Caprese Pasta

Lasagna and Baked Ziti are my go-to recipes for an Italian dinner but last night I decided to switch it up. I had chicken in the fridge that I wanted to use before breaking out the frozen ground beef. I made a baked caprese chicken pasta dish that actually turned out to be really delicious. 

First I cooked two chicken breasts in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Once it was cooked all the way through I cut it into bite sized pieces along with onion, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese.

While all that was happening I cooked pasta. Once the pasta was done and everything was cut up I combined all of it with a jar of pasta sauce. This step is where I should have added garlic but I forgot. It tasted fine without it but I think a clove of garlic would have added an extra layer of flavor. If you read my blog regularly you know by now that I'm a strong believer in lots and lots of garlic in everything.

Once all your ingredients are combined throw them into a baking dish, top with shredded mozzarella, and bake for about 20 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown.

I also made garlic bread by mixing minced garlic, garlic salt, and italian seasoning with butter. Spread that mixture onto each half of a french bread loaf. I topped it with more mozzarella and threw it in the oven with everything else until the bread was crispy and the cheese was melted. I got veggies in there with broccoli. As I always do, I tossed the broccoli in olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. It also went into the oven with everything else until tender. Once it came out of the oven I tossed it with lemon juice and parmesan cheese (yes, ok I love cheese maybe just a little too much). It was all delicious and I'd definitely make this again.

Leftover mozzarella, tomato, and basil made my lunch today. I threw all of it in between two slices of toasted sourdough and made a delicious grilled cheese. What would have been even better was if I had saved some of the chicken from last night and been able to add that to my grilled cheese. Next time!