Thank you to Pioneer for sponsoring this blog post. These products have been approved by Co Springs Mom Collective!

Easter is right around the corner, and I have to admit I’ve been dreaming of a beautiful, delicious Easter dinner meal with family and friends gathered together. For our family, Easter is traditionally a large gathering of both sides of our families – my husband’s parents host my extended family also, and the meal is always dreamy.

Last Easter fell just weeks into the pandemic, and I remember feeling so sad to miss our traditional large family meal. This year, I’ve been looking forward to a delicious meal, but I also want to keep it simple. On a search for delicious and simple, I’ve landed on the following menu, and I’m sharing below if you are looking for the same!

Intimidated by the Gravy

I recently tried Pioneer gravy, and I’m so impressed. In my mind, making gravy was a complex process (probably from years of watching my grandma make it from scratch.) Because of that, I always steered away from making my own gravy. But…Pioneer gravy is done in 3 simple steps and it tastes scratch-made and delicious. I feel like I can confidently tackle the gravy now, which for our family, is always part of a fancy holiday meal.

4 Simple, Delicious Recipes to try this Easter

The below recipes include Pioneer mixes, and you can find them at your local Walmart, so make sure to add them to your list (or your curbside pickup order!).

Main Dish: Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Pioneer
Photo credit: Pioneer

Servings: 4–6
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups Pioneer Roasted Chicken Gravy, prepared
8 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
¼ cup Vegetable oil, divided
8 oz. Mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ cup Onion, minced
1 tbsp. Garlic, minced
¾ cup Dry white wine
2 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. Thyme leaves, fresh ( 1 tsp. if using dried thyme)
¼ cup Heavy cream

Preparation Instructions

  1. PREHEAT conventional oven to 375°F.
  2. PREPARE Pioneer Roasted Chicken Gravy, per package instructions, set aside.
  3. ADD 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil the chicken thighs in a bowl. Season with salt and black pepper as desired.
  4. PLACE seasoned chicken thighs on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
  5. POUR the remaining vegetable oil (2 tbsp.) in a large sauté pan and cook the mushrooms over high heat until golden brown.
  6. ADD the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Then, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add white wine and reduce the liquid by half.
  7. PLACE butter and thyme leaves in the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the reserved 2 cups of gravy and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
  8. ADD the heavy cream to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine. Serve the sauce over the cooked chicken and serve any extra sauce on the side.

Side Dish: Brussel Sprouts with Cider Gravy

Pioneer
Photo Credit: Pioneer

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups Pioneer Roast Pork Gravy, prepared
¼ cup Olive oil
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup Apple cider
½ tsp. Thyme, dried (1 tbsp. if using fresh, picked, thyme)

Preparation Instructions

  1. PREPARE Pioneer Roast Pork Gravy, per package instructions, set aside.
  2. ADD olive oil to large sauté pan and then fill the bottom of the pans with as many cut side-down Brussels sprouts as will fit. Add the remaining Brussels sprouts on top. Season with salt.
  3. SET flame to medium-high and sear the Brussels sprouts, stir to sear as many Brussels sprouts as you can, continuing to sear until most are a deep brown.
  4. ADD apple cider and prepared gravy to pan with Brussels sprouts, carefully as it will boil quickly, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover pan with lid.
  5. COOK for about 5 minutes, until half of the liquid has evaporated. Then remove lid and continue to cook until gravy is thick, and Brussels sprouts are soft (3-5 minutes).
  6. GARNISH with thyme and serve.

Tip: have a lid close by when adding the cider and the gravy as the liquid will boil quickly and may splatter. This is necessary to steam/braise the Brussels quickly and properly.


Side Dish: Green Bean Casserole

Pioneer
Photo Credit: Pioneer

Servings: 6
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

2 cup Pioneer Chicken Gravy, prepared
2 can (16 oz) green beans, drained
1 can French fried onions
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced, canned, drained

Preparation Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil an 8 x 8-inch pan.
  2. Add green beans, half of onions, and mushrooms to prepared Pioneer Chicken Gravy. Pour into pan.
  3. Bake 20 minutes. Top with remaining onions.

Dessert: Biscuit-Topped Blueberry Cobbler

Pioneer
Photo Credit: Pioneer

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ cups Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix
¾ cup Milk
1 ¼ cups Greek Yogurt
32 oz. Blueberry Pie Filling

Preparation Instructions

  1. PREHEAT conventional oven to 425˚F.
  2. ADD milk to a mixing bowl, then add Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix on top.
  3. MIX ingredients together until a thick, smooth batter forms.
  4. DROP a small spoonful of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet with about 1-inch in between scoops.
  5. BAKE for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
  6. COMBINE yogurt with half (16 oz.) of the pie filling; set aside.
  7. DIVIDE yogurt mixture evenly into the bottoms of 12 serving dishes or cups. Top with remaining pie filling, dividing evenly between 12 dishes and then top with 1 biscuit and serve.

Tip: these can be made ahead, covered and chilled, then serve.

Enjoy Easter this year! We would love to hear your favorite recipes in the comments below!


PioneerPioneer products have been served at kitchen tables to Presidential dining rooms since 1851. Inside every bag, box and package is a long and proud Texas familyheritage, manufacturing expertise, a devotion to quality and superior taste. Together,we are stewards of the brand. Its success is critical to our company. We are called toprotect it and help it flourish with our collective tools and talents, so customers canenjoy our products for generations to come.

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Tonya
Tonya grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Northern Iowa, where she majored in Health Promotion (the degree you choose when you know are meant to make an impact but you don’t know exactly how) After graduating in 2003, her adventurous spirit lead her to pack up her little car and move to Colorado Springs. Her heart was easily won by the beautiful landscape, the amazing weather, colorful Aspen trees, and the fabulous people in this city. In 2008, she married her love and best friend, Ryan. They added two amazing boys to the family…Landon (2009) and Kellan (2011). After a rewarding career as a Director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a sales representative for Pfizer, her heart desired more time with her boys. In 2011, she became a work from home mom, focusing on her very busy boys full time and her health and wellness coaching business part time! Her passion as a mom includes building legos, trips to the zoo, family hikes, fishing, and camping. Her passion as a health coach is helping people see their potential, reach goals, and lead a healthy lifestyle. In her spare time (what is that again??), she loves working out, running, and reading. Her favorite things to do with her handsome hubby include riding bikes downtown Colorado Springs for date nights, hiking the incline, trying new (exotic) foods, spending time with great (adult) friends, and trying craft beers (inspired of course by her husband!).