Chicken parmesan with pasta and Italian veggies

Sandi shows us one of the easiest chicken parmesan recipes ever -- so easy that your children can even help prepare this dish while you're on your way home from work!

Sandi Richard loves a good chicken parmesan, but sometimes the flavours don’t always come through like they should. Sandi shows us one of the easiest chicken parmesan recipes ever — so easy that your children can even help prepare this dish while you’re on your way home from work!

Chicken parmesan with pasta and Italian veggies

Chicken parmesan ingredients:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 10 thighs (1 1/2 lbs or 675 g)
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, light, grated
  • 1 jar of tomato pasta sauce (22 fl oz or 630 mL)
  • 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, part-skim, shredded
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, light, grated

Fresh veggies (use these or any leftovers you have):

  • 1 cup baby carrots
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • 1 english cucumber
  • 5 mushrooms
  • 1/8 red onion (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. italian dressing, light

Pasta:

  • 3 cups penne pasta
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp basil leaves

Method:

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Place chicken breasts in a large lasagna or cake pan.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Pour pasta sauce evenly over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in preheated oven. Set timer for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse baby carrots and grape tomatoes. Place in a salad bowl. Rinse, then slice cucumber into chunks adding to the salad bowl as you cut. Rinse, then quarter mushrooms adding to bowl as you cut. Cut onion into small chunks and add to bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Set aside in fridge for dinner or serve as an appetizer.

When the timer rings for the chicken, leave chicken in the oven. The timer was just to remind you it’s time to start cooking the pasta. (Chicken cooks for about 55 minutes.) Fill a large stove-top pot with water and bring to a boil for pasta. Add pasta to boiling water. Set timer for 11 minutes or follow package directions.

When timer rings for pasta, rinse pasta in a colander under hot water. Return to pot and toss with olive oil and basil.

Remove chicken from oven and sprinkle cheeses over top. Return to oven and reset timer for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve chicken on top of pasta or on the side.

Serves 4-6.  Prep time 15 minutes.  Dinner is ready in 60 minutes.

Courtesy Sandi Richard

www.cookingfortherushed.com

@sandi_richard