ladling soup on top instead of adding pasta directly to soup. This will keep pasta from becoming mushy if leftovers are refrigerated or frozen.

Adapted from: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Olive-Garden-Pasta-e-Fagioli-Recipe.html

Salsa Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

16 oz. jar thick and chunky salsa

1/2 pkg. chicken taco seasoning

8 oz. brick cream cheese, room temperature

10-12 corn tortillas

Shredded cheese
Sliced Olives (optional)

Spray the inside of crockpot with cooking spray and add chicken. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa over top. Cook on high/low at least 6 hours. About 30 minutes before you finish cooking remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Stir softened cream cheese into sauce in the crockpot. Set aside about 1/2 cup sauce. Return chicken to crockpot and allow to finish cooking. Spread half of reserved sauce onto bottom of a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas and roll. Place seam side down in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce and any leftover chicken mixture over top of enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees 20-30 minutes or until hot through. Remove foil and sprinkle cheese and olives over top. Bake uncovered 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 lb. shredded, cooked chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can chopped green chilis

10 oz. frozen corn

1 can chicken broth

2 cups water

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tbl. chopped cilantro

7 corn tortillas

vegetable oil

Place all ingredients except tortillas and oil in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with oil. Cut into strips and spread on baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until crisp. Serve soup garnished with tortilla strips.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/

My changes:

Put frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts straight into slow cooker. I will shred them later.

Used dehydrated minced onions so the onion haters won't know they're there.

Used green enchilada sauce.

Used canned corn, drained.

I didn't have chili powder so I used chili seasoning.

Left out bay leaf because I didn't have one.

Left out cilantro since Little Girl can't tolerate it.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

1 – 1 1/2 lb. stew beef, cut into 1/2” cubes
1 28 oz. can or 2 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans beef broth
1 can water
1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
3/4 cup pearl barley
House seasoning* and Italian spice to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste (optional)

Spray a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick spray. Add beef, tomatoes, broth, water and seasonings. Cook on high 2 hours. Turn to low and cook 6-7 hours. Approximately 1 1/2 hours before serving turn to high and add barley. Add vegetables during last 30 minutes.

*House seasoning (from Paula Deen): 4 parts salt, 1 part pepper, 1 part garlic powder.

Mexican Cheeseburger Soup

1 lb. shredded cheese (half sharp cheddar/half mild cheddar)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can (8 1/4 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can beef broth
1 can diced new potatoes, drained

Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in crock. Cover; cook on low 4-5 hours or high 3 hours. Stir in potatoes about 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Crockpot Chili

Fall has definitely arrived! October isn't usually this cool here in Texas, but the weather is just fine and dandy for me 'cause I've been craving all my favorite winter dishes. Since it was a brisk 48 degrees this morning, I decided a pot of chili would be a welcome Friday night dinner.

The Ingredients:

Crushed tomatoes, beans, and spices. There's also ground beef and onions, which didn't make it into the picture because they were browning on the stove when I remembered to go get my camera. Doh!

This isn't true Texas chili because it's made with beans. Also, no self-respecting Texas chili would ever be caught containing ground beef. No sir! Authentic Texas chili starts off with stew beef or a big ole chuck roast cut into cubes. But for fast, out-of-this-world delicious, everyday chili, you can't go wrong with this.

Use whatever beans you happen to like: kidney beans, red beans, black beans, great northern beans, etc. I prefer pinto beans and/or chili beans. Today all I had was one can of pintos and one can of pork & beans, so that's what I used. It was a little sweeter than usual, but still tasted great.


Here's everything stirred together in my 4-quart crockpot. Sorry about the picture, I had to tip the pot to get good light.


If you asked 100 cooks, you would get 100 different recipes for chili. I just happen to think mine is the best of the lot. Looks good, doesn't it? Oh, and I didn't need the oatmeal this time, it was thick enough without.

I hope you'll try this recipe and that it helps to keep you warm and satisfied all through the fall and winter months.

Crockpot Chili

2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans pinto or chili beans
3 tbl. or 2 pkg. chili seasoning
1 tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup dry oatmeal (optional)

Brown ground beef and onions. Put all ingredients into crockpot (except oatmeal) and stir together, adjusting seasonings to taste. Cook on high/low 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Add oatmeal about 30 minutes before serving to thicken, if desired.

Meatball "Stone" Soup

Earlier this year I participated in a Betty Crocker Dinner Made Easy recipe test. Betty Crocker provided us with several recipes to choose from and I made the "Meatball 'Stone' Soup."

The Ingredients:

Italian style meatballs, diced tomatoes, beef broth, mixed vegetables, onion, potatoes and spices.

I didn't have the exact spices called for so I substituted garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper for garlic-pepper blend and since my can of tomatoes was unseasoned, I added some Italian seasoning. I thought I had a potato, but discovered too late that I didn't, so I added a can of diced potatoes, drained, at the same time as the frozen veggies.


This is how full my 4-quart crock pot was when all the ingredients had been added. The size was perfect; I wouldn't go any smaller.


Our whole family enjoyed this soup very much. Even my finicky 11 year-old ate it to the last drop. I've made this soup several times in the past few months and it is always greeted with enthusiasm.

This is the recipe, exactly as it was provided to me by Betty Crocker with my changes in italics. It doesn't need to cook as long as the recipe recommends. It turns out fine at 6-7 hours instead of the original 9-11.

MEATBALL STONE SOUP

Prep Time: 10 Min
Start to Finish: 10 Hr 10 Min

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs
1 can (28 oz.) Progresso® diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
(or 1 can (28 oz.) regular diced tomatoes, undrained plus 1 tsp. Italian seasoning blend)
1 medium potato, chopped (1 cup)
(or 1 can diced new potatoes, drained)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cans (14 oz. each) beef broth
1/4 tsp. garlic-pepper blend
(or 1/8 tsp. each garlic powder and black pepper)
1 bag (1 lb.) Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables

1. Spray inside of 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix frozen meatballs, tomatoes, potato (if using canned, wait until adding frozen vegetables), onion, garlic-pepper blend (Italian seasoning blend) and broth.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 9 to 11 hours (6 to 7 hours).
3. Increase heat setting to High. Stir in frozen mixed vegetables (and canned potatoes). Cover; cook 1 hour longer.

6 servings

1 Serving: Calories 375 (Calories from Fat 170); Total Fat 19g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat nc); Cholesterol 120mg; Sodium 1670mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugars nc); Protein 31g
% Daily Value: Vitamin A nc; Vitamin C nc; Calcium nc; Iron 24%
Exchanges: 1 Starch, 2 Vegetable
Carbohydrate Choices:

2008 © and ®/™ of General Mills

Betty Crocker Kitchens® Tips: "Stone Soup" is a children's folktale that tells an optimistic story of townspeople sharing ingredients from their cupboards and an actual stone to make a pot of soup. We used some of the same ingredients -- but not the stone! -- and cooked them in the slow cooker.
Make this hot and hearty soup the main course of a simple meal. Sprinkle the soup with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and serve with whole-grain rolls or assorted crackers. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Easy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

I love this recipe for Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese so much I decided there was no better kick off for this blog than to share it with everyone. This is adapted from a Paul Deen recipe, which you can find at the Food Network website: Creamy Macaroni and Cheese.

The ingredients:

Macaroni, cheese, butter, milk, sour cream, cheddar cheese soup, ground mustard, salt and pepper.

The original recipe used 3 eggs, but I wanted a creamy texture, so I left them out. Also, I love the combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Monterrey Jack. The original recipe called for sharp cheddar only.


This is after everything has been stirred together and before turning on the crockpot. See those lumps of gloppy, melted cheese in there? About 2 hours into the cooking process give it a good stir and it will all come together beautifully. Also, please ignore my ancient but trusty crockpot. It's around 25 years old and still going strong. We're looking forward to many more happy years together.


Yum, yum, yum! Doesn't that look delicious? Those golden brown patties are salmon. Stay tuned and sometime in the near future I'll post the recipe. They're super quick and easy.

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE

2 cups macaroni
1/2 stick butter
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese*
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk

Cook macaroni. Melt butter and cheese in a saucepan over low heat. Stir all ingredients together in crockpot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook on low 2 1/2 hours. Top with 1/2 cup more cheese and cook 30 more minutes.

*Use any cheese you like. I use 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 Monterrey Jack.