Chicken and Potatoes with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce

So crock pot meals are great when you're busy and all, but I realize that in order to make a crock pot meal, you have to think about it in the morning (or at least by early lunch). What's that all about, right? So for those of you who get to 4:00 o'clock and start thinking, "My tummy just growled, which means--wait--a meal-time is approaching; I have literally not thought about it until this moment, and soon my children will begin eating each other," then this meal is for you.

This meal is awesome because all the stuff goes into one pan and then that pan goes into the oven and then you can resume reading your book or breaking up fights over Candy Land or telling Tommy to stop licking the baby--whatever is your past time of choice. And then you'll get the pan out of the oven and, guess what? Dinner will be done. There will be meat, and potatoes, and healthy leafy greens, and a delicious sauce to pour over it all. Congratulations! You're a rock star and nobody had to smash a guitar or eat the baby.

Chicken and Potatoes with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
adapted from here
Serves 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $8.35 ($1.55/serving)
chicken: $5.00, spinach: .60, potatoes: 1.00, butter: .65, chicken broth: .10, half and half: .15, Parmesan: .50, seasonings: .35

4-6 chicken breasts, depending on how well-endowed your chicken was (or bone-in skin-on thighs if dark meat is your thing)
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
3 Tbsp butter, melted
3 C spinach, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 lb potatoes, diced into centimeter-sized cubes (peeled or not)

For the garlic Parmesan cream sauce:

1/4 C butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 C chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme (twice as much if using fresh)
1/2 tsp dried basil (twice as much if using fresh)
1/2 C half and half (or 1/4 C milk and 1/4 C cream)
1/2 C grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. If you're feeling fancy, you can then melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet and sear the chicken on both sides. But if you're pressed for time, or can't bear thinking of dirtying that skillet, just skip this step and put the seasoned chicken in a 9x13 inch pan.

Now add the chopped spinach and pour the remaining butter over all of this. (If you already got out the skillet, you can cook the spinach in the butter in the skillet and then put it in the pan, but again this step is skip-able for the lazy at heart).

Chop your potatoes and put them in the pan with the chicken and spinach and butter.

To make the garlic Parmesan sauce:

Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so). Add flour and whisk until smooth. Let it cook about a minute. Add chicken broth, thyme, basil--whisking as you add them.  Add half and half and Parmesan, whisking away and let it cook for another minute or two until it is slightly thickened.

Pour this over the chicken, spinach, and potatoes.

Put in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes (longer if your chicken breasts are big or your potato cubes are big).

Take it out and serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Skillet Lasagna

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch or join us as our family of 6 learns to eat on $6/day.

First of all, let me announce that--tada--I have finally (being the technological genius that I am) figured out how to make a printable version of these recipes, so should you wish to print one, just click on PRINTABLE RECIPE at the bottom of the recipe and then when it takes you to the recipe, click on the little printer icon in the top right.

Now, on to today's recipe. It's easy. It's good. It's fast. It's adaptable. It uses one pan. I think that that's enough said.

Skillet Lasagna
Adapted from
Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook
Serves 6
Prep/cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: $5.00 (Our meal was considerably less since we used less meat, our sauce was home-canned from garden vegetables, and we skipped the other vegetables because, frankly, I forgot them.)
(1/2 lb meat: $1.50, vegetables: 1.00, pasta: .50, sauce: 1.00, cheese: 1.00)

Note on vegetables: You get to pick; isn't that fun. You can use peppers, mushrooms, olives, carrots, romas, spinach, whatever you wish. (If you use romas or spinach or something else soft, add it near the end of the cooking time, rather than at the beginning when instructed below.)

Note on pasta: I use radiatore or or bowtie pasta. The original recipe called for mafalda, which is supposedly mini-lasagna, but I've never ever seen it in a store. At any rate, the pasta needs to be a little thick-ish and/or ridge-y soas to absorb the water and create a nice al dente noodle.

1 lb Italian sausage or ground beef (I used much much less--about 1/4 lb)
2 C vegetables that you like (some suggestions: peppers, mushrooms, olives, carrots, celery, romas, spinach)
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 C) (or, if you're us, some onion powder--have I mentioned picky people live here)
3 C uncooked pasta
2 1/2 C water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I use oregano, basil, and sometimes rosemary or marjoram)
26-30 oz pasta sauce
1 C mozzarella cheese

Cook meat and vegetables in 12-inch skillet until meat is not longer pink. Drain fat if there's a lot.

Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simme uncovered for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Sprinkle with cheese and allow cheese to melt.

PRINTABLE RECIPE