Munchin' Monday

Another new weekly segment here at Learning the Mommy Name is going to be "Munchin' Monday". As the name suggests I will be posting a recipe that we enjoy in this house every Monday. There may be more than one or recipes on other days of the week, but you'll always find a new one every Monday! 

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BAKED CHICKEN and PASTA

This week - I made a classic Freezer Meal Staple in this house. If you are not familiar with Freezer Meals I will be making a post explaining the process and the benefits to you sometime this week, but for now - I am just going to go through the recipe with you. 

Utensils:

Pot for Pasta
Sauté Pan
Spoon for Stirring
Spatula
Colander
Large Mixing Bowl
Baking Dish – 8X8X2 or larger **(1)**
Aluminum Foil (If Freezing part)  

Ingredients: **(2)**

• 1 box Penne Pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 or 2 large boneless/skinless Chicken Breast (cubed)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 small sweet pepper (diced)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• Salt to Taste
• Black Pepper to Taste
• Bread Crumbs (as desired)
• Parmesan (as desired)
• 1 tablespoon butter (Plus a little to butter baking dish)

Directions:

• Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.

·         Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and put into a large mixing bowl. **(3)**

·         Heat Oil over Medium Heat in Sauté Pan.

·         Cook Chicken about 4 minutes or till mostly done.

·         Add Onions and Garlic, cooking till chicken and Onions are fully done.

·         Combine Chicken with Pasta in large bowl.

·         Add Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Cheese, Parsley, Salt, and Black Pepper and combine.

·         Distribute mixture into buttered dish and foil pans if freezing.

·         Sprinkle or Cover top with Bread Crumbs and Parmesan as you like.

·         Dot top with butter

·         Bake for about 30 minutes, or till top is golden brown.

****NOTES****

(1)   – I always make a large batch of this to freeze part of it. With the amounts of Ingredients given, I usually bake the 8X8X2 dish and then have 3 Mini-Loaf Aluminum Foil pans that I wrap with foil, date, and Freeze for lunch and quick single dinners. If you do not want to freeze any, simply bake in 2 dishes or a larger baking dish.

(2)   All the ingredients should be measured according to what you like. This is a variation of the original recipe that I was given – modified to fit what my family enjoys, feel free to modify it to fit yours. This is designed to have extras for freezing, so scale back accordingly if you would like a smaller batch.

(3)   You want to just slightly undercook the pasta. It will finish cooking in the oven.