Chicken Spaghetti

A friend mentioned to me recently that she'd had chicken spaghetti for dinner.  YES, I thought.  I hadn't had of or even thought of that dish in ages.  So I popped online, picked out my favorite recipe version, tweaked it, and tried it out.  The results were quite favorable at my house and for your trying pleasure, here it is:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (I went for the 98% fat free stuff and it still tasted great)
• 2 and a half cups cooked, cubed chicken
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs

Directions

1. Begin boiling water to cook spaghetti.  When boiling, add the noodles and cook as directed on packages.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Saute chopped onion, celery and peppers until tender
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, cooked chicken, sauted veggies, shredded cheese, and soups.  Mix to coat well.
5. Empty mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish
6. Top with bread crumbs and drizzled butter
7. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through

Fiesta Turkey Skillet

Do you ever buy ground turkey instead of ground beef?  You should.  It's so lean and healthy.  We've got organic beef in our freezer so it is not as huge a concern but when I see that Jennie-O turkey go on sale, I buy it up and use it as a beef substitute in many ways.

My most recent new turkey recipe is below.  It is both a treat for the eyes as well as the mouth.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey*
• 1 half red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (a green and a red), sliced into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup non fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar salsa
• 4 cups cooked pasta of choice - I used macaroni but penne would have been great too

Directions

• In a large skillet or wok (remember all this food will end up in there....choose something big enough to fit everything!), brown turkey over medium heat.
• When turkey is half-cooked, add the onion and garlic, continue cooking until turkey is done and onions are soft.
• Add remaining vegetables, saute 10 minutes

• Add pasta, sour cream and salsa and heat through

*Disclaimer: Many of you may be from states that are having recalls on ground turkey right now.  If so, please shop wisely and, if necessary, go ahead and use beef instead of turkey until things calm down.