This is an easy skillet meal that tastes like green bean casserole, and the dinner is a great way to get your family to eat their veggies. The skillet dinner also is economical and quick to make. The usual green bean casserole ingredients go into the skillet, except for the cans of mushroom soup! In this case, the dinner starts with real mushrooms. A package of pre-cooked chicken garlic sausage also goes into the pan, along with some small pasta. I use whatever I have on hand--shells, elbow macaroni, penne, etc.. A package of frozen green beans works fine in the meal. The end result is a creamy pasta dinner that's good and comforting, especially on a cold evening. If you'd like, you can top the skillet meal with some French-fried onions, although I usually don't--the dish is great without them. You won't need much to round out the meal. A salad would be plenty. Enjoy!
Green Bean and Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet Dinner -- Serves 4+
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced or chopped, you choose
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
12-16 ounces of pre-cooked chicken sausages (I use chicken garlic), sliced into rounds
2 cups of water
2 cups of small pasta (shells, elbows, penne, etc.)
12-16 ounces of frozen green beans (I use long, thin beans or French-cut)
1 cup milk mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch
3-4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of light sour cream
French fried onions, optional
Heat the oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet and add the mushrooms. Sprinkle on the garlic and onion powder, the pepper, and the salt. Saute the mushrooms for 5-8 minutes until they soften. Add the sliced chicken sausage and saute it with the mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the water and the pasta, stir everything well, and partially cover the pan. Cook the mixture for 10-15 minutes, stirring it every so often, until the pasta has softened and mostly absorbed the water. Stir the frozen green beans into the mixture and cook the mixture for another 5-10 minutes until the geen beans are tender. Stir in the milk/cornstarch mixture and the Parmesan cheese. Keep stirring for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sour cream. If the mixture thickens too much, you can dribble in a little milk and mix it in to thin the sauce to the consistency you like. Taste the sauce and add a little more salt if you thin it needs it. Top the mixture with French fried onions before serving it, if you'd like.
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