Tag: mozzarella cheese
Roasted Pesto Chicken Pizza
What do you do with leftover roast chicken and cauliflower??? Well, you make individual, homemade pizzas, of course!
- One large pizza dough from a pizzeria cut into four pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Preheat convection oven (preferred) to 450 degrees F.
Take one piece and form into a round ball and using some of the all-purpose flour roll into a 9-inch circle. Keep aside. Repeat with the other three pieces.
- 1 cup fresh tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Spread the tomato sauce on each rolled out pizza dough. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly and keep aside.
- 1 cup leftover roast chicken, potatoes and cauliflower- cut into small pieces
- Salt
- Pepper
Add a quarter cup of the roast chicken mixture on top of each pizza and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Chicken Parm with Broccoli Rabe Pesto
- 6-8 chicken tenders
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and marinate the chicken tenders for 4-5 hours.
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. On a third plate, combine the breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken tenders on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken tenders on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken tenders.
Lay the cooked chicken pieces in an ovenproof casserole. Ladle spoons of marinara sauce over all the chicken pieces. Add the shredded mozzarella on top and bake for 5-10 minutes in a 350 degrees oven until cheese is melted. Add some more sauce and keep aside.
Pesto
- 2 cups broccoli rabe leaves only, roughly chopped
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Process the broccoli rabe and spinach leaves till smooth. While the processor is on, drizzle the olive oil into the pesto. Add the salt and keep aside.
1 pound pappardelle, cooked al dente with some pasta water saved.
Once the pasta is cooked, return it to the same pot with ½ cup pasta water. Add ½ cup broccoli rabe pesto and mix well. Adjust seasonings and serve with chicken tenders on top.
Italian Style Cheeseburgers
Another delicious one…
- 1 pound ground grass fed beef
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Transfer the meat into a medium bow. Add the basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and keep aside in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. Form four patties and keep aside.
Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ¼ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- 3 to 4 sundried tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves
- Salt
- Pepper
Process the olives, sundried tomatoes and garlic in a small processor. Mix into the mayonnaise and yogurt in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper and taste for seasonings. Keep aside.
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 4 burger buns, sliced
- 4 mozzarella slices
Cook the burgers according to desired doneness. Add the cheese on top. Spread the mayo onto the buns and add tomatoes. Serve the burgers with grilled potatoes and veggies.
Vegetable Lasagna
This is a great way to get some veggies into your kids. They may not notice all the greens while they enjoy the yummy noodles, cheese and sauce. Eliminate the pancetta if you want to keep it vegetarian. If not then it is great way to infuse some great flavor without adding a lot of meat.
- 9 to 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup pancetta, chopped (eliminate if making vegetarian)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 10 ounces Shiitaki mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups mixed greens (I used a combination of kale, green cabbage, red cabbage & Brussels sprouts), shredded
- 1 cup ricotta
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 cups fresh tomato sauce, preferable homemade
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the lasagna noodles until they are soft and pliable, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the pasta and lay flat on a sheet tray to cool.
Add olive oil and pancetta to a large frying pan. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the greens and cook for another 5 minutes until they are wilted. Check for seasonings and turn heat off and let cool.
In a small bowl, add the ricotta, garlic, parsley, salt, egg, and ½ cup of cheese. Mix well and keep aside.
In the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking dish, add a half cup of sauce. Spread evenly. Arrange three to four noodles to completely cover the sauce. Spread ½ of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Add ½ of the mushroom mixture and spread evenly. Repeat with noodles, sauce, ricotta and mixture. Finally add the last batch of noodles and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano and all of mozzarella on top. Cover with foil. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in oven for an hour 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
Baked Sausage and Mushroom Pasta
Another one pot meal one can whip up in no time. I played around with marsala wine in this dish to give an extra yummy flavor… really good!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 sausage links, casings removed and crumbled (I used with roasted garlic)
- 1 10 ounce pack Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- Salt
- ¼ cup Marsala wine
- 2 cups fresh tomato sauce, homemade or store bought
- ½ pound penne, cooked a bit less than al dente
- ½ cup fresh full fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided in half
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and cook on a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt and Marsala wine. Stir well and add the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and add the cooked pasta, ricotta cheese and ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Mix well, turn heat off and check for seasonings. Add parsley, mix well and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Top with the remaining grated cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and turn the broil function on and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes and serve.
Chicken Parm Sandwiches
This meal is a favorite one in our house- well one of the favorites amongst many! My husband loves chicken parm in all forms. He loves it with spaghetti and as a sandwich. My daughter loves the chicken cutlets I make for the chicken parm. I love making it as well as eating it. I love cooking marinara sauce at home. It makes the house smell warm and cozy, especially on a cold evening. The mixture of tomatoes, onions and garlic makes me really happy! Good thing about making a big batch of marinara sauce is that I can re-use it for other meals that week or freeze it for later. I usually make pasta primavera with the leftover marinara. The chicken cutlets are very versatile as well. I usually make extra since my daughter loves them so much- she says the cutlets taste just like the chicken nuggets she used to have when she was younger. The chicken tastes extra delicious because of the marinade I use before breading it.
I love using really fresh crusty rolls for the sandwich part of this dish. In this case, I found rosemary focaccia rolls. I thought they would go really well with the chicken and the sauce and they did! I also like to toast the rolls with a little drizzle of olive oil. The other flavor enhancer I use is a whole clove of garlic. Rubbing the garlic on the toasted roll gives it a mild and subtle garlic flavor! The sandwich was bursting with flavor! I served it with mixed greens and beer!
Chicken
- 4-5 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast
Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Marinade
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and marinate the pounded chicken breast for 4-5 hours.
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups homemade marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese
- 4 Rolls- sliced in half
- 1 garlic clove- whole
- Olive oil to drizzle on the rolls
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. On a third plate, combine the breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts.
Lay the cooked chicken pieces in an ovenproof casserole. Ladle spoons of marinara sauce over all the chicken pieces. Add the shredded mozzarella on top and bake for 5-10 minutes in a 350 degrees oven until cheese is melted. In the same oven, place the open rolls drizzled with olive oil. Toast for 3-4 minutes and rub a clove of garlic on all the rolls. Once the cheese is melted, place the chicken pieces on the toasted rolls and serve!
Grilled Cheese with Pancetta and Roasted Jalapeños
OMG, these are the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches ever! The combination of pancetta and roasted jalapeños is divine! Obviously eliminate the pancetta if you want to make them vegetarian.. otherwise definitely make this sandwich- it is awesome. Make sure you make the soup as well from yesterday…
- 5 to 6 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the jalapenos onto a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the oil and add a pinch of salt. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Let cool and keep aside.
- 6 to 8 pancetta slices
Heat a frying pan and add the pancetta slices. Cook on medium heat till pancetta is golden brown and crispy. Take out and keep aside.
- Loaf of Italian bread, sliced
- Butter, room temperature
- Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- Mozzarella cheese, grated
Butter one side of each of the two slices. Put the two slices butter side down onto a frying pan. Add both the cheeses, as many jalapenos as you want and a slice or two of the pancetta. Cook the grilled cheese and serve with tomato soup.