Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I love the smell of Italian food in my kitchen. It warms up the house and the aroma just feels like family. This pasta is a dish I'm sure I will be coming back to again and again. It's one of those "grub" meals that just tastes good and fills your belly. It also uses ingredients that I usually always have on hand. Double-score!

From Giada De Laurentiis

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 45 min

Total Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups pastina pasta (or any small pasta - I used whole wheat shells)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (may substitute with 1/4 cup dried parsley or other Italian herbs)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook just until tender, stirring occasionally, about  5 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large mixing bowl. 

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. 

Add the chicken mixture to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered baking dish. (9" x 13" or similar in size will do.) 

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Dot the top with small bits of butter. Bake until the top is golden-brown, about 30 minutes.

Buona Vita!

Spaghetti with Tomato, Turkey, and Spinach

I have a dream of going grocery shopping on a Saturday, and using every single thing I bought from the grocery store the following week, in 5 or 6 delicious meals, without one thing going to waste. That is my goal. And this recipe gets me one step closer to getting there.

Remember the Tuscan Tomato Soup from Tuesday? Well, since that soup uses real (or canned) chunky tomatoes, it is a thicker soup, which means that it doubles as a wonderful pasta sauce! Let's get do the details:

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 1-1/2 lb. ground turkey

1-2 cups leftover Tuscan Tomato Soup

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I prefer Prego Chunky Garden)

1-2 cups fresh spinach

1 lb. cooked whole wheat spaghetti (or any type of pasta)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground turkey. When all the meat is browned, slowly drain the liquid from the pan. To the turkey, add Tuscan Tomato Soup and 1 jar store-bought spaghetti sauce. Mix together and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and stir until leaves are just wilted.

Add sauce to cooked pasta and enjoy.

Ground Turkey Cannelloni

This is one of those dishes where you don't have to follow the ingredient recommendation exactly. As long as you have the most important ingredients like pasta shells, ground meat, marinara sauce, broth, parmesan cheese, eggs, milk, and herbs, you're pretty good to go. Cooking with too many measuring utensils sort of stresses me out, so this is one dish that is right up my alley. The no-measuring utensil method does not work for all dishes, but it does work for this one.

I hope you enjoy. Hubby sure did last night, eating 4 of these big boys.

Adapted from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1/2 cup celery, minced (about 3 stalks)

1/3 cup carrot, minced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons fresh herbs, chopped (rosemary, parsley, thyme are all good options)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

1 egg yolk

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

dash nutmeg

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 cups marinara sauce 

6-8 cannelloni/manicotti pasta shells, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add ground turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink. Add wine and reduce for one minute. Stir in broth and add herbs and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and let reduce until almost dry. Discard bay leaf and set aside mixture to cool. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley and 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese. Remove from heat. 

Transfer the cooled meat mixture to a large bowl and add egg yolk and cheese-parsley sauce.  

Spoon meat filling into cannelloni shells and arrange, in a single layer, in a well-buttered baking dish. 

Cover the stuffed shells with any remaining meat mixture, marinara sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until parmesan cheese is slightly golden.

Prosciutto-Pepper Whole-Grain Spaghetti

There are so many options with pasta. It's easy to think of pasta pairings in two categories: tomato sauce or cream sauce. But there are many different ways than just tomato or cream to flavor a delightful pasta dish. This recipe is a perfect example. 

It's a tasty winter-y delight. I hope you enjoy.

*Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound whole-grain spaghetti (or linguine)

2 Tablespoons peppercorns, coarsely ground (about 2 teaspoons ground)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated parmesan, romano, or pecorino cheese

6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or pancetta (if using pancetta, be sure to cook for about 5 min. first)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a small, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground peppercorns and toast for about 20-30 seconds. Add the oil and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat. 

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Transfer the spaghetti to a large serving bowl. Add 1 cup of the cheese, and toss to combine, gradually adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen up the pasta. Add the oil mixture, prosciutto or pancetta, 2 Tablespoons of parsley, and 2 Tablespoons of basil. Toss well to combine all ingredients. 

Garnish with remaining cheese, parsley, and basil. 

Simple Orzotto

Sometimes the best part of a meal is the side dishes. One of my favorite BBQ restaurants has an option on their menu called the "sidecar". It is basically four of their sides (choose whatever you want, from mac and cheese to okra to blues on the cob to sweet potatoes and more) as your main course meal. Genius. 

Thanks to Kelsey Egan, I have recently discovered orzo as a quick, simple, and versatile side dish that can complement just about any meal. The recipe below offers orzotto in its simplest form, but it can also be dressed up and added to to match the style of your main course. Variations on this recipe (including one with bacon...yum) can be found at the bottom of this post. 

*from Kelsey's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cups orzo (or pearl barley)

1/2 cup dry white wine or red wine

3 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated cheese (I use parmesan)

salt and pepper to taste

herbs or fresh aromatics as desired

DIRECTIONS:

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant and translucent. Add the orzo or barley and toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and cook until absorbed. 

Gradually add the stock, stirring frequently. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes until liquid is almost absorbed and orzo or barley is tender. Remove from heat.

Stir in heavy cream and cheese. Season with salt and pepper or any other desired seasonings and serve. 

VARIATIONS:

Lemon Asparagus Orzotto: add 1/2 cup steamed diced fresh asparagus, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and zest from 1/2 lemon.

Mushroom Orzotto: add 1 cup wild or cultivated mushrooms. Substitute chicken or beef stock with mushroom stock. Add 3/4 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. 

Sweet Corn with Bacon Orzotto: Add 1/2 cup sweet corn, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon. 

Chicken Vesuvio

I really, really, really, really, really need to find my camera charger so that the pictures of my food don't look completely yellow-colored or unappetizing. My philosophy is any picture is better than no picture so the show must go on. 

The sauce in this dish. Oh, my, goodness, The sauce. That's all I have to say.

*Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 chicken thighs with skin and bones (I used chicken breasts, but I think thighs would be more tender)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, halved

4 large garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine (I recently bought cooking wine and it has been a great investment)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

8 ounces artichoke hearts

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof pot over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, cook the chicken in the pot until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Carefully add the potatoes to the same pot and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, oregano, and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot and stir all ingredients to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and arrange potatoes around the chicken. Add the artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pot. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Turn heat to low and stir in the butter. Pour the sauce over chicken and potatoes, and serve. 

Be generous with the sauce, it's the best part. 

Blue Ribbon Lasagna

While I am not Italian, this recipe is a family-favorite dish. It has been shared, devoured, and enjoyed by many a visitor in my childhood home. The sauce. is. amazing. It would be great served with any type of pasta, in my opinion, but also combines perfectly with the cheesy, saucy, pasta-y layered perfection that is lasagna. This dish isn't labeled Blue Ribbon for nothing!

INGREDIENTS:

1-1 1/2 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons oregano

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

2 Tablespoons basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

1 pint (2 cups) cottage cheese

2 eggs

2 cups monterey jack cheese, grated

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

Brown beef. Add onions and cook until they are transparent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, oregano, parsley, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours, until sauce is thickened. 

While sauce is simmering, cook noodles. Drain and let dry. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. When sauce is ready, begin assembly of the dish. Mix cottage cheese and eggs together. In a 9x13 inch pan layer cooked noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese mixture, jack and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat layers three times. 

Bake for 45 minutes and enjoy!  

Gnocchi!

As the second installment of Jersey Shore-inspired Italian meals, I present Gnocchi (pronounced "nyocki"). The first time I ever tasted and heard of gnocchi was at a dinner that was used to get me out of the house for a surprise 17th birthday party. The location was Italy's Little Kitchen and I remember thinking, "Oh, Gnocchi! Where have you been all my life?" Having grown up with an express love for mashed potatoes and fettuccine alfredo, I thought, "You mean to tell me that I can have potatoes and pasta in one dish?!" Haha.. Now that I am more well-versed in nutrition, I realize this seems a little carb-crazy, but all things are good in moderation. And some things, like this, are really good.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke potatoes all over with a fork and bake on a baking sheet for 45 minutes to one hour, until potatoes are fork-tender. For best results, turn potatoes over halfway through baking. Let potatoes cool slightly. (It helps to let cool in the freezer for a few minutes if you're impatient, like me.)

Peel the potatoes, then grate them using the large holes of a grater into a large bowl. Add lightly beaten egg and salt to the grated potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour to the potatoes, a little at a time, using only enough so that the dough will not stick to your hands. Once the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together and dump onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, as you would bread dough, for about 3-4 minutes. 

Form the dough into a ball, and then portion it out into six smaller balls. On a floured surface, use your fingers to roll one of the six dough balls into a 3/4-inch wide rope. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces. 

You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. You can create these by pressing each piece of dough on the tines of a fork and then rolling it off and forming a cylinder shape. It helps to dip the fork into flour in between each formation to avoid sticking.  

To cook the gnocchi, place each dough piece into a pot of boiling and well-salted water. After a few minutes, the gnocchi will float to the top. Let cook one more minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

Serve with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese and enjoy. 

Chicken Parmesan with Marinara

Call me crazy, but I've been receiving a lot of cooking inspiration lately from Jersey Shore. Ronnie, Pauly D, Mike, Snookie, JWoww, they are hilarious and have an amazing talent for memorable one-liners, but they're also young and immature. In spite of this, their mothers seem to have succeeded in instilling a sense of family togetherness that is seen vividly at the kitchen table. They seem to just knock out these five-entree dinners complete with garlic knots, homemade sauces, and (haha) Gatorade! 

While, I don't have secret family recipes for amazing sauces or (always) the appetite to chow down such weighty, heavy meals, I do share a love of food as a way to bring people together. My next couple posts will include some efforts to become more Italian with some hearty, delicious, tomato and mozzarella-filled dishes.

*Recipe from Jill Parker, as told to me by Suzette

INGREDIENTS:

3 thinly sliced chicken breasts (about 1/2 inch thick)

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2 cups marinara sauce (I used Prego, but you could also use this)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or 3 big slices)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

8 oz. spaghetti noodles, cooked

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Dip chicken in melted butter, then generously coat both sides with bread crumbs. Lay chicken flat in baking dish. Cover with marinara sauce, followed by mozzarella cheese, and then parmesan cheese. 

Bake in oven for 45 min. to an hour, until chicken is fully cooked. 

Serve with spaghetti noodles and garlic bread. 

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

There is something about holistic, delicious, meaty, chunky sauces. Spaghetti Bolognese is a fancy way of saying spaghetti with meat sauce, but doesn't bolognese sound so much more fun? In addition to the filling and tasty dinner that results from the recipe below, you'll also get to enjoy the amazing aroma of Italian cooking while this sauce simmers. Mama Mia!!

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cups olive oil

3/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 lb. ground beef

1 Tablespoon dried oregano (or fresh if you have it)

1 Tablespoon dried basil flakes (or fresh if you have it)

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 cup red wine

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cans (28 oz.) whole tomatoes

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture and then add in the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.

Toss in oregano and basil. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours--however long you need.

Serve with pasta and good ol' parmesan cheese.

Basic Marinara Sauce

There is something about a chunky, delicious, homemade marinara sauce. I can't decide what's better: the perfect way it complements spaghetti or the aroma that fills your kitchen while it simmers. This is a meatless sauce (aside from the chicken broth), but the texture and flavor and richness make this a hearty crowd-pleaser that turns the oh-so-common American-staple spaghetti dish into a memorable evening meal.

*adapted from Recipes at 350 Degrees

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium chopped yellow or white onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon fresh basil (if you have it... if not, replace with Italian seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup chicken broth

1 (28 oz.) can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until glossy and slightly browned, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and next six ingredients. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in balsamic vinegar. Cook about 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, on low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 55 minutes. Makes four cups.