Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

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Chicken Penne Pasta Bake from Martha Stewart Online
(slightly adapted from this recipe by Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone* (6 ounces) you could also make that 1/2 mozzarella
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

*Note on Cheese:

Sometimes provolone cheese can be hard to find. I don’t always encourage the use of pre-shredded bagged cheeses (because ‘ve found they usually contain additives and therefore don’t melt or taste as good), but in this recipe I’ve used a *good* quality one, like Sargento, and it’s turned out great. Actually in this batch I used Sargento’s Provolone/Mozzarella mix. You’ll find that with packaged cheese mixes, provolone is often mixed with other white cheeses and that’s totally fine. Just try to find one that is mostly provolone, like a 50/50 mix. The other easy option is to go to the deli department where you can buy sliced cheese. Just ask for a 6 oz chunk and you can grate it yourself.

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

2. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.

3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie. If cooking, sprinkle on top.

5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:

To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool. Cover pan well with plastic wrap. Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake, preheat oven to 400. Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside. Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese. Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout

Lasagna

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Ingredients:
1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed
9 lasagna noodles
2 (8 ounce) balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook the Italian sausage in a large pot or Dutch oven over
medium-high heat until lightly browned. Drain any excess grease, then stir in
the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned
translucent, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste, and stewed
tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15
minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the basil and
oregano; simmer 5 minutes more then remove from the heat.

2. While the sauce is simmering, stir together the cream cheese and
chopped spinach until blended. Leave the spinach soggy, the water will help
thin out the cream cheese to a sour cream-like consistency.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Place
3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, and spread with 1/3 of the spinach
mixture. Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce over this, and then layer with 1/3 of the
mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Asiago cheese and 1/3 of the Parmesan
cheeses. Repeat layers two more times, ending with cheeses on top.

5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake in preheated oven
for 40 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking until the top is bubbly and golden
brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Optional: Add 1 chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to the meat sauce. Add thinly sliced zucchini to each layer.

Pizza Bake

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Here is the recipe. She says it makes ton, so she freezes half. I'm planning on making half the recipe for each meal...if that makes sense.

from 'Six Sister's Stuff' blog
Pizza Bake
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion (optional), diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 oz sliced pepperoni
4 oz (1 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
12 oz Rigatoni noodles, cooked
15 oz pizza sauce
26 oz Spaghetti sauce

1. Brown meat, onion and pepper in frying pan.
2. Drain grease and add pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce
3. Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot (spray with non-stick spray first).
4. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes and then LOW for 2 or 3 hours until the cheese melts.

Chicken Noodle Soup

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Chicken Noodle Soup

1/2 cup chopped celery

4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth

1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast

1 1/2 cups egg noodles

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

thaw frozen soup in fridge

bring to a boil.

add egg noodles until tender.

enjoy!

Bird's Nest Pie

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Bird's Nest Pie

1 (8-ounce) package spaghetti noodles
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 cup sour cream
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (6-ounce) can Italian tomato paste
1 cup water

Cook spaghetti noodles in boiling, salted water for the shortest time recommended on package. Drain. Mix warm spaghetti with eggs, Parmesan, butter and parsley. Press into a round greased foil pan. Mix sour cream and cream cheese. Spread on top of spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with Mozzarella. Brown sausage with onion. Add tomato paste and water. Simmer 10 minutes. Pour on top of cheese. Cover, label and freeze. 6 servings.

To serve: Thaw. Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350. Uncover and top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes.

Chicken Macaroni Bake

from the Girlfriend on the Go cookbook

2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, macaroni, cheese, soup, milk and pepper. If freezing put in freezer bag or disposable pan. Otherwise, pour into a greased pan. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until macaroni is tender.