One Pot Lemon and Garlic Pasta with Broccoli

I'm obsessed with this pasta!  It tastes amazing, but I LOVE the fact that it's a one pot meal!  So easy!

Cook the pasta and broccoli together, drain, add the rest of the ingredients and...DONE!  Tons of flavor and it takes no time at all.  Make it as spicy (or not spicy) as you like by adding more or less red pepper flakes.  If you salt your pasta water before hand, you may not need the garlic salt.  I usually do salt my boiling water because it's the only time you get to actually flavor the pasta.  I forgot this time, which is why I added garlic salt, so use according to your taste.  

  

I made garlic bread to serve with this - you can find the recipe for that here (also too easy not to make with this dish!).  

Serves 2-3

One Pot Lemon and Garlic Pasta with Broccoli

8 oz dried pasta
3 cups frozen broccoli florets
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water to boil in a large pot.  Cook pasta, according to package, but about 6 minutes shy of al dente.  Add the broccoli florets and cook pasta and broccoli together until pasta is al dente.  Drain and return to post.  Add olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes and stir.  Add Parmesan cheese and stir.  Serve topped with more red pepper flakes and Parmesan (optional).

(Source:  Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Parmesan Pesto Roasted Tomatoes

Well, these are just about the best appetizer I have ever eaten.  Seriously...I mean, just look at the pictures.  Not only do these tomatoes taste amazing, they look beautiful, too.  I could've plated them on a nice platter, but to be honest, they didn't last that long.  My husband and I were eating them right off the baking sheet - we had to restrain ourselves long enough for me to take the pictures...and that was LONG enough.

Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Gorgeous already. 

Roasted tomatoes are so good on their own too.  So great for a caprese salad...but it gets better!  

Adapted from Ina Garten, so you know they are going to be good.  Double it if you're having company.  The pesto I used was her recipe, too.  I made it awhile ago and had it in the freezer.  Here is the recipe - super simple and freezes so nicely to use again and again.  Family - plan on having these as an appetizer at our next holiday!

Serves 4 (but really it's 2 because you won't be able to stop eating them)

Parmesan Pesto Roasted Tomatoes

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup pesto (store bought or homemade)   

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese  

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange the tomato slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with oregano and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, spread pesto evenly on each tomato slice, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for another 7-10 minutes until cheese becomes golden brown.  I turned the broiler on for about 30 seconds just to get a nice crispy crust.  

(Source:  Adapted from Ina Garten)

Lighter Penne Alfredo

I typically shop for the week and try to plan most of my meals, but sometimes things come up and you need something quicker and easier - or maybe your just in the mood for Alfredo!  We have a tight grocery budget, so I'm also a big believer in using what I have available and not rushing out to the store just because we were in the mood for something that I didn't plan for.  In this case, I already had the penne and the rest of the ingredients because I am always using them - especially the milk and butter, but also the cream cheese and Parmesan.  I'm sure you have a "stock" list of items that you consistently use too.  

So, what I'm trying to say is that feel free to use the ingredients you have on hand - a different pasta or 1%  milk, heavy cream instead of half & half (after all, it only calls for 2 tablespoons).  You can also add a cup of frozen broccoli to your cooking pasta a few minutes before it's done to get a veggie in there!  Just drain right along with your pasta and toss it in the sauce too.  

Serves 4

Lighter Penne Alfredo

1/2 box of Penne pasta (8 oz)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups skim milk

2 tablespoons half & half

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (heaping cup full)

2 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat.  Once fully melted, mix in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.  Gradually add in a little milk at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.  Stir in half & half, salt and garlic powder.  Continue cooking sauce until mixture thickens and begins to gently bubble, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.  

Reduce heat to low and add the Parmesan and cream cheese; stir until cheese has melted.  Drain pasta well, reserving a little liquid in case your sauce is too thick.  Add pasta to sauce and toss evenly to coat, adding a splash of the pasta water if needed to thin out.  Serve immediately with freshly ground pepper and more Parmesan cheese.  

(Source:  Adapted from Cooking Classy)

Basil Pesto

Just back from vacation and my basil plant was out of control!  I chopped a ton of it off!  I already have some frozen in olive oil, so decided to make pesto with this latest crop.

At first, I was kind of disappointed - my first time ever making pesto and it seemed runny.  But, I discovered when I pulled it out of the fridge a couple days later it had really thickened up and was just perfect. 

Makes 4 cups

 Basil Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup pecans

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

5 cups basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the pine nuts, pecans and garlic into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper.  With the processor running slowly, pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until everything is pureed.  Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.  Use right away or store in the refrigerator or freezer with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pesto, then capped with an airtight lid.  

(Source:  Adapted from Ina Garten)

Bruschetta Pasta

It's getting to be that time of year again...weather is getting warmer, I have basil growing in my backyard and tomatoes are more readily available.  All this combined made me really hungry for Bruschetta - chopped tomatoes with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - and I thought instead of just making that served with crostini, I could just toss it with some pasta for a quick no-cook sauce.  It was excellent!  So great for a hot summer night when you don't feel like slaving over a hot stove (except to make the pasta of course).  I also included the recipe for the crostinis (little toasts) because I served them with our pasta.  

Serves 4-6

Bruschetta Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti 

6 plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 basil leaves, chopped

sea salt and black pepper to taste

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Crostini

1 baguette of French bread

1/4 cup olive oil

1 clove garlic

Prepare pasta according to directions.  Follow the next steps while the pasta is cooking.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Slice the baguette in 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, brush a small amount of olive oil on each slice.  Toast for 5-6 minutes until they start to turn a golden brown.  Once removed from the oven, rub a little bit of the garlic clove onto each piece of toast. 

Chop and seed tomatoes while bread is toasting.  In a medium bowl, toss with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  When the pasta is done, drain and return to the pot.  Toss with the tomato mixture and top with Parmesan cheese (if using).

Pizza Margherita

Pizza is a couple-of-times a month staple in our house.  It's a quick and easy meal, and part of the fun of it is making our our pizza dough!  The recipe I use for my pizza dough is so good and takes just minutes to prepare.  And I LOVE this style of pizza - light and garlicky, without a true tomato sauce, instead, it has slices of Roma tomatoes.  An authentic Margherita pizza is actually made by crushing the tomatoes into a sauce, but I love the look of the slices. 

Cool story - Pizza Margherita was named after Queen Margherita of Italy visited Naples and she was served a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag - the red is the tomatoes, white is the mozzarella, and green is the basil.  Basil was no where to be found at my local grocery store, so I did leave it off, replacing it with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning right before baking (which contains basil!).

I always leave my pizza just a little longer after the cheese has already melted.  I love it when the mozzarella gets golden brown and a little crispy.  

I used a pizza stone and made a round pizza, but this recipe will stretch out to a 9x13 or even 11x18 pan (depending on how thin you want your crust).  And I chose to cut my round pizza into squares so the little ones could eat it easier.  

 Pizza Magherita

Pizza dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded pizza cheese (or mozzarella)
3-4 slices of fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, let pizza stone get hot.  Roll out dough and place it on warmed stone.  Sprinkle with the olive oil and garlic and rub all over the dough (you can leave a border for the crust or go all the way out).  Top with the tomatoes, spaced evenly apart, then top with the shredded cheese, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic salt if using.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until all the cheese is melted and pizza dough is cooked.  Cut into slices or squares.

Cheesy Alfredo Baked Penne

We eat a ton of pasta in my house, it's really the only thing that the kids will eat these days!  It's like all of a sudden they've become vegetarians.  I mean, not really, but it takes a lot to get them to eat chicken or even scrambled eggs lately.  Just at that picky stage I guess, but now I am constantly on the hunt for new and different pasta recipes (and where else but Pinterest to help me out with that!).  

This recipe was adapted from the blog Plain Chicken and it's amazing.  This was by far the best pasta bake I have ever made!  The added chicken makes it a little more hearty and I was even able to sneak a few bites past my kids.  So score one for me.  :)  I diced my chicken breast, cooked it with a little spicy grill seasoning (my go-to for every dish) and then set it aside to add to the pasta later.  You can use whatever spice you want for your chicken, even just a little salt and pepper.  

It's an incredibly easy dish, almost a one pot meal, except for cooking the chicken.  Cook the pasta, drain and return to the pot.  Then add Alfredo sauce, sour cream, ricotta, garlic, Parmesan cheese, the chicken and top with a ton of mozzarella.  Incredibly creamy and cheesy. 

My 3-year old loves to help me in the kitchen.  There are always little fingers on everything!  She's a great help and learning more and more.  

See?  Incredibly cheesy and creamy.  The mozzarella cheese gets bubbly and brown and I love those crusty bits!  

Cheesy Alfredo Baked Penne

1 16-ounce box of penne
1 15-ounce jar of Alfredo sauce
1 8-ounce container of sour cream
1 15-ounce container of ricotta cheese
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large oval or 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Cook penne according to directions on box, drain and return to the pot.  Add all the ingredients, except for the mozzarella, and stir to combine.  Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

(Source:   Adapted from Plain Chicken)

 

Tortellini Bake

This is one of those meals that your family will have no idea it only took like 5 minutes to throw together.  It is delicious and so fast!  I always (always!) have bags of frozen tortellini or ravioli on hand because they cook in minutes and are great for nights when I just don't have the energy or time to do something more extensive for dinner.  

Last night was one of those nights...

But I made a little more effort this time and mixed 2 different types of sauce, tossed it all together with the tortellini, topped with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and voila!  There, that's the recipe, really.

Just kidding, I have the specifics below, although I feel like I can hardly call it a recipe! 

Serves 4-6 

Tortellini Bake

1 bag of frozen cheese filled tortellini (19 or 20 oz)

1 jar of alfredo sauce (15 oz)

1/2 jar of marinara sauce 

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the tortellini according to package directions.  In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and in a medium bowl, mix the 2 sauces together.  Drain the tortellini and toss the pasta together with the sauce mixture.  Pour everything into a baking dish (Mine was oval but something like an 8x8 or 9x9 will do).  Top with mozzarella cheese, followed by Parmesan cheese.  Bake for about 15 minutes until it's all heated through again and the cheese has melted.  Turn your broiler on for the last 5 minutes if you want to get your cheese crispy in some places (that's what I did).

Parmesan Chicken

This is one of my absolute favorite go-to weeknight meals.  So easy and so good!  A must to serve with mashed potatoes so you can soak up all the yummy sauce.  It takes about 5 minutes to prepare, then let the oven do the rest of the work.  I adapted this recipe from my husband's grandma - Nan-Nan as my kids call her.  :)  When she first made it for us, I said "Oh, I love chicken Parmesan!"...she was very quick to correct me that it's Parmesan chicken, not chicken Parmesan.  I will forever think of that when I make this...which is often.  This is sure to become a staple in your house as well.  

 Serves 2-3

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place the chicken breasts in a baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.  Stir well and evenly top each chicken breast with the mixture.  Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the bread crumbs over each piece.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

One of my favorite things is rifling through my cookbooks and seeing pages crumbled or stains from various spills.  Silly, but seeing the years of use and wear makes me happy.  One of my absolute favorite cookbooks is Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home, and surprisingly, it still has the dust jacket on it.  But it's pretty crumbled, from years and years of love and use.  I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to try to cook my way through Ina's cookbooks and this is another one of those tries.  I substituted some things and omitted others, but this is my version of her sandwich and I must say it turned out excellent!

My absolute favorite way to cook chicken is to roast it (thanks to Ina!)...it is moist and flavorful and perfect for a sandwich like this or it makes a fantastic chicken salad.  If you have not tried it this way, you must!  Hope you all enjoy this sandwich as much as my family did! 

My rumpled cookbook...and a few of my other favorites! 

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 pound of bacon

Caesar dressing 

3 ciabatta rolls

A few Romaine leaves

2-3 ounces of Parmesan cheese, shaved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan, rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.  Cool slightly and slice meat thickly.  Set aside.  

Meanwhile, place the bacon in skillet and cook until crisp.  Set aside to drain on paper towels.  

Slice the ciabatta rolls in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom.  Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up for 5-7 minutes; cool slightly.  Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing.  Place a Romaine leaf on the bottom piece of bread, then layer in order:  bacon, shaved Parmesan, sliced chicken.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another Romaine leaf.  Repeat with the other 2 rolls.  Serve at room temperature.  

(Source:  Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Incredibly Light and Quick Pasta Sauce with Garlic Bread

Looking for a super fast, super simple pasta dish for dinner tonight?  Well, look no further.  It's tasty, it's light and will be done in no time at all.  And I know there is cheese and half and half, so it doesn't sound light, but it is...believe me.  Not heavy like a typical cream sauce.  Try it with any type of pasta you like, but be sure to serve this garlic bread with it - which is just as fast and just about the perfect compliment to this dish!  

And sorry there are no measurements for the ingredients for the bread...I just do everything to taste, so if you prefer less salt, use a lighter sprinkle of the garlic salt or even just use garlic powder.  I use a LOT of salt in my dishes so my measurements might be a bit salty for other people's taste! 

  

Serves 6-8

Incredibly Light and Quick Pasta Sauce with Garlic Bread

1 pound of rotini (or the pasta of your choice)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

20 leaves fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the garlic bread 

1 loaf of french bread

softened butter or spreadable butter

garlic salt

paprika

grated Parmesan cheese 

In a large stockpot, bring water to boil to cook pasta.  Follow the directions for pasta to be al dente.  While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic in a deep saucepan over medium heat.  When the garlic becomes fragrant (2-3 minutes) add tomatoes and heat through.  Stir in basil leaves until they wilt.  Add the cream to your sauce and stir until it becomes a shade or two lighter.  Drain pasta and toss with sauce.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread (recipe follows)

To make the garlic bread:  preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice loaf of french bread in half lengthwise.  On the cut side of both slices, spread a thin layer of butter.  Generously sprinkle with garlic salt (depending on your taste), and lightly top with paprika and Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the bread toasts and becomes golden brown along the edges.  

Fig Preserves and Parmesan Crostini

I can hardly call this a recipe because it's quite possibly one of the easiest appetizers I ever put together.  And definitely one of the tastiest!  And I used the word crostini, although I didn't toast these (crostini is Italian for "little toasts").  That is a whole other variation that you can do with these - lightly brush each slice of your baguette with olive oil (about a tablespoon total) and sprinkle with salt.  Toast in your oven for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees and let cool.  One other thing - add one more layer of flavor by rubbing your toast with a garlic clove when they come out of the oven...I could go on and on...but for now, here's what I did!  

Serves 8-10

1 baguette, cut into 1/2 slices (about 20 pieces)

1/4-1/3 cup fig preserves

Parmesan cheese shards, cut from a block of cheese

Lay the slices of baquette on a serving plate and top each with about 1/2 teaspoon of fig preserves.  Using the tip of your knife, gently break off pieces of the Parmesan cheese block until you have about 20 shards (enough to top all of your bread slices - although you'll probably need more if you're family is like mine and keeps stealing bits of cheese!).  

Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

So this was a fun day when I made this (there's just a little bit of sarcasm in that because truly, it was a really fun day, with a couple of hiccups).  My mom was visiting from Pennsylvania - Gigi, as we can her.  We went to the beach for a couple of hours and thinking that my 2 year old and 6 month old would take naps when we returned home, we decided that we were going to meet my husband for dinner in downtown Savannah.  It was Gigi's last night visiting after all, we wanted to do something fun!  Needless to say, nothing really turned out as planned.  My daughter, the 2 year old, decided "no map!!" (no nap) and was a crank pot for the rest of the evening.  I think she cried/whined for a good hour and a half, during which we had a full blown tantrum resulting in me locking her and myself in her bedroom to try to get her settled.  So pleasant...and dinner out was now out of the question. 

But, what to eat??  We decided pasta would be quick and easy.  I also had some asparagus that I needed to use.  This was sort of my take on a primavera, which is what I googled to come up with this recipe.  Funny because this is adapted from the Pioneer Woman and my mom and I had been talking about how much we enjoy her and her show.  I'll tell you what, this was done pretty fast, really in the time it took to cook the pasta, but I'm sure glad that Gigi was there to help with the kiddos while I made this (Jules eventually calmed down and was back to her pleasant self by the time daddy came home - of course, right?).  

This pasta dish is creamy and the asparagus had just the right snap to it.  You know me, I threw in a little spice while cooking the chicken so that made it all the more flavorful.  Definitely a hit for sort of coming up with on the fly...I will absolutely make again, maybe with broccoli or peas, and definitely with asparagus when I have it.

Serves 4

Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

1 pound penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

1/2 tablespoon spicy Montreal grill seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

2 tsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne according to directions.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add cubed chicken and season with grill seasoning.  Saute until cooked throughout and transfer to a plate, set aside.  Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter to the same skillet and cook the garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add the asparagus and saute for another 1-2 minutes (they should still be bright green and have a bite to them, not be soggy).  Remove and transfer to same plate with chicken.

In the same skillet, deglaze the plan with the white wine and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken broth and 1 tablespoon butter, continue cooking for another couple of minutes until the sauce starts to thicken a little.  Add the heavy cream and half and half, stir to combine.  Add the Parmesan cheese, then the chicken and asparagus.  Pour entire sauce mixture over pasta and serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.  

(Source:  Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera)

Penne with Blackened Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Sauce

There's this recipe that I found for Cajun Chicken Alfredo (from Guy Fieri) that I absolutely love and make a lot in my house.  I am now addicted to blackened chicken and the fun thing for me is that I get to break out my cast iron skillet!  I also stumbled across another recipe for a Tomato Basil Cream sauce on Pinterest and I thought - well, what if I sort of combined the two together?  It was genius, I must say.  What a great tasting dish!!  At the end, when you combine the chicken and that blackening spice gets all throughout the pasta, it is heavenly.  Salty and spicy and delicious!  Both dishes that I took inspiration from contain a lot of the same ingredients...sun dried tomatoes, white wine...but with my dish, I get to use sauce from a jar and it makes it super, super simple without losing any of the flavor.  

A tip - watch out for that blackening seasoning!  Make sure you have some sort of ventilation throughout your house (open window, ceiling fan, oven fan) because it always makes the air in my house smoky and spicy and we all end up coughing and sneezing.  :)

If you are using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to blacken your chicken, you can omit the oil.  If not, just be sure to use a heavy-bottomed skillet and follow the instructions below.  Pound out the chicken breast so they are pretty thin and it will really help to blacken without over cooking.  I actually just took one really big chicken breast and sliced it through the middle so I had two thin pieces.  Also, serve with good bread...you don't want to waste a drop of this sauce!   

    

Serves 4

1/2 pound dried Penne

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded thin

1/2 cup blackening seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 15 oz jar of Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce (Classico is the only brand that I found that makes this)

1/4 cup white wine

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Penne according to directions.  Meanwhile, heat skillet or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Dredge chicken in blackening seasoning and blacken both sides of chicken, cooking all the way through.  Slice strips on the bias and set aside.  

While the chicken is cooking, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan.  Pour wine into sauce jar, replace cap and shake well.  Add wine mixture into saucepan.  Add tomatoes and basil and cook until heated through.  

Toss with pasta and add the Parmesan cheese.  Top with blackened chicken and serve as is or stir chicken throughout (I recommend doing it this way!).  

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar

It's not quite Summer yet - it's only been officially Spring for 10 days - but in Savannah, we've already been to the beach a couple times and it sure feels like Summer to me!  Fresh asparagus makes me think of the warmer months and this just went great with chicken we made on the grill the other night.  Easy and healthy and I guarantee that your entire family will love this recipe.  Kiddos and all!  

Serves 2-3

1 pound of asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Snap off the woody end of a piece of asparagus and use that as a guide to cut the ends of the rest of the bunch.  Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Use your hands to make sure they are all covered.  

Roast for 12-15 minutes, until tender.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.