Mediterranean Pasta Bake Recipes

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• Season chicken with salt. Stir chicken with bacon in a large skillet or saucepan. Add tomatoes and rosemary, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in feta cheese, olives and artichoke hearts and cook until heated through. Toss with fresh cooked pasta and serve warm. Garnished with extra feta if desired.

LIGHTER MEDITERRANEAN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Add to large bowl.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Toss chicken with Italian seasoning and salt; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Transfer to bowl with pasta.
• In same skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat; add onions and zucchini. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in artichokes, pasta sauce and whipping cream; heat 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through.
• Carefully add sauce to bowl of pasta and chicken; stir until well combined. Spoon mixture into baking dish; top with tomatoes, olives and Parmesan cheese. Cover baking dish with foil; bake 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions.
• Drain and set aside.
• In a frying pan heat the 2 tablespoons oil and stir in the onion and garlic.
• Cook for 3 minutes and stir in the remaining vegetables, chilli and seasoning.
• Cook for 3- 5 minutes until just softening.
• Add the tomato sauce (pour 1 cup water into the empty jar and then add to the pan- this will help remove any remaining sauce) and the basil and stir through the pasta along with ½ a cup of the mozzarella cheese and lemon zest, if using.
• Place in a large baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden.
• In a small bowl combine the parsley, olives and capers and scatter over the lasagne.
• Serve hot.

SILVANA'S MEDITERRANEAN & BASIL PASTA

Steps:

• To roast the veg, preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Scatter the peppers, red onions, chillies and garlic in a large roasting tin. Sprinkle with sugar, drizzle over the oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, toss in the tomatoes and roast for another 15 minutes until everything is starting to soften and look golden.
• While the vegetables are roasting, cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water according to packet instructions, until tender but still with a bit of bite. Drain well.
• Remove the vegetables from the oven, tip in the pasta and toss lightly together. Tear the basil leaves on top and sprinkle with Parmesan to serve. If you have any leftovers it makes a great cold pasta salad - just moisten with extra olive oil if needed.

MEDITERRANEAN BAKED CHICKEN WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Sprinkle all sides of eggplant with salt; let rest to release moisture, about 30 minutes. Rinse off the salt. Make deep, crisscross cuts through the eggplant flesh, leaving the skin intact.
• Place eggplant and zucchini on a baking sheet; drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place chicken thighs in a baking dish. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and drizzle over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake vegetables and chicken in the preheated oven until zucchini is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the zucchini; continue baking until eggplant is soft and and chicken juices run clear, 13 to 17 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, basil, and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil. Cover; let simmer until flavors meld, about 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain. Pour sauce over the spaghetti. Place the chicken, eggplant, and zucchini on top.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pot., In same pot, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add red pepper and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, sun-dried tomatoes and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from pot., Add broth and artichoke hearts; return to a boil. Stir in spinach and chicken; cook just until spinach is wilted., Drain pasta; stir into chicken mixture. Stir in feta cheese. If desired, top servings with basil and Parmesan cheese.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to skillet; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. In same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; cook and stir until starting to wilt, about 1 minute.
• In very large bowl, mix cooked chicken, spinach mixture, pasta, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and Italian cheese blend. Transfer mixture to baking dish.
• In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle on top of pasta mixture in baking dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown and casserole is heated through (165°F in center). Garnish with basil, and serve.

CONTEST-WINNING GREEK PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, tomato sauce, tomatoes, spinach, olives, onion, green pepper, basil and oregano. , Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 400° until heated through and cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle with oregano or basil. Freeze option: Cool unbaked casserole; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake casserole as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.