Aged Balsamic Brown Butter Spaghetti with Chicken, Spinach, and Bell Pepper

 I am a huge fan of brown butter.  Huge.  Oh, and balsamic vinegar.  So, why not combine them in a pasta dish?  Perfectly delicious!  You’ll want to give this one a try!  I hope you’ll stop by my blog to let me know if you liked it!

Aged Balsamic Brown Butter Spaghetti with Chicken, Spinach, and Bell Pepper

Serves 4
1/2 pound dry whole wheat spaghetti
2 chicken breasts, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 stick unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.  

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (enough to coat the pan). Add chicken and stir occasionally. As the chicken is cooking, add salt and pepper to taste, 1-2 cloves minced garlic, and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Continue to cook until chicken has browned. Once browned, add 1/2 cup white wine to the pan to deglaze. Once the liquid has evaporated, remove chicken to a separate bowl. 

To the same pan, add more olive oil to coat. Add bell pepper and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add fresh spinach and 1-2 cloves minced garlic. Continue stirring until spinach cooks down. Add spinach and bell pepper to the bowl with the chicken.

In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the stick of butter and allow to melt. Watch the butter closely as you want it to turn a nice caramel color and not burn.  

While your butter is melting, add the spinach, bell pepper, and chicken back to the large sauté pan over low heat. Add your cooked pasta over using a pasta strainer to get some of the pasta water in your pan as well. Add sliced toasted almonds to pan.  

Once your butter has browned and has a nutty aroma, pour over the spaghetti mixture. Add 2 tablespoons of aged balsamic vinegar to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper and top with grated Parmesan. Stir to combine and serve. 


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. 

{Somewhat Healthy} Spinach Lasagna by The Hubby

My hubby makes a delicious spinach lasagna.....and he isn't even Italian!  He has been making lasagna for years, even in college I remember him inviting all of our friends to his house in college and cooking up a storm for us! 

He never makes this dish the same way twice, but I sat at the counter and wrote down all of the ingredients and even took pictures along the way!

We served this to friends earlier this week and they both loved it and their kids devoured it.  It's easy, not too unhealthy, and the perfect make-ahead meal. 

Spinach Lasagna
Serves 8

32 ounce jar of marinara sauce (or make your own)
package of multi-grain, uncooked lasagna noodles
8 ounces of fresh baby spinach leaves
3 cups shredded cheese - we use a combination of mozzarella, Monterey jack, and cheddar
16 ounces fat free cottage cheese
8 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Make your cheese mixture by combining the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, dried onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.

Next, in a large 9x13" pan, pour in enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles.  Break them to fit as needed.  Next add 1/2 of the cheese mixture, a layer of spinach leaves, and then another layer of sauce.  Add another layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and another layer of spinach leaves.  Top the spinach leaves with another layer of sauce and finish with 3 cups of the shredded cheese. 

The sauce will cook the noodles while baking.  Be careful on how much sauce you add to each layer.  If there is too much sauce, it's just too saucy :)

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.  Check after about 30 minutes as you'll likely need to cover with foil so the cheese doesn't burn.  Make sure you tent the foil over the lasagna so that it doesn't stick to the melting cheese. 

 

Once it is done, take out of the oven and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.  You need to lasagna to set before serving.  Top with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.