Chicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

hicken Parmesan Baked Ziti

PREP TIME: 15 MIN

COOK TIME: 30 MIN

TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces DeLallo penne ziti (or any pasta shape)
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 2 small chicken breasts)
• 1 (25 ounce) jar DeLallo Pomodoro Fresco Tomato-Basil Sauce (pasta sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2% low fat)
• 1/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Source : gimmesomeoven.com

Cooking Tips :

Cook Like A Star With These Great Tips

Everyone knows how to eat, but not everyone knows how to cook. These tips can help you to increase your cooking skills. Don't be afraid to try new things in your kitchen. Learning how to cook properly is a skill that will benefit you through good health and a good time! Have fun cooking and don't stress if you go a bit overboard and make a mess occasionally.

The most difficult and time consuming thing about cooking is doing all of the prep work. You can buy pre-prepped vegetables or prep your ingredients the day before to cut down on the time you are in the kitchen. This is very helpful if you need to get dinner out in a hurry.

One of the things that you should spend a lot of money on, is your kitchen utensils, pots and pans, and other equipment. These are extremely valuable investments as they will serve as the foundation for all of your cooking. You will want to extend the life of these tools as long as possible. Cooking is so much easier if you are using high quality utensils and equipment.

Keep a potato masher in your kitchen at all times. This useful device can be used to mash more than just your typical potatoes. Try mashing carrots, cauliflower, and other root vegetables. You can mix any of these in to your usual mashed potatoes to make them more vibrant, nutritious, and interesting.

Frozen vegetables should only be used as a last resort in home cooking. Though they are cheap and usually available year-round, they fall far short of fresh vegetables in several important areas. Frozen vegetables have lost some of their healthy vitamins and nutrients. They often have unhealthy food additives. They also tend to taste worse than their fresh counterparts.

Poultry seasoning is very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways not just with poultry. Sprinkle it on top of roasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds for a snack, or use the seasoning to top scrambled eggs. Everyone will ask what you used to make it so good.

When you are cooking for your family, try not to stick to one style. If you cook the same meal over and over, it can get boring and your family will become jaded with the dishes that you make. Change things up every night so that you can introduce new meals and cuisines to your family.

Planning out meals for the coming week can save you both time and money. You can buy all of the things you will need beforehand without having to make spontaneous trips to the store during the middle of a busy week. You can have a planned schedule and it will make it easy for you to prepare things before you actually cook.

Cooking is all about preparation. To take the edge of cooking, whether it is a small appetizer, simple dish, full nine course meal, or elegant dessert, prepare for your cooking a day or two ahead. Plan what you are going to make and for how many people you are going to make it for. Gather your ingredients ahead of time to ensure that you won't have to rush.

Do a little research and find out if there is a farmers' market within shopping distance. These markets - usually held on a weekly basis - are your ticket to purchasing the very freshest ingredients available. Treat food from a farmers' market with respect; usually, the less cooking you do to such ingredients, the better-tasting the results will be.

Write out a list for all of the ingredients that you will need for a recipe before you go to the grocery store. This way, you will not forget anything. Many people forget one or two important ingredients for the recipe, which causes them to not be able to make the meal.

Chicken broth should be used when you are sautéing your vegetables. Chicken broth can be purchased at any grocery store. It is important to choose a chicken broth that is low in sodium so that you do not eat too much sodium. Sodium can cause you to retain water which is not good.

You should use nonstick cooking spray when cooking a meal or snack. The nonstick cooking spray keeps food from sticking to a pan without adding unneeded fats and calories. There are some sprays that are flavored, so that you can get the same flavor as if you had used butter.

When sautéing vegetables using Pomace olive oil is a great substitute for butter that should be used. The Pomace olive oil is very affordable and will give vegetables a mild flavor that is quite delicious. You can purchase the Pomace olive oil at any Middle Eastern grocery store. It is low in carbs and in price which makes it extremely appealing.

Cook small quantities of food at higher temperatures for a lesser amount of time. Bite-size cookies only need a few minutes in the oven if you put it a higher temperature because there is only a small surface area to cover and it will not take long to cook. This way you will be able to enjoy your meal in minutes.

A great help for achieving your best baking results is to bring your butter and eggs to room temperature before use. By allowing these ingredients to lose their chill, you allow heat from cooking to activate the oils and fats within them at the right time as opposed to waiting for them to achieve the right temperature while cooking.

Cooking need not feel difficult. If you prepare your own meals at home, you gain the benefits of spending less money than you would at a restaurant, eating more nutritiously because you control the ingredients that go in the food, and learning a new and enjoyable skill. Internalize this article's handy advice and put it to work in the grocery store, the kitchen, and, eventually, on your plate. Kudos to home-cooked food; whip some up and dig right in!