Triple P (pesto, Parmesan, pasta) Chicken

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/3 box mini-penne pasta (or other pasta of your liking)
1 package (10-12 oz) frozen Parisian vegetables
2 Tbsp pesto sauce
1/3 c. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in nonstick skillet. Cook chicken until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from pan. Drain oil from pan. Cook vegetables until tender. Combine chicken vegetables, and pasta. Stir in pesto and Parmesan cheese. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

This was a completely on the fly meal. I started out thinking I was going to make a chicken stir-fry and then decided to do this instead, just grabbing from my pantry (pasta) and freezer (vegetables and some pesto I had made a while back). The vegetables I used were a Kroger brand so if you don't live near a Kroger/Fry's Market, you will have to find a substitute, but really any vegetables (fresh or frozen) will work. This is just a quick easy throw together meal, but is tasty and beautiful enough for company...and healthy too!

Chicken Parmesan (slow-cooker)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
1 jar of pasta sauce (26 oz)

Spread olive oil around bottom and sides of crockpot

Beat the egg in a dish. Combine parmesan, seasonings, and bread crumbs in a dish.

Dip the chicken in the egg, then coat both sides with the bread crumb mixture. Stagger the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Put a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each piece of chicken. Pour the jar of pasta sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, or on high 4 hours.

Serve over pasta.

*I got this recipe from my cousin Kylee.

This is one of the easiest, tastiest meals out there. As you can see by the pictures, I use shredded mozzarella cheese. I also prefer to use whole wheat linguini as my pasta when I serve it. My family's preferred pasta sauce is Ragu Thick and Chunky Garden Combination.

Crockpot Tips:
As you can see by the pictures I use the Reynolds Crockpot Liners. I've found them the cheapest at Target and Walmart ($1.87 for a pkg of 4). They cost twice as much at my local grocery store. I will often get coupons for them for $1.00 off too, which makes them even cheaper. Honestly even if I had to pay twice as much for them, I would because they make crockpot clean-up so much easier!

I usually put my crockpot meals together the night before and stick them in the fridge until morning when I plug it in.

Cavatappi with Spinach, Beans, and Asiago Cheese

8 cups coarsely chopped spinach leaves
4 cups hot cooked cavatappi (about 6 oz uncooked spiral shaped pasta)
1/2 c. shredded Asiago Cheese
2 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (19oz) can cannellini beans or other white beans (drained and rinsed)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper, if desired. Makes 4, 2 cup servings.

*I think this is a Cooking Light recipe, but it was just a clipping from a magazine that I had saved from years ago, so I'm not certain on that.

My husband and I both enjoyed this recipe much more than I thought we would. The flavor is wonderful and the dish feels light. We both felt you could easily add grilled chicken to the recipe. We ate this as a meal, but it could easily be a terrific side dish. *I did not find Cavatappi pasta at the store I went to the day I bought ingredients for this dish so I used Penne instead.

Hearty Lasagna

1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped
2 links precooked chicken sausage, diced
1/3 c. 2% milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. pasta sauce
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425. Mix ricotta, basil, sausage, milk, garlic, pepper flakes, and salt in a bowl.

Spread 1/2 c. pasta sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Lay 2 noodles over the sauce. Cover with 1/4 of the cheese mixture and another 1/2 cup of sauce. Repeat with noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce 3 more times and sprinkle the last layer with parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes, until the top is golden.

This recipe is from Cook This, Not That.

All three of us enjoyed this lasagna. It was easy to make and quick in terms of lasagna. It woudl be easy to double if you needed it for a larger crowd. I did make a couple slight modifications. I bought uncooked chicken sausage at Sprouts (2 of them which are quite large). I think I got the "basil" flavored type. Before cooking them I sliced open the casing and just put the meat in a pan to brown. The recipe calls for "Muir Glen Basil Pasta Sauce". I just used what we have on hand, which was Ragu Chunky Garden Vegetable. I also used 1% instead of 2% milk because that is what we have at our house. I recommend the Barilla no-boil noodles. I've used the American Beauty brand for other recipes and think that for this particular one, the Barilla work better due to the fact they are the perfect size for an 8x8 Pyrex glass baking pan when laid side by side.

*Sorry no picture:( I'll try do get one when we eat leftovers!

Pesto Chicken Florentine

2 T. Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 (4.5oz) pkg dry alfredo sauce mix
2 T. pesto
1 (8oz) pkg dry penne pasta
1 T grated Romano cheese

Directions:
1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute, then add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add spinach and saute together for 3-4 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, boil penne in salted water. Drain when done.

3.While the chicken is cooking, prepare Alfredo sauce according to package directions. When finished, stir in 2 T pesto.

4.Add chicken/spinach mixture to pasta. Stir in pesto/alfredo sauce mixture. Mix well, top with cheese and serve.

This recipe is from the website "allrecipes.com".

My husband and I both loved this (we didn't try to get our 2 year old to eat it, he had pasta with red sauce instead). You pretty much have to get the pasta cooking before starting the chicken. I found that my chicken cooked really fast and I had to wait for the pasta (though I started it at the same time as the garlic/chicken). As soon as the chicken is in the pan, start making the alfredo. This dinner is really quick (less than 30 minutes from start to finish). I happened to have some homemade pesto on hand so I used that. I also didn't buy the romano cheese. I justed used parmesean since I already had some in my fridge. Delicious!

Cheese Lovers Pasta Roll-Ups

1 egg, beaten

1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded italian cheese blend

4 green onions, chopped

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce, divided (my family loves Ragu Chunky Garden Comination)

16 lasagna noodles
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375. Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended. Spread 1/2 c. of the pasta sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 Tbsp. cheese mixture. Roll each noodle. Place the noodles seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining pasta sauce and parmesan. Cover. Bake 40-50 minutes or until heated through. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.

*This recipe comes from the Kraft Food and Family magazine.

**This recipe took me about 30 minutes to put together. I made it a few hours ahead of time and placed it in the refridgerator until I was ready to cook it. The magazine gives directions for refridgerating up to 24 hours or freezing for up to 1 month. Really only difference is that it may take slightly longer to cook and if you freeze it, you need to thaw it before cooking it. A person could easily add ground meat to the cheese mixture if desired. This is a huge dish. Could easly feed a family of 6!

***A note about the roll-ups: Cook the noodles so they are al dente (soft, but still firm). I added some olive oil to the cooking water to keep the noodles from sticking. When I did the roll-ups, I place three noodles on waxed paper and eye-balled the amount of cheese (it came out perfect). I used my fingers to spread the cheese out and then rolled them and placed them in the pan. It worked great!

Baked Ziti

Olive oil spray*

1 (14.5 oz.) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (I use Ronzoni Smart Taste)

1 (15 oz.) container fat-free ricotta cheese

2 large egg whites

8 oz (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Salt- to taste

Ground black pepper -to taste

Crushed red pepper flakes- to taste

3 1/2 c. Main Event Marinara Sauce (found on previous post)

or other low-sodium marinara

2 T. grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450. Lightly mist a 13x9x2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the pasta noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 c. of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combine.

Spread 1 c. of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 c. of sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 c. sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon in to bowls and serve. Makes 8 servings.

*The cookbook recommends not using the canned olive oil spray. I have a pump type sprayer that works great. You can find them at Pampered Chef, and other special cooking stores. You may be able to find one at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (though I have not found luck there).

**My family loved this recipe. It was so easy to make. I'm sure you could add ground turkey or chicken for some extra protein. If you don't like reduced-fat cheese, used the regular kind...it will just add more fat and calories to the dish.

This recipe is from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

1 1/2 c. multigrain penne pasta uncooked (I like SmartChoice)
1 pkg. (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves
1 lb boneles chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 jar (14 1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 oz. (1/4 pkg) neufchatel cheese (I used cream cheese since I had some on hand)
1 c. mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375. Cook pasta, adding spinach to boiling water for last minute of cooking.
Cook chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat for 3 min. Add sauce and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Simmer 3 min or until chicken is done. Stir in neufchatel cheese. Drain pasta mixture. Return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Spoon into 2 qt baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

TIP!!! Cook pasta in a large pot so you have enough room for the spinach and later adding the chicken mixture. I would also suggest at least a 2 1/2 qt baking dish (that's what I used and it was pretty full!)

This recipe is from Kraft Food and Family magazine.

Skillet Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef

2 green peppers*

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce

1 2/3 c. water

1/4 c. Italian salad dressing

12 oven ready lasagna noodles (broke into quarters)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

*I am not a big fan of green peppers so I use only 1 small pepper or sometimes less.  I also add a small can of sliced black olives.

Brown meat in large skillet and drain.
Stir in peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water, and dressing. Bring to a boil.  Add noodles.  Stir.  Cover
Cook on medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover.  Let stand 5 minute, or until cheese is melted.

I found this recipe in the Kraft Food and Family Magazine.  I love this magazine and the great recipes it has. 

Recipe and Photo from Kraft Food and Family Magazine