Monday, October 29, 2018
Ingredients
- Sauce {substitute 1 jar (24 ounce) premade sauce to save time}:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-ish yellow onion, diced
- ½ bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 + ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, crushed between fingertips
- coarse salt and fresh black pepper
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- Chicken:
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ⅓ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 6 chicken cutlets
- 1 + ⅓ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 - 4 ounces sliced pepperoni
- 12 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook until tender about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Mix in the crushed tomatoes, about 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add about ¼ cup water to the empty tomato can and slosh it around to mix with any remaining sauce and add it to the pan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook 25 - 30 minutes, stirring often. Taste halfway through and again at the end and season as needed.
Meanwhile, make the chicken:
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large roasting pan or baking sheet with sides large enough to comfortably fit all the chicken.
- In a wide, shallow dish mix the Parmesan and bread crumbs together. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken one at a time with the crumbs patting them on with your hands - the chicken will be thinly covered - some of the chicken will show through - that's ok. Place them on the baking sheet at least an inch apart.
- Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling water according to package directions to al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water before draining.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and top with the pepperoni - dividing it up evenly between the chicken, then do the same with the mozzarella, piling it on top. Put them back in the oven about 5 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Chicken should measure internal temperature of 165 - 175 degrees F. If you want the cheese to be golden you can place them briefly under the broiler.
- Mix the sauce into the spaghetti over low heat, mixing in a little of the reserved starchy water from cooking the spaghetti. Serve with the chicken and extra Parmesan for garnish.
- *To make this without the spaghetti bake it in a large casserole dish. Pour the sauce into the bottom and place the chicken on top. You will need to cook it longer - anywhere from 10 - 20 minutes.