Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ben has been asking me to make a chicken lasagna for quite a long time now, but I never found a recipe that looked just right to me so I kept putting it off.  I was in the process of creating my own version from the many recipes I had read through, but then I saw this version on Renea’s blog and it looked perfect - she saved me the trouble!  Last week was a perfect opportunity to give this a try as it used up a lot of the leftover ingredients from the chicken and spinach quesadillas we had a few days earlier.  This recipe did not disappoint!  It was just the kind of thing I was looking for - a classic type of lasagna but with the chicken and spinach flavors very clearly coming through.  Delicious!  As usual, lasagna is incredibly un-photogenic, but just trust me, the taste makes up for it.

I made mine in a 2.5 quart casserole dish as I did not want to make a whole 9×13″ lasagna in case it did not turn out well.  We ended up with 6 large servings.  The curved edges of the dish didn’t cause much of a problem with the lasagna noodles.  I just broke off a few corners to make them fit well.  I really liked being able to have lasagna but not have a whole week’s worth, and I’ll try using a smaller dish again in the future.

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

salt and pepper

1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 (24-oz.) jar pasta sauce

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

9-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (depending on size of dish)

2 cups spinach, chopped

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

Place the chicken breast in a large non-stick skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through.  Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

 

Add 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the pasta sauce and the chicken to the skillet.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 minutes while making the ricotta layer.

 

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, egg and Italian seasoning.  Stir until well combined.

 

In a baking dish, spoon a thin layer of the pasta sauce mixture so that it just coats the bottom of the dish.  Top with one layer of lasagna noodles so that they cover the sauce completely.  Spread one half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with one cup of chopped spinach.  Layer with one third of the pasta sauce mixture.  Repeat the layers again with noodles, ricotta mixture with spinach, and pasta sauce.  The last layer will be noodles, the remaining pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: adapted from Sweet Savory Southern

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

This was a great dinner - fun to make and very tasty!  The flavors reminded me a lot of the fantastic Penne a la Betsy (shrimp, basil, creamy tomato sauce).  I’ve never done lasagna rolls before but I am definitely a big fan.  They are a great meal like lasagna, but without all the fuss.  Assembly took very little time.  I think they would be great for company as well since they are already individual portions for easy serving.   I will definitely make them again.

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1 ½ tbsp. olive oil

¾ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 oz. ricotta cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

2-3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

pinch of nutmeg

1 ¾ cups marinara sauce, divided

shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

 

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add the lasagna noodles and cook until partially tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shrimp to the skillet; season with salt and pepper.  Add the garlic to the pan as well and sauté until shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 1 cup of ricotta cheese, the Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and the nutmeg.  Stir to combine.

 

In another bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of marinara sauce with remaining ricotta, to taste.  Stir until smooth.

 

In an 8×8” baking dish, spread the remaining ¼ cup of marinara sauce so it covers the bottom.  Lay lasagna noodles out on a work surface.  Divide the shrimp mixture evenly between the noodles and spread over the full length of each.  Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Spoon the creamy marinara sauce over the top.  Top with shredded mozzarella.

 

Bake until lasagna rolls are heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 25 minutes.

Source: adapted from …And a Cookie for Dessert, originally from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis

Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli in White Wine Cheddar Sauce

This past week of being back in the kitchen full-time has been a lots of fun for me, and very successful.  I have gotten to try lots of new recipes and make a few old ones as well.  This particular recipe has been bookmarked in my computer for a very long time, but because of the wine in the sauce, I held off making it during my pregnancy.  I made it a couple of nights ago and it was fantastic!  I think the white cheddar and the wine combine to create a nice unique flavor making this a little more special than your average pasta dish.  I halved the original recipe to make about 4 servings.  I had the leftovers the next day for lunch and they were just as good as the night before.  I’ll be making this again and again!

Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in White Wine Cheddar Sauce
Ingredients:
8 oz. ziti or other tube pasta
1 ½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste (see directions below)
1 ½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, blanched or steamed until tender
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces
¾ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
To make the garlic paste, roast 2-3 heads of garlic.  When cool, squeeze the cloves out of the skin into a bowl.  Mash with a fork.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  When just starting to foam, add the garlic paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the flour to the skillet and cook until beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute.  Stir the broth into the pan and simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Add the cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fold in the pasta, chicken and broccoli and stir until the sauce covers uniformly.  Plate and top with shaved Parmesan, if desired.

Source: adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights, originally from Good Things Catered

Salmon Pesto Pasta

This is the first of a few pre-baby posts I need to catch up on.  I almost didn’t post it because the picture is pretty terrible (still the best of the many I took), but I felt like I had to because, well, this stuff is amazing!  This is the dinner that finally pushed Ben over the edge into agreeing that he does, in fact, like fish - it just has to be prepared well.  We both really, really enjoyed this and I loved how quickly it came together.  This would definitely be something quick yet impressive enough to serve for company.  Can’t wait to have this again!

Salmon Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

¼ cup pine nuts

5 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 cups fresh packed basil leaves, rinsed thoroughly

2 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves (optional)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch of table salt

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

 

For the pasta:

8 oz. pasta

12 oz. salmon

salt and pepper

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

5 oz. evaporated milk

grated Parmesan, for serving

 

Directions:

To make the pesto, toast the pine nuts in a small skillet, stirring frequently until just golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes.  Transfer the nuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Add the unpeeled garlic to the skillet, shaking the pan occasionally, and toast until fragrant and the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes.  Let the garlic cool, then peel and add to food processor bowl.  Process the nuts and garlic until finely chopped.  Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the bowl.  Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, mix in the cheese and adjust salt, if necessary.  (Can be covered with a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the surface or filmed with oil and refrigerated up to 5 days).

 

Preheat the oven broiler and adjust a rack to upper-middle position.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the salmon in the pan, skin side down.  Season the skinless side of the salmon liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon zest and then rub with olive oil.  Broil until salmon is no longer translucent and is firm when pressed, about 10 minutes.  Remove from broiler and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Use a fork to flake into bite-sized pieces.  Skin should stick to foil and can be discarded.

 

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta till al dente; drain.  Pour evaporated milk into the empty pot and simmer over medium heat until reduced to ¼ cup.  Add cooked pasta to the pot and stir to combine.  Add the salmon to the pot and stir over medium heat until hot.  Remove from heat and stir in the pesto.  Top with grated Parmesan.

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Cream Sauce

This is a really fabulous pasta dish that takes little time to throw together, and often I have a lot of the ingredients on hand.  It has great flavor and I love that the amount of “kick” is easily adapted to your own taste by adjusting the amount of Cajun seasoning you use.  It is also a fairly healthy meal thanks to the addition of lots of yummy veggies and shrimp.  Thanks to Elly for another wonderful dinner!

Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

4-6 oz. cooked pasta (fettuccine, spaghetti)

1 tbsp. butter

½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

¼-½ onion, diced

1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ - 1 tbsp. flour

1/3 cup half and half

salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

 

Directions:

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle liberally with Cajun seasoning.  Sauté in pan 1 minute per side, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

 

Add the mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic to the skillet.  Sauté until the vegetables are tender.  Add the flour and stir to cook off its rawness.  Add the half and half and stir, thickening.  Return the shrimp to the pan and cook until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired.)  Toss with hot pasta and serve.

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa!

Italian-Style Meat Sauce

I have just recently discovered the wonder that is Cook’s Illustrated.  If you are not familiar with it, you should be, ASAP.  It is a wonderful cooking magazine that really defines the term “tried and true” since the recipes are tested with numerous variations, multiple times to find the absolute best recipe for favorite dishes.  It also has incredibly helpful kitchen tips and pointers, as well as product ratings/reviews, and - no advertisements!   Another reason I enjoy it is that it reminds me of Alton Brown in magazine form because it describes some of the science behind cooking and baking, which I just love.  I have tried a few recipes from it and so far they have all been just as wonderful as I would expect they should be considering all the testing that goes into them.  This simple meat sauce was no exception.  I especially love the use of the food processor in this dish, as it simplifies the recipe, making a fairly quick meal that seems like it should take much longer.  The flavor and texture were both great.  I may try adding a bit of garlic powder and dried basil next time, just because I love to play around with those ingredients.  This is a definite keeper!

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
4 oz. white mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed and broken into rough pieces
1 large slice good quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 tablespoons whole milk
salt and pepper
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 ½ cups)
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 2 tbsp.)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, ¼ cup liquid reserved
1 tbsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
½ oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about ¼ cup)  

Directions:
Process mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about 8 1-second puleses, scraping down side of bowl as needed; transfer to medium bowl.  Add bread, milk, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper to now-empty food processor and process until paste forms, about 8 1-second pulses.  Add beef and pulse until mixture is well combined, about 6 1-second pulses.  

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and dark bits form on pan bottom, 6 to 12 minutes.  Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and tomato paste; cook until fragrant and tomato paste starts to brown, about 1 minute.  Add ¼ cup reserved tomato liquid and 2 tsp. fresh oregano (or full 1 tsp. dried), scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon, until beef loses its raw color, 2-4 minutes, making sure that meat does not brown.  

Stir in crushed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and gently simmer until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.  Stir in cheese and remaining 1 tsp. fresh oregano; season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Source: Cook’s Illustrated, April 2008

Penne a la Betsy

It may seem like an odd name, but it won’t if you head over to Pioneer Woman’s blog and read her funny commentary on making this dish with her little sister.  This was another major hit in our house.  I make a lot of different types of shrimp pasta, but this has easily taken the no. 1 spot in my book.  I think that chopping up the shrimp into small pieces really brings out the flavor of the shrimp because you have some in every bite.  This reminds me a lot of pasta with vodka sauce, but lucky for me it doesn’t have vodka - I’ve been really missing vodka sauce since I got pregnant, and this is a wonderful substitute.  You can use white wine or chicken broth in this dish, which I appreciate.  Ben and I are both just crazy about this dinner.  I made it about a week ago and he’s already been asking for it again!

Penne a la Betsy
Ingredients:
¾ lb. penne pasta
3 tbsp. butter, divided
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. large shrimp
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1 (8 oz.) can plain tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
basil leaves, to taste (use a bunch!)  

Directions:
Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.  

Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce.  Melt 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque.  Remove to a plate to let cool.  Heat 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in the skillet.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally.  While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces.  Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes.  Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside.  Stir in tomato sauce.  Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine.  Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the parsley and basil and mix well.  

Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine.  Serve. 

 

 

 

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Spicy Broccoli Pasta

This is another staple in our dinner menu rotation.  We love this pasta dish because it is so simple yet delicious.  The red pepper flakes really allow you to control the “kick” of the dish, so add more if you enjoy a bit more spice.  It is excellent as leftovers as well.  I don’t have much else to say about it except that we love it!

Spicy Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients:
1 lb. broccoli
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. pasta, cooked  

Directions:
Cook broccoli in boiling water, 3-5 minutes until just tender.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic.  Cook over medium heat until just golden, about 2 minutes.  Add drained broccoli and red pepper flakes, and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add hot sauce to cooked pasta.  Toss and serve. 

 

Source: Pasta by Dorling Kindersley

Classic Lasagna

I have had a pretty taxing week or two recently - a busy rotation, little time off and on top of all that, a cold!  Saturday was my first day off since Jan. 1, so I was in need of some comfort food as well as something that would feed us for several nights.  The answer - lasagna.  I absolutely love this lasagna recipe and I’ve been making it for about six years now.  It has lots of yummy layers, not just noodles and sauce as can often be the case.  It is a bit time consuming but definitely worth it in the end for the delicious flavors and the fact that it will easily feed us for 4-5 days.  Lasagna is not the most photogenic food, but believe me, the picture does not do justice to this tasty dish. 

Lasagna
Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
1 lb. Italian sausage
2/3 cup chopped onion
½ tbsp. minced garlic   
2/3 cup chopped parsley
3 cans tomato paste
15 oz. tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 ½ tsp. basil
1 ½ tsp. oregano
1 lb. part-skim ricotta
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
½ cup parmesan cheese
3 eggs
2 tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. pepper
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese  

Directions:
Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Brown sausage with onions, garlic and half the parsley.  Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, Italian seasoning, oregano and basil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  In a bowl, combine remaining parsley, ricotta, spinach, parmesan, eggs, garlic, S&P.  In a 9×13” baking dish, spread 2 cups of sauce.  Begin layering with 4 noodles, half of the cheese mixture, a third of the remaining sauce and one cup of mozzarella.  Repeat.  The last layer will be noodles, sauce and mozzarella.  Bake, covered at 350° for 45 minutes and then uncovered for 10 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Allrecipes

Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta al Forno

Oh my gosh, I *love* this dinner.  I have been eating this dish for several years.  In high school I was quite the pasta addict, and I bought my dad a pasta cookbook in an attempt to get him to serve it more often.  This is one of the great recipes that came from that book and I am still crazy about it.  I think I love it even more now because it is so simple and quick to make, and feeds us for multiple meals.  I don’t even have any tips or changes to add.  This is just a super yummy and easy recipe that is always a hit in our house.

 

Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta al Forno
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-14 oz. cans diced Italian plum tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
S&P
1 lb. pasta (tubes)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
2/3 c. parmesan 

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet.  Add garlic and cook over medium high heat, 1 min.  Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally until thickened, 15 min.  Add S&P.  Meanwhile, cook pasta.  Toss pasta with sauce.  Place half of pasta in an oiled 9×13” dish.  Cover with half parmesan and half mozzarella.  Top with remaining pasta, then parmesan and mozzarella.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. 

Source: Pasta by Dorling Kindersley