Lisa Harp, Valdosta Today Food Contributor:
It’s one pan. It’s dried pasta. It’s uncooked everything. It’s blanketed in cheese. And it WORKS. It’s from the blog Bev Cooks and worth a try on a busy night.
Let’s start at the very beginning. You simply take DRIED spaghetti, break it in half and place a little on top of your favorite jar of marinara in a baking dish. It can be homemade, but jarred for this dish is easier. It doesn’t matter because it’s Tuesday night and you’re tired.
Next, take some pre-sliced mushrooms, some thawed frozen spinach and some diced raw chicken and dump on top of the noodles. (Remember, this is an easy dish, not the work of hours of prep.)
Then add more noodles, then the rest of the mushrooms, spinach and chicken.
Finish with a few noodles, then pour the rest of the marinara on top. Make sure every noodle gets covered in sauce. This may sound like a lot of sauce, but I’m telling you, you need it.
Then, cover the entire thing with cheese.
You just won’t believe it, the pasta is al dente and not mushy. Not undercooked. And the chicken is gorgeously tender in all that sauce in just 45 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz (half a box) dried spaghetti, broken in half
- 8 oz (package) sliced mushrooms
- 14 oz chicken breast (two breast halves), diced
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
- 42 oz (one 26 oz jar + one 16 oz jar) of your favorite marinara
- 1 (8 oz) block mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 350.
Season the diced chicken with the dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Pour about a cup of the marinara in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. (an 8×12 dish works great, too) Layer half of the spaghetti along the bottom of the dish. Layer with half the sliced mushrooms, half the chicken and half the spinach. Arrange a few more dried noodles on top, then follow with the rest of the mushrooms, chicken and spinach. Layer the remaining broken spaghetti on top and cover the entire dish with the remaining marinara. Make sure every noodle is covered with sauce. Sprinkle the dish with the mozzarella cheese.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Lisa Harp owns Plat du Jour Gourmet Delivery, delivering delicious meals to businesses and individuals all over South Georgia and North Florida since 2003. She has been featured in Southern Living magazine, including the Best of the Year recipes and cookbook, as well as online and newspapers. You can learn more about her business by visiting her website at www.yourplatdujour.com.
