Choosing recipes for this series is hard enough with so many to choose from within this wonderful book but adding to it the challenges we are facing right now, made it even more difficult with our limited pantries and shopping trips. BUT, let’s face it…it pales in comparison to what people are enduring and dealing with everyday. I will happily manage 🙂

My goal in this series is to take vintage recipes from my Grandmother’s cookbook and refresh them to match our modern times. Some are just fine the way they are and some just need a revamp or to be made with healthier more up to date ingredients.

I have always been about substitutions in recipes. Some of the best dishes come from “oopsies” or just not having all the right ingredients. This is probably why I am not the best baker because I am not one to measure or to follow rules in the kitchen lol!

So, I will include the original recipe and then also my refresh. I like to avoid sodium in my dishes as much as possible due to my husband’s heart issues but you can always add it if you prefer.

Like I said, with our limited pantries at the moment please feel free to contact me with questions on substitutions. You would be surprised just how many ingredients can be substituted with whatever you have on hand and you will still have a great dish! Enjoy!

You will need:

• 2-  Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces  (I think ground chicken, turkey, or beef would have been better in this dish (approx. 1 lb) but I didn’t have any on hand)
• 2- Tb Butter (you can omit the butter and add more olive oil if you want)
•  Olive oil
• 1- med onion chopped
• 3- garlic cloves minced
• Fresh ground pepper
• 3 tsp cilantro dried or fresh
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1- 14.5oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes (you could add 2 cans if you are a big tomato fan)
• 1- 1/2 cup water
•  1 Tb tomato paste
•  1/2 package (8oz) pasta (any kind) uncooked (I used elbow)
•  2- 14.75 oz cans cream style corn
•  1/4 cup chopped jalapenos (I used jar) add more if you like the heat
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1-1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexi cheddar blend)
• Crushed tortilla or corn chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Add butter and a good drizzle of olive oil to pan on medium heat. Add onion, some pepper, red pepper flakes and 1 tsp cilantro. Sauté for a couple minutes then add garlic and stir a minute or 2. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder, 1 tsp cilantro, and curry. Cook until chicken is white (chicken will cook more in the oven) Add the tomatoes, (Put a splash of water in the tomato can and swish it to soak up the tomato juice left in can and add to pan. You will also do this with the corn cans) tomato paste, water, and noodles and another couple grinds of pepper. Stir until blended. Cook until noodles are tender stirring frequently. Add corn, jalapenos, and parmesan and stir. Remove from heat.

Pour into a greased casserole dish ( I used an 8 x 11 rectangular). Sprinkle with shredded cheese and chips and drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake approx. 45 min until golden and bubbly.

Let it rest out of the oven for about 10 min. Serve with remaining cilantro, cheese and chips. Btw I think olives would have been great with this dish but my family doesn’t like them! If you like heat you can serve with hot sauce or more jalapenos. Serves 6-8 and is GREAT leftover! Can also be made ahead! **This is a medium heat dish

Created with love by:

Char Head 🙂

Creations_by_Char

Enjoy!