penne pasta bake

I got this recipe from our local grocery store, when they were doing this awesome Family Value Meal, all-ingredients-in-a-bag-and-ready-for-you program. Super cool. I've altered it a bit to make it even easier (I'm super lazy, ha), but the flavor is all there. Anyway, it's become a total staple in our household. Everyone loves it. Assuming you're not dairy-intolerant (ha), give this nummy recipe a try. You won't regret it.



RECIPE: Penne Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
1 (16-oz) pkg penne pasta
2 c. sour cream
6 oz provolone cheese slices
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb ground beef
1 med yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (26-oz) jars marinara sauce

2-3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Set aside a 9x13 casserole dish (or two 8x8s).

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add penne pasta and cook until al dente; drain. Mix in sour cream and parm. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown diced onion, garlic, and ground beef over medium-high heat. Add spaghetti sauce and warm through.

Layer as follows: pasta, sauce, provolone, pasta, sauce. Then top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 25 min at 350F or until cheese melts and bubbles/browns.



**Note: This freezes wonderfully!  Bake one 8x8 and save the other. Two meals in one! Bam! Or better yet, eat one and give one to a friend! :) Also, making earlier in the day and refrigerating works great. Just keep in mind that you'll have to bake it a little longer.

lasagna

What happens if you aren't patient enough to let it set
up before dishing... less pretty but soooo good!

This recipe is courtesy of my amazing friend (and next-door neighbor) Shaughnessy. She is seriously the best! A few days ago, I wasn't feeling great and was stumped as to what to make for dinner. And SHE BROUGHT OVER HERS!!! It was ridiculously generous and unnecessary, but it also looked and smelled sooo good. So I gobbled it up with a thank you. :) I haven't stopped thinking about it since, so I figured I'd make some myself. This is her recipe, how I used it.

** This makes TWO full 8x8 pans of lasagna. One was paaalllenty for our family. We baked one and froze the other.  Just put cling-wrap on top (do all steps except baking), followed by the dish's lid, then place it in the freezer. Two dinners in one! Score! :)

RECIPE: Lasagna

Yield: 2 8x8 pans, 9 BIG servings each

Calories: 336 ea

Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles

2 (24oz) cans/jars spaghetti sauce {Hunts Garden Veggies is best}

1 (48oz) tub cottage cheese

1 (32oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions: 
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Layer (in each 8x8 baking dish) a bit of sauce first, then noodles (3 is about right...use a pizza cutter to trim the noodles to size), then cottage cheese, then mozzarella, then sauce. Repeat 2-3 times. Have cheese be your last/top layer. 

Bake, uncovered, at 375F for 45 minutes. Let rest (so it will set up) a few minutes before dishing up.  Serve warm... and enjoy!

chicken parmesan

Last week, I made spaghetti. I had to leave for work right after dinner, so the process was a bit chaotic. I put green beans in the microwave and bread in the toaster (to make a quick version of garlic toast)... and I absolutely forgot about the bread. The next day, I discovered the toast. I decided I would have to try my hand at homemade breadcrumbs. The toast has been sitting on the counter since then. Needless to say, it was nice and stale. Perfect, really.

The idea for this recipe came from my sister-in-law's post (find it here). Mine is certainly not her healthy version, but BY GOLLY- it is delicious! Try it out. I think you'll like it.

RECIPE: Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. {ish?} freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast (or 3 small)

2 eggs

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. Canola/vegetable oil {I think; I didn't measure.}

1 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese

spaghetti noodles

spaghetti sauce (about 2 c.)

1 can green beans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Pound the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 inch thick. This step is important. It not only tenderizes the chicken but also thins it out so that it cooks uniformly... and doesn't burn on the outside before it's cooked through. {I like to do this in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag... using a rubber mallet.}

*Note: I had two massive chicken boobies that I cut into four pieces. I only ended up using three since I didn't quite have enough breadcrumbs. Hence the three breasts recommendation.

{Before}

{After}

Using a food processor, pulse the toast, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, garlic, S&P and EVOO - in that order- until breadcrumbs form.
Prepare your assembly line of bread-crumbing ingredients. Dump the flour onto a plate. Beat two eggs and a splash of water in a bowl of some sort. Dump your super-savory breadcrumbs onto another plate.

{Like so}

Heat your Canola/vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off excess; slosh around in egg mixture, coating fully; then press into breadcrumbs, pressing crumbs into chicken until absolutely coated. Fry the prepared chicken in oil (again, in a large skillet over med to med-high heat) for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden and fabulous {see below}.

Note: Get your water boiling now for your pasta. Don't forget to salt the water.
Place the fried chicken on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet {or stone, if that's what you had out before you thought of the cooling rack idea}. This will help keep the breadcrumbs crispy later on.
Top liberally with Mozzarella cheese and lightly with Parmesan cheese. Throw some pepper up on there if you feel the need.
Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Note: The bake time for the chicken perfectly coincides with the spaghetti cooking time. So as soon as you throw the birdies in the oven, start cooking your pasta. I'm a horrid judge of pasta quantities, so use your own {better} judgement. Cook according to package instructions.

Also, open up a can of green beans. Drain 'em a bit, then dump 'em in a bowl. Microwave for dos minutos. Easy-peasy.

Oh, and warm up some spaghetti sauce. I did it on the stove; you could also nuke it. Whatev. But you do want it warm... so take care of that.

Once your 10 minutes are up, the entire meal should be ready to assemble. Grab a plate and dish up some spaghetti noodles. Top with sauce. Top that with your oh-so-yummy chicken. And serve with a side of green beans.

Mmm... amazing!

spaghetti n' green beans

Nothing fancy. At least not around here. We don't even roll the ground beef into meatballs; we just throw the stuff in. But spaghetti is a go-to meal. It's quick. It's easy. It's hearty. It's delish. Did I mention it's quick?

Derek actually made this meal. I was baggin' and taggin' hairbows and was therefore indisposed. He's a wonderful husband... and as it turns out, a pretty good cook, too!

Note: We make spaghetti lots of ways {from scratch, from a jar, with meat, without meat, with lots of fresh veggies {ie. squash/zucchini-- highly recommended} from our garden, etc.}, but this is how we made it tonight. This is probably the quickest way to do it. Also, maybe it's just the way my mom always did things, but green beans and spaghetti seem like the perfect pair.


RECIPE: Spaghetti N' Green Beans

Ingredients:
spaghetti noodles {I honestly cannot tell you how much... I'm a HORRID judge of pasta quantities.}
1/2 - 1lb. ground beef
1 jar/can spaghetti sauce
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 can green beans

Directions:
Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a 12-inch-ish frying pan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Once meat is fully browned, dump in the spaghetti sauce. Mix well and leave on heat until warm. Nuke the green beans for a couple of minutes, or until hot. Serve everything warm, preferably with a glass of cold milk.