Category: Pasta

Leftover Loving- Cheesy Chicken, Tomato, and Pea Orzo

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta

Hey friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope you have had a great 1st week of July! This week I am in another professional development class. It is the 2nd one of the summer working on my teacher Coach Endorsement. It has been an amazing experience so far, and I’m looking forward to all the work I have to do in the future to become a better teacher leader and coach!

So on the way home from class, I stopped by Publix and picked up a rotisserie chicken, some fresh prepared mashed potatoes, and a bag of Steam-fresh  peas. Fast and easy dinner on a tired Tuesday night! So when I was cleaning the dishes, I got the idea to cut up the leftover chicken (one breast), peas, some cherry tomatoes from my garden, a shallot from the farmer’s market, and a 1/2 cup of orzo pasta and make a dish for lunch this week. So simple…

First I boiled some salted water in a large pot. I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and diced the shallot. I added them to a med. hot pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I dropped my orzo in the boiling water.  I cooked the veggies and the pasta about the same time, 6 minutes. Then I added the chicken, peas, and pasta to the tomatoes and garlic. I added 2 spoonfuls of pasta water plus 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of  diced fresh mozzarella cheese. Mix well and add chopped parsley to the top. So yummy!

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Tomato Garlic Linguine with Mozzarella and Chicken

Chicken, Pasta

Evening folks! Hope everyone is having a great start to this holiday weekend! Lots of fun today and tonight! We all woke up late and hit Waffle House for some breakfast. The girls always share an All Star; a waffle, scrambled eggs with grits and raisin toast, half sausage (for Katie) and half bacon (for Becca). The hubby always gets an All Star with hash browns and white toast buttered.

I myself change it up…BLT, egg and cheese biscuit, cheesy eggs with raisin toast and bacon, etc…. Today I got the ham and cheese melt with hash browns. Awesome! The ladies always take good care of us. We hadn’t been in a while after Lizzie passed, and when we finally went, they asked about her right away. These silly girls love them some Waffle House!

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This afternoon Poopaw and Phee (our North Carolina grandparents) came in to town for a visit. The girls and Brutus always go crazy when they get here. They stayed with the girls while the hubby and I hit the grocery store for essentials for the week.

First up, dinner for tonight…So good. Everyone had seconds. The only complaint I got was from Becca who hates tomatoes (except for tomato sauce, pizza sauce, and ketchup). I made her eat one and you think I would have made her eat a rotten tomato. These little beauties came from my garden and they are super sweet!

Tomato Garlic Linguine with Mozzarella and Chicken

Ingredients

1 onion or 2 shallots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes or if you are lucky, a couple handfuls from a garden or farmer’s market
3-4 chicken breasts
1 handful fresh basil
1 tablespoon of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
1/3 cup white wine or chicken stock
Fresh Mozzarella cut in to cubes
1/2 cup of Parmesan (or more!)
Olive Oil- about a cup in all, but I eyeballed it all along the way.
1 lb Linguine- I ❤ Barilla!

Directions

Cut your chicken breasts in half. Add the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning over all your chicken. Cook in a large cast iron pan until each side is brown and the middle is mostly cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Take out of pan. Slice or cut in to bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of salted water for your pasta. Drop pasta and cook a minute under the time suggested.

Cook your onions, garlic and tomatoes on med heat in a few tablespoons of olive oil, 8 minutes. Mix well. Cover for the last 4 minutes to help tomatoes to burst.
Add in your wine or stock and reduce down with the veggies for about 3 minutes.
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Add in your pasta, a cup of the starchy cooking water, another glug of olive oil, and your chicken. Mix well. Serve with some garlic bread. Homemade is easy, but Cole’s brand is easier!
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Have a great holiday weekend! New chicken wing recipe tomorrow plus fireworks. Sunday we are having a cookout with friends =) So happy to celebrate our Freedom! It has been an amazing month for our country! ❤

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Pasta, Salads, Vegetarian

I love cold pasta salads! They are so many combinations of ingredients you can add.  Homemade pasta salad is easy, but there are a lot of great boxed mixes out there to have in your pantry for those nights when you need something fast to throw together. Publix had a BOGO deal on Suddenly Pasta Salads. They have lots of different flavors, but I stuck with Italian. I have tons of cherry tomatoes and basil in my garden, so I thought it we be perfect to add them in the pasta. Then I found a can of black olives, some pine nuts, and a hunk of mozzarella that I cut in to bite sized pieces. Perfection!

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Chicken Parmesan

Chicken, Pasta

Hey guys! I know it has been a while. I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day weekend. We had a great time all here with family. The hubby requested Chicken Parmesan. Here is how I made it. See you later with some yummy veggie recipes.

Ingredients
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
5 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil
2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce(or homemade https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/10/13/homemade-marinara-101213/)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400
Boil a large pot of water and salt well.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each breast in the flour, then dip in the egg, then dredge on both sides in the bread crumbs. Shake off any excess in each step.

Put in pasta when water boils. Cook through next step.

Add oil to a large cast iron or saute pan. Add 2-3 chicken breasts to each pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Cook the chicken in batches or use 2 pans. Transfer to a baking sheet or casserole dish and top with some tomato sauce, a few slices of the mozzarella, and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add pasta to the sauce. Top pasta with the chicken parm =)

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Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pasta

Another favorite for dinner tonight! 2 thumbs up from everyone! I have tons of basil in my garden, so I wanted to make a pesto of some sort. I also discovered a carton of mushrooms that needed some love. Here is what I came up with!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms

Ingredients
4-5 chicken thighs cut up in to bite sized pieces.
1 small carton of mushrooms, sliced
1 box Ziti noodles
1-2 cups Alfredo sauce
1/3 cup of Pesto

Alfredo- 1 jar of Alfredo (I like Classico Light Creamy Alfredo) OR you could make your own- Melt 1/2 cup of butter and then stir in 2 cups of heavy cream. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add until mixed through.

Pesto- 1/3 of your favorite jarred pesto OR make your own. This time I did since I have plenty in my garden.
Ingredients and directions- .
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese- I combine Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste.

Directions
Add your chicken and mushrooms to a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Brown your chicken and let your mushrooms cook down, about 8-10 minutes. Cook pasta. Add Alfredo sauce to chicken and mushrooms. Add in your pesto a little bit at a time. When your pasta still has a bite, add it to the sauce. Mix well. This is a creamy sauce, but if you think it seems too thick, add in a ladle or 2 of starchy pasta water or maybe even more cream sauce or pesto. Cook until combined.

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I also made some quick garlic toast. I added 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 cloves minced garlic (used garlic press). I spread the bread with the garlic butter and put them in the oven on broil. So good!

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