Growing up, there were many times my brothers and I ate Chef Boyardee. Back then, we mostly ate the spaghetti and ravioli, either as part of our packed school lunch or as a quick dinner solution. To this day, I can remember those nights that mami would serve Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs along with some white rice. (Let’s not get into the reasoning behind doubling up on the carbs, as that’s a conversation for another post.)
Once I was in college and on my own, Chef Boyardee once again became a part of my life. I would often take a can of Chef Boyardee – expanding beyond just spaghetti and ravioli to other varieties – and eat that for lunch at my part-time job between classes.
To this day, I still pull out a can of Chef Boyardee on those days when I don’t have time to prepare a full meal. But, I didn’t know that you can use Chef Boyardee products as part of several recipes, to create entirely new dishes. This Saturday, though, I’ll be trying out a few of the Chef Boyardee recipes along with several of my friends during a Be the Chef House Party I’ve been hired to host!
What are some of those recipes? Chef Boyardee provides the following recipes on their site:
Of those, we’ll be sampling the Ravioli Lasagna, Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake, and Taco-roni. Each of the recipes takes 35 minutes or less to prepare and requires no more than seven ingredients. A friend who is helping me with the party on Saturday already tried out the Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake and said her kids enjoyed the dish! I’m looking forward to tasting them myself and seeing what the party guests think about them.
I’ll be posting after the party to share more about it, the recipes, and feedback from guests. In the meantime, I invite you all to be a part of the conversation and join me on Twitter and Facebook. On Twitter, you can see what many party hosts are up to by following the #ChefBoyardeeParty tag, and on Saturday, especially, see how the parties are progressing. I’ll be posting updates to both from now through Saturday, so be sure to follow along!
Have you ever tried one of the Chef Boyardee recipes or used their products in a dish? Do you have a favorite Chef Boyardee memory from your childhood or with your own kids?
Disclosure: As a Be the Chef party host, I am being compensated for my time and work. All memories and opinions are, as always, my own.
Photos courtesy of Chef Boyardee
I used to love Chef Boyardee when I was a kid. I haven’t had it in a while, and things have certainly changed–that lasagna looks pretty good!