5 Easy Back to School Dinners
Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo
I love a 5 minute prep meal that tastes this good and the whole family will eat! If there’s anything left after serving this dish does great as meal prep too.
Ingridients
- 1 lb (16 oz) rigatoni, uncooked
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo sauce
- 7 oz pesto 💚
- 12 oz chicken sausage
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 🧀
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large 9x13 baking dish, dump in Alfredo sauce, pesto, and chicken broth. Stir, and pour in uncooked pasta. Stir until pasta is coated and liquid is evenly distributed.
3. Mix in 1 cup mozzarella, season with salt and pepper
4. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top along with Parmesan cheese 🧀
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10–15 minutes, until pasta is tender and top is golden bubbly. You can broil the last few minutes.
6. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Taco Burgers
This is the perfect way to use up leftover burger buns, hamburger buns and burger meat you have in your freezer forwards the end of summer! ☀️
Ingridients
- 15 burger buns or 12 hot dog buns or a mix
- 2 lbs burger meat or ground beef
- 1 to 2 bags of taco spice, depending on how spicy the mix is and how much spice you want. I used 1 package @sietefoods
- 1 cup shredded cheese, you can use whatever you have but I used Mexican blend
- 4 slices cheddar cheese. Use whatever sliced you have at home or sub for more shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup salsa
- Handful of tortilla chips, crushed
Instructions
1. Lightly coat a sheet pan with olive oil spray. Arrange the bottoms of the burger buns in an even layer and sprinkle with 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
2. In a large skillet, cook the burgers or ground beef over medium heat, breaking it apart as it cooks. About halfway through, stir in the taco seasoning and continue cooking until fully browned.
3. Spoon the seasoned beef evenly over the bun bottoms. Top with salsa, sliced cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and the remaining shredded cheese.
4. Place the top buns over the layers, then lightly spray them with olive oil. Set another sheet pan on top, pressing down gently. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the buns are golden and slightly crisp.
Artichocke Chicken Bake
If you need a filling and flavorful dinner, try this one out! Super creamy and easy to make, make great leftovers too! I served with about 1 cup of basmati rice and each serving packs 55 grams of protein!
Ingridients
- 3 large chicken breast, diced into cubes
- 12 oz artichoke hearts
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp spices of your liking
- 3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes or sub for 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
1. Combine artichoke hearts, cottage cheese, cream, garlic and spices in a mixer or food processor. Mix until smooth.
2. Layer half the sauce in an oven save tray, top with diced chicken and sun dried tomatoes. Add half of the mozzarella cheese, layer with the remaining sauce and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan.
3. Bake in oven at 400F for 45-50 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes on high. Remove from oven and set for a few minutes before serving.
Ricotta Tomato Pasta
This must be the easiest way you can make ricotta pasta and it comes out soooo delicious. So creamy ✨ I love pasta dishes with arugula!
Ingridients
- 2/3 lbs spaghetti
- 1.5 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup ricotta
- Juice from one lemon 🍋
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in an oven safe tray.
2. Bake in oven for 35-45min at 400F. Check if pasta is al dente and liquid has been absorbed, and remove from oven. If liquid is not absorbed, cook for another 5 minutes.
Boursin Chicken and Rice Bake
I almost didn’t post this cause it’s such a simple dump and bake dish but I’ve made it a million times and it’s so good! Save this when you need a quick dinner 🥘
Ingridients
- 1 cup of basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 cups of shredded chicken
- 2 cups of frozen broccoli
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 Boursin cheese
- 1 tsp garlic seasoning
- Optional: grated Parmesan cheese 🧀
Instructions
1. Combine all do the ingredients in an oven safe dish and add Boursin in the middle. Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 400F for 45 min.
2. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before stirring everything. Serve with Parmesan.
