Plated + Served: 30-Minute Skillet Dinner
Heading back-to-school doesn’t mean you have to head back to the same boring dinnertime routines.
With five kids, I know the reality of starting a new school year: endless carpools, sports team practices, teacher meetings and yet another trip to the store for that pink highlighter your daughter didn’t realize she needed.
But I’ve also come to know, and appreciate, the importance of having dinner together as a family… especially during the school week.
I’ll admit that I’m the one who has to make it happen because I do the cooking. But if dinner takes less than 30-minutes, and we eat together (and I can get the download on what’s really happening at school) it’s worth it.
Sopa Seca, or “dry soup,” is a familiar dish in many Hispanic homes. I wrote a quick and easy version of this classic recipe for the folks at Right@Home, the bilingual website that’s got great back-to-school ideas for everything from recipes, cleaning and organizing, to decorating and crafts.
You’ll really like this skillet dinner because you can use whatever veggies or cheese you already have on hand. You’ll want to make this tasty dish again and again… even when you aren’t in a hurry!
30-Minute Pasta, Chorizo and Black Bean Skillet Dinner
prep: 10 minutes
cook: 20 minutes
serves: 6 to 8
you’ll need…
7.5 ounces Mexican chorizo, casing removed and cut into ½” pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
12 ounces angel hair pasta (fideos) nests, or thin spaghetti broken in half
1½ cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion, peeled, in ¼” dice)
4 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or chopped finely
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or your favorite beans
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes (undrained)
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup frozen peas, or your favorite frozen vegetable
1 cup Queso Fresco, or your favorite cheese
salt and pepper to taste
let’s get to it…
Heat a large 12-inch skillet on medium high for 1 minute. Add the chorizo and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often; remove chorizo from skillet and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
Add angel hair pasta and sauté in the chorizo fat for 2 to 3 minutes or until pasta begins to get toasted and turn golden yellow. (Add oil to pan if needed to sauté pasta.)
Remove pasta from skillet and set aside with chorizo.
Sauté onions and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add beans, tomatoes, chicken stock or broth and oregano. Return the chorizo and pasta to the skillet.
Reduce heat to simmer, cover skillet and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed and pasta is cooked. Season with salt to taste.
Remove from heat and top with peas and cheese. Cover and let rest 1 to 2 minutes before serving.
Make sure you sign up for Right@Home with the registration link so you can get more deliciously easy recipes! Click here to sign up!
