Inspiring People to Cook Again
Vegetable soup with Escarole and beans is an easy, healthy vegetarian soup recipe that can be made for a quick dinner or a light lunch. Any small pasta like orzo, tubatini or shells works great in this dish, but most of the time I like […]
This easy recipe for Cucumber Buttermilk Salad Dressing with Homemade Healthy Croutons makes close to 2 cups so there is plenty for a big salad and leftovers for the next night. You could use it as a dip for a veggie platter or to serve on […]
My mom Gloria always made a dish like this and called it Italian Paella (“pie-yay-yah”). Her original way of making this calls for browning the chicken first. You can certainly do that but I think it’s lighter and easier to just put it all in the pan and toss it in the oven.
This is an easy one-dish meal that takes only a few minutes to put together but it needs some time to cook in the oven so you’ll want to plan ahead a bit. All the seasonings and juices of the dish get locked into the rice and give it a wonderful rich flavor. It’s also a great dish to make for a party because you can put it all together the night before. This isn’t any sort of traditional Spanish or Italian dish; it’s just a great tasting family favorite. For variations and make ahead suggestions, see Cook’s Notes below.
Serves about 8-10 people (see Cook’s Notes to cut recipe in half if desired)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a large roasting pan (about 12×16), spread uncooked rice evenly in bottom of the pan. Crumble the bullion cubes in your fingers and sprinkle over the rice. Top with the green and red peppers, onion, garlic and peas.
Cut the chicken breasts in half to create a smaller portion. Also, cut the sausage in half too. Evenly place the chicken and the sausage over the veggies.
Note: If you are making this ahead of time, stop here and see cook’s notes below. If not, continue.
Pour the wine and the chicken stock into the pan. Top the dish with the stewed tomatoes. Season the chicken with a good amount of seasoned salt and fresh ground black pepper, sprinkle with parsley or herb of choice.
Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until dish is browned (see photos below). Remove from oven and allow dish to cool about 15 minutes and absorb excess liquid before serving.
Cook’s notes:
If you are preparing this the night before or the morning before you cook it, follow these instructions.
Once you add the chicken and the sausage cover with foil and refrigerate. When you are ready to continue cooking, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking so the pan isn’t ice cold when you put it in the oven. Remove the foil and top the chicken with the remaining ingredients and bake as recipe calls for.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with this recipe and vary it. You can add mushrooms, a pinch or two of saffron, fresh or dried basil, parsley, oregano, and different colored peppers or wines. I even like to add a little red hot pepper flakes or sometimes use hot sausage.
If you don’t want to make such a large batch, you can cut the recipe in half and use a smaller baking dish. If you do that it will probably only need 1 hour and 30 minutes total to cook. Bake covered for 1 hour then remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder This rich chowder is easy to make and I promise everyone will love it. I consider this a treat meal if you make the full fat version. It’s one of my sister’s favorite dishes and one that I often make for […]
My Aunt Rosie and my Grandma Reo made this salad all the time when I was younger. This amazing salad can be used in so many ways. It’s great by itself or over some mixed greens. I like to serve it over grilled fish, shrimp, […]
This recipe is easy to make but you need to have all your ingredients ready, because it all cooks very quickly. It’s so delicious you will never want to order pasta and clams at a restaurant again, because nothing you order out will ever taste this good. Your family and friends will be wowed by this one. I promise! 🙂
It’s best to clean your clams earlier in the day and let them sit in the fridge so they are ready when you cook them.
Be sure to see my “Cook’s Notes” below for pasta water, how to clean the clams and how to make a lighter version of this recipe.
Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients:
Directions:
Fill large pot with heavily salted water and bring to a boil. While water comes to a boil, heat another large pot and add olive oil over medium high heat. Add tomatoes, onions and garlic to the pot, season with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper and sugar. Sauté until the tomatoes and onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Turn up the heat and then add chopped prosciutto and wine.
Cook for about 5 minutes and then add butter into pot and melt. Turn the heat back down to medium and add the clams. Cover the pot and cook clams until they open, about 8-10 minutes.
Remove any unopened clams and discard them. If they don’t open, they are bad and you should toss them.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook pasta for only 3 or 4 minutes making sure to stir so it doesn’t stick. Strain and add pasta right into the pot with the clam sauce and toss. Pasta will still be firm because it will finish cooking in the hot clam sauce.
Add basil and a good handful of grated Parmesan cheese to the pasta. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Cover for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the sauce to absorb into the pasta and serve.
Cook’s Notes:
* How to clean the clams. Place all the clams in a bowl and fill with enough cool tap water to cover all the clams. Let the clams sit for 20 minutes. During this time, they will spit out any sand from inside their shells.
Then remove the clams one at a time and rinse and scrub each one under running water with a clean washcloth. Place in a bowl inside the refrigerator until ready to use.
* Tip for salting pasta water when making pasta. I noticed that when I teach people to cook and we make pasta they never put enough salt in the water when boiling the pasta. My tip is to put about a palm full of salt in a whole pot of boiling water. Taste it with a spoon. If it tastes like the ocean, then it has enough salt in it.
* If you want to make a healthier, lighter version of this recipe you can use multi grain pasta, two tablespoons of olive oil, no butter, and replace the wine with low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
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Chicken Bolognese is an easy recipe that is fresh, lighter and healthier then the classic Bolognese Sauce. Chicken Bolognese gives you all the great flavor but a lot less fat than the original version in a lot less time. You won’t miss any of the taste. […]
