Quick Dinner Solutions for the Busy Back to School Season is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. All opinions are entirely my own. This shop has been compensated by Acorn Influence, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
The kids went back to school on Thursday! I can’t believe how fast the summer went. We are going from days spent playing with the neighbors and riding our bikes to the pool, to doing homework, laying out clothes for the school day, and early morning wake-up calls. I call this the busy season, and I take all the help I can get.
Usually, that help comes from the grocery store in terms of quick dinner solutions. The family still has to be fed no matter how busy we are. When doing my weekly Target run, I stocked up on some items from Tyson and Jimmy Dean that are great when making quick and easy dinners for the family.
My kids love Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips and I will pair them with a vegetable like Brussel sprouts so that I don’t have a lot of arguments. This is a great mom hack, pair something they don’t like with something they love and there are fewer fights about eating dinner.
Tyson knows the value of convenience, and they have been helping parents with dinner solutions for years with their products. Many of their breakfast products come pre-cooked and make for some delicious grab and go options. Sausage isn’t just for breakfast, I love using their sausage for dinner options!
A great solution I have been enjoying for quick dinner meals is using my electric pressure cooker. This appliance has made dinner time much simpler. I recently fell in love with this Zuppa Toscana Soup using Jimmy Dean sausage and I just had to share it with you!
This soup is fantastic for dinner and makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. The sausage adds a lot of flavor to the soup and fills you up. The kiddos love potatoes and bacon and don’t mind eating the spinach so it is a winning combination. Best part, it cooks in about 5 minutes in your pressure cooker!
5 Minute Pressure Cooker Zuppa Toscana Soup
Ingredients
1lb Jimmy Dean Roll Sausage (I used original but sage would be great too)
6 slices bacon, cooked and cut into 1″ pieces*
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
32 ounces chicken broth
2 cups water
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3-4 cups spinach (can substitute kale)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese (topping)
Directions:
Place sausage, onion, garlic, and red pepper into the pressure cooker and sautee the meat, constantly stirring until browned.
*If using raw bacon, cut it into 1″ pieces and add it to the pot with the sausage to cook.
When meat is browned, turn off your pressure cooker.
Add bacon, (if not added already) chicken broth, water, potatoes, salt, and pepper to the pot and mix well. Place the lid on the pot, seal and close the steam release. Set the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cycle is finished, quick release the steam.
Open the pot and check the soup. If it is boiling, let the soup rest, uncovered until it is no longer boiling. Add spinach and heavy whipping cream and stir to combine.
Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Using your pressure cooker is going to save you a lot of time and it is the perfect hack for quick dinner options! Use the time you save to connect with your kids and help them with their homework!
For more quick and easy meals for Back to School be sure to check out www.backtoschoolmeals.com!