'Go-to' Dinners

I love to cook, but I'm absolutely terrible at planning a menu. Most nights I leave work thinking, "What in the world am I going to fix for dinner?". I have an overflowing well stocked pantry, but sometimes it's just hard to put together a meal on those nights when, "nothing sounds good."

I'm not sure where I found this idea, but I have a pretty little list taped to the inside of one of my cabinets with 'go-to dinners'....the ones you know you always have the ingredients for and can make fairly effortlessly. When I was growing up, my mom's go-to was always spaghetti. My 'spaghetti' is a recipe I've adapted over time from Kraftfoods.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake

(click here for the original recipe)

1 1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta
1 9oz. package of fresh spinach leaves
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
10-12 oz of Ragu or Marinara/Pizza Sauce (I usually do half/half)
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes with onion, garlic, and basil (slightly drained)
2 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 Cup of Mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min.; top with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

The recipe above is SO versatile. If I don't have fresh spinach on hand, I leave it out. I typically mix equal amounts of pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce because we like this flavor better than just using spaghetti sauce. You can dress this pasta up as much as you like, and if you're in a real hurry you could probably serve it without baking....but it tastes so much better baked.

I usually serve it with garlic green beans or the E-A-S-Y broccoli side dish below. (adapted from Publix Apron's Simple Meals).

Broccoli Italiano

12 oz broccoli florets

2 tsp. of roasted garlic (regular is fine)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Break broccoli into bite-size pieces. Place in microwave safe bowl.
Stir in garlic, olive oil, salt/pepper.
Cover and microwave on high 4 minutes, stirring once, or until crisp-tender.
Stir in cheese and lemon juice. Serve.