Southwestern Chicken Casserole – Pure Comfort Food With a Little Heat!

Tags

casserole, Chicken, Cooking, Food, pasta, recipe

I made this recipe on the fly the other night and it was a complete hit with my husband and I! It had a ton of flavor with just the right amount of heat. The creamy sauce prevented it from being overly spicy. And this was a great way to use the leftover chicken I had from roasting a whole chicken earlier in the week. A store bought rotisserie chicken could also be used.

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

4 servings

8 oz. penne pasta

1 tbsp oil

1/2 lb. shredded cooked chicken

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 large jalapeño, finely diced

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup sour cream

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded and divided

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta in salted water for 8 minutes. It will continue to cook when you bake the casserole. Drain maintaining pasta water for possible use.

In an oven safe frying pan or braiser, add oil and over medium heat sauté the onions, bell pepper, jalapeño and corn until softened. Stir in cream of chicken soup, broth and sour cream. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Stir in chicken, green chiles, black beans, 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese and seasonings. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in drained pasta. If sauce is too thick, add some of your reserved pasta water. Mix until pasta is incorporated. Top with remaining 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Spicy Cream Sauce Over Pasta – Low-fat, Easy and Delicious!!!

Tags

Easy, Italian Sausage and Spicy Cream Sauce, low-fat, pasta, tomato, tomatoes

For some reason the turkey Italian sausage is always marked down at my local grocery store. I can’t resist a good deal, so I have a bunch of that sausage in my freezer. I figured I better use some of that stuff! I make my marinara sauce quite frequently, so I wanted to try something a little different last night. This spicy cream tomato sauce was delicious!!! Since I used sweet sausage, the dish wasn’t overly spicy, so even the sensitive palette would enjoy it, but you could easily spice it up even more by using spicy sausage and adding additional red pepper flakes. This would be an easy dish to multiply and serve to a large group too!

Italian Sausage and Spicy Cream Sauce Over Pasta

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 pound turkey Italian sausage, remove from casing

3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained

1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 tbsp tomato paste (Tip: Buying the tomato paste in a tube (vs. a can) is perfect for this type of recipe. You can squeeze out what you need, cap it and put it back in the fridge. Rather than using a partial can and likely throwing away the rest.)

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 – 13 oz box of pasta (I had whole wheat rotini pasta on hand, so I used that.)

I cooked in my dutch oven, but you could also use a large skillet. Spray pan with olive oil spray and heat to medium high heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Add sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces. When sausage is almost completely browned, add garlic and cook another minute. Add all tomato products, stir well and reduce to low. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, you can boil your pasta in salted water. In the last couple minutes of sauce simmering, add the half and half and cheese and stir. Drain pasta and pour into large bowl. Spoon sausage and sauce over pasta and serve. 8 servings.

Mangia bene!!!

Vegetarian Lasagna – Packed With Veggies and Flavor!!!

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Lasagna, low-fat, marinara, mushrooms, pasta, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

Lasagna is one of my all-time favorite foods. After an in-depth discussion with my sister about our lasagna techniques, I had a full blown craving going! Lasagna is a great meal to feed a larger group, so I decided to make it when my older daughter and her husband came over for dinner. My daughter is eating a pescatarian diet (mostly vegetarian, with seafood), so I decided to make a vegetarian lasagna. I used the techniques in my normal lasagna, but I left out the meat and added in layers of various vegetables. This ended up being a delicious version of this meal!!! The flavors were bold and fresh and while it was very satisfying, it was a very low-fat, healthy meal. I’ll definitely be making this version again!!!

I kept this recipe as healthy as possible by making my own marinara. This way I can control exactly what goes into the sauce. Plus, I LOVE the flavor of my home made marinara! You could take this a step further and make a vegan version of this dish. There are tofu ricotta cheeses available and various non-dairy mozzarella cheeses, such as soy, that are also available.

I rounded out this delicious dinner with some fresh baked dill bread. You can get this going in your bread maker 3-4 hours before dinner time. I also made a Garden Salad with Herbed Ranch Dressing. The salad and dressing can also be made up to a day ahead and tossed just prior to serving. Overall, this was a great tasting dinner and is definitely company worthy!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 batch of my marinara recipe or 2 jars of pre-made (If making your own, you can start this well in advance as it is great when slow cooked)

2 Bell peppers, very thinly sliced (I used red and yellow, as I’m not a fan of green)

2 Medium zucchini, very thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer for this)

8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, very finely chopped

1 Medium red onion, diced

4 oz of baby spinach leaves

16 oz Box of whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

24 oz Fat Free Mozzarella cheese, shredded

16 oz container of fat free ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tip: You can boil your lasagna noodles, if you wish. Personally, I never boil my noodles and I don’t buy special no-boil noodles. If find boiled lasagna noodles to be a huge hassle. I just use the regular whole wheat lasagna noodles and I find that if you use plenty of the moist ingredients around the noodles, they cook just fine in the baking process.

Start with getting your marinara made and simmering. If using jarred sauce, you don’t need to simmer it. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and lay out your zucchini and bell pepper slices. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need two. Then lightly spray your veggies with olive oil spray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium high heat sauté onions until beginning to soften, then add mushrooms and continue to cook unto all are soft. Add spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes until cooked.

After zucchini and peppers are done cooking, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Mix ricotta, eggs and parsley in a small bowl.

Lightly spray your lasagna pan with olive oil spray. Add a thin layer of sauce to bottom of pan, enough to coat it well, then put down a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, spread 1/3 of your ricotta mixture, spread all of mushroom/onion mixture, spread 1/3 of mozzarella, layer 1/3 of sauce, more noodles, another 1/3 of your ricotta, spread layer of zucchini, 1/3 of mozzarella, 1/3 of sauce, pasta, last 1/3 of ricotta, layer bell pepper slices, last 1/3 of sauce, last 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese.

Cover lasagna pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Tip: Leftover lasagna freezes great! So save leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner in the future!

Enjoy!

 

Baked Rotini in Tomato Sauce with Artichoke Hearts – An Easy, Hearty Pasta Dinner

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Artichoke Hearts, Baked, casserole, Olives, pasta, Rotini, tomato sauce

I have to admit that pasta dishes are some of my favorites. They are so delicious and statisfyng, but if you work it right they can be pretty easy to make. This is one such dish! There is not too much chopping or prep work to do, but the reward is a dish with great flavor and a variety of textures. It’s so pretty too! Definitely good enough to to serve guests and it would be easy to double and make a large batch.

Tip: I love artichoke hearts!!! They are a great ingredient to add flavor without adding a lot of fat and calories. The type of artichoke hearts you use matters though! The jarred version are usually packed in oil, so these are not the best low-fat choice. The canned version are usually packed in water, so they are low-fat, but I have found the texture of these to be rather tough and woody. In my humble opinion, frozen artichoke hearts are the way to go!!! They still have that wonderful soft, rich texture that you get from fresh cooked artichokes, but they are not packed in oil, so you get the flavor and texture without the added fat or work of cooking and breaking down fresh artichokes.

Baked Rotini in Tomato Sauce with Artichoke Hearts

1 pound Italian seasoned ground turkey

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 box of frozen artichoke hearts, rinsed, thawed and chopped

1 can sliced black olives

1/3 cup red wine

1 –  32 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

16 oz rotini pasta, boiled for 8 minutes

1 cup motzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put your pasta on to boil and while this is cooking put your ground turkey in a skillet to brown. When meat is almost cooked through, add your onions and bell peppers and continue to cook until meat is cooked and vegetables have softened. In a large pot or bowl, combine pasta, meat with veggies and all othe ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Stir well to mix. Spray a baking pan with non stick pray and transfer pasta/meat mixture to that pan. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Voila! You have a beautful and delicious dinner on your hands!

Enjoy!

Buffalo and Gorgonzola Mac and Cheese – Cheesy and Spicy! Yum!!!

Tags

Campanelle, Cream Cheese, Gorgonzola, hot sauce, mac and cheese, pasta, vegetarian

This was originally posted by the Fabulous Fare Sisters. It looked so good, I couldn’t help but share! This is definitely on my list of things to make! Three of my favorite flavors; cheese (especially Gorgonzola!) & Buffalo sauce!!!

STOP THE CLOCK AND TAKE THE PHONE OFF THE HOOK!!! Wow is this Mac & Cheese Good! If you haven’t heard me say it before, you’ll hear me say it now… I love mac & cheese. One night I sat down with a glass of wine (or two) and wrote down all the ways I […]

http://fabulousfaresisters.com/2016/05/09/buffalo-gorgonzola-mac-cheese/

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Pasta – Our Family’s All-time Favorite Pasta Dish

Tags

Cheese, Chicken, creamy, pasta, Pasta with Chicken and Pepper Cheese Sauce, pepper, recipe, spicy

My sister has been telling me I need to blog this recipe, so here we are! I found this recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine probably over 20 years ago and have been making it ever since! The spicy, creamy sauce over pasta and chicken is so very delicious! It has just the right amount of spice! It’s a nice enough dish to serve to company and it’s an easy dish to multiply in order to serve a large group. This was a favorite when our large family group would go to Tahoe for snowy get-aways. The teenagers loved coming in from playing in the snow to this spicy, warm dish!

I chose to keep the dish as low-fat as possible by using fat free dairy ingredients. You can change it to low-fat or full-fat ingredients based on your taste.

Cheesy Chicken Pepper Pasta

3 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 tsp tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp seeded, chopped jalapeno pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3/4 cup fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup fat free milk

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup fat free Monterey Jack or motzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

8 oz linguine or spaghetti, cooked and drained

Combine 1 tbsp of the flour, salt, and ground peppers; toss with the chicken to coat. In a large skillet heat oil and cook chicken 4-5 minutes or till tender. Remove chicken; add onion, red pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Stir in remaining flour. Add broth, milk and Worcestershire sauce; cook and stir until bubbly. Shir in cheese until melted. Stir in sour cream. Add chicken and heat through (do not boil). Serve over pasta. Makes 5-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives – A Quick Dinner For One!

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basil, Chicken, gnocchi, kalamata olives, marinara, parmesan, pasta, pesto

 On nights when my husband and daughter go to our church’s youth group, we usually just grab leftovers to eat for dinner. The other night, I was in the mood for something other than the leftover risotto we had, so I decided to get a little creative! How about gnocchi with chicken, Kalamata olives, tomato pesto and fresh basil? Worked for me! It was delicious!
I had some dried gnocchi in the pantry, leftover marinara and pesto sauces and some pre-grilled Foster Farm chicken in the fridge. I almost always have fresh basil and a jar of Kalamata olives hanging around the house, so a tasty dish was coming together! Kalamata olives aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the additional acid that they added to the dish.

This dish could easily be adapted to be vegetarian or even vegan by eliminating the chicken and/or cheese. It was super quick to make (about 10 minutes) and was enough for me with 1 or 2 servings leftover.

So here’s what I did….

Tomato Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Olives

16 oz. package of Gnocchi

1 cup marinara

¼ cup pesto (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

¼ cup Kalamata olives, sliced

5 oz. grilled chicken strips

5 fresh basil leaves, cut in strips

Parmesan cheese

Cook gnocchi according to package, usually boiling it 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, warm marinara, pesto, olives, and chicken. When gnocchi is cooked, drain and toss with sauce and chicken. Serve topped with fresh basil and grated parmesan.

Lobster Avocado Pesto Pasta – Food of the Gods I Tell You!!!!

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avocado, Cilantro, Cooking, Dinner, Food, fresh, healthy, lobster, pasta, pesto, spaghetti

  

The photo of this blog post alone had me! Lobster and avocado!?! Food of the gods!!! This is a recipe I will definitely have to try and I will let you all know if I do!

lobster avocado pesto pasta my own recipe   pesto 2 ripe avocados 2 green onion sprigs juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup cashews 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper pasta 1 lb spaghetti pasta 1/2 lb langosta lobster […]

http://cookingfromtheheart.net/2016/03/16/lobster-avocado-pesto-pasta/

Creamy Red Hot Chicken Pasta – Spicy, Creamy Goodness Without a Bunch of Fat

Tags

Chicken, Cooking, cream saucce, Food, Frank's Red Hot, pasta, peas, recipe, sundried tomatoes

I’ll admit it! I have a problem. I’m obsessed with buffalo sauce on chicken wings, pasta, cauliflower, whatever! It’s just wonderful! So last weekend I was really craving it and came up with this creamy pasta recipe that incorporated Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. It was so good!!! Just the right amount of heat off set by the creamy sauce. Then you get little bursts of sweet with the peas and other bites of zing with the sundried tomatoes. Oh my I really liked this dish!!! I think I ate all the leftovers single-handedly!

I know you’re probably thinking that with a cream sauce this must be calorie packed, but it really wasn’t. As I usually do, when I make a cream sauce I substitute fat free half and half where heavy cream is usually used. The rest of the ingredients are pretty lowfat on their own, so overall this dish packs a lot of flavor without too much fat.

Creamy Red Hot Chicken Pasta

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken

1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1 cup fat free half and half

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup bagged sundried tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp water

Salt and pepper to taste

16 oz dried pasta

Marinate chicken in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. Cook pasta according to package. Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Brown chicken in frying pan. Remove to a plate. Pour chicken broth, half and half, and remaining marinade in frying pan and simmer over medium low heat scrapping meat bits off bottom of pan. Add peas and tomatoes, stirring until warmed through. Make a slurry of corn starch and water and stir into sauce. Add chicken back to pan. Continue to simmer over medium low heat stirring as sauce thickens and spooning sauce over chicken. When sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, toss with cooked,drained pasta.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells and Italian Turkey Sausage – Offerings for the Vegetarians and the Carnivores in Your Life!

Tags

Cooking, Food, marinara, pasta, recipe, ricotta, Stuffed Shells, turkey sausage, vegetarian

 
I recently discovered the joys of manicotti, so the other night I thought I would roll that new found joy over to stuffed shells, similar concept with a different shaped pasta. I wanted to jazz up the ricotta filling, so I added some sundried tomato pesto to the filling and BAM! Now we’ve got something! This is actually a pretty easy dish, but it’s very impressive!
This was a great vegetarian dish and could be served alone with bread and salad. I had my kids coming over for dinner and needed to stretch the food out a bit, so I also decided to serve Italian sausages on the side. This worked out great and would be a great way to serve a meal if you had both carnivores and vegetarians in your midst.

I made a slow cooked batch of my marinara sauce. I used most of the sauce with my stuffed shells, but I left about a cup or so in the pan and added my cooked, sliced Italian sausage and tossed this in the sauce. So as folks moved through the dinner buffet, they had a pan of spicy Italian turkey sausages, a pan of stuffed shells, salad and fresh baked bread to choose from. It was a nice hearty dinner, but gave people choices and options to make healthy ones.

Stuffed Shells

1 batch of homemade marinara or 1-2 jars of readymade marinara

1 box of large pasta shells

1 – 16 oz container of low-fat ricotta

½ cup parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg

4 large fresh basil leaves, diced

2-3 tablespoons pesto sauce (I used jarred sundried tomato pesto)

1 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water and then add shells. Boil for 9 minutes, drain and then set on sheet pan to dry further and cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cheese, egg, basil, pesto, ¼ cup parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Use a spoon to add stuffing into shells. Spread enough marinara to cover the bottom of a baking pan. Place stuffed shells in baking pay and spoon marinara sauce over shells. You want them fairly covered. Sprinkle mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese over shells. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is well melted.

Enjoy!