Cheesy Hamburger and Rice Skillet (in less than 30 minutes)

Happy Tuesday…

I'm a much bigger fan of Tuesday than Monday. 

Mondays are so overwhelming for me, 

as I put together a to do list for the week and wonder how I'm ever going to get it done! 

Then, Tuesday comes and, eh…

que sera sera!

If you ever find yourself in a 'what am I going to make for dinner?' rut

because of a que sera sera approach...

 I have the solution! 

Throw together a bunch of kitchen staples in this delicious

Cheesy Hamburger and Rice Skillet 

and your family will be clamoring for more! 

Starting out with the 2.5# of ground sirloin,

add 1 chopped onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic and 

a generous sprinkling of seasoning salt

(I just shake the salt over the whole pan of meat). 

With the help of my oldest, Ryker, 

an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1 tbsp hot sauce

were added to the skillet and stirred well. 

Then, my most predictable addition, 

16 oz bag of frozen corn. 

I just love the flavor, texture and color imparted by those sweet little morsels. 

Finally, some partially cooked minute brown rice. 

Here's the deal…

I started cooking 3 cups of rice in 2.5 cups of beef broth on it's own

(which would be unnecessary)

and then just poured it in to simmer and finish with the rest of the dish. 

This could all be done in the same pan, just the same…

I'll leave that up to you!

Mix it all up. 

Cover and simmer to allow the rice time to finish up. 

Sprinkle with 1-2 cups of shredded cheese, 

according to your preference. 

I probably error on the lighter side because 

regardless how cheesy any dish may be…

my family always likes to add more on their own! 

Some parsley and oregano make for a fabulous finishing touch. 

RECIPE:

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2.5# of ground sirloin

1 chopped onion

1 tbsp minced garlic 

seasoning salt

8 oz can of tomato sauce

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp hot sauce

16 oz bag of frozen corn

3 cups of brown minute rice

2.5 cups of beef broth

1-2 cups of shredded cheese

Parsley

Oregano

Directions:

• Brown the meat, add onion, garlic and salt. 
• Add tomatoes, hot sauce and corn, mix to incorporate. 
• Add rice and broth. 
• Simmer until rice is cooked and top with cheese, parsley and oregano before serving. 

Italian Pork Chop Skillet

Happy Monday….and back to a week of meals for the family.

I've recently been quite thankful for the fact that I do enjoy cooking and I've thought about those of you who could come up with a million other things to do other than cook, because putting a week's worth of healthy meals on the table is quite time consuming.

As much as I'd love to explore more type of recipes, I find myself dedicating so much time to just getting my family fed that I don't get to dabble in as much variety as I'd hope.

Many of the meals that I make are planned and pre-mediated, but this Italian Pork Chop Skillet was completely just a last minute dish using a variety of things I had on hand.

I was trying to figure out how to cook the pork in the kitchen, as opposed to the grill, since it was a stormy week last week, without using the oven and heating up the whole house.

Also, I didn't know what I was serve it with…but I had corn and zucchini and I thought if I just throw that together with some tomatoes and cream cheese, I'd have a decent skillet meal.

Let me tell you, my guys were thrilled!  And while Jerry and Ryker often have seconds, Landon even got into the mix, fighting over the leftovers.

I love a dish like this where the protein, vegetables and carbs are all wrapped up into one pan, keeps the clean up to a minimum as well!

It was quick and easy and family-pleasing.

Just start by sautéing some thin cut pork chops sprinkled generously with Italian seasoning which provided a little texture as well as flavor, in a pre-heated pan with your preferred vegetable oil.

After flipping and finishing on the second side, the pork chops were set aside.

I always use my microwave as a little warming box, as it holds heat very well and keeps food warm while it waits for the next step.  

Next, into the skillet (add a bit more oil if necessary), chopped onion, zucchini and thawed corn were added to cook and soften up a bit.

For the sauce, 8 oz of low fat cream cheese and one jar of marinara were poured in and heated up.

Simmer for a few minutes to all all of the delicious flavors to combine. 

If the sauce is too sweet, this can always be balanced by salt, or in this instance some parmesan was the perfect solution.  

Add the pork back to the skillet for one last shot of heat before serving.

It was so easy and delicious, I might be making it again this week!  

Ingredients:

Thin cut Pork Chops 

Italian seasoning

1 Onion - chopped

3 Zucchini - chopped

1 Bag of frozen Corn - thawed

8 oz of low fat Cream Cheese

1 jar of Marinara

Parmesan cheese - grated, to taste

Directions:

Sautee seasoned pork in pre-heated pan with oil, flip and set aside when fully cooked. 

To the pan, add onion, zucchini and corn, sautee until softened.

Next, add the marinara sauce and cream cheese, cook until sauce is smooth. 

Add parmesan, to taste, to round out flavors. 

Return pork to pan. 

Serve it up and let your family devour.