One-pan, kid-friendly, Chicken Parmesean

I have a new-Mom friend (who adopted the most BEAUTIFUL baby girl!), who was signed-up for Meal Train. It is a great website where family and friends can sign up to bring meals to new parents, folks recovering from injuries/surgeries or enduring an extended illness, to welcome a new neighbor, assist a family around a military deployment, or those grieving a loss. Knowing that my friend liked pasta, but also often had a 7-year-old nephew around, thought I'd try to make a kid friendly recipe. So here it is...chicken parm made with chicken tenders! Thanks to Christine's Cuisine for the recipe and beautiful photo!

One-pan, kid-friendly, Chicken Parmesean

Ingredients

• 1 (28-oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 12 oz. pasta (ziti, penne, fusilli etc.)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb. cooked chicken tenders, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Cook the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. 
Stir in the tomatoes, water, 1 cup of the broth, and the pasta. Bring to a vigorous simmer, cover, and cook until pasta is tender, 15 to 18 minutes, stirring often.
3. 
Stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and the chopped chicken. If the pasta seems dry, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
4. 
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Orzo Salad

I was recently looking for a light and easy recipe to bring to a work pot luck. I had never made orzo, and thought this recipe by Giadia De Laurentis would be fun to try.  In the end, our neighborhood market had no orzo, fresh basil, OR mint, so I substituted small shells, and dried basil. The end product was still good, so I can't wait to try again with the correct ingredients.

Orzo Salad 

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. 
2. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. 
3. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. 
4. Drain the orzo through a strainer. 
5. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. 
6. Set aside to cool completely.
7. Once cool, toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. 
8. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. 
2. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. 
3. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

As an alternative, I might try this with the house vinaigrette my old friend, The Naughty Chef, makes at his workplace!

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

In looking for a new slow-cooker recipe, I found this recipe on Pinterest. I was drawn to the word Cassoulet!  I love it! The recipe originally called for turkey sausage, but we prefer spicy Andouille. We also added rice to make this a heartier stew rather than a soup. A very satisfying meal!

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Prep time:  10 min

Cook time:  Slow cooker 8 hours

Ingredients

• 2 (16-oz) cans Great Northern or Cannellini beans, undrained
• 1 (28-oz) can diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14-oz) package Andouille Sausage, sliced
• 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 3 medium Carrots, sliced
• 1 cup chopped Onion
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup Rice *(optional)

Directions

1. Combine first 11 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. 
3. Remove and discard bay leaf.
4. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese before serving.

*Optional Rice add-in: To make this more stew/less soup like...

1. At 6.5 hours, turn to high and bring to boil (usually by hour 7) 
2. Stir in 3/4 cup uncooked rice. 
3. Cook on high the remaining hour. 

Serves 6

Adapted from Southern Living 2007 Annual Recipes