Pasta Party

“Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.” - La bella Sophia Loren, a walking advertisement for carbo loading.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 20

I stumbled across the above quote while looking for quotes for another one of my blogs (Quote of the Day), and figured it fit in perfectly for one of my pasta party posts.

Today's offerings include Chicken Spaghetti and Quick Skillet Ziti. Enjoy!

CREAMY ROASTED RED PEPPER PENNE

This is from Lindsay Funston on Delish. Lindsay wrote, “With a super-light cream sauce, this spinach and roasted red pepper penne is addictive.”

Total Time: 20 minutes; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4

To view this online, click here.

Note: This recipe originally called for chicken broth, which I've exchanged for veggie broth. Also, if you can get hold of a veggie version of heavy cream – maybe soy? Whatever – go for it.

Ingredients

12 oz. penne

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. baby spinach

1 c. sliced jarred roasted red peppers

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. low-sodium vegetable broth

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add spinach and roasted red peppers. Cook until wilted and warmed through, 3 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream, vegetable broth, and 1/4 cup pasta water and bring to a simmer.

Add cooked penne to pan and stir until coated, then season with crushed red pepper flakes.

Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA

This is from tbsp.com, and begins, “Tex-Mex meets Italian in this awesomely easy weeknight dinner dish.”

Prep: 20 minutes; Total: 40 minutes; Servings: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. chicken breast, sliced thin

1 packet Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix chicken

1/4 cup water

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1/2 lb. spaghetti (1/2 of a 16 oz. box)

4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring regularly, until chicken is cooked through, around 8 minutes.

Add chicken seasoning to the skillet along with 1/4 cup water and stir together. Add sliced bell peppers and onion and cook until they are softened a bit.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package until al dente. When pasta is cooked through, use tongs to move it directly from the cooking water to the chicken fajita skillet. Stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top the skillet with grated cheddar cheese and reduce heat to low until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

QUICK SKILLET ZITI

This is from Family Time, and begins, “Ground beef and pasta are a winning combination for quick weekday meals that are nostalgic and full of good taste.”

Serves 4 (1 1/4 cups each); Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

Prego® Marinara Italian Sauce or 1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce

5 cups tube-shaped pasta (ziti), cooked and drained

Grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet until it's well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir the sauce and pasta in the skillet and heat through. Sprinkle with the cheese.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Is it a chicken dish? Spaghetti? Both! This yummy recipes is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman, and begins, “With spaghetti and mushroom sauce, and light and dark meat chicken with bell peppers, Ree Drummond's casserole is like two meals in one. Cooking the spaghetti in the same liquid as the chicken infuses it with flavor, and the Cheddar thickens the sauce so it coats each piece of meat.”

Total: 1 hr 40 min; Active: 20 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-spaghetti-recipe.

Ingredients

1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar

1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Two 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion, finely diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, then return the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups.

Cook the spaghetti in the same chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.

Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA

This comes from Chungah Rhee on her wonderful site, Damn Delicious. If you haven’t checked out her site, which I definitely recommend, you should!

For this recipe, Chungah wrote, “Save time/effort and make everyone’s FAVORITE Italian dish in your crockpot. You can also freeze half for another meal!”

Yield: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1 pound penne

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.

In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir into the slow cooker and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Stir pasta and chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

CHEESE-STUFFED SHELLS IN MARINARA SAUCE

This is from Familytime, and begins, “A traditional Italian-style favorite is made easier for you! Combine Buitoni Marinara Sauce with stuffed shells, add a tossed salad and warm bread and sit down to a satisfying meal!” Serves: 6; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

12 dried jumbo whole-wheat or regular pasta shells, prepared according to package directions

1 cup (4 ounces)shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup fat free or reduced-fat ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 container (15 oz.) BUITONI® refrigerated Marinara Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Combine 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg and pepper in a medium bowl. Stuff each shell evenly with cheese mixture; place in ungreased 12 x 71/2-inch (2-quart rectangular) baking dish. Pour sauce over shells.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

For Freeze Ahead:

Prepare as above; do not bake. Do not top with remaining mozarella cheese. Cover; freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.