Chicken Spaghtetti with Tomato Sauce

For whatever reason, I decided tonight that I wanted spaghetti with chicken in it instead of ground beef. Don't ask me why. Maybe it's because I've been on a chicken kick. Kickin chicken. IDK.

Tonight's latest victims on The Cooking Dead:

Those are really black olives in that pepper jar. Why you have to buy them in a can I'll never know.

I guess I'll give you an ingredients list. This was pretty off the cuff:

• 1/2 lb of chicken breast 
• 1/3 lb of whole wheat spaghetti
• 2/3 of a jar of Ragu chunky
• 1/4 of a yellow onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• A handful of olives (I raided the fridge for anything else I could throw in)
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Gotta start by getting the frying pan hot with the olive oil and the Ragu chunky simmering.

I chopped up the chicken, onion, garlic, and black olives. I know I look like I'm being sanitary but let's be serious. Everything's about to get cooked in the skillet.

Saute the garlic for a minute or so. Add the onions and let them get translucent, probably 3 or 4 minutos. Pause The Walking Dead because you want to make sure you see the last episode in full before the mid-season premier.

Resume cooking. Throw in the chicken and let it brown.

Oh yeah, if you happened to have a pot of water boiling, now would be the time to throw in the whole wheat spaghetti. Sorry, I forgot to give you a picture and remind you to have boiling water ready. My bad. Next comes the sauce modification...

We're about to make this Ragu Chunky into Ragu Obese. Now let that simmer a few minutes while the spaghetti is cooking.

You know what, tomorrow is a holiday and I don't have to work. Why not.

Well $hit. I forgot to set the timer on the spaghetti. Guess that's what I get for not including that reminder. Gonna have to taste test on one minute intervals until we are AL-DENT-AY...

And I mean "AYYY" like the Fonz.

Commence plate preparation:

The finished product. Not Pictured: Walkers taking a bite out of the mid-season premier's first victims on the Tele that is just outside of frame.

Sweet Potato and Bell Pepper Pasta

Whether you’re cooking for a hot vegetarian or just want to give your guts a meat break, this simple, delicious recipe will do the trick.
By Jon Luman

A burger from a fast food joint or a steak off of your Foreman are fine once in awhile, but if you’re cooking for a woman who happens to be a vegetarian — or if you’re planning to live past 50 — you need to change it up. But you don’t have to give anything up; you can still love what you’re eating and feel satisfied at the end. This easy-to-make guy recipe for sweet potato and bell pepper pasta takes you about 30 minutes start to finish. It’s loaded with fiber and vitamin C, and contains 12 grams of protein. Serve with a garden salad as a starter and you’ve got yourself a meatless meal that’ll leave you and your lady friend looking forward to dessert! God we hate ourselves for writing that.

Prep time: 10-12 minutes
Cooking time: 17-20 minutes

Ingredients
8 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups of sliced sweet potato
1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

How to cook it
1. Boil a large pot of water and drop in the pasta. Cook 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Place 1 tablespoon of oil and garlic in a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 2 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add sweet potato, pepper, tomatoes, and water to skillet, and stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and cover to keep it warm.
5. Drain the pasta, but keep about 1/2 cup of the cooking water in the pot before returning the pasta to the pot.
6. Add the vegetable mixture, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, parsley, tarragon, lemon juice, sea salt, and cheese; toss to combine.
7. Add the reserved pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to achieve the desired consistency.

http://www.modernman.com/guy-recipes-sweet-potato-and-bell-pepper-pasta/

Spaghetti and Meatballs from SimplyRecipes

Ingredients
Sauce
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ chopped sweet yellow onion
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 cup very finely chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped crimini brown mushrooms
• 2 28-oz cans Italian plum tomatoes (get San Marzano brand if possible)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste concentrate in tube
• ¼ cup grated parmesan-romano cheese blend
• Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
• ¼ cup red wine

Meatballs
• 1 lb ground beef (at least 16% fat)
• ½ lb fresh bulk Italian style pork sausage
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• ½ cup finely chopped crimini brown mushrooms
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan-romano cheese blend
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Red wine

Spaghetti
• 1 1/2 lbs dry 100% semolina spaghetti, thin spaghetti, or bucatini

Method
1 Prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil in 4-5 quart pot on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add carrots and mushrooms, blend together for 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, stir together. Add basil and parsley, stir tomatoes with a potato masher until sauce starts to thicken about 5 minutes over medium high heat. Add tomato paste concentrate, stir to blend. Reduce heat and simmer while preparing meat balls, stirring occasionally.

2 Prepare the meatballs. Mix by hand in a large bowl beef, Italian sausage, basil, parsley, mushrooms, eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, herbed salt, and pepper until well mixed. Use small melon baller, or teaspoons to form 1-inch round meat balls. Roll and compress into tight balls.

3 Heat frying pan on high heat. Add olive oil. Sear and brown meat balls on all sides. About 2-3 minutes. Depending on pan size you may need to brown two batches of the meatballs. Do not crowd the pan by stacking the meatballs. Cook in a single layer. Do not over-cook. As meatballs are finishing, add a little bit of red wine to de-glaze pan.

4 Add ¼ cup red wine to the sauce. Then stir in ¼ cup cheese. Add salt to taste. Add meatballs, gently stir. Simmer sauce and meatballs for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5 While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add 1 Tbsp of salt. When the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot. Leave the pot uncovered while you cook the pasta on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put a timer on for 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package directions say is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.

To serve, place thin layer of sauce on plate, add pasta, add sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with grated parmesan-romano cheese.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spaghetti_and_meatballs/