Category: Pasta

Spaghetti Carbonara

Pasta

I am vowing to try to stick with my weekly meal plan as much as I possibly can. I decided to bring it back to the blog after a VERY long hiatus. I have been falling in to the same meals every week, so I wanted to look in to new recipes or old loves that we have not had in a while. Tonight I kick my weekly mean plan off with a family fan favorite…Spaghetti Carbonara. I think the last time I made this, I added chicken. The hubby seemed a little disappointed that there was no chicken, but the girls and I were happy with just the bacon. Maybe next time I can do a side of chicken for him, but also add more bacon for the rest of us 😉

Ingredients

8 slices of thick cut bacon, cut in to half inch pieces 3 tablespoons of olive oil 4 cloves of crushed garlic 1 pound spaghetti 3 large eggs 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for topping A few springs of parsley, chopped Freshly ground pepper to taste – I used white pepper, because my girls still wary of black pepper. I am happy that they will happily eat parsley.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 cup of water in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps up, about 10 minutes. Discard the garlic and put the bacon on a plate with paper towels.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, cheese, and pepper until combined. Once the spaghetti is done, reserve a mug of the pasta water. Then drain the pasta.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pasta and toss with oil and bacon (reserve some bacon for topping the pasta at the end) for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk 1/4 of that pasta water to the egg mixture, then quickly pour over the pasta and toss to gently cook the eggs to make a creamy sauce. Top with the remaining bacon and extra cheese.

ENJOY!

Friday Night Alfredo

Pasta

Looks like a decadent meal I spent a long time on, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! All it took was a shredded rotisserie chicken from the store, a box of pasta, frozen broccoli, and 2 jars of Alfredo sauce. Why do they make the Alfredo sauce in such smaller jars than marinara?

While the pasta was cooking, I warmed up the shredded chicken and frozen broccoli florets in the Alfredo sauce. When the pasta was finished, I mixed them all together. Oh, and who can forget frozen garlic toast?

One Pot Lasagna

Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal, Pasta

Hey there guys! I posted this recipe a while back, but I always make changes to it each time. This was the easiest one yet. Not only is it easy, it is such a huge time saver to cook lasagna, one of our families favorites. Since school is starting back soon, I thought I would get back to sharing more recipes to help out busy families like mine. This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge so that if everyone is eating at different times for different reasons (cheer and clubs, I am looking at you), they can scoop out some and zap it in the microwave. Here is how I made it this time…

Preheat oven to 375. I browned some Italian ground sausage (use ground beef or go meatless) with about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning and a little bit of garlic powder and onion powder. I mixed one jar of spaghetti sauce, 1 can tomato sauce, and one can of diced tomatoes. I broke up a package of par baked lasagna noodles and mixed them in to the sauce, plus a can of water to make sure the noodles were all covered.
My husband does not like ricotta, but if I had my way, I would add in a couple dollops of ricotta as well as top with my heavy hand of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Everyone scooped out their serving, topped with more Parm, and enjoyed a nice big slice of garlic toast (white bread with a butter and garlic powder baked in the oven for about 8 minutes). Enough leftovers so I don’t have to cook one night soon 😉

Squash, Beet, and Baby Kale Pasta

Pasta, Vegetarian

I made this gorgeous pasta last week when I found some pretty beets (red and yellow), yellow squash, and baby kale at the farmers market.

First I sautéed thinly sliced beets and squash in a bit of olive oil with some salt and pepper until tender, about 6 minutes.
Then I added the baby kale and let that wilt down while I cooked 1/2 pound of penne pasta in salted boiling water (about 8 minutes).
Once the pasta was finished I mixed it up with the squash, beets, and baby kale. I added some more olive oil and a ton of Parmesan cheese. So healthy and light. A perfect summer meal!

I’m Just a Simple Girl…

Pantry Raid, Pasta, Vegetarian

There are a lot of foods I love more than anything… pizza, tacos, cheese, an almost rare steak, bread with tons of salty butter; but my favorite is PASTA! There is nothing more comforting. I am not too picky about what kind of pasta. I will eat a plain bowl of pasta with just butter and parm; a trait which I have passed down to my girls. Heck, we will eat it plain out of the pot 😉

Anyways, I had some wilting mushrooms and spinach, and I found about half of a pound of spaghetti in the pantry. I sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil while I cooked the pasta. Right at the end of the pasta cooking, I added the spinach to the mushrooms. Once it wilted, I added in the pasta and mixed them all together with a bit of pasta water and more olive oil. I also added about 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/3 cup Parmesaun cheese. Mix well. Add more pasta water, butter, olive oil, Parmesan cheese as needed.

Feel free to add some shrimp, scallops, or grilled chicken for extra protein.