One Pot 3 Cheese & Chicken Pasta Bake

I sure am loving these one pot pasta meals. 

Not that it's hard, but boiling the pasta separate has always seemed 

like somewhat of a hassle.

I don't even precook my lasagna noodles anymore and they turn out great. You can check out how I prepare the noodles here.

Anyway, this was delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly.

Linked with Foodie Friday and Weekend Potluck.

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One Pot 3 Cheese & Chicken Pasta Bake

1 tbsp oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 cups chicken broth
12 oz rigatoni or penne pasta
4 oz Havarti cheese, grated
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley or basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350*

Heat oil in a large oven proof skillet. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides; brown on both sides 2-3 minutes per side. No need to cook until done because they will continue cooking in the oven. Set aside to rest then cut into bite size pieces.

Add onion, pepper flakes and Italian seasoning to the same skillet with more oil if necessary. Saute until onion is softened, scraping up any bits on the bottom as it cooks. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste to combine and let it cook 20-30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; stir in pasta and chicken. At this point I taste for seasoning. Just remember you still have the parmesan to add. Cover and bake 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven and stir in Havarti, mozzarella and cream. Replace lid and continue baking 15 minutes. Stir, then sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and continue to bake, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Garnish with basil or parsley, if desired.

Braciole with Orecchiette

 I have a new favorite pasta.

This is the first time I've tried orecchiette pasta and I love it. Especially when the sauce gets caught in between several shells that tuck right into one another. 

It's the simple things.

Then there's the steak that's rolled up with a layer of prosciutto, bread crumbs seasoned with pecorino ramono and garlic, and a stick of provolone cheese in the middle.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Linked with Sunflower Supper Club: Weekend Potluck
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday

Braciole with Orecchiette

2 cups stale 1/2-inch Italian bread cubes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, divided use
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper
4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes

2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 to 1 1/4 pounds thin cut beef bottom round steak, sliced into 6 pieces
6 thin slices prosciutto
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided use
1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for topping
4 ounces aged provolone cheese
1 pound orecchiette

Combine the bread and milk in a large bowl and let soak, 15 minutes.

Heat up the olive oil in a large pot; add onion, half the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Cook until onions start to soften. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it begins to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking up with a wooden spoon, water and bay leaves; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Place the beef slices between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound with a heavy skillet until 1/16 inch thick. Position the slices with the short sides facing you and lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each. Add 1/4 cup of parsley, the pecorino, minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper to the soaked bread and mix with your hands, breaking up the bread; spread a layer on top of the prosciutto.

Cut the provolone into six 2-to-3-inch-long sticks, about 1/2 inch thick. Put a piece of cheese horizontally across the middle of each slice of beef and trim any overhanging cheese. Starting with a short end, tightly roll up the beef and secure with a toothpick.

Transfer the braciole to the sauce (make sure braciole is nestled down in the sauce). Bring up to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Uncover, stir and continue simmering, uncovered, until the beef is tender and the sauce thickens, 1 more hour. (Add up to 1 cup water if the sauce gets too thick.) Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parsley and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper if needed.

About 20 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Remove the braciole from the sauce and transfer to a platter; remove the toothpicks. Pour some of the sauce on top. Drain the pasta and toss with the remaining sauce. Serve the braciole with the pasta; top with pecorino.

Carne Asada Pizza

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Left over carne asada? 

Make Pizza!

I was trying to figure out what to do with my leftover Carne Asada, and then it hit me, 

I actually have leftover whole wheat pizza dough in the fridge. 

Perfect!

Normally, I would have rolled/formed the dough out onto parchment paper and placed

 it on my heated stone. I was out of paper so I just rolled it out onto the stone itself 

and it worked out fine.

I used my favorite pizza dough recipe found here, and substituted 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat

 flour for the white, which wasn't my intention at first, but was because I didn't have 

enough white flour. It turned out really good.

I kept it simple as far as ingredients go. 

Some olive oil drizzled over the rolled out dough, then topped with thinly sliced carne.

I sliced up some onion and yellow bell pepper into a bowl and tossed it with olive oil, 

Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and spread that over the top. 

Next, I sliced up some cherry tomatoes and added those, dotted on some feta, sprinkled on 

some cheddar and topped with freshly grated parmesan. A light sprinkling of salt , pepper and 

more Italian seasoning and another light drizzle of olive oil and it was ready to be placed

into a preheated 475 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so.

Delicious! We ate it with just a drizzle of salsa over it. Very yummy!

Penne with Braised Short Ribs

This turned out really good. 

I watched Giada DeLaurentis from Food Network make it and knew I had to try it.

The meat turned out so flavorful and tender, and the sauce was delicious.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides.

Set aside....

Chop up some onion and garlic,,,,,,,

and cut the plum tomatoes into 8th's.

Cook the onions and the garlic a couple minutes.

Toss in the tomato.

Add the wine and scrape up all the brown deliciousness from the bottom.

Add the mustard and the beef broth.

Add back in the ribs and definitely all the juices.

Cover it, throw it in the oven and fagitabotit!

When it's done, take the ribs out of the sauce and this is what you'll have.

Mmmmm, you can just sense how tender this is. At this point you would remove

the meat from the bones but since I used boneless, well, you get it.

See, looks tender, right? Now just shred it up with a couple forks

till you end up with something like this.

Now's the time to add the meat back in.

Mix it with the penne you cooked and top with parmesan and fresh parsley.

Serve it with toasted french bread. I drizzled some olive oil on it, sprinkled some 

salt and pepper, and then at the last minute, threw on some parmesan I had shredded

because that's the way I roll.

Cook it under the broiler or in a toaster oven until toasted.

Buon appetito!

Penne with Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients

4 pounds beef short ribs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths

1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 pound penne pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside.

Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth (I used an immersion blender). Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones (I used boneless). Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.