pretending i am a chef....

I was asked by Chef Boyardee to participate in a recipe program!

Chef Boyardee has a website full of recipes using their product.

I was encouraged to review those recipes, and then my family and I could make up a recipe of our own.

We chose to try to make Ravioli Soup!

Start by browning 1.5 - 2 pounds of ground beef in a skillet.



After your ground beef is completely browned, you should drain the grease from your pan.

Then add in 2 TBSP of minced onion and 1 TBSP of minced garlic and 2 t. oregano.

You could use fresh ingredients for this part, but i didn't have them.

And honestly...the smaller the better when it comes to things like onions with my kids.

Mix it in and cover the meat with the spices.




Cook that for a few minutes until the onions are soft.



In a soup pot begin heating up the chicken broth.

Add in a 28 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes.

This next step isn't important, but it makes the cooking more fun.

Put on a cute apron.

Because you will feel cute if you have one on!

And your husband will come home and say, "Look at how cute you are!" making him dinner.



Next I added the meat mixture to the soup.

Bring the soup to a boil and then turn down the heat, letting it simmer for about twenty minutes.

THEN you will add 3 cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli into the soup.



Kids like the taste of Chef Boyardee but I like that I can use it as an ingredient in other quick meals.

After it cooks a few minutes it's ready to serve.

Chef Boyardee ravioli just needs to be warmed up, and it's ready to eat.

I dished out bowls for my family and added a handful of shredded cheese to each bowl.

Then I got really wild.

I took our pizza maker kit, and instead I made breadsticks with cheese,
and we dipped the breadsticks in the pizza sauce that came in the box!



My family really enjoyed this meal.

The breadsticks were devoured.

Sean said, "What did you put in the noodles?! IT's DeLiCioUs!!"  
that guy cracks me up every day. 

Here is my recipe:

1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef
2 T. minced onion
1 T. minced garlic
2 t. oregano
6 c. chicken broth
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
3 cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli
shredded cheese for topping
salt and pepper to taste

Brown hamburger, drain the grease. Add onion, garlic, and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes.
In a soup bowl add chicken broth and tomatoes. Combine meat mixture with soup mixture.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Just before you are ready to serve, add the ravioli.
Let it cook a few minutes and then it's ready to eat!
Serve with breadsticks.

.................................................................................................................................

So here's the deal....

YOU can make up your own recipes and enter Chef Boyardeeís Make It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest from December 29, 2011 through March 11, 2012 for your chance to win free groceries for a year as well as one of ten $500 weekly cash prizes. Then visit Chef Boyardeeís Facebook page from March 26, 2012 through April 8, 2012 to vote for your favorite recipes from the ìMake It Boyardeelicious Recipe Contest.î Each day, one voter will be selected to win a $100 cash prize.

Be sure to visit the Chef Boyardee Roundup page on BlogHer.com to check out other bloggersí recipes!

 

Comments

[Tracy D.]

This really looks so delicious!!We're definitely having this later this week. Thanks!!

[This Farm Family's Life]

Yum!

[Lorri Vallese]

Being married to an Italian for 30 years I have to say yuk to canned chef boyardee, that stuff is florescent. I am sure it was tasty for your family but I would never touch it again. Sorry I love your blog and visit everyday but this post just made me gag a little. And I had to laugh at the dehydrated onion and jar of garlic. My mainstays on my counters at all times are large onions and whole garlic. sorry meg really I do love your blog.

[merlin]

PSA: check out the sodium content in that ravioli, I stopped buying it when I saw that 150% of your daily requirement is in a single serving. And that is based on an adult who weighs 150lbs, so think of the sodium overload for kids. I hope that it has been reduced, if it has then I could try this family pleasing recipe. I'd love it if you could post an update regarding the sodium content.

[happygirl]

Hahaha. Cute apron. I couldn't have survived college without chef boyardee.

[sarah]

Ravioli soup! Sounds delicious!

[Cheryl]

Yum! My boys would love it! Sounds like a great, kid-pleasing recipe for the days when you don't have the time to do an Italian meal from scratch! (which is pretty often in this house too!)

[chavala]

that sounds amazing! My husband would love it and I can't wait to make it for him! Thanks for the recipe!

[Shari Barnes]

Oh my goodness! I will have to try this! We love Chef Boyardee. I grew up eating those pizza kits. They are still one of my favorite meals! How did you make the breaksticks??

[Cheryl E.]

What a great idea turning the pizza into breadsticks! You are super creative. And I love that apronn. Is that the one from Craft Weekend? Wish I had one of those bad boys!! :)
Keep on bloggin', Meg!

[Whitney]

I love the idea of the breadsticks!!!
This sounds yummy! Thank you for sharing! :)

[Seriously Sassy Mama]

That is yummy!

[Tracy Fisher]

yummy! where did you get that cute apron? i want one so bad :). tracy

[Angela]

Sorry Meg I do love your blog too...but I totaly agree with Lorri and her comment, you can simply cook ravioli without meat, and serve with green salad,ah the apron is awesome!
Angela

[tina]

sounds good!

[elizam]

I love your blog too,but I am not down with canned Italian,if that's what you wanna call Chef Boyadee. Its just gross and I don't feed it to my kids. You could make a healthier version using real fresh unprocessed ingridents. But I heart your blog so much!

[Toni :O)]

With the others...love your blog but not this recipe...sorry but CB smells like, well, I'll leave it to your imagination, not good though. Sodium content is absolutely ridiculous as well. :O(

[Robyn B]

I think I will try this, but with fresh or frozen ravioli, rather than the canned. Sounds good!

[Juli]

Made your recipe for dinner tonight! It was YUMMY! Everyone really enjoyed it! Thanks!

[melissa moran]

I will take a pass on the canned ravioli....but what is the great lipstick you have on?? LOVE IT!

[pattilouwho]

like others, this recipe is not for me...but that is the cutest apron ever! :)

[Katie]

look at u in your cute apron:)

[Manuela@A Cultivated Nest]

Such a cute apron! I would never eat canned ravioli though - so very unhealthy.

[Megan]

I'm afraid I have to agree with the other posts... I love your blog and seriously read it every single day. But the sponsored posts with the fake, over processed foods really turn me off. I totally give you props for supporting your family doing something you love (blogging), but I wish your advertisers weren't selling family time with a box/jar/bag of chemical "food".

[Lori Austin]

This looks like a quick, fun meal for busy families with kids. Moderation folks - moderation.

Love ya Meg ;-)

[Anj]

Any time I wear an apron in the kitchen it makes my hubby frisky, LOL! Of course, in the middle of cooking dinner with two crabby kids and a stressed mom does not really get him any action... :-)
I, too, love the blog but am not keen on processed 'food'. There are other quick meals that can be made with real food... But if peeps use that kind of stuff then I suppose it's nice to have a new recipe...

[Victoria]

Move over Chef Boyardee!

Did you make your apron? I love it!

[Annika B]

I am glad I had a good lunch, otherwise I would be drooling now. This looks yum! Pasta and cheese and bread is such comfort food!