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Crockpot Italian Chicken Pasta

October 12, 2012 By 3 Comments

I love cooking in my Crockpot.  Especially during the cooler months, it makes life so much easier to throw a couple ingredients into the Crockpot and let it roll.  The best part about Crockpot Cooking – the best ingredients are usually stuff you have on hand.

This week has been particularly trying, so when I was staring into the refrigerator this morning – with zero desire to be creative – I saw that I had thawed chicken breasts and cream cheese.  In the pantry – pasta, cream of chicken, and an Italian dressing seasoning packet.

Six hours later – dinner was served.

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Portion Control Lasagna – Lasagna Muffins

April 10, 2012 By 15 Comments

I couple months ago I saw “Lasagna Cups” on Pinterest and fell in love.  Lauren from Lauren’s Latest had some pictures that would make your mouth water so I knew I had to try it.   After all I love making all kinds of things in muffin tins – especially my Breakfast Casserole Muffins!

Lauren shared a great traditional lasagna recipe that she used for her lasagna muffins, but I decided to make my Almost Famous Turkey and Spinach Lasagna instead.   They were AMAZING.

Almost Famous Turkey and Spinach Lasagna Muffins

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 can Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 pkg chopped spinach
  • 1 egg
  • lasagna noodles

Cook lasagna noodles “al dente” and lay out on wax or parchment paper to cool.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and gently roll your noodles around your hand and place into muffin tin.  With remaining noodles use a child’s cup or cookie cutter to cut circles out of the noodles to be the “layers.”   Set aside.

Cook turkey completely and drain. Mix in soup, garlic salt, and milk until well blended. Set aside.

Thaw spinach under warm water and squeeze ALL excess water. Mix cheeses and egg. Pull spinach apart in pieces and mix into cheeses.  (Its best if you just take your rings off and go at it with your hands)

Beginning with a noodle circle, layer the circles, meat, and cheese mixture until “muffin” is full – making sure to end with the cheese so it will melt and be all bubbly at the top.

Cook at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.   Muffins will easily pop out onto a plate.  Serve hot with your favorite salad and garlic bread.

These were such a huge hit for dinner – the girls loved them!  They were fun to eat and pull apart, and it was the perfect serving size.    They save perfectly – you can just pop them in a tupperware container and reheat them one by one.

Thanks to Lauren for the awesome blog post and thanks to Pinterest for helping me find her!   I know we will make these again and again!