So maybe you’re an amazing gardener and your kitchen is bursting with fresh fabulous tomatoes.
Or…maybe your tomato plants look as pitiful as mine and you’re just craving all those yummy summer tomatoes so you buy waaaaay too many at the Farmer’s Market.
Etiher way, it’s time to find something to do with all of those little bits of ruby heaven.
I found myself in this exact predicament and did some serious web-research for the perfect summer tomato recipe. I had a few criteria though:
- I want a one-dish casserole. Doing dishes in the summer really stinks.
- It needs to be something in which the tomatoes are in large enough pieces that a certain tomato-hating daughter of mine can pick them out as needed (such a tragic waste!).
- The more summery ingredients the better…and if it tastes like bruschetta then MAJOR BONUS!
I found several recipes and did some mixing and matching and came up with one that my whole family LOVED…even the in-law and the tomato-hating-daughter! The main base recipe was from an AWESOME website called: The Girl Who Ate Everything. You should check it out by clicking on the blue lettered link….she has some really good recipes!
I boiled and cut the chicken the night before as well as cutting up the tomatoes. It was a good excuse to watch Duck Dynasty. Also, I used store-bought pesto I found at Target.
If you are cool like my friend Amy, feel free to whip some up from scratch the way she does. Then please bring some over here.
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 pints grape tomatoes (Seriously!)
5 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1.5 c basil pesto
1 c shredded mozzarella
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
12 oz pasta (something small like macaroni or little shells)
3 Tbsp butter–melted
1.5 c Italian bread crumbs
- Boil chicken with the other half of the red onion. Cool and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut tomatoes into quarters and put in a bowl with the vinegar, garlic and chopped onion. Let it sit a while…I left mine overnight!
- Cook the pasta and lay on bottom of 9X13 casserole dish
- Mix the chicken, parmesan and pesto and spread on top of the pasta
- Drain the tomato mixture (reserving 2 Tbsp juice) and spread it over the chicken
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on that
- Mix butter, bread crumbs and reserved juice together and sprinkle over cheese
- Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes
If you make this, i’d love to hear what you think and your suggestions!
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