I have a weakness for Pasta Salad – of pretty much any sort. This one is light and fun and has a great mix of flavors!
I call it my Easy Summer-y Pasta Salad. Try not to envy my super creative Recipe Naming Skills. ;)

It’s full of tomatoes, spinach, bacon, feta, and yummy pasta!

Here’s what you’ll need to make it.

1/2 of a 16 oz box of Cavatappi Pasta (you can substitute whatever you’ve got on hand but I love these little curls)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
3 slices of bacon, cooked
1/2 bunch of fresh spinach
3-4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup garlic olive oil
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
a pinch of red pepper flakes – or more if you like it spicy
salt and pepper to taste

Start by cooking your pasta until it is just al dente. You want it cooked but still with a little bite to it.
Refrigerate until cool.

While your pasta is chillin’, chop your bacon, spinach and cherry tomatoes.

Once your pasta is cooled, mix in your veggies, bacon and add the teaspoon of italian seasoning.

Add in your garlic olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. (Which means keep tasting until you have enough salt and pepper. My favorite step. :)

Fold in your Feta cheese gently.

And that’s it!! Soooo easy right?
You can serve immediately or you can pop it back in the fridge until you’re ready to eat!

YUM!

Pretty tasty looking right? It totally is. ;)

I’d love to know – do you have any favorite salads? I’m always looking for more fun ideas to try!

Do you love Chicken Pot Pie? I sure do.

But sometimes I don’t feel like doing the whole – make the filling, make the crust, wait for it to bake - thing.
So I came up with this super cheater recipe – it gives me the taste of Chicken Pot Pie with hardly any of the work.
Yeah. I’m all for instant gratification.

We call it Chicken Pot Not-Pie – because it’s the filling from a Chicken Pot Pie cooked in a slow cooker and served over rice – with super yummy cheater Parker House rolls.
Wow. We’re cheatin’ all over the place here.
But I promise you’ll love it!

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 14 oz(ish) bags of mixed vegetables (any combination of carrots, peas, green beans, and/or corn you like)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cans Heavy Cream  (fill up the soup cans after you’ve poured the soup in with heavy cream)
1- 1 1/2 lbs uncooked chicken tenders, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked rice
1 can Jumbo Buttermilk Biscuits
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Mix well.

Ignore in slow cooker on high for 5-6 hours or on low for up to 8 hours.
(if your slow cooker low is really “high” then shorten this time a bit.)

When you’re just about ready to eat, prepare your rolls.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Open the can of biscuits and tear each biscuit into 3 pieces. Place 3 pieces into each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. (This makes 8 rolls)

Mix together melted butter, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.

Brush butter mixture over the rolls, making sure to get it around all the little pieces.

Bake your rolls for 12 – 15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
If you have any remaining butter mixture, brush it over the top of the hot rolls.

Dish up yumminess by putting rice in bowls, then spooning over it the hot Chicken Pot Not-Pie.

Serve with the Cheater Parker House Rolls. They pull apart easily and are so yummy!

Eat way too many rolls than are good for you. (optional but pretty standard around here) :)

I just love easy, delicious meals!  Let me know if you give it a try!