Skillet Sunday: Gluten Free Pasta Bake

This pasta is delicious! It is a quiona blend and doesn't taste like the typical cardboard-gluten free ones I've tried in the past. It tastes delicious, and had a rich flavor, and holds it's shape without becoming mush. 

(Finished product, with the pasta I used.)

These breadcrumbs are amazing! Highly recommend them! 

For Skillet Sunday, I thought I'd shade a simple pasta bake recipe. This one is gluten free, but you can use whatever you have in your pantry. This dish is so delicious that you won't even realize it's gluten free! Back last Fall, my doctors thought I had Celiac Disease, so for several months I made all of my food, entirely gluten free. They've since done some tests to rule out Celiac Disease, so I'm no longer gluten free. This was just my attempt to use up some yummy groceries we already had in our pantry. It was delicious!

Ingredients:

-Box of pasta (any kind you prefer, cooked al dente)

-1/2 cup of 2% milk (I use lactose free)

-1 package of shredded mozzarella, 

-1 cup asiago and Romano cheese 

-dill, basil, parsley, basil to taste

-sea salt, black peppercorn, chili powder to taste

-1 TBSP Lousiana hot sauce 

-2 TBSP natural butter, 

-1 large, free range egg

-1cup panco, Italian breadcrumbs 

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

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Mix together ingredients, and combine with cooked pasta in large mixing dish (hold breadcrumbs). 

Pour mixture into Pyrex dish, and top with breadcrumbs, feeling free to season the top of the breadcrumbs as you like. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, broil at 500 degrees for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit five minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! 

A close up of the deliciousness!

(This dish refrigerates and reheats well).

-Just a side note, if you do have Celiac Disease and need this dish to be entirely gluten free, also make sure any cheese or condiments you use are as well. 

Skillet Sunday: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Homemade spaghetti sauce. 🍝 |

What you'll need:

~ 8 vine ripened tomatoes

-3/4 carton of cherry tomatoes

-fresh basil, cilantro, parsley, & thyme (about 1-2 TBSP each)

-chili powder

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

-Louisiana hot sauce,

-4-5 cloves of garlic

-1 small white onion

-2 TBSP brown sugar (cuts acidity)

-sea salt, oregano, and black peppercorn. 

Directions:

Sauté onions and garlic in EVOO, then add meat. Brown 1lb ground sirloin (or turkey) in EVOO. Blend/pulse the sauce ingredients together in a processor, then pour over the browned meat. Cover and let simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (40 minutes+ will give it more flavor, so I recommend simmering longer.). Prepare whatever pasta you prefer while your sauce simmers, then serve and enjoy! You can top with fresh grated parmesean, basil, & peppercorn if you like!

This sauce pairs well with Zoodles too! I typically use a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles with our sauce since it's a good, tasty way to sneak in extra vegetables into your meal. If you want to serve with Zoodles, spiralizer a zucchini (one small zucchini per person), the sautee in large pan with a small amount of EVOO, fresh herbs, and seasonings of your choosing, until al dente. 🍝🍝🍝 

Option 1: with pasta

This is also an incredible sauce to pair with Zoodles! (Spiralized zucchini noodles.) 

Option 2: with Zoodles

Lydia's Oven Baked Ranch Chicken

For all of you chicken lovers, this recipe is for you! It's my spin on oven-baked ranch chicken. Enjoy, my lovelies!

Ingredients:
(Since I usually "eyeball" my ingredients and don't measure, I've included a rough estimate for everything I used!)


4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed or frozen; mine was frozen, just cook it longer!)
1tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
1tsp Tony Chachere's Origional Creole Seasoning (green container)
1Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Black Peppercorn
1 tsp Sea Salt (Optional; most Ranch seasoning packets have a bit of sodium in them already)
1 tsp Fresh Dill
1 tsp Fresh Basil
1tsp minced Garlic
2 large eggs
3Tbsp melted butter
Japanese style Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella
1 packet of Ranch dressing mix 

*Preheat oven to 450*


Directions
-Lightly mist a glass baking dish with Pam or EVOO spray-


In a bowl, mix together eggs, butter, Dill, Basil, garlic, and all other herbs and spices


In another bowl, mix together Panko bread crumbs, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Ranch seasoning,


- Dip chicken into first bowl of mixed liquids and dredge. Let chicken sit for about two minutes and then repeat by flipping to coat the other side. Once you've dredged your chicken, dip into breadcrumb mixture and allow to sit for a minute before you flip sides and repeat. When you've achieved a nice breadcrumb coating, place chicken into baking dish.


-Place chicken in 450 degree oven for 30 minutes (thawed chicken) or 50-65 minutes for (frozen). Once chicken is cooked all the way through, set to a low broil for 1-2 minutes to make coating golden brown.


Enjoy! 


*Lydia's tip: If you have thawed chicken and want to make sure that it coats more easily, place chicken on a cutting board and beat the daylights out of it with a meat mallet! Not only will your chicken hold a coating more evenly, it's also a great way to deal with a stressful day! ;)