Quick Mexican Penne Casserole

Casseroles have my a big help this past week. As things ramp up for Spring planting and warmer weather activities, I need hearty, delicious meals that I can make quickly and will last for at least 2 meals.

More bang for my buck, right?

One item that is always well stocked in my pantry is Ro*Tel, and I am starting to believe it really does make everything better.

To create this quick Mexican Penne Casserole I let Ro*Tel help to add flavor and pizzazz to pasta and lean ground beef. Of course, topping with melted sharp cheddar and a generous handful of parsley and green onions adds a little extra color and crunch.

Truly, I started buying Ro*Tel by the case so we can throw it in our crispy burritos, casseroles, chili or soups. Yum!

More than just a can of diced tomatoes, the green chilies add a lot of flavor without adding heat. I seem to be the only one in the family who likes spicy foods, so this is my compromise.

Start your pasta boiling to aldente and preheat the oven

Then begin browning the ground beef in a deep skillet. Add in all the ingredients, reserving the cheeses, chili powder and some of the parsley and green onions. Season to taste.

Could you use cilantro? Probably. We are not a big cilantro family, so I usually go with Italian Parsely instead.

Drain the pasta and mix with the ground beef mixture.

I poured half of the pasta into my casserole dish, then topped with the crumbled Cotija cheese. Add in the remaining mixture and top with the sharp cheddar cheese. Give the top a light dusting of chili pepper for color and bake till heated through.

I served mine garnished with a nice helping of parsley and green onions.

Ready to grab the recipe?

Mexican Penne Casserole

You Will Need:

• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cans Ro*Tel 
• 2 Tbsp. sun dried tomato pesto
• 1/4 c. Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 c. Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
• chili powder, for dusting
• 4 green onions, sliced. White and green parts divided
• salt and pepper to taste

Start a large pot of water boiling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a high-sided skillet, brown the ground beef. Add in the soup, Ro*Tel, sun dried tomato pesto, parsley and the whites of the sliced green onions. Season to taste. Warm through and set aside.

Boil the pasta just a minute short of aldente. It will finish cooking in the oven. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Pour half the mixture into a 9"x13" casserole dish. Top with the crumbled cotija cheese and then add in the remaining pasta mixture. Top this with sharp cheddar and a dusting of chili powder.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Serve garnished with the remaining chopped parsely and green onions.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite meal this time of year? I would love to hear what your go-to is below.

Moroccan Spiced Stew - An Easy Weeknight Dinner At Home

I created my Moroccan Spiced Stew with yam and chickpeas using the Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. All opinions and experiences are my own. #CampbellsSkilledSaucers

This week was a blur. From a leaking pipe that needed immediate attention, to my Mom arriving and the holiday, I really needed some easy dinner ideas to get us through. Of course, my family also wants something delicious, so I can't just slap down the umpteenth baked potato. That is my go-to food, but for some reason my family gets bored of my spud craze.

I thought it was the perfect time of year to bring out the slow cooker. It is probably the most under-utilized piece of kitchen equipment in my house. I even own several slow cooker recipe books, but I don't usually find things I want to eat. I want a little spice, fun, pizazz even!!

Campbell's kindly had me in mind when they created their Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce line.

Sweet Korean BBQ? Hawaiian Luau? Mexican Red Chili Taco? ...or Tavern Style Pot Roast?

I love the idea of taking my taste buds on a global culinary tour right in my slow cooker. Yes, that is the spice and pizazz I was talking about.

I have never had Moroccan Spiced Stew, but I was sure it was going to be a great combination of fragrant spices. I also happened to already have a big pack of chicken thighs on hand, so it was the perfect choice.

After getting my children dressed and ready for the day, I took 5 minutes to cross dinner off my to-do list. Okay, that never happens in this house.

I thawed the chicken thighs overnight in the refrigerator, placed them in my 6 quart slow cooker, covered the chicken with my Moroccan Spiced Stew packet from Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce, set the timer for 8 hours and then walked away.

In the final 2 hours of cooking I threw in a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas and sliced up a large yam. I made sure to nestle them down in the sauce to soak up all those spices. I promise, my house smelled amazing by then.

I chose to serve mine over a bed of Harvest Grain Blend that has Israeli Couscous, red quinoa, lentils and

orzo. I also served each plate with a slice of fresh Sourdough Bread so none of the delicious sauce would go to waste. No sauce wasting in my house!

Isn't that a lovely meal? And it didn't take me hours in the kitchen.

After slow cooking all day, the fragrant meat just fell off the bone. I almost feel guilty how good this tastes.

So what are you having for dinner tonight? Do you think this Moroccan Spiced Stew will end up on your menu? Or what about some of the other Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauce flavors? They are an easy way to create a simply amazing weeknight dinner for your family.

Morroccan Spiced Stew with Yam and Chickpeas over Harvest Grain Blend

You Will Need:

• 1 package of Campbell's Slow Cooker Moroccan Spiced Stew Sauce
• 2 lbs of bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large yam, peeled and sliced
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 package of Harvest Grain Blend (from Trader Joe's), made according to package instructions

Place the chicken in your 6-quart slow cooker. Top with one package of Moroccan Spiced Stew Sauce. Set on low for 6-8 hours.

In the final 2 hours of cooking time, add the chickpeas and yam slices to one end. Make sure they are coated in the sauce. Continue cooking.

12 minutes before serving start the Harvest Grain Blend. I like to simmer my mix with chicken stock for added flavor. Make according to the package instructions and serve underneath your chicken, yam and chickpeas.

Enjoy!