Crockpot White Chicken Chili

 

This is a modification of my previous Savory White Chicken Chili, but this one has become our favorite version.  It has become a favorite, and I have brought it to different potlucks and had people comment about how much they like it.  My kids enjoy eating their chili with pasta.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1-2 pounds chicken breasts

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

4.5 oz can chopped green chiles 

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup sour cream 

Directions

Add all ingredients except sour cream to crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken and add sour cream before serving.  

Vegetarian version: my vegetarian daughter loves this chili!  It's one of her favorites!  Leave out the chicken and replace the chicken broth with veggie broth, and that's it!

New Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is my Chicken Tortilla Soup but with some revisions and it came out very yummy!  Some of my family ate it with cheese and I added some brown rice pasta to mine.  You could also eat it with some tortilla chips or more sour cream.  I used my mini food processor to chop up my onion, bell pepper, shallots, and cilantro.

Ingredients
1 cup onion finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped (I used yellow)
2 small shallots, finely chopped (or you could use green onions)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
2-15oz cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
7oz can green chilies
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup salsa
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil
salt to taste
2 lbs chicken breasts (leave out for vegetarian)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)

Directions
Crockpot directions
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and sour cream into crockpot.  Set crockpot on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours (it's best if you can cook it longer on low).  During last hour, mix together cornstarch, sour cream, and 1/2 cup water until well blended and add to pot.  Take chicken out and shred with forks or stand mixer and then return to pot and continue cooking on high with lid off.

Stove top directions
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and sour cream into a very large pot or dutch oven.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove chicken breasts from pot and shred with forks or stand mixer and return to pot.  Mix together cornstarch, sour cream, and 1/2 cup water until well blended and add to pot.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken.  Remove from heat.

Savory White Chicken Chili

I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website. This one everyone loved, and I will definitely be making this again! I did serve it over pasta and top it with cheese (how I like my chili). I doubled the recipe because we were having my in-laws over for lunch, but I only used 1 large red bell pepper. I also couldn't find fresh cilantro, but I had some in a squeeze tube, so I used that instead but used less because I think it's more concentrated. Oh yes, it also calls to use greek yogurt instead of sour cream, but I like sour cream and had it on hand. It was not too spicy but if you really don't like hot, leave out the cayenne pepper.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 lb chicken breasts, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (I used yellow)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 1 red bell pepper
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
1 (4.5oz) can chopped green chiles
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup (6oz) sour cream

Directions
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, garlic, and onion and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in remaining ingredients except cilantro and sour cream. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and sour cream.

Crockpot: Add all ingredients to your crockpot except cilantro and sour cream.  Stir and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours.  Turn off crockpot and stir in sour cream and cilantro before serving.

Crockpot Southwest Chili

This is very similar to my Santa Fe Soup as well as some of my other recipes, but my friend Becky made this for us one night for dinner and I had to have the recipe.  It was delicious! 

Ingredients
2 lbs ground meat (I used turkey)
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes w/ chillies
2 cans corn, undrained
2 packets dry ranch dressing
2 packets taco seasoning
1 can water (optional, I didn't add this)

Crumble up meat and add to crockpot and then add all ingredients to crockpot and stir well. Cook in crockpot on high heat 4-6 hours or low heat 8-10  hours.  Serve as is or top with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Weight Watcher Points:  If you use ground turkey or lean ground beef, only 3 points per cup!

W's chili

I love Wendy's chili, so I decided to go online and see if I could find a copycat recipe.  Well, I found this one, but I had to modify it a little with what I had on hand.  I think it is now my favorite chili that I have made.  I wouldn't say it was terribly like Wendy's chili, but I did modify it, so you can go to the link above if you want, and I hope to next time try it closer to the original recipe to see if it's more like Wendy's.  Yum!  I used hot Italian sausage because that's what I had on hand, but it was a little too spicy for my kids, even with sour cream and cheese on top of theirs.  You can do this in the crockpot as well if you like, low 4-6 hours or high 8-10.  I called this W's chili since I wouldn't call it a Wendy's copycat since I changed it so much.

Ingredients
1 lb spicy Italian sausage (I used hot but would use mild next time for my kids or just use another pound of ground turkey or beef)
1 lb ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)
29oz tomato sauce
29oz light kidney beans, undrained
29oz pinto beans, undrained
1 medium onion, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 tsp cumin powder
3 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black powder
2 tsp salt

Directions
Brown meats, breaking apart, and drain off fat.  In a large pot combine all ingredients together.  Simmer over low heat 2-3 hours, stirring occassionally.

Crockpot: Brown meat, drain, add to crockpot.  Combine rest of ingredients.  Stir and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours. 

Makeover: So I made this again and used all ground turkey and did add a 7oz can diced green chilies.  It was super yummy!

Serve over pasta, with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, or cornbread.

Taco Casserole

This is like a healthy version of nachos.  It is yummy and doesn't taste like you are eating something healthy at all.  I found this recipe on healthy delicious.

Ingredients
24 tortilla chips, plus more for serving if you desire
1 Tbs chili oil (or olive oil and red pepper flakes) - I just used olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground chicken
2 tbs taco seasoning (I used half my recipe for my homemade taco seasoning)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup reduced fat cheese (I used Mexican blend)
Optional: other toppings such as olives or jalepenos

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and garlic and sautee until soft.  Add meat and taco seasoning.  Cook, breaking up meat with a spatula, for about 5 minutes.  Add beans and salsa.  Mix well and continue to cook until salsa thickens.  Line the bottom of a large baking dish with tortilla chips, pressing down to break them up lightly into bite-sized pieces.  Spread the meat and bean mixture over the chips and top with cheese.  Add any other toppings you want cooked on top.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melty and gooey.  Enjoy!

Healthy Deep Dish Cookie Pie

 So I recently discovered this chocolate-covered Katie's blog. She makes healthy desserts and actually was recently on tv with this featured recipe. Her picture absolutely sold me on this dessert. I've been keeping up with the comments on this, and they have been almost all positive. I was very skeptical actually of this recipe, but I really wanted to try it based on her delicious looking picture. :-) Plus the fact that this was the recipe featured on tv and got such positive reactions. I was very pleasantly surprised by the outcome and plan to make it again in the future.  You can half the recipe and put it in a pie plate, but I found it to be more gooey if you do it in a spring form pan with the full recipe.  It depends on how gooey you like it.  I love cookie dough, and I love gooey. 

Ingredients

2 cans garbonzo beans (chick peas) or other white beans, drained and rinsed very well (stay with me here! You can't even taste the beans if you do it right.)

1 cup quick oats

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsp canola oil (or softened light margarine/smart balance)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate)

Directions

Blend everything (except the chocolate chips) together in a food processor (NOT a blender!). Mix in chips and pour into an oiled pan. (She suggested a 10" springform pan, and I used a pie plate for 1/2 the recipe.) Cook on 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat as needed.

WW points: if you use light margarine/light smart balance instead of canola oil, and half the pie, 1/8th of the pie is only 3 points!

Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

I found this on Gina's Skinny Taste website, a Weight Watcher food friendly blog. I really enjoyed this. Serve over rice and top it with cheese and sour cream, chopped green onions, or cilantro. I felt it had too much liquid when I was done, so next time I could cut back on the chicken broth. I also cut the cayenne pepper in half and it still had quite a bite to it.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can black beans, drained
8oz frozen corn, or 1 can drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (and more if you want to top it)
1 can chicken broth (I would cut back on this next time or leave it out)
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Directions
Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt in the crockpot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to slow cooker and stir in.

WW points: 1 cup is 3 points, 190 calories, 1.5g fat, 5.6g fiber, 23.1g carbs, 21g protein

Chicken Chili Recipe

I got this recipe off the Betty Crocker Website and the picture on the site looks a lot better than my picture looks, but it still tastes yummy! :-) I like to serve my chili over pasta and top with cheese. Betty Crocker says to use monterey jack cheese, but I had cheddar on hand, so that is what I used. My husband was not too crazy about this dish, but my mother in law and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend doubling the recipe if you are serving more than 2 adults and without pasta. For those with allergies, I forgot to check the label on the soup, so I'm not sure what allergies it has in it. I am sorry about that. I will try to remember to check at the store next time and update it.

 Ingredients
-1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
-1 lb chicken breasts, cubed
-1 can Progresso chicken corn chowder
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
-4.5oz can chopped green chiles
-1 tsp dried oregano leaves
-1 tsp cumin
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (leave out if you prefer less spice)
-1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese (or I just used shredded cheddar for everyone to top theirs
-chopped fresh cilantro (optional, and I did not use this)

Directions
In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion, garlic, and chicken until chicken is cooked through. Stir in chowder, beans, chiles, oregano, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with cheese and fresh cilantro. And cooked pasta if you desire.

Crockpot: Combine al ingredients except cheese and cilantro.  Stir, cover, and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours. 

Taco Lasagna

When I was going through my recipes and labeling them as budget friendly meals (under $10), I realized my yummy Mexican Lasagna was not under $10 to make. So, I decided to change a few things and make it "budget friendly," and this is what I came up with. It was so yummy! This is also a great prepare ahead of time or freezer meal.

Ingredients
-9 soft taco size flour tortillas (use 12 corn for gluten/wheat free)
-1 lb ground turkey or beef
-1 small onion, chopped
-2 cups corn (frozen or 1 can)
-1 packet of taco seasoning or my homemade taco seasoning-1 can refried beans (I use fat free for heart healthy)
-1 can tomatoes (I like petite diced and/or I put them in the blender for a few seconds for my kids' sake)
-2 cups Mexican blend cheese (I use reduced fat for heart healthy)

Directions
Brown your ground meat in a large skillet with onion, drain, and return to pan. Add corn, tomatoes, and taco seasoning and bring to a boil, and then let simmer 5-10 minutes. Spray 9x13 casserole dish. Spread 1/4 of the meat mixture in the bottom of your pan. Top with 3 tortillas (I like to put split my 3rd tortilla and place each straight side against the short sides of the pan, check out the pictures on my Mexican lasagna page if you aren't sure what I mean). Spread half of the refried beans over the tortillas. Top with 1/4 of the meat mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat this layer. Add 3 more tortillas, the rest of the meat mixture and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

I combined 2 of some of our favorite meals and made 3 meals! It turned out great! This recipe is basically taking my Crockpot Salsa Chicken Recipe and my Chicken Enchilada Recipe and combining the two. This is a budget friendly meal considering it makes 2-3 meals.

Ingredients

-1 lb chicken (white or dark meat)

-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 cup frozen corn (or use a can if you prefer)

-1 - 1 1/2 cups salsa (use 1 cup if you have dark meat and 1 1/2 cups if using white meat chicken)

-1 can of cream of chicken, optional (watch for allergens)

-10-12 flour tortillas, soft taco size (or use 15 corn tortillas if you prefer and/or need wheat/gluten free)

-2 -10oz cans Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (I like to use one can of mild red sauce and one can of mild green sauce and mix them)

-8oz shredded Mexican cheese blend (used reduced fat for heart healthy)

Directions

Put chicken in crockpot. Cover with black beans and corn. Mix together salsa and cream of chicken (optional) and pour over top. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-9 hours. Shred your chicken up and serve about half of this for dinner one night over rice or scoop up with corn chips. Put other half of mixture in fridge or freezer.

On another night, thaw out leftover salsa chicken, if frozen, and put into a large bowl. Add 6-8oz of enchilada sauce and 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese to mixture. Roll about 1/4 cup of the mixture into flour tortillas and line in sprayed 9x13 casserole dish. Cover with rest of sauce and sprinkle with rest of cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you want to stretch this even further like I did, use 2 lbs of chicken. Eat about 1/3 of the Salsa Chicken one night and reserve the rest. Then, use double the amount of tortillas, cheese, and enchilada sauce and make 2 pans of enchiladas. Cover and freeze your 2nd pan before baking and you have a 3rd meal for another night.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

Wow! I just realized today is my 100th post!!! I can't believe I've done that many recipes and it's now been over a year since I started this. For those who have tried my recipes, visited my site, and/or told others about my blog, thank you so much!!! You keep me going to want to try more and keep posting on this blog. I will never post something I didn't like myself. Thank you again!

I made this soup for lunch today, and it was oh so delicious! I found it on allrecipes.com. It's super easy to make, quick, high in fiber, low in fat, and very tasty! I will definitely be making this often for my lunches now. :-) I got to talking to a friend on the phone and let mine simmer a little longer than I meant to, so it thickened more than I think it would have.

Ingredients
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken instead)
1 cup salsa (I used mild)
1 tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp sour cream (optional or can use light or fat free)
2 tbsp thinly sliced green onions (about 2 green onions, only green part)Directions
Add beans, broth, salsa, and cumin to a blender or food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Pour into a large pot and heat on medium until thoroughly heated through (about 10 minutes). Ladle soup into bowls and if desired, top with 1 tbsp sour cream and 1/2 tbsp green onion per bowl. Makes about 4 - 1 cup servings. This would also be good served with tortilla chips.

Crockpot: Add beans, broth, salsa, and cumin to a blender or food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Pour into crockpot.  Stir, cover, and cook on low 4-6 hours.

WW points: 1.5 points per cup (without sour cream)

Catherine's Spicy Chicken Soup

I found this soup on allrecipes, and the reason I tried it was because it had literally over 900 reviews and got 5 stars. It was also rated one of the top soups on the site. It makes a LOT of soup! I had my largest pot out and could barely fit all the ingredients in the pot. In fact, I waited until it cooked down some before adding the sour cream which caused it to have little visible white specks of sour cream in it. So, it didn't come out in the picture as pretty, but trust me, it tastes good. In fact, all 5 of my family members liked it. :-) It's really not that spicy. It does have some kick to it, but all my kids ate it just fine. I stayed pretty close to the recipe. Next time I think I will only use 1 tbsp olive oil to saute the onions and garlic in instead of 3, and I will use diced tomatoes instead a can of whole tomatoes. I ended up taking out the whole tomatoes and dicing them up since my kids won't eat big chunks of tomatoes. I could have easily halved this recipe and had leftovers still, but now we have lots of soup in the freezer for another quick night leftover meal. :-) This might look like a lot of ingredients, but about half of them are spices.

Ingredients

2 quarts water (8 cups)

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon onion powder

5 cubes chicken bouillon

3 tablespoons olive oil (I would reduce this to 1 tbsp next time)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa (I used mild)

2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes (I used petite diced)

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (I would use petite diced tomatoes instead next time)

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (use light if you prefer, and omit if need dairy free)Directions
In a large pot, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken.

In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken and 5 cups broth (I used it all b/c after cooking down, the broth was about 5 cups). Simmer at least 30 minutes.

Another way you could do it is in your crockpot. Only use 5 cups of water instead of 2 quarts. Throw everything in your crockpot, cook on low 7-8 hours, remove chicken, shred, and throw back in your crockpot. Stir it up good and enjoy! :-)

Laura's Chili

So, one of my amazing friends, Laura, has this blog called Health for the Heart, and she had posted this really yummy sounding chili. Well, I can now say that it not only sounds yummy, but it tastes really yummy too! Thank you so much for this chili recipe, Laura! My whole family ate it and enjoyed it! I will be making it again. Another one of my favorite recipes that Laura makes that I have posted is Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Bake.

Ingredients
1 lb ground sirloin, ground buffalo, or ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a whole, small one)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 cans spicy chili beans
1 package taco seasoning (she suggests low sodium) or my homemade taco seasoning
1 tbsp hot sauce (optional) (I decided to use this after I took a picture of the ingredients, I used the taco bell hot sauce, and the chili was not too spicy for any of my kids)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) (I chose to leave this out b/c my kids probably wouldn't eat it that spicy, but you could serve it on the side to sprinkle on top)Directions
1. Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened. Add meat and brown.
2. Add rest of ingredients, turn down heat, and simmer 30 minutes or more.
3. Serve over pasta (my choice), brown rice, or corn chips, or top with cheese (all optional)

Taco Junk

This is very similar to taco mac, but it is made without pasta. It's really good by itself, served with cornbread, served with corn chips, served in a tortilla or with cheese and sour cream, or I've even heard of it served over a hot dog on a bun. You can use different beans too, like black beans, if you like, but my family prefers pintos. No matter what, we really enjoy it. :-)

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch dressing mix (leave out if you can't have allergens in it)Directions
Brown meat, drain, and return to pan. Add rest of ingredients, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Crockpot: Brown meat, drain, and add to crockpot.  Add all ingredients to crockpot.  Stir, cover, and cook on high 4-6 hours or high 8-10.

Enchilada Chicken Chili

I got this recipe from the crockpot lady, and it was a winner in our household. :-) Easy, yummy, and a new twist on chili.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless & skinless, OR fish out the bones and skin after about 4 hours)1 1/2 cups prepared enchilada sauce (I ended up just using 2 10oz cans, read labels carefully if avoiding gluten and/or soy)
2 chopped celery stalks
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with seasoning (your choice: I just had plain and added a sprinkle of garlic powder on top)
2 (15 oz) cans pinto or kidney beans, undrained (or 1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tablespoon dried, minced onion flakes)
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin Directions
Pour enchilada sauce and canned tomatoes into the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Add beans, celery, onion and spices. Stir to combine. Place chicken on top.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until flavors have combined. If you are using dried beans, you may need to cook longer to fully soften the beans. I then stirred the chicken back into the pot.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Pasta Fagioli

I got this recipe off of Gina's Weight Watcher Recipe Blog. I made this soup tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! This is a definite keeper! Unlike the one from Olive Garden, this is meatless. You could add a pound of ground meat for variety if you'd like, but honestly, it was very hearty with the beans and absolutely delicious. I didn't feel like I was missing the meat at all. I didn't realize until I was making this that I was out of parsley, so I instead added 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning and omitted the parsley and oregano. It was seasoned so perfectly, I think I wouldn't want to try it any other way. :-) You have to try this soup!

Servings: 5 servings • Total Time: 30 -40 minutes • WW Points: 6.4 ww points

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil (optional)




• 1/2 onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried minced onion)




• 3 cloves garlic, chopped




• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped




• 1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded




• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, undrained




• 15 oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes




• 1 large bay leaf




• 1 tbsp basil




• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or 1 Tbsp parsley and 1 tsp oregano)




• 2 cans fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians) (I used 4 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes)




• salt and pepper to taste




• 1-1/2 cups Ditalini pasta or other small pasta (I used macaroni)




• Grated Parmigiano or Romano (optional)

Directions



In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat... or if you are using dried minced onion like I did, omit the oil and just add the onion and garlic with the beans in the next step.
Blend the can of beans with one can water in electric blender until almost smooth.
Add blended beans to pan then add the can of tomato sauce, celery, carrots, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated cheese (optional and extra ww points).

Crockpot: Add all ingredients except pasta to crockpot. Stir, cover, and cook on high 4-6 hours or high 8-10.  Turn crockpot on high and add pasta last 30 minutes of cooking.

White Chili

My mom sent me this recipe the other day because she made it and loved it so much she shared it with me. I really did enjoy it as well, so now I'm sharing it with you. My mom bought a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken and used the meat off of that. I just boiled some chicken breasts and shredded them, and so I think mine needed some more seasonings. Next time I think I will try adding some more of the chili seasoning to it or using a rotisserie like my mom did. Next time maybe I will make my own rotisserie chicken in a crockpot and then use the meat off of that. :-)



Ingredients

(Makes about 11 cups)

-3 to 4 cups chopped cooked chicken

-4 (16 oz) cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

-4 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chilis

-1 (14-oz) can low -sodium fat-free chicken broth (I used 2 cups of water with 2 chicken boullion cubes)

-2 Tbs. or more Chili Seasoning Mix (recipe follows)



Chili Seasoning Mix

(Makes about 1 1/3 cups)

-3/4 cup chili powder

-2 Tbs. ground cumin

-2 Tbs. dried oregano (I used fresh from my garden)

-2 Tbs. dried minced onion

-2 Tbs. seasoned salt

-2 Tbs. sugar

-1 tsp. garlic powder



Stir together ingredients until evenly mixed. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 months. Shake or stir well before using. Directions

Stir together the five ingredients in a Dutch oven (large cooking pot): bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Crockpot: Add all ingredients to crockpot. Stir, cover, and cook on high 4-6 hours or high 8-10.

The Duggars' Taco Soup

I actually got this recipe out of The Duggar's: 20 and Counting book. It's very similar to some of my other taco soup recipes, but this one adds hominy instead of corn along with some other small adjustments. It was a winner in our house. I particularly liked the texture of the hominy, but my "boys" weren't as fond of it. If you don't like hominy, just substitute corn. The recipe in the book calls for you to triple the recipe (considering, they have 18 children :-)). Even doing 1/3 of the recipe, we had plenty of leftovers. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (leave out for vegetarian option)
4oz can green chilies, chopped
1.25oz packet of taco seasoning (or try my homemade taco seasoning)
1 package dry ranch dressing mix (leave out for dairy-free)
15.5oz can hominy
3 - 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
15oz can kidney beans, undrained
2 - 15oz cans pinto beans, undrained
grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips for serving (I didn't do this for dieting's sake, but I'm sure it would be delicious!)Directions
Brown the ground turkey, season as you like (salt, pepper, onion). Stir in the chilies, seasoning mix, ranch dressing mix, hominy, tomatoes, beans, and about 1 1/2 cups of water (I found it didn't really need this with all the other added liquid, so this is optional). Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
To serve, put crushed tortilla chips in bottom of bowl. Add soup, then top with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. Your own tacos in a bowl!

Crockpot version: Brown your meat, add to the crockpot. Stir in the chilies, seasoning mix, ranch dressing mix, hominy, tomatoes, beans, and about 1 1/2 cups of water. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10.

Tip: I plan to take the leftovers and bring them to a boil, add 1 cup of macaroni and 1 cup of water (I did add the extra water originally or else I might need more) and cook until the macaroni is done. This gives it a slight variation, similar to my taco mac recipe, and it makes the leftovers go further.

If you like this, try my other taco soup type recipes:
Santa Fe Soup
Original Taco Soup Recipe
Taco Mac

Cheddar Beef Enchiladas

I made this the other night, and it was definitely a keeper. :-) The recipe suggests baking half of it and putting the other half in the freezer. I made the whole thing but ended up putting half of it in the fridge, so I could have froze half of it. I think they are more like burritos rather than enchiladas. Very yummy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey) (you could leave this out to make vegetarian)


• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning or my homemade taco seasoning


• 1 cup water


• 2 cups cooked rice


• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans


• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided


• 10 (8 inch) flour tortillas


• 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa


• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook beef or turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated. Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried beans, 1/4 cup beef mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes.


2. Combine salsa and soup; pour down the center of enchiladas (I spread it all over the top so the tortillas wouldn't dry out). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake one casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Cover and freeze remaining casserole for up to 3 months.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

I call this a budget-friendly meal because it really makes 2 dinners, so if you divide the cost in half, it is definitely under $10 :-)