Pasta Shells With Chicken Mushrooms Escarole And Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipes

PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, CHICKEN, AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then season generously with salt. Cook penne pasta according to package directions, about 10 minutes. In the meantime, melt butter in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms have softened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add garlic. Stir for 1 minute, then add flour and stir. Add milk and chicken stock, then turn heat to high. Bring liquid to a boil and let it cook for a couple minutes, until liquid thickens slightly. Drain (but do not rinse) penne pasta, then add it to the skillet. Add cooked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Make any final seasoning adjustments with salt and pepper, then the pasta is ready to be served. Enjoy!Recipe notes:1. I always keep cooked chicken on hand, either in the freezer or in the fridge, so I can add protein quickly to my meals. I make big batches in the slow cooker (it's little more than throwing chicken breast into the slow cooker and letting it cook). If you want to start with raw chicken for this recipe, just cut it into cubes and fully cook it in the skillet after you cook the mushrooms.2. I buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, and they usually come already julienne-cut.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM BAKED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a large bowl.
• Cook the shells in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the mixing bowl along with the mushrooms.
• Add the tomato sauce, rotisserie chicken, the mozzarella and half of the parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the fontina cheese and the remaining Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add sliced mushrooms and garlic - and cook the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.
• Dissolve 2 cubes of chicken bullion in 2 cups of boiling water. Carefully add the broth to the skillet - continue to cook the vegetables in a chicken broth on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat. Add half and half, heavy cream and bring to boil just for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add the basil.
• If your sauce is too thick at this point - add another 1/2 cup half and half. If your sauce looks thin to you - do not continue simmering the sauce to thicken it as you will be adding pasta shortly (in the next step) - and pasta will absorb some of the sauce liquid. Even if the sauce looks thin now, it will not be so thin once you add pasta.
• Cook fettuccine al dente according to the package instruction. Drain and rinse in cold water (this will stop the cooking). Add the fettuccine into the sauce and continue cooking the sauce with the pasta in it, on medium heat, for a couple of minutes (or more - to achieve the desired thickness) stirring constantly to coat well.
• Note: do not add salt to the creamy sauce because it should already be salty enough from the dissolved chicken cubes. Only in the very end when the sauce is done, you may add some salt if needed.
• Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness. If you don't have the right equipment to pound a chicken, wrap the chicken breast in plastic, and use a heavy pan to pound it until you reach the desired thickness. Don't overdo it. While this step is desirable to achieve even cooking, you can also skip it. :)
• Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. You can also add a touch of Cajun spice on both sides, if desired.
• Heat the large pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add olive oil and swirl it around the pan. Immediately, add the chicken breasts and cook them for 2 minutes on one side.
• Flip each chicken breast over to the other side, cover, and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side.
• Flip them over again to the other side, turn off the heat, cover the pan with the lid and let the chicken breasts sit covered for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of chicken breasts). If your chicken breasts are very thick, you might even need 20 minutes. After 10-15 minutes are over, make a thin incision in the center of one of the chicken breasts to check for doneness and to make sure there is no pink in the middle.
• Place 1/4th of pasta from the pan on each of 4 dinner plates. Top the pasta with grated Parmesan cheese. Then, top each pasta with a chicken breast. I love to serve pasta with salt and pepper mills, so that people can add freshly ground pepper or more salt to their dish.

PASTA WITH DRIED MUSHROOMS AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the mushrooms in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with hot water. Let soak 15 to 30 minutes, until thoroughly soft. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze them over the strainer. Then rinse in several changes of water and chop coarsely. Measure out 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid.
• Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide, heavy nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add the onion or shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir together for minute, until fragrant, then add the mushrooms and stir together for a minute or two, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the mushroom soaking liquid you set aside, the thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and turn up the heat. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until thick and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Add a generous amount of pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. Keep warm.
• When the pasta water comes to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, following the timing directions on the package but checking a minute or two before the time on the package. Remove 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and stir it into the mushroom sauce. When the pasta is cooked through but still firm to the bite, remove another 1/2 cup water, drain the pasta and toss with the sauce in the frying pan if possible. If you wish to thin out the sauce or moisten the pasta further, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water or more of the mushroom soaking liquid. Serve hot; pass the Parmesan at the table.

CHICKEN AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO ALFREDO SAUCE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

PASTA SHELLS WITH CHICKEN, MUSHROOMS, ESCAROLE, AND SUN-DRIED TO

Steps:

• Heat oil in large deep nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add garlic and crushed red pepper and stir 1 minute.
• Add broth and bring to boil.
• Stir in escarole; cover and cook 5 minutes.
• Uncover and cook until escarole is tender, stirring often, about 3 minutes longer.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite.
• Drain; return to pot.
• Add escarole mixture, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Stir over medium heat until chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with cheese.
• Makes 4 servings.

PASTA SHELLS WITH CHICKEN, MUSHROOMS, ESCAROLE, AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oil in large deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and stir 1 minute. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in escarole; cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until escarole is tender, stirring often, about 3 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain; return to pot. Add escarole mixture, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir over medium heat until chicken is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with cheese.

CHICKEN PESTO PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken (chopped up) with sun-dried tomatoes (chopped into smaller bites) to the skillet, sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Saute for about 1 minute on medium heat.
• Add sliced mushrooms (add another 1 tablespoon olive oil if needed) and saute for about 2 more minutes (or a little bit more), until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are softened.
• Add garlic, basil pesto, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil, immediately reduce to simmer and simmer, stirring until everything is well combined. Remove from heat. Taste, and add more salt, if needed.
• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, reheat.
• Top with chopped fresh basil.

PASTA SHELLS WITH ESCAROLE, SAUSAGE, AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook escarole ribbons in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer escarole to strainer and drain, keeping water boiling. Add pasta shells to boiling water; cook pasta shells until just tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle out 1/2 cup cooking water; reserve. Drain pasta shells; return to pot.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through, breaking up with fork, about 5 minutes. Add remaining oil, onion, and fennel seeds; sauté until onion is almost tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, escarole, and reserved 1/2 cup cooking water; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add sausage mixture to pasta; toss. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.