Fast Meat-and-Sauce Meals

Stir up tasty one-pan entrées with no fuss and little muss.

Want to get supper on the table in a hurry? Try a sauté. This method of cooking food is done in a skillet over direct, moderately high heat. You should keep the food moving, much like a stir-fry. Both of these recipes begin with cooking the meat in a hot skillet and stirring in liquid to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This makes an excellent base for a flavorful sauce or dressing. Be sure to have all your ingredients ready before you turn on the stove, because once you start, it goes really fast. VICKI A. POELLNITZ

BALSAMIC GARLIC-AND-HERB CHICKEN THIGHS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PREP: 10 MIN., COOK: 23 MIN.

Put the noodles on to cook when you start the chicken so that everything's done on time.

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

8 skinned and boned chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1 (1.6-ounce) envelope garlic-and-herb sauce mix

½ cup sliced green onions (about 4)

Hot cooked egg noodles

COMBINE flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture.

BROWN half of chicken in 1 tablespoon hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from skillet. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and oil, reserving drippings in skillet.

ADD wine and vinegar to skillet, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and green chiles and garlic-and-herb sauce mix until combined. Return chicken to skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 5 minutes or until done. Stir in ¼ cup green onions. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles; sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup green onions. JUDY ARMSTRONG

PRAIRIEVILLE, LOUISIANA

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Knorr Garlic Herb Sauce Mix, which can be found with the Italian sauce mixes in the pasta aisle of the grocery store.

STEAK-AND-SPINACH SALAD WITH HOT PAN DRESSING

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., COOK: 20 MIN.

Serve with your favorite crusty garlic bread.

1 (1 ½-pound) top sirloin steak

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon butter, divided

1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

2 medium portobello mushroom caps, sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ cup red wine

½ cup beef broth

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach

2 plum tomatoes, sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

½ lemon

1/3 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese

SPRINKLE steak evenly with salt and pepper.

HEAT a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Melt ½ teaspoon butter with ½ teaspoon oil. Add steak, and cook until well browned on one side, about 6 minutes. Turn steak, and cook 3 more minutes (rare), 4 minutes (medium-rare), or 5 minutes (medium). Remove steak from pan, and set aside.

MELT remaining ½ teaspoon butter with ½ teaspoon oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and garlic 4 minutes. Stir in wine, broth, and balsamic vinegar, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cook 4 to 5 minutes.

TOSS together spinach, tomatoes, onion, and hot mixture in pan; divide evenly between 4 plates. Squeeze lemon, drizzling juice evenly overtop.

CUT steak into ½-inch slices, and arrange over salads. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top. LAURIE CONRAD

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jan 2005
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