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How to make a homemade KFC Famous Bowl, with homestyle mashed potatoes, crispy chicken, corn, gravy, and cheese. Easy copycat dinner recipe!
If you’re in need of a quick and easy dinner without a ride thru the fast food lane, I’ve got just the recipe for you. The KFC chicken bowl has everything you need for a one dish meal.
Filled with creamy mashed potatoes, corn, and crispy chicken nuggets, it’s a definite winner with my kids. For me, it’s the brown gravy and slightly melted cheese that make this KFC bowl complete.
What I love about this mashed potato bowl is… It’s quick and easy to make because of the ingredients I use. Not to mention, my kids can get involved and layer their own bowls.
We also love the occasional mashed potato bar (and baked potato bar) around here, so dinners like this are nothing new to this family.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
Mashed Potatoes – I prefer to buy ready made mashed potatoes; my grocery store carries Bob Evans mashed potatoes in a package, and they’re delicious and easy to pop into the microwave for just a few minutes. You can also use instant mashed potatoes or homemade mashed potatoes.
Corn – While I prefer the ease of steamable frozen corn I can just pop in the microwave, you can also use canned corn or fresh corn.
Chicken Nuggets – I use gluten-free chicken nuggets, but you can also use popcorn chicken or chicken strips. If you do use nuggets or strips, you’ll need to cut them into bite-size pieces.
Cheese – We use extra sharp cheddar and Colby Jack cheese. However, consider the flavors you want because the options are endless… Think smoked cheddar or smoked gouda, Monterey Jack, an Italian cheese blend, parmesan cheese, etc.
How to Make a KFC Famous Bowl
Before you can layer your KFC mashed potato bowls, you need to prep a few ingredients.
How to Prep Ingredients:
Mix up and cook the gravy according to package directions.
Cook the chicken nuggets according to package directions, and cut them into bite-size pieces.
Steam cook frozen corn in the microwave, according to package directions.
Cook or heat up the mashed potatoes, again according to package directions (unless making homemade).
How to Layer the Bowls:
First add a pile of mashed potatoes into your serving bowl.
Sprinkle the mashed potatoes with corn.
Sprinkle bite-size crispy chicken nuggets on top of the potatoes and corn.
Spoon small spoonfuls of gravy onto chicken and mashed potatoes.
Finally, sprinkle a mixture of cheese on top of each bowl.
And that’s it. Serve the bowls while warm and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s:
How should I store chicken bowls?
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They should keep for 3-5 days.
How do I reheat them?
The best way to reheat your mashed potato bowls is in the oven at 350° F. This method will help to keep your chicken crispy. If in a hurry, reheat in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, checking every minute to stir or see if it’s hot; with the microwave, chicken will be less crispy.
Can I make ahead and freeze KFC Bowls for quick meals?
Yes, you can. Just be sure to store your ingredients in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. They should keep for 3-5 months.
Extra Topping Ideas for This Recipe:
There are a plethora of toppings you can add to your bowl in addition to the ingredients we’ve already discussed.
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
KFC Famous Bowl
How to make a homemade KFC Famous Bowl, with homestyle mashed potatoes, crispy chicken, corn, gravy, and cheese. Easy copycat dinner recipe!
Serving Bowls
Saucepan
Sheet Pan
1 ounce brown gravy mix
20 ounces chicken nuggets
2 cups steam-able frozen corn
24 ounces mashed potatoes
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese (shredded)
Mix up and cook the gravy according to package directions.
Cook the chicken nuggets according to package directions, and cut them into bite-size pieces.
Steam cook frozen corn in the microwave, according to package directions.
Cook or heat up the mashed potatoes, again according to package directions (unless making homemade).
First add a pile of mashed potatoes into each serving bowl.
Sprinkle the mashed potatoes with corn.
Sprinkle bite-size crispy chicken nuggets on top of the potatoes and corn.
Spoon small spoonfuls of gravy onto the chicken and mashed potatoes.
Finally, sprinkle a mixture of cheese on top of each bowl.
Serve the bowls while warm!
*Or you can use popcorn chicken or chicken strips.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They should keep for 3-5 days.
How do I reheat them?
The best way to reheat your mashed potato bowls is in the oven at 350° F. This method will help to keep your chicken crispy. If in a hurry, reheat in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, checking every minute to stir or see if it’s hot; with the microwave, chicken will be less crispy.
Can I make ahead and freeze KFC Bowls for quick meals?
Yes, you can. Just be sure to store your ingredients in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. They should keep for 3-5 months.
How to make the most amazing traditional meatloaf recipe with beef, bread crumbs, and an easy homemade sauce. Classic, nourishing comfort food at its best.
It’s no secret I love a good oatmeal meatloaf. It makes me sad that meatloaf gets such a bad rap because made right, it’s oh so delicious.
Meatloaf is the quintessential dinner recipe because usually, my family can get 2 meals out of 1. One night we’ll eat meatloaf with mashed potatoes and vegetables; the next night we’ll have the best meatloaf sandwiches.
A traditional meatloaf is super easy to mix up, as it involves dumping and mixing all the ingredients into one bowl. There is a sauce to go over the top, but even that only has 3 simple ingredients.
You can pat the ground beef into a larger loaf and bake it in a 9×13 pan; we’ve also made it by patting the meatloaf into a large baking sheet or into muffin tins to make meatloaf muffins. If you do choose to make it in a sheet pan, it likely won’t need as long to bake.
Either way you bake a classic meatloaf recipe, I highly recommend you use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked. We’ll talk about how to tell when it’s done as you keep reading.
If you’d rather skip all of my meatloaf making tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the traditional meatloaf recipe with bread crumbs – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED:
Large and small mixing bowls – You’ll need a large bowl for the meatloaf, and a small bowl for mixing the sauce.
9×13 baking dish or large baking sheet – I love using a 9×13 baking dish to make a big almost 2-pound meatloaf that will stretch to give our family of five more than one meal.
Meat thermometer – We use ours all the time; it really helps to tell if the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked.
WHAT TYPE OF MEAT MAKES REALLY GOOD MEATLOAF?
We really prefer to use 90/10 ground beef in our meatloaf, which we also use for pretty much everything else too.
In our experience, this leaner mixture of ground beef results in less grease around the finished meatloaf, and it’s a healthier choice. We also prefer the flavor profile of ground beef as opposed to other meats.
CAN I USE GROUND TURKEY FOR MEATLOAF?
Yes, turkey actually makes a wonderful ground beef substitute, but it will change the look, texture, and flavor of your finished meatloaf.
HOW TO MAKE THIS TRADITIONAL MEATLOAF RECIPE FROM SCRATCH
Before mixing up the meatloaf, be sure to pre-heat your oven to 350° F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Then mix up the ingredients…
Add all of the meatloaf ingredients, including the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, garlic, parsley, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, and bread crumbs to a large bowl.
Use a large fork (or your hands) to mix everything together really well.
Transfer the meat mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish, and shape it into a loaf.
EASY MEATLOAF SAUCE TOPPING
To make the sauce…
In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, yellow mustard, and light brown sugar.
Spread the sauce evenly all over the top of the meatloaf.
HOW LONG TO COOK MEATLOAF, PER POUND
Cook time really depends on the size of your meatloaf, as well as your oven, but you’re best to cook meatloaf for 30 to 45 minutes per pound.
Set your oven to 350° F, and bake the meatloaf for about 1 hour, or ’til the meatloaf is completely cooked thru and done.
HOW TO TELL WHEN MEATLOAF IS DONE
Your meatloaf needs to reach an internal temperature of at least 160° F with a meat thermometer.
Then allow the meatloaf to rest for about 10 minutes before serving with your favorite sides.
HOW TO MAKE MEATLOAF MOIST
The key to making a moist meatloaf lies in the filler, which is usually a bread product of some kind. The goal is to soak up and retain all of the juices that the meatloaf produces; without a filler, all of these juices would simply drain away.
Believe it or not, meatloaf fillers were originally used to stretch out the recipe. During the Great Depression, it was common for meatloaf to contain up to 50% filler ingredients, typically bread crumbs, which made for an affordable way to feed a family.
HOW TO MAKE A TRADITIONAL MEATLOAF GLUTEN-FREE
This meatloaf recipe is fairly easy to make gluten-free. All of the ingredients can be found gluten-free at one place or another, but here are a couple notes.
You can use gluten-free bread crumbs, which can be bought at most grocery stores or health food stores.
For seasoning, I really like the Badia Complete Seasoning, which is gluten-free and absolutely delicious.
Also, be sure to check your Worcestershire sauce because many times, this can contain gluten.
Just be sure to check all of your ingredient labels to make sure that they’re truly gluten-free.
WHY DOES MY MEATLOAF FALL APART?
Raw egg is crucial in making a moist, sliceable meatloaf. The egg is what binds all of the other ingredients together, allowing the meatloaf to hold up to slicing without falling apart.
If your meatloaf has enough egg and still falls apart, it might be that it’s overcooked, and sometimes it could even be that your ground beef has too much fat.
Of course, it may also be that your recipe does not include enough filler ingredients, the importance of which I talked about above.
ALTERNATIVE VARIATIONS FOR MEATLOAF
Here are some ideas if you are looking to change up the recipe:
Try using a different filler ingredient such as crackers, rolled oats, or potato flakes. You can even combine these ingredients.
Add crushed tomatoes. Every summer my mom boils down crushed tomatoes, fresh from the garden, to add to her meatloaf, and it’s amazing.
Try a different kind of meat. Many people use ground pork, ground chicken, and sometimes even ground veal!
CAN I MAKE MEATLOAF AHEAD?
Yes, meatloaf is a great make-ahead recipe. You can can keep meatloaf in the freezer for up to 6 months (see below), or you can mix it up the night before, wrap it in plastic or foil, and place it in the refrigerator until it’s time to bake.
CAN YOU FREEZE MEATLOAF?
Yes, you can freeze meatloaf either before or after baking. Frozen meatloaf will usually keep for up to 6 months.
To freeze raw meatloaf, simply wrap it in plastic wrap and either wrap again in foil or place in an airtight freezer bag.
Traditional Meatloaf Recipe with Easy Sauce Topping
How to make the most amazing traditional meatloaf recipe with beef, bread crumbs, and an easy homemade sauce. Classic, nourishing comfort food at its best.
Rorence Stainless Steel Non-Slip Mixing Bowls With Pour Spout, Handle and Lid, Nesting Set of 3, Red
Badia Complete Seasoning, 6 Pound
Nordic Ware Classic Metal 9×13 Covered Cake Pan
ThermoPro Digital Instant Read Meat Thermometer with Backlight and Magnet
Add all of the meatloaf ingredients, including the ground beef, eggs, minced onion, seasoned salt, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, and bread crumbs to a large bowl.
Use a large fork (or your hands) to mix everything together really well.
Transfer the meat mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish, and shape it into a loaf.
To make the sauce, mix together the ketchup, yellow mustard, and light brown sugar in a small bowl.
Spread the sauce evenly all over the top of the meatloaf.
Bake the meatloaf at 350° F for about 1 hour, or ’til the meatloaf is completely cooked thru and done.* Your meatloaf needs to reach an internal temperature of at least 160° F with a meat thermometer.
Allow the meatloaf to rest for about 10 minutes before serving with your favorite sides.
*Cook time really depends on the size of your meatloaf, as well as your oven, but you’re best to cook meatloaf for 30 to 45 minutes per pound.
WHAT TYPE OF MEAT MAKES REALLY GOOD MEATLOAF?
We really prefer to use 90/10 ground beef in our meatloaf, which we use for pretty much everything. In our experience, this leaner mixture of ground beef results in less grease around the finished meatloaf, and it’s a healthier choice. We also prefer the flavor profile of ground beef as opposed to other meats.
CAN I USE GROUND TURKEY FOR MEATLOAF?
Yes, turkey actually makes a wonderful ground beef substitute, but it will change the look, texture, and flavor of your finished meatloaf.
HOW TO MAKE A TRADITIONAL MEATLOAF GLUTEN-FREE
This meatloaf recipe is fairly easy to make gluten-free. You can use gluten-free bread crumbs, which can be bought at most grocery stores or health food stores, and I really like the Badia Complete Seasoning, which is gluten-free and absolutely delicious. Also, be sure to check your Worcestershire sauce because many times, this can contain gluten.
Just be sure to check all of your ingredient labels to make sure that they’re truly gluten-free.
CAN I MAKE MEATLOAF AHEAD?
Yes, meatloaf is a great make-ahead recipe. You can keep meatloaf in the freezer for up to 6 months (see below), or you can mix it up the night before, wrap it in plastic or foil, and place it in the refrigerator until it’s time to bake.
CAN YOU FREEZE MEATLOAF?
Yes, you can freeze meatloaf either before or after baking. Frozen meatloaf will usually keep for up to 6 months.
To freeze raw meatloaf, simply wrap it in plastic wrap, and either wrap again in foil or place in an airtight freezer bag.
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Cheesesteak stuffed peppers are a fantastic way to enjoy your favorite sandwich, only without the bread, making it a healthier option overall.
While Philly cheesesteak peppers may seem complicated, they’re not at all.
Basically, you just cook up the ground beef mixture and spoon it into the peppers. Then bake the peppers for a short amount of time, and voila, you’ve got dinner on the table.
Now I like to add both provolone and Cheez Whiz to my stuffed bell peppers, but the choice is up to you, whether you add Cheez Whiz or not. My motto is, the more cheese the better.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my recipe tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Philly cheese stuffed peppers recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
Bell peppers – whatever colors you want. I like to use a variety of colors when making stuffed peppers.
Oil of choice – You can use butter, olive oil, bacon grease, etc.
Garlic cloves
Yellow onion
Green bell pepper
Fresh mushrooms
Ground beef
Beef broth – I usually use a bullion base to make broth.
Now some cooks like to boil bell peppers before stuffing them. I don’t, because I feel like it makes the peppers more mushy, and I like them to be somewhat crisp.
However, I do like to slice them in half, remove the seeds and membranes, place them on a baking sheet, and then cook the peppers in the oven for about 20 minutes while they’re still empty. That way they start to soften just slightly, and they’re warm when I go to stuff in the meat mixture.
MEANWHILE, COOK UP THE GROUND BEEF MIXTURE…
Prep your minced garlic and mushrooms, as well as chopped onion and green bell pepper.
Heat the oil of your choice (I prefer bacon grease) in a large skillet, on medium heat, ’til hot. Then sauté the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and green bell pepper for 5 to 8 minutes, or ’til softened.
Add the ground beef into the skillet, stirring the veggies into the meat. Cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meat is browned. Be sure to drain off any excess oil when the meat has finished cooking.
Whisk together the beef broth and flour in a separate measuring cup.
Mix the beef broth mixture, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper into the meat, stirring until combined. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finally, top the meat with the slices of Provolone right in the skillet and let it melt. Then stir the melted cheese into the meat mixture. It will help the cheese to melt a little faster if you place a lid on the skillet.
HOW TO COOK CHEESESTEAK STUFFED PEPPERS
Just spoon the meat mixture into the warmed bell pepper halves.
Then bake them at 350° F for about 20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F with a meat thermometer.
BEST BEEF FOR PHILLY CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS
While Philly cheesesteaks use, you guessed it, steak… I prefer to use ground beef when making stuffed peppers.
Now that’s not to say you couldn’t make this recipe with ribeye, top round steak, or a good sirloin steak like we do in our more authentic and traditional Philly cheesesteak recipe; but ground beef makes a really good stuffed pepper.
The ground meat adds a moister texture than steak. And it really meshes with the veggies and bell peppers for a delicious flavor that’s out of this world.
HOW LONG IS A STUFFED PEPPER GOOD FOR?
While you can make these peppers about a day ahead of time, they’ll last about 3-4 days after baking.
ARE STUFFED PEPPERS FREEZABLE?
Yes, you can definitely freeze stuffed peppers.
AFTER THEY’VE COOKED AND HAVE COOLED…
Store them in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. You can even wrap them up individually and place them in freezer bags if you want personal sized meals for one.
They’ll last about 3 months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to eat the peppers, you can bake them frozen for 30 to 45 minutes or so; or you can let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours to help shorten the cook time.
BEFORE THEY’VE BEEN COOKED…
So while everything together is uncooked, the meat mixture still has to be cooked before freezing. And the bell peppers will need to be boiled for just a few minutes, in order to blanch them.
After blanching, you’d need to allow the peppers to cool, then stuff them and freeze them according to the same instructions as for already cooked peppers above.
When you’re ready to eat the peppers, you’ll need to add an extra 30 or so minutes to your recipe cook time, just to make sure they cook thru.
How to make the best Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers, ground beef style. Easy to prep recipe for a delicious, family-friendly dinner!
Ninja Food Chopper Express Chop with 200-Watt, 16-Ounce Bowl for Mincing, Chopping, Grinding, Blending and Meal Prep
The Pampered Chef Mix N Chop
The Great Philly Cheesesteak Book
AMAGARM Meat Food Thermometer for Grill and Cooking, 2S Best Ultra Fast Instant Read Waterproof Digital Kitchen Thermometer
Universal Lid for Pots, Pans and Skillets, Stainless Steel and Tempered Glass, Fits All 7 Inch to 12 Inch Pots and Pans
Lodge 13.25 Pre Seasoned Inch Cast Iron Skillet for Family Size Meals
5 large bell peppers
2 tablespoons bacon grease*
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
1 large green bell pepper (chopped)
4 ounces fresh mushrooms (minced)
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup beef broth*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 ounces provolone cheese
Cheez Whiz (optional)
Before you dive into making this recipe, I’d suggest pre-heating your oven to 350° F, and wash 5 large bell peppers.
Slice the peppers in half, remove the seeds and membranes, place them on a baking sheet, and then cook the peppers in the oven for about 20 minutes while they’re still empty.
Meanwhile, heat the oil of your choice (I prefer bacon grease) in a large skillet, on medium heat, ’til hot. Then sauté the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and green bell pepper for 5 to 8 minutes, or ’til softened.
Add the ground beef into the skillet, stirring the veggies into the meat. Cook on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meat is browned. Be sure to drain off any excess oil when the meat has finished cooking.
Whisk together the beef broth and flour in a separate measuring cup.
Mix the beef broth mixture, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper into the meat, stirring until combined. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Finally, top the meat with the slices of Provolone right in the skillet and let it melt. Then stir the melted cheese into the meat mixture. It will help the cheese to melt a little faster if you place a lid on the skillet.
Spoon the meat mixture into the warmed bell pepper halves.
Then bake them at 350° F for about 20 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F with a meat thermometer.
Serve the stuffed peppers while warm. Add Cheez Whiz if desired.
*You can use butter, olive oil, bacon grease, etc.
While you can make these peppers about a day ahead of time, they’ll last about 3-4 days after baking.
ARE STUFFED PEPPERS FREEZABLE?
Yes, you can definitely freeze stuffed peppers.
AFTER THEY’VE COOKED AND COOLED…
Store them in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. You can even wrap them up individually and place them in freezer bags if you want personal sized meals for one. They’ll last about 3 months in the freezer.
When you’re ready to eat the peppers, you can bake them frozen for 30 to 45 minutes or so; or you can let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours to help shorten the cook time.
BEFORE THEY’VE BEEN COOKED…
The meat mixture still has to be cooked before freezing. And the bell peppers will need to be boiled for just a few minutes, in order to blanch them.
After blanching, you need to allow the peppers to cool, then stuff them and freeze them according to the same instructions as for already cooked peppers above.
When you’re ready to eat the peppers, you’ll need to add an extra 30 or so minutes to your recipe cook time, just to make sure they cook thru.
main dish
American
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Whip up quick and easy Instant Pot sausage and rice for dinner tonight. It’s a hearty one dish recipe you can throw together in minutes and a flavorful weeknight meal everyone will enjoy!
Don’t you just love it when you can combine 2 or 3 of your favorite foods and create a dish that’s so full of flavor, you want to have it for dinner every night? That’s how this Instant Pot smoked sausage and rice recipe is for me.
I have always loved smoked sausage. When you combine it with rice (or cauliflower rice), onion, garlic, certain spices like smoked paprika, and a dash of green peas, you’ve got a blue ribbon dinner winner.
Now I do like to use regular white rice, but as I’ve told you before, I have a low carber in the house. So he’ll sometimes make this one pot meal with cauliflower rice, if he even wants any rice at all.
If you love this Instant Pot kielbasa and rice dish, check out another one-pot meal my family loves, sausage and chicken casserole, also made in the Instant Pot.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dinner Recipe
This is a delicious dump and go meal, and it really reminds me of a good Cajun dish like this jambalaya recipe, but without all the other ingredients. The smoked paprika gives this a real kick in flavor.
This flavorful rice is quick and easy, even with cooking time, and your Instant Pot does the main work for you. I love a good quick meal.
It’s a budget-friendly meal. Depending what you already have on hand, this dish can be made for around $5-10, and it can easily feed 5 people.
It’s a one pot meal, a rice casserole, per sé. You get your meat, veggies, and carb all in one hearty dish.
It’s kid-friendly, a great recipe for kids to help you make.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
To make this sausage and rice Instant Pot recipe, you’ll need to gather a few simple ingredients…
Garlic Cloves – An easy way to add the garlic is to just used already minced garlic you can find in the produce section at the grocery store.
Yellow Onion – While you can use sweet onion, I find the yellow onion gives a nice kick; and this dish has enough carbs (with the rice) without added sugar.
Sausage Link – I love to use smoked sausage, usually beef smoked sausage, and Polish sausages. You can get great flavor by using kielbasa, andouille sausage, smoked chorizo, etc. You can also use turkey sausage or chicken sausage. Do keep in mind that if you’re trying to make this gluten-free, be sure to look for sausage labeled gluten-free; you’d be surprised at some of the things that do actually contain gluten.
Smoked Paprika – This is my “not so secret” ingredient that adds spice, smoky flavor, and a kick. Without it, this dish just wouldn’t be the same. It is a wonderful seasoning for so many things and just adds a lot of flavor. Again, be sure to look for the gluten-free label if making this gluten-free.
Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock – You can mix up bullion or use ready-made broth or chicken stock; however, if you’re making this gluten-free, be sure to check your labels.
White Rice – When it comes to the type of rice, I suggest using long grain rice. We prefer to use a long grain rice to make pressure cooker sausage and rice. Jasmine rice and basmati rice are more great examples of long grain rice. The reason I prefer long grain rice is because it really fluffs up after cooking, and it won’t be so moist; it’ll have a drier texture to it, so it doesn’t just clump up into heaps of cooked rice. You can also make this recipe with brown rice or cauliflower rice, but keep in mind that it will change the texture and taste of the finished dish.
Frozen Peas – Just be sure to thaw them. You can also add in other veggies, things like bell peppers, green beans, corn, etc.
Let’s Talk about the Instant Pot for a Second
If you haven’t used an Instant Pot for pressure cooking, you’re in for a meal making treat. The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker that allows you to make so many things quickly and easily.
I love using mine to make one pot dinners and weeknight meals, especially when we’re super busy and just don’t have a lot of time to cook. One pot Instant Pot dinners are the absolute best!
Not sure how to use your Instant Pot? You’re not alone; I have a lot of friends and readers who’ve ordered one but but have yet to get it out of the box and actually use it. But I’ve got ya covered with my quick and easy Instant Pot guide.
How to Make Instant Pot Sausage and Rice
Before you even heat up your Instant Pot, be sure to prep your ingredients and have them ready to go. This means go ahead and mince up your garlic and onion, slice the sausage, and make chicken broth if you’re not using already made broth.
I’ve used both my 6-quart Instant Pot and 8-quart Instant Pot to make this recipe.
Just follow these steps…
Press “Sauté” on your Instant Pot, and once it’s heated up, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion, sautéing ’til they become soft and slightly browned.
Add in the sausage slices with the browned bits, and brown for a good 1 to 2 minutes.
Then sprinkle in the seasonings, and add the rice and chicken broth, mixing everything together.
Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” on high pressure, with a cooking time of 5 minutes. Allow it to do a natural release, not a quick release.
Once it’s released, go ahead and remove the lid, and stir in the thawed peas. Put the lid back on, and allow those peas to warm for about 5 minutes. No need to turn on the pot; just let everything sit in its own warmth.
Then stir and fluff the rice, and serve it up!
It’s such an easy meal to make, and definitely one your family will love!
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ideas and ways you can switch up this Instant Pot rice and sausage recipe to make it even more fun…
Add bell peppers. Bell pepper, including green pepper and red bell pepper, gives excellent flavor to just about any dish.
To give it a kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce.
Try different seasonings. If you want it to have a Tex-Mex feel, try adding taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. If you want Instant Pot Cajun sausage and rice, try adding Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning. If you want more of a Chinese sausage dish, you can try adding soy sauce.
Speaking of Tex-Mex, add salsa to the mix, or picante sauce, or better yet, a green salsa.
Make it cheesy by adding either some shredded cheese, or a can of cheddar soup.
Try making it with other types of meat… Maybe ground sausage or ground beef, bits of steak, chicken, or shrimp.
Sprinkle green onions on top of each serving as you dish it out.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Can you double the recipe?
Sure you can! You can double or even triple the recipe, as long as your Instant Pot is big enough to hold all the ingredients. This recipe makes enough to feed about 5 people. So if you have a crowd of 10 or more, feel free to increase as needed.
What if you get a burn message or burn notice?
Thankfully, this hasn’t happened when we’ve made this recipe, but different brands and types of pressure cookers may differ. A burn notice can also happen when cooking something more dense and starchy like rice, if it sticks to the bottom of the pot. So to avoid that ominous burn message, avoid stirring everything together when you add the chicken broth. Just make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid, so it will cook properly. Then put the lid on, and pressure cook as instructed.
How should you store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge; leftovers should keep for 3-5 days in the fridge. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop in a skillet.
Can you freeze sausage and rice?
Yes, you can make smoked sausage with rice ahead of time and freeze it. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
More Instant Pot Dinners You Can Make in a Jiffy
If you love this Instant Pot sausage and rice as much as we do, you’re going to love these other Instant Pot recipes you can make too…
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Instant Pot Sausage and Rice
Quick and easy Instant Pot sausage and rice. Hearty one dish recipe you can throw together in minutes. Flavorful weeknight meal everyone will enjoy!
6-Qt. Instant Pot
Wooden Spoon
Cutting Board
Chef's Knife
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion (minced)
1 pound sliced sausage link*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice*
1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
Before you even heat up your Instant Pot, be sure to prep your ingredients and have them ready to go.
Press “Sauté” on your Instant Pot.
Once it's heated up, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion, sautéing 'til they become soft and slightly browned.
Add in the sausage slices with the browned bits, and brown for a good 1 to 2 minutes.
Then sprinkle in the seasonings, and add the rice and chicken broth, mixing everything together.
Place the lid on your Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” with a cook time of 5 minutes. Allow it to do a natural release.
Once it’s released, go ahead and remove the lid, and stir in the thawed peas. Put the lid back on, and allow those peas to warm for about 5 minutes. No need to turn on the pot; just let everything sit in its own warmth.
Then stir and fluff the rice, and serve it up!
*I love to use smoked sausage, usually beef smoked sausage. You can also get great flavor by using kielbasa, andouille sausage, etc.
*We prefer to use a long grain rice to make pressure cooker sausage and rice. Jasmine rice and basmati rice are more great examples of long grain rice. The reason I prefer long grain rice is because it really fluffs up after cooking, and it won’t be so moist; it’ll have a drier texture to it, so it doesn’t just clump up into heaps of cooked rice. You can also make this recipe with brown rice or cauliflower rice, but keep in mind that it will change the texture and taste of the finished dish.
What If You Get a Burn Message?
To avoid that ominous burn message, you may want to avoid stirring everything together when you add the chicken broth. Just make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid, so it will cook properly.
dinner
American
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How to make scalloped potatoes and ham in a creamy sauce, baked in the oven. Easy, old-fashioned, homemade, cheesy casserole recipe perfect for a crowd!
I absolutely love a hearty comfort food dish, and that’s exactly what this cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham casserole is. It’s comfort food at its finest.
Not to mention, this recipe can be designated a main dish for dinner, or a side dish to accompany your main dish and other side dishes, like a CrockPot pork roast and green bean casserole. You can feed just your family with it, or rather feed a crowd at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
And if you have leftovers from a holiday meal, ham and scalloped potatoes is a great way to use up any leftover ham you may have. We always enjoy the leftovers when we cook a ham or roast a pineapple ham.
Now the cheese in these scalloped potatoes with cheese is optional, but I do recommend it. We’re not layering the cheese; we’re just sprinkling it on top of the meat and potatoes toward the end of baking.
The creamy sauce is full of flavor, thanks to ingredients like onion, thyme, and parsley. It provides enough coverage to the thinly sliced potatoes to really infuse a ton of flavor into each and every bite.
And you don’t even have to peel the potatoes, making this a truly easy recipe to put together.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scalloped potatoes recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCALLOPED POTATOES AND AU GRATIN?
Scalloped potatoes usually don’t have cheese, and that’s why I’m including it as an optional ingredient.
However. potatoes au gratin do have cheese. In fact, cheese is a main ingredient, sprinkled between layers. Sometimes an actual cheese sauce is used, as well.
Potatoes au gratin also sometimes have breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. Even the potatoes can be sliced a bit more thinly in au gratin potatoes.
HOW TO MAKE SCALLOPED POTATOES AND HAM FROM SCRATCH
Before you get started, you’ll need to gather and prep all of your ingredients. Do things like dicing the onion and ham, as well as washing and slicing up the potatoes.
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease your casserole dish with cooking spray.
Make the roux and layer classic scalloped potatoes, in steps…
In a medium saucepan, cook the butter and onions over medium heat ’til the onions are soft and translucent.
Add in the thyme, parsley, and flour; cook for 1-2 minutes.
Then turn the heat to low, and add in the cream and milk a little at a time, whisking between each addition.
Stir in the chicken broth, and the salt and pepper (to taste), and bring to a boil, cooking for about 1 minute. Remove the white sauce from heat and set aside.
Begin by layering 1/3 of the thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
Top that layer off with about 2/3 cup of the ham.
Then add about 1 cup of the cream sauce.
Repeat these same layers until the dish is full; you should have 3 layers altogether.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350° F for about 50 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
If you want to add cheese to the top, add it during the last 15 minutes of baking. Then remove the potatoes from the oven, and allow them to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO SCALLOPED POTATOES?
I might have a few suggestions for you…
Smoked paprika – This has quickly become one of my favorite seasonings; it’s absolutely delicious in Philly cheesesteak sliders. A good sprinkling of smoked paprika would give these potatoes a real kick. It’s so good!
Basil would add a whole other dimension of flavor.
Use bacon instead of ham.
My family loves sliced sausage links with potatoes too. Yum!
Add a layer of chopped spinach right before you add each layer of sauce.
Add your favorite cheese. Maybe smoked cheddar instead of regular. Or smoked gruyere, smoked gouda, goat cheese, etc.
Speaking of cheese, add a final layer of parmesan cheese.
CAN I MAKE THIS GLUTEN FREE?
Yes, you can. Be sure to check all ingredient labels to make sure they are definitely gluten-free.
And again, check labels. Make sure that your ham and chicken broth are gluten-free too; sometimes the glaze on certain hams contains gluten.
CAN I MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, you can make cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham ahead of time.
You’ll need to go ahead and follow the steps thru the first 50 minutes of bake time.
Then remove the potatoes from the oven, still covered with foil, and allow them to cool completely.
Refrigerate them ’til serving time, no more than a day or two.
Then take them out of the fridge, pre-heat the oven, and complete the baking time. They may need to bake slightly longer than 30 minutes, but bake ’til the potatoes are tender and everything is cooked thru.
CAN I FREEZE SCALLOPED POTATOES?
Yes, you can, but you need to semi-cook them before freezing; otherwise, the potatoes will discolor.
To freeze homemade scalloped potatoes, follow the same instructions above for making ahead of time, cooking them thru the first 50 minutes of bake time, cooling, and freezing in an airtight container.
Don’t thaw before cooking, though; you’ll likely need to add at least 20-30 minutes on to the cook time, since you’ll be finishing the cooking process while everything is still frozen.
The California Wine Club has a great selection of wines you can have delivered right to your doorstep.
GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE
If you love this scalloped potatoes and ham recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!
How to make scalloped potatoes and ham in a creamy sauce, baked in the oven. Easy, old-fashioned, homemade, cheesy casserole recipe perfect for a crowd!
Mueller Austria Premium Quality V-Pro Multi Blade Adjustable Mandoline Cheese/Vegetable Slicer, Cutter, Shredder with Precise Maximum Adjustability
Baking Dishes, Krokori Rectangular Bakeware Set Ceramic Baking Pan Lasagna Pans for Cooking, Kitchen, Cake Dinner, Banquet and Daily Use, 13 x 9 Inches
6 tablespoons salted butter
1 small yellow onion (diced)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup all-purpose flour*
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk*
1 cup chicken broth
Salt (to taste)
Ground black pepper (to taste)
3 pounds potatoes* (washed and thinly sliced)
2 cups cooked ham (diced)
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded, optional)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded, optional)
Before you get started, you’ll need to gather and prep all of your ingredients. Dice the onion and ham, as well as wash and slice up the potatoes.
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease your casserole dish with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, cook the butter and onions over medium heat ’til the onions are soft and translucent.
Add in the thyme, parsley, and flour; cook for 1-2 minutes.
Then turn the heat to low, and add in the cream and milk a little at a time, whisking between each addition.
Stir in the chicken broth, and the salt and pepper (to taste), and bring to a boil, cooking for about 1 minute. Remove the white sauce from heat and set aside.
Begin by layering 1/3 of the thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
Top that layer off with about 2/3 cup of the ham.
Then add about 1 cup of the cream sauce.
Repeat these same layers until the dish is full; you should have 3 layers altogether.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350° F for about 50 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. If you want to add cheese to the top, add it during the last 15 minutes of baking.
Then remove the potatoes from the oven, and allow them to cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
*Milk – You can either use 2 cups milk or 1 cup half-and-half.
*Potatoes – I recommend using Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes.
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO SCALLOPED POTATOES?
I might have a few suggestions for you…
Smoked paprika – This has quickly become one of my favorite seasonings; it’s absolutely delicious in Philly cheesesteak sliders. A good sprinkling of smoked paprika would give these potatoes a real kick. It’s so good!
Basil would add a whole other dimension of flavor.
Use bacon instead of ham.
My family loves sliced sausage links with potatoes too. Yum!
Add a layer of chopped spinach right before you add each layer of sauce.
Add your favorite cheese. Maybe smoked cheddar instead of regular. Or smoked gruyere, smoked gouda, goat cheese, etc.
Speaking of cheese, add a final layer of parmesan cheese.
CAN I MAKE THIS GLUTEN FREE?
Yes, you can. Be sure to check all ingredient labels to make sure they are definitely gluten-free.
As mentioned above, you can change out the all-purpose flour for a good gluten-free flour. I prefer to use Authentic Foods Classical Blend; it makes a delicious ham gravy.
And again, check labels. Make sure that your ham and chicken broth are gluten-free too; sometimes the glaze on certain hams contains gluten.
CAN I MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, you can make cheesy scalloped potatoes and ham ahead of time.
You’ll need to go ahead and follow the steps thru the first 50 minutes of bake time.
Then remove the potatoes from the oven, still covered with foil, and allow them to cool completely.
Refrigerate them ’til serving time, no more than a day or two.
Then take them out of the fridge, pre-heat the oven, and complete the baking time. They may need to bake slightly longer than 30 minutes, but bake ’til the potatoes are tender and everything is cooked thru.
CAN I FREEZE SCALLOPED POTATOES?
Yes, you can, but you need to semi-cook them before freezing; otherwise, the potatoes will discolor.
To freeze homemade scalloped potatoes, follow the same instructions above for making ahead of time, cooking them thru the first 50 minutes of bake time, cooling, and freezing in an airtight container.
Don’t thaw before cooking, though; you’ll likely need to add at least 20-30 minutes on to the cook time, since you’ll be finishing the cooking process while everything is still frozen.
The California Wine Club has a great selection of wines you can have delivered right to your doorstep.
Dinner Ideas
American
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How to make a cheesy Mexican meat pie with ground beef and bacon. Well loved casserole recipe that’s easy to make and loaded with fantastic Tex-Mex flavor!
Flipping through my grandma’s recipe box one day, I noticed a recipe card from a close family friend. It was titled Mexicali Meat Pie.
Realizing that I’d probably had this Mexican casserole at one church potluck or another, I remembered how yummy every dish at those church potlucks actually was. And I thought how fun it’d be to make this recipe for my family.
Not only is this Mexican pie fun to make; it’s absolutely delicious and definitely one of my go to ideas for dinner… Especially these days because we usually have most, if not all of the ingredients, on hand.
You will need a single pie crust for this recipe. I do make this pie completely gluten-free, and I’ll share how in the details below.
Topping it off with bacon really completes the ensemble. If you like olives, it’s suggested to add those on top too… But I usually leave those off because I’m just not a fan of olives.
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Mexican meat pie recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
Before you get started cooking, you’ll need to prep all of your fresh ingredients. Do things like chopping the pepper, chopping the onion, and then cooking and crumbling the bacon to set aside.
You’ll also need a pie crust. I prefer to use this pie crust recipe, but instead of rolling it out, I set it aside ’til I’m ready.
MAKE THE BEEF MIXTURE…
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, and drain the meat when browned.
Stir the corn, green pepper, onion, cornmeal, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce into the ground beef.
Prep the pie crust by pressing it into a greased casserole dish, preferably at least a 9″x13″ baking dish.
Place the meat mixture into that pastry lined dish, and bake at 425° F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
THEN ADD THE TOPPING…
Combine the egg, milk, salt, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
Then mix the shredded cheese into the egg mixture.
Spread the cheesy mixture all over the top of the pie.
Finally, top with the bacon crumbles (and stuffed olives, if preferred), and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese melts completely.
Let the casserole stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Then serve with a dollop of sour cream and green onions or cilantro if you’d like.
Writing up this recipe is making my mouth water just thinking about it. Yum!
HOW TO MAKE IT A GLUTEN-FREE CASSEROLE
There are a few things you need to think about or change if you want this casserole to be gluten-free.
Crust – I use the same crust recipe as mentioned above but use a good gluten-free flour instead.
Spices and seasonings – Be sure all of your spices and seasonings are truly gluten-free. Gluten likes to hide out in spices, believe you me. I have started stocking my pantry, little by little, with Badia seasonings and spices because they are gluten-free seasonings that are oh so delicious.
Cornmeal – Yup, make sure it’s really gluten-free and free from flour. You can grind your own cornmeal, or just buy it. I love Aldi’s liveGfree cornbread mix.
Bacon – Make sure there are no preservatives or additives with gluten. Usually, we’re all good, but again… Just be safe.
Worcestershire sauce – Check the label. I tend to stick with Lea & Perrins.
Stuffed olives – If you decide to use them, check labels.
Just check all your labels on every single ingredient, but know that this CAN be made gluten-free, and man is it delicious.
CAN I FREEZE AND RE-HEAT MEXICAN PIE?
Yes, you can. Bake and allow it to cool before freezing. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and foil before freezing.
When it’s time to re-heat the casserole, cover it with foil and set the oven to a moderate temperature, around 325° F or 350° F.
Depending if your casserole is thawed or frozen, it’ll need to heat for around 30 minutes to 1 hour, ’til it’s warmed through completely.
How to make a cheesy Mexican meat pie with ground beef and bacon. Well loved casserole recipe that's easy to make and loaded with fantastic Tex-Mex flavor!
Cast Iron Skillet
9×13 Baking Dish
Small Mixing Bowl
1 single pie crust
Meat Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup green bell pepper (finely chopped)
1/4 cup yellow onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces tomato sauce
Cheesy Topping:
1 large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
6 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
4 stuffed olives (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 425° F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Press the pie crust into the greased casserole dish, pressing it onto the sides and bottom of the dish.
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, and drain the meat when browned.
Stir the corn, green pepper, onion, cornmeal, oregano, chili powder, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce into the ground beef.
Spread the meat mixture in the pastry lined baking dish.
Bake at 425° F for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the egg, milk, salt, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a small mixing bowl.
Then mix the shredded cheese into the egg mixture.
Spread the cheesy mixture all over the top of the pie.
Top with the bacon crumbles and stuffed olives, if desired.
Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese melts completely.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream, green onions, and/or cilantro, if desired.
HOW TO MAKE IT A GLUTEN-FREE CASSEROLE
There are a few things you need to think about or change if you want this casserole to be gluten-free.
Crust – I use the same crust recipe as mentioned above but use a good gluten-free flour instead.
Spices and seasonings – Be sure all of your spices and seasonings are truly gluten-free. Gluten likes to hide out in spices, believe you me. I have started stocking my pantry, little by little, with Badia seasonings and spices because they make gluten-free seasonings that are oh so delicious.
Cornmeal – Yup, make sure it’s really gluten-free. You can grind your own cornmeal, or just buy it. I love Aldi’s liveGfree cornbread mix.
Bacon – Make sure there are no additives with gluten. Usually, we’re all good, but again… Just be safe.
Worcestershire sauce – Check the label. I tend to stick with Lea & Perrins.
Stuffed olives – If you decide to use them, check labels.
Just check all your labels on every single ingredient, but know that this CAN be made gluten-free, and man is it delicious.
CAN I FREEZE AND RE-HEAT MEXICAN PIE?
Yes, you can. Bake and allow it to cool before freezing. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and foil before freezing.
When it’s time to re-heat the casserole, cover it with foil and set the oven to a moderate temperature, around 325° F or 350° F. Depending if your casserole is thawed or frozen, it’ll need to heat for around 30 minutes to 1 hour, ’til it’s warmed through completely.
main dish
Tex-Mex
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Let’s make the best chicken salad recipe with eggs you’ve ever had. This is a super simple and easy recipe made with shredded chicken, eggs, apples, and walnuts. It’s one of my family’s all time favorite meals!
Every week as I plan our menu, our favorite chicken egg salad usually always makes the cut. It’s one of our favorite meals, and I love that we can make it with whatever type of chicken we have on hand, whether it’s fresh, canned, leftover Instant Pot whole chicken or rotisserie chicken.
While we love making Asian chicken salad for appetizers, we’ve pretty much stuck with this easy open-faced chicken salad sandwich for weeknight dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dinner
It’s got healthy, wholesome ingredients; and, like our favorite roast beef lettuce wraps, it’s fairly low carb (without the bread), so it’s a really healthy option for Dan, who usually eats it on a bed of lettuce or bed of spinach.
You’ll love the crisp, tarty flavor the apples bring to chicken salad sandwiches.
Like this list of colorful salads, chicken egg salad can serve as the main dish at lunch or dinner; it can also serve as an appetizer with crackers or a side dish at a party or potluck.
This is one southern meal that’s easy to make ahead of time or on the fly, especially when your chicken and eggs are already cooked.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make egg chicken salad.
Cooked Chicken – You can cook fresh chicken, or you can make this chicken salad recipe using canned chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. We’ve made this a canned chicken salad recipe many nights when we just didn’t remember to get chicken out of the freezer. Leftover chicken also works well.
Hardboiled eggs – Probably the easiest way to boil your eggs is to put them in a saucepan and cover them with water; bring the pan to a boil over medium to high heat on your stove, and once it’s reached a full rolling boil, set a timer and continue to boil for 6 to 8 minutes. Another way you can boil eggs is with an electric egg cooker; this is quite the handy tool for making easy hard-boiled eggs, and I love that it also poaches eggs. Finally, you can also boil eggs in the Instant Pot, which is super easy and simple to do, as well.
Celery – I prefer to finely mince this up really well and make it smaller. It adds a lot of crunch to chicken salad.
Apple – My grandma used to make her chicken salad with apples and pickles, and it was always so delicious.
Green onions – Again, it’s all about flavor. All of these ingredients really meld together to create an amazing flavor to the salad.
Mayo and Mustard – If you don’t have mayonnaise, you can use Miracle Whip; but we much prefer the flavor that real mayonnaise gives to chicken salad. Mustard just gives a little extra kick.
Chopped Walnuts – These are totally optional, and a lot of times, we’ll substitute chopped pecans instead.
Bread – Again, this is optional. The best bread for chicken salad, though, is definitely sourdough. Toasted sourdough makes a delicious chicken salad sandwich.
Alternative Chicken Salad Ingredients and Variations
We’ve tweaked this recipe over the years. Sometimes we add things, other times we don’t. Here are a few options for you to think about when mixing up the ingredients…
Mince up dill pickles or sweet pickles to add into the ingredients. We love adding in dill pickle. I imagine bread and butter pickles or sweet relish would taste really good too.
Swap out the green onions for red onion; it gives a spicy kick to this southern chicken salad.
Instead of mayo, you can use Miracle Whip or plain Greek yogurt.
Instead of regular mustard, using Dijon mustard or stone ground mustard.
Add chopped up grapes for a yummy chicken salad with grapes.
However you choose to make this chicken egg salad recipe, it’s sure to be a hit with your family. We usually have zero leftovers with this quick and easy meal.
How to Make a Chicken Salad Recipe with Eggs
Before you mix up your classic chicken salad, you’ll need to shred up whatever type of cooked chicken you’re using and smash the hard-boiled eggs. You can boil, bake, or grill the chicken, ’til it’s fully cooked; then after it’s cooled just a bit, use two forks to shred the chicken.
Also, wash and chop the celery, green onions, and apple; and chop up the walnuts.
Now Mix up the Salad
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cooked chicken, hard-boiled eggs, celery, apple, walnuts, and green onions.
Next, measure out the mayo and mustard, and mix it into the chicken mixture. If you like a “wetter” chicken salad, you can add more mayo.
If you feel like it needs it, you can add in a dash of salt and pepper. Otherwise, it’s ready to eat and enjoy!
Then Make It into an Open-Faced Chicken Salad Sandwich
I like to do the following, but you can change this up to make it your own.
Toast a piece of sourdough bread (or gluten-free bread).
Spread on a little Miracle Whip.
Add a small pile of lettuce, and pile on the chicken salad to make the most delicious open-faced chicken salad sandwich recipe ever. It’s so tasty and so good!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Should chicken egg salad be cold or warm?
I’ll answer how to store it in the next question, but you can eat chicken salad while it’s still warm from just making it… Or you can eat it cold from the fridge. It’s delicious either way.
How should I store chicken salad with eggs?
It should definitely be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chicken salad will usually keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Why do you put eggs in chicken salad?
We add hardboiled eggs to chicken salad because eggs give a little more oomph, a little more protein, a bit of a creamy texture, and a lot more flavor to chicken salad. They’re also very filling. If you are intolerant to eggs or allergic to eggs, you can make chicken salad without eggs. However, just know that it won’t quite be the same; it loses some of the texture and flavor that chopped up hardboiled eggs give to the salad.
What Do You Serve with Chicken Salad?
Chicken and egg salad goes great with so many things, but we usually like to eat it with lettuce and other raw vegetables like celery and carrots. We’ll also sometimes add fresh fruit, like grapes or fruit salad on the side, or a helping of potato chips or cheese puffs.
Personally, I love to eat spoonfuls of chicken salad with tortilla chips; it’s so good!
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Chicken Salad Recipe with Eggs
How to make the best chicken salad recipe with eggs. Simple and easy recipe with shredded chicken, apples, and walnuts. Family favorite meal!
Cutting Board
Chef's Knife
Electric Egg Cooker
Large Mixing Bowl
2 cups chicken (cooked and shredded)
4 large hardboiled eggs (mashed)
2 stalks celery (minced)
1 large apple (diced or chopped)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
2 green onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon mustard
In a large bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, hard-boiled eggs, celery, apple, walnuts, and green onions.
Next, measure out the mayo and mustard, and mix it into the chicken mixture. If you like a "wetter" chicken salad, you can add more mayo.
If you feel like it needs it, you can add in a dash of salt and pepper. Otherwise, it’s ready to eat and enjoy!
To Make an Open-Faced Chicken Salad Sandwich:
Toast a piece of sourdough bread or whatever type of bread you prefer.
Spread a layer of mayo or Miracle Whip.
Add a small pile of lettuce, and pile on the chicken salad to complete your chicken salad sandwich.
*You can cook fresh chicken, or you can make this chicken salad with canned chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken. You can boil, bake, or grill the chicken, ’til it’s fully cooked; then after it’s cooled just a bit, use two forks to shred the chicken.
How should I store chicken salad with eggs?
It should definitely be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chicken salad will usually keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Burgers & Sandwiches, Salad Recipes
American
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Make traditional Easter dinner recipes for the main course, Easter sides, breads, and more. Fill your Easter menu with family favorite foods fit for a holiday feast! You’ll also find simple and festive hosting ideas for your Easter Sunday dinner.
I really enjoyed putting together this collection of Easter dinner menu ideas for a traditional Easter dinner. If you’re not quite sure what to make for Easter dinner, I’ve got ya covered with over 50 Easter menu ideas.
What Is a Traditional Easter Dinner Menu?
I’ve always thought of honey-baked ham as being associated with the traditional Easter meal because it’s usually been our meat of choice and what we’ve always had for this special occasion, even growing up. However, traditional Easter dinner ideas include so much more.
Yes, even roast beef, pork roast, and salmon can be part of a traditional Easter feast. I guess it just depends what your family loves to eat this time of year and what traditions have been passed down through the generations.
Main things to remember when hosting a family dinner for the first time are the invitations, traditional Easter foods and drinks, the seating arrangements, and the hospitality factor. Let’s talk a little bit about each one.
“People will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
1. Make Sure to Invite Guests
Whether it’s a text message or an actual paper invitation, be sure to send out Easter dinner invitations. Otherwise, how will people know you’re even hosting dinner?
2. Plan to Make Traditional Easter Foods and Drinks
I think I’ve covered this enough below, but plan out a menu with all the Easter food ideas and drinks you want to make. Something to think about… If you’re hosting an Easter potluck, then make sure you’ve got enough people bringing sides, others bringing desserts, and so on.
3. Seating Arrangements
When I say seating arrangements, I don’t mean who sits next to who, like at a wedding; I just mean, making sure everyone has an actual place to sit, whether it’s at a table, or a seat in the living room.
Back in the day at Easter time, my family would sprawl all over my grandma’s house, from the living room to the kitchen to the back utility room. Small house for a big family, but we made it work.
You might need to think about borrowing a few extra tables and chairs from someone in the family. Or get up to the attic, and haul down all the folding chairs you have to make it work.
4. Make Your Guests Feel Welcome with Graceful Hospitality
My friend Linda, who blogs over at Life on Summerhill, has so many wonderful ideas for hosting the perfect Easter dinner, including how to create Easter table decor. Beautiful ideas she gives for Easter tablescapes inspire much creativity when it comes to setting a welcoming table for family and friends.
Not to mention all of her wonderful ideas for putting up Easter home decorations, as well. From the centerpiece to festive garland ideas and table settings, you’re sure to find loads of ideas for making your guests feel more welcome and at home.
Whew! I don’t know ’bout you, but I’m ready for all the Easter food!
Easter Appetizers
No get together or family gathering would be complete without an assortment of finger licking appetizers to whet the appetite.
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”39896″ name=”Easy Deviled Eggs in 30 Minutes or Less” summary=”<p>Can't have Easter dinner without deviled eggs, a popular Easter dinner favorite! Mix up a batch of easy deviled eggs in 30 minutes or less with this classic deviled egg recipe.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”52445″ name=”Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs” summary=”<p>Make an easy recipe for bacon Ranch deviled eggs… Because everything is better with bacon. Perfect appetizer for a crowd!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://noshingwiththenolands.com/rainbow-easter-deviled-eggs/” name=”Rainbow Easter Deviled Eggs” summary=”<p>Wonderful colorful Rainbow Easter Eggs are made with natural dyes and everyone can participate in making these. So fun for Easter to make and eat.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42390″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41070″ name=”Ham and Stuffing Crescent Rolls” summary=”<p>Ham and stuffing crescent rolls are a delicious finger food even the kids will love. They're easy to make too!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.currytrail.in/baked-potato-roses/” name=”Baked Potato Roses” summary=”<p>Baked potato roses are the ultimate party starter or simply the most gorgeous potato side dish for your every-day-meal plan!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57099″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40976″ name=”Delicious Salmon Patties Recipe” summary=”<p>Salmon patties, made with salmon and crackers, are the perfect Easter appetizer or finger food, especially when served with a tzatziki dipping sauce.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40872″ name=”Maple Sausage Stuffed Pastry Bites” summary=”<p>Made with cream cheese, spinach, and puffed pastry, sausage stuffed pastry bites are the ultimate appetizer for any holiday dinner.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://savorthebest.com/greek-cheese-triangle-pies-tiropita/” name=”Greek Cheese Triangle Pies (Tiropita)” summary=”<p>These Greek cheese triangle pies have a savory cheese filling inside flaky, buttery phyllo pastry. These make a great appetizer or side for your Easter dinner.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42415″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://happykitchen.rocks/vegan-roasted-carrot-soup-lentils/” name=”Vegan Roasted Carrot Soup with Lentils” summary=”<p>Easy and delicious Vegan Roasted Carrot Soup with lentils and Moroccan spices. This velvety, rich and healthy carrot soup has a unique and perfectly balanced flavor!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42429″]
Easter Main Dish Recipes
Traditional Easter dishes that make delicious main dishes, including ham, lamb, beef, and pork.
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”42281″ name=”How to Cook a Ham in the Oven” summary=”<p>Everything you've ever wanted to know about how to cook a pre-cooked ham in the oven. Tips, steps, and everything you need to get your Easter ham well on its way.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40862″ name=”Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham” summary=”<p>If you like a sweeter flavor to your ham, you'll love this pineapple honey glazed ham. How to get it perfectly cooked, moist, and delicious for your holiday dinner with family and friends.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://consumerqueen.com/lifestyle/sponsored-posts/crock-pot-slow-cooker-pineapple-ham-recipe” name=”Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Pineapple Ham” summary=”<p>This CrockPot slow cooker pineapple ham recipe is so yummy and plentiful that you could actually freeze left overs for later meals to save you time and money.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57100″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.gritsandpinecones.com/glazed-ham/” name=”Brown Sugar Bourbon Glazed Ham” summary=”<p>You and your family or guests will love this easy baked ham with pineapple and cherries, complete with traditional pineapple rings and maraschino cherries, with its yummy, sticky, sweet and savory brown sugar bourbon glaze!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57101″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://noshingwiththenolands.com/southern-pecan-glazed-ham/” name=”Southern Pecan Glazed Ham” summary=”<p>This Southern Pecan Glazed Ham was perfection for us. Not sure I have had a better ham than this one EVER. Honey, brown sugar, sweet mustard with a hint of cloves and oranges and then smothered in pecans.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42394″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.gritsandpinecones.com/roasted-rack-of-lamb/” name=”Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs” summary=”<p>Surprisingly easy to make, Roasted Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs is an impressive, crowd-pleasing main-dish full of herbaceous deliciousness. Traditionally served at Easter, this lamb recipe has the best of everything.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57102″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.supergoldenbakes.com/slow-cooker-lamb/” name=”Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb” summary=”<p>Incredibly tender Slow Cooker Roast Leg of Lamb that’s tender, juicy and falling apart at the touch of a fork. This is truly the easiest way to cook roast lamb – add a handful of ingredients to your slow cooker and leave it to work its magic.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42396″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://savorthebest.com/braised-herb-lamb-shanks/” name=”Braised Herb Lamb Shanks” summary=”<p>You will love this recipe for Braised Herb Lamb Shanks! The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and full of flavor from the herb blend, wine and beef broth. This makes a great Easter dinner.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42397″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://familyspice.com/grilled-leg-lamb-rosemary-mint-garlic/” name=”Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary, Mint, and Garlic” summary=”<p>Juicy, tender and ridiculously delicious, this recipe for Grilled Leg of Lamb with Rosemary, Mint and Garlic can be made with either a bone-in or boneless version and makes an impressive meal for family and friends.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42398″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.urbanblisslife.com/herb-crusted-rack-of-lamb/” name=”Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb” summary=”<p>This herb crusted rack of lamb is a classic Easter dinner! It's easy to prepare and so delicious.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42428″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.becomingness.com/slow-cooker-beef-ribs/” name=”Slow Cooker Beef Ribs” summary=”<p>Slow Cooker Beef Ribs are a great meal to serve your guests. The flavor is amazing, and they are so easy to make. Your guests will seriously be impressed!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42400″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.upstateramblings.com/sous-vide-beef-tenderloin/” name=”Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin” summary=”<p>This recipe for Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin gives you the perfect roast every time. And an elegant beef tenderloin is the perfect centerpiece for a special dinner like Easter that is delicious and surprisingly easy to make.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”42401″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”62543″ name=”Best Slow Cooker Pork Roast Recipe” summary=”<p>Learn step by step how to make the best ever slow cooker pork roast that's perfectly pull apart juicy & tender. It's the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it recipe, so easy to make, and perfect for holiday dinners, church potlucks, or a weeknight meal!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41086″ name=”Oven Roasted Pork Roast Recipe” summary=”<p>This deliciously easy pork roast recipe with vegetables and gravy is the perfect main dish for Easter dinner. Learn how to cook a pork roast with simple seasoning in the oven.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41076″ name=”Simple and Delicious Roasted Pork Tenderloin” summary=”<p>Learn how to cook pork tenderloin, roasted to a juicy perfection in the oven. This is a very easy recipe for a delicious Easter dinner main dish, paired with simple seasonings and potatoes.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40922″ name=”Sweet Chili Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs” summary=”<p>Sweet Chili Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs are so easy to make. Pair them with a sweet chili dry rub that gives them a wonderful flavor, throw them in your pressure cooker, and walk away. They’re fall off the bone delicious!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.therisingspoon.com/2017/03/slow-cooker-pork-shoulder.html” name=”Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder” summary=”<p>Fall-apart-tender pork shoulder cooked in the crock-pot. This super easy recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prep and can be cooked in as little as 4-5 hours on the high setting. </p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57103″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.simplystacie.net/brown-sugar-dijon-pork-tenderloin/” name=”Brown Sugar Dijon Pork Tenderloin” summary=”<p>Brown Sugar Dijon Pork Tenderloin – Just two simple ingredients to create a meal your family will rave about!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”51698″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.mommyhatescooking.com/roasted-lemon-pepper-chicken-veggies-dutch-oven” name=”Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken and Veggies in the Dutch Oven” summary=”<p>Make a delicious dinner with this Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken & Veggies in the Dutch Oven.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57104″]
Easter Side Dishes Ideas
All the Easter dinner sides you’ll ever need for a traditional Easter dinner table that will fill bellies and warm hearts.
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40864″ name=”Homemade Ham Gravy” summary=”<p>Homemade Ham Gravy, made with leftover ham drippings and cream, is a delicious side dish that pairs with ham, mashed potatoes, and all your Easter dinner fixings!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”42318″ name=”Ham Gravy with Cornstarch” summary=”<p>Homemade ham gravy with cornstarch and drippings is perfect if you've got at least one person in the crowd who's gluten-free. It's also super easy and simple to make.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”45077″ name=”Chicken Gravy from Bouillon” summary=”<p>How to make chicken gravy from bouillon, no drippings needed! Easy recipe you can make last minute to go with dinner. Simple ingredients!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40882″ name=”Creamy Mashed Potatoes” summary=”<p>This is my family's go to recipe for creamy mashed potatoes, made with yellow potatoes, cream, and butter. They are a must have potato dish at Easter dinner.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41040″ name=”The Ultimate Mashed Potato Bar” summary=”<p>Feed a crowd on Easter day with a festive mashed potato bar at your next party filled with all sorts of delicious, mouthwatering toppings.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40426″ name=”Easy Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole Recipe” summary=”<p>I absolutely love a cheesy hash brown casserole recipe, filled with shredded cheesy potatoes and topped with Corn Flakes. It's a quick and easy side dish perfect for a crowd or potluck on Easter day!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”43872″ name=”Cheesy CrockPot Funeral Potatoes Recipe” summary=”<p>How to make cheesy CrockPot funeral potatoes. Easy slow cooker hashbrown casserole, a family favorite side dish, breakfast, or brunch recipe.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”42925″ name=”Scalloped Potatoes and Ham” summary=”<p>How to make scalloped potatoes and ham in a creamy sauce, baked in the oven. Easy, old-fashioned, homemade, cheesy casserole recipe perfect for a crowd!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.joyousapron.com/easy-garlic-parmesan-asparagus/” name=”Easy Garlic Parmesan Asparagus” summary=”<p>Asparagus, topped with lots of fragrant garlic and fresh shredded parmesan cheese, perfectly roasted in the oven. The perfect side dish for Easter Sunday!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57106″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”43911″ name=”Cheesy Slow Cooker Corn Casserole” summary=”<p>Throw together CrockPot corn casserole with cream cheese and Jiffy mix. Easy side dish recipe for a crowd. Make ahead for Thanksgiving and Easter.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40220″ name=”Jiffy Corn Casserole with Cream Cheese and Bacon” summary=”<p>Bake up a Jiffy corn casserole with cream cheese and bacon. I love this simple, easy recipe because it's so cheesy and delicious; plus you can make it ahead of time. It's the perfect side dish for Easter dinner!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”43826″ name=”Southern Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows” summary=”<p>How to make the best southern sweet potato casserole with marshmallows and pecans. Classic Easter sweet potatoes side dish you can easily make ahead.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40838″ name=”Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cauliflower” summary=”<p>Throw together a Broccoli Salad with bacon, cauliflower, sunflower seeds, and peas. This salad is a staple side dish and salad recipe perfect for every family gathering.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”42821″ name=”Quick and Easy Ambrosia Fruit Salad” summary=”<p>Whip up a classic ambrosia fruit salad with Cool Whip, sour cream, fruit, and mini marshmallows. Easy southern side dish recipe for every holiday dinner!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40720″ name=”Layered Salad” summary=”<p>Layered Salad is the perfect salad recipe for family gatherings. Add fresh, delicious layers like cauliflower, peas, lettuce, bacon, or whatever else your heart desires.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.glueandglitter.com/broccoli-salad-kale-macadamia/” name=”Crunchy Kale Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Macadamia Nuts” summary=”<p>Crunchy Kale Broccoli Salad is a perfect side dish, especially when you load it up with tart cranberries and rich macadamia nuts in a sweet balsamic dressing!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57107″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://julieblanner.com/homemade-potato-salad/” name=”Homemade Potato Salad” summary=”<p>An easy, homemade potato salad with egg is the best way to use up all those extra eggs from the Easter holiday. This potato salad recipe uses a few key ingredients including gherkins and mustard, and one little secret technique!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57108″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40860″ name=”Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary” summary=”<p>Honey Glazed Carrots, made with simple ingredients like butter, honey, and rosemary, make a delicious side dish. They're colorful and packed full of fresh flavor.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://theschmidtywife.com/roasted-carrots-dill/” name=”Easy Roasted Carrots with Dill” summary=”<p>This easy recipe for Roasted Carrots with Dill is a simple side dish to whip up for any occasion. With 4 simple ingredients, this recipe for baked carrots with dill is a breeze to make, perfect for a family dinner but also fancy enough for holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57109″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.acedarspoon.com/honey-balsamic-roasted-carrots/” name=”Balsamic Roasted Carrots Recipe” summary=”<p>Balsamic Roasted Carrots offer a healthy side dish to your next holiday meal or weeknight dinner. The sweet honey mixed with the robust flavors of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil pair wonderfully to add flavor to this roasted carrots recipe.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57110″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://dancingthroughtherain.com/candied-carrots/” name=”Candied Carrots – Butter and Brown Sugar Glazed” summary=”<p>These Candied Carrots are the perfect addition to any dinner! With only three ingredients, this delicious dish will be one that people ask for again and again!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57111″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://joyfoodsunshine.com/best-mashed-potatoes/” name=”Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe” summary=”<p>These herb-infused garlic mashed potatoes are the best mashed potatoes you will ever eat. They are creamy, fluffy, buttery and so insanely delicious you will never make another mashed potatoes recipe again.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57112″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.simplymaderecipes.com/perfect-mashed-potatoes/” name=”Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes” summary=”<p>Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes are creamy potatoes made with Russet potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper for the must-have side dish for any holiday gathering.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57113″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40850″ name=”Instant Pot Southern Green Beans” summary=”<p>If you've never had Southern Green Beans, made with bacon, onion, and ground beef, you're in for a real treat. Made in the Instant Pot, so they're super easy to make, they're a yummy side dish everyone will love and ask for at every holiday gathering.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://savorthebest.com/instant-pot-lebanese-braised-green-beans/” name=”Instant Pot Lebanese Braised Green Beans” summary=”<p>These Instant Pot Lebanese Braised Green Beans have all the flavor you’d get with the traditional slow braise, but without all the time. Make this Easter side dish in the IP and save room in your oven for the main course.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57114″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.beyondthechickencoop.com/green-bean-almondine/” name=”Green Beans Almondine” summary=”<p>Fresh green beans sauteed with butter and almonds and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice makes a delicious green bean almondine!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57115″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://wholenewmom.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon/” name=”Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon” summary=”<p>This combo of oven roasted brussels sprouts with bacon is the perfect way to convince you that yes, brussels sprouts really can be delicious! It's the perfect dish to grace your Easter table!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57117″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://www.shelovesbiscotti.com/parmesan-roasted-cauliflower/” name=”Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower” summary=”<p>Roasted Cauliflower florets sprinkled with Parmesan cheese are truly the perfect side dish for all special occasions. Includes methods for both oven-roasted and air fryer.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57118″]
Must Have Dinner Rolls!
Bread rolls are a must have with every family member at any Easter spread. When wondering what to make for Easter lunch, definitely add dinner rolls to the menu.
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40856″ name=”Grandma’s Homemade Dinner Rolls” summary=”<p>These dinner rolls have been in our family beyond when I was even born. My grandma made them with love, and they were a staple on the table every Easter Sunday. They're fluffy, light, buttery, and oh so delicious!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://flouronmyfingers.com/butterhorn-rolls/” name=”Homemade Butterhorn Rolls” summary=”<p>Bake up an easy family recipe for homemade butterhorn rolls. How to make the best buttery crescent rolls, perfect for your Thanksgiving or holiday dinner.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57122″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://joyfoodsunshine.com/homemade-dinner-rolls/” name=”The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls” summary=”<p>This Best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe turns out perfectly every time. These easy, soft & fluffy dinner rolls are, slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery and made from scratch!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”57123″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://flouronmyfingers.com/gluten-free-hot-cross-buns/” name=”Gluten-Free Hot Cross Buns” summary=”<p>This hot cross buns recipe makes a sweet cinnamon dough filled with currants; top each baked bun with a frosted cross to celebrate the Easter holiday.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”61938″]
Traditional Easter Desserts
Most of us live for the dessert table at family get togethers. Now you can fill Easter baskets with chocolate eggs and other goodies, something many family traditions encompass. But I think most of us agree… Easter dinner would not be complete without dessert.
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40930″ name=”Carrot Cake in a Sheet Pan” summary=”<p>Carrot sheet cake is easy to make, moist, and delicious, paired with a cream cheese frosting that's simply to die for. </p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40858″ name=”Caramel Custard Pie” summary=”<p>Caramel custard pie, made with an easy shortcut pie crust and a brown sugar caramel twist with creamy egg custard.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40792″ name=”Bunny Tail Cupcakes” summary=”<p>Make easy and adorable bunny tail cupcakes with chocolate cupcakes, frosting, and mini marshmallows. Fun Easter dessert for kids!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://flouronmyfingers.com/no-bake-easy-banana-pudding-recipe/” name=”No Bake Banana Pudding” summary=”<p>How to make an easy no bake banana pudding with cream cheese, Cool Whip, and Nilla Wafers. Perfect for a crowd, quick and simple recipe!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”61676″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40944″ name=”Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie” summary=”<p>Easy recipe for a strawberry cream cheese pie, made with fresh strawberries, a creamy no bake filling, and a simple homemade crust. </p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40880″ name=”Chocolate Meringue Pie” summary=”<p>Make chocolate pie with a rich, creamy filling and fluffy homemade meringue on top. Delicious Easter dessert recipe perfect for chocolate lovers!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40552″ name=”Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake with Pecans” summary=”<p>Bake up an easy to make cinnamon streusel coffee cake with pecans, perfect for Easter brunch. This praline coffee cake is moist, buttery, and topped with a crispy cinnamon sugar topping.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://flouronmyfingers.com/blueberry-coffee-cake-recipe/” name=”Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe with Streusel Topping” summary=”<p>How to make the best blueberry coffee cake recipe that's moist and delicious with tons of sweet berry flavor and a simple streusel topping.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”61942″]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41130″ name=”Blueberry Yum Yum Dessert” summary=”<p>Whip up a dreamy blueberry yum yum dessert with cream cheese, Dream Whip, blueberry pie filling, and a pecan crust. </p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”41110″ name=”Strawberry Yum Yum Dessert” summary=”<p>Easy strawberry yum yum dessert layered with fresh strawberries, cream cheese filling, and a pecan crust. Dreamy delight perfect for potlucks!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item id=”40970″ name=”Lemon Poke Cake with Lemon Glaze” summary=”<p>How to make Grandma's lemon poke cake with lemon glaze, a fluffy cake recipe with a simple lemony icing drizzled on top.</p>” button=”Get the Recipe”]
[wprm-recipe-roundup-item link=”https://flouronmyfingers.com/gluten-free-texas-sheet-cake/” name=”Aunt Jennie’s Texas Sheet Cake” summary=”<p>Best ever recipe for moist chocolate Texas sheet cake, topped with rich, fudgy chocolate icing. Easy dessert anyone can make!</p>” button=”Get the Recipe” image=”61941″]
Now that you’ve filled everyone’s bellies with good food, who’s ready for a good, old-fashioned Easter egg hunt? So many wonderful Easter traditions to enjoy!
Learn everything you need to know about how to cook a ham in the oven. This baked spiral ham recipe with an easy, simple glaze is perfect for family dinners and holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.
Every Christmas and Easter, since I learned how to bake a ham, it’s become our preferred main dish, or centerpiece at the dinner table. We like to have ham, whether we’re having company or not.
Even sometimes through the year, if prices at the grocery store are cheap enough, we’ll bake a whole ham and cut it up for lunch meat that week. I absolutely love a good ham, almost as much as a good Crock Pot pork roast.
While baked ham is fairly easy to make, there are lots of things to think about when you’re baking a ham in the oven. Things like how to keep it moist, how long do you cook a ham, and so on.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to answer all of your burning questions about how to cook a pre-cooked ham. But if you don’t find the answer to your questions, leave me a comment (I check them every so often), and I’ll reply back to you.
Why You’ll Love Cooking a Ham in the Oven
It makes an easy main dish for family dinner or a special occasion like Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or Easter dinne.
There will be leftovers, lots of leftovers! So that means lunch tomorrow, maybe even dinner, and just maybe lunch the next day too. Or breakfast, if you like ham and eggs.
Every bite is delicious, and it pairs well with so many different side dishes and vegetables.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
For this oven-baked ham recipe, you’ll need just 3 ingredients…
A pre-cooked ham – My ham in this ham recipe is a 10-pound spiral cut ham. We’ll talk about selecting a ham a little further down.
Glaze packet – It usually comes with the ham, and you’ll find it in the packaging.
Water
How to Choose a Ham
Our grocery stores here make it pretty simple when it comes to selecting the right ham. They don’t offer a whole lot of choices. However, your store may offer an entire selection.
I’m going to keep it pretty simple here and talk about the basic ham types, so you can easily make a decision as to what kind of ham you’d like to serve.
Types of Ham
Bone-in ham – A bone-in ham is going to give you more flavor and texture. It’s also likely going to be sold as a half ham. It’ll still likely be a fairly large size, but you’ll only get half the ham. It will require carving.
Boneless ham – This ham is going to be more processed and have less flavor but a smoother texture. It will need sliced, but it won’t be as much work as carving around the bone.
Spiral-cut ham – A spiral-sliced ham is what I used to make this recipe. Spiral-cut hams are bone-in hams, and they sometimes have a glaze already applied. That’s something to think about if you’re wanting to make your own glaze; you’ll want to look for one that comes with a glaze packet instead, so you can opt out of the pre-made glaze.
Smoked ham – This type of ham usually has been smoked by the manufacturer.
Heritage ham or fresh ham – This type of ham usually comes from a local farmer who raises a heritage breed of pigs. You might even find fresh ham at a local butcher shop.
The size ham you need depends on how many people you’re cooking for and whether you’re serving a bone-in ham or boneless ham. Remember, the bone adds weight, that isn’t meat, to the ham.
For a bone-in ham, you’ll probably need about 3/4 to 1 pound per person; for a boneless ham, figure about 1/3 to 1/2 pound per person.
So, if you’re like me and cooking a 10-pound bone-in ham, you can probably feed 10-12 people. If it’s a 10-pound boneless ham, you can probably feed 15-20 people.
How to Cook a Ham in the Oven
Baking a fully cooked ham is a pretty straightforward, simple, and easy process. If this is your first time learning how to bake a ham, rest easy, because usually, your package will have all the instructions you need.
Before you get started, be sure to preheat the oven to 250° F.
Remove the ham from its packaging, and place it face down in the roasting pan for ham. Important Tip: If your package has any juices in it, pour them into the bottom of the pan, along with about a cup of water; this will help your ham to stay more moist.
Cover the ham tightly with foil (all of it but the bottom, so the juices can run out into the pan, and so juices can steam into the ham, keeping it more moist). Then bake the ham according to the instructions in the recipe card below (or according to your package instructions). Usually, you’ll bake it for 12 to 15 minutes per pound. So a 10-pound ham will bake for about 120+ minutes.
About 45 minutes before the end of your bake time, empty the ham glaze packet into a small saucepan, along with the water.
Bring your glaze to a boil over high heat while stirring constantly.
At this point, you’ll need to remove the glaze from the heat. And about 1/2 hour before end of cook time, remove your ham from the oven, take off the foil, and apply the glaze all over the outside of the ham with a basting brush. Then bake it, glazed and uncovered, for another 30 minutes or so.
When the ham is done, you can bring it out of the oven, let it cool just a bit, and use a sharp knife to slice it for serving.
Baked ham is the highlight of many a Sunday dinner or holiday get together, especially when it’s a juicy ham with loads of delicious flavor.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
How long does it take to bake a ham?
Let’s talk about cooking time and internal temperature when you’re learning how to bake a ham in the oven. Always be sure to look at the packaging instructions for your specific ham, and follow what it says for cook time. This spiral ham came from Aldi, and it said 12 to 15 minutes per pound. So being a 10-pound ham, it needed to cook for about 2 hours (120 minutes) or more, but not too long or it’ll dry out. An 8-pound ham would take about 96+ minutes to bake. A 12-pound ham, 144+ minutes. And so on and so forth. It’s best to have a meat thermometer on hand. According to the USDA, spiral-cut cooked hams that were packaged in processing plants under USDA inspection must be heated to 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer (165 °F for leftover spiral-cut hams or ham that has been repackaged in any other location outside the plant). Cook-before-eating hams or fresh hams must reach 145 °F (with a 3-minute rest time) to be safely cooked before serving. Read more of their Ham and Food Safety instructions.
How do you cook a spiral ham without drying it out?
There are a few specific steps you can take to keep a fully cooked ham from drying out while it’s baking… – Like I mentioned above, save ham juices from packaging, and pour them into the bottom of the pan; this will help your ham to stay moist. – You can put a little less than a cup of water or some kind of stock/broth in the bottom of the pan before baking if you want. This will also add moisture. – Covering your ham with foil helps it to retain moisture, as well. Of course, you can also bake it in a roasting bag.
How do you store baked ham?
You need to store baked ham in an airtight container in the fridge; it should keep for 3-5 days.
Can you freeze baked ham?
Yes, you can freeze a pre-cooked or baked ham. I suggest cutting your ham up into smaller portions and freezing it in airtight containers or freezer bags with aluminum foil; that way it’s easier to get those smaller portions out and re-heat them. When it’s time to re-heat, just make sure you have plenty of time for thawing, especially if you’re thawing a big, huge ham. Keep in mind, according to the USDA, you can store a spiral-cut ham or ham leftovers in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days; and you can freeze them for about 1 to 2 months.
What to Do with a Ham Hock
Don’t just throw away that ham hock or leftover bone. Repurpose and make something delicious.
15 bean soup with ham is a great way to use a ham bone and make something comforting. My mom and grandma always used ham hock to make a big pot of pinto beans, and we’d eat it with cornbread.
What to Do with Ham Leftovers
Here are a few ideas for what to do with all that leftover ham.
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
How to Cook a Ham in the Oven
Everything you need to know about how to cook a ham in the oven. Baked spiral ham recipe with an easy, simple glaze, perfect for holidays.
Roasting Pan
Aluminum Foil
Meat Thermometer
Small Saucepan
Basting Brush
1 spiral cut or half bone-in ham w/ ham juices (*)
1 cup water (*)
Glaze:
1 glaze packet (*)
2 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 250° F.
Remove the ham from its packaging, and place it face down in the roasting pan.
If your package has any juices in it, pour them into the bottom of the pan, along with about 1 cup of water; this will help your ham to stay more moist.
Cover the ham tightly with foil (all of it but the bottom, so the juices can run out into the pan).
Bake the ham according to the instructions in your packaging; usually, it will require you to bake it for 12 to 15 minutes per pound. So a 10-pound ham will bake for about 120+ minutes.
About 45 minutes before the end of your bake time, empty the ham glaze packet into a small saucepan, along with 2 tablespoons water.
Bring the glaze to a boil over high heat while stirring constantly.
Remove the glaze from the heat. About 1/2 hour before end of cook time, remove the ham from the oven, take off the foil, and apply the glaze all over the outside of the ham with a basting brush.
Finish baking the ham, glazed and uncovered, for another 30 minutes or so.
When the ham is done, you can bring it out of the oven, let it cool just a bit, and use a sharp knife to slice it for serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
*I used a 10 pound spiral cut ham for this recipe.
*I use a little less than a cup of water.
*The glaze packet usually comes with the ham, and you’ll find it in the packaging.
How Long to Cook a Ham in the Oven
Always be sure to look at the packaging instructions for your specific ham, and follow what it says for cook time. This spiral ham said 12 to 15 minutes per pound. So being a 10-pound ham, it needed to cook for about 2 hours (120 minutes) or more, but not too long or it’ll dry out. An 8-pound ham would take about 96+ minutes to bake. A 12-pound ham, 144+ minutes. And so on and so forth. It’s best to have a meat thermometer on hand.
According to the USDA, spiral-cut cooked hams that were packaged in processing plants under USDA inspection must be heated to 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer (165 °F for leftover spiral-cut hams or ham that has been repackaged in any other location outside the plant). Cook-before-eating hams or fresh hams must reach 145 °F (with a 3-minute rest time) to be safely cooked before serving. Read more of their Ham and Food Safety instructions.
Ways to Keep a Spiral Ham from Drying Out
Like I mentioned above, save the ham juices from the packaging, and pour them into the bottom of the pan; this will help your ham to stay moist.
You can put a little less than a cup of water or some kind of stock/broth in the bottom of the pan before baking if you want. This will also add moisture.
Covering your ham with foil helps it to retain moisture, as well. Of course, you can also bake it in a roasting bag.
dinner, main dish, Pork Recipes
American
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How to make the best crab enchiladas with a creamy sour cream white sauce, all made from scratch. Easy recipe perfect for seafood lovers!
Anytime Tex-Mex is on the menu, I especially look forward to dinner. But I have to admit, when I first started thinking about seafood enchiladas, I wasn’t so sure about the concept of seafood and Tex-Mex. I’m just not a big fish person.
But let me tell you, after making this crab enchilada recipe, I am a believer in seafood and Tex-Mex. It wasn’t at all how I thought it would be.
First of all, I get my crab meat from a can. Yes, it’s real crab. And yes, it’s super easy.
Now the sauce… I make my favorite creamy white sauce that I make with sour cream and cream cheese. I’ve made this sauce before with my creamy chicken enchiladas.
When you put crab enchiladas with sour cream sauce, you get a dinner the whole family will enjoy. And it changes things up from the usual chicken or beef or cheese; it widens your dinner horizons!
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WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my recipe tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the actual recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
If you’re as into Tex-Mex recipes as I am, you’ll love these recipes too:
Sauté the onion in the butter for about 5 minutes, or until the onion turns a light golden color.
Add the cream cheese in with the onion, stirring ’til it melts.
Then add the sour cream, heavy whipping cream, green chiles, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar, and shredded Monterey Jack to the mixture.
Let the sauce simmer, constantly stirring, ’til it begins to thicken. It’ll probably take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then if you want to add tomatoes to your sauce, you can stir them in. At this point, you’ll want to turn the heat to low and just keep your sauce warm while you make the enchiladas.
Tip: If you add tomatoes, try to avoid using canned tomatoes. They don’t have the same flavor as fresh tomatoes.
HOW TO MAKE AND ASSEMBLE CRAB ENCHILADAS
Now you can get everything ready and assemble the enchiladas.
Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a skillet. Then sauté the minced garlic, onion, and red pepper in the oil, about 5 minutes, ’til it’s softened.
Then in a large bowl, add the crab meat, the cooked veggies, lemon juice, seasoning, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese.
Mix everything together really well.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave by placing between a couple of damp paper towels and heating ’til warmed.
Spread about a cup of the white sauce into the bottom of your greased baking dish.
Add a heaping tablespoon of the crab meat mixture to each corn tortilla, loosely wrapping each one.
Place each enchilada, seam side down, in the baking dish on top of the sauce.
Spread the remaining sauce over the finished enchiladas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Then just bake according to the instructions in the recipe card below, until the cheese melts and the enchiladas are cooked thru.
When they’re finished, you can garnish them with green onions, fresh tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil salsa, and sour cream.
Then when you’re ready to serve them for dinner, allow plenty of time for thawing and re-heating.
To re-heat them, you’ll need to cover them with foil (in a baking dish) and bake for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
WHAT CAN YOU EAT WITH ENCHILADAS?
Oh gosh, there are so many things you can serve with enchiladas, whether they be chicken or crab. Here are a few ideas:
How to make the best crab enchiladas with a creamy sour cream white sauce, all made from scratch. Easy recipe perfect for seafood lovers!
Ninja Food Chopper Express Chop with 200-Watt, 16-Ounce Bowl for Mincing, Chopping, Grinding, Blending and Meal Prep
Gorilla Grip Original Oversized Cutting Board, 3 Piece, BPA Free, Dishwasher Safe, Juice Grooves, Larger Thicker Boards, Easy Grip Handle, Non Porous, Extra Large, Kitchen, Set of 3, Black
Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 3-Quart Saucepan with Cover
Krokori Rectangular Ceramic Baking Pan Lasagna Pans for Cooking, Kitchen, Cake Dinner, Banquet and Daily Use, 13 x 9 Inches
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet and Ready for Stove Top or Oven Use, 10.25″, Black
Sour Cream White Sauce:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/2 medium yellow onion (minced)
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces diced green chiles
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
1 cup fresh Roma tomatoes* (diced, optional)
Crab Enchiladas:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 medium yellow onion (minced)
1 red bell pepper (minced or chopped)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Badia Complete Seasoning*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
18 ounces white crab meat (drained)
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
10 corn tortillas
2 green onions (diced)
To make the sauce, melt the butter in the saucepan on medium heat.
Sauté the minced onion in the butter, about 5 minutes or until the onion turns a light golden color.
Add the cream cheese in with the onion, stirring ’til it melts.
Then add the sour cream, heavy whipping cream, green chiles, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar, and shredded Monterey Jack to the mixture.
Let the sauce simmer, constantly stirring, ’til it begins to thicken. It’ll probably take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Then if you want to add tomatoes to your sauce, you can stir them in. At this point, you’ll want to turn the heat to low and just keep your sauce warm while you make and assemble the crab enchiladas.
Then sauté the minced garlic, onion, and red pepper in the oil, about 5 minutes, or ’til it’s softened.
Then in a large bowl, add the crab meat, the cooked veggies, lemon juice, seasoning, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese.
Mix everything together really well.
Warm the tortillas in the microwave by placing between a couple of damp paper towels and heating ’til warmed.
Spread about a cup of the white sauce into the bottom of your greased baking dish.
Add a heaping tablespoon of the crab meat mixture to each corn tortilla, loosely wrapping each one.
Place each crab enchilada, seam side down, in the baking dish on top of the sauce.
Spread the remaining sauce over the finished crab enchiladas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake your sour cream white sauce crab enchiladas at 350° F for about 40-45 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the enchiladas are cooked thru. Garnish with green onions, and serve with fresh tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and sour cream.
*If you decide to add tomatoes to your sauce, only use fresh tomatoes. Canned tomatoes will throw off the flavor of your enchiladas, whereas fresh will add a really delicious, fresh flavor.
*If you do not have Badia Complete Seasoning, you can use the appropriate seasoning of your choice.
To Freeze and Re-Heat Crab Enchiladas with White Sauce:
Cover the enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil; or store the enchiladas in an airtight container for freezing. Then to re-heat, cover them with foil (in a baking dish) and bake for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
What to Serve with Seafood Enchiladas:
There are so many things you can serve with enchiladas, whether they be chicken or crab. Here are a few ideas:
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How to make the most delicious Crock Pot Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Easy slow cooker recipe with tips for the best meat, vegetables, bread, and cheese.
Whether you’ve been to Philly or not, you likely know the city’s famous for its cheesesteak sandwiches. I’ve only been to Philly a couple of times, but I specifically remember my first cheesesteak.
Similarly to my CrockPot hot dogs recipe, I can load everything into the slow cooker, turn it on for a few hours, and when it’s done, everyone makes their own sandwiches. It makes dinner easy and more enjoyable.
I’m telling you, the flavors in this sandwich and the ease with which you can make it, besides chopping up a few vegetables… There’s nothing quite like slow cooker Philly cheesesteak sandwiches for dinner.
My favorite part, of course, is the cheese. My guys would say the meat.
If you’ve got a house full of carnivores like I do, this Crock Pot Philly cheesesteak sandwich is a great recipe for dinnertime. And if you need an appetizer, Philly cheesesteak sliders on Hawaiian rolls, brushed with garlic butter and seasoned with smoked paprika, are ‘da bomb.
What Actually Is a Philly Cheese Steak?
In case you’ve never been to Philly or just really have no clue what I’m even talking about…
A Philly cheese steak sandwich is basically a sandwich made on a hoagie roll with smaller, thinner pieces of beefsteak and cheese. What cheese goes on a Philly cheese steak depends; it can be provolone, American, or Cheez Whiz.
Two of the most famous places people go to buy a Philly cheesesteak sandwich are in Philadelphia, and they sit directly across from each other, Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks.
Originally a hot dog stall, Pat’s was founded in 1930 by two brothers, Pat and Harry Olivieri. They are the ones who actually invented the famous cheesesteak in 1933.
Ingredient Notes
Sirloin steak, thinly sliced – I’ll show you how to slice the steak as you continue to read.
Garlic cloves – If you don’t have minced garlic or garlic cloves, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder for each clove.
Yellow onion
Fresh mushrooms – Or you can use canned, if you prefer.
Green bell peppers – You’ll need to slice them into strips. If you’re not sure how, learn how to cut a pepper.
Tongs – Tongs are handy for lifting the meat and vegetables out onto your hoagie rolls when serving.
How to Make Philly Cheese Steak in a Crock Pot
Your first steps are to thinly slice the steak and prepare the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers. You’ll also need to spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray.
How to Slice Philly Cheese Steak Meat
Slice against the grain when slicing the sirloin, in order to retain the tenderness of the meat.
Try to slice the meat as thin as possible, slicing it into thin strips for cooking. You’ll need a good knife for this.
Also, be sure to leave as much of the fat as possible on the meat. Fat gives meat flavor, especially during the cooking process.
Pour the beef broth over the meat and vegetables, and give everything a good stir.
Then just cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Makig Your Sandwiches
When your meat is fully cooked, you’re ready to make and layer your sandwiches.
Dab a light layer of bacon grease on the inside of your hoagie bun (optional but adds great flavor), and add a slice of provolone cheese, tearing it in half and lining one side of the bun with it. Lightly toast the hoagie buns and cheese on either a griddle or in the oven on a cookie sheet.
And that’s it. Your sandwiches are ready to serve.
While hoagie rolls complete the ensemble, you can make this recipe more low carb and even gluten-free (provided all your other ingredients are gluten-free) by eating the meat without the bun.
Most people will recommend ribeye for cheesesteaks at home, but ribeye can be quite expensive. Others recommend top round steak. For this recipe, at the recommendation of our butcher, I used a sirloin steak, sliced thinly. It had just enough fat to give the meat a lot of flavor and to make the meat quite tender when cooked. The great thing about cooking meat in the slow cooker is that it will be very, very tender. So tender it’ll almost fall apart in your mouth. Two things to look for when buying Philly cheese steak meat… You need to be able to slice it thinly. And it needs to be tender, not tough; fat is a good thing for both flavor and tenderness.
What’s the best cheese on a Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich?
Opinion really varies on what cheese to use. It really is a debate if you research it. The traditional consensus says either Cheez Whiz or provolone. Some even say American cheese pairs well with the provolone. We tried it with both, and while I love the provolone, the Cheez Whiz won my taste buds over. However, it’s up for debate in our house too because a couple of my guys really love the provolone. So I live on the wild side and use both. I melt cheese, provolone cheese, onto the bun when I toast it, and then add Cheez Whiz to the finished sandwich. Delicious!
How to make the most delicious Crock Pot Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Easy slow cooker recipe with tips for the best meat, vegetables, bread, and cheese.
Chef's Knife
Whisk
Tongs
CrockPot
2 pounds sirloin steak (thinly sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium yellow onion (sliced)
4 ounces fresh mushrooms (minced)
2 large green bell peppers (sliced)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons bacon grease (optional)
6 hoagie rolls
6 slices provolone cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup Cheez Whiz
Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.
Add the thinly sliced steak to the slow cooker.
Next add in the minced garlic, sliced onion, minced mushrooms, and sliced bell peppers.
Whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Pour the beef broth over the meat and vegetables, and give everything a good stir.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Make Sandwiches:
Optional step: Dab a light layer of bacon grease on the inside of each hoagie bun (adds great flavor).
Then add a slice of provolone cheese to each bun, tearing it in half and lining one whole side of the bun with it.
Lightly toast the hoagie buns and cheese on a griddle or in the oven on a cookie sheet.
Spread mayo on each bun.
Using tongs, add the meat mixture to each bun.
Top with a spoonful or two of heated Cheez Whiz.
And that’s it. Your sandwiches are ready to serve.
*Most people will recommend ribeye for cheesesteaks at home, but ribeye can be quite expensive. Others recommend top round steak. For this recipe, at the recommendation of our butcher, I used a sirloin steak, sliced thinly. It had just enough fat to give the meat a lot of flavor and to make the meat quite tender when cooked.
Two things to look for when buying Philly cheese steak meat…
You need to be able to slice it thinly.
It needs to be tender, not tough, and fat is a good thing for both flavor and tenderness.
How to Slice Philly Cheesesteak Meat
Slice against the grain when slicing the sirloin, in order to retain the tenderness of the meat. Also, be sure to leave as much of the fat as possible on the meat. Fat gives meat flavor, especially during the cooking process. Slice the meat as thin as possible, slicing it into thin strips for cooking. You’ll need a good knife for this.
Burgers & Sandwiches, Main Course
American
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How to make Instant Pot meatloaf and potatoes at the same time. Easy, one pot, ground beef dinner recipe, served with the best mashed potatoes!
I’ve mentioned before that my meatloaf recipe with oatmeal is one of my family’s favorite meals, especially our oldest son. It’s a hearty meal and one that usually leaves us with plenty of leftovers for the next day.
Not only that, but I thought it might make it even easier if I cooked the potatoes right in the same pot with the meatloaf. One pot meal for the win (well, besides veggies, of course).
Oh my goodness, how flavorful and moist meatloaf is when you pressure cook it. And the potatoes were infused with so much flavor from the meat cooking right above them in the same pot.
I love how simple this recipe really is. Instant Pot meatloaf and mashed potatoes has been added to our list of favorite dinner time recipes.
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WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Instant Pot meatloaf recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
NOT SURE HOW TO USE YOUR INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER?
Learn how to quickly use your Instant Pot with our Instant Pot Quick Start Guide, filled with practical tips, Instant Pot recipes, accessory ideas, and more!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MEATLOAF AND POTATOES
Start by prepping your ingredients, and also be sure to grease the inside of your springform pan (I use a 7-inch springform pan) with cooking spray.
Secure the lid in place and close the valve on your Instant Pot. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, and set to cook for 30 minutes.
When your meatloaf is done (a meat thermometer is definitely something I recommend to make sure the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked), just allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release.
Then once you’ve carefully removed the meatloaf and trivet from the Instant Pot, you can mash the potatoes right in the pot.
Just drain the water off the potatoes, and place the Instant Pot on “Keep Warm.” Add the butter, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to the potatoes, and mash with an immersion blender or hand mixer.
And that’s it! All you need is a good vegetable to serve with your main course.
SHOULD I COVER MY MEATLOAF WHILE COOKING?
While you can cover the meatloaf with aluminum foil, it’s really not necessary. In fact, that might take away from the flavors you’ll get by cooking everything in one pot.
HANDY TIP FOR REMOVING THE MEATLOAF FROM THE INSTANT POT
One question that comes up is whether or not you can use aluminum foil in the Instant Pot. While there’s no need to cover your meatloaf, you can use foil to create a sort of sling or lifter for your pan.
Just tear off a large piece of foil that will fit all the way around your pan, along with maybe 6 to 8 extra inches. Then fold the foil into a long strip (maybe 3-4 inches wide), and place that strip under the pan, bringing the excess ends of the strip up over each side of the pan to act as lifting handles.
This way it’s easy to remove the hot pan from the pressure cooker once your meatloaf is cooked and ready to serve.
WHAT IS THE BEST GROUND BEEF FOR MEATLOAF?
We prefer to use 90/10 ground beef when we’re mixing up a meatloaf. In fact, we use 90/10 for pretty much everything.
Our reasons are that it’s leaner, there’s less fat, and there will be less grease around your meatloaf.
Don’t worry about flavor… You’ll still get really good flavor from a leaner ground beef. And you’ll also be eating a bit healthier, as well.
Note: You can use ground turkey for this recipe in place of ground beef. However, it will change the look, texture, and flavor of your finished meatloaf.
CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE OLD-FASHIONED OATS FOR QUICK OATS?
I’ve even used gluten-free quick oats more recently, so if you want a gluten-free meatloaf, this is the way to go (although you should also check ingredient labels on your other ingredients just to be safe).
Secure the lid in place and close the valve on your Instant Pot. Select Manual or Pressure Cook, and set to cook for 30 minutes.
When your meatloaf is done (a meat thermometer is definitely something I recommend to make sure the meat has come to temp and is fully cooked), just allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release.
Then once you’ve carefully removed the meatloaf and trivet from the Instant Pot, you can mash the potatoes right in the pot. Just drain the water off the potatoes, and place the Instant Pot on “Keep Warm.”
Add the butter, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to the potatoes, and mash with an immersion blender or hand mixer.
And that’s it! All you need is a good vegetable to serve with your main course.
*I’ve used both old-fashioned oats and quick oats for this meatloaf. I’ve even used gluten-free quick oats more recently, so if you want a gluten-free meatloaf, this is the way to go (although you should also check ingredient labels on your other ingredients, especially seasonings, just to be safe).
**You can use whole milk if you don’t have heavy whipping cream.
WHAT IS THE BEST GROUND BEEF FOR MEATLOAF?
We prefer to use 90/10 ground beef when we’re mixing up a meatloaf. In fact, we use 90/10 for pretty much everything. Our reasons are that it’s leaner, there’s less fat, and there will be less grease around your meatloaf.
Don’t worry about flavor… You’ll still get really good flavor from a leaner ground beef. And you’ll also be eating a bit healthier, as well.
Note: You can use ground turkey for this recipe in place of ground beef. However, it will change the look, texture, and flavor of your finished meatloaf.
SHOULD I COVER MY MEATLOAF WHILE COOKING?
While you can cover the meatloaf with aluminum foil, it’s really not necessary. In fact, that might take away from the flavors you’ll get by cooking everything in one pot.
HANDY TIP FOR REMOVING THE MEATLOAF FROM THE INSTANT POT
One question that comes up is whether or not you can use aluminum foil in the Instant Pot. While there’s no need to cover your meatloaf, you can use foil to create a sort of sling or lifter for your pan.
Just tear off a large piece of foil that will fit all the way around your pan, along with maybe 6 to 8 extra inches. Then fold the foil into a long strip (maybe 3-4 inches wide), and place that strip under the pan, bringing the excess strip up over each side of the pan to act as lifting handles.
This way it’s easy to remove the hot pan from the pressure cooker once your meatloaf is cooked and ready to serve.
Instant Pot Recipes
American
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How to make the best turkey casserole with pasta. Easy recipe made with egg noodles and leftovers, this turkey tetrazzini is so creamy and delicious!
This leftover turkey casserole is just the recipe you need when you’re trying to figure out what to do with turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving. Oh my word, I love this casserole because of how cheesy it is.
If you love cheese as much as I do, you are in for a treat with this delicious dinner recipe. And making it in a big 13×9 casserole dish pretty much guarantees you’ll have leftovers for tomorrow night.
You will need to cook some pasta for this recipe. And you’ll need to make the sauce on the stovetop.
But once you have the sauce made, you’re home free. Finish throwing it together, put it in the oven, set your timer, and off you go to accomplish an important task or spend time with your family while dinner cooks.
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
Your casserole will need to bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
CAN YOU FREEZE TURKEY CASSEROLE WITH PASTA?
Yes, you can freeze this cheesy turkey tetrazzini. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container so it doesn’t get freezer burn.
When you take it out of the freezer, you can either allow time for it to thaw or reheat as is. Of course, oven times will vary, depending on whether it’s thawed or frozen.
Reheat individual servings, or place the entire baking dish, covered with aluminum foil, in the oven at 350° F until heated through.
ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENT OPTIONS:
There are a few ways you can change this recipe up and make it slightly different…
Don’t have turkey? Use chicken instead; rotisserie chicken would taste great. Just shred it up and add as you would the turkey.
If you’re like me and don’t care for mushrooms, leave them out. I usually just put up with them because my family likes them, and I can hardly tell they’re there if I dice instead of slice.
Use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour to make this casserole gluten-free. Of course, check the labels on all of your other ingredients to ensure that everything is gluten-free if going this route.
Add a smoked cheese for a smoky flavor to your turkey casserole.
Add a vegetable to the casserole. Peas are delicious in a cheesy casserole.
How to make the best leftover turkey casserole with pasta. Easy recipe made with egg noodles and leftovers, this turkey tetrazzini is so creamy and delicious!
1 cup salted butter
1 medium yellow onion (minced)
1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
4 ounces mushrooms (diced)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 ounces American cheese
8 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
3 cups turkey (cooked and shredded)
16 ounces egg noodles (cooked)
Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until they’re tender, probably about 15 minutes.
Then add the flour and blend it in with the veggies really well.
Add in the milk and chicken broth, cooking on low ’til the sauce begins to thicken.
Finally, add in the salt, pepper, and cheeses, and cook until the cheese is melted.
Combine the cheese sauce, shredded turkey, and noodles in a large mixing bowl, and spread the mixture in the greased 9×13 baking dish.
Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through and bubbly.
Serve while warm.
*You can also use spaghetti noodles or fettuccine noodles instead of egg noodles. Or you can use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free flour to make this casserole gluten-free. Of course, check the labels on all of your other ingredients to ensure that everything is gluten-free if going this route.
*Don’t have turkey? Use chicken instead; rotisserie chicken would taste great. Just shred it up and add as you would the turkey.
Main Dish – Casserole, Pasta
American
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Learn how to make the best camping tacos for a simple and easy campfire dinner. You can make walking tacos right in a bag with taco meat and all your favorite toppings. The whole family, all ages, will absolutely love it!
Let me count the ways I love tacos. This walking tacos camping recipe is even better because they’re so easy to make after a long day in the great outdoors.
If you’ve never had a walking taco, or some might call it taco in a bag, you are in for a treat. This recipe rates up there with our favorite loaded campfire nachos! It’s a great addition to my list of favorite easy camping recipes, as well.
What Is a Walking Taco vs. a Regular Taco?
It’s called by so many names… Walking tacos, walking nachos, taco in a bag or tacos in a bag, and walking taco salad to name a few.
Basically, instead of a taco shell, you add the meat, sour cream, and taco toppings to a small bag of chips. Then stir it all up and you have the makings of a really delicious taco.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The only thing you really have to cook for this recipe is the taco meat. Easy peasy in a cast iron skillet over the campfire or in a regular skillet on your camp stove.
All you need are personal sized bags of Doritos or corn chips, taco meat, and your favorite taco toppings.
Camping walking tacos are a great meal for any age; the whole family will love them.
They’re budget-friendly and don’t cost a lot to make.
If you don’t have chips, you can easily make this recipe into a taco salad without the chips.
This walking tacos recipe is versatile, and you can add any toppings you like.
Tacos made in a bag are a lot less messy than traditional tacos. You can eat them with a fork.
Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:
There are 3-4 ingredients you absolutely need to make the meat mixture, but the toppings are totally up to you and whatever you like on tacos.
Taco Meat:
Yellow Onion – I like to mince up a little onion and add to our taco meat to give it more delicious flavor.
Ground Beef – We tend to go with a lean ground beef, usually 80/20 or 90/10.
Salsa – Now, here’s where you can decide if you want a little more kick to your taco meat. You can use mild or medium salsa; or you can use basil salsa. If you’re looking to change things up, try using a fruit salsa, like this mango peach salsa recipe.
Chips – I recommend using Fritos or Doritos, any flavor you want. I really love Nacho Cheese Doritos for camp tacos.
Before you can make anything, you’ll need to do a little prep work first.
Making sure you have a campfire going is imperative for cooking the meat. You can also cook on a camp stove or grill. I know a lot of the time when we’re out camping, we can’t have a campfire. So if a stove is all you’ve got, you can definitely still make this recipe.
Next you’ll need to prep all your veggies and toppings and actually cook the meat. You can cook the taco meat at the campsite, or you can cook it before you leave home and pack it in a plastic baggie in the cooler.
How to Make Taco Meat
Your fire should be down to coals at this point, with a little bit of flame here and there. We prefer to use our tripod grill right above the coals. You’ll want to watch it closely, though. You may need to adjust the height of the grill over the fire, so the pan doesn’t get so hot that it burns the meat.
Then add the ground beef and mix it up with the onion, stirring occasionally while cooking.
Meanwhile, while waiting on the meat to cook, chop up the lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados. I recommend shredding cheese at home or buying already shredded cheese.
When the meat is cooked through, go ahead and responsibly drain it. Then add the taco seasoning and salsa and stir into the meat. Allow the mixture to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
How to Assemble Walking Tacos
Layering your Doritos walking taco is the BEST part about this whole recipe, besides eating it.
You’ll need individual size chip bags. You can crush chips in the bag or just leave them as is and they’ll kinda crush up on their own when you stir everything in.
Open the bag, crushing chips up a little bit if you want.
Then add in a nice sized helping of the ground beef mixture.
Add in a dollop of sour cream and your favorite toppings. We usually add lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados.
Then sprinkle in the shredded cheese.
Give it all a good stir with a fork, mixing it all up really well.
And then it’s ready to eat. Wasn’t that easy? And so, so, so, so good! Just writing up this recipe makes me hungry for more.
You wanna know the best part about this easy dinner idea? No dishes! Besides the skillet and cutting board. Win win!
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
How should I store leftovers?
Obviously, unopened bags of chips can just stay like they are. As for the meat mixture and toppings, we usually just combine things like meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, etc., and store it in either an airtight container or a plastic storage bag, then put it in the cooler where it will stay cold. It makes a great snack or lunch the next day, though more like a taco salad.
If you need to stock your camp kitchen, we’ve put together a list of camping cooking equipment you may find helpful.
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Walking Camping Tacos
How to make the best camping tacos for a simple and easy campfire dinner. Walking tacos in a bag with taco meat and your favorite toppings.
Cast Iron Skillet
Cutting Board
Chef's Knife
Tripod Grill
Camp Stove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion (minced)
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup salsa
5 small bags Doritos (or Fritos)
Toppings:
1 cup lettuce (chopped or shredded)
1 cup tomatoes (diced)
1 cup black beans (drained)
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa (or Pico de Gallo)
2 avocados (peeled and chopped)
1/2 cup jalapeños (sliced)
1/2 cup black olives (sliced)
1/2 cup green onions (chopped)
Choose whether you'll cook on a camp stove, grill, or over the campfire. We like to cook over the fire when possible.
Your fire should be down to coals at this point, with a little bit of flame here and there. We prefer to use our tripod grill right above the coals. You may need to adjust the height of the grill over the fire, so the pan doesn’t get so hot that it burns the meat.
In a large cast iron skillet, sauté the chopped onion in a little bit of olive oil.
Then add the ground beef and mix it up with the onion, stirring the mixture occasionally while cooking.
Meanwhile, while waiting on the meat to cook, chop up the lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and other toppings that need chopping.
When the meat is cooked through, go ahead and responsibly drain it.
Add the taco seasoning and salsa into the meat, and allow the mixture to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Then remove the taco meat from the skillet and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes while you finish putting together all the toppings.
How to Assemble Walking Tacos:
Open the bags of chips, crushing chips up a little bit if you want.
Add in a nice sized helping of the ground beef mixture.
Then add in a dollop of sour cream and all your favorite toppings, including shredded cheese. We add lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados.
Give it all a good stir with a fork, mixing it all up really well. And then it's ready to eat!
When it comes to leftovers, obviously, unopened bags of chips can just stay like they are. As for the meat mixture and toppings, we usually just combine things like meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, etc., and store it in either an airtight container or a plastic storage bag, then put it in the cooler where it will stay cold. It makes a great snack or lunch the next day, though more like a taco salad.
Camping Recipes, dinner
American, Tex-Mex
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How to cook a delicious Chicago hot dog, char dog style. Grilled beef hot dogs recipe with all the best toppings and poppy seed buns. Perfect for a crowd!
If you’ve never had a Chicago style hot dog, trust me when I say, you need this recipe in your life. Chicago-style is pretty much my go-to hot dog recipe now. In fact, I even top off my Crock Pot hot dogs the same way!
The Chicago dog is perfect for grilling season, especially if you’re entertaining a crowd. Set up a buffet with all your favorite toppings, and you’re set for a mouthwateringly good time. These loaded chili cheese fries make the best appetizer!
We’d never actually eaten a char dog until I researched it and came up with this Chicago dog recipe. In fact, the toppings seemed a bit much at first.
But once you take your first bite, you’ll understand. It all comes together in a burst of flavor that packs a punch for the taste buds.
And never underestimate the power of a good burger. This campfire bacon cheeseburger is one in a million and pairs really well with grilled hot dogs! If you really want to get fancy, you could make roast beef Philly cheesesteaks to go with them!
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my grilling tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the actual recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
WHAT IS A CHICAGO HOT DOG?
I learned a lot about what’s on a Chicago hot dog while researching for this recipe…
Real Chicago hot dogs are boiled or steamed; but when they are occasionally grilled, they’re called a char dog. They also go by the name Chicago Red Hot.
Chicago dogs are made with beef hot dogs.
They come in a poppy seed bun… I’m going to teach you how to easily and simply make your own (don’t worry, no kneading or baking necessary).
It would be considered a travesty to add ketchup to a Chicago dog. In fact, most Chicago hot dog vendors don’t even carry ketchup.
This hot dog is filled to the gills with delicious, crunchy toppings.
The only ingredient I maybe could’ve done without would’ve been the Dill pickle spears. Or maybe just trim my pickle spears to be a little less thick.
However, I kinda fell in love with hot dogs made the Chicago way. And it was such a beautiful evening on the back deck, I couldn’t help but enjoy every second with my guys.
TIPS FOR HOW TO EASILY MAKE POPPY SEED BUNS
To make your own poppy seed buns, you just need a pack of brat buns or hoagie rolls.
Place the buns on the grill or over the campfire until they start to get just slightly toasty. Then remove them from the heat and set aside.
And that’s pretty much it. Easy peasy poppy seed buns that make yummy hot dog buns.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE A CHICAGO STYLE HOT DOG
Assembling your hot dog is really simple and easy. Of course, you’ll want to grill the hot dogs first and make sure they’re cooked all the way through.
Also, before you get started, prep the onion and tomatoes so they’re ready to go. Chop the onion; wash and slice the tomatoes.
NOW YOU CAN BUILD YOUR DOGS…
Open up the buns. Place a dill pickle spear on one side and 2 to 3 tomato wedges on the other side. Then place the hot dog in the middle between the tomato slices and the pickle spear.
Add a spoonful of pickle relish along the top of the hot dog on one side, and give a squirt of yellow mustard along the top of the hot dog on the other side.
And for the finishing touch… Add pieces of pepperoncini (or sport peppers) and a small handful of chopped onion on top, and sprinkle with a dash of celery salt.
And that, my friends, is all there is to creating a very yummy, delicious Chicago hot dog.
My guys pretty much chowed down on all of this deliciousness and washed it all down with a nice big mason jar full of iced tea.
How to cook a delicious Chicago hot dog, char dog style. Grilled beef hot dogs recipe with all the best toppings and poppy seed buns. Perfect for a crowd!
8 hoagie rolls*
4 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
1/4 cup poppy seeds
8 beef hot dogs
8 dill pickle spears
3 to matoes (sliced)
8 tablespoons sweet and spicy pickle relish
8 teaspoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup pepperoncini
1 large white onion (chopped or minced)
1 teaspoon celery salt
Chop the onion; wash and slice the tomatoes. Set aside.
To make your own poppy seed buns, brush the tops and ends of the hoagie rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle poppy seeds on. Place on the grill or over the campfire until they start to get just slightly toasty, maybe 5 minutes. Then remove from the heat and set aside.
Grill the hot dogs until they're cooked through.
Open up the buns. Place 2 to 3 tomato half slices on one side and a dill pickle spear on the other side.
Place the hot dog in the middle between the tomato slices and the pickle spear.
Add a spoonful of pickle relish along the top of the hot dog on one side.
Then squirt yellow mustard along the top of the hot dog on the other side.
Add pieces of pepperoncini and a small handful of chopped onion on top.
Sprinkle with a dash of celery salt.
Serve and enjoy!
*You can use hoagie rolls or brat buns.
Meat & Seafood
American
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Cook up a deliciously cheesy taco tater tot casserole with ground beef, cheese, and all your favorite taco toppings. Family favorite dinner recipe.
Did you know you can spice up tater tot casserole for Taco Tuesday? And wowsers, does it ever take this family favorite casserole to a whole new level!
I’m talking full on Mexican tater tot casserole with all the fixin’s, including Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, and a Tex-Mex beef mixture that is so delicious.
Now I never said this recipe was healthy. In fact, let’s just think of it as more of a comfort food treat.
It’s tater tot hotdish on steroids. Tex-Mex steroids, that is.
And I know y’all love tacos because some of my most popular posts and videos are taco related. Remember these?
Tacos are life, am I right? I know, I’m so cheesy (no pun intended), but let’s just say I get very excited about tacos.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE CARD FOR TACO TATER TOT CASSEROLE?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the tater tot taco bake recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
LET’S TALK RECIPE LOGISTICS…
This is the part where I try to answer any questions you may have as you follow along with the recipe. And if I don’t answer your question, just leave me a comment, and I’ll answer you there.
WHAT KIND OF MEAT SHOULD I USE IN TACO TATER TOT HOTDISH?
I prefer to use ground beef for this particular recipe. However, you can also use ground turkey or sausage.
WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE CHILI BEANS?
Listen, I get it. Beans all have different textures and flavors.
I prefer chili beans (in their sauce) because that sauce really adds to the flavors of the entire tater tot hotdish.
CAN I MAKE AHEAD TATER TOT CASSEROLE AND FREEZE IT?
Yes, you can make it ahead and put it in the freezer for later. Just be sure to put it in the fridge in plenty of time to thaw before baking or add a little additional cook time, maybe 20 minutes or so.
You’ll also want to cover it well before freezing, so it doesn’t get freezer burn. If you have a covered casserole dish, that will work well.
You can also make it the day before and put it in the fridge for baking the next day.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE TACO TATER TOT CASSEROLE
Making taco tater tot hotdish is really simple and easy, even though it does require a bit of prep. There’s no taco seasoning mix or enchilada sauce in this recipe, since the meat mixture is made from scratch.
In a large skillet, sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in bacon grease (or olive oil) for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, chili powder, salt, pepper, and ground beef, cooking until the meat is almost browned.
Next stir in 2 to 3 chopped Roma tomatoes, browning the meat.
HOW TO LAYER MEXICAN TATER TOT CASSEROLE
1st Layer: Chili beans
2nd Layer: Monterey Jack cheese
3rd Layer: Ground beef mixture
4th Layer: Nacho cheese soup
5th Layer: Tater tots
At this point, bake the casserole, per instructions in the recipe card below.
6th Layer: Cheddar cheese
And then you’ll bake it again for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
And that’s all there is to it. Sprinkle with your favorite taco toppings, like sour cream, tomatoes, and green onions, and it’s ready to serve.
My family loves a good Mexican tater tot casserole, and so do I.
If you love this taco tater tot bake as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! If you make the recipe, be sure to share that you tried it on Pinterest. I love when readers share feedback!
CONNECT WITH ADVENTURES OF MEL!
Be sure to follow me on social, so you never miss a post!
Healthy, low carb chicken stuffed bell peppers with spinach and cheese, baked in the oven. Easy delicious recipe (with video), perfect for a weeknight meal!
Chicken Stuffed Peppers are a flavorful and delicious dinner idea. I love stuffed peppers, especially for that pepper-y flavor (have since I was a kid).
Now most stuffed peppers are made with ground beef or ground turkey… But chicken adds a whole new twist. And there are so many things you can do with chicken to add variety and make it interesting.
Picture fajita chicken, sesame chicken, and chicken salad… The sky’s the limit when it comes to stuffed peppers with chicken.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE CARD FOR CHICKEN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious low carb stuffed peppers recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
HOW TO PREP PEPPERS FOR MAKING STUFFED PEPPERS
While I usually cut my bell peppers in half, you can go with one of two options when prepping your bell peppers for a stuffed bell pepper recipe…
Remove the top of the pepper, along with all the pith and seeds that are down inside.
OR simply cut the peppers in half and remove all the pith and seeds inside. Just remember not to eat the stem if you leave the stem intact.
These low carb chicken stuffed peppers are super easy to make. From prepping the peppers to stuffing them and cooking them, I’ll walk you through the entire process.
PREP AND MAKE YOUR CHICKEN MIXTURE
Prep the peppers… Slice them in half, right down the middle. You can leave the stems on or remove. Then remove the seeds, cores, and membranes from the peppers.
Add the chicken, spinach, and spices to a mixing bowl.
Don’t forget to add part of the shredded cheddar (about 1 1/2 cups).
Then mix everything up together.
Once your chicken mixture is ready, just stuff the peppers full. The more, the better.
COOKING THESE HEALTHY CHICKEN STUFFED PEPPERS
Then you’ll just bake the peppers either on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, per the instructions in the recipe card below.
Once they’ve baked, sprinkle on the extra cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or so.
And that’s it! They’re ready to serve, with their melty cheese and all those wonderful flavors.
Baking Sheet – You’ll place the peppers on a baking sheet to bake.
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD FOR CHEESY CHICKEN STUFFED PEPPERS
If you love this chicken stuffed bell peppers recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest! If you make the recipe, be sure to share that you tried it on Pinterest. I love when readers share feedback!
CONNECT WITH ADVENTURES OF MEL!
Be sure to follow me on social, so you never miss a post!
Want to see how to make this recipe? Watch our cooking show video in the recipe card below!
Cheesy Spinach and Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
Healthy, low carb chicken stuffed bell peppers with spinach and cheese, baked in the oven. Easy delicious recipe (with video), perfect for a weeknight meal!
5 large bell peppers
2 pounds chicken
1 cup spinach leaves (washed and chopped)
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese (*shredded)
Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
Wash and prep your peppers. Slice them in half, right down the middle.** Then remove all the cores, seeds, and membranes from the peppers.
Dice the chicken into chunks or thin slices.
In a separate mixing bowl, mix the chicken with the seasonings, spinach, and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar.
Stuff the peppers with the chicken mixture.
Place the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet, and bake at 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked thru.
Add the rest of the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to the top of each pepper, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Serve while warm and enjoy!
*Or you can use Colby Jack cheese.
**You can leave the stems on the peppers or remove them, totally your preference (just don’t ingest the stems, they’re only there for show).
Dinner Ideas
American
chicken stuffed bell peppers, chicken stuffed peppers, low carb stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers with chicken
Easy recipe for sausage and chicken casserole in the Instant Pot. Low carb chicken casserole that makes a healthy dinner and a cheesy comfort food.
This sausage and chicken casserole is a low carb dinner my family enjoys from time to time. It’s one of those meals we can pretty easily throw together, walk away from it, and let it cook.
Even though it’s an Instant Pot casserole, it still requires just a little bit of prep work, like cooking the chicken and browning the sausage. I love that everything is mixed together, though, vegetables and all.
That’s what makes this recipe so delicious. The meats, vegetables, cheeses, and seasonings just all mesh together to form this yummy low carb chicken casserole everyone in our family enjoys.
Learn how to quickly use your Instant Pot with our Instant Pot Quick Start Guide, filled with practical tips, Instant Pot recipes, accessory ideas, and more!
WHERE CAN I FIND THE SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE RECIPE?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious chicken casserole recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
CAN I USE CAULIFLOWER RICE FOR THIS RECIPE?
You can definitely use already riced cauliflower to make a sausage cauliflower bake in the Instant Pot.
However, I don’t recommend using frozen cauliflower rice, because that will add extra water, ultimately changing both the texture and consistency of the casserole.
I do recommend using either fresh cauliflower or a fresh cauliflower rice over using frozen.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS LOW CARB CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Gather your ingredients, per the printable recipe card below.
PREP THE VEGETABLES FIRST…
You’ll need to prep first by washing and chopping (or mincing) the celery, onion, and garlic. Also, wash and chop the cauliflower if you’re not using cauliflower rice.
Add the butter to your Instant Pot, and let it melt.
Sauté the celery, onion, and garlic for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the sausage in with your veggies and allow it to brown, crumbling it up with the veggies.
Add the cream cheese and shredded chicken in with your vegetable mixture, and mix together well.
Put the cauliflower, shredded cheeses, salt, pepper, and paprika on top of the vegetable mixture in the Instant Pot.
Then add a cup of water, and place the lid on your Instant Pot.
COOK YOUR INSTANT POT CASSEROLE
Turn off the sauté function, press Manual, and set your timer for 8 minutes. Be sure to allow a natural pressure release.
When it’s done, stir the casserole together… If there’s extra water, you may need to turn the sauté function back on and let it cook down just a little bit.
You can top it off with chopped fresh basil or parsley if desired.
Wooden Spatula – We use a wooden spatula when we need to sauté something.
Glass Measuring Cup – Oh how I love my measuring cup for measuring liquids… I use it every single time I cook or bake anything.
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD FOR INSTANT POT SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE
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Want to see how to make this recipe? Watch our cooking show video in the recipe card below!
Instant Pot Sausage and Chicken Casserole
Easy recipe for sausage and chicken casserole in the Instant Pot. Low carb chicken casserole that makes a healthy dinner and a cheesy comfort food.
2 stalks celery
1/2 large yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 head cauliflower (*)
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 pound breakfast sausage
8 ounces cream cheese
1 pound chicken (cooked and shredded)
1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup Colby Jack cheese (shredded)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup water
Wash and chop or mince the celery, onion, and garlic; also wash and chop the cauliflower.
Pre-heat the Instant Pot in sauté mode.
Add the butter to your Instant Pot, and let it melt.
Sauté the celery, onion, and garlic for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the sausage in with your veggies and allow it to brown, crumbling it up with the veggies.
Add the cream cheese and shredded chicken in with your vegetable mixture, and mix together well.
Put the cauliflower, shredded cheeses, salt, pepper, and paprika on top of the vegetable mixture in the Instant Pot.
Add a cup of water.
Put the lid on your Instant Pot.
Turn off the sauté function, press Manual, and set your timer for 8 minutes; allow a natural pressure release.
When it’s done, stir the casserole together… If there’s extra water, you may need to turn the sauté function back on and let it cook down just a little bit.
You can top it off with chopped basil or parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!
*While you can use already riced cauliflower, I recommend using fresh for this recipe. Frozen riced cauliflower can have extra water, which changes the entire texture/consistency of this casserole.
Instant Pot Recipes
American
Instant Pot casserole, low carb chicken casserole, sausage and chicken casserole
Make an easy Instant Pot vegetable soup with potatoes, okra, and other frozen veggies. Healthy pressure cooker recipe the whole family will love!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup is one comfort food that warms a body up on a chilly day.
One of the things I love about this vegetable soup recipe is that it’s a vegetable soup without tomatoes. With Dan trying to stay low carb and my sometimes sensitive tummy, I know full well we can all eat it and enjoy it.
I also love that it’s pretty much a dump and go soup. The hardest part about this recipe (and it isn’t even hard) is chopping up the garlic, potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery.
While it does have potatoes, we fill this chunky vegetable soup with all sorts of veggies, including okra and green beans. Cooked in a beefy broth, it’s got the beef flavor without any meat.
The only seasonings we use are salt and pepper. The vegetables do the rest, and it’s packed with flavor.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE CARD FOR INSTANT POT VEGETABLE SOUP?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious vegetable soup recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
Things to Keep in Mind When Making Pressure Cooker Vegetable Soup
There are a few things you should keep in mind when making foods in your Instant Pot, including cook time and release.
While the cook time is only 30 minutes, keep in mind that if you let the pressure cooker naturally release, it will take more time. It’ll also take time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, so it’s important that you add these times into your cook time.
You can do a quick release (with protection, of course, so you don’t get burnt), but because we usually dump and go with this recipe, we just let it naturally release. That way the veggies get a little more time to soften up through the cooking/release process.
What Kind of Broth Should I Use for This Soup?
You can use a vegetable based broth or a beef based broth. We use beef because we like the flavor of the beef base with the vegetables.
You can either use broth you’ve saved from a roast, or you can use a beef base or bullion to make a broth. This beef base is the one we regularly use.
Tips for How to Make a Chunky Vegetable Soup
Begin by washing and prepping all of the fresh vegetables, including the celery, carrots, and potatoes. You’ll also need to chop up the onion and garlic.
Just dump all of your chopped and frozen veggies, along with the beef broth, into your Instant Pot.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and secure in place. Then set it to “Soup” for 30 minutes.
And that’s about it… You can just let it go, let it cook and naturally release, and then dinner will be ready.
Alternative Options for Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
There are a few alternative ingredients you can add to this vegetable soup recipe to kinda switch it up…
Add a little pasta or rice.
Include other vegetables like lima beans or spinach, although you may need to increase the amount of liquid you add by a cup or so, depending on how much you add.
Add meat! You can add hamburger, stew meat, sausage, etc.
Also, learn how to quickly use your Instant Pot with our Instant Pot Quick Start Guide, filled with practical tips, Instant Pot recipes, accessory ideas, and more!
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make This Soup:
8 Quart Instant Pot – We use our Instant Pot almost every day. It makes a lot of meals in our house.
How to make a simple, homemade, creamy chicken enchilada soup in your Crock Pot. Quick and easy recipe without all the hassle of enchiladas!
Slow cooker chicken enchilada soup is the soup version of one of my favorite Tex Mex meals, Creamy Chicken Enchiladas. Not only is it easier to make; I can throw it together in the slow cooker and let it simmer all afternoon.
While I prefer to make this slow cooker soup with taco chicken I’ve already made, you can always use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or even fajita style chicken. Just make sure the chicken is cooked before you throw the soup together.
You can slice tortillas into smaller squares or triangles and add to the soup for the last 30 minutes or so of cook time. Because at least one person in my house is counting carbs, I prefer to keep the tortillas out, slice into larger triangles, and serve alongside the soup.
You can even serve this easy chicken tortilla soup with crispy tortilla chips.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE CARD FOR CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious chicken enchilada soup recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
What Kind of Chicken Should I Use in Chicken Enchilada Soup?
This soup is the perfect dinner recipe to make after you’ve already had chicken another night of the week. Use up your leftover chicken to make soup, or even cook enough chicken to make two meals.
You can also pick up a rotisserie chicken on your way home from work.
Or you can make our favorite taco chicken to give the soup even more pizzazz and flavor.
Can I Make Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup Ahead and Freeze It?
Yes, you can. In fact, chicken enchilada soup should keep in the freezer for a good 2 to 3 months.
Gather your ingredients, per the recipe card below.
Prep all your fresh ingredients first. Shred the cheese.
Then wash and dice the tomatoes, wash and mince the bell pepper, and mince the onion and garlic.
Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and chicken to your slow cooker, stirring it all together.
Stir the heavy whipping cream into your soup mixture. We use heavy whipping cream because Dan avoids carbs, and whipping cream doesn’t have carbs.
Next, you’ll season your soup, which you can do now or you can wait a couple of hours and season it to taste.
You’ll need to cook the soup on high for about 4 hours, or on low for about 6 to 8 hours.
If you choose to add tortillas to your soup, just slice them up into smaller squares or triangles, and stir them into the soup for the last 30 minutes or so of cook time. Otherwise, you can slice tortillas into triangles and just serve alongside the soup.
What Else to Serve with Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken enchilada soup pairs really well with tortilla strips, tortilla chips, and all your normal taco fixin’s like sour cream, guacamole or avocado, fresh cilantro, more shredded cheese, fresh diced tomatoes, green onions, etc.
If you love this cheesy chicken enchilada soup recipe as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!
Connect with Adventures of Mel!
Be sure to follow me on social, so you never miss a post!
How to make a simple, homemade, creamy chicken enchilada soup in your Crock Pot. Quick and easy recipe without all the hassle of enchiladas!
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
3 Roma tomatoes (diced)
1 large bell pepper (minced)
1/2 large yellow onion (minced)
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 cup chicken (*shredded)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 flour tortillas (**optional)
Prep the vegetables by washing, chopping, and mincing.
Add the chicken broth, cheese, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and chicken to the slow cooker, stirring it all together.
Stir the heavy whipping cream into your soup mixture.
Next, add and stir in the salt and pepper.
Place the lid on your slow cooker, and cook the soup on high for about 4 hours, or on low for about 6 to 8 hours.
If you choose to add tortillas to your soup, slice them up into smaller squares or triangles and stir into the soup for the last 30 minutes or so of cook time.
Serve with all your favorite Tex Mex goodies, like sour cream, guacamole or avocado, more shredded cheese, fresh tomatoes, green onions, etc.
*You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, fajita chicken, or our favorite taco chicken to make this soup.
**Otherwise, you can slice tortillas into triangles and just serve alongside the soup.
