Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CampbellsShortcutMeals #CollectiveBias

Getting dinner on the table on a weeknight is easy with this Mexican-style chili. It is much quicker to prepare than traditional chili thanks to Campbell Soup Company products at Walmart.

Ready to shop for delicious Campbell Soup Company product ingredients? Hover over the photo to click through to Walmart.com and purchase them!

Thanks to my dad being on a winning chili team when we lived in Texas, chili was a staple dinner item in my house growing up. As you can imagine, for years I refused to make any other recipe than his and would rarely stray from the ingredient list beyond making it a little bit spicier. But recently I went off the deep end and have tried every variation I could think of making. While his chili will always have a special place in my heart (and belly), the foodie in me must experiment!

Normally it takes at least 2-3 hours to make but that’s not very weeknight friendly unless cooked in a slow cooker, which I have definitely done. This time around I decided to try my hand at a quicker version of chili with a couple substitutions to reduce cooking time and also change up the flavor a bit! For the base, I normally use a can of Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and chili beans.

You can never go wrong with a traditional family favorite like tomato soup so I kept that in the mix along with the paste. But instead of the sauce I used Pace® to add a southwestern flavor along with some kick and instead of the chili beans I used black beans to create a Mexican-style chili. While I was at it threw in some corn for good measure. Then, in order to cut down on the cooking time I used already cooked, low fat Swanson® Premium Chicken.

I meant to take step-by-step photos to show you the process but honestly it’s as simple as cooking the onion and then throwing in all the ingredients. As you can see, just because it’s easy and quick doesn’t make it any less fun and delicious to serve to your family. If your kids have heat-sensitive taste buds, be sure to pick up the mild salsa and a green bell pepper instead of a jalapeno. What are you secrets to successful weeknight meals?

One year ago: Banana Split Chocolate Chip Cookies

Four years ago: Greek Pizza with Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough

Six years ago: Peanut Butter and Oat Granola Bites

QUICK MEXICAN CHILI

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 (9.75 oz.) can Swanson® Premium Chicken, drained

1 (10.75 oz.) can Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup

1 (16 oz.) jar Pace®

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (or 1/2 small green bell pepper for a milder flavor))

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping if desired

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm olive oil and cook onion until tender. Add all remaining ingredients except the cheese. Thoroughly mix and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add cheese and simmer for a couple more minutes until melted. Serve with additional cheese on top, sour cream, jalapeno, or tortilla chips if desired.

Source: Adapted from my dad’s chili.

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. All opinions are my own.

Let’s get loaded – with pork! These nachos are piled high with BBQ pulled pork instead of taco meat followed by all of your favorite toppings.

It’s no secret that root beer is my favorite beverage of all time (other than that I primarily drink water or milk – yes I’m a 5 year old).

It also happens to be my favorite liquid to cook with as well, especially when it comes to BBQ as made evident by several recipes already on my blog featuring such things. I’ve made many a creation with my root beer pulled pork.

I’m continuing that trend today with my latest creation – slow cooker loaded BBQ pulled pork nachos!

While I have already shared BBQ nachos and root beer pulled pork sandwiches in the past, I’ve kicked things up a notch with these nachos while remaining easy to make.

I stuck to my tried and true, crazy easy and favorite method of cooking pulled pork which is to slow cook it along with a sliced onion in root beer. Once cooked, you simply shred with 2 forks into bite sized pieces!

I could have stopped there but I didn’t want all of that glorious root beer to go to waste so instead of dumping it I poured it into a sauce pan and reduced it down to a syrup.

This root beer syrup was then tossed over the shredded pork that was already cooked in the root beer and then placed until the broiler to promote some nice caramelization of those juicy shreds. Waste not!

Once the dual root beer cooking was complete, part of me considered making a root beer based BBQ sauce to really emphasize my root beer obsession but I wanted to keep things simple so instead I tossed the pork in one of my favorite BBQ sauces from where I grew up – Dinosaur BBQ!

Since I first had BBQ nachos in Memphis, I normally would have gone for one of the bottles of BBQ sauce that I stock piled from whenever I return to Memphis but I stumbled upon a bottle of this nostalgia at my grocery store here in Columbus and could not resist.

The end result was a pile of nachos featuring so many aspects of my life on one plate: Rochester, NY BBQ sauce from where I grew up, Memphis-inspired BBQ nachos from where I spent 6.5 earning my PhD, and Ohio pork representing the 4 years I spent at Ohio State as an undergrad from 2003-2007 and then returning in 2015 to make Columbus my current home.

What is your favorite way to cook pork / What is your favorite pork recipe?

Another of my other favorites is to marinade a pork loin and then grill it with corn on the cob. Again, super easy and crazy delicious. In fact I’ve already done that exact thing 3 times this year and I foresee may more occurrences in the future.

One year ago: Weekly Meal Plan: June 20-26

Two years ago: June 2015 Stitch Fix #9

Three years ago: Easy Honey Mustard Chicken

Four years ago: Cookie Dough White Chocolate Fondue

Five years ago: Prague

SLOW COOKER LOADED BBQ PULLED PORK NACHOS

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

PORK

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 lb. pork pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of excess fat

24 oz. of root beer

18 oz. bottle of barbecue sauce

NACHOS

14 oz. bag tortilla chips

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups lightly packed chopped salad greens

1 cup black beans

1 cup salsa or chopped tomatoes

2-3 green onions, slices

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Spread the onion slices evenly on the bottom, lay the pork on top, and pour the root beer over the top (add water if needed to just cover). Set on low and and cook for 6-8 hours, or until cooked.
2. After pork has cooked, remove the meat from the crock pot and reserve the liquid – strain out the onion from the liquid. Place liquid into a large pot over high heat and simmer while stirring occasionally until it leaves a trail when a spatula is run through it and it is thick and syrup-like, about 8-12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, turn the oven to broil and shred the pork using two forks. Once the syrup is done, fold the syrup into the pork and spread out mixture in a single layer onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Broil on lower middle rack for 5 minutes, until meat is crispy but not charred. Carefully remove from oven, flip the meat and broil again for 5 minutes longer.
4. Remove from oven, pour the barbecue sauce over the pork and stir to combine. Serve immediately on top of a bed of tortilla chips with desired toppings. Or keep warm in slow cooker until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from my Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Carnitas.

Spicy Mexican sausage is mixed with sweet pineapple in these Tacos al Pastor, which are my favorite kind of tacos! So easy you can make them any night of the week.

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Secret Recipe Club! This month I picked a recipe from Leslie’s blog, La Cocina de Leslie. If you like Mexican food, her blog is the mecca of Mexican recipes. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at homemadew tamales for quite some time now and she does provide and step-by-step guide on how to make them, but I chickened out and decided to save them for another day when I had more time as they are not quickly executed. I was also tempted by her sweet corn ice cream but resisted only because I have a freezer full of ice cream already.

And when I saw her easy recipe for Tacos al Pastor I had to make them! I love Tacos al Pastor and they have been on my things-to-cook list for far too long. The only things I changed from her recipe was using chorizo because I could not find longaniza sausage and I added some cotija cheese on top. Per her suggestions, I also served the tacos with her red and green tomatillo salsas. I had to go to 3 stores before I found dried arbol chiles for the red one but it was worth it! Such easy salsas to make and actually my first time ever using tomatillos.

Thanks for the easy yet delicious recipe Leslie. Next up, tamales!

Two years ago: 20 No-Cook Summer Recipes

Three years ago: Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Bacon & Jalapeno

Four years ago: Sourdough Starter

TACOS AL PASTOR

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb. Mexican longaniza sausage, casing removed (I used chorizo because I couldn’t find longaniza

1 (14 oz.) can pineapple chunks, juices reserved

1/4 tsp ground cumin

8-10 corn tortillas

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Cotija cheese

Red & Green Tomatillo Salsas, for serving

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, while lightly mashing with a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the sausage until no longer pink. Season with salt, if needed. Add the pineapple chunks, juice, and ground cumin. Cover skillet and let come to a boil. Remove cover, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the juices have mostly evaporated.
2. To serve the tacos, heat the corn tortillas on a skillet over medium-high heat until soft and pliable (or microwave between damp towels for 10-30 seconds). Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture onto center of each tortilla. Garnish with chopped red onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Serve with red and green tomatillo salsa, or your favorite salsa.

Source: Adapted slightly from La Cocina de Leslie.

These are not your every day stuffed zucchini boats, these are filled with taco meat to change up your next taco Tuesday.

Apparently I like this meal so much that I have already posted a nearly exact recipe on my blog already featuring Manwich – Mexican Manwich Stuffed Zucchini Boats to be exact. I only realized this when I was looking up the two recipes from which I adapted this one and saw the previous one which was also adapted from the same two recipes of mine – Mexican Stuffed Shells and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.

I’m losing my mind kids. I’ve been blogging for almost 6 years and I’m starting to forget what has already been done. I almost threw out this post and skipped today but decided to go ahead with it anyway. It’s slightly different and heck I clearly enjoy it enough to keep making it so it’s worth the semi-repeat. It would be great served with a side of Mexican cauliflower rice and if for some reason you dislike Manwich then here’s your alternative.

Two years ago: Blackberry Basil Sparkler

Four years ago: Banana Ice Cream Nutella Sandwiches

MEXICAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini (about 30 oz.)

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. taco seasoning (or 2 Tbsp homemade)

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup canned black beans, drained

1-1/2 cups pico de gallo (or salsa)

1 cup taco sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.
3. In a frying pan oven medium heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain grease then stir in taco seasoning and cream cheese. Cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Add black beans and mix well.
4. Pour pico de gallo on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each zucchini shell with the meat mixture and place zucchini in the prepared pan. Drizzle the taco sauce over the top, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions and sour cream.

Source: Adapted slightly from my Mexican Stuffed Shells and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.

After taking a break for the December holidays, it’s time for Secret Recipe Club‘s Group D reveal day! I was assigned t0 Asiya’s blog Chocolate & Chillies this month. Fun fact: she was actually assigned to my blog was back when in 2012 (she made my whole wheat pita)! Now it was my turn to dig through her vast recipe archive, where many recipes are inspired by her Indian heritage such as butter chicken lasagna which I so very much need to make one day. Another recipe that I need to try is the baklava cheesecake! But for now, with football party menu’s on the brain I decided to go with her avocado dip. This simple dip is a creamier, cheesy version of guacamole and as such is definitely be a crowd pleaser. I even went ahead and added a little extra avocado per her notes in her post saying that the next time she makes it she would add more. No such thing as too much avocado in my book, but then again  I may be biased as I am a sucker for anything involving avocado.

One year ago: Superbowl XLIX Recipe Roundup

Three years ago: Funfetti Cake Shots

Four years ago: Stromboli

Five years ago: Grilled Three Cheese Sandwich

AVOCADO DIP

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

3/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp Sriracha

1-1/2 avocados, diced

1/4 cup salsa

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream, cumin and Sriracha. Add avocado, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, salt and black pepper and mix well.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Garnish and serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Adapted slightly from Chocolate & Chillies.

Check out Manwich like you have never seen it before. These Mexican Manwich stuffed zucchini boats will impress your family any night of the week.

Oh Monday here you are again ruining my weekends and the only cure is to go home at the end of the day and drown my sorrows in hearty comfort food. The cure this week? Manwich Monday! Everyone recognizes the messy sandwich known as the Sloppy Joe. Nothing is better than a sandwich that requires both hands, preventing you and anyone else in your family from sharing the experience on social media, and it’s completely worth it. Focus on the food in front of you! And this meal is made easy for a weeknight by using Manwich hearty and meatless sauces with a sweet and tangy flavor.

I recently discovered that Manwhich comes in different varieties. Beyond that long loved Original there is also Bold which is a bit tangier and Thick & Chunky, which has the same great flavor as the original but in a chunkier form (aptly named I would say). These sauces made me realize that they would be delicious on more than just sandwiches and I was actually inspired by the “recipe idea” on the side of the Bold can for Manwich tacos. I had been wanting to make Mexican stuffed zucchini for awhile so this transformed my thought process into Mexican Manwich stuffed zucchini boats!

If I served these stuffed zucchini to you, you would probably never guess that they were made with Manwich, but once told you could definitely be able to detect those signature flavors marrying oh so well with the addition of Mexican seasonings. These stuffed zucchini boats looks like a fancy, complicated meal while remaining a great weeknight meal that will capture your attention.

How will you start your week with Manwhich Monday? Be sure to check out more Manwich Monday Recipes and visit manwich.com and follow Manwich on Twitter for ideas and recipes. To find Manwich products in a store near you, use the product locator on ConAgra Foods’ Website. You can also sign-up for ReadySetEat eNewsletter.

One year ago: Watermelon Mojito

Two years ago: Healthier Buckeyes

Three years ago: Fall Recipe Roundup

Four years ago: Sausage Stuffed Pretzel Bites

MEXICAN MANWICH STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

4 medium zucchini (about 30 oz.)

1 lb. ground beef

1 (16 oz.) can Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe Sauce

4 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp cumin

1/2 cup corn kernels

1-1/2 cups salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

3 green onions, chopped

Sour cream or Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.
3. In a frying pan oven medium heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain grease then stir in Manwich sauce, cream cheese, and cumin. Cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Add corn and mix well. Set aside.
4. While ground beef is cooking, cut the zucchini and remove the seeds. Stuff each zucchini shell with the meat mixture.
5. Pour salsa on bottom of one 9×13 baking dish (or two 5×7). Place zucchini in the prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions and sour cream.

Source: Adapted slightly from my Mexican Stuffed Shells and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.

Skip the take out and make burrito bowls at home with this easy recipe for a slow cooker salsa verde burrito bowl, made with quinoa, black beans, corn, and avocado.

I dislike college football games that are not on Saturdays. While I adore watching soccer, the main reason I am more devoted to college-level American football is because it’s easier to manage into my schedule, as I can set aside one day a week for 3 months. While some teams have always have had games on Thursday, most are on Saturday. Week one this year however is all over the place with games last night (and the B1G conference is off to a 0-2 start), tonight, Saturday, Sunday, AND Monday. I hope this doesn’t become a thing because I prefer being a couch potato for the entirety of Saturday, watching every game that I can lay my eyes upon and stuffing my face with glorious football worthy foods.

Thankfully I make some awesome eats for football for those of you who could care less about and are just here for the food. Heck who am I kidding? One of the best parts about this time of year is all the food! The recipe I am sharing today may not be typical tailgating food but I bet if you serve this juicy slow cooked salsa verde shredded chicken as a burrito bowl bar at a home viewing it will be a hit. Even better is you use an Authentic Salsa Verde Recipe. Or if you prefer red meat try a steak quinoa bowl.

Top some quinoa (or rice if you prefer) with black beans, corn, avocado and some tender, salsa verde shredded chicken. While the chicken cooks you can easily prep the rest of the components, allowing you to spend more time with friends, family, and/or the TV. Go team!

One year ago: Corn Frittata with Asiago Cheese

Three years ago: Chicken Salad with Grapes, Apple, and Pecans

SLOW COOKER SALSA VERDE BURRITO BOWLS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

12 oz. jar salsa verde, or use a homemade Authentic Salsa Verde Recipe

1.5-2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can corn kernels, drained and rinsed

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup queso fresco

Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Spread the onion evenly on the bottom, lay the chicken on top, and pour the salsa over the chicken. Set on low and and cook for 4-6 hours, or until cooked.
2. Remove the chicken, shred using two forks, and stir back into the salsa-sauce.
3. Into four bowls, divide the chicken, quinoa, black beans, corn, and avocado. Top with queso fresco and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Source: Heavily adapted from Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Brisket.

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Grilled polenta disks and spicy flank steak combines for a satisfying meal. Served with fresh avocado slices, queso fresco, salsa, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Jump to recipe

Don’t close down your grill yet! Just because summer is coming to an end doesn’t mean that grill season is as well. In fact for many people fall is the prime time to grill because it’s football season. Grilling in the fall makes more sense anyway because who wants to stand over a hot grill when it’s 90 degrees outside? Good thing grilling doesn’t usually take very long.

This recipe is a quick griller and even though it may not look like a lot on your plate it is surprisingly filling. The grilled polenta disks do the trick. Make this cowboy butter recipe for an added boost of flavor, too.

Then after you’ve satisfied your food cravings, check out some brain food. In case you haven’t been stalking PubMed like I have, my second paper hit the interwebs! Hopefully it’ll advance into print quicker than my first paper but the important thing is that I can change the status of that paper on my resume, at last! Having things published makes me feel like a smarty pants.

Grilling for Father’s Day

• Greek Grilled Chicken Legs from Palatable Pastime
• Grilled Beef Short Ribs from That Recipe
• Grilled Chicken Wings from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Grilled Ribeye with Garlic Blue Cheese Mustard Sauce from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Italian Sausage Sandwiches from Art of Natural Living
• Smoked Old Bay Wings from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Two years ago: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Popcorn

Three years ago: Buffalo Chicken Meatball Subs

GRILLD POLENTA WITH SPICY STEAK

Print

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 lb. flank steak, trimmed
• 4 tsp canola oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 (18 oz.) tube polenta, cut into 8 slices
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 cup salsa
• Lime wedges

Directions

1. Heat a grill pan (or grill) over medium-high heat. Rub 1 teaspoon of oil over all sides of the steak. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, chile powder, and pepper. Rub evenly over steak.
2. Cook steak 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
3. While steak rests, brush remaining 1 tablespoon oil over both sides of polenta slices. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
4. Arrange 2 polenta slices on each of 4 plates and divide avocado evenly among servings. Top each serving with steak, cilantro, queso fresco, and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.

Source: Cooking Light, June 2010

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

You’ll love the fusion of food genres in these cheesy Mexican stuffed shells finished with your favorite toppings. It is an easy family favorite!

As of Sunday, all of my belongings are either in a PODS storage unit or at my parents home. It was incredibly disheartening to see the apartment at which I have lived almost 5 years completely barren.

My last night there was spent watching a movie with my parents on my computer, sitting on the floor of the living room while eating the last of my ice cream, followed by a luxurious slumber in a sleeping bag.

Since I wasn’t quite prepared to leave Memphis yet, I am still residing here for a few extra days with my friend Maggie. I haven’t decided exactly when I will leave and have a feeling it may need to be a “rip off the band-aid” situation where I leave without warning.

I don’t do goodbyes very well especially in times like this where I know I will turn into a sobbing idiot. Just a heads up to my Memphis friends – catch me while you can!

Anyway, yes I still have recipes for you this week because I am a psycho and made all of these before I packed up my apartment. Dedication or insanity? Either way you cannot complain.

My godmother made these Mexican stuffed shells over the holidays and I immediately asked her for the recipe. For some reason I normally shy away from combining pasta and Mexican food but this was so incredibly good I had to make it again for myself. Would be great paired with cilantro lime brown rice.

Loved this too? You may also enjoy my cheesy chicken quesadilla pie.

Post updated 8/21/22, photo above is the original.

MEXICAN STUFFED SHELLS

Print

Yield: 4-5 Servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg taco seasoning (or 2 Tbsp homemade)
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup black beans, drained
• 16 jumbo pasta shells
• 1-1/2 cups salsa
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• Sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a frying pan cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain grease then add taco seasoning and cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Add black beans and mix well. Set aside.
3. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture.
4. Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed. Top with green onions and sour cream.

Source: Adapted slightly from My Recipes.

Did you make this recipe? I want to see! Tag @THESPIFFYCOOKIE on Instagram and hashtag it #THESPIFFYCOOKIE

While we are on the subject of errors, I specifically bought scallions to garnish this dish and totally forgot. Apparently I was so hungry while taking photos that I didn’t stop to notice or care because all I wanted to to was devour it! With its beautiful colors, creaminess and crunchy topping staring at me, you could hardly blame me. There was also plenty of kick. Mild-taste buds beware: you may way to omit the chipotle and use a mild salsa.

One year ago: Applesauce-Sweet Potato Pancakes

Two years ago: Crème Brulee

Three years ago: Big, Fat, Chewy Multichip Cookies

FIESTA ALFREDO PASTA BAKE

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

16 oz. elbow or other spirally pasta

2 lb. leftover cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

1 small onion, diced

1 small red pepper, diced

1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans rinsed and drained

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp taco seasoning

1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce

1/4 cup milk

1 cup salsa

1 chioptle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated pepperjack cheese

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 to 3 scallions, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish and set aside. Cook the pasta according to directions until al dente. Drain.
2. In a large bowl, combine the onion, red pepper, black beans, salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Toss together. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, milk, salsa and chipotle. Add the cheese and chicken. Pour the pasta into the Alfredo mixture and toss to coat. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with panko and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until sauce is bubbling and top is golden.
3. Serve topped with minced scallions.

Source: Adapted slightly from Girl Carnivore, originally from Taste of Home.