Cripsy Pasta Chips

This is a MUST try.  So super easy and a really surprising yummy and satisfying snack.  We saw this on Tiktok and couldn't resist giving this a try.   I'm adding this to a charcuterie board that I am making for friends and I know it will be a hit.

Ingredients:

8 oz cooked pasta (any shape)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Teaspoons garlic powder

2 Teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/3 Cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Drain pasta well and add all ingredients to cooked pasta and stir to coat.  Feel free to go heavier or lighter on seasoning as you see fit.  Place a small amount of pasta in a single layer in the basket of your air fryer.  Air fry for 10 min or until your chips are golden brown.  Check around the 8 min mark until you can see how long you may need for your specific air fryer.  Enjoy 

 

Salmon Pasta

Susan came to visit me in my new home in Southern California in October and we made this pasta dish together one night for dinner.  It's her son, Aaron's favorite and now is a favorite of my kids too.  I love this recipe because it's the best use of left over grilled salmon from the night before and it's an awesome one pan meal!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pasta any type, cooked aldente

2 filets (1/2 lb) of cooked salmon, grilled, baked or poached

1 Small Onion chopped

1 Jar of Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup cream cheese

Fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)

Preparation:

Saute onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 1-2 minutes until soft.  Add 1 jar of pasta sauce to pan to warm through.  Melt cream cheese into sauce.  Add red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.  Once cream cheese is fully combined you can flake the salmon into the sauce and stir to incorporate.  If you would like to add green peas this is the time to add those in.  Heat sauce over med heat for about 3-5 minutes until hot.  

Pour cooked pasta into a large bowl or platter and pour sauce over top.  Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.  

Shrimp Scampi

This is a HUGE childhood memory for me and my sisters.  Our Mom would make Shrimp Scampi on very rare occasions and we would all look forward to it each time!  This recipe is so simple.  It's all made in a baking dish in the oven.  We have tried many different variations of this recipe but the classic original recipe has stood the test of time!  

Ingredients:

2 lb of raw large shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon juice
3 Tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 lb Butter (1 cup or 2 sticks)
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Cooked Pasta Aldente (any type you like)


Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Melt butter in 5x7 baking dish in the oven.  Add garlic and salt to melted butter in the baking dish.  Arrange shrimp in bottom of baking dish in a single layer and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Turn shrimp over and sprinkle with lemon zest and lemon juice.  Place back into oven for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Place cooked pasta on a large platter, arrange shrimp on top of pasta, pour remaining garlic butter over the top and sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve immediately!

Classic Macaroni Salad

 

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar ( I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon mustard (you can use, yellow, brown or Dijon)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lb macaroni, cooked, drained and cooled
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped red/yellow or orange pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato

Prepsaration:

Whisk together 1st 6 ingredients in a small bowl to make dressing.  In a large bowl combine cooled macaroni, celery, red pepper and tomato.  Pour dressing over the top and mix to combine well.  Cover and chill.

Spring Pasta - Shells with Broccoli, Edamame and Pesto

Pesto has become a new favorite in my house.  I find I use it constantly for the kids.  They LOVE Pesto Pizza and Pesto Cheesy Garlic Bread but for some reason I haven't made Pesto pasta.  This one I whipped up in just minutes for a quick dinner using prepared pesto that I bought at the market.  When I have more time I'll make my own and of course post that recipe too!

My kids absolutely loved this dish.  It's a great side dish or a main dish served with garlic bread.  Use the prepared pesto for an easy, super quick dinner during the week.  This would also be delicious served cold for a BBQ side dish.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. pasta (any shape you like)

1/2 cup prepared Pesto

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 cups raw broccoli florets, cut small

1/2 cup frozen, shelled edamame

Preparation:

Cook pasta until a dente and drain.  Stir in pesto and parmesan cheese and mix until pasta is well coated.  In a med skillet on the stove heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add garlic and cook on med heat for about a minute stirring so it won't burn.  Add broccoli florets and sauté garlic for about 2 minutes.  Stir in frozen edamame and cook for another minute until edamame is heated through.  Pour hot broccoli and edamame over the pesto pasta and stir in.  Serve immediately.

The Easiest Mac and Cheese EVER!

 

This is seriously the EASIEST homemade Mac and Cheese recipe I've ever seen and it's actualy good.  I made this today when my oldest daughter wanted me to make her my Mac and Cheese but I was out of butter so I couldn't make a rue which is in my favorite recipe that you can find HERE.  I was very skeptical that this recipe would actually work bcause you cook the pasta directly in the milk and then just add cheese and stir, what's easier than that?  Well I was pleastantly surprised when I made this on a whim and it was actually really delicious.   My only suggestions are that you should use a small pasta with ridges in it to help absorb the milk more easily and I would also only serve this right after it's made.  It gets super thick as it stands and although it still tastes good it's looses that creaminess that I really like in Mac and Cheese.  Try it for yourself and see.  You can find the original recipe at Macaroni and Cheesecake.  I omitted a few ingredients to make it even easier.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried pasta (something with ridges in it will work best)
2 1/2 cups skim milk
1 cup loosely packed cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a saucepan, add pasta and milk. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.
Turn heat off, add cheese & salt & and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.  If the mac and cheese is too thick add a little bit of milk and stir until you get your desired consistency.

Pecan Noodle Ring

This is a really delcious dairy free noodle pudding.  My Mother in Law always asks me to make for the Jewish holidays.  I like this recipe better than most dairy recipes, it's sweet and moist and crunchy all at the same time.  It also holds together beautifully and of course best of all it's super easy to make.  The original recipe is from the Kosher Palette Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
Vegetable cooking spray
1 (16 oz) package extra wide noodles
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine pecans, brown sugar, and margarine and spoon into Bundt pan coated heavly with cooking spray. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and transfer into a large bowl.
Add eggs, sugar, salt, and cinnamon, stirring well. Pour into noodles. Mix well with spoon. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out into a serving plate.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Crockpot Eggplant Lasagna

I have had my crock pot for years but I never know what to make in it.  It always seems to me that most of the crock pot recipes require a can of some kind of creamed soup and that wouldn't go over very well in my family.  So I don't use it as often as I would like.  It would be really nice to just throw something together in the morning and just forget about it until dinner time.   So I'm on the search for good slow cooker recipes.  If anyone has one please leave a link in your comment so I can try it out.  Having said that, this crock pot eggplant lasagna was delicious.  My husband really loved it and so did my 21 month old son.  I used eggplant in everyother layer inplace of the pasta to help "lighten" this recipe a tiny bit. 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of no boil lasagna sheets

1 medium eggplant sliced into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise

1 lb of ground beef (chicken or turkey would be good too)

1 1/2 jars of pasta sauce

1 small container ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

non-stick cooking spray (to spray inside of crock pot)

Preparation:

Spray entire inside of crock pot ceramic pot.  In a large skillet brown ground beef, drain off excess fat.  Add pasta sauce to meat and stir to combine, take off heat.  Mix ricotta cheese, egg and parmesan cheese in a small bowl and set aside. 

Assembly:

Spoon a couple large spoonfuls of meat sauce in the bottom of crock pot, next add a layer of pasta sheets (break them up to make them fit across the bottom of pot) Next add a layer of ricotta cheese mixture, sprinkle with a handful of mozzarella cheese. Spoon more sauce then add a layer of sliced eggplant, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and sauce.  Continue layering using pasta sheets and then back to eggplant until all ingredients are used up.  End with a top layer of mozzarella cheese.  Cover pot and cook on low for 4 hrs.

Healthy Cheeseburger Mac

I got this recipe from Hungry Girl. It's definitely a smart way to make mac n cheese and very easy. I couldn't find plain cauliflower in cheese sauce so I used a broccoli cauliflower combination. I ate a huge bowl of it which I guess missed the point of eating healthy but, whatever!! LOL

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (high fiber is best)
10 oz. raw lean ground turkey
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
24 oz. (about 6 cups) frozen cauliflower and low-fat cheese sauce (like the kind by Green Giant)
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large pot, prepare pasta very al dente, cooking for about half of the time indicated on the package. Drain well and set aside. In a bowl, combine turkey, ketchup, onion, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add frozen cauliflower and cheese sauce and gently mix. Transfer mixture to a crock pot.

Add cooked pasta to the crock pot and gently stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until the turkey is fully cooked.

Add cheese wedges and stir until evenly distributed.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Sesame Noodles

You know how I love quick and easy recipes that travel well.....here is another one. 

Ingredients:

1 lb thin spaghetti
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/2 cup edamame, cooked and shelled
1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds (optional)
1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Combine, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in a large bowl and whisk until completely combined.  Add hot pasta into soy sauce mixture and toss until coated evenly.  Add in scallions, edamame and sesame seeds, Toss.  Refrigerate to allow flavors to meld together.  Serve, cold or room temperature (I prefer room temperature)

Linked to Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays #6

This week theme for Sharing Sundays is CITRUS!  I have a slight obsession with anything Lemon lately and the summer time is the perfect time for recipes featuring any kind of citrus fruit.....lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit etc.  Also again I love how you can use citrus in both sweet and savory recipes.  So let's see your best recipes featuring CITRUS!!

Our Rules:
1.  Please become a follower of our blog.
2.  Please share a link back to your actual recipe post, not to your main blog page.
3.  Please link back to our blog so others can join in the fun.
4.  Leave us a comment about what recipe you are linking up.
5. Have fun!

Now first let's see the featured pasta recipes from last week.

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta by Comfy Cuisine


Garlic Chicken with Orzo Pasta by Crumbs and Chaos


Zucchini Spinach Lasagna by Cook Lisa Cook


Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs by Cooking with K


Creamy Noodles by The Kitchen Cookie


Shrimp Scampi over Spaghetti Aglio e Olio by
Wendy the Weekend Gourmet


Okay.......now on to all the delicious CITRUS recipes!

Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays #5

This week theme for Sharing Sundays is PASTA!  There is nothing more versatile than pasta!  You can eat it cold, hot, room temperature and mix pretty much any ingredient in with it.   Pasta is also great when you are cooking for BIG groups of people....it helps stretch a dollar too.  So let's see you favorite pasta recipes!
Our Rules:
1.  Please become a follower of our blog.
2.  Please share a link back to your actual recipe post, not to your main blog page.
3.  Please link back to our blog so others can join in the fun.
4.  Leave us a comment about what recipe you are linking up.
5. Have fun!

Thank you to everyone who linked up to last week's party theme BERRIES!  Here are some of the most popular recipes.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars by Crumbs and Chaos


Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars by The Sweet Swiper


Blue-Raspberry Streusel Muffins by The Kitchen Cookie


Blackberry Cream Cheese Pie by The 4 Little Fergusons


Baked Waffles with Raspberry Cream Cheese by
The Better Baker


Next on to all of those delicious PASTA recipes!! I can't wait!

Manicotti with Bolognese Sauce

This is my first time making both Manicotti and Bolognese sauce.....and I'm so glad I tried it.  YUM!  It's so nice to have new ideas to add to my family dinners instead of always making spaghetti and meatballs!  The kids really loved it too.  It's a little time consuming but defnitely worth the effort.

Ingredients:

Bolognese Sauce:

1 cup of onions, finely chopped ( I used frozen chopped onions)

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup water

1 cup jarred pasta sauce

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Manicotti:
1 - 1 lb box of Manicotti shells
1 - 16 oz container of Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Preparation:

Cook onions and garlic in oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot or large saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.   Add beef and cook over moderately high heat, stirring and breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, milk, wine, water, and pasta sauce and gently simmer, covered, until sauce is thickened, 20 - 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat. (Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Frozen, it keeps for 1 month).

Spread a little bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook manicotti shells in boiling water according to package directions.  In a small bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and put ricotta mixture in a pastry bag (with no tip) or a heavy duty ziploc bag.   Snip of end of pastry/ziploc bag and carefully squeeze mixture into each manicotti shell to fill (do not overfill)  Each shell should have about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture.  Place filled shells in sauced casserole dish and top with the rest of the bolognese sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top if desired and bake in 350 degree F. oven for 40 minutes.

Quinoa Spaghetti, Edamame and Peas in Cashew Cream Sauce

This was my first attempt at a totally vegan meal. I have to say, it was really delicious. It was fun to make something different and creative. Who knew that cashews could make an amazing cream sauce for pasta? Add sauteed onions, edamame and peas and it was a great, totally filling meal. Only tip that I learned making this is to add the cream sauce to the sauteed onions at the last minute and then immediately toss the pasta with the sauce. I had to let the onion cashew mixture sit for about 10 minutes while I left to pick up Jack from Hebrew school and the sauce thickened, very fast.  Still amazingly delish though. 

This came from Lisa Dawn's blog Lisa's Project: Vegan. Thanks Lisa Dawn for a great new dinner idea!!

Ingredients:

Cashew Cream Sauce
1 cup raw cashews
1 extra virgin olive oil
1 water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 small onion
1/2 bag frozen peas
1/2 bag frozen edamame
4 cups (cooked) quinoa spaghetti

Preparation:

Boil pasta in well salted water. When it is almost done, add the frozen peas and edamame so they can thaw in the boiling water. While this is happening, put the cashews into the blender and process them until fine. Then add oil, water, salt, nutmeg and lemon juice and process.

In the meantime, saute an onion in a other pan until translucent. It only takes a few minutes. Pour the cashew cream sauce over the onions. Drain the pasta, peas and edamame and add into the pan and toss around so all of the pasta is coated with sauce.

Orecchiette with roasted butternut squash, cauliflower and almonds

I recreated a meal that Ellen had when she went out for dinner with her husband to a new restaurant last week. The combination sounded great and since I love roasted veggies (especially butternut squash and cauliflower) I couldn't wait to try this out. My kids loved it. I made a ton of veggies....way more than I needed for the pasta so the amounts in the recipe can vary. You certainly don't need to use as much as is stated in the ingredients. I liked having extra for snacking on while I was in the kitchen cooking. This can easily become a vegan meal by substituting the pasta with any vegan pasta like brown rice or quinoa varieties


Ingredients:

20 oz of butternut squash peeled and cut into chunks
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
12 oz orecchiette (can use brown rice or quinoa pasta too)
1 cup of prepared pesto
1/2 cup sliced almonds
a few tablespoons of olive oil
salt, pepper

Preparation:

Toss squash and cauliflower with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on two separate baking sheets and put in a 400 degree oven for approximately 35-45 minutes or until brown and caramelized. Toast sliced almonds in dry pan on the stove top just until light brown and fragrant (do not walk away from the pan, almonds brown quickly) Boil pasta according to package directions and toss with prepared pesto. Place caulifower and squash over pasta and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Guest Blogger Mondays....Vegan Recipes by Lisa Dawn

GUEST BLOGGER of the Week

 Lisa Dawn
check out Lisa's Project. Vegan

About Lisa Dawn:  I am a vegan mom and wife and I love to cook. I became vegan over four years ago for several reasons - the health and welfare of the animals, myself, and that of the world. My husband has been vegan since he was a teenager and together we are raising our son vegan. It is a challenge to do so in this world but it makes it that much more fun to be creative and to cook delicious meals that people really enjoy. Everyone who joins us for a meal leaves fully satisfied and with a handful of recipes!

Vegan Stuffed Shells

My cashew ricotta cheese is outstanding and I use it in a lot of dishes. But nothing beats stuffed shells! You can vary the filling (e.g., you can use butternut squash or just plain cashew ricotta). My family loves it! It is not as hard as you think to make this and it is very satisfying!

Ingredients:

Cashew Ricotta
1 lb cashews (soaked overnight)
water
salt
nutmeg
fresh lemon juice

Stuffed Shells
1 box shells (to make it gluten free, use rice pasta shells)
1 small bag frozen spinach
garlic powder
1 jar of tomato sauce (or make your own)


Preparation:

Cashew Ricotta
Soak cashews overnight. In the morning, drain them and then place 1 cup at a time into the in the food processor. Process the nuts until fine and then add 3/4 cup of water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and a dash of lemon juice. Process and then place in strainer (with very small mesh) over a bowl to drain excess water. Repeat until you finish all of the cashews. Let this strain for a few hours. The top might get slightly hard but don't worry, just mix it back in. When it seems like all the excess water has drained out, place in a container and use it when ready.

Stuffed Shells
Preheat oven to 350. Boil up shells according to package directions. Use lots of salt in the water to season the pasta. While they are boiling, place frozen spinach in small pot with a little water and set on a high flame to defrost quickly or do this ahead of time. Either way, make sure you drain all of the water out. Mix the spinach with the cashew ricotta. Add some garlic powder and mix. Taste it and decide if you want any more seasoning, e.g., salt and pepper.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce. When the shells are done, carefully strain them. Assemble your shells by stuffing them with the mixture and placing them into the baking dish. Pour tomato sauce in between and around the shells. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes so they are thoroughly heated through.

(Winter Pasta)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Spinach

over Quinoa Spaghetti

Technically, it is already spring but today was coooold! So tonight I made my Winter Pasta one more time. If you can find a good butternut squash, make it this week!

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
olive oil
s and p
3 small shallots
walnuts
white wine
earth balance
fresh spinach
quinoa spaghetti

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450. Peel and dice up a butternut squash. Drizzle with olive oil, s and p, toss it around and coat the squash evenly. Place on a cookie sheet and roast for about 20 to 25 minutes until you see it browning. Check on it at the 15 minute are toss it around a little.

Chop up the walnuts and put them on another baking sheet and roast them for about 10 minutes or so (you can do this toward the end of the time the squash is in the oven.)

Slice up the shallots and put in a sauce pan (with sides) and cover with white wine. Let it come to a boil and simmer it until it reduces a little but still have liquid. Put in a chunk of earth balance and let it melt in. Then add the spinach and let it cook down.

In the meantime, boil up the pasta. When it is all ready, toss the pasta into the sauce and top with butternut squash and walnuts.

Parpardelle with Spinach, Chives and Ricotta

This is a great, light pasta dish that is so simple to make.  I served it as a side dish with a lemon garlic turkey roast but it would be a great main dish as well.

Ingredients:

8  ounces  uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta)
1  tablespoon  kosher salt
1/3  cup  whole-milk ricotta cheese
3  cups fresh baby spinach leaves (I used regular fresh spinach chopped)
1/4  cup  chopped fresh chives
1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3  tablespoons  grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
2  tablespoons olive oil (I omitted this)
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt

Preparation:

Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt according to package directions. Drain in a colander over a bowl, and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.  Combine 1/2 cup reserved hot cooking liquid and ricotta cheese in a food processor or blender, and process until well blended.  Combine hot pasta, cheese mixture, spinach, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Add additional cooking liquid to moisten, if needed

Guest Blogger Mondays....Shrimp Scampi Florentine by Debby

GUEST BLOGGER of the Week

 DEBBY

Thanks to Debby for offering to be our very first guest blogger. We are excited to have have her add to our blog of delicious family recipes.

About Debby: I am a working mother of 2. I love to cook and try to cook quick, easy meals when possible, but good meals. I love pasta dishes and chicken dishes...I want to learn more seafood/fish recipes. Love to BBQ in the summer.

Shrimp Scampi Florentine

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter **
1/3 cup olive oil **
2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto (such as Classico ™)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
black pepper to taste
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and stemmed
1 lb pasta -- penne, ziti or rigatoni

** You can opt to make this healthier by substituting some butter or oil with chicken stock and/or White Wine

Preparation:

Boil water for pasta. While boiling, prepare other ingredients. Combine the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in pesto, garlic, and tomatoes, and simmer until the tomatoes start to soften, about 2 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Stir the shrimp into the sauce, and cook just until they turn pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. When pasta is done cooking, drain, set aside. Stir in pasta to shrimp/spinach mixture, let sit for 1-2 minutes so pasta can soak up sauce and warm up.

Serve immediately

Spinach Lasagna

Who doesn't like lasagna?  I like the idea of adding a veggie to it for some more nutritional value.  That way I don't have to serve a separate veggie if I am feeling lazy.  I can make some garlic bread and be done.  You don't even need to defrost the spinach.  Just sprinkle the frozen chopped spinach on each layer and it cooks down inbetween the layers the oven.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 jar marinara-style pasta sauce
1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles
3/4 of a bag of frozen chopped spinach
2-3 teaspoons of garlic powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper, cracked
pinch of red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Combine 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, beaten egg and garlic powder, and red and black pepper. Set aside.

In a 9x13 inch baking dish coat the bottom of the dish with marinara sauce. Place single layer of no-boil lasagna on the sauce, covering with another thin layer of the sauce. Layer with half of the frozen chopped spinach, then half of the cheese mixture over the spinach. Repeat layers of lasagna noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Finish with more lasagna strips and cover with remaining sauce.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Uncover and top with a layer of mozzarella cheese during last 15 minutes of baking.

Rigatoni Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers, Almonds and Breadcrumbs

This is a Giada DeLaurentis recipe.  Such an easy quick dinner which is really tastey.  The only change I made to the recipe is to add a little chopped parsley for color. 

Ingredients:

1 pound rigatoni pasta

3 cups purchased garlic-flavored croutons, (about 5 ounces)

1/4 cup slivered almonds (about 1 ounce), toasted

1 cup julienned roasted red bell peppers

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley 

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl.
Place the croutons and the almonds in a food processor. Pulse until it becomes the texture of bread crumbs. Add the crouton and almond mixture to the hot pasta. Add the peppers, olive oil and parsley. Toss to combine and serve.