Penne Rustica

There are many meals that we make at home that are based off of restaurant dishes. Perhaps one of our favorites is our version of Penne Rustica, which is based off the dish of the same name from Macaroni Grill. This dish is full of flavor and when made with milk, is reasonable in calories too. According to the Cook'n software calculation, this recipe, which serves six is only 378 calories per serving. For such a flavorful and satisfying dish, I feel like this is a great amount of calories. And with six servings, there is enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch.

Penne Rustica

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons garlic chopped
3 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 1/4 cups milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced, fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 ounces prosciutto chopped
2 chicken breasts
12 ounces penne prepared, al dente
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
4 sprigs rosemary

Preheat oven to 500.

For the sauce: saute butter, garlic, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown.

Add Marsala and cook for 5 minutes. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, chicken broth, cornstarch, mustard, rosemary, salt, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Whisk until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer and keep it there for 10 minutes. Cover sauce and remove from heat.

Grill chicken until cooked through. (I frequently use my grill pan and a bit of liquid smoke, when the weather doesn't permit grilling outside.

For the Penne Rustica: in a glass or ceramic dish, combine pasta, chicken and prosciutto.

Add sauce and stir. Top with Parmesan Cheese and Paprika.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until top is browned.

Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired.

You can always split the dish between several ramekins and make it as individual dishes as well.


Disclaimer

Tomato Basil Pasta

Recently, while exploring Pinterest, I have been seeing a lot of Pins for 'one pot wonder pasta'. It really sounded like a simple and tasty option. I figured it could be good on its owned or enhanced with a bit of grilled chicken. I liked that it all cooks in one pot, so the pasta absorbs the flavor of the broth and tomatoes. I used this version as my source.

The family really enjoyed this. I served it with my homemade French Bread. My son was hesitant at first to try it, but wound up eating the whole bowl that I served him.

Tomato Basil Pasta
Serves: 6

12 ounces pasta
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 large onion, julienned
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 sprigs basil chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in a large pot, in order, drizzling the oil on top.

Cover pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Disclaimer

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Even though it has been busy lately and we haven't been having typical meals, I was finding myself without appealing ideas for dinner this week, so as I sat down to do my menu planning, I clicked around on Pinterest. One meal that I found that sounded very good to me was Chicken Enchilada Pasta, which had been Pinned from The Kitchen Life of a Navy Wife.

Much like my Taco Stuffed Shells, I liked how this dish combined to family favorites, Mexican and Pasta. I made it for dinner, incorporating a few minor tweaks to the recipe to lighten it up. By my approximation , there are about 12 servings of the sauce, each with about 140 calories. So, with our typical pasta added, it is about 350 calories per serving. I think the extra sauce would freeze fine and of course, would work well for a leftover meal later in the week.

It was voted a definite keeper by all.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion minced
1 red bell pepper diced
1/2 anaheim pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
20 ounces green enchilada sauce
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup light sour cream

Pasta

Garnishes: tomatoes, jalepenos, green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese

Cook chicken, chop and set aside.

Boil pasta according to package.

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and both enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Reduce heat. Slowly add the sour cream. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta.

Serve pasta topped with chicken enchilada sauce and garnish with desired toppings.

Disclaimer

Rattlesnake Pasta

When it comes to pasta, we have a lot in our house. In order to not feel like we eat the same meal over and over again, we like to try out new recipes. This recipe is based off of a recipe that is (was?) on the menu at Pizzeria Uno. It is pretty much a chicken Alfredo with jalapenos. Normally, I would mix the jalapenos and a little bit of the liquid that they are in directly into the Alfredo, but since my daughter doesn't like spicy foods, I garnish with them and spoon some of the liquid into each dish.

I have tried to pull out some extra calories, by using milk instead of cream and by reducing the amount of butter that is used. Still, this dish is a 'treat' at approximately 500 calories per serving with the sauce and pasta.

Rattlesnake Pasta

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
4 ounces jarred jalapeño peppers sliced
1 box penne pasta

In a large skillet over medium heat combine chicken, 1 tablespoons butter, garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Cook penne pasta to al dente and drain.

Make a roux: Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add garlic. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly add milk and half-and-half, continue to stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in Parmesan and Cheddar Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted.

Stir in chicken.

Serve over prepared Penne pasta and garnish with Jalapeno pepper slices.

Disclaimer

Ravioli with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Recently, I came across a recipe that sounded really yummy. It used a jar of sauce and then it was kicked up a notch with the addition of other items. Unfortunately, it called for sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce, which was not available in my stores. Since it sounded so tasty, I decided to do some improvising and make my own sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce. The family enjoyed it - although my son, who will eat tomatoes right from the garden, picked out the fresh diced tomatoes. This is a definite keeper - it is an easy to make, tasty, quick dinner option for a busy night.

1 pkg frozen Cheese Ravioli
1 jar Light Alfredo Sauce
3 sun-dried tomatoes (6 halves)
2 tbsp white wine
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp basil
Parmesan cheese

Prepare ravioli according to package directions.

Steep the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water, then drain. Use kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

Pour the Alfredo sauce into a saucepan. Add the wine to the pasta jar, recap and shake well. Add to the saucepan, along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Cook over medium low heat. Add the diced tomatoes and basil. Stir to combine. Continue heating until heated thoroughly.

Toss the sauce with the pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Disclaimer

Mini Meatball Soup

I enjoy having soup for dinner. It is a great way to get the family to eat their vegetables and a variety of them.

When the kids were little, soup was a great way to easily get the kids tender vegetables and meat that they could eat. I would prepare soup and then, pull out the meat and vegetables leaving the broth behind. I also would get the salad bar when we went out, so that I could give them the tender peas and diced fruit from the salad bar, along with the stuff in soup.

When it comes to having soup for dinner, it needs to be hearty. We like to pair it with a side salad (more veggies!) and bread (to soak up the broth and to give you something to really sink your teeth in).

A soup that we tried recently is Mini Meatball Soup. I liken it to an Italian Wedding soup. The vegetables are a little different and it only has one meat. I have made this following the meatball recipe below and using ground chicken and the next time, I made up a larger than normal batch of meatballs following my Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe using ground turkey and set them aside for soup the next day. You probably could even use premade meatballs if you don't want to mess with preparing them, although, I prefer homemade meatballs.

You can save time by dicing the vegetables and making the meatballs ahead of time. I also have been known to leave the soup on a medium high heat after adding the meatballs and pasta and serving it then. Of course, the longer you can let it simmer the more flavors will develop and the more tender the meatballs, pasta and vegetables will be.

Mini Meatball Soup

Servings 6

1 pound ground turkey (or chicken)
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion diced
10 baby carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup small pasta like Ditalini
2 cups baby spinach
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Combine the ground meat, egg, bread crumbs, Paremsan cheese, garlic, Italian Seasoning, and parsley flakes in a bowl. Form into mini meatballs and cook over medium heat until cooked, turning after a few minutes.

In a large pan, heat the oil and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes, with constant stirring. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add meatballs and pasta. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.

Disclaimer

Creamy Chicken Florentine

Recipes are sometimes found in unusual places. This particular recipe is what that my husband got from the Catalina machine at Giant Eagle. He thought it sounded good, so I decided that I would pick up the ingredients to give it a try. We have had it a few times and there are just a few tweaks that I made to the recipe - we felt that the original proportions didn't give a 'saucy' enough dish. For the most part though, this follows the original Kraft Recipe for Creamy Chicken Florentine.

1/2 # boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite size pieces
1 red pepper, cut into strips and then in half
1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
1 tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme (we get the 1/3 less fat variety)
1 tbsp milk
12 oz penne pasta, cooked
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Cook chicken and peppers in a large skillet on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.

Add spinach and cook until wilted.

Add cooking cream and milk. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Add pasta and stir. Serve, topped with toasted pine nuts.

I had never used pine nuts before. The ones at my store are raw and must be cooked before eating.

The first time I made them, I added 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan, but quickly learned that was not necessary. You can simply dry toast them by putting them in a small skillet over low heat and stirring them up every few minutes. They have a really nice flavor - providing a bit of a bite, but at the same time providing a creamy taste.

Disclaimer.

No compensation was received for this post. We simply got this recipe, tried it and enjoyed it - so I wanted to share.

Sonora Chicken Pasta

Many of the dishes that I like to make for dinner are knock off versions of recipes from restaurants that we have eaten at. One such dish is Sonora Chicken Pasta, which I believe was from the menu at Ruby Tuesday's. I think that this is one where my husband was traveling on business and had dinner at a Ruby Tuesday's. Upon returning home, he asked me if I could make something like it. I found a recipe and made a few tweaks like substituting milk for the cream. The dish has a great flavor, the contrast of the warm pasta and chicken, the spicy cheese sauce (and beans), and the cold tomatoes creates what I consider to be a great experience. There is something about mixing hot/spicy with cool that makes a dish very appealing to me. It is great with fresh tomatoes or diced, canned tomatoes.

Sonora Chicken Pasta
Yield: 8 servings

1 pound Kraft Velveeta Cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup minced green chili
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans
1 dash paprika
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 dash Italian seasoning
3/4 pound Smart Taste prepared
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes
2 green onions chopped

Combine cheese with milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir cheese often until it melts and becomes smooth.

Saute the red chili pepper, 2 tbsp green chili pepper, 2 tbsp onion and 1/2 clove garlic a couple of minutes. Then, add water to the pan so that the peppers do not scorch. Simmer another 2 minutes until the water has cooked off.
When cheese is smooth, add the sauted peppers and onions, 1/4 tsp salt, sugar, vinegar and cumin.

Leave on low heat stirring ocassionally until the other ingredients are ready.
Pour the entire can of beans into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining onions and peppers and paprika.

Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until everything else is ready.
Rub chicken with olive oil, season with salt and Italian Seasoning. Grill for about 5 minutes per side, until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from grill and slice into strips.
Spoon pasta, cheese sauce, chicken breast, black beans, and chopped tomatoes into serving dish. Sprinkle with green onions.

Disclaimer

Arrabiata Sauce

My husband is Italian. I am not. When I was growing up, I remember having pasta. It was generally spaghetti with meat sauce or it was lasagna. I do not remember having other pasta dishes at home. As a result, I don't need to have pasta more than once a week, but my husband would be content with it being a near daily entry on the menu plan. In order to meet in the middle, I have had to learn to make a variety of pasta dishes. I simply could not have the same thing each day. Many of the dishes that I make are inspired by meals we have had at a restaurant. Today, I made Arrabiata Sauce - it was inspired by the $8.95 jar of pasta sauce that we found at the grocery yesterday when my husband suggested that we pick up a jar of some spicy pasta sauce. This one was cheaper - I probably spent less than $3 on the ingredients (the tomatoes were only $2.45).

It was easy to make and the results were pretty tasty. I used a number of recipes as my inspiration, I will share a link to Una Mamma Italiana Arrabiata Sauce, as it was her brown sugar addition that was the most unique - otherwise the recipes were all similar.

Arrabiata Sauce

1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c red wine
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp dried Basil
2 cans crushed tomatoes

Melt butter in pan and add olive oil. Saute onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add in red wine, brown sugar, tomato paste, lemon juice, Italian seasoning and basil. Stir to combine.

Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

We served it over Penne, with Parmesean cheese and some Italian Bread.

This sauce was very tasty. My husband indicated that it could be spicier, but it was just right for the kids. We talked about how it would be a good sauce to bake chicken in (or have with chicken and pasta).

Disclaimer

Lemon Chicken Artichoke Pasta

I love a challenge. When we go out to dinner and my husband tries a new dish that he enjoys, he is always asking me if I could make it at home.

So, I head to the kitchen to recreate the meal. Frequently, I am able to capture the essence of the dish, even if the delivery is slightly different. Such is the case with this recipe. When he had it at the restaurant, the sauce was thicker and creamier than what I produced, but still this dish was full of flavor. I loved the contrast of the sundried tomatoes and the lemon sauce. It just felt like such a fresh dish. (Of course, this was take two, as I managed to lose the recipe I jotted down last time I made it)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
3/4# Chicken Breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 c Lemon Juice
1 1/2 c Chicken Broth
1/2 c Sundried Tomatoes, reconstituted
1 can Artichoke Hearts, quartered
1/3 c White Wine
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Tbsp Butter
1 # pasta, cooked

Saute the minced garlic in the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink in the middle. Add the Lemon Juice, Chicken Broth, Sundried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts. Allow to simmer and the liquids to reduce. Combine the white wine and corn starch, whisk to combine. Reduce heat and add the wine and corn starch. Allow to simmer and the sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and add butter. Once incorporated, add the pasta. Serve, topped with Parmesan cheese.