Category Archives: pasta

Pin 206, Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, casserole, chicken, kid friendly, pasta and tagged with ,

Yet another winning recipe from Pinterest. Although I would definitely not put this in the low-fat category. Definitely not. This dish is quite heavy and is still sitting in the gut of my stomach. If that’s even possible. But it is very tasty nonetheless and to quote my 5 year old Riley, “This is actually good”. Thanks kid.

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While making this dish I was a little confused while making the Alfredo and forgot to add the parmesan cheese. Or at least, I assume you add the cheese to the sauce but that is never stated in the directions. So I never added it and used the parmesan in the rolls. Oooops. It still tasted good. I’ve tweeked the recipe slightly but you can find the original here.

Recipe adapted from therecipecritic.com

Ingredients

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 2 ½ cups alfredo sauce (optional homemade recipe below)
  • 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • oregano
  • 3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of your choice
The Best Garlic Alfredo Sauce: (Makes 2 1/2 cups)
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½  tsp. fresh minced garlic
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅔ cup parmesan or romano cheese
1.  Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with 1/2 cup alfredo sauce.
2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water and lay them on a paper towel to remove excess water.
3.  If making the homemade alfredo sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add fresh minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the half and half.  Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens about 15 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in parmesan or romano cheese till melted.
4.  Spread 2 Tbs of the alfredo sauce over each noodle.  Sprinkle oregano on top.  Take 1/9th of the shredded chicken and spread evenly over each noodle and top with about 3 Tbs shredded mozzarella cheese.  Carefully roll up each lasagne noodle and place seam side down in your 9×9 prepared pan.
5.  Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
205 to go……….

Pin 215, Creamy Tortellini Crock Pot Meal

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, casserole, kid friendly, pasta, savory and tagged with , ,

I’m adding this one to the “go to” dinner list too. The Pin says it is the best crock pot meal ever and I will agree, it’s pretty damn good. However, I don’t agree that it should be cooked for 5-6 hours. The tortellini gets a bit over cooked so I would suggest cooking for 3-4 hours and checking at some point to see if the pasta is al dente. The kids thought it ruled.  I would tell any mom to make this any day of the week. It’s easy, quick, and cheap. It’s creamy and delicious. Make it and you’ll love it. I’m talking to my homegirls here.

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Ingredients

1 19 oz. bag of frozen tortellini (I used 1-1/2 bags so I would have leftovers)

1 small bag (5 oz) of fresh baby spinach

2 cans of italian-style diced tomatoes

1 32 oz. box or 4 cups of vegetable broth

1 block of cream cheese

Directions

Put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese. Cook on low for 3-4 hours covered, checking for the pasta to be al dente. If you like your pasta super soft, cook for 5 hours.

214 to go………..

Pin 221, Baked Raviolis

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, kid friendly, pasta, savory and tagged with , , ,

Anything baked with cheese on top can’t miss. I had a cheap bag of frozen ravis in the freezer and an extra bag of shredded cheese in the fridge.

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Baked Raviolis it is. I’ve baked ziti, spaghetti, eggplant parm, stuffed shells and lasagna. Never raviolis. And why not? They were delicious. Riley ate them up, my 2-year old smeared them across the table and fed the remainder to the dog. But the dog loved them. And so did my husband.

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I made them a much simpler way than the original pin. Instead of making the sauce (cause who has time for that?) I used a jar. Easy dish, for an easy family night. Shut off the t.v., program Hall and Oates on Pandora, and enjoy your meal.

Original recipe courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 to 2 pounds Frozen Ravioli (any variety will do)
  • 1 16 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce
  • ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water, until they float to the top (pasta does not need to be completely cooked because it will continue to cook in the oven). You can use the package instructions for al dente.
  3. When it’s done, drain water from pasta.
  4. Toss pasta and sauce in a large bowl.
  5. Pour pasta into a 9×13 pan.
  6. Top pasta with Parmesan cheese, then mozzarella cheese.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes, until pasta is golden.

220 to go………..

Pin 230, Crispy Breaded Shrimp with Garlicky Beans

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, casserole, chicken, kid friendly, low-fat, meat, pasta, pizza, salad, savory, soup, veggies and tagged with , , , , , ,

There’s a handful of dinner recipes that are my “go to” recipes. The kind of recipes that aren’t time-consuming, are able to be cooked with a two-year old tugging at my pant leg, include a small list of ingredients, are affordable and can be easily doubled. Those are my requirements for a “go to” recipe. Oh yeah, and they gotta taste really good! That’s a requirement. Here are my dinner “go to’s” in no particular order:

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The best roast chicken with the crispiest skin and moistest chicken. I make 1-2 a week, no lie. Continue reading →

White Lasagna Cupcakes

Posted by suzyhomebaker in casserole, pasta, savory and tagged with , , ,

Here’s a yummy recipe that includes two of my favorite things, cupcakes and cheese. Okay, not really, They are just the components of lasagna made in small ramekins therefore resemble small cupcakes when they are cooked. Sort of. They are just small round lasagnas okay? And they are really good. You might need to eat two of them though. They are quite small. Or perhaps serve it with a side salad and some nice crusty bread. There, meal complete. I’d like to say the kids liked this one. One did and the other not so much. The cheese does tend to get tough so it makes it a little hard for a kid to cut into and eat. My two year old, on the other hand, just grabs everything with her hands so it was no problem for her.

Continue reading →

Orecchiette with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

Posted by suzyhomebaker in kid friendly, meat, pasta, savory and tagged with , ,

This is my go to recipe just about every other week. Sometimes every week. Here’s why:

  1. it’s super simple to make
  2. there’s a small list of ingredients
  3. it makes enough for leftovers
  4. it’s flippin delicious and most of all
  5. the kids love it

If you can’t get the orecchiette you could easily substitute small shell pasta. If you do use the orecchiette, you may want to cook it a little bit more than the package says. My kids like their pasta easy to chew. Also, I use 20 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage instead of regular sausage to cut down on the fat. I know its more ounces but I’d rather use the whole package than freeze two links. It tastes just as good and the turkey sausage is a little more tender for the kiddies. If the kids don’t like the heat you can eliminate the crushed red pepper. Continue reading →

Linguine with Broccoli Rabe-Walnut Pesto

Posted by suzyhomebaker in chicken, kid friendly, low-fat, pasta, savory

Holy greenness! I think this is a really nice spring time meal to prepare for the family. It’s a nice twist on the traditional pesto with the substitution of broccoli rabe instead of basil. It has a much more subtle flavor and the addition of the toasted walnuts is so nice. I also used whole wheat linguine for a little extra fiber and grilled up a chicken breast, chopped it up and mixed it in for additional protein.

Continue reading →

Cacio e Pepe…..mmmm cheesy goodness.

Posted by suzyhomebaker in kid friendly, pasta

This is my go to meal when there’s nothing in the house to prepare. I always have pasta and some sort of Italian cheese so it’s pretty easy to improvise. To really make it a meal (and add some protein and veggies) I’ve incorporated roasted asparagus, grilled chicken, peas, pretty much whatever I can find in the fridge. It always turns out good and the kid likes it too. I also substitute whole wheat pasta for a little extra fiber. Hey moms and dads, this is super easy to prepare, even when you have a 3-year-old tuggin at your apron.

Recipe courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated

6 ounces Pecorino Romano – 4 ounces finely grated (about 2 cups) and 2 ounces coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper

1. Place finely grated Pecorino in a medium bowl.

2. Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cook until al dente. Drain pasta into colander set in bowl, reserving cooking water. Pour 1 ½ cups of cooking water into measuring cup.

3. Slowly whisk 1 cup reserved pasta water into finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in cream, oil and black pepper. Gradually pour cheese mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Let pasta rest one to two minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining ½ cup of pasta water. Serve with grated Pecorino.

Really Cheesy Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

Posted by suzyhomebaker in kid friendly, pasta, savory

I love mac and cheese. Really, who doesn’t. It’s the best comfort food, I think. This recipe incorporates cauliflower and tomatoes so I thought Riley would dig it and get a serving of veggies too. Unfortunately, she was not in the mood for mac and cheese the day I made this so Derek and I dogged the entire pan in just a couple days. It was so good. Really cheesey, moist and full of flavor. The Romano breadcrumb topping was great too, adding a wonderful salty crunch. Maybe your kid will be in a mac and cheese mood today.

Derek used a little Frank's Hot Sauce on top.

8 servings

Adapted from Recipe by Bruce Aidells in Bon Appetit

Ingredients

  • 1  1 1/2- to 1 3/4-pound head of cauliflower, cored, cut into 1-inch florets
  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes
  • 5 tablespoons butter, divided
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 cups coarsely grated cheese (I used half Gruyère and half sharp Cheddar), divided
  • 3/4 cup finely grated Romano cheese, divided
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 10 ounces whole wheat Rotini pasta (3 1/2 cups)
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from crustless French bread ground in processor)

Preparation

  • Cook cauliflower in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using large sieve, transfer cauliflower to bowl. Add tomatoes to pot; cook 1 minute. Remove from water; peel and dice tomatoes. Reserve pot of water.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower; sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Cook 1 minute to blend flavors. Remove from heat. Season with coarse salt and pepper.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add 2 cups Gruyere/Cheddar cheese; whisk until melted and sauce is smooth. Whisk in 1/2 cup Romano, then yogurt and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
  • Return reserved pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to same pot. Stir in cauliflower mixture and sauce.
  • Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon in half of pasta mixture; sprinkle with 1/2 cup Gruyere/Cheddar cheese. Top with remaining pasta mixture and 1/2 cup Gruyere/Cheddar cheese. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in small skillet. Add breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Remove from heat; mix in 1/4 cup Romano. Sprinkle crumbs over pasta. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pasta uncovered until heated through and bubbling, about 35 minutes.