Category: Pasta

Easy Weeknight Lasagna

Pasta

Hey there! I made this last night for dinner…a super easy pan lasagna that was done in under 40 minutes! Usually when I make lasagna or other baked pasta, I don’t use ricotta, because my husband hates it. He was not going to be home for dinner, so I planned this dish for the rest of us in mind!

I just browned up some beef and layered it in a casserole dish with sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and no boil noodles. So simple and delicious! You could totally leave out the meat and add spinach and/or other veggies to make it vegetarian, or use another ground meat to be a little lighter (ground chicken or turkey). 020021023025

Manicotti Stuffed with Sausage and Cheese

Pasta

Evening Guys! This was dinner last night, and it was SUPER YUMMY! Enough leftovers for another night or a couple of lunches =)

Ingredients
1 container of Manicotti
1 pound ground sausage- I used Italian Sausage still in the casing. I just slit it with a sharp knife down the middle and it is easily taken out.
1 container of mushrooms, chopped finely
1 large bag of Italian Cheese Blend Shredded Cheese
1 containers of your favorite pasta sauce or homemade

Directions

Cook your pasta in a big pot of salted water. Let cool.
Brown your meat and mushrooms. I added a bit of salt and pepper, but not a lot because the pork is already very seasoned. Let cool.
Add a few handfuls of cheese to the cooled meat and mushrooms mixture.
Stuff the pasta with the meat, mushrooms, and cheese mixture.
Spray a casserole dish and put a bit of pasta sauce at the bottom.
Add in your stuffed pasta. Cover with sauce and more cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I had a cute little sous chef helping me out!
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One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

One pot meal, Pasta

Want a easy quick dinner that only dirties one pan? Try this delicious recipe that comes together in no time! I made this last night, and it was a hit! Plenty of leftovers for lunch or another fast dinner!

One Pan Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Onion powder
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chili Flakes
1 Pound Ground Beef
2 Cups Water
1 large can of Diced Tomatoes
1 box Elbow Macaroni
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half
1-8 Ounce Package Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
Salt and Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet add the ground beef and seasonings and brown lightly on medium , breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and water to the skillet and stir to mix. Add in the pasta and cover, increasing the heat to medium high. Cook the mixture, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer. Continue to cook until the pasta is tender, about 9-12 minutes.

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Take the skillet off the heat and add the heavy cream and 1 cup of the cheese mixture. Taste to make sure it is seasoned properly/to your liking. You could always more chili flakes. Top the mixture with remaining cheese and pop in to the oven under broil until the cheese melts and turns bubbly brown.

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Baked Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Sausage and Mushrooms

Pasta

Happy Monday! Going to be catching up on a few recipes and cooking up some new ones this week. On Saturday, I made this scrumptious baked pasta with ground sausage and mushrooms with pre-made sauce I bought at the Farmer’s Market.  The noodles were fresh whole wheat spaghetti (I cooked them for about 5 minutes).  I sauteed a container of mushrooms with a pound of ground sausage until browned (about 10 minutes). Then I combined the sauce and noodles in a baking dish and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese and baked at 350 for about 20 minutes. The last 5 minutes I turned it on broil so the top of the cheese could get all brown and bubbly!  Can’t get much easier than that!

 

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Happy customers!

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Pasta

I made this once before but never blogged about it, because I didn’t quite feel like I had the right proportions for the ingredients. So I did a little research and read lots of recipes. I  decided to use Giada’s recipe for Penne with Vodka sauce. It did not fail!

I used my sauce recipe instead of hers, which you can find here (minus the meat).

Ingredients

  • 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 pound penne

Directions

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

I added 2  shredded chicken breasts to the mix for a little extra protein. Next time I might throw in some broccoli or other veggies for a nice vegetarian version.

SO GOOD!!!!