Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I got this recipe from Becky Higgins via Kevin and Amanda. It is so not healthy, but so good. Seriously, so good.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle
by Becky Higgins

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (12 oz) bottle Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime
16 oz. farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1/2 cup butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon pepper (i only used 1/2 tablespoon and we thought it was plenty)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb. bacon, crumbled

Cook chicken and marinade in crockpot on low for 6 hours. Pull chicken out of crockpot, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set aside. About half-hour before serving boil the pasta. In a small saucepan melt butter. Add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan and bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour sauce over cooked, drained pasta. Add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle with additional parmesan.

Pesto Ravioli with Chicken

We LOVE this recipe. It's really easy and really, really good!

Pesto Ravioli with Chicken

2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 package (15 oz) chicken tenders
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
3 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup refrigerated pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook Chicken in oil about 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown. Remove chicken from skillet.

2. Add broth and ravioli to same skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 4 minutes or until ravioli is tender. Stir in zucchini, bell pepper and chicken. Cook over medium-high heat about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink in center. Toss with pesto. Sprinkle with cheese.

Lasagna Rolls

I found this recipe in a magazine ad for Frigo cheeses. Really it is called Baked Chicken Lasagna Rolls, but I almost always (okay always) make them with ground beef now. I prefer them that way, but the chicken ones are really good, too.

I usually buy a big tub (32 oz) of ricotta and a big block of mozzarella and double the recipe so I can freeze half. To do that I place the rolls on a cookie sheet (without the sauce) and freeze them for a couple of hours. I put them in a ziploc bag with some shredded mozzarella and just make sure I have an extra jar of sauce on hand.

Also, something else I've found. You can use the store brand ricotta. It'll taste fine, but the brand name ricotta is smoother and creamier.

Lasagna Rolls
adapted from Frigo cheese and Cooking Light Magazine

2 cups Part Skim Ricotta cheese
1-1/4 cup Mozzarella Part Skim cheese, shredded and divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I usually use a couple of TBSP dried parsley.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb cooked ground beef  (or 2 cups shredded baked chicken breasts)
8 cooked lasagna noodles (Cook these a couple minutes less than you should. I usually do 6 minutes.)
1 lg jar tomato sauce (I use traditional Prego, but you can use whatever sauce you like.)

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix first eight ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of Mozzarella for baking, set aside. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on countertop.  Lay noodles on the plastic wrap so they are touching on the sides. Spread some of the cheese mixture on each noodle leaving a little (an inch or less) of each noodle bare. Then sprinkle meat over the top. Spread some sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Starting at one end, roll one noodle at a time and place seam side down in dish. Cover with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes.

Click here for printable version.

Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Bowties

I've made this salad 4 or 5 times now and have forgotten to take a picture EVERY time. So, this one is from The Sisters Cafe. We love this salad... it's perfect for summer! Last night I brought it to our RS activity and it was a huge hit there, too.

Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Bowties
Adapted from The Sisters Cafe

16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled
2 bags of fresh baby spinach
2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 cup Craisins
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup honey roasted peanuts or cashews
1/2 cup fresh parsley (optional-I don't add)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (optional-I don't add)
2 cups torn cooked chicken (optional)

Dressing:
1 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2/3 cup white wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2/3 C. teriyaki sauce
5 Tbs. sugar

Cook bowtie pasta according to directions, drain/rinse and cool while whisking the dressing together in a large bowl. Marinate cooked bowtie pasta in the dressing for 1 hour or longer in the fridge (I also marinate the shredded chicken along with it, to give it some flavor... I also marinate it for about 4 hours, usually). Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the teriyaki sauce and pasta over the salad, toss together and serve. If it's just a few of you, make individual salad servings; keeping the salad and bowtie sauce separate for the rest of the week.

This makes a HUGE salad. I made half for our activity last night and we are having the other half for dinner tonight. The spinach wilts quickly, so definitely keep it separate. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I have yet to find a Pioneer Woman recipe that I don't like. This picture and the recipe are from her site. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/02/spaghetti-meatballs/
Ingredients
Meatballs:
¾ pounds Ground Beef
¾ pounds Ground Pork
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs
2 whole Eggs
¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
¼ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Splash Of Milk
½ cups Olive Oil

Sauce:
1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
pinch of red pepper flakes (opt.)
8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (optional)
2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

Preparation Instructions
To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 25 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.

To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.

In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.
Just before serving, stir in basil if using.

Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.

Pasta with Garlicky Roasted Broccoli

I pulled this recipe (and the picture) from the April 2010 Family Circle. I made it tonight with a couple of last minute changes. Kade, Matt and I liked it. I'm not so sure about Rachel (she didn't eat much) and Hailey only had pasta with the butter, broth and parmesan.  I went to get my camera to take a picture and the battery was dead. Hence the picture from the magazine. It isn't vegetarian because of the broth, but it is meatless which is something I want more of.

Pasta with Garlicky Roasted Broccoli

6 c. fresh broccoli florets (mine had been blanched and frozen, a tad soggy but still not too bad)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (I thought I had walnuts. Turns out they were pecans. I used them anyway.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
12 oz whole wheat rotini pasta (mine was 13 oz)
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine broccoli, garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until coated. Place broccoli mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet and roast for 13 minutes, stirring twice. Cook pasta following package instructions. Drain and return to pot. Add broccoli mixture to pasta pot and stir in broth, butter and cheese. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable version.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage

I have made this a few times and we love it at our house. For our family it is a great "make once, eat twice recipe". It makes 2 9x9 pans. You just eat one and freeze the other. I found the recipe on My Kitchen Cafe.



Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands (or crushed tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound rigatoni
10 ounces baby spinach (I double the amount of spinach - fresh or frozen)
12 ounces smoked chicken (or turkey) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces fontina (or mozzarella) cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook for another minute.

Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.

Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

You can freeze half and cook from frozen at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until browned and edges are crisp.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

Here is a fast way to make lasagna without using your oven!



Weeknight Lasagna Toss

Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1-2/3 cups water
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters*
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese or rocatta cheese

Directions
Brown meat in large saucepan; drain.

Add garlic, spaghetti sauce, and water; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover.

Cook on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.


*You can substitute 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces, for the oven-ready noodles. Increase water to 2 cups and cook 30 min., stirring occasion

Chicken Lo Mein

We love having this when we feel like Chinese. I adapted the veggies to suit my kids' tastes, so feel free to throw in whatever your family likes. The changes I make are in red. The best thing about this recipe is that it makes a ton, and tastes even better the next day!

Chicken Lo Mein

adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

12 ounces Chinese Lo Mein noodles or linguine pasta (I use whole wheat linguine)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Stir-fry Sauce (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I do 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup snow peas

1 cup broccoli florets, steamed until just barely tender

Unsalted dry roasted peanut halves (optional)

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, continue with the recipe, and when the noodles are done, drain and set aside.

Make the stir-fry sauce and set aside. Heat the oil in an extra-deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Stir from time to time. While the onion cooks, slice the chicken into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Add the chicken to the skillet. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally.

While the chicken cooks, add the carrots, broccoli and mushrooms (celery and snow peas) and stir to mix. Stir-fry the mixture until the chicken is no longer pink. Immediately add the stir-fry sauce and noodles. Raise the heat to high and cook until the noodles and chicken are heated through and coated with sauce, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve, garnished with peanut halves (if using).

Stir-Fry Sauce

(I sometimes double this, depending on how many veggies I end up throwing in)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons chopped ginger

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a 1-quart bowl.

Manicotti in Jumbo Shells

1/2 box jumbo shells, boiled for 12 minutes
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
1 3/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 beaten egg
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 jar Prego, or whatever kind your family likes

1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. mozarella cheese

Combine ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, egg, and parsley. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam. Spread 3/4 jar of Prego in pan. Fill shells with cheese mixture and place on top of Prego. Pour remaining sauce over shells and sprinkle with 1/4 c. mozzarella and 1/4 c. parmesan

Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

You could you manicotti noodles if you prefer, I just think it's easier to stuff the shells.

Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese

This recipe is really easy to make and it sort of dresses up your regular spaghetti night.

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese
12 oz. spaghetti, uncooked
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. COOK onions in dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high. Add meat; cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Stir in tomato sauce and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 min. Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese until well blended.

2. MEANWHILE, cook pasta as directed on package.

3. SPOON sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.