Tomato & Basil Chicken Pasta

It's been awhile since I blogged a recipe. Mainly because, with two young kids and a dairy-free diet, my evenings normally consist of "oh shit, it's 5:00, I have nothing thawed. Bean burritos it is!" This digs is nothing fancy, but it was delicious, toddler approved and includes a bunch of ingredients I almost-always have on hand. 

Ingredients

2 thawed chicken breasts

1 large tomato, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 box pasta of your choosing (I used penne, because I let London pick)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp non-dairy butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried basil

Salt & pepper

Directions

In a medium frying pan, heat olive oil on medium-low heat

While oil is heating, begin boiling a salted pit of water for pasta; once boiling, cook pasta according to directions on box

Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper

Cook in heated olive oil until browned on each side

Add tomato, basil, garlic, & butter to frying pan and stir gently until butter is melted

Remove chicken breasts from pan and cut into large slices

Mix sauce with pasta & serve, too with sliced chicken 

Recipe: Baked Gnocch' & Cheese

You know what's so annoying? When a recipe has the ingredients listed not-at-all in the order they're using. I'm constantly having to scroll up and down on my phone to see quantities and make sure I didn't miss anything .. and you know I normally miss at least one ingredient somehow. Once I accidentally added red bell pepper to a dish instead of crushed red pepper. But whatever, it works.

So we had some company Friday night and with the craziness of work, I had absolutely nothing planned for dinner. Somehow, this got thrown together. So rich, but so delicious. Perfect iced-in sort of meal (yeah, we had an "ice storm", what of it?)

I sort-of used this as a guide. And forgot to take any pictures before we devoured it, so photo credit goes to CookingStoned.TV. Wow, really? That's the name? Eh, makes sense.

Ingredients

• 1 lb gnocchi
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Add gnocchi to pot of boiling water and boil for two minutes, then drain
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium low heat
4. While whisking constantly, add garlic powder, then flour, then buttermilk, then cheeses in small handfuls until completely melted
5. Spread cooked gnocchi in a small, lightly greased baking dish (I used 8x8)
6. Cover with cheese mixture
7. Top with Parmesan
8. Bake for 25 minutes

Recipe: Penne Rosa with Shrimp

After several failed recipes recently, this one was a big win. Pretty easy, and makes a ton of food - so I froze the leftovers to have after baby comes and I don't feel like cooking! Trying to do more of that, and not doing the greatest job so far... You could easily halve the recipe if you're only cooking for two people / don't want leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 box penne pasta (most likely 16 oz)
• 1 bag medium raw shrimp, thawed and peeled
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (or more, if you like spicy! a little goes a long way)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup alfredo sauce
• Parmesan cheese to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook and drain the pasta according to the box
   
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat
3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes to skillet; cook for about 2 minutes (until garlic begins to soften, but not brown!)
4. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper; cook for about 5 minutes (until tomatoes release juices)
   
5. Turn up heat to medium-high and add shrimp; cook for 2 minutes (until shrimp are pink and opaque)
6. Remove from heat
7. Rip spinach leaves from stems and add to skillet; cover and let steam for 2 minutes (until spinach is wilted)
   
8. Place skillet back over low heat; add pasta, tomato sauce and alfredo sauce and stir until everything is coated and heated through
9. Serve and top with parmesan cheese

Recipe: Lasagna Roll-Ups

Like the good Italian girl I am (what, like you haven't noticed my incredible hair olive-toned arms?), I LOVE pasta. Penne or fettuccine, cream sauce or tomato, with meat or with vegetables - doesn't matter. I am always in the mood for pasta. It's in my blood. When we went to Italy, all my sister wanted from the trip was to walk into a restaurant and have them bring us food until we could eat no more (hint: check out Acqua al due if you're ever in Florence, and get the "assagio" - sampler). And my mother ... well, she doesn't cook much, but she makes the most wonderful lasagna ever. It's my great grandfather's recipe and she only ever makes it on New Year's Day - pans and pans of it, for anyone who wants to come, eat, and enjoy. I've only taken on this recipe once or twice, because it is quite the undertaking, and it takes two people a very long time to eat a whole pan of lasagna, so I was thrilled with this recipe. The best part of it is that you can make as much or as little as you want! Just keep in mind that this recipe makes 8 roll-ups, which was enough for a dinner and a lunch for both of us.

 Ingredients

• 8 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 T olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, drained
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 T fresh basil, chopped
• 1 1/2 T fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup (approx) of tomato sauce*

*The original recipe didn't call for tomato sauce, but I feel like it would've been very dry without it. This is especially good for reheating!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large pot of boiling water over high heat and salt generously.
3. When it reaches a rolling boil, boil the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box. What's that- there's no directions? Yeah, I had the same problem. For 8 noodles, 10 minutes seemed to work. You'll want them to cook to the point of al dente, stirring occasionally. 
4. Drain the noodles whenever the appear to be maleable.
5. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil.
6. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add turkey and cook until almost completely brown.
8. Add tomatoes, 1/2 the basil, oregano & crushed red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium low.  If you don't like spicy, be very cautious with the red pepper - a little bit goes a long way! If you want to add sauce, this is the time to do it. Then, simmer for about 15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile (now you're multi-tasking!), beat egg in a small bowl.
10. Add ricotta, parmesan and remaining basil & oregano, mixing all ingredients together well.
11. Spray a glass pan with cooking spray (I used an 11x7 baking dish).
12. Add enough of the meat mixture to lightly cover the bottom of the pain.
13. To assemble a roll, place one generous spoonful of ricotta mixture and an even-more-generous spoonful of meat mixture on top of a drained noodle.
14. Roll up, and place seem side down in pan. Repeat 7 more times, or however many noodles you have.
15. Top the rolls with the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella cheese and remaining crushed red pepper.
16. Bake 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
17. Serve with some yummy, buttery garlic bread (OK, fine, this part is optional, too. But who doesn't like garlic bread?!)

Recipe: Tuscan Pasta

This is another "cheater's" recipe, but it was too good not to share. It was actually one of the very first things I pinned, but never got around to making it because Ben doesn't like alfredo sauce. Bad news? Ben played poker last night so I was alone for dinner. Good news? Mama gets alfredo. I only made half the recipe and had half of that portion for dinner and half for lunch.

Ingredients

• 20 oz package frozen or refrigerated cheese ravioli
• 16 oz jar alfredo sauce
• 2 tbsp white wine
• Half-carton of cherry tomatoes, sliced length-wise or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2(?) tbsp dried basil leaves or 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1/3(?) cup grated parmesan cheese
• Strips of fresh basil or additional dried basil for topping

Directions

1. Boil pasta according to directions on package
   
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat alfredo sauce and wine until bubbling
   
3. Add tomatoes and basil; Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through
4. Toss with cooked / drained pasta
5. Serve, topped with parmesan cheese and basil
   

Makes 4 servings

Recipe: SPICY Chicken Pasta

Ben & I both followed our first bite with a "woah!" but that didn't stop me from chowing down until my eyes were watering, chugging a bottle of water, then going to town again. I have a sensitive palette, so I'm not a huge fan of spicy, but certain flavors are just so good that I can deal with it (wasabi being my absolute favorite). In this particular recipe, it's roasted red pepper flakes that really "kick it up a notch" (I've never actually watched Emeril, but I hear that's something he likes to say). I cut the original recipe in half and it still had a good kick. Also, it's TONS of food. I recommend halving it and freezing - because I'm trying to do that now.

Giving credit where credit is due: Discovered here and inspired by this.

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup oil
• 1.5 tsp crushed red pepper (original recipe called for 1/2 tbsp if you REALLY love spicy)
• 1/8 tsp each salt & pepper
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 lg chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 1/4 cup vodka sauce (or you can mix 3/4 cup marinara & 1/2 cup alfredo)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 lb rigatoni or ziti pasta
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper & garlic. Saute long enough for garlice to brown.
4. Add chicken and saute briefly to coat chicken in spices and garlic, until chicken is no longer pink.
5. Add vodka sauce (or marinara / alfredo) and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly and chicken is cooked through.

6. Turn off heat. Add peas & butter. Stir until butter is melted completely.
7. Drain pasta, add into pan with sauce, chicken & vegetables. Toss to coat.
8. Garnish with red pepper (optional) and a tiny bit of parmesan cheese

Recipe: Baked Ziti

A few things you've probably figured out about me: I like to cook (but I'm by no means a gourmet-style chef, more home-style), and I'm Italian. I was raised on pastas, hearty sauces, breads, cheeses, etc. You know, all the stuff that's really great for bathing suit season.

A co-worker recently had a baby so I'm taking her family dinner last night, and this baked ziti has become my go-to. It's easily frozen for later use and there are slight amendments I make so that it's not quite so bad for you. Also, probably my favorite thing about it, you can make double the recipe to feed a crowd (just as all the folks we went skiing with in February!).

Ingredients

• 1 box (16 oz) ziti pasta (penne works too, and you can use whole wheat in a recipe like this because you can hardly taste it)
• 1 lb lean ground beef (I either use ground turkey or half & half for lower fat content)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 28oz jars spaghetti sauce (can be super basic cheap tomato sauce as you're going to add meat & onion and lots of spices can be thrown in!)
• 6 oz sliced low-fat provolone cheese
• 6 oz sliced low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups low fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or use dried basil in a much smaller qty)

Directions

• Boil water & cook pasta al dente (8-10 min)
• Saute onions until slightly translucent, then brown ground beef over medium heat in LARGE skillet
• Preheat oven to 350
• Drain fat (a lot less if you use turkey!) and add both jars sauce; simmer for 15 min
• Lightly grease 2 qt baking dish or 9x13 glass dish
• Layer: half pasta, half provolone / mozarella, half spaghetti sauce mixture, sour cream; repeat: pasta, cheese, sauce.
• Top with Parmesan & Basil
• Bake 30 minutes or until cheese / sauce are bubbly

Makes 8 servings at 120 calories / serving. Yes, 120, you read that correctly. You're welcome.

PS - if you freeze it, it WILL take longer to cook. I'd put it in the fridge if you're planning to eat it within a day.

Recipe: Baked Mac & Cheese

My cousins, Sandradee & Justin, got us The Joy of Cooking as a wedding gift and it is by far one of my most used gifts. I have a number of go-to recipes (Chicken Parmesan is one of my favs) but I get great enjoyment out of using an actual printed cookbook rather than just constantly checking an app. Tonight, we were rushed for time, so I picked a quick baked mac & cheese recipe and made a few slight modifications, per usual.

• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 2.5 cups white sauce (I used a jar of alfredo, rather than using their recipe to home-make it)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Paprika
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Bay leaf

Additional ingredients I used:

• Ground mustard
• Sliced pepperjack cheese 

Preheat oven to 350

Cook the macaroni normally & drain

Meanwhile, simmer white sauce, onion, ground mustard & paprika (1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon each), salt & pepper to taste, bay leaf for 15 minutes

Remove bay leaf

Remove sauce from heat, add half shredded cheese and stir until melted

Mix sauce & pasta in a bowl

Place half sauce / pasta mixture in a greased baking dish, layer with pepperjack cheese

Place remaining sauce / pasta mixture over pepperjack, top with remaining shredded cheese and bread crumbs

Bake :30 minutes