Roasted Chicken Pasta Bake

Love making comfort foods,  not only are they delicious , but they are usually very simple and cheap .... not that I overly like the word cheap ... preferring frugal , but it seems to fit !   I even named a recipe series after it .. Good Food , Cheap !  Hahaha This one certainly fits the bill with a total cost of under $10 ... and 6 to 8 servings :))   $1.25 a plate sound good for a balanced meal ?

Ingredients : 

One Pound of Pasta ( Rotini ) 

One Pound of Roasted Chicken ( leftovers )

One Jar of Stewed Tomatoes ( homemade )  

One head of Broccoli  (small florets )
One Red Pepper ( sliced )
A Handful of Cremini Mushrooms (sliced )
A Couple of Onions  (sliced )
A Couple cloves of garlic ( minced ) 

A 1/4lb of Mozzarella ( shredded )
A 1/8lb of Aged Cheddar ( shredded )
A 1/16lb of buffalo parmesan ( fine shred ) 

 

Prepare the pasta as per the packages instructions ... cutting short the cook time by a minute or two helps with the finished dish I find :)  Assemble all your ingredients ,  and start building dinner ... pasta in first ( I use my lasagna dish )  then add the chicken, onion , mushrooms & stewed tomatoes ...   season at this point , S&P , Italian Herbs ... diced garlic :) mix it up well, and pop into a 350F oven for about 20 minutes .

After twenty minutes ..  and the cheeses and broccoli , and back into the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes .  

Ta....  Da !!!   Dinner is served :)  Just let the pan rest for a couple of minutes , before digging in ...  

Portion it out , add some garlic bread or a caesar salad if you like and enjoy !  

There you have it ...  My Three cheese Pasta bake ...   you can easily substitute any .. or all of the ingredients and make it your own dish :)   I hope you enjoy !  

Peace, Love and Good Food
Rich

One Pan Roast Chicken Dinner

I love roasted dinners, and they are even better if you dont have a mountain of dishes to wash afterward too !   Here's a simple, one pan method that will have you happy and full in about an hour .

 

Ingredients :
1 Broiler Sized Chicken
4 medium potatoes
1 head of broccoli
1 onion

Marinade for chicken:

1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 good pinch of dried basil
Salt n Pepper

 

A couple of hours before your ready to cook , take a mixing bowl , and add the marinades ingredients .. stir well .. and add the chicken , turning to cover all .  Cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours , more is just fine ( I have left it over night before )

 

When ready , preheat the oven to 350F , and grab a large baking tray .
Chicken in the middle breast side up , pour the extra marinade over top.
Slice the Spuds into thick 1" wedges , and arrange  around the tray .. a light drizzle of oil , and a pinch of salt and pepper will help out .
Into the oven for 40mins

 

After 40 minutes , I like to have a look , and turn the potatoes .
Now , is the time to add the broccoli  ( again S&P and a drizzle of oil help )
Set the timer for 20 minutes and relax



Thats it...   portion out the chicken how you like , add a few spuds and a spear of broccoli and you have a delicious , healthy, one pan dinner :)
I hope you enjoy


Peace, Love and Good Food