Family Bites

Mexican Macaroni

I feel confident that every family has a “fright night.” You know, the one that sees three people heading in four different directions, with dinner happening at various times for all involved. Our wildcard weekday is Thursday, and it looks a little something like this:

Kid A works this night and needs to leave the house by 4:45 p.m. Kid B has basketball practice after school and doesn’t get home until 4:40 p.m. Kid A would like to eat something before he leaves, but prefers to have a heartier dinner when he’s home at 8:00 p.m. (translation: he needs two dinners). I drive Kid A and a friend to work, and also pick them up, so in between I head to a Starbucks where I treat myself to a sweet and steamy hot chocolate and work (uninterrupted!) for 2 ½ gloriously quiet hours.

Rob holds down the fort at home, feeding Kid B and the baby the dinner I make for the boys at 4 p.m. He eats a bit himself just to tied himself over until I get home, because Thursday night is our new date night (translation: dinner on the sofa with a glass of wine and mind-numbing TV before heading to bed early because the littlest person in our house, who usually wakes up at 4am, has taken to being up between 2:30 a.m. – 5:00 a.m. and we can’t function if we don’t get to bed before the nightly news begins).

We take turns planning our dinner dates, as we don’t eat the same thing as the boys, and usually have wine and cheese, wine and dessert, or wine and pizza. The brilliance in this plan is that I make sure to cook something for dinner that yields hearty portions, resulting in a lot of leftovers for the next day’s lunches.

When I get home with Kid A, the babe is in bed, Kid B is usually done his homework and chores and is chilling for the night, Kid A eats his (second) dinner before starting his homework, and we have that well-deserved date night. On days like this, when you need a people-pleasing 30-minute meal that yields lots of leftovers, this Mexican macaroni will definitely save your night. You can use the ground meat of your choice - sometimes I opt for pork, or turkey, or even beef depending on what's available in the freezer - and when added to whole grain pasta and beans it's a meal I feel really good about serving. Plop some green vegetables on the plate, too, and maybe even a salad, and you have a dinner that's destined for your back-pocket recipe repertoire.

Peace out, Thursday.

Mexican Macaroni

Serves 4-6

• 1 Tbsp. canola/sunflower oil
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground meat (beef/pork/turkey/chicken)
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 1 – 19oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• 1 lb. whole-wheat macaroni
• 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet (12-inches would be best) set over medium heat. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the ground meat, breaking it up with the back of wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink.

Add the tomato sauce, black beans, chilli powder, cumin, and oregano, and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the pasta directions.

When cooked, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, drain pasta and add it to the skillet. Toss until well combined; add some of the reserved water if the sauce is too thick. Sprinkle with grated cheese and stir until the cheese melts into the sauce and becomes slightly gooey. Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

This just might be my new favourite dinner. I know, I probably use the term "new favourite" far too often, but the thing is, I almost always mean it. I usually pour on praise like this only to the meals that taste the best, but in this case, I'm bestowing it upon a dinner that is:

a) Easy to make

b) Uses leftovers and everyday popular pantry items

c) Was literally inhaled by the four hungry boys at my dinner table - itty bitty bites for the baby included  

If I was to list a fourth consideration in hopes of convincing you that this dinner needs to find a place on your table it would be this: you can make it in advance, whenever it's convenient for you. If you want to assemble it the night before, while you're cleaning up the kitchen, go ahead. If you have 10 minutes of free time in the morning, you can get this put together and popped into the fridge until later in the day. Or, if you're home in the afternoon and your baby/toddler/small child naps (side note: if that's you tell me what it's like, because I have a nap-resistant infant and can't relate) you can whip this up by using just a few minutes of your free time. 

Lastly, if you serve this with a side salad it yields enough leftovers for the school lunchbox, the definitive characteristic of a meal you really must make; and one that's sure to become a favourite for your family, too. 

P.S. - I've started a new category over on the right side of the page. It's called 'Leftover Love' and it's where I'll store all recipes that make use of leftovers, like the chicken in this recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

I almost always use frozen spinach in this recipe, but as you can see in the photos above, it was fresh spinach leaves that made it into my most recent batch. Either options works well, but if you happen to use fresh, sauté a 5 oz. package in a teaspoon or so of olive oil until completely wilted, before adding to the pasta and chicken mixture.

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 500g penne pasta, cooked
• 1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl stir together the panko, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and salt. Set aside.

3. Combine the cooked chicken, cooked pasta, spinach, and marinara sauce in a large bowl and mix well. 

4. In a 9 x 13-inch ovenproof casserole or baking dish, layer the ingredients in the following order: pasta mixture, grated mozzarella, Parmesan, and panko blend. You should get three layers of each, ending with the panko.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the pasta is warmed through. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.