Just because our weather is getting warmer, it doesn't mean we don't find ourselves craving the ooey gooey recipes that comprise comfort food for us. Late spring and early summer are great times for using the oven for short stints - a half hour or less - to take our meals to comfort food status. This week, we're featuring a couple of recipes just like that. This time around, a creamy stuffed pasta dish gets less than a half hour in the oven to bring bowls of pasta shells stuffed with cheese, spinach, and chicken covered in cheese and a creamy sautéed mushroom sauce to your table.
You can use just one kind of mushroom in the sauce, but I love mixing it up with a mixture. I've even been known to use a combination of fresh mushrooms and rehydrated mushrooms to make the texture and flavor in the sauce even more complex. I like to use chopped rotisserie chicken in this dish, but any fully cooked chopped chicken will do. You could also use turkey or even chopped crab or shrimp if you wanted!
A simple green salad with the freshest greens you can manage would do nicely as an accompaniment to this pasta. Pour a chilled glass of dry white wine - perhaps some of the wine you used to make the pasta - and sit down to an elegant pasta dinner that hits all the comfort food spots too. Enjoy!
Baked Chicken Florentine with Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups dry white wine or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 pound jumbo pasta shells
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
- 1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped finely
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a large, shallow casserole dish (approx. 9 x 13-inches); set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet.
To the skillet, add the half and half and wine or chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir for 1 minute. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir gently until the mixture thickens. Return the mushrooms to the skillet and stir well to incorporate; set aside and keep warm.
While making the sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, chicken, spinach, and half of the grated parmesan in a bowl.
Spread ⅓ of the mushroom cream sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one pasta shell at a time, spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mix into each shell, placing the filled shell into the baking dish as you go. Sprinkle over ½ cup mozzarella, pour the remaining mushroom cream sauce over the top. Top with the remaining ½ cup of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Cover and bake 25 minutes or until the top has bubbled up. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: About an hour