Chicken Penne a la Cassi

When I was cooking dinner Saturday night I came across this recipe on the back of the pasta box.  Not sure why it caught my eye this time.  Perhaps the random picking up of spinach at Aldi's triggered it.  I didn't have and/or use some of the ingredients so I decided to modify the recipe into something I could make.  Thus Chicken Penne a la Cassi was born (thanks Shaina for the name idea).

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 oz Penne Rigate, Cooked

2 Chicken Breasts

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cups Fresh Spinach

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic (approximate)

1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

Crumbled Feta (as desired)

1.  Cut up chicken into cubes and put into a baggie with olive oil and your choice of spices.  Zip closed and mix well to marinate the chicken.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2.  Cook the chicken until the pink is gone, stirring and flipping the pieces over.
3.  Remove the chicken from the pan, leaving the juices in the pan.

4.  Add spinach and garlic to the pan, sauteing until spinach is wilted.  Add vinegar and continue cooking.
5.  Add tomatoes and cook until they are hot.
6.  Add penne and chicken to the pan and gently toss to combine.

7.  Sprinkle each serving with crumbled feta.

How would you change up this recipe?

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

Wednesday night I tried the first recipe from Relish Meal Planning Service.  It's relatively simple to prepare but takes a while with cutting everything up.  I see why they classified this as a freezer recipe - make ahead, freeze, and cook later.

Serves 8

Prep Time:  15 Minutes  -  Cook Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

(If you buy the huge breasts from Sam's Club you'll only need two of them.)

2 TBSP olive oil (not listed as an ingredient in the recipe)

Salt & pepper (not listed as an ingredient in the recipe)

1 6-oz package stuffing mix for chicken

1 10.75-oz can cream of chicken soup

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

3 cups broccoli, cut into florets

2 cups cooked ham, chopped

6 slices Swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the chicken into cubes.  Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown on all sides for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.  (I forgot to get the picture!)
   
3. Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  Mix soup and mustard in a medium bowl.  Stir in chicken, broccoli, and ham.  (I mixed the cooked stuffing in with the ham, broccoli, soup and mustard together in the bowl.)
   
   
4. (I combined the stuffing mixture in the skillet with the chicken.) Spoon into a 2-qt casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Top with cheese slices and stuffing.
   
   
5. If preparing this recipe as a make ahead meal, cover with foil and lay flat in the freezer.
6. Bake 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

per serving: 382 calories; 45 grams protein; 12 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 5 grams saturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 111 mgs cholesterol; 1091 mgs sodium; 10 WW points plus

Benny was confused with me cutting up the chicken.  Normally with cordon bleu you're stuffing chicken.  I've tried to stuff chicken before but wasn't very successful with it.  I like this way much better than the traditional preparation.

I don't think there was enough seasoning with this recipe.  Just salt and pepper wasn't enough...the flavor was kind of bland to me.  Benny said there was enough seasoning for him and that he wants me to keep the recipe in my stockpile.  I'll try adding garlic powder when I warm up leftovers to see if that helps any.  What spices would you add to this recipe?