Lemon Basil Pasta by Alicia

I made this dish for Tyler and I the other night and it turned out great! It was very light and flavorful, perfect for a night in!

Lemon Basil Pasta

What you need:

1 lb. pasta (any kind really!)

1 can white kidney beans

1 cup basil leaves (fresh)

1/2 lemon

3 Tbs olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

What to do:

1. cook pasta... add beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time

2. Drain 1/2 of water, keep other half for use later

3. Shred (finely) lemon peel from lemon

4. In a skillet, heat oil and cook grated lemon for 2 minutes until golden in color

5. In a food processor, combine lemon peel, basil, 2 Tb olive oil, juice from lemon half, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper... process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 Tb at a time until desired consistency

6. Toss pasta with dressing and serve!

Serves:4

Muskoglia-- recipe from my mom

We grew up having this casserole, it is so good and Tyler loves it!!

Muskoglia

What you need:

- 1 box of macaroni noodles

- 2 cans of tomato soup

- 1 large can of peas (do not drain)

- 1 lb. of hamburger meat

- cheddar cheese

-salt and pepper to taste

-2 celery stalks

- 1/4 c. onion

-Brown hamburger meat in a pan on the stove

- cook noodles until al dente

-Combine all ingredients into large baking dish (except cheese), sprinkle cheese over the top

- Bake at 350 degrees for an hour

-uncover and continue to bake for another 15 minutes

-Let cool and enjoy!

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce by Martha Stewart

Another one!

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, (about 15 halves)
• 6 sheets no-boil manicotti
• 1 sixteen-ounce container nonfat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped plus 1 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce
• 3 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes in small bowl; cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Dry with paper towel, and cut into 1/4-inch dice; transfer to medium bowl.
2. Fill baking dish with very hot water; place manicotti sheets, one at a time, in water. Let stand 10 minutes until softened.
3. To tomatoes, add ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine. On a clean work surface, place one sheet of manicotti lengthwise. Spoon about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture along front edge; roll to form cylinder. Repeat filling-and-rolling process on all manicotti. Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive-oil spray; spoon about 1/4 cup tomato sauce on bottom.
4. Transfer manicotti to the dish in a single layer; cover with remaining 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with foil; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with remaining teaspoon parsley.

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage by Martha Stewart

Another recipe possibility for company!

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage 

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup vodka (optional)
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes with juice, lightly crushed with hands
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 6 ounces fontina cheese, 4 ounces cut into 1/2-inch cubes and 2 ounces coarsely grated
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic. Remove from heat; add vodka, if desired. Return to heat; cook until almost evaporated, 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomatoes and oregano; cook until tomatoes are falling apart, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cream; cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Add spinach, and cook just until wilted. Drain, and return contents to pot.
4. Add tomato sauce, sausage, and cubed fontina to pot; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between two shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dishes.
5. Top with grated fontina and Parmesan. Bake until browned and edges are crisp, 20 to 30 minutes.

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce by Martha Stewart

I am searching for a yummy dinner to make for friends this weekend, here is one I picked out that might be a good choice!

Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 slice white sandwich bread, crumbled
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree

Directions

1. Place chicken thighs in a food processor, and pulse until meat is coarsely ground.
2. Add bread, milk, egg white, cheese, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until meat is finely ground.
3. With moistened hands, shape mixture into 12 meatballs. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and puree, breaking them up with your fingers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover, and cook 15 minutes. Uncover; simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes more.

Stuffed Shells with Spinach, Sour Cream and Cheese by Alicia

I had left over ingredients and decided to make stuffed shells last night, they were really good!

Stuffed Shells with Spinach, Sour Cream and Cheese

What you need:

- Large Stuffed Shells (I used 1/2 a box for 2 people)

- Container of Ricotta Cheese

- Frozen package of  chopped spinach

- Mexican Cheese (1/2 a bag)

- 1 small container of sour cream

- chives (2 bunches)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Boil water for shells, add shells, cook until el dente

3. thaw spinach and drain excess water

4. In a large bowl, add spinach (drained), sour cream (just enough to saturate spinach so might only need 3/4 container), ricotta cheese (again enough to saturate), and chives.. mix together

5. Once shells are cooked and drained, hold open shells with two fingers and spoon spinach mixture into shell

6. Place stuffed shells in a large glass baking dish

7. Cover shells with a red pasta sauce and a couple handfuls of Mexican Cheese

8. Cook about 20 minutes

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Pasta by Homemade by Holman

I saw this recipe on a friend's blog and had to laugh.. we have been looking for a recipe that uses chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.. we had a huge can of leftover ones from last week, couldn't find a good recipe, and threw them away! Wish I had them now!

Chipotle Chicken Pasta

2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 T olive oil

1 lb farfalle pasta

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 chipotle pepper + 1 T of adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Trim fat from chicken breasts and cut into bite-size pieces.  Combine lime juice, 1/2 of minced garlic, 1/2 of cilantro, chili powder, and salt and mix together.  Pour over chicken to coat and marinate chicken about 30 minutes. 

Heat a large pot of water to boiling.  Add generous amount of salt and add pasta.  Cook according to package directions until al dente.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, add olive oil to large saute pan and heat over medium heat.  Add chicken, bell peppers, onions and remaining garlic and cook about 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened.  Add chicken stock and chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and cook until stock is reduced by about 1/3.  Reduce heat to low and add cream and cheese.  Stir to combine and return pasta to sauce pan and toss to evenly coat with sauce.  Cook about 5 minutes and top with remaining cilantro and serve.

update 12/21/11...
Finally got a chance to make this dish for Tyler and he loved it!

Tomato and Basil Pasta by Martha Stewart

Another favorite of ours!

Tomato and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 pound cooked and drained short pasta (such as campanelle)
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 pound burrata (igourmet.com) or mozzarella cheese
• Small basil leaves

Directions

1. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss in cooked and drained pasta. Tear tomatoes and cheese; scatter over pasta. Garnish with basil leaves, and sprinkle with pepper.

Tortellini Salad by Yellow Song Bird

This looks so good! I love tortellini!

Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

Vegetables ((zucchini, squash, bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, you name it!))
Pesto ((or ingredients to make your own, it's SO easy!))
Tortellini ((I buy the Buitoni kind that has cheese in it in the dairy section, but for a cheaper meal, just boxed pasta will do!))
Chicken Breasts 
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan 


Preparation:
-Chop vegetables 


-Heat up olive oil in skillet and cook veggies until they are browned a little and cooked through. I also season mine with some garlic salt.

-Once the veggies are done, put in bowl and set aside.

-Boil water and prepare pasta as shown on package.  

-Heat up more olive oil and season chicken with italian seasoning, garlic salt, and salt/pepper.

While the pasta & chicken are cooking, this is when I make my pesto. Toss some basil leaves, pine nuts, chopped garlic, parmesan cheese,  and olive oil into food processor and add olive oil until it is desired consistency.

-Slice or cube the chicken

-Drain the pasta

-Toss pesto, chicken, veggies, and pasta together in large bowl. Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle with fresh parmesan. 

Spinach Artichoke Pasta by Heat the Oven to 350

Love to try this!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients:

1 (13 oz) box shell pasta
1 tsp butter
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 8 oz package reduced fat (not fat free) cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and chopped
10 oz chopped, frozen spinach, thawed, with as much excess water squeezed out as possible
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (optional)
Additional Parmesan for serving

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Slowly stir in milk, then add lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan cheese and chicken (if using).

3. Drain pasta and add to artichoke mix. Toss and season to taste with salt and additional lemon juice as needed. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells by Joelen's Blog

Great for a dinner party!

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese by One Fine Cookie

This looks so good for a cold, rainy day!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

What you need:

For the Chicken

-4 chicken breasts

-about 1-2 cups of flour

-panko bread crumbs OR regular bread crumbs (I like to either buy the ones with seasoning, or add my own seasoning)

-about 1 1/2-2 cups of buttermilk OR one egg

-a drizzle of buffalo sauce (Frank’s works well)

  

For the Macaroni & Cheese

- 6 ¼ cups of elbow macaroni pasta

- ³/4 cup of buffalo sauce, plus about another 1 cup (I like it to taste very flavorful and slightly spicy, so I purchase both regular and hot buffalo sauce for the recipe)

- 2/3 cup of sour cream

- 2 ¹/3 cups of heavy cream

- 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons of butter (this should be cut into 4 tablespoons, 4 tablespoons, and 3 tablespoons)

- 2 teaspoons of flour

-2 tablespoons of flour

 - 8 oz of pepper jack cheese

- 1 ½ pounds, or 24 oz of orange cheddar cheese (Use good quality cheeses from either a cheese shop, gourmet food store, or the nicer cheese section by the deli and produce. Not cracker barrel, or Kraft.)

-2 small onions, diced finely

-3-4 stalks of celery, dice finely

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1  ¹/8 cup of panko bread crumbs (I like to either buy the ones with seasoning, or add my own seasoning)

- ½ cup of crumbled blue cheese

- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

For blue cheese dressing

 - 2 oz or ¼ cup of blue cheese (crumbled)

- 1 tablespoon of cream & ½ tablespoon of milk OR 1 ½ tablespoons of half and half

- 1 ½ cups of mayonnaise

-  a dash of salt and a couple of dashes of pepper,  to taste

- 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

For step by step directions visit:

http://www.1finecookie.com/2011/05/seans-buffalo-macaroni-and-cheese-the-reason-we-live/