What do I have for dinner tonight? After finishing all the thanksgiving leftovers, this question arises AGAIN…then I think ‘what do I have in the freezer’. Coupled with the fact that I already have spinach in the crisper drawer. I have ricotta cheese from the pizza we made last week, as well as shredded mozzerella/parmesean cheese. Just yesterday, I made a new batch of Mom’s homemade tomato sauce.
So this is what I came up with:
oven-fried chicken on a thin layer of tomato sauce, a dollop of ricotta, sprinkled with julienned spinach, then topped with the homemade tomato sauce a layer of the mozzerella/parmesean cheese. I cover this with foil, bake for 20 min. at 400 deg., remove the foil, bake another 10-15 min. until cheese is a nice golden brown.
So first spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, then lay the chicken over the sauce in one layer. Spoon the ricotta onto each piece, next layer the spinach, and top with more red sauce. Next just top with the shredded mozzerella/parmesean cheese.
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Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 min.
Remove foil and bake another 10 min. for the top to get golden brown and melted.
Better than any ‘chicken parm’ you would get for take-out! Served here with a side of pasta to round things out!
- Get creative with this, think of it as you would layering a lasagna.
- You could add more veggies to the layers such as mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini…..
- You can use other cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, fontina, parmesean, romano, asiago, anything melty……
- You could even use a sauce other than a red sauce such as a pesto, a creamy tomato, alfredo………
- You could use a different type of protein such as pork, fish, veal……..
- You get the drift, it is so versatile but for this recipe for me today it was about using what I had in my refrigerator and freezer to put together a dinner with real ingredients, no preservatives, that was fast, easy and delicious.
this literally came together in 10 min. from things I pulled out of the refrigerator and freezer, instant DELICIOUSNESS! serve with crusty bread, pasta, or as a yummy messy sandwich.
- 8-10 pieces oven-fried chicken cooked, possibly frozen but defrosted
- 2 cups Mom's homemade tomato sauce
- ricotta cheese
- spinach
- mozzerella/parmesean cheese any combination of cheeses works
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Layer thin layer of sauce in casserole dish
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Layer chicken in a single layer over tomato sauce
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Top with approximately 1-2 TBSP. per piece of chicken, or to your liking
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Top all this with julienned spinach, also as much or as little as you like
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Then add tomato sauce over all that goodness and top with the mozzerella cheese mixture.
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Cover with foil and bake for about 20 min.
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Remove foil, continue to bake for 10-15 min. until top is lightly browned until the cheese is melted.
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Serve with crusty bread, a side of pasta, as a sandwich, or as a small place with a nice side salad. Can also work well for an appetizer.
- Get creative with this, think of it as you would layering a lasagna.
- You could add more veggies to the layers such as mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini.....
- You can use other cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, fontina, parmesean, romano, asiago, anything melty......
- You could even use a sauce other than a red sauce such as a pesto, a creamy tomato, alfredo.........
- You could use a different type of protein such as pork, fish, veal........
- You get the drift, it is so versatile but for this recipe for me today it was about using what I had in my refrigerator and freezer to put together a dinner with real ingredients, no preservatives, that was fast, easy and delicious.
