Elbow Macaroni with Crispy Breadcrumbs & Broccoli

I found this recipe in the Food Network magazine and it stood out because the pasta wasn't in a heavy sauce. This was a really good dish and I'd definitely make this again. The breadcrumb mixture really made the pasta good and added an extra kick with the pepper flakes. I substituted the regular pasta with gluten-free pasta because I've been trying to cut back on my carbs and the gluten-free pasta is a lot healthier. I chose the quinoa pasta and this was my first time making it-I think I overcooked my pasta a tad but all in all it tasted just like regular pasta. I also added 2 more cloves of garlic than what was called for, because everyone knows you can never have too much garlic! I think you could actually use the breadcrumb mixture over any type of pasta-I could definitely play around with this recipe in other ways!

Elbow Macaroni with Crispy Breadcrumbs & Broccoli (4-6 servings) (Food Network):

Salt
6 tbsp EVOO, plus more for drizzling
1/2 c panko
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 c elbow macaroni
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I used 3 cloves)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 c chicken stock
1 c freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in large skillet over med, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until they are crisp and golden, 4-5 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Scrape into a small bowl and toss with the lemon zest and parsley and then season with salt.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to pkg directions until al dente while you make the sauce. Wipe out the skillet used to toast the breadcrumbs and return it to med-high heat. Add the remaining 4 tbsp oil and when oil is hot, add the broccoli and toss to coat. Saute until it turns bright green, 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute, then pour in the stock. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 5-6 minutes.

When pasta is done, scoop it out of the water with a small strainer and add directly to the sauce, reserving the pasta water. Simmer the pasta with the sauce just to blend the flavors, 1-2 more minutes, then drizzle with a tbsp or so of oil and toss again If sauce seems too dry, add up to 1/2 c pasta water. Off heat, stir in the cheese. Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Enjoy!




Breadcrumb mixture...






Pasta stirred into sauce...






Enjoy!...

Pappardelle Pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano Cream Sauce

I was in the process of going through my apartment and getting rid of food I wasn't going to take with me on my move and found a bag of pappardelle noodles. I was going to cut back on my pasta eating once I moved so I thought I'd find a good recipe to use them with before then. I found this recipe on Pinterest. Sounded pretty easy to make and it was. I added some diced chicken to mine to make it a full meal. Not sure if I'd make this again with zucchini noodles though since the sauce was really heavy but it had a really good flavor. Maybe if I found a substitute for the heavy cream...

Pappardelle Pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano Cream Sauce (4-6 servings):

Bag of pappardelle pasta
2 c parmigiano-reggiano, plus more to serve
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 large pinch pepper
1 small pinch nutmeg
Salt to taste

Cook pappardelle in salted boiling water according to pkg directions. Reserve 1/2 c of cooking water. In large skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Stir until melted and then add the heavy cream. Let the butter and cream simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (should coat the back of a spoon).

Slowly add the grated parmesan, until desired consistency. Bring back to boil, stirring constantly, until cheese is fully incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Add the noodles to the skillet, stirring to coat evenly. Add enough of the reserved cooking water to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency. Top with more cheese and enjoy!


Butter and cream simmering...




Cheese simmering...




Pasta added to sauce...




Enjoy!

Italian Chopped Salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I have been looking for good salads to take to work with me lately and I found this one and thought it would be easy enough to make. It was definitely easy and it looks like you could add pretty much whatever you want, to your liking. I added more pepperoncinis to mine and also added the rest of the bag of the mini pepperoni for more meat. I left out the artichoke hearts since I'm not a big fan. All in all, this salad was really really good! It lasted through 3 lunches at work and I'm eating the last of it for dinner tonight.

Italian Chopped Salad (8 servings):

*Dressing
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dry Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 c olive oil

*Salad
1 c ditalini or other small pasta
3 c chopped romaine hearts
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (7.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 c grape tomatoes, quartered
1 c cubed salami
1 c cubed Provolone
3/4 c chopped cucumber
1/2 c mini pepperoni
1/2 c sliced green onions
Pepperoncini peppers

To make dressing: Combine all the ingredients except the salt, pepper and olive oil in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend to combine. Slowly stream in the olive oil to combine. Alternately, add all the ingredients to a jar and shake until completely combined and slightly thickened.

For salad: Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, salami, cheese, cucumber, pepperoni and green onions. Top with desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. (I only added the dressing before I ate each serving to make sure the salad wasn't soggy!)

Serve the salad topped with desired amount of pepperoncini. Enjoy!




Dressing after it has been blended...






Enjoy!...

Jeremiah's Pasta

A good friend of mine introduced this pasta to me last summer. He made it a couple of times whenever we would BBQ. Super easy yet so good at the same time! My work had a holiday potluck a couple weeks ago and I wanted to make something that could sit in the fridge and still be good for lunch so I decided to make this. He usually puts diced black olives in his pasta but I can't stand olives so I substituted mild banana peppers and it still tasted so good!

Jeremiah's Pasta Salad (8-10 servings):

1 box of spiral pasta
1/2 block provolone cheese, cubed
1/2 pkg miniature pepperoni (or regular pepperoni, sliced in half)
1/2 c mild banana peppers, or more to taste (or 1 small can of diced olives)
1 bottle Italian dressing, more for serving

Heat salted water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place pasta in large bowl. Add cheese, pepperoni and banana peppers; stir to combine. Add the entire bottle of dressing and stir to mix. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, mix pasta salad and serve with more Italian dressing (salad may get dry).




Enjoy!...

Cheesy Orzo

This is a super easy dish to make and I make it often when I'm not in the mood to cook something new or something complicated. I usually eat it with some kind of meat on top. I've eaten it with Schwan's individual roast beef and lately with Trader Joe's turkey meatballs. A nice, simple meal!

Cheesy Orzo (1-2 servings):

1 c dry orzo
1/4 c shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp softened butter
Meat of your choice

Bring salted water to boiling. Add the orzo and boil 9 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the butter and stir util the butter melts. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Add the garlic powder and pepper and stir to mix. Add your choice of meat and enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Turkey Florentine Skillet Lasagna

I found this recipe in a Weight Watcher's magazine. Instead of using a skillet, I used a 9x13-inch glass dish and I baked mine in the oven at 350. I also didn't have enough noodles so I used 3 for the first 2 layers and had 2 extra noodles, which I placed on top. Super easy to make and it had a lot of flavor. I'll definitely make this again!

Turkey Florentine Skillet Lasagna (8 servings) (8 points):

Cooking spray
1 c chopped onion
1/4 lb ground turkey bread
1 (16 oz) carton cottage cheese
4 c tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
10 pkg precooked lasagna noodles
6 c shredded 6-Cheese Italian blend cheese

Heat large skillet over med-high. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey to pan; cook 4 min or until turkey is browned and onion is tender, stirring frequently to crumble turkey. While turkey and onion cook, place cottage cheese in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Add 3 c pasta sauce and spinach to turkey mixture. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add 1 c pasta sauce to dish. Top with 5 (or 3) noodles, half of turkey mixture, half of cottage cheese and half of cheese blend. Repeat with remaining noodles, turkey mixture, cottage cheese and cheese blend. Cover and cook over med heat 8 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!




Meat filling...






Noodles on the sauce...






Filling and cheese...






From the oven...






Enjoy!...

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

I found this recipe on Pinterest via www.cookingclassy.com I made a small alternation. I can't digest ricotta cheese very well so instead of ricotta I used cottage cheese and blended it to make it a little thicker. I also added some pepperoni slices to half of the noodles. It was a little bit of a process to prep and put everything together but it was all worth it. The lasagna was really tasty and I'll definitely make this again! I also used toothpicks to secure the rolls. I don't have an 11x7 inch dish so I used my 8x8 inch dish.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups (8 servings) (WW 8 pts without the pepperoni, 12 with the pepperoni)

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
14 oz freshly shredded, low-sodium part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 c cottage cheese (or ricotta if you prefer)
1 large egg white
1/3 c freshly, finely shredded parmesan cheese (I used parmigiano-reggiano)
3-4 medium roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
14 slices of pepperoni, if using
1/4 c chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 c marinara sauce, recipe follows

*Marinara Sauce

2 tbsp EVOO
1/4 c finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

*For Marinara Sauce: Heat oil in saucepan over med-high. Add onion to hot oil and saute about 3 minutes, until soft, adding garlic during last minute of cooking. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20-25 minutes, allowing some of the water in the evaporated tomatoes to evaporate, while you prepare the noodles and filling.

*Lasagna: Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta four pieces at a time for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta and align four noodles at a time on parchment or wax paper.

For filling, in large mixing bowl, whisk together cottage cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz of mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste.

Place 1/4 c of cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. (I found that using my hands worked a lot better.) Place 3-4 tomato slices over cheese mixture and then sprinkle fresh basil over the top of each noodle. (Since I also used some pepperoni, I put pepperoni slices on four of the noodles and sprinkled basil on top.)

Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end; secure with toothpicks as needed. Spread about 1/4 c sauce in bottom of dish. Place lasagna rolls up into the dish. Top each roll with about 2 tbsp of the sauce so they don't dry out while baking. Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. I placed a sheet of foil on my dish since I was using a smaller dish. After 30 minutes, I took the foil off and put it back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove toothpicks and serve.




All marinara ingredients added...






Noodles boiling...






Filling mixed together...






Thickened marinara sauce...






Noodles ready to be filled and rolled...






Noodles layered with fillings...






All rolls securely in dish...






Extra mozzarella cheese on top...






Fresh from the oven...






Enjoy!...

'Ghetto' Spaghetti

I got this recipe from a guy I used to date a couple years ago. He made it up one night after we were hanging out and we were starving but there wasn't much food in the house. He wanted to make spaghetti but didn't have any spaghetti sauce. So he improvised and used Italian dressing instead and named it 'Ghetto' Spaghetti. Dumb name lol but it works and every time I make it now I think of him. When I was planning my trip to Vegas, my friend asked what kinds of food I wanted and I mentioned this spaghetti, not even realizing she had no idea what I meant! But she said she tried it and said she loved it. It's a simple meal to make when I don't really feel like cooking and it's delicious! I don't have actual measurements..it's pretty much made to your taste.

Cooked spaghetti noodles
1 tbsp butter
Italian dressing
Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Combine the butter with the noodles as soon as they are done being drained so the butter melts into the noodles. Add as much or as little dressing as you like and top with however much cheese you want. Mix it all up and enjoy!




Enjoy!...

Parmesan Garlic Orzo

I was perusing around on Pinterest tonight (yes I know I may be slightly obsessed!) and came across this recipe via www.allrecipes.com I've had some left over orzo for a while now that I didn't really know what to do with and this sounded perfect. And I even had all the other ingredients so I knew I had to make it tonight. I made it as a side dish but I think it would also be good to add some chicken in it to make it a main dish. I also added more garlic than the recipe calls for but I love garlic so it tasted fine to me. I'll definitely be making this dish again!

Find the recipe here




All the ingredients...






Garlic & butter...






Everything mixed together...






Enjoy!...

Brown Butter Gnocchi with Sage and Blue Cheese Stuffed Bread

Bear with me...I have a couple other recipes I wanted to share but they are on my other computer..the one that shut down on me and started to smoke! My cousin is hopefully going to be able to save some of those pictures so I can use them later. In the meantime, I have other recipes to share and more to come later this week/early next week.

I made this recipe a couple weeks ago. I found this recipe among my many recipes on my computer (hopefully my cousin can save those as well since I didn't back those up!) and I have no idea where it came from. The recipe originally called for homemade gnocchi but since I have several packages of pre-made gnocchi, I decided to use one of them. I also added some garlic powder to my butter for a little more flavor, instead of salt and pepper. As for the bread, I got the idea on Pinterest. I had a Pillsbury pkg of French bread, so I used that.

The gnocchi turned out amazing and I would definitely make this recipe again. Browning the gnocchi after it cooks is the key to this recipe. It makes the gnocchi have a little crunch on the outside and the result is excellent!

For the bread, I laid down a piece of tinfoil onto a jelly-roll pan and sprayed the pan with cooking spray. After I took the bread out of it's pkg, I cut slits in it, making sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom. I melted about a tbsp of butter and brushed some butter on the dough. My mom had gotten me a big chunk of blue cheese from her co-op by her place and I love the stuff. It spreads like butter and it tastes amazing. I cut off a big chunk of it and crumbled it. I put several chunks into each slit I made into the dough. After, I brushed the bread with some more melted butter.

I baked the bread according to the pkg directions and kept an eye on it as well. The results were really good, although when I make this again, I am going to use a lot more cheese!


Chunk of blue cheese...






Bread dough with butter & blue cheese....






Baked bread...






Gnocchi (4 servings):

Pkg of gnocchi of your choice or flavor
10 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 c thinly sliced fresh sage
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
Garlic powder, to taste

Cook 8 tbsp butter (I used unsalted mainly because I didn't have enough salted butter) in med skillet over med-high until butter begins to brown, about 4 min. This proved to be a little challenging since the butter foams as it cooks and it's hard to see if it's browning so use your best judgement here. Add sage and lemon peel. Season with garlic powder or salt and pepper to taste. And yes you have to taste the butter to see if it needs more seasoning. Take the butter off the heat and place in a non-reactive bowl.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter in large skillet; remove from heat. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add gnocchi; cook until gnocchi float to surface, then cook 1 min longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet with unseasoned butter (the 2 tbsp of butter). Saute gnocchi over med-low until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Once browned, add the seasoned butter to the skillet with the gnocchi and heat through, 2-3 min.

To serve, spoon gnocchi, with the butter, onto plates with some sliced blue cheese bread and enjoy!




Pkg of gnocchi I used...






Zested lemon and chopped sage...






Browning the gnocchi...






Ready to serve...






Enjoy!

Shrimp Orzo with Feta

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine. I had all the ingredients on hand with the exception of the tomatoes. I have several recipes using orzo but I have never made it before. I had it in my cupboard for the longest time but not knowing what I should do with it until I came across this recipe. When I first tried it, I wasn't so sure I liked it but the more I ate it the more I liked it. It has a sort of Mediterranean flavor to it. I think I would make it again. A couple things I noticed while eating it...it could have used more lemon juice and cheese so I added some extras to my bowl.

Shrimp Orzo with Feta (4 servings):
1 1/4 c uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp oil
2 med tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/4 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese (I only had gorgonzola on hand)

Cook orzo according to pkg direction. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute garlic in oil for 1 min. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in shrimp. Simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 min or until shrimp turn pink. (At this point I had to switch everything over to my Dutch oven, because the skillet I was using wasn't big enough.) Drain orzo. Add orzo, cilantro and pepper to shrimp mixture; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese.

Cooked orzo...

Tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice simmering...

Everything combined...

My portion... Enjoy!

Easy Noodle Soup

I love making chicken noodle soup, sans the chicken and this recipe is super easy, as long as you have green onions, carrots, chicken granules and noodles! Plus, you can easily add anything else you want to add to it. I like this combination the best. This is my go-to meal when I'm not feeling good, like tonight, or just for an easy dinner.

Ingredients:

6 cups water + 6 tsp chicken granules
Handful sliced carrots
4-5 green onions, sliced thinly
2 handfuls of frozen egg noodles

Heat water and veggies to boiling. Add noodles and cook 12 minutes.


Veggies and broth simmering...




The noodles I use...




Enjoy!

Summer Spaghetti Salad

My mom used to make this dish for family get togethers...it makes quite a batch so it's good for potlucks and such. I'm bringing mine to a work potluck for dinner tomorrow night. It comes from Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (16 oz.) spaghetti
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, halved and diced
3 small zucchini, diced (I forgot to buy zucchini so I used 3 bell peppers)
1 medium green pepper, diced (I used red instead)
1 medium sweet pepper, diced
1 medium orange pepper, diced (this is the extra pepper I used since I forgot the zucchini)
1 bottle (8 oz.) Italian salad dressing
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Cook spaghetti according to pkg directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

I have issues with dicing..I can never get them small enough so I use this little contraption. It takes a little longer, but it gets all the pieces nice and tiny.


3 bell peppers:

Diced bell peppers:

4 tomatoes (for some reason my computer randomly turns certain pictures on their sides!)-I only used 3:

Diced tomatoes:

Add all veggies to spaghetti and mix/fold in well.

Italian dressing: I picked up a 16 oz bottle and only used half. Make sure to keep the other half for when you are ready to eat the salad.

3 spices:

For dressing: Mix together dressing, spices and Parmesan cheese. Then pour over the noodles and veggies.

Pour dressing over spaghetti/veggie mixture and fold in well. Refrigerate an hour before serving or overnight. Just before serving, mix up spaghetti mixture well....you may have to add some more Italian dressing if it looks too dry. Refrigerate leftovers.

Enjoy!