Olive Garden Heart Healthy Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken breast , bone and skin –grill, cut into cubes (1lbs), fresh pasta shells (8oz) or dry pasta shell (6oz), grated parmesan (1/2c), salt and pepper, nutmeg or mace (1/2tsp), chicken broth (1c), vegetable spray or olive oil (1tsp), finely chopped garlic (4 med. Cloves), fresh spinach (1 1/4lb)
Method Of Preparation:-
Take a pan, add broth in it and then cook spinach in it until it gets soft. Drain the spinach and reserve broth aside. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Take a heavy frying pan, place it over medium heat. Heat the oil in it and then sauté garlic in it by stirring it regularly. Fry garlic until it is still white but not gets brown. Add spinach, mace or nutmeg, salt and pepper in it. Then add the chicken pieces to the spinach. Mix it and then add small amount of reserved cooking broth in it. Mix the spinach and add more broth in it if needed. Drain the cooked pasta from the pot. Add the pasta shells into the spinach mixture and mix it well. Now it is ready, serve it immediately with parmesan cheese.
Chicken Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
1. Ground chicken breast (1pound)
2. fettuccini or linguine pasta (12 ounces)
3. loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped (1/4c)
4. freshly grated parmesan cheese (1/3c)
5. reduced fat milk (1/2c)
6. crushed tomatoes (1can)
7. crusted with press garlic (1clove)
8. chopped onion (1large)
9. chopped celery stalks (2med.)
10. chopped carrots (2med.)
11. salt (to taste)
12. black pepper (1/4tsp)
13. olive oil (4tbsp)
Method of preparation:-
1. Take a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook pasta in it according to instructions on pasta package.
2. Meanwhile, take a nonstick frying pan of 12 inches, place it over medium heat. Heat oil in it for about 1 minute. Add ground chicken in it and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt in it. Cook the chicken for about 8 to 9 minutes by stirring it irregularly. Now put the chicken with any juice in a bowl. Add remaining 2 teaspoon of oil in the pan and then add onion, celery, carrots and garlic in it.
3. Cook the mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes by stirring irregularly until the get soft and lightly brown in color. Add 1/4teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, 1/4teaspoon of salt and tomatoes in it. Keep this mixture to boil.
4. Turn down the heat to medium low, uncovered the pan and keep it to simmer for about 10 minutes by stirring. Now add cooked chicken and milk in it and heat it.
5. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and then again put it in pot, mix the sauce from the pan, reserved cooking water and parsley in the pot. Mix it properly and then serve.
Number of servings – 6
Cavetelli Pasta With Chicken Ragu Recipe
Ingredients
1. Chicken, cut into 16 equal size pieces (1 about 3 ½ pounds)
2. cavetelli pasta (1pound)
3. salt and freshly ground black pepper
4. fresh basil leaves, julienned (21)
5. pinches of saffron (2large)
6. tomato paste (2tbsp)
7. very ripe fresh tomatoes, passed through a food mill (2pounds)
8. crushed red pepper flakes (a pinch)
9. peeled and chopped red onions (3)
10. extra virgin olive oil (3tbsp)
11. freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (to garnish)
Method of preparation:-
1. Take a large heavy bottomed pot, place it over medium- high heat. Heat olive oil in it and then saute the chicken pieces in it for about 12 minutes until they get golden brown from all sides. Now take out the chicken pieces from the pan.
2. Add onions and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook them for about 10 minutes until they get soft. Then add tomato paste and tomato in it and mix it well. Add saffron and keep it to simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Again place the chicken back to the pot with basil. Turn down the heat to low and keep it to simmer for about 30 minutes and then add salt and pepper according to taste.
4. Meanwhile cook the pasta and drain it. Mix it well with the sauce. Now serve it with grated pecorino Romano cheese.
Number of servings – 8
Baked Pasta With Chicken Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
1. Smoked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4inch thick (12 ounces)
2. grated parmesan cheese (1/2c)
3. Fontina cheese (6 ounces, 4 ounces cut into ½ inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated)
4. baby spinach (10 ounces)
5. rigatoni pasta (1 pound)
6. heavy cream (1/2c)
7. dried oregano (1/2tsp)
8. whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands (1can about 28 ounces)
9. vodka (1/4c optional)
10. minced garlic (4cloves)
11. chopped red onion (1med.)
12. olive oil (1tbsp)
13. coarse salt and ground pepper
Method of preparation:-
1. First heat the oven to 400 degrees and keep the large pot of salted water to boil.
2. Take a large frying pan, place it over medium heat. Heat oil in it, add onion in it and cook it for about 3 minutes until it gets soft. Mix garlic in it and take off the pan from heat. If you like then add vodka in it and again cook it for 1 minute until it gets almost evaporated.
3. Mix oregano and tomatoes in it and cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then add cream in it and cook it for about 5 minutes until it gets heated. Mix salt and pepper in it.
4. Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling water until it gets soft. Then add spinach in it and cook it until it gets wilted. Drain it and place again in the pot, add sausage, tomato sauce and cubed fontina cheese to the pot. Mix it well to coat and then season it with salt and pepper.
5. Take 2 shallow and 1 ½ quarter baking dishes. Sprinkle the parmesan and grated fontina on top. Place the dish in oven and bake it for about 20 to 30 minutes. Take it out from oven and serve it.
Number of servings – 8
Apricot And Roasted Chicken In Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
1. Roasted chicken breasts, sliced (20)
2. bow tie noodles (1package)
3. apricot halves
4. half and half (1 1/2c)
5. salt and pepper (to taste)
6. chopped green onion (1/3c)
7. margarine (2 tbsp)
Method of preparation:-
1. Take a pan of boiling water, cook noodles in it according to the instructions given on the package.
2. Take a saucepan of medium size, add half and half in it and keep it to simmer for about 4 minutes over low heat.
3. Then add chicken, apricot, onion, margarine in it and keep it to simmer for about 2 minutes more. Now pour this mixture over pasta and then serve it at once.
Number of servings – 4
Black Beans, Couscous And Curried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
1. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (1pound)
2. black beans, drained (1can about 16 ounces)
3. water (1c)
4. ground cumin (1tsp)
5. curry powder (2 to 3 tbsp)
6. chicken flavor instant bullion (1tsp)
7. Frozen mixed vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, thawed and drained (1package about 16 ounces)
8. olive oil or other light cooking oil (1tbsp)
Couscous:-
1. Finely chopped fresh parsley (1tbsp)
2. uncooked couscous (1c)
3. chicken flavor instant bouillon (1tsp)
4. butter or margarine (2tbsp)
5. water (1 1/2c)
Method of preparation:-
1. Take a large frying pan; place it over medium high heat. Add chicken in it for about 8 to 10 minutes. Then add cumin, curry, 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of bouillon, beans and vegetables in the pan.
2. Keep it to boil and turn down the heat to low, cover the pan and then keep it to simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables get soft.
3. Take a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon of bouillon, margarine, 1 ½ cup of water in it and keep it to boil. Mix couscous in it.
4. Take off the pan from heat, cover it and keep it for about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork before serving it and then place it in a plate. Add chicken and vegetable mixture on top and dust parsley over it. Now it is ready to serve.
Number of servings – 6
Heavenly Chicken Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
Chopped cooked chicken (2 1/2c), cooked lasagna noodles (9), lightly beaten egg (1large), freshly grated parmesan cheese (1/2c), ricotta cheese (1c), cottage cheese (1c), frozen chopped spinach, thawed (1package about 10 ounces), dried basil (1/2tsp), dry white wine (1/3c), sliced mushrooms, drained (1jar about 6 ounce), diced pimiento, undrained (1jar about 7 ounce), refrigerator Alfredo sauce (1container about 10 ounces), cream of chicken soup, undiluted (1can about 10 ½ ounce), onion (1/2large), butter or margarine (2tbsp), shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (3c about 12 ounces).
Method Of Preparation:-
Take a frying pan, place it over medium high heat. Melt butter in it and add onion and then sauté onion for about 5 minutes until they get soft. Mix soup, dried basil, dry white wine, mushrooms, pimiento and Alfred sauce in it and keep 1 cup of it aside. Drain the spinach and press it between the layers of paper towel. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, ricotta cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese in it. Take a baking dish of 13*9*2 inches, place the 3 lasagna noodles in it. Then arrange the layers of sauce, spinach mixture and then chicken mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese over it. Repeat it and place 3 noodles on top and 1 cup of reserved sauce. Cover the dish and keep it in refrigerator for 1 day to chill. Place the dish in the refrigerator and bake it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese over it and again bake it for about 5 minutes until the cheese gets melted. Take out the dish from oven and keep it for 10 minutes and then serve it.
Number Of Servings – 8 to 10