What we ate this week – Pasta, Chicken & More | 5 Easy Family Meals
Here’s what we ate this week in the Eat or Drink household. This week was filled with an easy pasta dish, tasty chicken meals, and more. Enjoy this list of delicious and easy family meals that are perfect for any household. As always, I’ll include options to make these meals gluten & dairy free.
This Week’s List of Easy Family Meals
This week, our easy family meals consisted of the following:
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Follow Along for Our “What We Ate This Week” Series
Keep reading for this week’s delicious and easy family recipes. If you enjoy this blog, make sure to check out more in our “What We Ate This Week” Series. I designed this series as a busy homeschooling mom of 3 who knows how important real-life recipes are.
I know what it’s like to be cooking with little ones underfoot, and the last thing we need is more Pinterest pretty recipes that require 50 vague ingredients.
I also know how hard it is to come up with unique meals that your kids will eat every week. Hopefully, our real weekly meal plans will help inspire you!
This series will be filled with realistic, family-friendly meals that are easy to make.
Can I make these Meals Gluten and Dairy Free?
All of these recipes have the option to be made “regular” for those of you without allergy restrictions. They will also include details on how to make them gluten and/or dairy-free for those of you who have those needs.
Our family has a mix of dietary needs. So, I’m very familiar with creating meals that fit both options.
Get Our Free Printable Meal Planner
If you want to create a seamless plan to make easy family meals all month long, this FREE printable meal planner is for you. It’s an easy way to plan your meals, your grocery shopping, and more. Learn more about how I use my monthly meal planner here, or just get the free download below.
Simple Sausage and Pasta Recipe
This is a simple and delicious sausage and pasta dinner. I pulled this dinner together after a busy day of homeschool outings, and everyone loved it.
The best thing about a dish like this is that you don’t have to buy any special ingredients. Feel free to sub in any pasta you have on hand, use your own favorite seasoning blend, and use up those veggies at the back of your fridge.
Simple Sausage and Pasta Dinner Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz bag Pasta of choice – I'm using durum wheat Casarecce – gluten free or regular
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 1/4 cup Butter – dairy free butter or olive oil works
- 8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Salt
- Paper
- Grated Parmesan
- Garlic Powder
- Chili Powder
Instructions
- Cook your pasta according to package instructions.
- Poke some holes in your Italian sausage with a sharp knife. Then saute your sausage in a large pan covered with a lid over medium heat. Once they are nearly cooked, remove the lid to let them brown up a bit. *This is a great step to do ahead of time to save time later.
- Saute Mushrooms in some butter, add salt and pepper after they've browned slightly.
- Mix your cooked pasta in with your mushrooms and sliced sausage. Add in seasoning to taste (my kids only like salt and butter, but we added the rest on ours).
Notes
- Notes on Nutrition: I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition facts provided are not always 100% accurate and are calculated using an automated app that uses general brands and estimates. As with all apps, sometimes the system is inaccurate. If you need exact nutrition facts, please consult a certified dietician or nutritionist.
- This meal is part of our “What We Ate This Week” series – by nature, this is a simplistic recipe, written in such a way that anyone can make it without complex steps or specific ingredients. I don’t even want you pulling out the measuring spoons for this.
However, if you need more details or have other questions, please feel free to reach out.
Nutrition
Chicken Chunks, Roast Potatoes, and Rolls Recipe
This is just a delicious, never-fail recipe that my kids even love – which is saying a lot. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken breast lately, together with roast potatoes and a fresh roll, there’s nothing better.
The key to a good chicken recipe is the seasoning. While I don’t give exact measurements today, the best I can tell you is don’t skimp out! It’s so important to season chicken heavily.
Chicken Chunks, Roast Potatoes, and Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 lb Chicken Breast
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper – be generous
- Garlic Powder – be generous
- Onion Powder – be generous
- Chili Powder – just a dash depending on your family's spice tolerance
- Paprika – just a dash
- Cinnamon – just a dash
For the Potatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 5 medium russet potatoes or yellow potatoes
- Salt and pepper -be generous
- Cinnamon – a light sprinkle
- Chili Powder or paprika – just a touch
For the Rolls – See notes below
Instructions
Chicken Chunks
- Cut up your chicken into chunks, drizzle with oil, and coat with seasoning. *Pro-tip: This is a great step to complete right when you buy your chicken and then bag and freeze your chicken until you're ready to use it.
- Sauté your chicken breasts in a preheated cast-iron skillet or good-quality pan. About medium-low heat to start, and cover your pan to really give the inside a chance to cook. Mixing occasionally. Once it begins to look close to cooked, remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium or medium-high and let it get sizzly to lightly brown the edges. Check the temp frequently so your meat doesn't dry out. Chicken should be cooked to 165℉.
Roasted Potatoes
- Peel and cut your potatoes into chunks. Coat the potatoes with oil and seasoning in a large bowl. Oil a baking dish or cast-iron and layer your potatoes in a single layer. Use two pans if you have to, to avoid crowding the pan.
- *Pro-tip: I like to make extra potatoes and have the extra with eggs in the morning for scrambled eggs and hash browns.
- Bake at 450℉ for about 20-30 minutes or until fork-tender and a bit crisp on the edges. Rotate them once with a metal spatula (make sure to really push the spatula to the bottom and pull the potatoes up without mushing them).
Rolls
- Serve meal with store-bought rolls or make your own (see notes below).
Notes
Nutrition
Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken, Veggies, and Rice Recipe
The truth is, sometimes a week of easy family meals includes something store-bought. This meal takes very little explanation, but for your convenience, I’ll still put together a recipe card that you can print and use for your meal planning. I was shopping at BJ’s on this day, and their rotisserie chickens are such a great price. So I snagged one for our meal and threw it all together. It was delicious!
Making your own whole chicken is great for a night with more time, but if you’re in a crunch, there’s nothing wrong with store-bought.
Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken Dinner with Roast Veggies and Rice
Ingredients
Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken
- 1 whole Cooked Rotisserie Chicken – from the store
Green Beans & Carrots
- 1 lb washed green beans
- 3 whole carrots
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
Rice
- 2 Cups Rice
- 3 Cups Water
- Salt
- Olive Oil
Instructions
How to Reheat a Store-Bought Rotisserie Chicken
- If you need to reheat your Rotisserie Chicken, place it in a deep baking dish and make sure to pour in all the juices from the tray it came in. Add an additional 1 cup of water. Cover with foil and place in a 350℉ oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil at the end for about 5-10 minutes to allow the skin to crisp up. Keep a close eye on it as you don't want it to dry out.
Green Beans & Carrots
- Cut your carrots into a long rectangle shape to match the sizing of your green beans.
- Pre-heat a pan to about medium and add in your oil, beans, carrots, and seasoning. Add in a few spoonfuls of broth from the rotisserie chicken. Cover your pan and allow the veggies to cook until tender, mixing occasionally.
- Once your veggies are fork-tender, remove the lid and let them brown up a bit. Add a bit more oil if necessary.
Rice
- Rinse your rice until the water runs clear. This helps remove any starchy chew.
- Cook your rice as you normally would (I use my Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook for 4 minutes). Add in a touch of oil or butter and some salt once done cooking.
Notes
- Notes on Nutrition: I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition facts provided are not always 100% accurate and are calculated using an automated app that uses general brands and estimates. As with all apps, sometimes the system is inaccurate. If you need exact nutrition facts, please consult a certified dietician or nutritionist.
Nutrition
One tip I’ll offer you – save the bones from your chicken! Make that beautiful meat work overtime and turn it into some incredible chicken broth.
Easy Chicken Casserole from Leftovers Recipe
I love using leftover rotisserie chicken to make something totally different the next night. There are so many recipes that call for cooked chicken, like my gluten free pasta chicken salad. Having leftover chicken is always a win. This night I turned the leftovers into this wonderful throw-together casserole. I added in some orzo to bulk it up, and it was absolutely delicious.
Easy Chicken Casserole from Leftovers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup cooked orzo – leave out and increase rice for gluten-free
- 1 cup cooked veggies – frozen mixed vegetables could work if you don't have available leftovers
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Parmesan Cheese – leave off if dairy-free
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, except for the parmesan cheese, as this will be the topping.
- Place in a 9×9 square baking dish. Cover and cook in a 350℉ oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese.
- Cook for an additional 10 or so minutes until the cheese is lightly golden.
Notes
- Notes on Nutrition: I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition facts provided are not always 100% accurate and are calculated using an automated app that uses general brands and estimates. As with all apps, sometimes the system is inaccurate. If you need exact nutrition facts, please consult a certified dietician or nutritionist.
Nutrition
Sourdough Pizza Recipe
I make this sourdough pizza recipe once a week. It’s a family favorite, and we love to have it on our Friday Pizza nights. I always double the recipe so we can have leftovers all weekend (I don’t like to cook on the weekends!).
Since this sourdough pizza recipe is such a popular one, it already has its very own spot on Eat or Drink. Click below to get the recipe.
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“Therefore, whether you EAT OR DRINK, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of GOD.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
