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Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Soup (Stephanie’s Recipe)

Ingredients

CHICKEN:
  • 1 pound chicken breast (about 2 large breasts)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pan
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
SOUP:
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1½ cups half and half or heavy cream
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Dash of nutmeg
  • Dash of dried mustard
  • Dash of cayenne, to taste
  • 8 to 9 ounces lasagna sheets, broken into pieces
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
  • ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella, more to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening)

Instructions

MARINATE AND COOK CHICKEN
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
  2. Add chicken breasts to a large bowl, pour the marinade over them, and toss until evenly coated.
  3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
  4. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden and fully cooked through.
  5. Transfer to a plate and let it cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized chunks. Set aside until ready to add later.
MAKE THE SOUP BASE
  1. In the same pot over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté minced garlic for 1 minute, until fragrant and lightly golden.
  2. Pour in chicken broth, cream or half and half, and milk, stirring to combine.
  3. Add Italian seasoning, oregano, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, dried mustard, and cayenne.
  4. Bring to a gentle simmer over low-medium heat to let the flavors meld together.
COOK THE PASTA
  1. Break lasagna sheets into smaller pieces and add them directly to the simmering soup.
  2. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the noodles are tender and silky.
FINISHING TOUCHES
  1. Add the chopped chicken back into the pot along with parmesan, mozzarella, parsley, and basil.
  2. Stir until the cheeses melt and the soup turns creamy.
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  4. Serve warm and enjoy!
OPTIONAL: THICKEN THE SOUP
  1. If you prefer a thicker consistency, ladle out 1 cup of the soup into a separate bowl.
  2. Whisk in flour until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the pot.
  3. Stir and let it simmer briefly until the soup slightly thickens.
Tips & Notes

Q: Can I use rotisserie chicken?
A: Yes! Shredded rotisserie chicken works perfectly and cuts down prep time.

Q: Can I make this ahead?
A: For best results, store the soup and noodles separately. Combine before reheating to keep the noodles from soaking up too much broth.

Q: Can I use other pasta shapes?
A: Absolutely. Bowtie, broken fettuccine, or any wide noodles work great if you don’t have lasagna sheets.

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Basil Pesto-Janet Brocklehurst (Alex’s Aunt)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, packed
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Place ingredients in a food processor. Blend until pesto forms a thick, smooth paste. Store in fridge up to a week or freeze for a few months.

Tips:

  1. I do this with lots of different herb blends
  2. Cheese doesn’t always freeze well, so I typically leave it out and add it during cooking process later if I want it
  3. If you freeze it in zip lock bags (flat), then it’s very easy to break off pieces (however much you want-a little or a lot) for whatever you are making
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Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti-Hallie Dennis

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounce penne noodles
  • 2 cups cooked chicken
  • 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • Parsley (to garnish)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 Tablespoons flour3 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups shredded parmesan
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9X13 pan. Cook the noodles

Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add garlic. Stir until fragrant. Sprinkle in flour. Whisk to create a smooth roux. Slowly add in cream, then add parmesan. Bring sauce to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add noodles to sauce. Add chicken and parsley. Add half the mixture to the 9X13, sprinkle some mozzarella on top, add the rest of the mixture then top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes.

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Cheeseburger Pizza-Nicole Price (Morgenegg)

Source: Iwashyoudry.com

Ingredients for 2 pizzas:

  • Pizza dough
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup ketchup, divided
  • 1/4 cup relish
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 4 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
  • Mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease a 12″ pizza pan, spread pizza dough on pan.

Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash mixture. Sprinkle the edges of the dough with the sesame seeds.

Brown the hamburger in a skillet over medium heat with the seasoned salt, black pepper, and diced onion. Cook until no longer pink and drain any excess fat.

Meanwhile, combine the mayo, 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup (per pizza), most of the relish, and the hot sauce in a small dish and whisk until smooth. Spread this mixture over the base of the pizza dough with the back of a spoon. Top with the cooked ground beef.

Spread the shredded cheese over the top. Drizzle the remaining ketchup and mustard over the top of the pizza, followed by the remaining relish.

Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until the center is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly before slicing.

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Instant Pot Stuffed Shells-Nicole Price (Morgenegg)

Source: number-2-pencil.com

Ingredients:

  • 15 ounces ricotta
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 12 ounce jumbo pasta shells
  • 24 ounce marinara sauce
  • 1 cup water

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, egg, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and chopped parsley. Transfer mixture to a gallon sized bag

Add water to instant pot. Snip corner of the gallon bag to fill uncooked pasta shells with ricotta mixture, transferring them to instant pot as they are filled

Top the stuffed shells with marinara sauce. Do not stir. Set instant pot o cook on high pressure for 10 minutes via manual mode. After cooking, use quick pressure release. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and cover with lid until cheese melts.

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Baked Tortellini with Chicken Gratinati – Brittney and Alex love this

Yield: 4–6 servings (depending on the size of your dish)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 14.5–ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 pound of sliced bacon
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano, divided
  • 6 ounces shredded fontina cheese, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast ,cut into bite sized pieces
  • 13-ounce bag frozen tri-colored tortellini (we used regular and it worked great)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place tomatoes into a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.
  2. Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Cut bacon strips into bite sized pieces and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
  3. In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat and add flour. Cook for four minutes stirring often. While this is cooking, heat cream to hot but not scaled either in a small sauce pan or in the microwave.
  4. Add the hot cream to the butter and flour mixture one third at a time whisking on each third to form a smooth sauce. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, 3 ounces of the fontina cheese, fresh basil and minced garlic. Stir to combine, heat to hot and remove from heat. Set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  6. In a large saute pan over medium high, heat two tablespoons of bacon fat and cook chicken for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Should be slightly under-cooked as it will cook further in the oven. Remove cooked chicken to a dish or plate.
  7. Boil a pot of water and cook tortellini according to package instructions but remove from the water before the tortellini is fully cooked, as it will cook further in the oven.
  8. Depending on the size of your dishes, arrange four to six oven-safe, wide flat gratin-crème Brule dishes on a parchment-lined sheet pan and spray each dish lightly with pan spray. (We made in one pan instead and served from there)
  9. Spoon about two tablespoons of sauce on the bottom of each dish and spread to cover bottoms.
  10. Divide the cooked tortellini, cooked chicken, cooked bacon and the drained diced tomatoes among the individual dishes.
  11. Pour the sauce over each filled dish, dividing evenly.
  12. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Fontina over the tops of the six dishes.
  13. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are browned and bubbly.
Baked Tortellini with Chicken Gratinati - Inspired by the dish at Bertucci's, we think our version tastes even better!
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Parmesan Chicken – Stephanie

In crockpot add:

  • 4 chicken breasts (of course I never use the amount of meat called for)
  • Entire bottle of Parmesan Garlic Wing sauce (see picture at bottom)
  • Fill bottle with milk, shake it, and dump over chicken
  • 8 oz. cream cheese – chopped in a few pieces
  • 1/2 ish bag of shredded parmesan cheese

Cook on high for 4 hours

Shred chicken and return to crockpot

1 box penne pasta – cooked separately and drained

Add pasta to crockpot. Stir and serve.

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One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

INGREDIENTS 

  • 16 ounces Italian sausage
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices (we used crushed tomatoes)
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream (we used milk and it worked great)
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Handful fresh basil torn (we used dried basil and parsley, about 1 TBS each)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Sauté the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightly browned.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the chicken broth and let it cook for about a minute.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream, and gnocchi. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Uncover the pan, give it a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, and salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. 

We cooked the gnocchi separately and put both pots on the table.

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi and Sausage Tomato Sauce

  • 1 pound potatoes (clean but not skinned / not new potatoes) (we didn’t plan ahead so we pealed and cut the potatoes to boil them and it worked fine)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium egg (room temperature)

INSTRUCTIONS 

GNOCCHI

  • In a large pot boil potatoes until tender, remove from the pot and let cool  remove the skin. Then pass through a potato ricer.
  • Mix together the flour and salt, place on a flat surface, make a well in the middle and add the potatoes and egg, mix together with your fingers to form a soft dough, it should not stick to your fingers. On a lightly floured surface, cut small amounts of dough to form ropes and cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) pieces, then slide each piece on a fork and squeeze a little (but not too hard). Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and toss, so they don’t stick together. Let the gnocchi rest for 20 minutes before cooking.

COOKING GNOCCHI

  • In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the gnocchi, gnocchi are ready when they float to the top.  Drain and add to the cooked sauce, add a little pasta water, cook for 30 seconds, gently tossing. Serve immediately topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

NOTES

For room temperature remove from the fridge about 60 minutes before using.

The perfect potato is an old potato, in other words no new potatoes. New potatoes contain more water which absorbs too much flour. Go for Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes.

As far as flour goes, I always use all purpose, in Italy it’s called Manitoba but some people prefer 00 or a lower protein flour. A lower protein flour will make them softer and more tender, although you may need a little less flour to make the dough.

Potato gnocchi can be left uncooked for no more than a couple of hours (covered). Cooking may be a little longer because they will have dried out a bit in the air.

Any leftover cooked gnocchi should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. They will last up to three days in the fridge.

The Gnocchi can also be frozen, place the uncooked gnocchi on a cookie tray in the freezer, leave for approximately 20 minutes then place them in an airtight freezer bag. They will keep for about 1 month. No need to thaw, just cook from frozen.

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage

NGREDIENTS 

  • 16 ounces Italian sausage
  • 1/2 small onion chopped finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices (we used crushed tomatoes)
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream (we used milk and it worked great)
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Handful fresh basil torn (we used dried basil and dried parsley about 1 TBS each)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Sauté the sausage and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage and onions are lightly browned.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the wine and let it cook for about a minute.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes, cream, and gnocchi. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Uncover the pan, give it a good stir, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese, basil, and salt & pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. 

We didn’t cook the gnocchi in the sauce.

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Parmesan Italian Pasta

  • 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (We didn’t use that much. Only about 1/5 a breast)
  • 16 ounce bottle Olive Garden Italian Dressing. (Or any Italian Dressing. We only used about 1/2 a bottle of Zesty Italian and it was great.
  • 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese (we used the read stuff not the bottled stuff)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper (we used a little less of that too)
  • 8 ounce block of cream cheese

Add these after cooking time is up

  • 16 ounce package of penne pasta cooked according to directions and drained well
  • 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add chicken to slow cooker
  2. Pour Italian dressing over the chicken. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and pepper over that.
  3. Place cream cheese on top.
  4. Place lid on slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.
  5. When cooking time is almost done cook penne pasta on stove top according to directions on the package.
  6. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Drain the pasta and add to chicken and sauce mixture. Stir. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan Cheese over the top.
  7. Serve and enjoy!