Monday, April 9, 2012

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I think I found a secret ingredient here... Philadelphia Cooking Creme. It really made this dish. This recipe made LOTS & I loved every bit of the leftovers!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

Ingredients
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Philadelphia Cooking Creme - Italian Cheese & Herb
1 lb. bowtie pasta
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

2. Place oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion & cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic & cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in spinach leaves, cook, stirring until wilted about 2 minutes. Add chicken salt, pepper and cook until heated through, about three minutes. Add cooking creme, stirring to combine.

3, Cook pasta according to package directions, drain & run under cold water to stop cooking. Add pasta to chicken mixture stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Spinach & Three-Cheese Calzones

It's been a long time! I wanted to make sure I had this recipe saved because I liked it! It served as a quick dinner & great leftovers for lunch. Anything to get the boys around here to eat spinach!

Spinach and Three-Cheese Calzones
Source: Parenting Magazine

Preheat oven to 425, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Thaw a 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the spinach with 1 cup part-skim ricotta, 1 cup shredded fontina, 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, and pepper to taste.

Slice a 13.8 8oz tube refrigerated pizza dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape into balls, and stretch or roll out on a lightly floured surface to roughly 5-inch circles. Arrange 3 circles on each baking sheet.

Divide the spinach mixtures into 6 equal portions, and spread on one side of each circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border, then fold the dough over the filling. Pinch and crimp the edges to seal. Cut a 1 inch vent in each, and bake until golden, about 14 minutes.

Serve with marinara for dipping.