Chicken Parmesan

Prep Time: 35 minutes | Cook Time: 25 – 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Serves: 4 – 8

Recipe and photos updated 5.18.26

I have truly fallen in love with Chicken Parmesan. The first time I had ever heard of Chicken Parmesan was when my husband and I were dating as seniors in high school (30 years ago!). His mom made this wonderfully delicious meal of crispy breaded chicken covered in tomato sauce with melted cheese over spaghetti noodles. It was divine. She can be given full credit for opening me up to quite a few different foods!

Having Chicken Parmesan in restaurants, I had to try my hand at it and give it a little flair. I think this recipe is quite amazing, but that makes me biased, right? I added some not-so-traditional spices to the breading mix and made my own marinara, which I think puts this recipe above the rest. Again, biased, right?

Some people add oil to boiling water for pasta, or toss their cooked pasta in some oil to simply keep the pasta from sticking together. I rarely do that because I think the oil keeps the pasta from absorbing the wonderful sauce. Instead, stir the pasta often to keep it from sticking together.

The cheese! Slices of fresh mozzarella are also delicious on Chicken Parmesan, as well as provolone. Or use the common low-moisture mozzarella cheese. Just be sure to shred from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is not good. Period.

I learned about the dry-wet-dry method from Giada de Laurentii’s show back in the early 2000’s on Food TV (now called Food Network). It’s truly worth the few extra steps and dirty bowls to wash later, just to enjoy the crispy, flavorful breading on the chicken. Pie plates/pans work great for the dry-wet-dry method. If you ever buy premade graham cracker crusts, keep the aluminum pie plate for uses like this! Or use your glass pie plates; they work great, too.

The instructions below state to finish cooking the chicken in the oven. However, you can cook the chicken completely on the stovetop (a digital probe thermometer reading 165 degrees F.) Top with the marinara and cheese, then place the chicken on top of the warm, cooked pasta and serve.

In order to cook your chicken evenly, without overcooking, either slice thick chicken breasts into halves longways or pound with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. If you’re going to slice the chicken breasts, account for the number of pieces you end up with (2 chicken breasts could be 4 cutlets/servings, etc.).

If you have individual oven-safe bowls/plates, you may cook individual servings instead of placing all the chicken pieces together in a baking dish.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chorizo Orzo

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Serves: 6

Yumm, yumm, and yumm. This is so full, and I mean, FULL of flavor. It is reminiscent of a deeply flavored, chipotle chili. Can I say, “Yumm!” again?

It is not a difficult recipe, but mise en place is essential: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Have chorizo sliced, tomatoes chopped, etc. It will make cooking enjoyable! This is true for any recipe you endeavor to create.

Orzo is pasta, not rice, even though the shape reflects that of rice. Some recipes call cooking recipes in plenty of water as you would other shapes of pasta. In my recipe, the orzo is cooked in just enough liquid to be absorbed and cooked through, creating a rich, creamy dish.

The cumin is used as an “undertone” not as a main flavor. You want this to be about the chipotle peppers and chorizo. But, if you’re a cumin lover, add more!

Mexicanplease.com has a post with helpful information on prepping dried chiles. Use very hot tap water, not boiling water to cover the dried chiles. Not wanting to use H2O from your faucet? Boil 1 cup of water in the microwave (or stovetop) and allow it to cool slightly.

If you’re wanting a side dish, simple roasted veggies or lightly seasoned black beans are good options.

Enjoy!

Lauren’s Pasta (with Shrimp and Asiago)

If you buy frozen shrimp, read the thawing instructions and prepare beforehand so you’re not waiting on shrimp to thaw and postponing dinner. Been there, done that. Learned my lesson.

Enjoy!

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 7 – 10 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4

I love a good Chinese buffet. The saltiness of the soy sauce and oyster sauce in the main dishes is addictive.

Making Asian food at home is always a delicious treat. This Cold Asian Noodle Salad… the crunchy veggies, the slightly sweet/slightly salty dressing, toasted nuts and sharp onion all come together in harmony for a yummy lunch, brunch, dinner, or snack.

There is prep work, slicing and dicing, but enjoy the process! It’s part of cooking and not only makes food taste really good, you have a sense of accomplishment that Chinese take-out cannot give you.

Make your own dressing (recipe below) instead of grabbing a store-bought bottle for convenience. The flavor is well-worth your time and money to make this sauce, which is adaptable by the way. Keep a balance of saltiness, sweetness, acidity, etc. as you substitute or omit ingredients. Always taste as you add ingredients to be sure the end result is something you love.

I suggest you do not use dark soy for this recipe, as it will darken the sauce.

Notice there are two different oils listed. You cannot successfully use only one. You must have the toasted sesame oil flavor, but it cannot carry the entire weight of the oil in this recipe or it will be too overwhelmingly sesame-like and take over the other flavors. When you purchase a sesame oil, be sure the label says “toasted.” I LOVE Abingdon Olive Oil Company’s Toasted Sesame Oil. It is the best I have ever purchased.

You can substitute the soba (buckwheat) noodles with Udon or even traditional spaghetti noodles if you want.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Pasta

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6

I don’t know many people who are opposed to mushrooms. I kind of feel sorry for them, missing out on so much flavor! Or, maybe they’ve just not had a dish with this much flavor coming from mushrooms.

I have been collaborating with “The Spice and Tea Exchange” in Blowing Rock, NC for several months now, and I am loving their spices and blends! This recipe features two of their products, Sautéed Mushroom Spice Blend and Porcini Sea Salt. This recipe is a mushroom lover’s dream!

I use fresh “baby bellas” and dried chanterelles from a local mushroom producer here in Knoxville, “Everything Mushrooms.” Super-delicious!

I am also collaborating with an excellent oil and vinegar shop, “Abingdon Olive Oil Company.” I have never been disappointed with their products. They offer a very wide variety of infused olive oils and balsamics. A few of my faves are Butter Infused and Lemon Infused, along with Toasted Sesame Oil. Asian recipes are not complete without it. Pottery, olives, dry spices, and pastas are available, also. The extra-virgin olive oils are really delicious.

I chose a non-noodle pasta on purpose. I wanted my sauce settling into groves and pockets for flavor and texture in every bite. Yumm.

Fresh mushrooms and reconstituted mushrooms vary in flavor and texture, so I was sure I wanted to use both. Take the extra steps to utilize both mushrooms for the most flavor. Plus, you need the reconstituted flavor from the dried mushrooms. This isn’t just mushrooms and pasta. It’s a mushroom dish with flair!

A few tips as you make this recipe:
The Sautéed Mushroom Spice Blend does contain some sodium. I highly suggest you use an unsalted or low-sodium beef broth so you don’t overdo the salt and ruin the dish.

Be aware the pasta listed in the ingredient list tells you to cook according to package directions First, be sure to cook the pasta in salted water, and two, cook the pasta while cooking the mushrooms, etc. It’s multitasking, but will bring your dish together quicker.

There is a good amount of prep work so be sure you account for some time for this. Bringing water up to a boil for the pasta, wiping and slicing mushrooms, slicing and rinsing leeks, etc. But, your efforts will be rewarded!

Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4

Shrimp Scampi, reminiscence of fresh seafood restaurants on the coast, or even a local fave seafood restaurant with flown-in shrimp. My mouth is watering. There is nothing like seriously fresh seafood- deep fried, broiled, sauteed, however you like it served.

If you’ve read any recent recipe posts, you’ve seen I’m collaborating with The Spice and Tea Exchange in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. It is a beautiful store, filled with aromas and flavors that would make any foodie swoon. You are encouraged to smell and taste. I love that about this store! You’re not guessing; you can make a confident purchase. The area in North Carolina is beautiful, so stick around to tour the attractions and enjoy the local faves.

This recipe features The Spice and Tea Exchange’s “Onion Obsession”, which has become a personal favorite spice blend! Onion is the spotlight, but shallot and chive are flavor undertones that makes this spice blend perfectly harmonious.

I season my shrimp with “A Salt for All Occasions” by The S&T Exch. It is so much tastier than the “other” salt (Lawry’s), which contains cornstarch and other additives. The Spice and Tea Exchange contain all natural ingredients, not the extras you don’t want. A Salt for All Seasons is an “all-purpose seasoned salt” and can be used for your everyday salt, not just special dishes. I love it on breakfast potatoes!

I am in Tennessee, so whenever I’m cooking with seafood, I generally opt for frozen at a local grocery store. For this Shrimp Scampi recipe, I did leave the tails on because I think it makes a pretty presentation. If you don’t want to deal with getting your fingers dirty, feel free to purchase peeled, deveined, tails-off shrimp.

Shrimp Scampi has lots of butter, so be sure to use an excellent-quality butter. I personally have chosen Kerrygold, because it adds a wonderful buttery flavor, and a brighter, yellow sauce. I have unsalted butter listed in the ingredients, because salt is something that you do not want to overdo in this recipe. Salt can always be added, but too much can make something inedible. Let’s not do that here.

Serve the shrimp over pasta, or the shrimp swimming in this flavorful sauce. Bread is another great addition to sweep over your plate, soaking up that delicious sauce.

This is a low-carb and high-fat dish (without the pasta), which makes it a great addition to any Keto diet!

Let me add, this is a non-alcoholic dish, which makes it family-friendly!

Enjoy!

2 Pasta Recipes (1 pound = 2 recipes)

Cook 1 pound of spaghetti noodles, use half for the first recipe; reserve the remaining half for the next recipe. Gives a new definition of “divide and conquer.” Each recipe serves 2 generously.

Enjoy!

Use half of a 1-pound package of spaghetti noodles for this super-easy recipe. Fresh grape (or cherry) tomatoes break down and create their own delicious sauce. Fresh herbs, fresh garlic, and an excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil… there are no words.

RECIPE: Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Herbs

Use the remaining half of spaghetti noodles for a quick vegetable stir fry. The homemade sauce pushes this Asian dish up to Wow! If your spaghetti noodles are already cooked from the previous recipe, it goes even faster!

RECIPE: Garlic-Soy Stir Fry Noodles

2 Pasta Recipes: #2 Garlic-Soy Stir Fry Noodles

I suppose it doesn’t matter which pasta recipe you create first, pasta is pasta. Both are easy recipes, both bring a completely different flavor profile (Italian vs. Asian). To see the first recipe, click here, Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Herbs.

Stir fry is a perfect opportunity for using up those veggies in your fridge and pantry that are on the verge of giving up, looking for the compost pile or the long way down the dark portal of the trashcan. If you don’t have the veggies or don’t want them in the recipe, the sauce is delicious enough on its own to add to the noodles.

Combine your sauce ingredients before you get started. It will take a little time to gather the ingredients. You want to have your sauce ready when it is needed so that you don’t have to stop the cooking process to play catchup. Then give the sauce another stir just before pouring into the pan. The short sit on the counter will give the sauce a bit to meld and marry their flavors.

White pepper is used in Chinese cooking. It was not an ingredient that I used early in my cooking endeavors, but now we are inseparable. It is different from the traditional black pepper, so I enjoy having the two varieties in my pantry.

This sauce can be one you can use over and over in your Asian dishes. Use it as a stir-fry sauce with a protein or just veggies.

Some great topping ideas… peanuts or cashews (toasted or not), crunchy chow mein noodles (see Notes), Chile-Garlic Sauce or Chile Oil – We love BOON Sauce. Check them out for the best chile oil.

See other recipe for one pound of pasta: Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Herbs

Enjoy!

2 Pasta Recipes: #1 Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Herbs

Is it just the two of you? Our kids are officially “out of the house” and we’ve taken on the title of Empty-nesters. Cooking for 5 is a hard habit to break. I still make big dinners and leftovers are almost always in the fridge. I’m not complaining, though! Reheating dinner in the microwave = less dishes! And that’s a good night.

I accidentally bought 3 containers of grape tomatoes and they’ve stayed on the counter for a couple of weeks where I was surprised to see they were not molding together in loneliness.

I started putting together a “fresh tomato pasta” recipe in my mind, but didn’t have enough for a whole pound of pasta. So, here’s what I’ve come up with… 2 meals, half a pound spaghetti noodles per meal for just us two.

I had made a recipe like this, with fresh tomatoes, around 20 years ago and it just disappeared over the decades as new interests began.

Below is a recipe that is easy enough and quick enough you’ll start creating your own ideas of how to divide and conquer.

Some serving suggestions….For the Fresh Tomato Pasta, a simple-dressed green salad and crusty bread would make a great, complete meal.

I’m sure this goes without saying, but if you’re needing to feed more than just two people, use the whole pound of pasta per one meal and double or triple the other ingredients. No problemo.

If you’ve perused my recipes, you’ve probably seen ingredients described as “excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil”. I know it’s a mouthful, but it is really true that you get what you pay for, and using a flavorful extra-virgin olive oil will make your final dish super-delicious.

You can either, 1) the easy way – cook the entire pound for the first recipe, use half, coat the other half in some olive oil and store in your refrigerator, or 2) cook half the package for one meal and the remaining half when you make the second meal. Easy-peasy. The recipes below are for directions #1.

See other recipe for one pound of pasta: Garlic-Soy Stir Fry Noodles

Enjoy!

Addie’s Tortellini

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 6

Who is Addie, you may ask?…

Addie is the most bubbly personality you’ll ever meet. She can find the (humorous) sunshine in the darkened skies. She’s been my daughter’s best friend for over a decade. Many slumber parties and endless giggling define their time together. Even still, the giggling…

She asked to come over for dinner, which I absolutely love that she feels she can invite herself, and I wondered to myself, “What is Addie on a plate?” Thus, what follows is the delicious recipe that I created with her in mind. And, I was quite happy when she told me that she loved it! I felt I had reached my goal.

There is a plethora of tortellini recipes online, and with that, many are happily simmering in a tomato sauce. What sets this one apart? Good quality ingredients that taste good on their own that come together to a mouthful of Wow! I used the best canned tomatoes (San Marzano) I could get my hands on (not a store-bought jar of marinara), excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil, flavorful chicken stock (not watery), very good butter (Kerrygold), fresh spinach (not frozen), and real Parmesan-Reggiano. It truly does show in the food when you use good-quality ingredients. Do I sound like a food snob? I hope not, but I do what is necessary when I want some dishes to just shine.

Let me add a note about cooking your tortellini in the tomato sauce. As the pasta cooks, you will need to stir often, then gently press the pasta down into the sauce. You may be tempted to add more stock because the sauce is thick, but this is not a soup. The sauce will cook your tortellini. Stirring often will help with the cooking process. If you must, add warm stock in small amounts and continue to stir. But, don’t thin out the sauce here.

Let me put in a plug for an oil and vinegar company that my husband and I discovered in East Tennessee. Abingdon Olive Oil Company has become our go-to for the most amazing oils and flavored vinegars. Their products are excellent-quality and delicious. Check them out!

See the Notes after the recipe for a few more tips about the ingredients in this Tortellini dish.

Enjoy!