Quick, Easy Meals

Sweet Chicken Tostadas

8 tostada shell 

 ½ c. dairy sour cream

1 c. prepared fruit salsa (can use regular salsa—they just won’t be sweet)

1 ½ c. chopped cooked chicken

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (pepper jack cheese is good, too)

Spread one side of each tostada shell with sour cream. Spread salsa on top of the sour cream evenly on each shell. Top each tostada with chicken and cheese. Place 4 tostadas on a large baking sheet and broil (4-5 inches from broiler) for 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tostadas. Serve Warm. Makes 4 servings.

Newlywed Chicken and Stuffing

1 (8 ounce) package herb-seasoned stuffing

½ c. (1 stick) butter, melted

4 large, boneless chicken breasts, cooked, chopped

2 (10 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup

2 c. chicken broth

Combine the stuffing mix and butter in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on top of the stuffing. Mix the undiluted soup and chicken broth in a bowl. Spoon over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Easy Stuffed-Crust Pizza

1 can refrigerator pizza crust

7 pieces of string cheese

½ c. pizza sauce

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (4 ounce) package sliced pepperoni

Press the pizza dough onto the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Place the string cheese along the edges of the dough. Fold the dough over the string cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes. Enjoy! (serves 4)

Dorm Room Chicken Dinner *this is what I made, yum yum. I put mine in a totrilla & Keith ate his plain.

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken breast, drained

1 (4-5 ounce) envelope chicken-flavored rice and sauce

1 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 ½ c. drained canned whole kernel corn

2 c. water

Combine the chicken, rice, cheese, corn and water in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 9x13-inch dish. Microwave for 15 minutes.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

1 lb. lean ground beef (Italian sausage works great, too)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (26 ounce) spaghetti sauce

1 2/3 c. water

¼ c. zesty Italian dressing

12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters (or smaller if you prefer)

1 c. shredded mozzarella

Optional: 2 green peppers, chopped

Brown the meat in a large saucepan; drain. Stir in garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to a boil. Add noodles; stir. Cover. Cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Southwestern Chicken Pot Pie

1 can (18.5 ounce) Progresso south-western style chicken soup

½ c. frozen corn

2/3 c. diced or shredded chicken (cooked)

Sliced Jack or Cheddar cheese

2 frozen Pillsbury biscuits

Sour cream and avocado for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Spray insides of 2 oven-proof 2 cup bowls or ramikens. Place ¼ c. corn in each bowl then add 1/3 c. chicken. Pour about 1 c. of soup in each bowl. Place cheese on top. Place a biscuit over the cheese. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and bake 30-35 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

More Quick and Easy Recipes

Triple Treat

1 small box chocolate pudding (not instant)

1 Chocolate Cake mix

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Make pudding mix according to pkg. directions—then cool for 5 minutes. Add cooled pudding to cake mix and mix together. Spread mixture in a 9x13 (greased) pan (the mixture will be super thick and gooey). Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Cake Mix Cookies 

Empty 1 cake mix into a large bowl: add 2 eggs, ¼ c. butter, and 1/3 c. milk. Mix well. Stir in nuts if desired. Bake at 350 for 11-15 minutes or until set. Use parchment paper on cookie sheet to avoid sticking. Frost with butter cream frosting.

Cinnamon Snails (great snack for kiddos)

4 slices white or wheat bread

¼ c. softened cream cheese

3 T. sugar

1 ½ t. cinnamon

¼ c. melted butter or margarine

Trim the crusts from the bread slices. Spread one Tblsp of the cream cheese on each slice of bread. Roll up. Cut each roll into thirds. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each roll into the melted butter and then into the sugar mixture. Do not dip the ends. Place on a baking sheet seam side down. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Tasty Tuna Casserole

1 pkg. mac and cheese dinner

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

½ c. milk

1 can tuna, drained

½ red pepper, chopped

1 green onion, sliced

1 c. potato chips, crushed

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare mac and cheese according to pkg. Stir in soup, milk, tuna, red pepper, and onion. Spoon into a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with crushed chips (I also added some shredded cheddar on top). Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Parmesan Chicken over Pasta

1 can cream of chicken soup

1-2 green onions sliced

½ c. milk

¼ c. parmesan cheese

1 ½ c. chicken breast (canned would probably work great—or you can cook it that night)

**I have added mushrooms to this recipe as well and it is really good.

In large skillet, heat chicken—add soup and milk. Stir until smooth and saucy—then add in onion, and parmesan cheese. Let simmer for 5 minutes or so and then serve or spaghetti noodles or any kind of pasta.

Parmesan-Baked Salmon

¼ c. mayonnaise

2 T. grated parmesan cheese

1/8 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)

4 salmon fillets—skin removed

2 t. lemon juice

10 Ritz crackers, crushed (about ½ c. crumbs)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix mayo, cheese and pepper until well-blended; set aside. Place salmon on foil-lined, shallow baking pan. Drizzle evenly with lemon juice. Top with cheese mixture; spread to evenly cover the salmon. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake 12-15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Baked Chicken Taquitos—the recipe looks harder than they really are!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ c. green salsa

1 T. fresh lime juice

½ t. cumin 1

1 t. chili powder

½ t. onion powder

¼ t. garlic powder

3 T. chopped cilantro

1 green onion, finely diced (white an green parts equal to about 2 tablespoons)

2 C shredded, cooked chicken (I use canned)

1 C grated Monterey jack cheese

Small yellow or white corn tortillas

Salt

Cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. In medium size bowl, mix cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Combine and then add cilantro and green onion. Mix well and then combine with the chicken and cheese. You can prepare this mixture ahead of time if you need to—just refrigerate it!

Place 3-4 tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds until tortillas are soft and pliable—so they won’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 teaspoons of mixture on the lower third of the tortilla, keeping it at least1/2 inch from the edges. Roll as tightly as you can—you may need to use toothpicks to hold them together while they bake. Place taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray lightly with cooking spray and then sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and the ends turn golden brown. Serve immediately. Can be dipped in sour cream, salsa, taco sauce, guacamole. ENJOY!!

Spaghetti Rings and Wieners 

3 quarts water

3 t. salt

1 T. oil

2 ½ c. macaroni noodles

1 lb. hot dogs

2 T. margarine

1 c. shredded cheese

½ c. water

1 can tomato soup

¼ c. chopped onion

Boil water in deep pot with salt and oil. Add noodles. Cook 4-5 minutes. Drain and rinse under warm water. In large skillet, fry hot dogs with onions and margarine over medium heat. Add cheese, water, and soup. Cook until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Stir in macaroni noodles and cook until heated through.