Lea Lambert's Alfredo Sauce

Hooray for cousins and their yummy recipes!  This has become my family's favorite Alfredo sauce recipe.  It is quick and easy.  I often quadruple the recipe so there are plenty of leftovers.  We've found that leftovers work best when the sauce and pasta are combined before refrigerating.  

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

2 TBS (= 1 oz) cream cheese

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp garlic powder

a pretty good amount of pepper--at least 1 tsp, maybe more

            (that's how Lea does it--the recipe lists it as no amount, just an ingredient)

2/3 c grated parmesan cheese

1 lb fettuccine, bow tie pasta, penne, linguini, or whatever other pasta you have on hand (leftovers are a little easier with shaped pasta, such as bow tie or penne).

Instructions:

In medium saucepan melt butter.

When melted, add cream cheese.

When cream cheese is softened, add whipping cream.

Season with garlic powder, salt (if you want, we don't add it), pepper.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously. 

Add parmesan. Continue stirring until melted. Remove from heat.

While preparing the sauce, cook pasta according to package instructions.

We like to pour enough sauce into all the pasta to coat everything to the desired consistency, rather than put sauce over individual portions of pasta.  

Hawaiian Haystacks

 I really like Hawaiian Haystacks.  I don't love all the prep, but just make a bunch and then enjoy the leftovers.  I highly prefer this homemade sauce recipe to the traditional cream of chicken soup.  I typically double or triple the recipe so I have plenty for leftovers.  I found the recipe here.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic; finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 cup chicken broth (I use low sodium)
• 2 cups milk
• 3 to 4 cups cooked, cubed chicken (see note)

Instructions 

• In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3-4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring, until fragrant.
• Combine the flour, broth, and milk in a blender (or use a handheld whisk and a bowl or liquid measuring cup) and blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture simmers and thickens, 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the cooked chicken, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
• Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve over rice with toppings such as: carrots, peas (thawed from frozen, but not cooked), celery, olives, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and chow mein or Asian rice noodles.

Notes

Chicken: the meat of a rotisserie chicken, cubed or shredded, works great here, as does canned chicken, if you prefer to use that. If you want to use uncooked chicken, use about 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut them into bite-size pieces and saute them until cooked through in step #1 with the onions. 

Original Recipe: over the years, I've changed how I make this recipe to make it even easier. If you are looking for the original recipe, it called for melting 3 tablespoons butter, cooking the onion and raw chicken pieces until the chicken is cooked through, adding the garlic and 1/4 cup flour and cooking for a couple minutes before whisking in the broth and milk and simmering until thickened. 

Ground Turkey Enchiladas (or Enchilada Casserole)

This is a very fast, easy recipe, and gratefully, my kids liked it!  The recipe as written is for individual enchiladas, but I didn't have time to cook the tortillas and fill individual enchiladas, so I just made it into a casserole.  As written, this serves 6.  I doubled the recipe and had plenty for my family, as well as a pan to give away. I made this recipe based on this recipe and this recipe.

Ingredients

Filling:

1.5 pounds lean ground turkey

1 onion diced

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 can black beans (not a part of the original recipe, but extra fiber and protein are always great)

2-3 cups cooked brown rice (also not part of the original recipe.  I just used leftover rice from another meal)

Enchiladas:

12 corn tortillas (I bought a package of street taco tortilla from Costco, and used 3/4 of it)

3 tablespoons cooking oil vegetable oil or canola oil (I did not use this for the casserole)

20 ounces red enchilada sauce (1 medium can or 2 small cans) (I prefer homemade or Las Palmas)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish (optional)

freshly chopped cilantro

freshly chopped green onion

pico de gallo

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F (for the casserole I did 425).

In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey and chopped onion over medium heat. Break the meat up as it cooks until it is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain any excess grease and mix in the taco seasoning.

Once done, remove from heat. (For the casserole, I then poured enough enchilada sauce into the meat to make it a sloppy joe consistency.)

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tortillas and flip each side to quickly warm and coat with oil. Repeat with all tortillas, adding additional oil to the skillet as needed. (I skipped this step for the casserole - I just used the tortillas straight out of the bag.)

Pour 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. I used a 9x13 inch casserole. Spread to coat the bottom.

Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of meat mixture and roll tightly placing seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat until all of the turkey filled enchiladas are rolled and in the pan. (Instead of this, I put a layer of tortillas on the bottom of the pan, then layered it with meat, black beans, brown rice, and cheese, then another layer of tortillas and fillings, then a final layer of tortillas on top.)

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas so that they are all covered in sauce, then sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges start to bubble. Garnish with your choice of chopped cilantro, green onions, or pico de gallo.

Notes

Substitutions: 

Swap the meat – Substitute ground chicken or a lean ground beef for more variations for enchiladas.

Onion – white onions are traditional for Mexican cuisine, but sweet, yellow, or red would also work.

Cheese – My cheese of choice is sharp cheddar because it has a stronger flavor, is less greasy than other cheeses, and is a great melting cheese. Mexican blend, colby jack, and Monterey jack are also good options.

Corn tortillas – Use corn shells for a traditional Mexican flavor. I use 8 regular size corn tortillas, but if you can find the street size corn taco shells, the work the best. 

Flour tortillas can be substituted but it will not have the same taste and texture as the corn shells.

How to Store: To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer up to a month

How to Freeze: This recipe freezes well. It can be frozen up to 3 months in advance or after cooking. See “how to freeze” section in original post for full instructions.

How to Reheat: This can be reheated in the microwave in 30 second increments, or cover with tin foil and place into the oven to reheat.

How to Scale: This recipe can easily be doubled if you are feeding a crowd or halved for smaller portions.