During the cold days of winter, nothing is more comforting and satisfying than a hot bowl of soup, flaky chicken pot pie or vegetable beef soup. Why not try one of these tonight? Or, try this sautéed chicken and potatoes with rosemary. Made in one skillet, clean-up is a breeze. It might be cold outside, but your kitchen is sure to be full of warmth when serving one of these dishes to your loved ones. Couple each of these with a crisp green salad and hot, crusty bread for a cozy winter dinner.
Lentil Soup with Pasta
Clean up couldn’t be easier with this one-pot, hearty Italian-inspired soup.
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 oz. of Goya lentils
3-4 cloves of garlic
Italian parsley
2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
Salt
Pepper
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Olive oil
½ pound of Barilla Piccolini Mini Farfalle pasta
How to:
Completely cover the lentils with water. Note: use a pot that’s large enough to hold the cooked lentils, pasta and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 30-35 minutes or until lentils are soft (you don’t want them too soft, but they should be cooked through). If lentils are still hard, add more water and continue cooking. (The lentils need to have enough water to cook properly.) Drain lentils in colander. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly. Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in bottom of same pot that you cooked the lentils in. Finely chop the garlic and sautee in olive oil until slightly brown.
Add cooked lentils to the garlic; stir gently to incorporate. Add 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. In the meantime, chop 2-3 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley (if using dried parsley, use half the amount). When water begins to boil, add 2 bouillon cubes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper if you want a little heat. Add ½ pound of farfalle to the boiling water. Cook until pasta is al dente. Finish with parsley.
Hearty Chicken Pot Pie
(Recipe courtesy of bettycrocker.com)
Ingredients:
1 package (16 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup of cut-up cooked chicken
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
½ cup milk
1 egg
How to:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in an ungreased 2-quart casserole. Stir remaining ingredients in small bowl with fork until blended. Pour into casserole. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Crock-Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
(Recipe courtesy of Paula Orandash, Dawn’s sister)
Ingredients:
1 small bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 pound beef stew meat cut into small pieces
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
Water
How to:
Put all ingredients in crock pot. Add enough water to fill the pot within ½ inch of tip. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Chicken Thighs Sautéed with Potatoes and Rosemary
Ingredients:
One package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I’m a Perdue girl!)
½ of a large shallot
Potatoes – I use a variety of russet, fingerling, purple and baby red potatoes; it delivers excellent flavor, texture and color!
Rosemary
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
How to:
Rinse chicken thighs under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet. In the meantime, rough chop the shallot. Add shallot to olive oil and sautee over low-medium heat until they begin to get translucent, but not brown. Nestle chicken thighs into the shallots. Lightly brown thighs on both sides. While chicken is browning, peel the russet potatoes and slice into rounds, about 1/2 “thick. You can leave the skin on the other types of potatoes; just be sure to wash thoroughly. Cut/slice into bite-size pieces if necessary. Add potatoes to skillet. Season everything with salt and pepper. Cover and raise heat to medium. Chop rosemary. Add to skillet and incorporate rosemary into thighs and potatoes. Cover and sautee approximately 55 minutes on medium heat. Lower heat if potatoes begin to stick to bottom of skillet.
