Pasta – Page 10 – Fun Foodie Family

Baked Shells with Sausage and Ricotta

Happy Friday everyone! We made it! My parents came over for dinner, and I made this yummy meal. Tonight we are just relaxing and catching up on our TV shows! I am researching Sloppy Joe recipes…the girls have been asking me to make some, so I am looking to switch it up! I’m planning on making them tommorrow night, so I will let you know how they turn out! Yea for the weekend!!!!

Baked Shells with Sausage and Ricotta

Ingredients

1 package of jumbo pasta shells
1 lb Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small container ricotta
salt and pepper
1 package mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

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

In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in can of diced tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta cheese, salt and pepper.

Spread a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce mixture over bottom of a casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the meat and cheese mixture and place in pan. Pour the jar of sauce over shells and top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes then place under broiler until cheese is browned.

Chicken Carbonara

Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pasta

Evening guys! Catching up on the blog this week. My girls have discovered Netflix and You Tube, so they have been dominating my computer. It really sucks to blog on my phone! Last night I made this yummy pasta. Looking at adding the leftover pasta to my pork dish tomorrow night!

Chicken Carbonara

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut in to bite sized pieces
4 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into small dice
2 egg yolks (or 3, to make it extra creamy)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
3/4-1 pound pasta- The girls picked corkscrews, but any thick short or long pasta will do (think Buccatini or Rigatoni)

Directions

Bring a large of salted water to a boil over high heat. In a medium sized sauté pan, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Combine the egg yolks, whole egg, Parmesan, and pepper in a large bowl.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the hot pasta cooking water (the temperature is important because you are going to use it to cook the egg).

While your pasta is cooking, cook your diced chicken in the same pan as you cooked your panchetta. Add a touch of olive oil with salt and pepper.

Next, drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the cheese and eggs, tossing immediately to mix everything together.

Add the pancetta, chicken, and any rendered fat from the pan to the bowl, toss to coat, and add the pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency. Be patient and really mix slowly.

Taste and add any more cheese, pepper, or salt that you may need to add! Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Pantry Raid, Pasta, Vegetarian

Evening all! So I made this dish for dinner tonight (just me) along with some smoked sausage, peas, and Alfredo pasta for the rest of the family. It was enough to feed four, so I have leftovers for myself and 2 coworkers. I also ate some sausage. It was super yummy!

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Ingredients

1/2 pound spaghetti (or whatever pasta you have)
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of asparagus, cut in small pieces- snap the bigger ends off and disregard
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper- add just more than you think
2 tablespoons heavy cream
However much Parmesan you want

Directions

Cook your pasta (or use leftovers)
In a skillet heated with 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil, cook down all your seasoned veggies for a good 15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes cover you skillet to burst your tomatoes. Add in your pasta with the rest of the butter and oil. Mix well. Add in your cream and cheese. Combine well. Vegetarian’s delight! Make vegan by disregarding the butter and cream. Add sausage, chicken, or shrimp for a protein packed meaty meal. The possibilities are endless!

Chicken Pasta Carbonara

Chicken, Pasta

Hey guys! Here is what I made for dinner last night. The family loved it! Can’t go wrong with bacon and pasta, though! See ya back here later for an easy healthy lunch recipe!

Chicken Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut in to bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
1/2 pound thick cut bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 container of mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
4 whole eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
1 pound pasta
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Heat pasta water. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil to cook pasta.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Add the garlic and cook another minute, then turn off the heat and put the bacon and garlic into a large bowl.

Add in a bit more oil. Cook your chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Take out the chicken and add in your onions and mushrooms. Cook for a couple of minutes and add in your wine. Cook down, about 3 minutes. Add in your frozen peas. Mix to combine.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and mix in about half of the cheese.

When the pasta is finished cooking, strain the pasta and move it to the bowl with the bacon and garlic. I used one of those spider strainers to move my pasta. Reserve some of the pasta water.

Toss everything to combine, allowing the pasta to cool just enough so that it doesn’t make the eggs curdle when you mix them in.

Add the beaten eggs with cheese and toss quickly to combine once more. Add salt to taste. Add some pasta water back to the pasta to keep it from drying out.

Top with more cheese!

Baked Ziti

Pasta

Happy Saturday everyone! A couple days ago, I made this very yummy and easy meal. I have made baked ziti a few times on the blog. On the weekends I usually make the sauce all afternoon and add it to my ground beef/sausage/veggie mixture and pasta. Well, Publix was having a BOGO on one of my favorite jarred sauces, so I decided to let the good people of Bertoli do all the work this time.

Easy Baked Ziti
Ingredientssausage (sub in ground beef or leave out the meat to make it vegetarian)
1 box of ziti noodles -or what ever tube shaped pasta you like
1 jars of your favorite pasta sauce- I used Bertoli- marinara and 3 cheese
2 med. bags or 1 large bag of mozzarella or Italian Cheese Blend
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (oregano, marjarum, thyme, etc)
2 teaspoons onion powder and garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Brown your meat and add all your seasonings. Drain grease out of meat.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil- salt the water liberally
Cook pasta
Assemble in a large casserole pan layering sauce, pasta, meat, and cheese.
Cook for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melting and turning that yummy brown color.
Lots of leftovers!