Sausage with Cajun Alfredo

I feel like a genius after having made this dinner. This only came about because I thought I had everything I needed for dinner…until time to make dinner and it turns out I had about half. Half one one recipe and half of another.

My first reaction was panic. I’m not usually the “wing it” cook. But, I knew the two recipes well enough that I thought I could mix it. Of course, when Hubs asked what was for dinner I answered with a “we’ll see!” Turns out, it was a blessing for our tummies!

So I combined my Sausage Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce (cajun style) with my Cheesy Garlic Chicken Alfredo.

You’ll need:

For the Alfredo:
2 cups milk
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 a block)
2 Tbs flour
½ tsp salt
3 Tbs butter
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese ( or Cheddar!)

For the Sausage pasta:
8+ ounces penne pasta (or whatever you prefer, I used small shells)
12 oz smoked sausage or Chicken!
14-oz can petite diced tomatoes with onion, drained well
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

First, I started my pasta cooking and then made the Alfredo just as I do for the regular recipe:

Use a mixer or blender to mix together the milk, flour, salt, and cream cheese until it is smooth. I also added butter to this mix and heated it until it thickens then added the shredded cheese and let it sit.

Then, while those two were going, I sliced up my sausage and sautéed it and then added my tomatoes and onion, garlic and cajun spices, and a little S&P. Mix well

Finally, once my Alfredo was ready I slowly stirred it into my pan of sausage. making sure to coat everything and mix in the cajun spice. Then I added the pasta and mixed again.

This was one of the best outcomes of not having what you need!! This mix may be one of my favorites!

Cheesy Garlic Chicken Alfredo

Cheesy Garlic Chicken Alfredo! After one bite the hubby said, “Oh, wow”. Yes, it’s that good. The pin from Eazy Peazy Mealz was for SHRIMP Alfredo. I decided to make this after I shopped, so chicken it was. But this would be oh so good with shrimp!!

The original post also says this is a 30 minute meal. It took me a little longer than that. I think after some practice and with shrimp (shorter cooking time) it will be closer to the 30 min mark. But ABSOLUTELY try this!!

You’ll need:

2 cups milk
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 a block)
2 Tbs flour
½ tsp salt
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs minced garlic (I used just shy of a Tbs of garlic powder)
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
⅓ cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Pepper to taste
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp or chicken, cut into small pieces or strips (as I did)

Pasta of choice (I used thin spaghetti)

What to do:

Use a mixer or blender to mix together the milk, flour, salt, and cream cheese until it is smooth. Then set it aside.

Next, you’ll melt your butter and garlic in a sauce pan then add your shrimp or chicken to cook. Once it’s cooked, set it aside, removing it from the pan and leave the remaining butter and garlic . Cook up your pasta per the box directions.

Next add the milk mixture to the pan you just used to cook the shrimp or chicken. Stir until it comes to a simmer and then continue to stir until it thickens.

Remove it from the heat and add the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Yum! Steamy!

Add your shrimp or chicken and let it stand for about another 5 minutes.

My Alfredo was quite thick and super cheesy at this point so I put it back over a medium-ish heat and stirred in a little milk at a time until it thinned out. I served it over thin spaghetti, my hubby’s favorite, and seasoned with a little pepper.

This was so good. Like, you’d order in a restaurant good. Best off all, my lunch leftovers were great!

Update!

So we decided to switch it up a bit and cook our chicken on the grill. I love that chargrilled taste! I did what I would usually do for this, but I cut the butter and garlic in half, since I wasn’t cooking any meat in it then added the milk mix.

When the Alfredo was ready I cut up the chicken and added it along with some steamed broccoli. It was SO GOOD!!!

My husband turned up the heat a bit by adding crushed red pepper!

Finally, you will feel like this too…our Little passed out after enjoying her pasta! This is a family favorite!

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken “Chili”

This was one of my first pins that actually turned out so delicious I had to keep making it. This is so good I make it just about weekly.

I love to use the Crock pot. I always feel like I’ve made a gourmet meal with minimal effort. Which, with an almost three year old and a 7 month old, makes me feel like super mom. The original post serves this yumminess over rice. At our house we prefer to make taco out of it. Some times lettuce tacos, as the hubby prefers, but usually of the flour variety. So layer the tortilla with some cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, maybe even some salsa or guac, and this chili mix and you’ve got a tex mex meal that REALLY satisfies! Best of all it makes for a great lunch the next day! The best meals are the ones that are better the next day!

Here is the link to Rita’s Recipes or keep reading for mine!

Ingredients:

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can corn kernels, do not drain

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 T cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t onion powder

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

2 chicken breasts, still frozen

Instruction:

1. Add all ingredients except chicken and cream cheese. Combine and give a good stir.

2.Add chicken and “bury” in the pot.

3.Add cream cheese to top.

4.Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours (less if chicken is not frozen.

5.About 20 min before serving pull out and shred the chicken. Give the mix a good stir to combine the cream cheese then add the shredded chicken back to mix.

6.Serve over rice as suggested or my way with tortillas and toppings!

Meatball Sub Casserole

Prepare yourself for a gooey sloppy wonderful meal. This would also be a great game time favorite as well as something easy to do with the kids. The un-greased pan gives the bread a crisp bottom and edge and the cream cheese mix and pasta sauce is out of this world. It’s super easy to put together. This pin arrived from Key Ingredient.

Ingredients:

1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices (I use 6 slices of Texas Toast)

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 tablespoon pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Frozen Meatballs, Thawed (I used 24, 4 per slice of bread)

1 24oz jar of pasta sauce

1 cup of water (I used just over 4oz, or 1/2 a cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Arrange bread slices in a single layer in an ungreased 13″x9″ baking pan.

3. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings.

4. Spread mix over bread slices.

5. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese

6. Gently mix together meatballs, spaghetti sauce and water; spoon over cheese. (I laid out the meatballs, 4 per slice of bread, to appease my OCD first then spooned out the sauce after.)

7. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

8. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This is so good. Slice per person, serves 6. But this is so hearty, half of a slice is filling for me. No doubt this was a great pin. I used a little less cheese and maybe fewer meatballs than the original post, but it’s so good. This seems to call my name on a cold rainy day and I’m sure it will be a go to when our yard is snow covered. Pretty good reheated. I try to leave it in the pan it was cooked in to heat it up in the oven for leftovers. That method seems to be the best. Enjoy friends!

Mexican Stuffed Shells

So this may be my favorite recipe I’ve ever found on Pinterest. It is so yummy and easy to modify as you may like it more tangy or mild. The best part, to me anyway, is that it is so wonderful reheated as lunch the next day! We always try to eat all of our leftovers so when we find one that is just as delish the next day (or a few days later) it becomes a staple. So here it is. Much thanks to the pinner that pinned the recipe from thewaytohisheartblog.com. Their instructions below with my additions…

MEXICAN STUFFED SHELLS

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese (original recipe called for 4oz)
10-12 jumbo pasta shells (original recipe called for 14-16)
1.5 cup salsa
1 Can Enchilada Sauce (original recipe called for taco sauce)

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Optional:

3 green onions
Sour cream

Black olives

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. (I also like to add some garlic powder, salt, and pepper) Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with Enchilada sauce . Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

We love it with sour cream and when we have it, we add green onions and black olives. My hubby likes to add hot sauce to it. Spice it up with a hotter salsa or enchilada sauce. This is a great pin and now a set place in our dinner rotation.

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I came. I saw. I tried it!

Tag Archives: Cream cheese

Sausage with Cajun Alfredo

You’ll need:

What to do:

Cheesy Garlic Chicken Alfredo

You’ll need:

What to do:

Update!

Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken “Chili”

Meatball Sub Casserole

Mexican Stuffed Shells