Quick Easy Dinner Recipes

Easy Meal Ideas from Scratch

I have more than just quick easy dinner recipes, check out more dinner ideas at the end of the page.

I have listed my favorite homemade dinner recipes - chicken dinner recipes first, and my beef casserole recipes follow.

Easy Chicken and Rice Recipe

Nothing better for dinner than this easy casserole. These chicken dinner recipes are comfort food at it's finest.

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Swiss Chicken Stuffing Casserole

Here's another quick easy dinner recipe. This easy shrimp casserole is a different twist on tuna noodle casserole.  No shrimp?  Try leftover chicken.

SHRIMP NOODLE CASSEROLE RECIPE

1 cup uncooked medium width noodles
1 can homemade cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cups cooked small shrimp
1/2 cup frozen peas
3-1/2 oz can french-fried onions
parsley flakes

PREHEAT oven 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish; set aside.

Cook noodles and drain. Add milk slowly to soup. Heat and stir until smooth. Add chicken, noodles, peas and 1/2 of the french-fried onions. Pour into prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes.

Top with remaining french-fried onions. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley flakes before serving.

The next quick dinner recipe is addicting...

Quick Easy Dinner Recipes

Homemade Chicken Casserole Recipes

CHICKEN AND DRESSING DELUXE CASSEROLE

CUT UP:
4-1/2 to 5 lb stewing chicken and cover with water.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer until tender. Do NOT boil. Cover and cool overnight (in liquid) - in refrigerator if you have the time.

The next morning skim off the fat; reserve 1/2 cup of fat for gravy. Keep chicken stock. Remove skin from the chicken and grind in blender. Bone chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

GRAVY
Make gravy with stock using:

1/2 cup chicken fat
3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 quarts chicken stock

Place chicken fat in skillet over medium heat and add the flour. Whisk in chicken stock, stirring until smooth. Add more salt if necessary.

BREAD DRESSING

1 loaf day old (stale) bread ripped in small pieces

First:
1/3 cup chicken fat or butter
all the ground chicken skin
1-1/2 cups diced onion
2-1/2 cups diced celery

Cook butter or fat with chicken skin, onion and celery. Now pour this over the ripped up bread.

Add:
1 tsp ground sage
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Spoon dressing into greased 9x13 inch pan and arrange chicken over the dressing. Pour chicken gravy over this, then cover with buttered dry bread. Bake for 1 hour.

Can you say quick easy dinner recipe? That's this one, and it's wonderful.

CHICKEN NOODLE CHOW MEIN CASSEROLE

1 boiled chicken, deboned/skinned and cut into pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)
2 TBS butter
2 cans homemade cream of chicken soup
1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 pkg noodles, cooked and drained
chow mein noodles

PREHEAT oven to 300 degrees. Grease a casserole dish.

Fry onions and celery in butter until tender. Add cream soup. Add chicken broth (or water) and whisk together. Stir in mushrooms and noodles; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes. Add chow mein noodles on top - bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with fresh salad and my homemade salad dressing.

This quick easy casserole recipe is outstanding. Sounds like a lot of work - but it's not. Enjoy.

CHICKEN VOTEL

2 large chicken breasts
1 lb spaghetti, brake into pieces
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, grated
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 TBS sherry wine
1 tsp homemade worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup butter
3 TBS flour
1 whole small onion, peeled
3 celery stalks, chopped

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

Parboil chicken* in salted water with the whole onion and chopped celery. After 15 to 20 minutes, remove the onion and keep the liquid. Skin chicken and slice thin. Parboil spaghetti** in salted water. Rinse in cold water and remove the fat from the chicken broth.

Sauce
1/2 cup butter
4 TBS flour
4 to 5 cups broth (from parboiling chicken)

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Mix together and slowly whisk in the broth to make a heavy sauce. Add Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms and half of the grated cheese.

Place a layer of parboiled spaghetti (drained) in a 9x13 inch pan. Then a layer of chicken, then a layer of cheese sauce. Alternate layers, with cheese being the final layer on top. Sprinkle with paprika (optional). Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*Parboiling is similar to boiling, but done at a simmer (rather than a full boil). Bring salted water to a boil and add chicken breasts. Lower heat and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes. This takes a big chunk out of the cooking process. For a quick easy dinner recipe tip - do this to chicken before you grill it.

**Parboiling pasta is the same thing. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Once the pasta "wilts" and water comes to another boil - it's ready. Drain.

You can use these methods in any easy casserole recipe or dish. Parboil pasta in the morning (before the afternoon heat) and toss lightly with oil. Refrigerate in resealable bag. Boil for a couple minutes before you need it and it's ready for the recipe. Ta-da.

This is down right sinful (but I love it). The next quick easy dinner recipe is delightful and can be served for company. It's simple to prepare and delicious.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE CASSEROLE

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 TBS olive oil
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 tsp garlic, minced
2 TBS butter
1 TBS lemon juice
can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch pan with vegetable oil.

In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of  canola oil until hot. Sauté the spinach and mushrooms and place in bottom of dish then placed the uncooked chicken on top.

Melt 2 TBS butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of chicken soup, Italian seasoning, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Pour the sauce over the all and top it off with the crumbled bacon. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with cheese. Continue to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is light brown and bubbly.

NOTE:
Here's another way to prepare this chicken casserole recipe.

1.) Cut up chicken into chunks.

2.) Cook chicken and minced garlic together in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil.

3.) After chicken was cooked, add the soup, cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and lemon juice.

4.) Stir it all up on medium heat til creamy and then poured the entire mix on top of the spinach and mushroom layer as stated in the recipe. Then sprinkle crumbled bacon on the top and baked for 25 minutes. Eat this on top of buttered pasta.

One Pot Meals in the Crockpot