Sunday, May 31, 2009

Chicken Spaghetti ala Pioneer Woman

If you haven't read Ree (aka The Pioneer Woman), you really should. She's fun and quirky and has lots of recipes that sound tasty, but wow, oh wow to the photos. You'll probably start drooling and then licking the screen if you look too long. That's how good the photos are and how yummy the food sounds.

To be really honest here--and ya know, what's the point if I'm not--Chicken Spaghetti would not have been my first choice for what to make. It has cream of whatever soups in it, and cream of whatever soups are just gross. First of all, who knows what's in them, and second, I shudder just thinking about the blobby goop that come squelching out of the can. And for the record, yes I do have issues; that would be pretty much all meat and now cream of whatever soup, if you're keeping track. I'm sure you are.

Anyhow, all of my wonderful HYH ladies have great things to say about this casserole and make it regularly. That many women with generally good tastes can't be wrong, can they? So I tried it.

Here's the recipe:

And here's the tutorial and all the photos you could ever want:

Here's what I did differently:
Just used chicken breasts. Cooked them ahead and chopped. Then I cooked the spaghetti in half broth and half water. I also reduced the amount of cheese a little bit because it just seemed like a ton when I was putting it on. I don't think any of my changes made a substantial difference in the end product, so even though my husband mocks me for being unable to make a recipe as written, this one pretty much is. So there, honey!

What I liked about it:
Quick and simple casserole that's easy to freeze, but has flavor and isn't on the potluck table every time. There's a bit of chopping and assembling, but it can all be done ahead of time. Andrew, Bryn and Claire LOVED it and would probably eat it every day if I would serve it every day. It also makes enough for an army, so you can split it into two pans and use one now and freeze one for later.

What I didn't like:
Owen and Ella wouldn't eat it, but they live on crackers and air so that's not particularly unusual. It's too gloppy (see previous cream of whatever soup commentary), and I wanted a lot more veggies in there to balance this out. If I'm going to make a casserole, I don't really want to have to cook up side dishes. Maybe I'd do a salad, or some fruit, but no actual cooking beyond the casserole. Next time I'll try adding more veggies and making my own base instead of using the canned soup.

I'll let you know how that works for me.

1 comment:

  1. I JUST CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE. I'M NOT MUCH OF A COOK BUT THIS SOUNDS AWESOME! I AM GOING TO MAKE IT FOR MY BF TONIGHT! THANKS

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