Panna Cotta {Egg-free, Gluten-free}

We had an egg-free, gluten-free Christmas.  For our Christmas day dinner, I wanted to make something for dessert that everyone could eat.  I also wanted something fairly easy to prepare during our busy Christmas festivities.  So, I made my go to Panna Cotta recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.  I love this recipe.  It is simple and delicious!  I am pretty sure they wouldn't appreciate me reprinting it here.  So, I found a couple of recipes online that are similar at epicurious.com and allrecipes.com.  But if you have a Joy of Cooking cookbook, be sure to look it up there!

Panna Cotta with fresh berries - Recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook

Similar recipes can be found online at epicurious.com and allrecipes.com.

Need cooked chicken for a recipe?

Do you need cooked chicken for a recipe in time for dinner?  I did when I made Pesto Pasta with Roasted Veggies (EF, DF, GF).  This worked great!  It really speed up my dinner cook time.

If you like this recipe, you may also want to try Shredded Chicken {slow-cooker} (EF, DF, GF).
  

 

Easy Cooked Chicken

1 – 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ c Italian Dressing

Put one package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your slow-cooker.  Pour your favorite Italian dressing over the chicken.  I used about 1/2 cup.  Cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for about 3 hours.  I even cooked mine from frozen.  I started cooking them on high for a few hours then switched to low.

Chicken Fettuccine Primavera

This is a delicious meal that includes chicken, pasta and veggies.  So, there isn't any need for any other side dishes.  Our family loves this recipe.  Enjoy! 

I pre-steam the carrots and sugar snap peas to make sure they get cooked.  If you just sauté them they will not soften enough without overcooking the other ingredients.

Chicken Fettuccine Primavera

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced and quartered

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound uncooked chicken, cubed

½ t basil

½ t seasoned salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

3 large carrots, sliced

8 oz fresh sugar snap peas

1 lb fettuccine¹

½ c grated Parmesan cheese
½ c creamy Italian dressing²

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet, cooking onion and mushrooms until start to soften.  Add garlic and chicken, sauté until onion is translucent and chicken is no longer pink.  Sprinkle chicken and onion mixture with basil, salt and pepper.  Meanwhile, steam carrots and sugar snap peas to desired tenderness.  Add pasta, carrots, peas, Parmesan cheese and dressing to the chicken mixture.  Stir until just combined and heated through.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 4-6


¹This dish can easily be made gluten-free.  Just replace the pasta with your favorite gluten-free variety.

²I used Wish-Bone brand Creamy Italian as it was egg-free and gluten-free.  I am not trying to promote this brand, it was just the only one that would work at my grocery store.  Be sure to check your dressing carefully.  You can also use a creamy Caesar, if you can find one that is egg-free and/or gluten-free.

3-Cheese Lasagna {Egg-free}

My family loves lasagna, especially my husband.  Lasagna recipes pretty much always have egg in it.  This egg-free version includes a lot of the common ingredients without the egg.  What I think helps hold it together is mixing the three different cheeses together and baking it uncovered.  I also think using the part-skim ricotta and part-skim mozzarella cheeses help.  When you omit the egg, you do not want any extra moisture.  If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy Easy Cheesy Manicotti or Baked Spaghetti.

 

 
3-Cheese Lasagna {Egg-free}

½ lb lasagna pasta (gluten-free can be used)

1 lb ground beef

24 oz pasta sauce

15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese

2 c finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, separated

½ c grated Parmesan cheese

1 T dried parsley flakes

½ t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350^o.  Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box.  While pasta is cooking, brown beef in a skillet.  Once browned, add the pasta sauce and let simmer on low.  In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper.  Set the cheese mixture aside.  Once pasta is cooked, rinse in cool water to stop the pasta from cooking and to help with handling.  

In the baking dish layer as follows:  two large spoonfuls of sauce, three lasagna noodles, half of the cheese mixture, one-third of the remaining sauce, three lasagna noodles, the other half of the cheese mixture, half of the remaining sauce, three lasagna noodles, the last of the sauce and the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella.  Bake UNCOVERED at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.