Got a hungry crowd? These value meal ideas keep your budget and time under control while delivering hearty and delicious meals. Each meal should serve up to 4 people, all under $3 per person! Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients you will need.
1 lb. Market 32 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 box Prince Pasta
1 Jar Classico Alfredo Sauce
1 pack PICS Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 bag PICS Shredded Swiss 8oz
1 container Market 32 White Mushrooms
1 container Hormel Mashed Potatoes
1 container Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
1 bag Birdseye Steamfresh Brussels Sprouts
1 bag Birdseye Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables
1 can PICS Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 bag Full Circle Organic Baby Carrots
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
First up is a Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake, with a hack to get ahead on kid-favorite Muffin Tin Pot Pies. What better way to create a meal your family will enjoy while also getting prepared for a different meal later in the week?
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a sheet pan with PICS Vegetable Oil Spray, and place all but two of the chicken breasts on the sheet pan. Roast for about 30 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, cook 1 box of Prince Pasta, cook according to package directions. Drain when cooked, saving 1 cup of water from the pot. (Tip – pasta shells or spirals will soak up more sauce. Reserve another ½ cup of water for those varieties.)
Open 1 package of PICS Frozen Chopped or Leaf Spinach. Add to the warm pasta, mixing in to assist with defrosting.
When the chicken is cooked, (internal temperature 165 degrees) remove from the pan and divide the roasted breasts into two equal portions (2-3 breasts each). Cover and refrigerate the second portion of chicken for the pot pies. Cut the remaining chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken pieces to the pasta and spinach in the pot, then the contents of the jar of Classico Alfredo Sauce, and the reserved pasta water. Heat on low and stir occasionally to combine until sauce is simmering, adding more water as needed to coat the pasta and chicken. Luscious!
Sheet Pan Mushroom Swiss Chicken
This simple one-pan meal will make everyone happy! You can’t forget the convenience of sheet pan meals. Having everything in one area and not having to clean up multiple dishes is a win-win.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a large sheet pan with PICS Vegetable Oil, (or place Simply Done Aluminum Foil on the sheet pan before spraying oil to cut down on clean up time! #Hack) coating the entire pan surface. Place chicken breasts on the pan at one end. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss Brussels Sprouts and mushrooms with 1- 2 TB PICS Olive Oil, and add to the sheet pan, spreading out so all veggies have room to roast.
Bake for 25 minutes, turning vegetables once to roast evenly, for about 25 minutes. Veggies may be done slightly ahead of the chicken – check the sprouts with a fork, they should be slightly browned and tender.
Hormel Mashed Potatoes are up next – follow package directions to heat the potatoes up in the microwave. Keeping time in mind, get them set up in the microwave, ready to start.
Remove tray from oven. Turn oven up to broil. Remove vegetables from the tray with a spatula, placing them in a bowl for serving. Place shredded Swiss on each chicken breast and return to the lower rack of the oven. Set the microwave according to potato package instructions, which takes about 5 minutes. Broil until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Check the internal temperature of the chicken – it is done when the thermometer reads 165 degrees. Serve and savor!
Muffin Tin Pot Pies* – Easy to assemble, bake and freeze for a quick meal on a busy day!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray 1 muffin tin with PICS Vegetable Oil.
Follow directions and microwave 1 (10 Oz) bag of Birdseye Steamfresh Mixed Vegetables, or 1 (10 oz.) bag of PICS Steambag Frozen vegetables of your choice.
Cut remaining roasted chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Add cooked vegetables to the cut chicken breast. Add PICS soup to the chicken and vegetables and mix well.
Open 1 Grands Biscuit containers. Separate biscuits and use the palm of your hand or the end of a clean jar to flatten to about 5-inch diameter. Place each biscuit into a muffin cup, leaving the edges open. Fill each biscuit cup with about 1/3rd (3 TB) of chicken and vegetables mixture. Crimp biscuit edges over the mixture – they will resemble small hand-pies.
Place the sheet pan with the baby carrots on the top rack, and the muffin tins on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Serve 2 mini pot pies with the side of roasted carrots, or cool and freeze for a busy day!
*Recipe adapted from Pillsbury, accessed 2/7/2024.