Weeknight Meal #1: Chicken Spaghetti

How many of you wonder day after day what you are going to make for dinner that night? You go to work and spend hours trying to find a recipe that requires ingredients you have and isn't going to take hours. I've been there. That's why I had to be a little more organized. I love using this Meal Planner & Couponing Tracker. It's simplified life more than I can even explain. With our 30+ rotating meals and always adding Pinterest finds, I never run out of things to make. Today's featured Chicken Spaghetti is adapted from the Pioneer Woman's recipe, and it's truly delicious. And EASY! My husband was skeptical when I first told him what I was making (and when I told him it didn't contain tomato-based sauce), but we both loved it, and leftovers for lunch the next day were just as good.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Ingredients:

chicken (any cut), around 1 1/2 cups

1/2 box thin spaghetti

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack & Cheddar)

1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 tsp season salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 finely diced medium onion

salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook chicken either by boiling (if using whole chicken pieces) and removing off the bones, or by cooking by method of your choosing. 

Note: I used chicken breasts, cooked by steaming them (technique to come later on the blog, but baking would be another option!), and then cut up into 1/2 inch cubes. Save the chicken broth. It adds flavor when cooking the spaghetti!

3. Cook the spaghetti in the chicken cooking broth, if you'd like, or in boiling water until it is cooked firm to the bite. Don't overcook!

4. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with chicken, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, green pepper, red pepper, season salt, cayenne pepper, mushroom soup, and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pper.

5. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth (or as much as you have from cooking your chicken). If you do not have any, that is fine, too. It just adds to the flavor.

6. Place the mixture in a casserole dish and top with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbly, around 45 minutes.

This meal makes around 4-6 servings, so it's perfect for a family, or for a couple with plenty for lunch the next day! Enjoy!

More delicious weeknight meal recipes to come!