Caprese Pasta

The above dish was inspired by a pin I found on Pinterest. But unfortunately, the original person who pinned the picture didn't make sure it linked back to the website. For those who are new to Pinterest, always make sure your pin links to a website!

I decided to start with your basic caprese salad ingredients: basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. From there I just did what I normally do for any baked pasta dish, but instead of doing a plain tomato sauce, I added heavy cream to make it even better.

Look at all the cheesy goodness below. Yum.

Caprese Pasta

Source: Tyler's Taste Test Original

1 lb penne pasta, cooked and drained

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan

4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half

4 basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350º. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Heat sauce over low heat in a saucepan. Once warm, add heavy cream and grated parmesan.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and mix. Turn off heat and add mozzarella cubes, tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves. Add the pasta mixture to a baking dish. Top with fresh mozzarella. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbly and golden. Enjoy!

Vodka Cream Pasta

This recipe means another check on my 23 x 23 list. That means I'm 3/20 so far. I think I need to pick up the pace on that list.

Rachel Ray calls this her "You Won't Be Single for Long Pasta." I'm not single but if cooking skills could make a guy fall in love, this recipe would definitely give him a push. The hint of vodka with the cream and tomatoes provides a nice balance of flavors.

Vodka Cream Pasta

Source: Rachel Ray, feat. on Dr. Oz

1 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken stock

32 oz can crushed tomatoes

coarse salt and pepper

16 oz pasta, such as penne rigate

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute the shallots for 3-5 minutes. Add the vodka to the pan. Simmer and reduce the vodka by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken sauce and the tomatoes. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in slated boiling water.

Stir the cream into the sauce. When the sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and basil leaves. Enjoy!

Ragu a la Bolognese

I hope y'all enjoyed all the pumpkin recipes! I had a lot of fun looking for recipes to try and trying out all the ones I picked. I'm still enjoying some pumpkin snickerdoodles with my pumpkin spice latte!

There isn't a trace of pumpkin in this recipe but it sure was good. It does take awhile to make so I suggest picking a day where you have lots of time to prepare dinner. It also makes quite a lot of spaghetti sauce so you may want to think about freezing half and saving it for later.

Ragu a la Bolognese

Source: Christine's Kitchen Chronicles

1 lb ground beef

1 pound italian sausage

7 oz bacon or pancetta, sliced

1 ;arge onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2.5 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp pepper

3.5 cps beef broth

2.5 tbsp fresh basil chopped

pinch of dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes. Crumble the ground meats into the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, until browned.

Pour in milk and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaves, pepper, and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After sauce has rested for a little while, skim the grease off the top of the sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve over hot pasta. Enjoy!

Recipe Swap: Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

The theme for this recipe swap was "Italian." Considering I'm like 1/8th Sicilian, I was excited. I love love love Italian food, more than Snooki from Jersey Shore loves to tan, and that girl LOVES to tan.

Anyways, I can always use some more pasta recipes and this one is a keeper. I received this one from the Jey of Cooking. I knew it would be good since I've made a few of her recipes before and they have all been delicious.

Updated 8/29: Here is the link for the Italian Recipe Swap Roundup.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

Source: The Jey of Cooking

Baked Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup Panko

1/4 cup Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

splash of milk

splash of Worcestershire

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine ingredients and mix by hand. Form into balls and place on a lightly oiled, foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-25 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 jar pasta sauce

1 box rigatoni, cooked al dente

16 oz bag of baby spinach, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 container ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 container baby mozzarella balls, halved

Baked Meatballs (see above recipe)

1 pinch Nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add sauce and cook and additional 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, parsley, ricotta, parmesan, and nutmeg. Add pasta, meatballs, and sauce and mix to combine. Reserve some sauce for serving.

Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until browned, about 5 minutes.

Basil Shrimp Orzo

Ever since making Orzo with Watermelon and Feta for the Recipe Swap, orzo has made quite a few appearances on our grocery list. Usually it's so I can make us a batch of the watermelon/feta dish (it really is a perfect summer lunch) but every now and then I try out a new recipe. Anything with shrimp usually earns me an A from Neil and this one was accompanied by a thumbs up since his mouth was full.

Basil Shrimp Orzo

Recipe Source: Erica's Kitchen Adventures

8 oz orzo

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil

20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

1.5 tbsp tomato paste

Parmesan cheese

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, saute your onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes. After about 3 minutes, add the shrimp in. Next, add the diced tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until mixture is heated through.

Turn off the heat and add the orzo to the skillet. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mix together. Enjoy!

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

I thought I had blogged this one a long time ago but when I found these pictures while cleaning out my iPhoto I realized I hadn't! The first time I made this recipe, I substituted the mini shells with stuffed shells-Neil's a big fan of food he can eat with his hands. This time, since it was just for me, I made it easier on myself by just using the mini shells.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

Recipe Source: Cooking This and That

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1.25 lbs ground beef

28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp salt

3/4 cup pesto

1 pound pasta shells

2 cups shredded mozzarella

6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400º. Coat a 15 x 10 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain if needed.Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in pesto.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with sauce. Put half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta mixture and cheese.

Bake until bubbling and slightly brown on top, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Weeknight Bolognese

I can never have enough pasta recipes. There are so many variations of each type of pasta dish and I love trying them all out. This bolognese comes from Annie's blog and was a nice switch from our usual bolognese. The wine taste is very prominent so make sure you pick one you like!

Weeknight Bolognese

Source: Annie's Eats

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground sirloin, or turkey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.25 cups dry red wine, divided

1 28 0z can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp kosher salt

1.5 tsp ground black pepper

1 lb dried pasta, such as shells

pinch of ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground meat into the pan. Cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce, Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked and trained, top with the sauce and add grated Parmesan, if desired.

The first time we had guests over for dinner was a few weeks after we had gotten married and moved into our apartment. Some friends of the hubs from work had helped us so we invited them over to thank them.

I, of course, being Mrs. Newly Married Wifey wanted to impress and also thought making them a home cooked meal was better than taking them out to dinner. So I came up with a menu: toasted ravioli for an appetizer, 3 cheese bread and caesar salad for sides, spaghetti and meatballs for the main course, and angel food cake with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. The ravioli, bread, and spaghetti and meatballs all came from Joelen's Blog.

I obviously overestimated my cooking/timing skills and didn't realize that I had planned two big things that required a lot of work and frying as well as making my own spaghetti sauce and fancying up the bread. I should have just stuck with spaghetti and meatballs, bought some bread and served it with plain butter, and done a pre-maid appetizer. Hindsight would be so much more useful if it was foresight.

Anyways, the meal came together and everyone enjoyed it. The hubs learned a little more about me and how stressed I could (and often do) get and still loved me for it. But I put off making this meal, even though it was delicious, for more than a year! We had this the other night and it was just as delicious and much less stressful since I didn't attempt to overdo it!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 lb 'meatloaf mix' or 1/2 lb each ground beef and ground pork

1-1.5 cups canola oil for frying

1 lb spaghetti, cooked

Your favorite sauce or the one in Joelen's Blog

Place the milk and torn bread in a bowl and mash them together with a fork until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the meat, pasta, and sauce, and mash together to combine. Add the ground meats and kneed the mixture by hand until well combined.

Form the meatballs, using your hands, into 2-inch diameter circles. Place your meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and you can even make them up to a day in advance.

Heat the oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer to fry. Turn them to brown on all sides until fully cooked. Place the browned meatballs onto a paper lined plate to soak up any oil and set aside.

Serve over pasta with sauce and enjoy!

Recipe Swap: Orzo Salad with Watermelon and Feta

The theme for this recipe swap was Memorial Day. There were lots of cookout and summer inspired recipes (you can check out the roundup of everyone's recipes here). When I think Memorial Day, I think cookouts by the pool and laying out on the beach. It's the first "official" day of summer for me and I love to celebrate by lighting up the grill and cooking out!

This year's Memorial Day was not spent in my favorite way. Instead I had a four hour flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles and then a two hour battle in traffic from Los Angeles to our home in San Diego. By the time we got home, cooking out was the last thing on my mind. So instead of cooking out by the beach with friends, we pulled on sweats and had some takeout. It was good enough for me.

Later on that week, we decided to grill out so I could make this recipe and enjoy it with some real summer food-hamburgers. I received this recipe from Jey, of the Jey of Cooking. We loved it! I'm a sucker for anything with cheese and the watermelon and basil added the perfect flavors! She tried out one of our favorite Bobby Flay recipes for Grilled Corn with Garlic Butter, Lime, and Parmesan (check it out here)!

1 cup uncooked orzo

2 cups watermelon, seeded and diced

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced thin

salt and pepper, to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water and allow to cool. Toss with remaining ingredients and serve. Enjoy!

Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna is one of my go to meals for company. I use my mom's recipe and everyone loves it. But when it's just Neil and I for dinner the pan of lasagna is way too big for us. We would be eating lasagna for at least half of week and as much as I love it, too much lasagna can be a bad thing.

So, we make lasagna rolls! Portion control is so much easier when you can make only 1 or 2 rolls for yourself. These are meatless but you can always add ground chicken or beef to add a little more oomph to it. Recipe is from Stephanie Cooks!

5 lasagna noodles, cooked

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

1 egg white

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1.5 cups tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lay the lasagna noodles flat on a cutting board. In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg white, baby spinach, Italian seasoning, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir well.

Spoon an even amount of filling over each noodle. Add a tablespoon of sauce to each noodle and spread the sauce/cheese mixture along the noodle. Starting at one end, roll the noodle tightly. Place in a baking dish covered in sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Rachel Ray's Cheeseburger Chili Mac and Cheese

I'm not a huge tv person but whenever I need something in the background while I'm cleaning or doing homework I usually turn on the Food channel. It makes very good background noise and I know as long as I catch the last 5 minutes I won't have missed any huge plot twists. Rachel Ray is one of my favorite cooks to watch. I found this recipe while searching for a dessert I had seen on one of her shows (don't ask how I got from dessert to cheeseburger chili mac and cheese). The combination sounded like a interesting one and I had to out it on our weekly meal list.

This was delicious. You could taste the separate chili and cheeseburger tastes and they went great together. Recipe is from Rachel Ray.

2 tbsp EVOO

1.5 pounds ground sirloin

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp chili powder

salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup ketchu

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1-2 cups beef stock (use more if you want it more liquidy)

pound elbow macaroni

1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler and bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Place a pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground sirloin and cook until brown, about 6 minutes. Add the onion and chili powder to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is tender, 5 minutes. Add the ketchup, mustard, tomato sauce, and beef stock to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 5 mintues.

While the chili is simmering, add the pasta to your salted boiling water. Cook to al dente, drain, and return to pot. Add the chili to the pasta pot and mix well.

Transfer everything to a casserole dish and top with the shredded cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler to melt the cheese. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Like I mentioned yesterday, my V-Day will be spent in class and then with some delicious Outback Steakhouse take out and 2 hours of quality time (hopefully) with my husband before he passes out.

This is actually a recipe we had a few weeks ago but since today isn't a crock pot meal I pulled this one out of the archives. It was my first time making spaghetti in the crock pot where I didn't cook the noodles first. I was worried it would be crunchy and not fully cooked, and part of it was. I made the mistake of not spreading the sauce to the edges and covering the noodles and while the center portions of the casserole were delicious and perfectly cooked, the outsides that weren't covered with sauce were still a tad bit crunchy. As long as you don't make the mistake of throwing it together quickly and not using your brain, like me :0, you should be just fine! Recipe from Reservations Not Required.

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 26 oz jar of pasta sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

12 oz can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp pepper

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces

3 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (the recipe recommends sharp but I used a mild cheese and it was fine)

grated parmesan cheese

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet, until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain meet and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into the beef mixture.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and pepper.

Spoon one-third of the meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cook. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese over white sauce. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese (make sure all sides of the spaghetti are covered). Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

With that I'll leave you with this quote and a non-smiling picture of Lucy who really does love her heart bandana.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

Chicken Parmesan

My husband loves this classic dish, absolutely loves it. It's so easy and I think everyone should know how to make it. The ingredients are all things you would normally have in your pantry and it produces a delicious result. No real source for this recipe the measurements can change depending on how many chicken breasts you use.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp water

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

tomato sauce

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

linguini or pasta of your choice cooked

parsley, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut the chicken breast in half from right to left. Slice down the middle to cut into two pieces. Pound with a meat tenderizer to flatten.

Prepare your 3 dipping bowls. Mix 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper in one bowl. Combine the 2 eggs with 1 tbsp of water in the second bowl. Mix the last bowl with 1 cup of bread crumbs and 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

Take one of the pieces of chicken and dip into the flour until covered. Dip both sides of the chicken into the egg mixture. Cover the chicken with the bread crumb mixture to finish. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken. Heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in a saute pan. Place the chicken in the pan and saute until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a plate covered with a paper towel Continue sauteing the chicken placing a paper towel in between each piece until finished.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in a 9x13 pan. Place the chicken in a single layer along the bottom of the pan. Spread about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of tomato sauce on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece with mozzarella cheese and a little parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over pasta. Enjoy!

Giada's Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I love cheese. Pretty much any kind will do but I'm especially in love with parmesan. Neil will occasionally bring me home a block of parmesan as a surprise gift to be romantic. He's kind of cheesy like that :) Bad puns aside, any recipe with the word "cheesy" in it is like a flag waving me down. When I saw this recipe on Melissa's blog, I bookmarked it and put it on our weekly menu the first chance I got. I love watching the food network and everything Giada makes look's delicious. This recipe did not disappoint.

I wasn't quite sure how the smoked mozzarella would work out but it was perfect. It was a tad bit smoky but the flavors of the mascarpone and parmesan cheese blended well with it. If you're not a fan of smoky, I would substitute regular mozzarella. Mascarpone is kind of expensive so substituting ricotta is a possibility I recommend splurging for the mascarpone!

olive oil

2 cups marinara sauce

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tsps chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 pound cheese tortellini

2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly oil an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Mix the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on the top melt, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Southwest Spaghetti Pie

I have a document saved on my computer of all the recipes I want to try. It's going on 3 pages long and I keep adding to it whenever I check my favorite blogs! I found this recipe on The Teacher Cooks and what caught my eye about it was the fact that it can be prepped ahead of time as well as the fact that it makes a ton! With my schedule this semester, it feels like I'm rushed to get dinner on the table most nights. It's nice to have everything prepared the night or day before and be able to toss it all together, cook, and serve! I also love leftovers because it saves us money on lunch the next day. Be prepared, this recipe makes a lot!

8 ounces thin spaghetti

1/3 cup of milk

1 egg

1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese with jalapeno

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 425º. Put water on to boil and cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Brown meat with onion, pepper, and garlic. Drain if necessary. Add seasonings and stir in tomato sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes while the pasta is cooking.

Butter a 9 x 13 pyrex dish. Mix well egg and milk in a small bowl. Temper the eggs and milk with some of the warm pasta until the milk and eggs are warm (Do this to avoid scrambling the eggs in hot pasta). In large bowl, pour cooked pasta and mix with milk and eggs. Pour the pasta mixture into buttered pyrex dish. Top with the sauce and add shredded cheeses. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let standd for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Sausage Penne

I made this recipe awhile back before I started blogging. It was delicious but it somehow got lost in my binder of recipes. I found it again while browsing this blog and remembered how delicious it was. While I'm not usually a fan of cream cheese in cooked meals, this tastes delicious as long as it is mixed in!

Enjoy!

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce

16 oz uncooked penne pasta

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sourcream

4 green onions, sliced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and onions.

In a greased shallow 3-qt baking dish, layer half the pasta and sausage mixture. Dollop with half of the cream cheese mixture and then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

Baked, uncovered, at 350º for 30-35 minutes.

Pizza Pasta

This recipe from Lemons and Love was a nice twist to our usual spaghetti meal. I tweaked it just a tiny bit from the original recipe and you can add any other pizza topping you can think of!

16 oz pasta, cooked and drained (we used angel hair but I think rotini would work better)

2 jars of spaghetti sauce (I used about 1 and 3/4)

1. 25 lbs of ground turkey (we used lean ground beef)

2 cups chopped pepperoni

2 cups Italian mix shredded cheese, divided

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Season ground beef/turkey with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Cook until browned, draining fat if necessary. Add in spaghetti sauce and pepperoni. Simmer.

In a 9x13 baking dish, layer half of the pasta mixture. Top with 1.25 cups Italian mix shredded cheese. Layer the rest of the pasta mixture on top and finish with 3/4 cup Italian mix shredded cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

I added the pepperoni to the ground beef while it was cooking to make it crispy. We also added onions to ours.

Lemon Spaghetti

This was a delicious, refreshing, light, pasta recipe. We had nothing planned for dinner tonight and I did not want to give in to the frozen pizza sitting in the freezer waiting for nights like this. So I searched through our pantry and came up with this recipe. The lemon sauce was a nice break from our usual heavy meat sauces and the basil complemented it perfectly!

1 lb spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (the hubby thought it needed more but I thought it was enough)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Meanwhile, mix the oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan in a bowl to blend. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped basil.

Dinner Fail & a Delicious Recipe

I'm sure that the recipe below, when prepared correctly, is delicious. Even when prepared incorrectly it was still tasty just packed a very big punch. My mistake was misreading tsp as tbsp. Normally this wouldn't make too big of a difference but when dealing with crushed red pepper it was a big mistake. Arrabiata sauce, called angry sauce, is a classic tomato sauce with a heat fueled by crushed red peppers. Instead of adding a little kick, my mistake had our sauce packing a whomping punch. It was still edible but had my nose running because of the heat. Stick with the tsp recommendation and this will be delicious!

This recipe is from Confections of a Foodie Bride, at www.jasonandshawda.com

Fiery Arrabiata Pasta Sauce

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp rosemary, dried

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed redpeper flakes

28 oz can of tomatoes

parsley to garnish (optional)

Parmesan to garnish (optional)

cooked pasta

Add the onion, garlic, EVOO and butter to a heated sauce pan and saute until the onions are clear. Add rosemary, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan. Enjoy!

Chicken Cheese Lasagna

My Taste of Home cookbook is probably the best cookbook I own. I received it as a birthday present from my mother-in-law and it has yet to disappoint. This recipe was no different. It was a nice change from our normal lasagna and the cream sauce was perfect! If you are having company over this is a perfect dish to serve!

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove,minced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups milk

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp each dried basil oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 tbsp minced parsley

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drain

2 packages, 10 oz each, frozen spinach thawed and well drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter til tender. Stir in flour and salt; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, basil oregano and pepper; set aside. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, parsley and remaining mozzarella; set aside. Spread a quarter of the cheese sauce into a greased 13x9x2 in baking dish; cover with 3 noodles.

Top with half of the ricotta mixture, half of the spinach and half of the chicken. Cover with a quarter of cheese sauce and three noodles. Repeat layers of ricotta mixture, spinach, chicken and cheese sauce. Cover with remaining noodles and cheese sauce. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over all. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cooking. Yields 12 servings.