Isn’t “faux” . . . like . . . the best word ever? It’s a fancy way to say fake. Whoever came up with that advertising idea (I think it might have been the cubic zirconium people . . . ) was a genius.
Anyway, I’ve casually rambled this recipe before in a post but thought I’d give it a featured/pics-included post of its own.
Ingredients:
One can Cream of Mushroom Soup
One 8 oz. brick of cream cheese
Optional:
Chopped/sliced/cubed/whatevered pre-cooked chicken
And . . . that’s it.
Instructions:
Dump the cream of mushroom soup and cream cheese into a pan.
Use your wooden spoon to break up the cream cheese.
Heat over medium or medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until cream cheese is melted.
Add partially thawed (I usually put it in the microwave for one minute at 10% power) pre-cooked chicken at some point. The beginning, the end . . . it doesn’t really matter.
Serve over pasta.
This is one of my family’s absolute favorites! And for a favorite to also be insanely quick and easy using ingredients from my freezer . . . is awesome! (If you’re horrified that we use canned soup . . . read my guilt-trip here.)
So what’s on our menu this week?
Well . . . it’s VBS, and we’re in baseball playoffs, so I’m going with all easy stuff this week.
Monday – Stir fry (using fresh chicken I cut up from my big Zaycon pick-up last week)
Tuesday – Salad with leftover grilled chicken
Wednesday – Mexican casserole
Thursday – Maybe . . . possibly . . . acorn squash that I got a few weeks ago and don’t want to go bad before our vacation next week. (I’m thinking of stuffing with sausage and rice – recipes would be appreciated!)
--Nony
Another easy and delicious spaghetti/canned soup trick I’ve tried recently: one can of Cheddar Cheese soup, poured over just cooked spaghetti (enough to serve 6-8). Mix, bake ten minutes at 350 or til bubbly. Or, you can use half a can with spaghetti for four. Its really good!
we use coconut milk for the base of our Alfredo style sauces. The man is allergic to milk and with a little salt and pepper and a tablespoon of non-dairy margerine its a pretty good ‘vegan’ fix LOL
Horrified?? Nah, we had canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwhiches last night…made by the teenagers, and cleaned up by them too!! The hubby and I thought it was delish 🙂 Maybe partly because we did not have to do any part of the prep or cleanup??
My Grandkids always want Nannies awesome (their word) grilled cheese and tomato soup when they visit. Makes my day!
My favorite Acorn squash recipe- just cut in half (scoop seeds out to roast) and cook halves upside down in about an inch of h2O in the oven – then put butter and brown sugar in the hollow part in the middle. SO good. 🙂
Of course, as a kid, I kept just refilling the middle with butter and brown sugar . . . 🙂
I love your website!!! I have been decluttering all day and took a quick break to make a quick dinner for the family!! I searched for fake Alfredo sauce…and here you are again!!! Thank you!!
That is so funny!
I really miss canned cream soups. I used cream of chicken more than mushroom (because I hate mushrooms…but I did love the ‘soup’ part so I strained the pieces out). Unfortunately they ALL have gluten, which makes me terribly ill. I’ll have to make some up that I can have, freeze it, and give this a try…after I remember to precook the chicken. I love fast, easy meals and this looks and sounds delicious. 🙂
First idea: I saw at CostCo that they’re picking the meat off their roasted chicken and packing up about 4 lbs to a bag (near their premade refrigerated foods, like take and bake pizza). Then you don’t have to prep the chicken.
What??? Will totally look for this!!
Found that bagged cooked chicken in MN, so may not be in your town, yet. About $12 a bag, but worth the greasy mess removal (in my mind, at least). Of course, if you count on boiling the bones for soup, you will not get those…
Second idea: You mentioned cooking up squash. I wash it, put it on a jelly roll pan and bake in 350 deg.F ovenuntil fork pierces skin easily. Then using hot pad, take it out and cut in half on cutting board. Will be cooked through and inside soft. Easy to remove ‘guts’ and peel skin once it cools a bit. Don’t get a carmalized effect on your cubes but it will be cooked through. Very easy prep, I thought. Then you can use it in your recipe just like cooked potatoes, for example. Doesn’t dry out, can’t burn (although skin will get browned). I didn’t even attempt to pierce it before cooking, so easier to bake than a potato!
i use the cream cheese, but mix it with just regular or evap milk for my fakeout alfredo. but i mean…. when real alfredo sauce is as easy as heavy cream and parmesan cheese, the only reason i ever make the fake one is if i’m out of cream (or evaporated milk in a pinch)
I can’t find that recipe I got from you for the pre-cooked chicken, farfalle pasta, spinach and jar Alfredo. Since I found it over the winter I have made it several times and every single family member has not had a single complaint. And they are all stupidly picky. Even DH has not complained once. Even had a request for it. I use fresh spinach when I have it and especially like that. I’ve been adding a shake or two of those red pepper flakes or seeds, whatever they are, too.