Recipe Swap: Anything Goes

Around here, especially during this busy time of end-of-school activities, superstar week for Football, class picnics, and weekend visits to the coast, there are many nights I'll declare as an "anything goes" type of meal. It certainly helps when we fill our grill with marinated chicken breasts, steak, and burgers over the weekend so we can enjoy quick meals during the week.

Here's one of our favorite recipes to use our leftover grilled chicken:

Penne Rustica

Ingredients:

12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in italian dressing)

crisp, cooked bacon

prepared penne

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sauce:

2 tsp butter

2 tsp chopped garlic

1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup

1 tsp dijon or dry mustard

1 tsp salt

1C. light cream

Directions:

Saute garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Spread in baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes.

(I often make two pans of this and freeze one)

If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.

Some other favorite ways to use up our grilled chicken: Pasta Alfredo and Penne Vodka.

Linked to: Ultimate Recipe Swap at LifeasMom