Chicken Pasta Bake

I found this recipe here. But I altered it to our liking- changes are in parenthesis. Our whole family chowed down. It's like a chicken version of Company Casserole. Yum.

• 8 oz. penne pasta
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (used leftover shredding chicken)
  
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (didn't add because I used tomato, basil and garlic spaghetti sauce and italian style tomatoes)
  
• 1 28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 3 oz. package cream cheese
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and patted dry with a paper towel (no spinach on hand, didn't add this)
  
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (husband hates Parmesan, so didn't add this)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.


2. Cook pasta according to package directions for "al dente." Drain. Pour into prepared baking dish.


3. Heat oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. While oil is heating, cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. (used leftover shredded chicken)
   


4. Brown chicken in oil. Add Italian seasoning, half of the spaghetti sauce and the drained tomatoes. Let simmer 2-3 minutes.


5. Cut cream cheese into small chunks. Add to chicken and tomato sauce mixture. Simmer until cream cheese is melted.


6. Stir in spinach. Cook another minute, until spinach wilts slightly. (skipped this step)
   


7. Pour chicken mixture over pasta. Top with one cup of the shredded mozzarella. Top with the remaining spaghetti sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.


8. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
   
   

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Spaghetti Pie Ole

I found this recipe here and tweaked it a bit. It was super good. Everyone in my family loved it!
With the cumin it has a bit of a spanish taste to it (hence the name Spanish Pie Ole).

7 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar, shredded ***I used cheddar***
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 ounces canned chopped tomatoes with chili, undrained **** instead of this I used spaghetti sauce*****
3/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Whisk together egg, half the salt, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/3 cup cheese. Add pasta and toss. Arrange in 9 inch pie dish, pressing to form shell. Heat large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef and brown 4-5 minutes, breaking up into 3/4 inch crumbles. Pour off drippings. Season with remaining salt and remaining garlic powder. Add cumin and stir in tomatoes (I used spaghetti sauce here). Bring to a boil and cook 3-5 minutes or until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally. Reserve 2 Tbs. beef mixture for garnish. Stir sour cream into remaining beef and spoon into pasta shell. Place remaining cheese in center, leaving 2 inch border around edge. Spoon reserved beef mixture onto center of cheese and bake 15 minutes or until heated through. YUM!!!

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Excuses..........

Obviously I have not been on top of things this summer as far as cooking is concerned- with swim lessons every night (Mon-Fri anyway) I have resorted to easy. Soon swim will be over and school will back in session. Then I should be back in the swing of things (fingers crossed).
Last night I made the easiest pasta ever. Another one from the AG cookbook.
The kids scarfed it. It doesn't take a genius to make. And I'm almost embarassed to count it as a recipe (but they did, so why can't I?).

1 box gnocchi
1 jar marinara sauce (I used tomato and basil and it was really good, kind of pesto-ish)
1 c. heavy cream

Make the gnocchi according to the box. Heat marinara sauce in pan on stove. Stir in the whipping cream. Easy as that. I then topped it with mozarella cheese. Next time I will make it with chicken or shrimp.
What's your favorite easy recipe? Please share!

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Mom's Pasta Salad

We went to my mother-in-law's house last night for Sunday dinner. I was supposed to bring a salad but didn't have the ingredients for a green salad. So I decided to make my mom's pasta salad. It's always really good. Everyone likes it. It's easy. And it's great when it's 112 degrees outside. I didn't have the normal ingredients, so I fudged a little. It still tasted great. The recipe below includes approximations; make changes depending on your likes/dislikes.

1 box rotini noodles, cooked according to directions, drained (last night I used tri color but normal I just use the regular ones)

1/2 bag-1 bag frozen chopped broccoli (fresh can be used), cooked, cut into smaller pieces
2 tomatoes, diced (I used cherry tomatoes cut in half last night)
1 can sliced olives

1/2 bell pepper chopped (bigger chunks)
a few carrots diced
1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (I usually use Wishbone)

After noodles have cooled down, throw all ingredients together. Chill- the longer the better- the Italian dressing soaks in over time. And you want the broccoli to be cooked but cold. I always add cheese after everything is cooled down because you don't want it to melt into the pasta.

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Lasagna Roll Ups

I found this recipe here. Just a tad different from regular lasagna. Super yum!

15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. bread crumbs
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 ½ c. salsa
*****I just used spaghetti sauce instead of tomatoes & salsa****
½ c. shredded mozzarella
Cook lasagna noodles according to package and lay on cookie sheet to dry a bit. Combine 1st seven ingredients to make filling. Spread 1/3 cupful down each noodle, leaving a little tab at the end to make it stick. Roll up and place in a 9x13 dish. Original recipe says to let it sit overnight covered, but if your noodles are dry enough, they will stick to themselves and you won’t need to. Combine tomatoes & salsa (or spaghetti sauce- just till it looks covered), and spread over rollups. Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Immediately sprinkle with ½ c. mozzarella and serve. The filling is freezable as well as the sauce, but I recommend you do not freeze the rollups themselves. As soon as you close the freezer door, they attack each other and end up shredded to pieces! Serves 12 adults or 6 teenage boys.

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Shrimp & Avocado Fettucine

Another hit from Heidi's Tasty Sensations. I haven't had a disappointment yet. And I'm looking forward to your cookbook Heidi!

½ pound dried fettuccine (boiled until al dente)

In large sauce pan stir until mixed, and shrimp is warmed:

3 Tbls olive oil1 lb.

Shrimp peeled and de-veined (I use frozen cocktail shrimp)

3 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ red or green jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)

¼ cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 avocados, halved pitted and diced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese (fresh)

4 Tbls. fresh cilantro chopped

1to 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Mix sauce with pasta and serve warm with garlic bread.

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Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This one also came from a ward cookbook. I altered it a bit (the changes have an * by them)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, minced (more if you want)
1 c. chicken stock or broth
1/2 c. dry packed sun-dried tomatoes (I used from the jar with oil and they were fine)
1 c. whipping cream or 1/2 & 1/2 (*I used 2 c.)
*I also used 2 tsp. cornstarch (not in the original recipe)
8-12 oz. fresh or frozen ravioli, agnolotti or tortellini (I used 4 cheese ravioli- there wasn't a meat brand available- next time I will try the meat kind; but this was still super good)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried
2 T. chopped fresh parsley (only if using dried basil)
salt & fresh ground pepper

Melt butter in med. saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and cook 30 secs. Add stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered over medium heat about 10 mins. or until tomatoes are tender. Remove tomatoes with slotted spoon. Cut into smaller pieces. Return tomatoes to saucepan. Add cream/half & half and bring to boil, stirring. Simmer over medium heat until sauce is thick enough (about 5 mins). ***At this point, it wasn't thick enough for me- I added another 1 c. of cream and about 2 tsp. of cornstarch to thicken it up. It was a better, thicker consistency. I stirred it until it was how I wanted it.
Cook ravioli according to directions. Drain well. Add basil and/or parsley to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix sauce with ravioli. And you're ready to go.

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Orecchiette Pasta

I found this recipe from An Ordinary Mom. And I took the crazies on a Sunday drive while Josh and his mom made the recipe. I thought it was healthy and light. I might try to vary it with a cream sauce next time. But overall great meal. And not what we typically eat. Even J liked it and finished it all.

4 ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound broccoli florets (I used 1 bag frozen broccoli florets to make this recipe even quicker.)
salt
1/2 cup water
1 pound orcchiette pasta (twirly/spiral noodles)
1 1/2 cups Romano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat breaking it into small pieces. Stir in the sundried tomatoes (OR 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and chopped medium) and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the broccoli, 1/2 teaspoon salt and water. Increase the heat to high, cover the skillet and cook until the broccoli begins to turn bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Uncover and stir frequently until the liquid has evaporated. Add this sausage and broccoli mixture, Romano cheese and oil to the pasta. Stir until well coated.
Bon Appetit!

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Rosemary Chicken Pasta

We had this for dinner tonight and I finally managed to take a pic (don't mind the Buzz Lightyear plate. And I HATE taking pics with flash but it was dark. Oh well). Poor Josh- this is one of his favorites and he decided to go on the Atkins diet so he couldn't eat with us! Bummer. Anyway good as usual (even got the thumbs up from the in-laws- score!). This recipe comes courtesy of my friend Megan. It's a staple for sure.

2 tsp. Salt
½ C. Butter
1 pint Whipping cream
1½ tsp Corn starch
Chicken—cubed—about 3 breasts
½ carton fresh Rosemary or use 2 T. or so of dried (more or less depending on what you want)
2 cloves garlic ( I use a spoonful of minced garlic from the refrigerated jar)

This recipe is from Italy ! Sauté chicken in the butter, garlic & Rosemary. When chicken is cooked add whipping cream, corn starch & salt. Simmer on low-med heat. The sauce will begin to bubble and thicken, stir frequently. After sauce is to desired thickness decrease temp to low until your noodles are ready. Top over bowtie noodles (you can use whatever kind of noodles you want or have in your pantry) and enjoy!

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Baked Tortellini

I got this yummy recipe from Mommy Cooks. She got it from Giada. I tried it tonight for the first time and it was a big hit. I tweaked the original recipe a bit because of what I had available and doubled it because it was meant for an 8x8 but I knew we'd need more. I'll definitely make again.

courtesy of Giada deLaurentiis

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups marinara sauce (used Newman's Own Pesto & Tomato Sauce- yum)***

2/3 to 1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 lb cheese tortellini (I used Family size 3 Cheese Buitoni)

2 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350º.Lightly oil an 9x13" baking dish.Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese in a large bowl to blend.Cook tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minute Drain.Add tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish.Top the mixture with the mozzarella and Parmesan.Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minute.

****Note the original recipe calls for plain marinara sauce & then 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped and 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped but since I used the Pesto & Tomato sauce I didn't think I needed to seasonings. If you use the plain sauce, add the seasonings when you blend the marinara & marscapone cheese.

Also you could probably use ricotta or even cottage cheese in place of the marscapone because it's so pricey. But it made it really rich and creamy!

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Ravioli Lasagna

Ingredients:
2 cups light chunk style spaghetti sauce
1 ( 9oz) pkg. refrigerated meat or cheese filled ravioli
1 beaten egg
1 ( 15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
1/4 cup romano or parmesan cheese
1 ( 10 oz) pkg. froz. chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:In 10 inch skillet combine spaghetti sauce and 1/3 cup water, bring to boiling. Stir in ravioli, cover, cook over medium heat about 5 min or till ravioli are nearly tender, stirring once.Stir together the egg, ricotta cheese, and romano or parmesan cheese. Dot ravioli with spinach. Spoon ricotta mixture atop. Cover and cook over low heat about 10 min more. or till ricotta layer is set and pasta is just tender.

I got this recipe from Full Bellies, Happy Kids. It's good but I tweaked mine a bit. I used 4 cheese ravioli but added meat to my spaghetti sauce (Josh prefers meat in his sauce). Next time I won't use as much spinach- it was a bit overpowering. And I add mozzarella cheese to the top at the end and then put the lid back on so it melts from the heat. Overall good meal though and a change on the traditional ravioli and also healthy with the spinach in there.

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