Creamy Herb Pasta

A quick, easy pasta dish with creamy herb sauce!

Hello and happy 2023! I'm attempting to see if I can get myself on a posting schedule. My goal is to maybe post once a week and go from there. I think I only posted 3 recipes last year, so I'm already a third of the way there :)

I know everyone is now very anti-words in recipe posts, but I'm going to throw some out there because I've been so MIA. I started my career in mid-2021 as an accountant for tv/film production companies at a local firm. After 14 years as a stay-at-home mom, it was a huge transition. I still struggle with trying to juggle everything but I'm trying to cut myself slack and really work on my time management. There are a lot of times where I forget to thaw meat that I need and I have to say, my 2022 birthday gift was an Instant Pot and holy baloney - that has been a lifesaver.

This recipe is a great recipe for chaotic nights. I really love when things can just be thrown together and it's very simple ingredients. I feel like you could switch up the vegetable if you really wanted to.

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

This casserole is cheesy with yummy broccoli and chicken - sure to be a family favorite.

We tend to eat a lot of broccoli in our household because it's one vegetable we all really like a ton. Casseroles are something I think a lot of Americans - especially in the Midwest - grew up eating, so they are very much a comfort food for me. This one has homemade sauce and a good amount of cheese. Super easy to make and really yummy. The original recipe had mushrooms (that you saute with the onions) but Cami is the only one who eats mushrooms so they usually get omitted.

Cheesy Kielbasa, Rice, and Broccoli Skillet

Extra cheesy one pot skillet meal that is so easy to throw together and is a crowd pleaser!

I think it's wild that I didn't like kielbasa years ago. It's one of my favorite things. I typically will buy turkey sausage and I'm not sure if that counts for kielbasa but I do like both. I really loved how easy this recipe was - it really reminded me of something I would have made when I was first married. I made a lot of easy skillet meals or casseroles and this was very much that.

Penne Alfredo with Broccoli and Bacon

This quick pasta dish has homemade alfredo and crisp broccoli with some yummy bacon in there too.

This March is flying by compared to last March and it's crazy. I remember making this meal last year and being grateful that the bacon wasn't being overpicked and I was able to find some broccoli and pasta. I appreciate this recipe with how quick it is. I find a lot of pasta recipes that are able to be made in under 30 minutes - maybe that's why I like pasta so much! I also like this recipe because it's lite on meat, but you could absolutely add some chicken to it if you wanted.

Three Cheese Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Find the recipe on The Recipe Jackpot

Broccoli Stuffed Chicken

Don't be scared by this recipe, it's easy to make and the filling is made better by the whole thing being wrapped in bacon!

I used to make a lot of stuffed chicken recipes, but I stopped and I'm not sure why. I think it used to seem daunting but then it ended up not being daunting at all. I decided that I wanted to wrap this recipe in bacon...because why not. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The filling was wonderful. The chicken seasonings were perfect with the dish as a whole. I honestly cannot remember if I did toothpicks at this point, but I may have. Use your best judgement. If you need to secure it with toothpicks for your peace of mind, do that! :)

Sheet Pan Parmesan Pesto Chicken & Vegetables

One bowl and one pan bring a full dinner with loads of veggies and wonderful pesto flavor to the table in a little over 30 minutes.

As much as I love one pot meals, I think one pan/sheet meals are just as spiffy. This recipe has pesto, which is my life blood, and all kinds of other goodies that the pesto makes immensely more delicious: chicken, potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. It's got everything you need for a good meal and it's easy with little clean up!

Garlic Chicken and Broccoli Cashew Stir Fry

This stir fry is quick and easy and so full of flavor!

Stir frys are such great quick meals on busy nights. I was looking forward to trying another stir fry with cashews. This one was quick and really flavorful too. Not much else to say about it :)

Sausage & Roasted Broccoli Lemon Penne Skillet

This pasta recipe has the brightness of lemon with savory sausage and delicious roasted broccoli!

I live for lemon savory dishes and have been trying as many as humanly possible. This particular pasta recipe has lemon but also roasted broccoli and I am here for it. This dish is just so so addictive and it's perfect for spring.

Chicken Yakisoba

Make this popular Japanese street food at home in under 30 minutes!

So I had to look up what exactly yakisoba was and found out it translates to grilled noodles and is a really popular street food in Japan. Yakisoba can use either soba noodles or ramen noodles. This recipe features ramen, which if you've been around for a while, you may notice has been getting loads of love lately. I kind of blame it on the garlic butter ramen we had recently. I crave ramen all the time now! I definitely prefer jazzing up a packet of ramen noodles instead of just making it per instructions. This is a fabulous stir fry with lots of veggies and lots of flavor. You can adjust the sriracha to give more of a kick if you prefer or a little more sugar if you prefer it a little sweeter. I highly recommend this quick meal if you're craving a little Asian cuisine!

Skillet Beef Broccoli Ramen

Steamed broccoli and marinated beef is the perfect way to upgrade instant ramen!

We have definitely been on a ramen kick lately. We eat it at least twice a month, which for us IS eating something often. I make a lot of pork ramen, so it's nice to switch it up and go with a classic combo of beef and broccoli. This is definitely a wonderful way to class up packets of ramen and really stretch it into a full family meal. The beef marinates for a few hours and is packed with flavor. I would easily eat it alone, but the ramen with steamed broccoli and more sauce really go together so well. I didn't use fresh ginger for so many years but I honestly prefer it to ground ginger. So I definitely recommend going with fresh ginger for this recipe!

Roasted Broccoli Alfredo

Roasted broccoli elevates this rich alfredo dish - it's easy and fast to make!

I sort of feel a little guilty that I have been sharing tons of meatless recipes that I added meat to, but I am married to someone who would eat steak and only steak for every meal for the rest of his life if he could. He, of course, loves a lot of other food, but he is not a fan of meatless meals...not in the least bit. This recipe would be great meatless or served up with roasted chicken breast, but I thought it would be fantastic to cook up some Italian-seasoned chicken and slice it to serve on top of the pasta. We love broccoli alfredo, but this roasted broccoli alfredo was a whole other level of awesomeness.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

This cheesy broccoli soup is made right in the crockpot and is unbelievably wonderful!

The very first recipe I posted on my blog was Cheddar Broccoli Soup. It has been one of my family's favorite soups for the past 8 years and we make it often. I do get a little nervous because it is made with a Ragu Double Cheese Sauce and I'm always afraid that one day, I will go to the store and it will be no longer available. I have tried a few different types of broccoli cheese soup here and there - thankfully, the Ragu is still at the store. This soup recipe comes from Ree Drummond and I should've known that PDub would have the perfect broccoli cheese soup recipe for me to keep handy, just in case. It does use Velveeta - which I have to be honest, is not my favorite - so I do like to add a little hot sauce to kind of cut into that artificial flavor. I am fairly certain I learned that trick from Ree also. I love that this is made in the crockpot too - just one more awesome bit to the recipe.

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken and wild rice soup and broccoli cheese soup combined with a secret ingredient that ties it all together.

I don't know if it's strictly a Minnesota/Midwest thing, but I grew up eating my grandma's wild rice and chicken soup. It was perfect for all those chilly and cold days and it definitely has all those memories of being a comfort food. I was looking forward to making this recipe because it's a combination of that with another favorite soup, broccoli cheese soup. What could be better than two of my favorite soups together? Made in a crockpot? Not much, I tell you what.

It's a stick-to-your-ribs soup and it's absolutely comfort food. All the cheese and the bacon alone is total comfort, but then you have broccoli and chicken and wild rice. YUM! Plus the secret ingredient: alfredo sauce. Yes! Alfredo adds a creamy, garlic savoriness to this already amazing soup. It sounds like a lot, but all the ingredients work together so so well.

Beef and Broccoli Noodle Bowls

Itadakimasu! This bowl of ramen, beef, broccoli, and other goodies is the perfect weeknight meal!

Ramen is becoming more and more frequent on the meal plan in my house. Part of it is because ramen is delicious and the other, because it is super common for some form of anime to be playing on the tv at any given time. Granted this dish isn't like the ramen I see most on anime, it still makes me want to yell Itadakimasu {let's eat in Japanese}!

Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese #SundaySupper

Not just a box of boring macaroni, this shells and cheese recipe is homemade with love and broccoli!

Today's Sunday Supper Movement event is KID FRIENDLY VEGETABLE RECIPES and is hosted by Anne of Simple and Savory. I am thankful that my big kids love vegetables, so I've never really had to hide vegetables in food. My youngest is currently in his beige food stage, but I have high hopes that he will also love vegetables as much as the rest of us do. I really attribute the big kids being so open to vegetables because Nick and I eat basically every vegetable there is.

I think both of the big kids love broccoli the most and love when I fix shells and cheese with broccoli added to it. I know a lot of kids will eat vegetables if they have cheese on it, so this recipe is really good for picky eaters too. I personally think you could adjust the amount of broccoli if it makes your picky eaters side eye all the green, but we love lots and lots of broccoli, so we needed it all! I am really excited to see what my fellow Sunday Supper bloggers have to share because I put veggies in everything!

Alfredo Scalloped Potatoes with Ham #SundaySupper

These Alfredo Scalloped Potatoes take scalloped potatoes to a whole new level - they are perfect for an Easter side or a spring main dish!

Hello, friends! It has been such a long time since I have participated in a Sunday Supper event (since November - wow!!), but I am back for today's EASY SPRING DISHES event. It is hosted by Anne of Simple and Savory. Spring makes me think of not only lemon and asparagus, but HAM. Maybe that's because of Easter, but oh my goodness, give me all the ham, please!!

This recipe is something I never would have tried years ago because I didn't like alfredo. Now that I love alfredo, I thought it sounded like the perfect thing to put into scalloped potatoes to make them rich and creamy. I was on point with that assessment. This would be a great side dish for Easter, but is also a wonderful main dish recipe because if you do have a bigger portion, it is filling. I love that it also has a veggie in it! The scalloped potatoes I grew up on had no veggies and little beef meatballs, so this is quite different from that.

The original recipe called for Swiss cheese - I am sure if you love Swiss, it would be great in this. However, no one in my little family likes it, so I subbed in mozzarella and gruyere.

Perfect Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The perfect recipe for soup night to warm you up once it starts to get chilly outside!

The very first recipe I posted on my blog in 2010 was Cheddar Broccoli Soup. It's a special recipe and I am so glad it was my very first one. It's one that I've been making for years on end. It is my eldest child's favorite food [tied with calzones] and really everyone loves it. The only thing that I am weary about is that it takes precanned cheese sauce and I'm scared that one day it will be discontinued and then I won't know what to do! While this recipe is not a dupe for that recipe, it is definitely sufficient and we all really loved it. There is an option to mash the broccoli florets but we like the big ole hunks of them! I seriously have been blessed with kiddos who love broccoli as much as Nick and I do :)

Weeknight Chicken Penne Alfredo

This pasta dish is fast and easy to make with a fantastic homemade alfredo, veggies, and chicken!

While this is not a one pot meal, it's easily fixed in under 30 minutes and is so yummy! I hate to describe something as flavorful because I think we can agree that everything is full of flavor - it may not be a good flavor, but I digress. It is rich, creamy, and the veggies are perfection in this dish. It got huge thumbs up from the entire family and will definitely be made over and over again. You can also make this in a skinny version, if desired, with low fat cream cheese and 2% or skim milk. We did not opt to make it that way, but it is absolutely an option!

Broccoli & Cheese Omelet

I love trying recipes from fellow Secret Recipe Club members and sharing them here on the blog. I, of course, do that once a month for my reveal day post, but I also love to peruse other groups' blogs other than my group, Group D. This recipe comes from Cindy of Hun...What's For Dinner? who is in Group A. I modified it to using 2 whole eggs, instead of 1 egg and 2 egg whites, but otherwise I kept it pretty much how Cindy made it. I have always loved broccoli and loved eating cheese on broccoli, so I knew I would love this recipe. I adore the almonds in the omelet. They add a nice crunchy texture that is otherwise missing in this omelet, but they don't overwhelm it with an unpleasantness by any means. I was very skeptical about adding them, but I wanted to be a teensy bit adventurous and I am very glad that I was. Thanks, Cindy, for a wonderful recipe!