Easy Ravioli Bake 🇮🇹

Who doesn't love a good Italian dish? 

I know I do!  I know it's the one thing my husband and kids will eat with no issues.  I love making this ravioli dish a lot.   Sometimes I change it up and play around with ingredients, but this time I kept it simple.  As you will see in the pics below, this dish goes great paired with simple steamed broccoli and garlic toast.  

I promise if you add this to your meal plans, it will surely become a family favorite! Enough chatter...let's get right to the point! ...the recipe!

Easy Ravioli Bake

1 lb ground Italian sausage, browned

1T minced garlic

1t Oregano

1t garlic powder

Salt and pepper

1 jar pasta sauce

1/2 of large bag or 1 whole small bag of frozen ravioli

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. Add the seasonings to the Italian sausage while you're cooking it.  

3. Spread a little sauce in the bottom of an oiled casserole dish. Then add the rest to the Italian sausage and combine.  Then layer some ravioli, cheese, and sauce.  Repeat layer once more ending with the sauce.  

4. Bake uncovered for 25 mins.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and a few shakes of parmesan cheese.  Bake an additional 10 mins or until cheese is melted.  

5. Let sit while you bake your garlic bread and steam your frozen broccoli in the microwave.  

(Serving suggestion below)

☘️St. Patty's Day Parfaits ☘️

☘️How can something so simple taste so good?

Layered pistachio pudding and cool whip and topped with sprinkles?  Yup!  That's it!  SO easy and yet so prim and proper looking.  

I had made Irish Beef Stew in the Crock-Pot and needed a light and fluffy, fun dessert for the boys to enjoy.  I wasn't in the mood to bake anything and Jell-O takes way too long to set.  So...then the idea of a parfait was born.  I've had these adorable stemless wine glasses in my bar cabinet for a while and have only used them a few times. I thought they would definitely fit the part.  

Here's what I used:

2 am boxes of pistachio pudding mix

4c Milk

1 container of cool whip

Sprinkles for garnish 

Here's what I did:

1. I mixed the pudding and the milk in a bowl and put it in the fridge for 30 mins to set.  

2. When ready, I layered the pudding and the cool whip alternately in the wine glasses.  

3. I topped them off with a dash of rainbow sprinkles and there you have it!  A simple, beautiful, delicious looking little dessert!  

Of course, this idea can be used for any occasion and altered to fit any holiday or flavors you'd like.  Simple enough, right?  What a hit this was with my boys who thought they were extra special for being allowed to eat layered pudding out of the forbidden wine glasses.  I hope everyone enjoyed their St Patrick's Day! ☘️

Crock-pot Fajita Chicken/Chicken Tostadas

Yum!!!   That is all I can say about this amazing crockpot chicken.  

Since I was running low on groceries and was ready to use up a package of boneless chicken thighs, I decided to cook them in the Crock-Pot.   But what was I going to do with them?  I didn't want to make anything creamy and didn't want anything plain.   Looking through my pantry and freezer I came up with the ingredients for my fajita chicken!  

I had a bag of frozen bell pepper strips from Trader Joe's I've been meaning to use.   In my pantry, I had a package of fajita seasoning.  And in my fridge I still had half a jar of Salsa Verde ( green salsa) that I had used for enchiladas last week. 

That's when this dish came to life!  I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, and all purpose seasoning.  Then I arranged them in the slow cooker. (I used my 6qt for this). Next I sprinkled the chicken with the packet of fajita seasoning and topped that with Salsa Verde.  Yummm!  On top of all of that, I poured in the bag of peppers!  I turned the Crock-Pot on high and slow cooked it for 4 hours!

When it was time, I shredded the chicken and stirred it around in the sauce and juices from the cooking process.  Soooo good!  

I decided to toast some tostada shells in the oven and make crunchy chicken tostadas as our dinner.  This chicken is a great way to make quesidilas, fajitas, chicken tacos, or like me, tostadas.  

Recipe for:

Crock-Pot Fajita Chicken 

8 boneless chicken thighs

Salt & Pepper

1 packet Fajita seasoning

1 1/2 cup Salsa Verde (mild green salsa)

1 bag frozen sliced bell peppers

1. Season chicken and arrange in crock-pot. Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle packet of fajita seasoning on top.   

2. Next pour the salsa over the chicken. Top with the sliced peppers!

3. Cook on hight for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

*6qt crockpot is best for this recipe

Recipe for:

Chicken Fajita Tostadas

Chicken from the Crock-Pot

Tostada shells ( toasted as directed)

toppings:

Lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, ranch dressing, salsa, sour cream.

1.  Scoop chicken into tostada shell.  Top with whatever toppings you like!  Serve away!  

Copycat KFC Mashed Potato Bowls

Every once in a while I will get the urge to make some kind of comfort food.  Who doesn't like comfort food?  I know that most of the time comfort food isn't considered healthy, and this dish is absolutely not the healthiest, but...if you are in need of that feel good food, than this is for you!  

Whenever we eat out somewhere I always think about how I can recreate things at home!  This KFC bowl is one of my favorite things to get whenever we eat there.  Like I said, I know it's not healthy and full of starch (as my mom would say) but hey...sometimes you just gotta eat something that will make you feel good! 

Now let's get to the dish!  This recipe is so easy to make and most likely you have all of the ingredients on hand!  Popcorn chicken might have been better for the chicken part, but I only had chicken nuggets.  Also, the only gravy I had was turkey gravy that I had bought around Thanksgiving but never used!  I definitely took advantage of "shelf cooking" tonight!  

What is "shelf cooking" you ask?  It's where you use what you already have on hand to create a meal instead of having to run out for milk.  Trust me...follow Jordan Page on Instagram and you will get some great advice!  Okay, on to the recipe....

Copycat KFC Mashed Potato Bowls

Frozen chicken nuggets (baked as directed)

2 cans of corn

2 cans of turkey gravy

Instant Mashed Potatoes (made as directed)

1) While my chicken nuggets were in the oven, I cooked my corn and gravy on the stove and threw my mashed potatoes in the microwave.  

2) When my nuggets were done, I assembled the bowls.  Mashed Potatoes, then corn, chicken nuggets, and topped with gravy!

3) That's literally it!  You could also add some shredded cheese on top...I didn't think about that until just now.  

Throwing together easy meals like this makes me feel like I have my life together.  Also, the more simple the dish, the happier my picky kids.  Don't be afraid to try a copycat recipe!  Chances are you will make something that puts the original dish to shame!