Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake

image and recipe from Joyously Domestic

INGREDIENTS:

10 ounces dry pasta- rotini, farfalle, or penne

2 TBS butter

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 ounces chive and onion cream cheese

1 cup sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)

1 cup whole milk, heavy cream or half-and-half)

1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1-1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)

1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, cut into large chucks (I used grape tomatoes sliced in half)

fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat a medium casserole dish with non-stick spray.

3. While pasta is cooking, heat butter in a medium saute pan set to medium heat. Add in the onion and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes to slightly soften veggies. Do not brown.

4. Add in cream cheese and stir to melt. Reduce heat to low. Stir in sour cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir until everything is well-combined and melted. Turn off heat. 

5. Combine the pasta, chicken, spinach and tomatoes in a large bowl. 

6. Add in the sauce and gently stir to coat.

7. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella. 

8. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and beginning to brown. Top with basil or parsley for garnish. 

Note: In order for the pasta bake to not dry out, place the baking dish on a sheet pan and add 1-2 cups of very hot water to the sheet pan once in the oven. This will create steam during the baking process and will help to keep everything moist. 

This was yummy! And I love something that cooks in the oven so I can clean up the kitchen! :)

Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto 

recipe and image from "Dang" Delicious

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

3 TBS pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified, set aside. 

Mini Lasagna Cups

Mini Lasagna Cups

recipe from Catching Fireflies

INGREDIENTS:

Marinara sauce

ricotta cheese

mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

won ton wraps

Italian seasoning 

ground beef/sausage

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spray the cupcake pan with Pam and place one won ton wrap in each cup.

2. Next layer sauce and meat, cheeses then repeat.

3. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and pop out with a knife. 

*Serve with salad and bread, yum! This was a fun twist on lasagna and so easy!!

Baked Sausage Pasta

Baked Sausage Pasta
from My Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
• 3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 4. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.
• *This was a yummy, easy baked pasta dish.
• 
  

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach and Italian Cheeses

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach and Italian Cheeses
from Dinners for a Year and Beyond

INGREDIENTS:
olive oil spray
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
5 ounces (1/2 of a 10 ounce package) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
salt and pepper
1 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce, heated

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat a baking dish with olive oil spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese, spinach, and ricotta cheese. Set aside.
3. Lay chicken flat on a work surface and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread about 3 - 4 tablespoons of the spinach mixture on the chicken and roll up starting at the narrow end. Repeat with remaining chicken.
4. Place panko and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish and eggs in another shallow dish. Dip the chicken rolls in the egg and then the panko and place seam side down in the baking dish. Lightly spray chicken with olive oil.
5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through and the filling is hot and bubbly.
6. To serve, place about 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce on a plate and top with the baked chicken. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Serve with additional marinara sauce.

*This was a good stuffed, baked chicken. We served it with wheat thin spaghetti and broccoli. Yum!

Lasagna Stuffed Pizza

Lasagna Stuffed Pizza
from The Picky Palate

INGREDIENTS:
2 16 oz packages pizza dough, (I just made one batch of this pizza dough)
1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage (I used reduced fat sausage and added Italian seasoning)
26 oz jar Pasta Sauce of choice
16 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Pinch of kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper
McCormicks Pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp
extra virgin olive oil for brushing dough

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown sausage until browned. Drain and return back to skillet. Add pasta sauce and reduce heat to low to simmer.
2. Place ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella cheese and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
3. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Use large circle cookie cutter (I used my smallest corningware bowl and cut around it) to cut into dough. Place half onto a lightly greased or silpat lined baking sheet. Fill each heart with a Tablespoon or so of sauce then top with a small spoonful of ricotta cheese. Top with remaining dough shapes and press edges with the tines of your fork. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with pizza seasoning.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.

*Wow, these were delicious! I loved the pizza dough and filling, yum!

French Bread Pizzas

I can't believe I hadn't posted these yet! This was a family favorite growing up and we love to make them now too! It is so simple and so yummy. I love that everyone can choose toppings they want and make their own pizza.

French Bread Pizzas

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 loaves of french bread (depending on how many people will be eating)
pizza sauce
mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
pizza toppings- pepperoni, pineapples, olives, sausage, etc.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut french bread loaf in half length wise.
2. Spread pizza sauce on bread. Top with cheese and toppings.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. chicken breasts or chicken breasts and thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized pieces

1/4 c. white flour

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and either crushed or halved

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 c. white wine, white cooking wine, or apple or white grape juice

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using cooking wine; you may shrivel up and die if you add the salt in addition to cooking wine because cooking wine is treated with salt to make it undrinkable)

1 bay leaf

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, chopped
spaghetti (We really like multi grain or wheat pasta!)
we sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil, and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.
2. In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat pieces with flour.
3. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
4. While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth.
5. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours.
6. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the mushrooms and the chopped green pepper. Cook until mushrooms and pepper are tender. Boil water and cook spaghetti. Remove bay leaf from crock pot and serve over pasta.

This was delicious with wonderful flavor! Joe said it tasted great as leftovers as well. We served the cacciatore with these breadsticks for our Sunday dinner!

Creamy Pesto Pasta

Creamy Pesto Pasta
recipe and image from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 batch Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
1/2 pound bowtie pasta (3 cups dry pasta)
3.5 ounce Pesto (about 1/2 cup)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
8 ounce mushrooms (about 3 cups sliced)
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I added this!)
3 TB pine nuts (mmm, these are yummy!)
Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Prepare your Guiltless Alfredo Sauce. When it's finished, just make sure it's covered and set it aside.
3. Place a large stock pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
4. Remove stems from mushrooms and slice. Place tomatoes and mushrooms on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (3-4 T should do it) toss with your fingers making sure everything is coated and then lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes. You can tell the tomatoes are ready when the skins start to split. Don't overcook them or they'll be mush!
5. When water comes to a boil add a little salt and the pasta.
6. Toast pine nuts: Place nuts in a dry skillet on med heat. Stir constantly. They will start to turn glossy which means the oils are releasing. Then they'll start to brown. Let them get golden brown and then remove them from the pan to cool. It should take about 7-10 minutes total.
7. Your pasta should be done, drain it if you haven't already.
8. Add pesto to alfredo sauce and stir to combine well.
9. Tomatoes and mushrooms should be done about now, take them out of the oven.
10. Put it all together! Place pasta and cooked, cubed chicken in a large bowl and combine with as much sauce as you need. Place tomatoes and mushrooms on top and sprinkle on lots of fresh Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle pine nuts on top and serve.

*My husband loves pesto, I do not. However, mix it with delicious alfredo and I am good to go I guess! This pasta was so delicious!

Guitless Alfredo Sauce

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups low-fat milk (not skim)
1/3 cup (3 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 TB flour
1 tsp salt
1 TB butter
3 garlic cloves
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt. Process until smooth and set aside.
2. In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on medium-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds (it seriously smells delicious!). It should be a bubbly.
3. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 to 4 minutes on until it comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicken now.
4. When it's nice and thick )it should look as thick as a normal alfredo sauce) remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it together, and then cover. Let stand for 10 minutes before using because it will thicken.

*Ok, this alfredo sauce was amazing! I love the garlic flavor, yummy yummy!! There almost was not enough left for the pasta because I had to keep 'tasting it'!

Stromboli

Stromboli
from The Sister's Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

1 Rhodes bread dough

1/4 lb ham, sliced

1/4 lb hard salami

1/4 lb provolone

mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp dried basil, divided

1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided

melted butter or olive oil

cornmeal

DIRECTIONS:
1. Set out bread dough to thaw.
2. Once thawed, spread the dough out on a cookie sheet.
3. Layer the ham and then the salami along the middle of the dough going lengthwise. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp each of basil and oregano then layer on cheeses. Sprinkle with remaining basil and oregano.
6. Wet edges of the dough and fold over the long edges and roll up the ends. Brush olive oil over dough and sprinkle lightly with corn meal. Carefully flip stromboli over and repeat on other side.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes.
Serve with hot spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Lasagna Roll-Ups
recipe and image from Blog Chef

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
1/4 lb ground beef
2 TBS onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 dash cayenne pepper

Filling:
1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese (I think I will use Ricotta cheese next time)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 TB fresh parsley, minced
1/4 tsp onion powder
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion and garlic until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and cayenne. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 9” baking dish.
2. In a bowl combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley and onion powder. Spread ¼ cup of the cheese mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in rows in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce.
3. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. About 5 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese has melted.

Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
from Phemomenon

Meatballs
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 lb ground beef (I used all beef)
1/4 lb ground pork
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
2 small cloves garlic, cut fine
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.
3. Heat 4 TBS of extra virgin olive oil in big frying pan.
4. Chop 1 cup onion to combine with meatballs.
4. Place meatballs and onion in frying pan. Toss or gently turn to brown all sides.
5. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on cooked meatballs.

Now add the following and simmer:

Tomato Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups cooked tomatoes (I used diced)
6 Tbsp minced parsley
6 Tbsp minced green pepper (I used red)
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tsp sugar
2 small bay leaves, crumbled
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Serve hot over cooked spaghetti noodles.
*I actually cut the meatball amount in half but kept the same amount of sauce- it turned out great!

Parmesan Chicken

Parmesan Chicken
from Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 clove garlic, minced
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2x2 inches

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.

3. Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Manicotti

Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Manicotti

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 12 pieces
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 cup halved mushrooms
1 TB oil
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
12 uncooked manicotti shells
1 envelope (1. 8 ounces) white sauce mix
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1 1/2 cups shredded Havarti cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 450.
2. Toss asparagus, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, oil, lemon-pepper seasoning and salt until vegetables are coated. Spread in ungreased jelly roll pan.
3. Roast about 20 minutes or until vegetable are crisp-tender. Cool slightly. Coarsely chop vegetables.
4. While vegetables are roasting, cook and drain manicotti as directed on package.
5. in saucepan, mix sauce mix and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in marjoram; remove from heat.
6. Reserve 1 cup vegetables for topping. Mix remaining vegetables, 1 cup of the cheese, the chicken and 1/2 cup of the sauce.
7. In bottom of ungreased 13x9 pan, spread about 1/4 cup sauce.
8. Spoon chicken mixture into manicotti shells; arrange in dish. Spoon remaining sauce over manicotti. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup vegetables adn 1/2 cup cheese.
9. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 10 minutes or until bubbly.