Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

PESTO CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

You will love how easy and delicious this chicken dish is. We love the right amount of pesto flavor too!

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta, I used mostaccioli
• 10 ounces diced chicken, I used precooked grilled chicken strips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. If using precooked chicken, thaw and diced into small pieces. If using raw chicken cook thoroughly and dice.
2. In a large bowl combine the shredded cheese, sour cream, ricotta cheese, pesto, whipping cream and parmesan cheese.
3. Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken to the cheese mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
4. Transfer to a greased 9 x 9 casserole baking dish.
5. Combine melted butter and dry bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top.
6. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (26 ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti; add to egg mixture and toss to coat.
3. Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Creamy Italian Penne Pasta with Vegetables

CREAMY ITALIAN PENNE PASTA WITH VEGETABLES

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This will be one of THE BEST pasta dishes you ever make in your entire life! The flavor is unbelievably delicious!

Author: Nikki

Recipe type: Dinner

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box Penne pasta, cooked according to package
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups sliced red bell pepper, (2 large peppers)
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cups yellow squash, sliced
• 2 cups chopped Rotisserie Chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 envelope Italian dressing mix
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large skillet Add olive oil, mushrooms, red peppers, and garlic. Sauté on high for 5 minutes. Add squash and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, pepper, cream and Italian dressing. Pour vegetable mixture over pasta and mix well.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes and serve

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2015/08/creamy-italian-penne-pasta-with-vegetables/

Slow Cooker Pesto Ravioli

Slow Cooker Pesto Ravioli

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ½ cup pesto
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
• 1 (24 oz) jar pasta sauce (I used Kirkland Marinara)
• 1 (25 oz) pkg. frozen ravioli

Instructions

1. In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, pesto, and ½ cup parmesan until combined; set aside.
2. Add 1 cup of the pasta sauce on bottom of slow cooker. Spread to coat the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Next, place ½ of the bag of frozen ravioli in the slow cooker.
4. Take ½ of the ricotta mixture and spread it on top of the ravioli and the sprinkle with ½ cup of the mozzarella.
5. Repeat layers again (1 cup sauce, remaining frozen ravioli, remaining ricotta, remaining mozzarella).
6. Spread remaining sauce over top. Cook on low for 3 hours.
7. Remove lid and add sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup parmesan. Replace lid and cook an additional 30 minutes on low. Serves 6.

http://realmomkitchen.com/14613/slow-cooker-pesto-ravioli/

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

THIS IS AMAZING!!!  Thanks Linds!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 servings

The flavors of Chicken Cordon Bleu come together in a pasta dish.

Ingredients

Alfredo Sauce
• 1 1/4 cups Cache Valley Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
• 1/2 cup Cache Valley Unsalted Butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Pasta
• 10 to 12 ounces penned pasta, cooked
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced into 1/4-inch strips
• 3/4 cup diced, cooked ham
• 1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
• additional optional ad-ins:
• sliced green onions
• steamed broccoli
• fresh sliced mushrooms

Instructions

• Prepare the Alfredo sauce: Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the white pepper, heavy cream and minced garlic. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the Parmesan & Mozzarella, reserving about 1/3 of each cheese. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Set the oven to broil. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add the cooked pasta, chicken, bacon, and any additional ingredients. Pour Alfredo sauce over the top, and gently stir to combine everything. Top with the reserved cheeses.
• Place the baking dish on the oven’s middle rack. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese bubbles and turns light brown.
• -------------------------
• slightly adapted from Cache Valley Hometown Favorite Recipes

http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/chicken-cordon-bleu-pasta/

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon.  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.  (Note:  I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes.  If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) .  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/04/tortellini-spinach-bake-in-creamy-lemon/

Easiest Pasta and Broccoli Recipe

Easiest Pasta and Broccoli Recipe
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/2 cups • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 289.2 • Fat: 7.1 g • Carbs: 48 g • Fiber: 4.9 g • Protein: 11.7 g • Sugar:1.0
Sodium: 103.7 (without salt) 

Ingredients:

• 12 oz uncooked pasta
• 6 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets, no stems
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When water boils, add pasta and broccoli at the same time and cook according to pasta instructions for al dente. When pasta is almost done cooking, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drainpasta and broccoli.


http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/07/easiest-pasta-and-broccoli-recipe.html

Baked Red and White Pasta

Red and White Baked Pasta

• 4 cups penne noodles
• 1  (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 (24 oz ) jar marinara sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.
3. Mix the two sauces together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add mozzarella cheese and combine.  Add drained pasta.
5. Pour into a 9×13 casserole dish and bake about 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly.
6. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake another five minutes.  (I also sprinkled mine with fresh parsley just before serving.) Enjoy! Serves 6-8

http://realmomkitchen.com/1069/red-and-white-baked-pasta/

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
• Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1-1/2 pound Fettuccine

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/pasta-with-tomato-cream-sauce/

Lindsay’s Alfredo Sauce

1 cube butter

1-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 package of cream cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup of milk

 

Melt butter and garlic in a pot over medium heat.  Cut cream cheese into squares and add until melted smooth.  Add parmesan cheese until melted and smooth.  Add milk – cook a few minutes.

Chicken Seashell Salad

1 1/2 cups seashell pasta

1/4 cup cashews

3 boneless, chicken halves, cooked

3 oz. pineapple tidbits, reserve juice

2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

3/4 cups chopped celery

1 (3 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup mayo

1/2 tsp almond extract

 

Cook pasta until soft.  Drain, rinse and set aside.  Place nuts in a dry skillet; toast over medium heat, turning frequently until nuts are fragrant and lightly browned.

 

In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, pineapple, apples, celery, oranges and tossed nuts.  In a small bowl, mix together mayo, reserved pineapple juice and almond flavoring.  Stir into pasta mixture and mix well.  Chill salad before serving.

Hug Hes Pasta Salad

12 oz. mixed pasta, spirals, bows etc.

1 can refried beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

Misc. veggies:  broccoli, chopped carrots, sliced zucchini, chopped tomatoes etc.

 

Dressing:

1 cup sugar

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cup oil

1 T salt

1 T pepper

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

 

For dressing dissolve sugar in vinegar.  Add remaining dressing ingredients, mix well.  Cook pasta and rinse in cold water and drain well.  Place in a large bowl.  Add beans chicken and veggies.  Shake dressing and pour on salad just before serving.  Mix well.

Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce

1 pint heavy cream

2 T cream cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 stick butter

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

 

In a saucepan combine, butter, heavy cream and cream cheese.  Simmer this until all is melted and mixed well.  Add parmesan cheese and garlic powder.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat (the longer you can let this simmer, the better)

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup (3 oz.) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 tsp salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender.  Process until smooth and set aside.  In a saucepan, melt butter on medium-high and add garlic.  Let garlic saute for about 30 seconds...don't burn it.

Add milk mixture to the pan.  Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer.  Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more.  It should be much thicker now.  Remove pan from heat.  Add the cheese, stir it up and then over immediately.  Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using.  It will continue to thicken upon standing.  Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid.  Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Ourbestbites.com

Fettuccine Alfredo

1/3 cup half and half
1 T butter
4 oz. dried fettuccine
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Black Pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Optional: chicken breast, broccoli, mushrooms

Allow half and half and margarine to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile cook fettuccine. Drain and return to a warm saucepan; add half and half, butter and Parmesan.  Toss gently until well coated.  If desired, add cooked veggies and cooked chicken.  Sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg.  Serves 3-4

Mushroom Tortellini

This recipe is from my cousin Arica.  WE LOVE IT!

 

Ingredients:

 

10 Ounces fresh crimini mushrooms, cut in quarters
(the loose brown ones at the grocery store)

1 bag cheese tortellini

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp butter +

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 pepper

1 Tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley (optional)

 

1. Cook tortellini.

2. Meanwhile in a medium skillet, saute garlic and mushrooms in butter, about 3 min.

3.Combine tortellini and mushrooms, then stir in cream and season with salt and pepper, simmer 2 min.

4. garnish with fresh parsley just before serving. (optional)

Kay’s Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound sausage
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can of tomato sauce (2 if needed)

Directions

1. Blend the stewed tomatoes and crushed tomatoes in a blender. In a stock pot or large kettle, brown the ground beef with the onions, peppers, garlic. Pour in tomatoes, and reduce heat. Add sugar, basil and oregano, and simmer about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Allrecipes.com

Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Allrecipes.com