Pumpkin Tortellini

I love this time of year and all the good flavors that come with! Sadly, we have been super sick around here, so there hasn't been much of anything yummy coming from the kitchen. I think we are on the mend now and I have a lot of catching up to do. I made this for dinner the other night and we loved it. A perfect weeknight meal for the middle of fall. 

Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini

2 (13oz) packages cheese tortellini
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Chopped fresh or dried parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Reserve one cup of starchy cooking water before draining, then drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin and nutmeg and cook for about a minute until combined and heated through. Stir in the cream and milk and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss until combined. Add some of the cooking water to loosen if needed (I didn't need to do this, but some sauces may turn out thicker than others). Sprinkle on some parsley and serve with additional cheese if desired.

Serves 4

Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

This is one of our favorites and we (I) always make it around St. Patrick's Day. I originally got the recipe from Rachael Ray, but I have tweaked it over the years because some of the cheese she uses can cost an arm and a leg, and I really don't have any of those to spare. The flavor is just as good and it's always hard to find leftovers of this dish. 

Spinach Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
3 tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 box frozen spinach (10 oz), defrosted and wrung dry in a towel.
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 grated parmesan cheese, plus more for top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to boil. Salt the water and cook  the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, place another pot over medium-high heat and add butter. Once melted, add the onion and garlic and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 8 minutes. Turn heat up and add flour to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk the stock into the pan. Whisk in the milk and bring to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer salt until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add cheeses and stir until melted.

Toss prepared sauce with cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle more of cheese of the top and bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Serves: 6

Spicy Peanut Noodles

It has been so nice to be back in the kitchen cooking, although doing it some evenings with a screaming newborn is less than fun. On Monday we had some fake out Chinese food to celebrate a belated Chinese New Year. I tried this new recipe and we loved it! It's more Thai foodish, but still delicious.

Spicy Peanut Noodles
another day in paradise

3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp honey
3 cloves mined garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 oz spaghetti noodles
shaved carrots
chopped cilantro
chopped peanuts

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles and put them in a serving bowl. In the meantime, in a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, hot sauce, and broth. Mix until peanut butter is melted and things are well combined. Add peanut sauce to drained noodled and mix well. Garnish with carrots, cilantro, and peanuts.

Pumpkin Penne Pasta

Wow! Almost an entire month without a new post! That tells you how crazy my life is. I have been cooking...no one in my home is starving. I am trying to teach myself balance and sadly with the craziness of life and frantically preparing for our new little addition, food blogging gets put on the back burner. Only 8 weeks left until we get to meet our new princess and we can't wait!!

We have been enjoying the flavors of fall the last month. Last night we enjoyed some pumpkin pasta that was yummy!

Pumpkin Penne Pasta

Salt

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, grated

2 cups chicken stock

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp hot sauce

freshly grated or ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp ground sage or 7 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Grated parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and the pasta and cook to al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, pumpkin, and cream, then season the sauce with hot sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes longer to thicken. Add a little of reserved cooking water if needed to thin out the sauce a bit. Stir in the sage, then toss in the drained pasta and cheese.

Serve 6

adapted from rachael ray

Tuscan Chicken

I had a hard time getting good lighting for this picture. But don't let my bad photography fool you. This dish is delicious! You can't go wrong with chicken and pasta in a cream sauce!

Tuscan Chicken

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

4 chicken breasts

5 tbsp evoo, divided

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 cup chicken broth

6oz fresh spinach

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp cornstarch

1 cup lowfat milk

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 lb fettuccine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a pie plate, combine flour, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Dip chicken in flour mixture until well coated. In a large 12 inch skillet, heat 3 tbsp evoo. Carefully place chicken in skillet, cooking them 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned, but not cooked through. Gently remove chicken to foil-lined baking sheet, lightly greased, and bake about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, cook noodles to al dente. Clean out skillet and add 2 tbsp evoo. Add garlic and pepper and saute 2-3 minutes.

Stir in 1 tbsp flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a measuring cup, whisk together cornstarch and cream. Add spinach, milk and cream mixture to skillet. Simmer, stirring occasionally until spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in cheese.

Toss cooked pasta and half of cheese sauce. Place some coated pasta on each plate. Top with chicken and more sauce.
Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

mel's kitchen cafe

Taco Pasta

I will be feeding a crowd later this week and am looking forward to doing so. This is one of the meals I will be making. It is tasty and filling and super fast and easy. A perfect summer dinner!

Taco Pasta

1 lb med shell pasta
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 small jalapeno or half of a large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cilantro
salt and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta to al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup hot pasta water.
Meanwhile, Cook beef, onion, and jalapeno till meat is cooked and onion and jalapeno are tender. Add minced garlic and saute until 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and taco seasoning and simmer 3-5 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and reserved water. Stir until blended. Season with salt and pepper and simmer about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens up.
Before serving, stir in chopped cilantro. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese.

(if you want to keep the heat level down, omit the jalapeno pepper.)

Served 6
adapted from girl who ate everything

Summer Veggie Skillet Lasagna

I was so excited to make this dish for dinner last night! It is full of veggies and as our garden is growing I have been anxious to use our vegetables! This dish is refreshing, filling, and healthy. We loved it and will be making it every summer when the squash and zucchini make their way to my kitchen.

Summer Veggie Skillet Lasagna

2 tbsp EVOO

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 small squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded

1 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12 inch skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3o seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add additional water to make 2 full cups of liquid. Add to skillet with 1 tsp salt.

Scatter noodles in skillet. Layer tomatoes over noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Stir in veggies and cook, stirring occasionally about another 8 minutes or so until veggies and noodles are tender. Add basil, half of the ricotta and parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta over noodles and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

source: mel's kitchen cafe

Kids Macaroni and Cheese

Last night the hubby was up at Girls Camp, so dinner was kid friendly. This is one of my kid go-to meals. My son hates mac and cheese out of a box, but he gobbles up the homemade stuff! I have taught him well.

Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni (I like to use whole wheat pasta)
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
6 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring pot of water to boil. Salt water before dropping pasta. Cook pasta to al dente. Meanwhile, whisk flour and milk together over med-high heat until thick and bubbly, about 5-8 minutes. Once sauce is thick, add Velveeta, 2/3 cup cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until combined and cheese is melted.
Once noodles are cooked, drain and combine pasta and sauce, then transfer to a greased 9 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top and bake for about 25 minutes or until heated through.

Serves: about 6

Bow-tie Lasagna

I could eat pasta all day everyday! It is my comfort food! Lasagna is my favorite...here is a fun twist on your traditional lasagna.

Bow-tie Lasagna

1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 lb bow-tie pasta

3 cups spaghetti sauce (you can use canned or homemade.

I much prefer homemade...I'll post that another day)

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

Parmesan cheese

In a warm skillet, brown meat, draining excess fat if needed. Bring pot of water to boil. Once boiling, season with salt and add pasta. Cook until tender.

Add spaghetti sauce (and additional seasonings if desired) to meat and bring to a bubble, continue to simmer if noodles are not finished cooking. Once noodles are cooked and drained, add meat sauce, cheese, and sour cream to noodles and mix until combined. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I tried a new recipe last night and we loved it! I couldn't get a great picture of it, but trust me...it's so good! It takes a little bit of prep work and be aware this recipe makes 2 9x13 pans. So this is a great recipe if you need to take dinner to someone or just throw the extra pan in the freezer. I cut the recipe in half cause I didn't want two pans last night. I will make the full batch next time and throw a pan in the freezer! It was delicious!

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

adapted from girl who ate everything

1 (120z) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells...you may want to cook 1 1/2 boxes just to be safe in case some of the shells break while boiling

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

2 cups frozen spinach, thawed, drained and chopped

1 tbsp minced, dried onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15oz) ricotta cheese

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese (i used the lighter version and it was fine)

1 (5oz) pkg shredded parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 (26oz) jar spaghetti sauce or more if you want it saucier

Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will break easily while trying to fill them. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350* Lightly grease 2 9x13 baking dishes.

In a large bowl, combine chicken and the rest of the ingredients except 1 cup of mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Spoon filling into shells.

Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared dishes, dividing it between the two pans. Place shells on top of sauce and top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with foil; if you are freezing one pan, freeze after this step. Include a bag of extra mozzarella for when you bake it.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella. Bake 10 minutes more until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves 8-10

Last night I made a yummy new lasagna-White Chicken Lasagna to be exact. My husband loved it! I loved it too-but I didn't love the mess it made in my oven.

Try this recipe because it is really good-but bake it with a cookie sheet under your baking dish. Otherwise you will get to clean a fun mess like I did and your house will smell kind of yucky.

My poor oven:(

White Chicken Lasagna

another day in paradise

2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of broccoli soup

4 cups chicken broth, small amount reserved

1 cup sour cream

1/2 lb cottage cheese

1/2 container ricotta cheese

1 lb mozzarella cheese

1 tsp basil

1 pkg oven ready lasagna noodles

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine everything but the chicken, noodles and small amount of chicken broth. Mix in chicken. Pour reserved broth in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish, making sure it covers bottom. Layer uncooked noodles and sauce until mix is gone or pan is full-ending with sauce.

Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 35-40 minutes until bubbly and golden. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. The longer is sits, the more it sets up. It will be fairly soupy when you pull it out of the oven, so make sure you let it sit!!

Serves 6-8

Baked Ziti

I have made ziti before and really not been happy with it-most of the recipes I have tried have just been too dry. I got this recipe from a fellow food blogger and we loved it!! It feeds a good amount of people-we've been eating leftovers for 3 days, but no one has complained! This takes a little more time to put together and bake, so plan ahead. Enjoy!Baked Ziti

a bountiful kitchen

1 lb cottage cheese (1%)

2 lg eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese

salt

1 lb ziti

2 tbsp olive oil

5 med garlic cloves, minced

1 (28oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp sugar

black pepper

3/4 tsp cornstarch

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups (8oz) mozzarella cheese cut into 1/4 inch chunks

Heat oven to 350*. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Boil and salt water. Add pasta and cook until soft, but not cooked through-about 5 minutes. Drain pasta, rinse and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet with garlic until fragrant but not browned. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thick, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in a small bowl. Transfer to small saucepan set over med heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

Transfer pasta mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce mixture evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and remaining parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10-20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.

Serves 8+

Taco Pasta

I am out of the habit of taking pictures before we eat. I am usually throwing dinner on the table on my way out the door. Sorry about the picture-it's my leftovers for lunch. This meal is awesome because it tastes just like a taco-except instead of using tortillas, it has pasta. I would rather eat the pasta so this had my name written all over it!! My husband loved it too and said it was a definite keeper!!

Taco Pasta

adapted from Rachael Ray

1 lb whole grain penne pasta

1 lb ground turkey

1 lg onion, chopped and divided

1 lg jalapeno, halved, seeded and thinly chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp coriander

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

sour cream

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water and cook pasta to al dente.

While pasta is cooking, in a skillet cook meat until no longer pink. Add 3/4 of the onion, the jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute and then stir in the stock.

Add the sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into serving dish and top with cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese. Top with remaining onion, tomatoes and lettuce. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 4-6

Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine

I don't think I will ever eat "regular" fettuccine ever again. I LOVE the lemon in this recipe. It really gives it a refreshing flavor. Plus, it only takes about 20 minutes to make. Can't complain about that! It is not terribly figure friendly-but who cares! All things in moderation, right?

Lemon-Pepper Fettuccine

food network magazine

12 oz fettuccine

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 large egg yolk

1-2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cups grated pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish

freshly ground pepper

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to pkg directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk the cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the cream mixture and cheese to the skillet. Cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add pasta to the skillet and toss, adding enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce. Garnish with additional cheese if desired.

Serves 4-6

Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

So this is not a great picture, but this is one of my most favorite meals ever!! I only make it like twice a year because I could seriously eat the entire dish by myself. Maybe I'll make it 3 times this year:)

Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

1 lb regular or whole wheat penne pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 lg onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups milk

a few grates of nutmeg

1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 cup fonita cheese, grated

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated, plus more for top

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for top.

Preheat oven to 350*. Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil. When water is boiling, salt it well and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve.

While pasta is cooking, place a med pot or skillet over med-low heat. Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in pot to heat and melt. Add the onion and garlic to pan and cook veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat up to med-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk stock into the pan. Whisk in the milk and bring to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, some salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add cheeses to the sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until melted.

Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake until cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

*You can play around with some different cheeses with this dish. Try all mozzarella or some provolone instead of fontina. Get creative!

Roasted Squash Penne with Autumn Pesto

I bought a butternut squash about a week ago so I could make ravioli-needless to say I ran out of umph this week. I made this dish for the first time a couple of months ago and loved it! I decided I wanted it one more time before all the squash is gone for a whileRoasted Squash Penne with Autumn Pesto

adapted from rachael ray

1 cup flat leaf parsley tops, packed

1 cup baby spinach leaves, packed

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp paprika

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1 tsp lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

1 butternut squash-peeled and cubed into 3/4 inch pieces

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 lb penne

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400*.

Place parsley, spinach, ginger, garlic, nuts, lemon zest and juice, some salt and pepper in food processor and turn processor on. Stream about 1/3 cup olive oil into processor to form pesto sauce.

Spread squash cubes onto baking sheet. Drizzle cubes with about 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt, pepper, paprika and nutmeg. Roast 15 minutes, turn cubes over and roast 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of starchy cooking water just before draining. Drain pasta and return to hot pot. Add reserved water and pesto and toss to coat. Gently mix in squash cubes and serve topped with lots of cheese!

Serves 6-8

Spaghetti and Oozing Eyeballs

We love having fun with our food during the Halloween season. This recipe was a new one, but it was such a hit that I think it will quickly become a tradition. Next year I will be sure to post other fun Halloween recipes and fun food ideas. This month has just been so crazy! Happy Halloween!!

Spaghetti and Oozing Eyeballs

2 lbs ground beef (I use ground turkey)

1 pkg (6oz) chicken flavored stuffing mix

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce, divided

4 sticks string cheese, cut into quarters

4 pitted olives, cut into 4 slices

1 pkg (1 lb) spaghetti

Heat oven to 375. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs and 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce. Shape into 16 (2 inch) meatballs. Insert 1 cheese piece into top of each meatball, with end of cheese piece just showing out of the top of meatball. Place on greased baking sheet. Top each cheese piece with olive slice to resemble an eyeball.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti and heat remaining sauce. Drain spaghetti and serve topped with sauce and meatballs.

Serves 8

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Sadly this week you will not find very exciting dinners here-it is one of those weeks where we have a million things going on, so the faster the meal the better. This is one from my mom-easy chicken parmesan. Easy Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 (26 oz) jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400*. Dip chicken in egg, then in bread crumbs coating well. In a 9x13 glass baking pan (greased), arrange chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with hot pasta.

Manicotti

Sorry this isn't a great picture- I was in a hurry. I tried a new Manicotti recipe tonight. I wasn't crazy about it, but my husband liked it and my kids gobbled it up! It is fast and easy if nothing else. Easy Baked Manicotti

source unknown

2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided (store bought or homemade)

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pesto (store bought or homemade)

12 manicotti shells, cooked, rinsed in cold water

Preheat oven to 350*. Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Mix egg, cheeses and pesto until well blended. Spoon mixture into plastic bag-cut a small hole from one of the corners. fill shells by squeezing mixture into both ends. Place manicotti over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until heated through. Serves 6