Martha Stewart: Chicken Parmigiana & Baked Ziti

Alternatively, this post could also be called "Cheese Overload" or "How To Gain Ten Pounds in One Sitting."

I don't think I've mentioned this here before, but my Mom's been suffering from severe depression and panic attacks the past few months which is why I've been doing the cooking (she's on complete rest)... and connected to that, she's been losing a worrisome amount of weight due to lack of appetite, so I'm always on the lookout for weighty yet tempting recipes. I had a chemistry lab midterm today so my meal planning was minimal, but shortly after dumping my books in my room I found what is probably the grand pooh-bah of fattening meals: homemade tomato sauce and Chicken Parmigiana. In my mind, the picture with the recipe looks kind of gross, but the real thing was all golden brown crumbs, tender white chicken, and cheese ad infinitum nestled in a bed of bubbling basil-laced sauce. The sauce doesn't originally call for basil, but I'm a wild and crazy gal and so I add it to everything. This recipe was definitely 4 stars. Go for it!

Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Martha Stewart.com
Makes 6 cups

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cans (28 oz each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp thyme or Italian seasoning (I used 1/4 tsp each)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed basil - if you have fresh, I'm sure that would be even better

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes with their juice and the thyme (and/or other spices); simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened (20-25 minutes). Sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Chicken Parmigiana
Adapted from Martha Stewart.com
Serves 4-6

• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally, or 6 to 8 chicken cutlets
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups jarred tomato sauce or Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella  cheese (or a big bag of shredded mozzarella, which is what I happened to have on hand)

Heat broiler. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in beaten egg, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat both sides.
Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10-by-15 inch baking dish. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place 3 or 4 chicken pieces in skillet; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes each side. Transfer cooked cutlets to baking dish, resting them on the bed of tomato sauce. Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets. Top each cutlet with mozzarella and broil until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly brown in spots (this only takes a few minutes - constant vigilance!). Serve immediately.

I had so much sauce left that I decided to make a side of baked ziti to go along with it (I just used the ziti portion of the recipe in the link). I could try to explain the way the tomatoes eased into the creamy ricotta, the mess of hot mozzarella, but you'd really have to just try it.

Baked Ziti
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Serves 4

• 7-8 ounces ziti
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 jar (24-26 oz) tomato sauce.. or 2-3 cups Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce.

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees. Cook the pasta according to directions on package. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.

In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

If you want to go the whole 9 yards, I recommend making the sauce first, then starting the ziti, and while it's in the oven, prepare the chicken. When you take out the ziti, pop the chicken in to broil, and everything can be on the table within 5 minutes. Feel free to rub your hands together gleefully and maybe even throw in an evil little chuckle at this point to enjoy the moment (I find this makes cooking even more satisfying). Or.. watch this video.