Category: PASTAS & GNOCCHIS

Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

I don’t eat a lot of pasta.  But I LOVE roasting vegetables!
I also don’t cook with a lot of eggplant but I picked some up at the farmers market and this sounded excellent!
The vegetables smelled SO GOOD roasting in the oven.  I swear, I should just roast vegetables every day to make my house smell good.  Luckily I chose a cooler day so the house didn’t heat up to much.
This turned out so good!  I have a fairly small food processor so I was a bit afraid it wouldn’t all fit but it did.  It didn’t really take up too much room. 
I also chose to puree the pine nuts in the sauce rather than just sprinkle them on top. Either way works. 
The only thing I would do different would be to add a bit of onion. I just love onion and it just seemed like it needed to be there.
Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

1 medium eggplant, mine was just under 1 pound, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Pasta, I used Barilla Plus Rotini, 14.5 oz.
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves, I used less
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. 
  • Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Roast in the oven at 400 until veggies are tender and eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes. 
  • While the veggies are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish.  Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables.  Roast until golden, about 8 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and reserve. 
  • Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.  Pour pasta into a large bowl. Reserve about 1 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
  • Transfer the roasted veggies to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves.  Puree the vegetables, mint leaves and pine nuts. Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl of pasta and add the parmesan.  Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta and sauce is saucy. 

Total calories = 2218 calories
6 servings = 370 calories per serving

Pasta Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Puree = 370 calorie dinner**

OLD FASHIONED MACARONI and CHEESE

I’m always trying new recipes searching for THE one that most resembles my grams recipe. I don’t unfortunately have her recipe.  I think I finally found it though.

1 2/3 cups dry, small elbow or shells macaroni cooked and drained
1 large bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 + 1/2  cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish.
  • Combine evaporated milk, 1% milk and butter in medium saucepan.
  • Stir in flour and pepper.
  • Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
  • Boil for 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Stir in 2 cups cheese until melted.
  • Add macaroni and onions, blending well. It will be a little soupy, but that’s okay!
  • Pour into prepared casserole dish.
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

OLD FASHIONED MACARONI & CHEESE

1 2/3 cups dry, small elbow or shells macaroni cooked and drained
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 + 1/2  cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 2-quart casserole dish.
  • Combine evaporated milk, 1% milk and butter in medium saucepan.
  • Stir in flour and pepper.
  • Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
  • Boil for 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Stir in 2 cups cheese until melted.
  • Add macaroni and onions, blending well.
  • Pour into prepared casserole dish.
  • Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

APPLE RUM RAISIN NOODLE BAKE

Apple-Raisin Noodle Bake
1 pound wide egg noodles

2 teaspoons sea salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened + 1/3 cup butter, softened for topping
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar     
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
2 cups sour cream
6 eggs, separated
1 cup golden raisins
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons rum
11/2 cup apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
PURE
  • Set oven to 350 degrees.
  • Set shelf to lowest position.
  • In a small bowl pour the rum over the raisins.  Set aside.
  • Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with PURE.
  • Cook noodles with 2 teaspoons salt in boiling water; drain well, and toss with the 6 tablespoons of softened butter in a large bowl while still warm.
  • In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar until light.
  • Add in the cottage cheese and sour cream; blending well.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until consistent in texture and color then add to the cream mixture with the cinnamon; blending well.
  • Pour this mixture over the egg noodles in the bowl; mix to combine.
  • Mix in the chopped apples and raisins (rum and all); blend well.
  • In a bowl beat the 6 egg whites until stiff; with a spatula, fold the egg whites into the noodle mixture.
  • Pour into prepared baking dish.
  • Add a loose foil tent to prevent pasta from crisping.
  • Bake for 45 minutes.

While casserole is baking:

  • In a small bowl, mix together the 1/3 cup butter and 1/4-1/3 cup brown sugar.
  • After 45 minutes of baking, remove the casserole, and sprinkle the butter/brown sugar mix over top of casserole.
  • Return to oven and bake another 30-45 minutes.

Turkey or Chicken Primavera

I made a turkey a few weeks ago.  I like to shred the leftovers into 10 oz. portions (about 2 cups) and keep them in the freezer.  Then they are ready for a quick dinner if needed.  This of course could be done with chicken as well.
This is kinda my clean out the refrigerator meal.  I like to throw in as many veggies as possible!  You can custom make this with whatever veggies you like.  I sometimes will add garlic to the sauce as well as I like it garlicky!
Turkey Primavera

1/2 box Rotini or Penne pasta, Barilla Plus (7 ounces)

10 ounces turkey or chicken, diced or shredded
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini squash, cut into circles
1 medium yellow squash, cut into circles
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (1/2 lb)
2 carrot sticks, peeled and chopped
3 small tomatoes, seeded and diced (plum tomatoes)
2 garlic cloves, crushed

For White Sauce:
3 tablespoons I can’t believe it’s not butter, light
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, 1 %
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper and garlic powder

  1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to large serving bowl. 
  2. If chicken or turkey is not cooked, place in large skillet, saute diced chicken in olive oil and salt and pepper for 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Once chicken has cooked through, transfer to plate, cool and dice.
  3. Add onion and red pepper to a skillet and saute in cooking spray for about 4 – 5 minues. 
  4. Add zucchini and broccoli to skillet and steam/saute for 3-4 minutes with 1/4 cup of water. Add the tomatoes during the last minute. 
  5. Make white sauce in small sauce pan. Add all the ingredients and stir continually until thickened. Do not boil.
  6. Toss pasta, cooked chicken or turkey, sauteed veggies with parmesan sauce. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  I like lots of garlic powder!
Total calories = 2050
5 huge servings = 410 calories

CHICKEN STROGANOFF ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

CHICKEN STROGANOFF
2-3 slices bacon, diced
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3+ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
egg noodles

  • In a large skillet brown bacon.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.
  • Add Chicken pieces.
  • Saute’ 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add spices and blend well.
  • Add chicken broth and bring JUST to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes JUST until liquid is absorbed.  Boil your noodles at this point.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and flour.
  • Add sour cream mixture to chicken mixture along with the bacon pieces. Blend well and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until heated through.  Sauce will become creamier and thicken at this time.
  • Serve over hot noodles.
To make this meal quicker for a weeknight you can use rotisserie chicken and save time.

CHICKEN PASTA IN GARLIC CREAM SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Hi, Tamy here filling in for our MIA Tuesday girl, Liz. I thought I’d bring you a quick and easy, yet flavorful pasta.  While this sounds like a complicated recipe, it’s an easy and quick weeknight recipe when you use the rotisserie chicken.  I buy rotisserie chickens often and when I get home from the store and they are relatively cool, I de-bone the chicken and portion out the pieces for week night recipes.  I then take the remaining bones and skin and simmer for about an hour to create stock.  I then freeze the stock in 2 cup portions for use in those same week night recipes.  Tonight I had some asparagus that needed using so I tossed that in too.

Chicken Pasta in Garlic Cream Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
1 pack vermicelli noodles or pasta of your choice
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts or 2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
1 cup milk or heavy cream
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons classico sun dried tomato pesto
1/2 large white Vidalia onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
salt
pepper
olive oil
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

  • Boil pasta in large pot.
  • While pasta boiling preheat large deep skillet to medium low.
  • Cube chicken to bite size pieces if using raw chicken.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add chicken, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook until chicken is JUST done. Remove to a warm plate.
  • Add remaining butter.
  • When melted, add flour to center of pan, whisk until mixture turns golden in color, creating a roux.
  • Add in the first cup of chicken stock raising heat to medium high, stirring until sauce thickens. Sauce will be very thick.
  • Whisk in second cup of stock until desired consistency.
  • Taste sauce at this point and add in more salt and pepper to taste. Heavy pepper is good in this dish.
  • Add chicken pieces.
  • Add in sun dried tomato pesto, reduce heat to low and allow sauce to continue cooking and thickening.
  • At the very end add in your milk or cream starting with just half to begin with.
  • Drain pasta and add to sauce, coating pasta with chicken and cream sauce.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
  • If sauce gets too thick it is better to add more stock then milk, as milk or cream will make the dish to rich and take away from the flavor. If your sauce is not thick enough turn up the heat and quickly whisk in more flour.

Grown Up Mac & Cheese with updated Danish Cube Steak

GROWN UP MAC & CHEESE
12 ounce package pasta
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Frank’s hot sauce
3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain Well.
  • Melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add salt.
  • In a small food processor pulse bleu cheese crumbles until fine.  Set aside.
  • Add flour and whisk constantly over medium heat until smooth.
  • Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.  
  • Add hot sauce.  Bring to a slow boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in all cheeses, salt and pepper to taste until smooth.
  • Mix pasta and cheese mixture together until well blended.
  • Scoop into a casserole or ramekins.
  • Bake 15-20 minutes.
  • Top with chopped chives.

DANISH CUBE STEAK REVISITED
3 ounces bleu cheese crumbles
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced green onions
6 pork cube steaks
1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

  • In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
  • Coat steaks on both sides with mayonnaise mixture.
  • Dredge through panko crumbs.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add cube steaks and brown on both sides.

Lasagna Roll Ups

Lasagna is a versatile meal that can be prepared ahead of time, freezes beautifully, and is great way to use up leftover marinara or pasta sauce. It is delicious whether vegetarian or meat filled. Lasagna is popular with all age groups, and is packed with nutrients like calcium, B vitamins, and lycopene among other yummy goodness. A fun “twist” on traditional layered lasagna are Lasagna Rollups.

LASAGNA ROLL-UPS
12 oz. lasagna pasta noodles cooked al dente
16 oz. container of Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary mix
Salt and pepper
3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese – (I use a mix of both Fresh buffalo mozzarella and aged mozzarella)
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 cups marinara or meat ragu sauce – (jarred or homemade is fine)

  • Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Cook noodles to minimum time listed on package until al dente, drain well.
  • Prepare filling- In bowl, mix 16 oz of Ricotta cheese, two eggs, dried herbs, pinch of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of Parmesan, and 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella until thoroughly mixed.
  • Place 1/2 cup of sauce at bottom of roasting pan.
  • Assemble rollups- On work surface, place 3-4 tablespoons of Ricotta filling towards the end of the noodle, add 1-2 teaspoons shredded cheese, and then roll up into a “wheel”. Place into roasting pan in rows. Repeat and complete filling the pan with rolled and filled pasta, then cover with sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over all the pasta. Cover pan with foil and bake for approximately 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake for additional 3-5 minutes until top cheese golden.
  • Buon Appetito! I hope you enjoy and thank you so much. 

CHICKEN PASTA IN GARLIC CREAM SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

While this sounds like a complicated recipe, it’s an easy and quick weeknight recipe when you use the rotisserie chicken.  I buy rotisserie chickens often and when I get home from the store and they are relatively cool I de-bone the chicken and portion out the pieces for week night recipes.  I then take the remaining bones and skin and simmer for about an hour to create stock.  I then freeze the stock in 2 cup portions for use in those same week night recipes.

Chicken Pasta in Garlic Cream Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
1 pack vermicelli noodles or pasta of your choice
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts or 2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
1 cup milk or heavy cream
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons classico sun dried tomato pesto
1/2 large white Vidalia onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
salt
pepper
olive oil
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

  • Boil pasta in large pot.
  • While pasta boiling preheat large deep skillet to medium low.
  • Cube chicken to bite size pieces if using raw chicken.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add chicken, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook until chicken is JUST done. Remove to a warm plate.
  • Add remaining butter.
  • When melted, add flour to center of pan, whisk until mixture turns golden in color, creating a roux.
  • Add in the first cup of chicken stock raising heat to medium high, stirring until sauce thickens. Sauce will be very thick.
  • Whisk in second cup of stock until desired consistency.
  • Taste sauce at this point and add in more salt and pepper to taste. Heavy pepper is good in this dish.
  • Add chicken pieces.
  • Add in sun dried tomato pesto, reduce heat to low and allow sauce to continue cooking and thickening.
  • At the very end add in your milk or cream starting with just half to begin with.
  • Drain pasta and add to sauce, coating pasta with chicken and cream sauce.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
  • If sauce gets to thick it is better to add more stock then milk, as milk or cream will make the dish to rich and take away from the flavor. If your sauce is not thick enough turn up the heat and quickly whisk in more flour.

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Spaghetti Sauce.  A food that everyone seems to have their versions of.  This is the best spaghetti sauce that I have ever tasted.  It is my nana’s recipe and I have never tasted another remotely like it.  Everyone that has tasted it has enjoyed it and gone back for seconds.  I make a double batch and freeze the leftovers for busy weeknights.  Serve with a salad and big,crusty bread and you have a complete meal.  Nana’s recipe calls for ground beef but you can certainly lighten it up with ground turkey.  And please don’t leave out the Heinz 57 sauce.  It is crucial to the outcome.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce
3 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Brown onion and green pepper in a large skillet in a small amount of oil.
  • Add ground beef to the onion and green peppers; cook until brown.
  • Carefully drain the hamburger mixture and return to the skillet.
  • Add the tomato sauce, onion salt, salt, garlic salt, oregano, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57 and Italian seasoning.
  • Stir well and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta with garlic bread and a salad.

CHICKEN STROGANOFF

CHICKEN STROGANOFF
2-3 slices bacon, diced
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3+ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
egg noodles

  • In a large skillet brown bacon.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.
  • Add Chicken pieces.
  • Saute’ 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add spices and blend well.
  • Add chicken broth and bring JUST to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes JUST until liquid is absorbed.  Boil your noodles at this point.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and flour.
  • Add sour cream mixture to chicken mixture along with the bacon pieces. Blend well and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until heated through.  Sauce will become creamier and thicken at this time.
  • Serve over hot noodles.
To make this meal quicker for a weeknight you can use rotisserie chicken and save time.