Giada's Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I love stuffed pastas... tortellini, ravioli, stuffed shells... you get the point. I have been eyeing up Giada's recipe for baked tortellini for a long time now. I finally made it tonight. It was EXCELLENT. I have mentioned before that I try not to repeat recipes too often but this one merits repeating.

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves (I used 1 tablespoon of dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (omitted)
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella (I used regular)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Combine the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain.

Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I haven't updated this in almost a week! I can honestly say I haven't even cooked since my last entry. We have been so busy BUYING A HOUSE! But... now that the house is in attorney review and we can relax a little it is back to cooking. So I saw this recipe floating around on various websites for awhile now. I love Giada and love many of her recipes. This one was so good! I kept the recipe almost exactly as the original, but I did make one change and I think it was great! I decided to cook the pastina in chicken broth and let it absorb the broth. I thought this would add more flavor then just boiling it in water and draining it. John and I both loved this so much!

Ingredients:
1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 can of garlic flavored chicken broth (or really any chicken broth)


1- Put the chicken broth and pastina in a pot, bring to a simmer. Cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.
2- Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until done.
3- Put the chicken into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
4-Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.