BAKED PESTO CHICKEN WITH SPINACH

Chicken.  Pesto.  Spinach.  Pasta.  Melty, broiled cheese.  Do I need to tell you more, or are you already convinced you need to make this meal?  Okay, one more important thing to tell you: remember this pasta?  I purchased Rao's sauce again, and it MADE this dish.

Layer sauce, spinach, seasoned chicken

The good stuff.

Spread pesto over chicken

After cooking, top with cheese!

Broiled cheese: beautiful.  Broiled spinach: woof.

Ingredients

1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 jar pesto, or about 1 cup homemade
1 jar marinara sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
1 bag baby spinach, 9 oz.
Italian seasoning
Coarse kosher salt
pepper
1/2 lb pasta

Preheat oven to 375.  Start a large pot of water boiling for pasta.  Coat bottom of 9x13 baking dish with about 1/2 cup marinara sauce.  Lay spinach leaves on top.  Season both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Place on top of spinach, avoiding overlapping.  Spread pesto on top of chicken.  Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, until chicken is almost done.  Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese on top, put the foil back on and bake for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Remove foil and broil for about 3 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly.  While chicken is baking, boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.    Drain pasta and mix with remaining marinara sauce.  Serve chicken over pasta.

PIONEER WOMAN BOWTIE LASAGNA

MAKE THIS RECIPE.  Seriously, make this now.  Even if you've never cooked before in your life, you can make this pasta.  It is foolproof.  The Pioneer Woman has a section of 16 minute meals on her website, and I am so glad this is the one I chose to make.  It was easy, quick and so flavorful.  I'm making it again this week!  It would be the perfect "leftovers lunch" to bring to work.  Original recipe here, including the always fabulous PW step by step photos.

This recipe calls for "your favorite" jarred pasta sauce, so make sure you don't choose blindly.  If you make your own sauce, definitely use it.  Someone recommended Rao's pasta sauce, but it had an $8.99 price tag at Target.  It was surrounded by several other brands which were selling for between $1-3 a jar.  I really do think Prego is delicious; it's what I always purchase.  But this meal was already a bargain, so I decided to splurge.  OH. MY.  Let me tell you, it was beyond worth it.  I don't think I'll ever purchase any other brand.  This sauce was legit.  I could actually taste and smell the herbs and it was a perfect consistency.

The jar was too messy to take a pic of; my sister dropped it in the skillet!

I followed the recipe, except for a few tiny adjustments.  I added a full cup of mozzarella, a tad more sour cream and I used the entire 16 oz box of pasta.  It was the perfect amount to feed four hungry adults.

Ingredients

1 lb bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground chuck
1 jar spaghetti sauce (or 3 cups homemade)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup sour cream

Boil pasta in large pot of salted water until al dente, drain.  In large skillet, brown and crumble ground chuck until fully cooked, drain fat and return to pan.  Pour cooked pasta on top of meat, then drizzle on olive oil.  Pour on jar of sauce, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasonings.  Stir.  Add cheese and sour cream.  Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are combined.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.  Serve with parmesan or additional mozzarella, if desired.

This pasta makes me so happy.