Photo Credit: Eric Berget
Fueling our boys for their constant activity is proving to become a big chore. Thankfully we have nutrition packed food and some quick and easy recipes to help us out. The following is now one of our favorite recipes. We had been given a taste when some family brought it over to encourage us during a difficult time. It is also easily a gluten free and non-GMO option in our home since we buy Sam Mill’s pasta in bulk through azurestandard.com; however, you can get this at amazon as well. Here goes…
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Bake
1 pound elbow pasta, cooked
6 slices of bacon, cooked
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon bacon grease
1/2 cup onion, chopped and sauteed
2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/2 – 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2-4 cups of chicken, cooked*
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup ranch, organic
1/2 cup pumpkin or squash puree, optional
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cheese (cheddar or mozzarella work well)**
salt and pepper to taste
Use 9×13 pan or equivalent. Cook pasta according to package directions. Bake bacon in the oven or however you choose. Set bacon grease aside***. Saute onions and garlic in the butter and bacon grease. Lower heat and add bacon**** and chicken. Turn off heat when warm. Mix in flour, then ranch, kale, and milk. Pour pasta into 9×13 pan, pour chicken mixture over top, add 1/2 cup of cheese and mix together well. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top.Bake for 25 minutes at 350F. Enjoy!
* Start with two cups of chicken to see how you like it.
** Adding more cheese is good, but up to you.
*** We use bacon grease in place of lard, it’s especially good for fried eggs.
**** Save out a piece or two of bacon to sprinkle on top for visual appeal.
We hope you enjoy this recipe. We’ll have some fit and healthy hogs available around March 2016 and we still have some frozen chicken as of January 2016, so give us a call.
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Righteous Oaks Farm 