I’m learning that just because a dish has a vegetable in it, it does not automatically make it healthy. Case in point – our Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, Mozzarella I made last night. I had the best of intentions, but one bite of it and you realize that it’s a casserole and casserole is comfort food.

My first mistake in making this dish was the pre-planning (are you noticing a pattern?). I knew we had a box of penne in the pantry, so I didn’t buy any when we went shopping. Shortly after I started I realized we had only a half a box. So, I decided to improvise. We also had a half a box of whole wheat elbow macaroni (and who doesn’t love macaroni) that I decided to dump in with the penne. .3 seconds after dumping it in I realized I cook time on both was rather different. Oh well!

I really liked the recipe because of how clear everything was that they make it idiot proof. But, I still managed to mess it up. I decided to not follow the recipe and have everything pre-cut, which made the broccoli cool and the pasta to start to harden. Also, I decided to use two pans instead of the one suggested – and then promptly moved everything back to one pan after dirtying the other and understanding why she suggested only one (good thing my knight in shining armor has to do dishes when I cook).

The flavor was a meh rating. It was ok, but nothing to write home about…just blog about.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup bread crumbs (store-bought or make your own)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
• 8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces

1. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.
3. Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.
4. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

I love Mexican food and I love casseroles, so why not combine my two favorite things? This recipe has come to the rescue. It was pretty simple to make – chop some onion, brown the hamburger, add some chopped jalapenos, add some cans of black beans, corn, and tomatoes, and then put them in a casserole. I think the most confusing parts for me was putting in the tortillas, but I quickly learned why – even though the wrapper clearly said 8, I ended up with 9. I seriously counted them at least 5 times. Wow. I did do my normal thing and substituted sour cream for plain greek yogurt for the middle layer. And, I most definitely added too many jalapenos. If even my knight in shining armor mentions that it’s a bit hot you know it was a few peppers too many. However, I still liked it. I may have liked it better if there was some tomato sauce or something to make it less dry.

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra lean lean ground beef, (drained or rinsed)
• 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup canned jalapeno pepper, slices, chopped
• 2 cup fresh tomato, chopped (or 15 oz can diced canned tomatoes)
• 15 oz can corn, kernels drained
• 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1⁄4 oz package taco seasoning mix
• 8 corn tortilla
• 3⁄4 cup nonfat sour cream
• 1⁄3 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese, blend, shredded
• 1⁄3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste (less or more)

1. Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet; brown 10 to 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring constantly. Drain well and rinse with warm water to remove all fat; return beef/onions to skillet.
2.  Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, chilies/jalapenos and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile spray 12×8-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each tortilla in half; place 8 halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly.
4. Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. (Cover tightly with foil & Freeze for later OR cook as directed below…).
5. (Thaw overnight if frozen) Heat oven to 350ºF. Bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc.

Step 1 – Open the cans and mix all the ingredients in the pan.

Step 2 – Line the casserole dish with tortillas and verify if there is indeed 8 or 9 in your package.

Step 3 – Add the meat and then the sour cream or greek yogurt to the topping. (Then add another row of tortillas and meat mixture.)

Step 4: EAT!! (After you cook it, of course. Oh, and then add cheese and parsley.)