Vegetable Chicken Pasta Soup

I usually make this when there are veggies in the house that need to get used. Although this variation is utilizing zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, swiss chard, spinach and celery, you could really use most green vegetables, and any type of shell or small variety pasta. Enjoy!

Vegetable Chicken Pasta Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock

1 pound skinless chicken breasts-diced

1 bunch (1 cup) roughly chopped Sweet Basil

1 Yellow Onion-diced

4-5 cloves Garlic-minced

6-7 stalks Celery-thinly sliced lengthwise then chopped


1 cup diced Carrots

2 Zucchini-diced

2 Tomatoes-diced (or you can use whole stewed canned) 12 oz.

2 cups dry pasta (Fusilli or shell)

2 cups fresh Baby Spinach or Swiss Chard

½ Teaspoon dried Red Pepper flakes

2 cubed Chicken Bouillon

½ teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Salt & Pepper or Nature’s seasoning to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic and basil in a few tablespoons of Olive oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add chicken, stir and cover. Stir chicken every couple of minutes, cooking for about 10 minutes. Add dry spices, tomatoes, chicken stock, and cover.

Wash, dry & dice your vegetables. Remove middle section of red stems from swiss chard, before rough chopping & adding to soup. Add to pot, stir and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Ensure that you have enough broth to cover dry pasta noodles, add pasta, season broth, & cook for an additional 7-8 minutes, or until your pasta is tender. Serve.

Eggplant & Chicken Sausage Spaghetti

This is the quintessential comfort food. A cold night...this is it. This will fill your belly & leave you satisfied!

Eggplant & Chicken Sausage Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 pound Spaghetti (cooked & retain 1 cup water)

2 ½ cups Marinara sauce (see my recipe here)

1 large purple Eggplant-washed & sliced into bite sized cubes

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2-3 springs of fresh Oregano

2 fresh Bay leaves

¼ cup fresh Basil-chopped

4-5 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

1 yellow Onion-diced

4 tablespoons Olive oil

1 package Chicken Sausage-sliced

Sea Salt

¼ teaspoon crushed Red Pepper flakes

Pepper

Directions:

Boil water for pasta in a large pot. Add salt & a little olive oil. Bring to a boil, add pasta & cook until it is al dente. Retain 1 cup of the pasta water. Begin by sautéing onions, garlic, herbs & olive oil on high heat until golden brown. Add chicken sausage. Cook  for about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggplant, about 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, & cover. Cook for about 2 minutes, reducing heat to a simmer. Add marinara sauce, water & stir. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until eggplant is cooked. Drain pasta, then immediately add eggplant & cheese, and mix well. Serve immediately.

Pasta Fontina Rustica with Chicken Sausage

The hubby was getting "pasta" homesickness, so I knew it was time to make him what he likes best. I used a Williams-Sonoma recipe as a basic guide for this, but added a few of my own ingredients. I changed the dried herbs to fresh, and added mushrooms, and a few extra spices. I think it came out wonderfully. I used Penne, but you could also use any other ridged pasta. Enjoy!

Pasta Fontina Rustica with Chicken Sausage

*adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 yellow Onion, chopped

2 cloves fresh Garlic, minced

3/4 lb. Chicken sausage, with casings removed (about 4 sausages)

2 tablespoons fresh Basil (I used my fresh Basil infused in olive oil which I have in the fridge for an occasion just like this)

1 tsp. fresh Oregano

1-2 sprigs fresh Rosemary

¼ cup flat leaf Parsley-chopped

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1 can (28 oz.) Tomatoes in puree, tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved

Salt, & pepper to taste

1 lb. Penne pasta

1 1/4 cups Ricotta cheese

½ pound sauteed fresh Mushrooms-chopped

2 cups shredded Fontina or Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink. After 2 minutes add mushrooms & cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes, puree, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a baking dish.
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, the ricotta and fontina. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake until the cheeses are melted and the tips of the pasta are crusty, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Acorn Squash and Asiago-Béchamel Mac & Cheese

Acorn Squash and Asiago-Béchamel Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• ½ Acorn Squash-roasted & diced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved, divided
• ½ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups whole Milk
• Salt & pepper
• ¼ cup Parmesan
• 1 cup Grated Asiago cheese
• 1 & ½ cups grated white/yellow cheese blend
• 1 cup (packed) coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella
• 8 ounces medium shell pasta

Béchamel:

• Combine 5 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons butter, & 2 cups whole milk (for Béchamel). Mix will cheeses once cooked & thickened. 

Directions:

• Slice Acorn Squash into ½ inch slices. Coat with salt & pepper, and red pepper flakes. Roast for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool & cut into small bite sizes pieces.

• Cook pasta shells according to directions on box, drain, rinse & set aside.
• Toast panko in skillet over medium-high heat until golden, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl; cool to lukewarm. Rub 1 tablespoon butter into crumbs to coat. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Mince garlic, and sauté over medium heat with butter. Add flour, making a roux. Add milk, & mix consistently, until all lumps are gone, and roux is silky and smooth. Continue to cook over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken. Turn off heat & add Asiago, Mozzarella, & ½ cup cheese blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter large baking dish. Spoon pasta into dish. Stir sauce, remaining cheese & squash into pasta. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
• Bake pasta until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Pasta Alla Norma (Eggplant)

1 can 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes (blend till smooth in blender)

3-4 medium cloves garlic chopped finely

¼ cup Olive oil

¼ cup fresh basil chopped

½ of a yellow onion –diced

½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1 medium sized Purple variety Eggplant (about 2 ½ cups once diced)

1 cup Ricotta Salata (or you can also use Parmesan)

Red chili pepper flakes (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 teaspoon Nature’s Seasoning

1 pound Rigatoni pasta

In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil, add salt & a little olive oil. Once boiling, add pasta & cook according to directions. Once cooked, drain water & top with sauce, and ricotta or parmesan, stirring well. Serve immediately.

Brown onions & garlic in olive oil, add basil & flat leaf parsley, and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add diced eggplant & sauté over medium heat until fragrant. Add blended tomatoes. Stir and reduce heat. Cover, stirring frequently. Add seasoning (salt & pepper). Cook down, adding ¼ cup water if needed after reducing heat. Simmer on low for about 1 hour.

 **I always have a few containers of my marinara sauce frozen so I just defrosted one & added this which reduces the cooking time by over half).

Chicken Venetian

*Adapted from a Chef Dennis recipe

Ingredients:

·         4-6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts (depending upon size) **the ones I had were enormous, so I only used 3, and cut them in half prior to serving.

·         2 cups Ricotta cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

·         1 large egg (for Ricotta mixture)

·         6 ounces baby spinach cooked and drained

·         1 small clove fresh garlic-minced

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh Basil in Olive oil

·         1 tablespoon Natures Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning)

·         2 cups bread crumbs

·         2 eggs (for milk)

·         1/2 cup milk (to mix with egg)

·         1 cup flour seasoned with black pepper and salt to taste

·         1/4 cup olive oil (for pan frying chicken breasts)

Instructions:

1.       Place pieces of chicken individually in a large zip lock bag to keep it from coming apart. Pound chicken breasts with meat hammer until almost double in size.

2.       Mix ricotta, Romano cheese, spices, basil, egg and drained spinach together to make stuffing for chicken.

3.       Place about 1/2 cup of the stuffing mix in the center of the chicken breast and form a small oval shape while closing in around the stuffing. Continue until all the breasts are stuffed. Wrap each chicken breast with plastic wrap tightly to help them set. Place stuffed chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes to help them set up.

4.       Prepare a breading station of flour seasoned with salt and pepper, egg wash (milk & egg), and seasoned bread crumbs. After 30 minutes dredge stuffed chicken in flour, using this time to make sure its sealed well, then the egg wash and finally the bread crumbs, making sure the entire breast is coated.

5.       In a hot saute pan add a little olive oil, and with the seam side down first, and saute each stuffed breast on both sides until they are golden brown. Place onto greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I served my chicken over fresh Penne pasta with a light Basil-cream sauce I mixed up. These are very versatile and could be paired with virtually any type of pasta.