One Skillet Meal Idea

Who doesn’t love Pinterest? I love searching for new recipes, among myriads of other things you can find on Pinterest.

I’ve always thought the idea of a “one pot meal” or “one pan meal” as genius, it saves on dishes and the thought of using our new-to-us hotplate to cook one part of a meal then then again to cook the rest of the meal just did not appeal to me.

So, I whipped out my cast iron skillet because, you know, I just started using it and apparently the more you use them the more seasoned they get. Mine definitely needs to be seasoned more, lol.

I got my skillet ready and then went to searching one skillet meals with cast iron. I’m sure just “one skillet meals” would have sufficed but sometimes recipes are more specific to what you cook with, right? Maybe, maybe not but that’s how my silly brain works, lol.

What I ended up making was quite different but similar enough, ha.

Some might compare this to hamburger helper, I’m not going to call it anything though it is close to what I cook when I want a spaghetti alternative (I’ve cooked spaghetti waaaayyyy too many times to cook it on a regular basis anymore).

Let’s get started!

So I used one pound of ground turkey, a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of petite diced tomatoes, just less than half a block of cream cheese, and about 1/3 box of elbow noodles. First step is to brown the meat. Easy peasy!

Next, add the tomatoes. This is a good time to also add any herbs or spices you like for flavor. Mix mix mix!

Add the noodles, and it’s a good idea to add some water at this time as well. I don’t have a lid right now but if you have a lid it might be a good idea to use it now to keep the moisture in. Stir frequently so the noodles don’t stick, but also to cook evenly.

Mmmm, cream cheese! Once the noodles are cooked to your liking, add your cream cheese OR you can also use your favorite shredded cheese. Again, mix mix mix!

Look at that creamy goodness! I will say, if you have fresh bell peppers to add to this recipe, I think it would add awesome flavor to it. I just used what I had on hand.

I know, more cheese? I LOVE cheese and totally could have added more but I was trying to be good, hehe. I topped mine with shredded mild cheddar and sriracha sauce. Sour cream, black olives, there are all kinds of possibilities as far as toppings go with this recipe.

This recipe made enough for our family of 5 and was filling. If you try it, let me know what you think in the comments below!