Pasta Al Forno With Chicken Sausage And Rapini Recipes

CHICKEN AND RAPINI PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Trim thick stems off rapini and coarsely chop.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rapini, return to a boil, and cook until stems are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain completely. Save the pot of water to cook the penne in.
• Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add red onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 30 seconds. Add rapini and white wine; cook until the wine is reduced by half.
• Meanwhile, return the pot of water to a boil. Add penne and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain penne, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water.
• Add the penne to the pan with the rapini. Add chicken, reserved cooking water, and chicken bouillon. Continue to cook until penne is tender yet firm to the bite, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Divide among serving bowls and serve with remaining cheese.

SAUSAGE AND RAPINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then salt generously. Drop in the rapini and cook until the rapini turns bright green and partially cooks, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spider to transfer the rapini to a bowl of ice water to rapidly cool, reserving the boiling water. Drain the rapini, then cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add both sausages and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces, until golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes if using and cook for an additional minute.
• Meanwhile, add the Ricotta Cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until the cavatelli are al dente and begin to float to the top, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pasta and rapini to the skillet, along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Season with cracked black pepper. Toss to coat the pasta, then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the pecorino and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Combine the ricotta, eggs and salt in a large bowl, then stir into the flour. Gently combine with your hands to bring together into a dough. Knead the dough together, adding additional flour until the dough is firm and not sticky. Tightly wrap in plastic and rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, roll the dough on a lightly-floured surface into a 1/4-inch-thick rope. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. Use a bench scraper or your index and third fingers held together to gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging the bench scraper toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly-floured baking sheet and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, the pasta can be frozen in a single layer and stored in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.)

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Coat 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cook pasta; drain; rinse with cold water.
• In bowl, combine marinara, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in pasta, sausage and chicken; transfer to baking dish.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella over pasta. Bake until hot, 25-30 minutes.
• Serve with Focaccia bread.

PASTA AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Cook pasta; drain; rinse with cold water.
• In bowl, combine marinara, mozzarella, spinach or broccoli, cottage cheese or ricotta, 6 T Parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir in pasta and chopped, cooked chicken (or ground beef); transfer to baking dish.
• Stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan and oil; sprinkle over pasta. Bake until hot, 25-30 minutes.