Not Yo' Mamma's Pasta Salad...

With 4^th of July just around the corner, I had to share this new pasta salad I made tonight that was too good to keep to myself!

The caramelized onions and fennel take this salad to a whole new level. It really gives a nice flavor, don’t be afraid of the fennel. When it is sautéed it has a very mild taste and gives the dish a little something extra. As I was finishing up the pasta, I noticed I had some mangos in the fridge, so tossed them in and talk about a great combo. The sweet and savory flavors really work great in this salad.

I got all my veggis at that farmers market I was talking about in a previous post, so this salad was really inexpensive. I seriously got 4 mangos for $1 and bell peppers for .30 cents each. Love it!

And if you don’t feel like grilling your own chicken, grab a bag of Tyson precooked/grilled chicken in the freezer section of your grocer or Costco. That’s actually what I used tonight and it was just fine. No one will ever know!

Hope everyone has a great 4^th! We’re heading to Anthem tomorrow night for their big Firework Bash. I need to get one of those personal mister fans, it’s going to be a hot one!

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad with Caramelized Onion, Fennel and Mango

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup onion, finely chopped
½ lb campanelle pasta noodles
¼ Cup finely chopped fennel (if you don’t have it, just use additional onion)
2 Cups grilled chicken breast, cubed
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 ½ Cups quartered zucchini
3 Cups broccoli florets
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
½ bottle Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing or Zesty Italian, 16 fl oz size
Couple pinches kosher salt

1. Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and fennel for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low and cook until golden. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place into a large bowl with the onions/fennel. Toss in rest of ingredients, gently stirring to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

4 servings

__________________

Thanks so much to Susan from She's Becoming Dough Messtic blog for the Arte y Pico Award! I love my food bloggin' friends!!

A Little Shrimp Scampi For Your Holiday Weekend!

It is entirely too late to be blogging right now, but I wanted to post this recipe before the weekend!

You won’t see a whole lot of seafood recipes on Picky Palate, but I will admit to being a huge shrimp fan. It was funny, my husband came home from work and saw that I was making this shrimp pasta and he pouted like a baby, because he only likes breaded and fried shrimp. I told him the “wambulance” was waiting out front to pick him up.

As soon as the shrimp was done cooking, I had my boys come over for a taste and they both LOVED it. My oldest guy was chanting “I love shrimp!” I was giving my husband a hard time, letting him know he was totally out numbered!

This is a simple, rich and delicious dinner. I highly recommend trying it if you are a shrimp fan. The pasta itself is really tasty, my husband kept getting in it, fishing around the shrimp of course.

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend! I’ll be taking the weekend off from the kitchen!

Simple Shrimp Scampi

5 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
4 cloves garlic
24 medium cooked shrimp, devained, cleaned, shell removed (fresh or frozen)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ Cup chicken broth or white wine
2 pinches salt
¼ teaspoon fresh pepper
1 lb linguini fini dry pasta noodles
2 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ Cup fresh chives chopped

1. Place butter and olive oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pot over medium heat. Once melted and hot sauté onion for 3-5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic for 60 seconds then stir in shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and cook 4-6 minutes or until pink and firm and cooked through. Stir in lemon juice and chicken broth. Reduce heat to low and set aside.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and stir into shrimp. Stir in 2 Tablespoons butter, parsley and chives. Serve and enjoy!

**The tails on the shrimp look nice for the picture, but in reality I cut them off before serving so you can dig in without worrying about the tails, Enjoy!**

________________________________

Huge thanks to Prudy over at Prudence Pennywise for the Artey Pico Award. Prudy has such a fun blog, do check it out! I will pass this award on after the weekend! Thanks again Prudy!!

Two of My Favorite Ingredients, Spinach and Artichoke....

Happy Cinco de Mayo Everyone, even though this post has nothing to do with it. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated from my little bit of free time over the weekend. My mom and I went and saw Made of Honor, I went to a nice heated yoga class, got some great take out, watched a little tv, took some pilates classes, cooked a little and went shopping. I think I managed to squeeze everything I like to do in a very short amount of time! It was nice, but it's great having all of my boys back.

My oldest little guy ratted out his dad and told me, “Dad wasn’t going to brush my teeth, I had to tell him to do it.” Nice! At least my 5 year old is looking after his dental health! And then, they told me that my youngest got lost for a few minutes at the camp ground. My husband found him just as he was going toward the lake. I should be grateful they are all back in one piece!

I made this pasta last night as a last minute thing and it was terrific. I love spinach and artichoke together so you’re getting LOTS of it in these two recipes! This pasta recipe is very simple with wonderful flavor coming from the artichoke hearts and pork sausage. It’s all tossed with Fettucini Fini noodles (thinner than original fettucini) and olive oil. Give it a try if you are a fan of these flavors. Everyone seemed to enjoy it last night. It's much more colorful than it shows, I don’t know where all the spinach went in my pics. It really is a beautiful dish and looks great in a nice big pasta bowl. Enjoy!

Spinach Artichoke Fettucini Fini with Sausage

1 lb Fettucini Fini pasta noodles
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Cups marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 lb pork sausage of choice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
2-3 Tablespoons good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. *If you spray noodles with cooking spray, they don’t stick together, I do this all the time.*

2. Place olive oil into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Saute onion for 5 minutes then stir in artichoke and spinach leaves. Cook until spinach is wilted down, about 3 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook until browned.

3. Stir in cooked pasta, season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Drizzle with additional olive oil and serve.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Artichoke Soup

I made this soup as my boys were on their way home from camping and really wasn't expecting them to love it. It was inspired by a soup I have ordered a cute little cafe called Crackers and Company in Mesa. It was so good, I wanted to go re-create it at home. I did and it is great!

I utilized some of my left over ingredients from their “hobo dinners.” I used the rest of the garlic roasted veggis and 2 chicken breasts. You would have thought there was candy at the bottom of the bowl the way my boys were eating it. It is creamy and delicious and totally worth the calories!

I have to tell you about a wonderful product I always have around the house, especially when I make soup. It’s called Ultra Gel. It’s an instant “thickener.” It will thicken any liquid without even heating. It is truly a must have if you are an avid soup maker like me. If you live in AZ, you can get this product at Shar’s Bosch Kitchen store on Gilbert and Baseline or you can get it online at this LINK. It’s pretty inexpensive and a real keeper. If you don’t want to use it in this soup recipe, it’s no problem it will just be much thinner than how it appears in my picture. However, it tastes great both ways. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Artichoke Soup

½ lb bacon
2 Cups leftover vegetables from HERE
2 ½ Cups marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
6 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
3 cans chicken broth
1 Cup half and half
1 Cup sour cream
2 leftover chicken breasts from HERE
½ Cup Ultra Gel (optional, it’s a soup thickener. Here's the Link where you can check it out)

1. Heat large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook bacon until crisped. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Discard all but 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings. Place the 2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings back into pot over medium heat. Saute vegetables, artichoke hearts and spinach leaves for 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted down. Stir in chicken broth, half and half, and sour cream until smooth. Stir in chicken breast, crumble all but 6 pieces of bacon and stir into soup. Reduce heat to low. For a thicker soup, slowly whisk in ½ Cup of ultra gel until desired thickness. Simmer on low until ready to serve. Crumble remaining strips of bacon and crumble over each soup bowl.

Oh How I Love Pasta...

What a nice day it’s been. I was able to go to my heated yoga this morning that I love. It’s amazing how good you feel after you’re done. We won’t discuss how you feel during the class though!

After school, the boys had a picnic under the trampoline with their buddies. The weather is so beautiful, I’m sad that it’s not going to last much longer!

What a yummy dinner this turned out to be a few nights ago. Staring at me in the fridge was some spinach, gorgonzola cheese and some beautiful asparagus that needed use up, so I whipped up this pasta and what a hit it was with the family.

Don’t be afraid of the gorgonzola in the sauce, it’s very mild and gives the best flavor with the parmesan cheese. I was so proud of myself for using lowfat milk in the sauce rather than a heavy cream. I must say, it’s really good and I would have never known I used lowfat milk if I hadn’t been the one to make it.

This dinner was so good that we had it for a second night. When re-heating, make sure to add a little milk to loosen the sauce. Enjoy everyone!

Spinach and Asparagus Chicken Linguini in a Parmesan Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

12 oz uncooked linguini pasta
1 Bunch asparagus tips
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 Cups lowfat milk
1 ¼ Cups crumbled gorgonzola
¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Cups baby spinach
2 medium size chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 strips precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare linguini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan filled ¾ full of water to boil. Place asparagus tips in hot water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place into a bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking. Set aside.

2. Place butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat to melt. Whisk in flour, pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium high. While whisking, heat until milk comes to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and immediately stir in parmesan and gorgonzola until melted. Stir in chopped spinach, linguini, asparagus, chicken and half the bacon. Gently toss to coat, season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large serving bowl and garnish top with remaining crumbled bacon pieces.

You Looking At Me?

I was cracking up when I saw some of these pictures of my pasta. I swear they are looking right at me. Girlfriend spent one too many hours at the dental convention yesterday!! Slides and slides of oral cancer get to you after a while! Don't smoke or chew people! However, it was nice to catch up with some of my friends from hygiene school. Go class of 2001!

A few weeks ago, we got some take out from Fazolli's, which I hadn't been to in years, and it was actually really good. I ordered a Romano Rigatoni pasta that was surprisingly tasty. I made my own version of the pasta the other night, added a few extras and I enjoyed it even better, check it out, nice easy and cheesy!

Remember when I said I make "Florentine" dishes often? I wasn't joking. It is so good and why not add spinach whenever you can right? I tell my boys they'll be strong like Popeye and it works everytime. My 2 year old even likes it on his peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches. Sick huh?!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend! AZ is going to be beautiful the next few days, even a little toasty. Summer is coming quick!

Baked Rigatoni Romano Florentine with Italian Sausage

1/2 lb dry Rigatoni pasta

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4 lb Italian Hot Sausage
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
3 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
2 14 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 Cup fresh grated Romano Cheese
2 Cups shredded mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat oil into a large dutch oven or other large pot. Saute onion and red bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sausage is cooked through.

2. Add spinach leaves and cook until wilted down. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked pasta, stir to combine, then transfer to a 9x13inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Romano Cheese and mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Vegetable Ziti with Garlic Caper Cream Sauce and Bacon Crumbles

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone! I spent the day cleaning teeth, then was welcomed home by our little neighbor boy pinching me for not having green on my scrubs! I so remember doing that to everyone in school.

I opened up the fridge tonight not having any clue what I was going to make for dinner. As I was searching through all of the veggis I needed to use up, I thought, let's make a veggi pasta. This pasta was so good. For being a last minute dinner, I must say, it turned out fantastic!

Some of my favorite dinners have been created at the last minute with my kids running in and out of the kitchen like maniacs! Hope you all enjoy! I've got to go finish the Bachelor, some of these girls are wacked! The clarinet performance??!! Seriously?!

Last minute deliciousness!

Vegetable Ziti with Garlic Caper Cream Sauce and Bacon Crumbles

1 lb dry ziti pasta noodles

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium red bell peppers, finely diced
8 oz bag sugar snap peas
2 medium zucchini, halved then thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons capers
¾ Cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 slices precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled (I get the box from Costco)

1. Cook ziti noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.

2. Place oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pot over medium heat. When hot, stir in bell peppers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes then reduce heat to low.

3. Place oil into a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and capers for 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until bubbly and starting to thicken slightly.

4. Pour noodles into vegetables then pour sauce over pasta. Stir in crumbled bacon until combined on low heat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

**This pasta is also great topped with Feta Cheese, if you’re a Feta Fan**

Another take on Spaghetti….. Spaghetti Bolognese, So Good!

Surprise Surprise another pasta recipe. If you couldn't tell, I love making anything that involves pasta.

I cut out this recipe from William Sonoma's catalog and adapted it a bit for to make it a quick weeknight dinner. If you've never tried Spaghetti Bolognese before, give it a try, my kids and my husband gave it 2 thumbs up. I will be enjoying it for lunch tomorrow as well!

Again, feel free to fancy it up a bit with your own homemade sauce. I love the Classico sauces and find it a real time saver to just jazz those up a bit. The color of this sauce is a creamy red/orange. My husband was a little skeptical until he took one bite. I, of course said, I told you, you'd love it! The bacon is surprisingly really good in the sauce. It gives it a real smoky flavor. If you are tired of the same old spaghetti, this is a great way to mix it up. I will be making it again very soon. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

12 strips uncooked bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 26 oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce (or other favorite brand, or homemade)
1 ¼ Cups half and half (can also use regular milk)
¼ Cup parmesan cheese

1 Box thin spaghetti noodles (I love Barilla’s whole wheat noodles)

1. Cook bacon in a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until browned and crisped. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Discard all but 2 Tbsp’s of bacon grease. Saute onion in remaining bacon grease for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add beef, salt and pepper; crumble beef and cook until browned, about 5-8 more minutes. Stir in cooked bacon pieces. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce, half and half, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine; cover with lid and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour.

2. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon noodles onto a large plate and pour sauce right on top. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

6 servings

Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti

Well, so much for my great pilates workout last night. I blew it after I ate this for dinner. This is one of my boys favorite dinners'. They just call it spaghetti and meatballs, and can't get enough. I love the oozing ricotta filling right in the middle, it's a great weeknight quick meal for the family. Use any pasta sauce your family likes or make your own homemade sauce if you are feeling ambitious!

Check it out, it's soooo yummy. I wish I could say it was fat free!

Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti

1 lb ziti pasta noodles
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small bell pepper of choice, finely chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 26oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce
1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch salt, pepper
2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute bell pepper and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Brown beef. Add pasta sauce, reduce heat to low and stir in noodles.
3. Place ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
4. Place ½ pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly over pasta, covering entire dish. Pour remaining pasta over cheese, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

8 servings

Spicy Chicken Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli

This recipe started when I found those cool pasta noodles by the Brand Torino called Calamaretti. I found them at Big Lots of all places! I've also seen some really cool dry pasta noodles at Marshalls and TJ Max. Feel free to use any small-medium size pasta you want in this recipe.

As I looked in my fridge tonight, I had some extra shredded chicken and broccoli from last night. I also had this artichoke antipasto spread I got at Trader Joes last week that I've been dying to use. If there is no Trader Joes in your area, just use a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and pulse them in the food processor until they are chopped to where you could spread them.

This last minute dinner was a huge hit with my family. Even the boys were eating it up. I will definately make this one again, and probably try a cool new pasta! Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Artichoke Pasta with Broccoli

1 lb pasta noodles of choice
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely diced white onion
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Cup cooked shredded chicken breast, lightly seasoned
2 Cups steamed broccoli florets (I boil them in water for 3 min, then rinse with cold water)

¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
¼ Cup artichoke spread from Trader Joes, or marinated artichoke hearts from jar that have been chopped in food processor slightly
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
2. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and red pepper flakes until onions are translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in chicken and broccoli. Reduce heat to low and set aside.
3. In a large dutch oven or pot heat ¼ Cup olive oil over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cooked pasta, chicken mixture and artichoke spread. Reduce heat to low. Stir until well combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with garlic bread and Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells....Mmmm

I was so happy tonight eating these stuffed shells for dinner. This makes a great Sunday dinner or any day of the week if you are ambitious. This looks like alot of work, but it's not that bad. Totally worth it. My recipe calls for a homemade sauce, but you can always use a store bought pasta sauce to speed this dish up. I just happened to have time today. The kids love this all cut up in a bowl. So yummy. Enjoy!

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ Cup finely chopped white onion
1 lb lean ground beef
Pinch salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
½ Cup finely chopped bell pepper of choice (red, green or orange)
4 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
Small can tomato sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dry oregano
Pinch of granulated sugar
8 large fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (or you can chop it)

1 Box large pasta shells

15 oz container of Ricotta Cheese
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Cup reserved cooked ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten

¼ Cup parmesan cheese
1 ½ Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until browned. Reserve 1 Cup beef for cheese filling. Set aside.

2. Place olive oil in another large skillet or pot over medium heat. Saute onion, bell peppers, and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, sugar and basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and add beef. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

3. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain. I like to lay out a large piece of foil on my counter top, sprayed with cooking spray and lay each shell on the foil. Lightly spray the shells with cooking spray.

4. Place ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, beef, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.

5. Place a few spoonfuls of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread to coat bottom. Fill each shell with about 2-3 Tablespoons of filling and line in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle with parmesan then mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce bubbly.

6-8 servings

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles

(Picture missing cilantro)

I Love these noodles, however my husband is not a fan. If you like that peanut taste in thai food, you'll love this as much as I do, it is really good. I've got my sister hooked on these, she uses a natural peanut butter and splenda brown sugar as a healthier substitute. Either way is great. Even my little boys love them, my husband is just picky! Enjoy!

1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
½ Cup smooth peanut butter
¼ Cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Cup hot water
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
½ Cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 Cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
¼ Cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (missing in picture, it’s much better with cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ Cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, place in large pasta bowl and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.

2. Place garlic and ginger in food processor until well chopped. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined and slowly add hot water. Set aside.

3. Place olive oil in hot skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in chicken breast, cilantro and salt. Stir until heated through.

4. Add sauce and chicken mixture to noodles. Toss to coat and garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.

6 servings

Creamy Chicken Italiano

This recipe is featured in this Gooseberry Patch Cookbook

Creamy Chicken Italiano

¾ Box whole wheat penne pasta noodles

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed

1 jar Alfredo Sauce
3/4 Cup milk, swished in the jar to get remaining sauce
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

1 can Veg-All mixed vegetables, drained

¼ Cup, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed and drained

¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and return back to pot over medium heat. Stir in chicken, alfredo sauce, milk, parmesan cheese, vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Heat for 10-15 minutes or until heated through, stirring often.

2. Sprinkle top with cheese, cover for 5 minutes or until melted. Serve.