Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's offerings include Chicken & Avocado Burritos and Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells. Enjoy!

CHILI MAC

This is from Ali Slagle in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Ali wrote, "“Nothing induces a feeling of security and comfort better than the come-hither aroma of an honest pot of chili mac keeping warm on the stove.” Many would agree with what Jane and Michael Stern wrote in “The Lexicon of Real American Food” (Lyons Press, 2011), whether they’ve had the thrifty, hearty combination of macaroni and chili at a family dinner table, around a campfire, bellied up to a bar somewhere near Lake Michigan or even in an M.R.E. in a military dining room. This supersavory version is a cinch, requiring just one pot and minimal chopping. (For another common chili pasta, see this Cincinnati chili con carne.)"

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 35 mnutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings

This can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024668-chili-mac. While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend it. Great food, guides, and more.

Speaking of guides, check out Sam Sifton's guide, "Our Ultimate Guide to Making the Best Chili."

Ingredients

1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as vegetable or grapeseed), plus more as needed

1 pound ground beef

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can beans (such as kidney, black or any bean you like in chili), with their liquid

8 ounces elbow macaroni or another small pasta

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce

4 ounces grated sharp Cheddar, plus more for serving (both optional)

Hot sauce, thinly sliced scallions and chopped cilantro (all optional), for serving

Preparation

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the beef and press into an even layer to fill the pot. Sprinkle with the onion. Cook, undisturbed, until the beef is deeply browned underneath, 6 to 8 minutes (the meat won’t be fully cooked). If you don’t see fat sizzling around the edges of the pot, add a teaspoon or two of more oil.

Add the chili powder, cumin and garlic powder and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon into small pieces, until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, beans and their liquid, pasta and Worcestershire sauce and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. If the pot starts to look dry at any point, add water, 1/4 cup at a time.

Turn off the heat and stir in the Cheddar, if using, until melted. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce (if using). Serve topped with scallions, cilantro, hot sauce and more Cheddar as desired.

FRENCH ONION BURGER

This is from Bush's Beans site, and begins, "Ready to bring your burger game up a notch? Try this quick and easy French Onion Burger recipe. Topped with sautéed onions, Worcestershire sauce, and Gruyere cheese, this is a savory stack the whole family will love. This savory burger with BUSH’S® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans takes less than an hour to make and uses simple ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. The burgers can be prepared using a skillet or a grill, making this recipe a staple for any season. To get the most flavor out of this burger, coat your bun of choice with a thin layer of butter and grill it on the same pan you used to sauté the onions. This will create a crispy, flavorful layer to your bun that tastes like the croutons in French Onion Soup. BUSH’S® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans are a perfectly sweet complement to this savory entrée."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 35 minutes; Serves: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/bean-recipes/french-onion-burger.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup beef broth

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Worcestershire

1-1/2 lb lean ground beef

4 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese

4 hamburger buns

1 can (16 oz) Bush's® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans

Dijon mustard for serving

Directions

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and sauté onion, stirring occasionally until deep golden, about 25 minutes.

Stir in beef broth, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon pepper then cook just until onions are glossy.

Mix beef with 1 tablespoon Worcestershire and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and form into 4 burgers.

Cook burgers in a skillet or grill until cooked to your preferred doneness.

Melt cheese over each burger.

Top burgers with Dijon mustard and serve with heaping spoonfuls of Bush's® Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans.

CHICKEN & AVOCADO BURRITOS

This is from Campbell's, and begins, "Chicken & Avocado Burritos stuffed with chicken, avocado, cheese and sour cream, cooked until browned and crisp on the outside? Yes, please! The best part is that with this recipe, you don't have to prep and cook the chicken- canned chicken is the perfect time saver! Learn how to make these chicken burritos. It really couldn't be easier, and it's easy to customize, too! Want to use whole wheat tortillas? Go for it. Is shredded Cheddar cheese your favorite? Use that instead! This Chicken & Avocado Burritos recipe is foolproof, and ready to eat in less than 20 minutes!"

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 18 minutes; Serves: 4

To view this online, go to https://www.campbells.com/swanson/recipes/chicken-avocado-burritos/.

Ingredients

1 can (12.5 ounces) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained

1/3 cup Pace® Salsa Verde

2 tablespoons light sour cream or plain nonfat Greek yogurt

4 flour tortilla (10-inch), warmed

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lime, cut into quarters

Instructions

Stir the chicken, salsa verde and sour cream in a bowl.

Place the tortillas onto a work surface. Spoon the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with avocado, cheese and cilantro. Fold in two sides of each tortilla and roll up to enclose the filling.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the burritos for 4 minutes. Turn the burritos over and cook for 4 minutes or until hot. Serve with the lime wedges and additional salsa verde, if desired.

THREE-CHEESE BEEF PASTA SHELLS

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "These Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells can be ready to impress in no time at all. Perfect for company and cozy nights at home, this hearty dish only looks like you spent all day in the kitchen. In fact, you can pull stuffed pasta shells with ground beef together with just 25 minutes of prep time, then get the rest of the meal ready while it bakes. These stuffed shells with cream cheese, ground beef, melty cheese and pasta sauce bring a whole new meaning to the term "comfort food." No matter the occasion, nothing satisfies quite like a warm dish of Three-Cheese Beef Pasta Shells."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

1 lb ground beef (at least 80% lean)

1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic chunky tomato & herb pasta sauce

1/4 cup water

1 container (8 oz) chive and onion cream cheese spread

1-1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (6 oz)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain pasta shells as directed on package.

In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

In large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. In medium bowl, mix cheese spread, 1 cup of the Italian cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg and cooked beef. Spoon heaping tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese. Bake uncovered about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.

ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP

Recipe Yield: Yield: 8 servings (about 2 cups each)

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Book Title: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/italian-meatball-soup.

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 egg whites

1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided

3 tablespoons Italian seasoning, divided

Olive oil cooking spray

4 cans (15 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 cups water

2 cups green beans, diagonally cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

8 ounces thin spaghetti, uncooked, broken into 2-to 3-inch pieces

2 medium plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix ground turkey, egg whites, bread crumbs, 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning until well blended; shape mixture into 32 meatballs. Spray large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Cook meatballs until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water, green beans, carrots, onions, remaining 2 cloves garlic, and remaining 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning to saucepan; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until vegetables are almost tender, about 8 minutes.

Heat soup to boiling; add pasta and tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 270; Fat: 8.7 g; Sodium: 174 mg; Cholesterol: 31.7 mg; Protein: 19 g; Carbohydrates: 30 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Bread, 2 Meat, 1/2 Fat

QUICK WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

This is from Southern Living, and begins, "Comforting quick white chicken chili is ready in just 30 minutes, start to finish."

The recipe also begins, "Two store-bought shortcuts make this comforting soup a cinch to make. One is ​​the chili seasoning mix, which not only thickens the soup, but adds heat and a smoky-earthy flavor from the cumin included in it. The other hero ingredient is shredded rotisserie chicken, one of our regular go-tos for effortless weeknight meals.

"Meanwhile, the canned green chiles impart a mild kick, and come in a close third for ingredient MVP too. All said and done, you truly cannot tell that this soup is semi-homemade."

Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, go to https://www.southernliving.com/quick-white-chicken-chili-8712863.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tsp.)

4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from 2 rotisserie chickens)

2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans chicken broth

2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chiles

1 (1 1/4-oz.) pkg. white chicken chili seasoning mix

3 (15 1/2-oz.) cans white beans (such as navy beans), drained, rinsed, and divided

Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, fresh cilantro leaves, and chopped avocado

Ingredients

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until onion softens, about 4 minutes.

Stir in chicken, broth, chiles, seasoning mix, and 2 cans of the beans. Coarsely mash remaining 1 can beans; stir into chicken mixture.

Bring to a boil over high. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly and flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.