alfredo sauce Archives - The Midnight Baker

Spinach Alfredo Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 19 May 2016 23:00:04 +0000

This succulent chicken in a rich creamy spinach alfredo sauce is actually an easy one-skillet dinner!

I love a good skillet dinner! This recipe sure fills that bill with flying colors!

Chicken is one of my most favorite things to eat. I’ve always loved it and prefer it to even a good steak. Many times I get curious looks when I say that, but what can I say? I love the stuff and always have.

Last week, I made a nice vegetarian meal, Creamy Spinach & Tomato Tortellini and I thought that sauce, with some slight variations, would also go well with chicken. So I decided to give it a try.

The alterations I made to the original sauce was I used Italian flavored diced tomatoes in place of fire roasted so I’d get a more “herby” flavor. I did add additional basil and a pinch of oregano because the tomatoes were a bit too mildly flavored for my taste. I suggest you taste a bit of the juice before adding any additional herbs. If they are OK to your taste, then omit the additional herbs.

I also added more grated cheese and I used Romano for a bolder flavor. However, you can use Parmesan if you prefer that taste or have it on hand–most people do. I also substituted some of the milk with the chicken stock that formed when I cooked the chicken.

Here, I used thighs and drumsticks. But this recipe works well with boneless skinless breasts too. Again, use whatever you prefer and/or have on hand.

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Spinach Alfredo Chicken

This succulent chicken in a rich creamy spinach alfredo sauce is actually an easy one-skillet dinner!

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Chicken, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken Alfredo, spinach

Servings: 4

Calories: 650kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken parts see NOTES
2 tbsp olive oil divided
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
14.5 oz can Italian flavored diced tomatoes, undreained
2 cups frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained (see NOTES)
1/2 tsp basil
Pinch of oregano
1/2 cup grated Romano Cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup reserved chicken stock -OR- equivalent amount of a good commercial stock see NOTES
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp flour

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Brown chicken well on both sides; drain any fat from the pan.
Reduce heat, cover and cook chicken for 30-40 minutes, or until juices run clear or internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.
Remove cooked chicken and cover to keep warm while you make the sauce.
Drain accumulated stock and reserve 1/2 cup for the sauce. You may store the remainder in a covered container in the fridge for future use. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.
Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes or until it becomes fragrant.
Add the undrained tomatoes, the 1/2 cup of stock and the drained spinach. Stir to combine.
Mix the flour with the 3/4 cups of milk, blending so there are no lumps.
Add the milk/flour mixture to the pan, stirring until it becomes thick and begins to bubble.
Add the cream, stirring to blend.
Add the cheese and stir to combine. Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Nice with pasta.

Notes

Chicken--I used 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks to serve 4 (1 thigh & 1 drummie per serving). If you use boneless skinless breast, use 4 larger breast halves (about 8 oz each)

Spinach--You can substitute 2 cups of fresh regular or baby spinach for the frozen. Baby can be used whole. If using regular spinach, coarsely chop it.

Stock--I ended up with about 1/2 cup of chicken stock after I cooked the chicken. If you're using boneless skinless breast, you won't get a very flavorful stock, so it would be best to use the store-bought kind.

Nutrition

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Chicken Alfredo Pot Pie

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 00:00:46 +0000

If you have leftover chicken and a sheet of frozen puff pastry, this chicken alfredo pot pie should be on your menu!

Here’s something really tasty to make with that bit of leftover chicken!

Making this up as a pot pie is very elegant looking, but if you don’t have the sheet of puff pastry and don’t want to make your own pie crust (puff pastry made from scratch is too involved for something so simple), this meal does very nicely over rice or pasta! So it’s very versatile.

Ready-made pie crust–the traditional kind–may be substituted here for the puff pastry. I just happened to have one sheet of it left after making my Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels and I wanted to use it for something before it got all dried out in the freezer. And that’s something I’ll never understand–why they don’t wrap each sheet of pastry separately! So you have to open up the wrapper to use just one and then you’re stuck with the remaining one in the freezer. It should be used quickly. I’ve tried every repackaging method to make it last–none of them worked.

This recipe makes two hearty pies, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you have a lot of people. You can even make them in mini ramekins as an appetizer.

I got a little fancy schmantzy with the crust on these–it gave me the opportunity to use a small kit of autumn pie-dough cutters I bought ages ago. Since I rarely attempt making my own pie crust (because I usually have a 90% FAILURE RATE with it), I never got a chance to use these cute little cutters. On this one I used the maple leaf.

If you don’t have larger ramekins, this can be made in a regular baking dish–I suggest a 9 x 9-inch or a 10 x 7 (that’ll be 1.8L if you have Euro sized pans, i.e. Revol, Pillivuyt). Just add the chicken mixture to that pan and lay the sheet of puff pastry over the top–no fancy cutting involved!

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Chicken Alfredo Pot Pie

If you have leftover chicken and a sheet of frozen puff pastry, this chicken alfredo pot pie should be on your menu!

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Total Time55

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken Alfredo, chicken pot pie, chicken recipe

Servings: 2

Calories: 1177kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup sliced mushrooms*
1/2 cup tiny broccoli florets*
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk or cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup cooked chicken diced
1 sheet frozen puff pastry defrosted

THICKENING

3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water

EGG WASH

1 egg
1 tbsp water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
*Substitute any veggie combo you like. Here I used fresh broccoli, but frozen will do. If using frozen, just run it under cold water to remove the frost. It will cook in the pie.
**Thickening is optional but you'll have a thin sauce
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until mushrooms begin to brown.
Add the stock and the cream; heat through.
If you choose to thicken the sauce, mix the flour and water together and stir into the sauce, stirring constantly until thickened.
Add the Paremesan cheese. stirring to blend well.
Taste the sauce and if it needs salt/pepper, add it now.
Stir in the chicken and veggies.
Cut 2 circles of dough the size of the ramekins; make an "X" or small hole in the center as a vent.
Divide chicken mixture between 2 oven-proof 8-9 oz ramekins (or suitable oven-proof dishes)
Top with dough circles.
Lightly beat egg with the water; brush over pastry.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is a deep golden brown and puffed up.

Nutrition

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Shrimp Caprese Pasta

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Shrimp Caprese Pasta

This delicate alfredo-style pasta will use some of that bumper crop of tomatoes from your garden! Add grilled shrimp and you get this wonderful Shrimp Caprese dinner! Just like Olive Garden!

Love Olive Garden?

This is one of my favorite summer dinners! It takes a minimum of prep and it’s very quick to make. Even though there are a couple of steps that have to be completed almost at the same time, I still call it an “easy dinner.”

I grow a HUGE herb garden in the summer so I’m always dying to use the nice fresh herbs I can go out and pick as I need them. Most folks grow tomatoes too–I didn’t this year–but even if you don’t, we all know someone who does and we usually end up with some. But you can use store bought here, but just make sure to use a very flavorful variety.

The original recipe calls for Roma (plum) tomatoes which taste pretty much OK store bought, but there are much better varieties! I used Campari in this, but another great choice would be the Kumatoes, which are bursting with flavor! Even grape or cherry will do you.

Use your garden’s bounty

Everything At Once

Even though it seems that you must cook the shrimp at the same time you’re cooking the sauce AND the pasta, it really doesn’t go that way! The sauce will take the longest to “cook” so I usually have my pot of water simmering for the pasta at the same time, so when I reduce the heat to simmer the sauce, in goes the pasta then I go out to grill the shrimp. It all seems to come together rather nicely as they’re all done at the same time! On a hot grill or broiler, the shrimp should only take about 5 minutes to cook. You can use pre-cooked, but I find they lack flavor that the grilling/broiling imparts.

Yes, this is rich!! No, don’t substitute milk…it won’t thicken. I wouldn’t suppose this would be a weekly thing anyway with the cost of shrimp, so just put this one down to a guilty pleasure you eat just a couple of times a year!

The Recipe

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Shrimp Caprese Pasta

This delicate alfredo-style pasta will use some of that bumper crop of tomatoes from your garden! Add grilled shrimp and you get this wonderful Shrimp Caprese dinner! Just like Olive Garden!

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta, shrimp

Servings: 2 -3

Calories: 1755kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz angel hair pasta uncooked
1 cup shredded or finely diced mozzarella
8 oz cooked shrimp*

MARINATED TOMATOES

3-4 campari or roma tomatoes
2-3 large fresh basil leaves roughly chopped -OR- 1/2 tsp dehydrated
1 tsp fresh oregano chopped -OR- 1/4 tsp dehydrated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt

PASTA SAUCE

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper black will do in a pinch

Instructions

*I grill my shrimp, but you may broil or boil. You can even use pre-cooked (I don't recommend it though. Grilling and broiling produce superior flavor. I used large (21-25 ct/lb) shrimp. I generally will grill them while the sauce is reducing and the pasta is cooking, but whatever method is best for you is the key.
For Marinated Tomatoes--remove pulp and seeds from tomatoes and roughly dice. Place in a small bowl and add the remaining ingredients; stir. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
For Sauce--Heat a large, deep skillet or saute pan over medium heat.
Melt butter and add the wine. Bring to a boil. Stir in cheeses, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is reduced to your desired consistency--mine was the consistence of a thin white sauce and I reduced for about 8 minutes. If you want it thicker, reduce for longer.
While sauce is reducing, cook pasta. The way I prepare very thin pasta such as angel hair is, I bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the angel hair, stir, cover and shut OFF the heat. It should take about 3-5 minutes to cook, depending on how al dente you want it. Drain very well.
Add the drained pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat well.
Remove pasta to serving plate and top with marinated tomatoes, mozzarella and grilled shrimp.

Nutrition

Shrimp Caprese Pasta

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Steak Gorgonzola with Spinach Alfredo

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Copycat Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

Copycat of the famous Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo–with a radically different steak marinade.

Just Like The Restaurant

Basically, I’m a fuss-free and low (well, maybe NO) maintenance person by and large, but sometimes if I like something enough that I’ve eaten, I will go to a bit of trouble.

Sure, this recipe is not complicated at all, but there are a few steps to take to make it. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Rich and creamy, just like the restaurant

Birthday Dinner Surprise

I first tasted this about 10 years ago on my first visit to Olive Garden. My neighbor and I took another neighbor out for her birthday and the birthday gal requested Olive Garden. We all ordered different things, and naturally we had a taste of each other’s meal. Karen had ordered this and it was SUPERB! I was sorry I didn’t order it. Later in the week, I searched to see if I could find a copycat and I did. Made it, but didn’t care for the marinade. That called for about a cup of Italian dressing and a teaspoon of rosemary. First of all, it didn’t taste much like what I ate earlier in the week, plus I don’t care for Italian dressing or too much rosemary.

The restaurant steak had a slight hint of rosemary but it didn’t hit you over the head with being strong. Plus, I tasted citrusy undertones, so I experimented and came up with my version of the marinade.

The alfredo sauce is just my usual, very rich and very calorie-packed sauce (is there any other way to make this but calorie packed??? LOL). In fact, you can double the batch of this, omitting the spinach, gorgonzola & sun-dried tomatoes, then it’s just a plain alfredo sauce that can be put in the fridge and used as needed (I wouldn’t store it for more than 3-4 weeks personally).

Of course if you are pressed for time, feel free to substitute any jarred version of alfredo sauce from the supermarket–but a good quality one. I tried a house brand and it was, well…AWFUL.

Simply delicious and not diet!

I’ve made the balsamic glaze optional just in case you don’t want to fuss with it or it’s not available at your local grocery. I made this because where I live, no one appears to be that fancy LOL, but it IS a pain to make. The only consolation is if you make a batch, it lasts a looooong time. I’d advise the use of a simmer mat if you make it, otherwise, keep the heat very low under it, and stir, stir, stir. There is a huge improvement in the taste of this dish when using the glaze, so if you can’t find it, don’t want to make it, it’s readily available at the link I list below in the recipe.

The Recipe

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Steak Gorgonzola with Spinach Alfredo

Copycat of the famous Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo–with a radically different steak marinade.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time20

Total Time1 50

Course: beef, Dinner, pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Alfredo sauce, spinach, steak recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 860kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb sirloin steak
8 oz fettucine pasta

MARINADE

2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 tsp rosemary crushed
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

RICH ALFREDO SAUCE

3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
3 egg yolks
2-3 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
2 cups shredded fresh baby spinach
3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste

GARNISH

2 tbsp crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
1/4 cup balsamic glaze* optional

Instructions

*Balsamic glaze can be made by VERY slowly simmering about 1 cup balsamic vinegar until it is so reduced, it's got a syrupy consistency. Upfront I'll tell you it's a PAIN to make, but fortunately, you can buy it pre-made in a well-stocked supermarket or gourmet store.
Trim fat from sirloin steak. Cut steak into strips about 1-inch wide and 3-inches long. Place steak in a large zipper plastic bag.
Mix marinade ingredients and pour over steak in bag. Seal bag and "mush" the marinade and steak together. Place in refrigerator for 1-3 hours.
After steak has marinated, preheat your broiler or outside grill on high. Grill steak to desired doneness. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. I do this in a very low--200 degrees F--oven.
Cook fettucine as per package directions. When done, drain.
Meanwhile, prepare alfredo sauce by heating the milk and cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Mix in the cheeses. DO NOT LET THIS BOIL. Whisk egg yolks well in a separate bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the cream/cheese mixture into the egg yolks, whisking while pouring. This is called "tempering" so the eggs don't form a clump when adding it to the sauce. Pour the tempered egg/sauce mixture back in the saucepan while whisking. Continue to whisk over medium-low heat until sauce begins to thicken. This will be anywhere from 3-5 minutes. Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir well, cover and remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the hot cooked fettucine with the sauce and toss well.
Plate and top each plate with 1/4 of the steak strips. Drizzle with balsamic glaze if using. Put crumbled gorgonzola on top of steak.

Nutrition

Copycat Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

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Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Judith Hannemann — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Fancy enough for company! And a great way to use leftovers.

This meal is actually a leftovers story.I had so many things I wanted to use up before I forgot about them and they went bad–a continuing story around here.To start out, I had a little bit of roast chicken breast meat that would probably be about 1 cup chopped. I also had tag ends of bagged shredded cheese all over the fridge and not to mention a darned brick pack of chopped spinach that kept falling out of my freezer and onto my foot each time I opened the freezer door–hey, that HAD to go!!

I also had a half jar of marinara sauce that I had to keep moving around in the fridge–get the idea? Oh, and that half package of lasagna noodles in the cupboard that was taking up space….I waste FAR too much food and like most folks, I don’t have money to burn so I really want to use this stuff, not throw it out.OK, I did open a jar of alfredo sauce I’d bought because I wanted to see what it tasted like (I make my own all the time), and I did have a large container of ricotta I’d just bought.Bottom line is I didn’t care too much for that alfredo sauce, probably from being spoiled and making my own, so I mixed it with a bit of the marinara and found it improved the taste, so I used it.

But upon making these again, I’d either use all marinara or better yet, make my own rich, fattening and PACKED WITH CHEESE alfredo!BTW, dish can be made entirely meatless if the chicken is left out.

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Cheesy Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna rolls are the easiest lasagna recipe ever! Individual servings of your favorite comfort food.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lasagna, lasagna rolls

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 362kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded asiago
10 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg beaten
1 cup shredded cooked chicken optional
26 oz marinara sauce (see notes)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella for topping

Instructions

Cook lasagna noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Squeeze all the water out of the spinach. Best way to do this is squeezing by hand I take small handfuls at a time and really squeeze the heck out of it. Place squeezed spinach in a. large bowl.
Add the ricotta, shredded cheeses, salt, pepper and chicken to the spinach and blend well. Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly.
Place about 1/2 cup of any sauce you use in the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baker; spread across the bottom.
Place about 1/3-1/2 cup of the spinach mixture onto each lasagna noodle, spreading it out and leaving about 1/2 inch at one end of the noodle without any filling. Roll up, rolling towards the unfilled end. Place seam side down in prepared pan. Repeat.
Pour remaining sauce over rolls in pan, taking care to cover the tops of the rolls with sauce. Distribute the 1/2 cup of mozzarella for topping evenly over rolls.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes.

Notes

For the sauce: I mixed 1/2 prepared Alfredo sauce to 1/2 prepared marinara–which totaled about 2-3 cups of sauce. Feel free to use 100% of what you like! But if you want to mix the sauces, mix a teaspoon of each together and see if you like the taste first before committing.

*Bulk Italian sausage would be an excellent substitute for chicken, or omit meat for vegetarian lasagna rolls.

Nutrition

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Ham Alfredo

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Ham Alfredo

Leftover Easter ham? Try this ham alfredo for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Ham Alfredo Uses Leftovers

This is a quick and easy alfredo sauce. It uses cream cheese. I also changed up the usual parmesan cheese for asiago.

You can always use parmesan or romano. I just happened to have a huge piece of asiago I had bought at Sam’s a while ago.

And as usual, lower-fat alternatives may replace the regular milk and cream cheese for a healthier option.

The Recipe

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Ham Alfredo

Leftover Easter ham? Try this ham alfredo for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: pasta, Pork

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: ham, ham alfredo, pasta

Servings: 2

Calories: 786kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 oz ham either coarsely diced or julienne
1 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese
3 oz grated or shredded asiago cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder OR 1 clove garlic minced
2 cups cooked pasta of your choice

Instructions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over med-low heat.
Add cream cheese and garlic/garlic powder and beat with a wire whisk until there are no lumps. Add milk gradually, whisking continually while adding.
Add the cheese and the pepper. Whisk until cheese is incorporated; add ham and heat through. Remove from heat--sauce will thicken slightly when removed from heat.
Serve over hot pasta.

Nutrition

Ham Alfredo

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