Cannellini Beans and Spinach Chicken Noodle Soup is so comforting and easy especially because of my little shortcut. You see, I used Progresso Light chicken noodle soup in the mixture and I loved it.

It is delicious with top-quality ingredients, all-white chicken meat, and antibiotic-free Progresso Light chicken noodle soup that I jazzed up a bit.

When I say jazzed up, I mean I added beans and fresh spinach to make this soup even more heavenly.

The other night I went to Walmart to grab a few things along with Progresso Light Chicken Noodles Soup to have when I need quick, healthy lunch or dinner choice and obviously, a bit of comfort.

Like most people on this planet we want to be fit and in shape, right?!

So eating this hearty, delicious soup with great quality ingredients will definitely help me get to my goal sooner without starving myself.

I love Progresso soup and there are a variety of delightful and healthy choices. However, chicken noodle soup holds a special place in my heart.

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Why you might ask? I have grown up eating chicken noodle soup before supper practically each and every day.

That was an absolute necessity, no questions asked. On top of it, it is really super good for you.

I think it’s just amazing to get childhood memories and transfer them onto your own kids. Making a tradition and memories for them as well.

This is one of my favorite recipes to change this delectable soup into something other than what’s expected. It is already delightful.

However, including spinach and beans, make this soup considerably more hearty.

You may include, of course, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), different sorts of beans or vegetables, yet I gotta tell ya’ this soup is really great all alone as well.

If you make my Cannellini Beans and Spinach Chicken Noodle Soup, please tag me on Instagram. @sandraseasycooking

Happy Cooking!!!

Yield: Serves 6

Cannellini Beans and Spinach Chicken Noodle Soup

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Tasty and easy chicken noodle soup

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup chicken breast, cooked and chopped (rotisserie chicken could be used too)
• Pinch of Salt, or to taste
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh Organic Baby Spinach
• 1 can Cannellini beans rinsed
• 2 cans Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup

Instructions

1. Boil water and add a pinch of salt, just to taste. NOTE: Progresso Soup is fully seasoned so you just need to season the water before adding spinach and beans.
2. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes, then mix in drained and rinsed Cannellini beans.
3. Pour in the pot 2 cans of Progresso Light Chicken Noodle Soup and heat it through on medium-high temperature.

Notes

You may pre-cook chicken breast or use chicken leftover. Other vegetables are welcome as well.

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Comforting, delicious and most definitely an easy Homemade Hamburger Helper. Most of you already have these ingredients in your fridge and trust me it is far better than the one you get from the box in your grocery store.

My family loves this so much…

Well, to be honest, they love anything with pasta and cheese. That being said, it is no brainer that the skillet is licked clean each time I make this beef and cheese pasta.

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Lately, I have been making this with gluten-free pasta and it is equally fantastic. I just feel so much better when I eat gluten-free meals on my cheat days. By the way, I am on a low carb diet. Well, it is not a diet because it became part of my lifestyle.

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Anyhow, the taste of this yumminess is very comforting and it warms you up like a blanket, especially in the cold winter day. Also, it makes a perfect lunch or dinner as well as if you have any leftovers.

Just place in the airtight container and in the fridge. You can keep it for up to 3 days. You can also double the recipe if you have a large family or big eaters.

If you try Homemade Hamburger Helper recipe or any other from my website, please tag me on INSTAGRAM. @sandraseasycooking #sandraseasycooking Thank you so much in advance!

I am very grateful for all your love and support… Now, let’s get cooking!

Yield: 4

Homemade Hamburger Helper

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Simple, easy and delicious dinner idea.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef 20/80
• ½ tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 8 oz Mexican table cream
• 2 cups cooked shells or macaroni
• 1 cup pasta beef sauce, or any other on hand
• 2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• a sprinkle of red hot chili flakes

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to the pack, but make sure not to overcook it. It's the best if it is "al dente" (cooked to be firm to the bite).
2. In a large skillet, add beef, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and parsley then stir very well.
3. Cook over medium-high heat until beef is completely browned and done.
4. Add in pasta sauce, mix then pour table cream, and bring to a gentle bubbling.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add in cooked pasta. You can use any pasta that is similar to shells or macaroni. Gluten-free or vegetable pasta works well as well.
6. Stir in about 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover the skillet with a fitted lid and let sit for a couple of minutes before serving so the cheese could melt.
7. Garnish with more dry parsley and red hot chili flakes if you wish.

I served it with steamed asparagus that after it's done, I seasoned it with a good pinch of sea salt, a drizzle of olive oil a good squeeze of lemon. It is absolutely perfect with this beef and cheese pasta or hamburger helper.

Notes

You can use a combination of shredded mild cheddar cheese and ragu cheese sauce or just ragu cheese sauce. Whatever you feel like using, or whatever you have in your fridge.

You may use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. You may add vegetables such as blanched broccoli, or peas and carrots.

Did you make this recipe?

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Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine. Easy-Peasy recipe, however, you should always test it to make sure everything is up to your expectations.

I love making my turkey in Dutch Oven. I just made a little prep ahead of time and my turkey is always amazingly well cooked in my large Dutch oven.

We are literally less than a week away from Thanksgiving, and I am not freaking out at all. Ever since I started prepping in advance we are good to good.

I actually never made a big deal because all we need a bit of organization, preparation, and maybe your family to help in some areas for one successful Thanksgiving feast. 

I said it before that my family has this tradition where everyone in the house makes something for “our table”.

Each year for the last 4 years, Aleks makes this amazing cranberry sauce. I tried and it was not, I repeat, it was not as good as his.

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All I know that I cannot enter the kitchen until he is done. He calls it a secret recipe. Anna makes her chocolate cupcakes, and Daniel was their boss.

So, this year Anna and Daniel are teaming up, so we will see what they will do in the end.

As of right now, they are just testing recipes. I just love the Thanksgiving atmosphere around my house, probably a week before… We all get into this holiday mood.

SO, LET’S TALK TURKEY!!!

I believe each family goes by their own traditional recipe, probably making how their grand- grandmother made it. We tend to pick up on those family traditions and that’s alright, it makes us happy this time of the year, especially remembering special moments that we carry for generations.

I found my tradition, here when I came to the USA, in particular when my husband and I got kids. To be frank, I didn’t grow up with the Thanksgiving dinner tradition.

So you see I had to find my own tradition because even if I did not grow up with it, I wanted my kids to grow up and remember all the beautiful things, aromas, and memories during Thanksgiving.

I would love it if they continue carrying the family tradition that we build from the moment they were born. When I made Turkey for the first time, it was a literary one big disaster. It was delicious in the end… Well, kind of delicious because we were so hungry waiting for the bird to get cooked.

We got this huge 17-pound turkey, and I’ve half defrosted, but it was still pretty much frozen. The bird cooked and cooked and cooked.

I set on the floor near the stove, with my little 11-month old boy crawling around me waiting for that thermometer to finally pop up.

It cooked for 9 full hours, and that thing never went out. I pulled it out of the oven, and in some spots, it was burned. Well, mostly dry like a bone, and not seasoned very well at all, but we ate it. It was a moment of “bring out a tub of BBQ sauce and a pitcher of water”.

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I tell ya, my hubby and I, had a bunch of moments, that you’d expect to watch on TV. You just laugh it off and move on. The reality is that I could make a roasted chicken with my eyes closed, but the turkey was really an unfamiliar place.

Anyhow, today I am sharing my recipe for really juicy turkey. After many years of testing different recipes, I finally figure out how to make it like really good. You do need a little time, about 12 to 14-pound turkey, water, vegetables, oil, and a very large POT. 

I will tell you that wet brining, then seasoning a day later before baking it makes one amazingly delicious turkey. Another thing, using a dutch oven makes your life that much easier.  

Why? It keeps the heat very well, turkey is cooking evenly, and the food tastes so much better. I will take you to step by step so you won’t make any mistakes.

Last, but not least, I want to say how thankful I am for such an amazing opportunity that came my way this year, and I am grateful for each and one of them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving recipes you might like:

• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Skillet Jalapeno Cornbread
• Southern Green Beans and New Potatoes with Bacon
• Green Bean Casserole
• Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese
• No-knead bread recipe

If you get inspired by my Dutch Oven Turkey recipe, please tag me on Instagram. @sandraseasycooking using hashtags #sandraseasycooking

Yield: Thanksgiving

Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine Recipe

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Dutch Oven Turkey with Wet Brine Full Recipe

Ingredients

WET TURKEY BRINE

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1- gallon vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
• 1 Onion quartered
• 2 Celery stalks chopped into 2-3 slices
• 2-3 stalks of Fresh Sage or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1- gallon COLD water

PREPARING TURKEY FOR ROASTING

• 1 (12-14 pound) young Turkey (reserve neck and giblets for the stock)
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Lemon
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 Rosemary stalks
• 3-4 Fresh Sage leaves
• 5-6 slices of Hickory Smoked Bacon

HERB BUTTER

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Sage
• 1 teaspoon Dry Parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Onion powder

Instructions

WET TURKEY BRINE PREP:

1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine together kosher salt, vegetable stock, olive oil, black peppercorns, onion, celery, sage, then bring the water to a boil.

1. After it boils, remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. Use when it’s completely cold.
2. Stir 1 gallon of cold water and stir again.
3. Remove giblets and neck from completely defrosted turkey.
4. Submerge turkey in the cool (never warm or hot) brine and refrigerate for 10-15 hours, but never more than 24 hrs.
5. Make sure to turn it around at least 3 times during brining.

Dutch Oven Turkey Roasting Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Pat dry a turkey. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and the meat. Try not to break the skin, so be gentle. Lift wings, tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the butter, in a small bowl.
4. Rub butter mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks, add inside of the turkey as well, then add a couple of fresh sage leaves and slide them in under the skin.
5. Stuff the turkey with 2 roughly chopped carrots, roughly chopped onion, quartered lemon, crushed garlic, and rosemary stalks. Tie legs together with cooking twine/butcher’s twine.
6. Place Parchment paper on the bottom of the Dutch oven or a small wire rack to hold the turkey and separate from the very bottom. Parchment pepper works well too.
7. Arrange turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack or parchment paper. Bake turkey at 425° for 30 minutes without a lid, just to get a nice color on top.
8. Pull the turkey out, then add 5-6 slices of hickory-smoked bacon on the turkey breast, cover the Dutch oven and then reduce oven temperature to 325°F
9. Bake an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 165°F. 12-14 pound Turkey should require about 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes of roasting, but since I made it in the Dutch oven with a lid, it takes just a bit less time.
10. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered for about 30 minutes before carving.
    

Notes

BRINE:

• I added whole Yukon gold potatoes 40 minutes before the turkey was done. Make sure to wash the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper, and just add on the side of the bird.

• Garnish with whatever you feel like it, and serve with hot gravy and all the other fixings.

TURKEY:

• I added whole Yukon gold potatoes 40 minutes before the turkey was done. Make sure to wash the potatoes, then season with salt and pepper, and just add on the side of the bird.
• Garnish with whatever you feel like it, and serve with hot gravy and all the other fixings.
  

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