Baked Tortellini

I always have these great and grand plans to make the fabulous recipes that I have pinned on Pinterest or stumbled across and printed from the internet when I go grocery shopping. Then, real life happens and I come home from work tired and grouchy, or I'm the only one home to feed and cooking doesn't sound nearly as fun. So then, because I was such a good little grocery shopper and followed my carefully planned menu from my wish list of recipes I'm quite often left with ingredients that I am too tired to use as they were originally intended. This package of tortellini was in this category.

For whatever reason my kids have never really like spaghetti in any variety. I've tried different shaped noodles, tortellini, ravioli etc with sauce but it isn't ever received with loud shouts of praise. But, they do like lasagna type dishes. So, I dug through the pantry and refrigerator and did a dump and hope for the best kind of dinner. It was pretty tasty and for the energy challenged after work it was a win. It was good for lunches the next day too! Bonus!

Baked Tortellini

1 package refrigerated tortellini
1 jar marinara sauce
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 T. Italian seasoning
1 cup Ricotta cheese
2 cups Mozzarella cheese or Italian Blend

• Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain well. 
• In a med saucepan mix sauce, tomato sauce and seasoning and heat through. Pour over pasta and mix well.
• In a prepared 9 x 13 baking dish layer half the tortellini, the ricotta cheese, a good handful of mozzarella cheese and the remaining pasta. 
• Top the pasta with the rest of the mozzarella.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is gooey and melted.

Fettucini Carbonara

Soooo, I've been away so long that Blogger changed their format and now I'm completely confused. It's like starting over with the blogging thing. I have a bad habit of dropping things that I'm not good at but I'm going to try to persevere and figure this out. Surely I'm that smart, right??

I happened to have a few minutes of  "I need to take a brain break" time today and clicked on my Pioneer Woman bookmark. I love to spend hours catching up on PW's recipes, pictures and random thoughts but haven't had time to do that recently. Luckily for me the most recent post was one for Pasta Carbonara and I just happened to be in need of a dinner plan. I had all the ingredients in the fridge so it must have been destiny.

The first time I saw anything in a Carbonara sauce was on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. I love, love, love seeing all the different foods and places that they feature around the country. Anyway, I was intrigued but the instructions were a little bit too hazy for me to feel comfortable just winging so I didn't attempt it. Then I saw it again on The Best Thing I Ever Ate...and again on Rachel Ray. Then AGAIN today!! I printed the recipe out and went merrily on my way. I did lighten it up a bit by using Half and Half instead of heavy cream but I'm not convinced that it made a big enough difference nutritionally to do it again. It would be thicker with cream so use what you have. I wouldn't recommend using pregrated Parmesan (I'm something of a cheese snob) but it would probably work just fine.

Fettucini Carbonara
Serves 6
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

12 oz Fettucini
8 slices thick cut bacon, chopped into pieces
1/2 medium onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole eggs
3/4 c. grated Parmesan (grate your own if you can)
3/4 c. half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste (we like lots of pepper)
2/3 c. green peas

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, fry the bacon in heavy pan until barely crispy. Don't over cook. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Pour bacon grease from pan and turn heat to med low-ish. Cook onions and garlic until golden brown. Set those aside too.
3. Combine eggs and half and half and mix well. Add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Mix all together and set aside.
4. Microwave peas for 1 minute; just until thawed.
5. Drain pasta (reserve 1 c. pasta water) and put in a large bowl. While pasta is hot, slowly drizzle egg mixture into noodles while stirring constantly. The sauce will start to thicken as the eggs cook and you stir. Halfway through add bacon, onions, and peas. Finish adding the last of the egg mixture and stir until combined.
6. Serve with additional Parmesan (lots)

Mac and Cheese

We are kind of mac and cheese snobs at our house. Well....maybe the truth is I'M a mac and cheese snob. I just can't bring myself to get on board with the blue box of yellow death that is the staple of newlyweds and students everywhere. This tendency I blame squarely on my mother. I didn't ever have box mac and cheese until I was in high school...or maybe I was even married...at any rate I don't like it and avoid it at all costs.

I've made many variations of mac and cheese over the years and haven't ever really found the perfect recipe. They are all good and most have been made more than once but I am still always looking for the perfect combination. This could be the one. It was good creamy, straight out of the pot and also after being baked. That is huge in my book. It was even pretty good reheated when most mac and cheeses are at their leftover worst.

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe so I wasn't consumed with tweaking it to death. I haven't made anything from her book or blog that wasn't good. This recipe falls into that category as well. Yum. Try it, you may not eat yellow death voluntarily again either!

Mac and Cheese
The Pioneer Woman-Food Network 

Ingredients

• 4 cups dried macaroni
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated (not pre-grated cheese), plus more for baking
• Salt
• Seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in the milk, add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cherry Tomato Orzo Salad

I had a family reunion the other day and had every intention of baking some super cute cupcakes to take. Then I tried to chop my finger off with some sewing shears and had to have a tetanus shot. That really cramped my style with the whole fever, finger glued back together on the left side and crippled shot arm on the right side. Stupid scissors anyway! Maybe someday I will learn how to use big girl scissors but that's not any time soon apparently. :)

I still needed something to take to the luncheon so I rummaged through the pantry in a panic. My mom would have frowned on showing up empty handed, a "gently smiled on the outside but you know she's rolling her eyes on the inside" kind of mom frown but the guilt would have killed me...I don't know how she does it. I've obviously not perfected that look because my kids would totally show up without the assigned dish and be alright with it. Maybe what I haven't perfected is that "Aw shucks mom I know I didn't do what you asked but I'm cute and so you love me anyway" look. I'm thinking if I haven't figured that out by now I should just stick with doing what I'm told.

I found some Orzo pasta that I had bought one day thinking I was going to attempt something Greek, I don't even remember what, but it obviously never actually happened. That was intriguing and I had some grape tomatoes in the fridge. I ran out to my neighbor's garden (Hi Alice!!) and "helped" her pick some of her cute orange cherry tomatoes cause I know she likes to share and I was in business. This was a super easy salad. It had a really clean, not too fussy taste and for those at my house that don't care for Italian dressings this was a good alternative. B doctored hers up with Salad Seasoning when she ate it at home and it was good that way as well. Definitely a do again!!

Cherry Tomato Orzo Salad
Serves 10

1/2 box Orzo pasta cooked to al dente.
1 pt grape tomatoes, halved
1 pt orange cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large cucumber, diced
2 T. chopped fresh oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. olive oil
Black Pepper
1 c. Feta cheese

1. Cook pasta and drain well.
2. Add tomatoes and cucumber and mix.
3. In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, oil and pepper to taste.
4. Drizzle over the pasta and mix in gently.
5. Just before serving fold the cheese into the salad.

Sweet Home Spaghetti

We aren't real spaghetti eaters around here...I don't know whether it's the shape of the noodles or what. We like lasagna so the basic taste doesn't seem to be the problem but at any rate it isn't a dish that we eat very often. I saw this variation on Taste and Tell and thought it looked interesting and like something that maybe would go over better than the traditional spaghetti for a change.

Randy and I liked it, Jeff was not sold on it at all so I'm going to chalk it up to it really comes down to your own individual taste. I have a feeling it will be making a reappearance because honestly I really, really liked it and am looking forward to the leftovers....sorry Jeff. :) I loved the easy prep. Use whatever spaghetti sauce you have on hand, I had Hunt's Traditional so that's what we got. I did adjust the proportions a bit to fit the size of our family from the original recipe but that was the only change I made.

Sweet Home Spaghetti
adapted from Taste and Tell
from the Reluctant Entertainer

1 pound ground beef
1 med sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 (24 oz) jars Italian spaghetti sauce*
1/3 cup sugar, to taste
1 pound dry pasta
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1. Cook the meat until browned and cooked through and drain, if needed.
2. In a separate pan, saute the onion in the olive oil. Add the cooked meat, the sauce and the sugar. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. In the mean time, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain. Mix the sauce with the pasta in a large bowl. Serve with grated Parmesan.

BBQ Pasta Salad

Once again I found myself needing a salad for a family dinner this morning and I wanted to do something different. I know, the ABC Shrimp Salad is a perennial favorite but I just wasn't feeling it today. I was watching Food Network again while I was sick this past week and the Neelys made a version of this salad on their show. I was intrigued with the dressing, I love BBQ sauce on just about everything so how wrong could it be on pasta?? It was actually very good. Next time I'll make a bit more sauce so that it's more moist but overall this was a very, very good salad. I can see lots of options to customize it to your individual tastes. They used pulled pork on the show. I had baked chicken in the fridge so I used that instead of the pork. I also added corn and bacon. I can also see a vegetarian version using black beans being very good. I'm also going on the assumption that you can add about any vegetable that you like and it would work. The sky's the limit.

BBQ Pasta Salad
Adapted from Food Network-Down Home with the Neelys
8-10 servings


1 lb curly pasta
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup mayo
1/2 c. BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 green onions, sliced thin
8-12 oz chicken
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup corn
Salt and pepper

Bring 4 qts water to a boil in a large pot. Salt water and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and cool. Transfer to a large bowl.

In another bowl combine vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, mayo and BBQ sauce. Whisk together until smooth. Add chopped vegetables and toss to coat. Pour dressing over pasta and mix well. Add chicken and bacon. Stir in if desired.

Asian Chicken with Pasta

Sundays are sometimes the only day of the week that we all manage to meet up and eat together as a family. I grew up on roast and potatoes every week and sometimes that is still what we have but it's more frequent that I fix something that is quick and easy like this pasta.

This is a really mild tasting pasta that we all like. I can see it ramped up with spice as well with some water chestnuts and mushrooms but this is the base dish. The fact that it uses premade broccoli slaw minimizes the prep time significantly. Most people will find that they have all the ingredients in their pantry already or if you happen to be like me and find yourself without bottled balsamic dressing you can easily whip up your own and use that. That recipe is below as well and is a super easy dressing that is good on greens or as a marinade. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks if you don't use it all the first day.

Asian Chicken with Pasta
Servings 6

Ingredients:
1/2 lb uncooked angel hair pasta
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast but into 1 inch cubes
1/3 c. prepared balsmaic vinaigrette
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce
1 red pepper, julienned
1/2 c. sliced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
soy sauce to taste

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in vinaigrette until no longer pink. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. In the same skillet, saute the slaw mix, peppers and onions until tender. Add the seasonings. Stir in the chicken and teriyaki sauce. Heat through.
3. Drain pasta. Add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.

1 1/2 c. serving=Cal 320; Fat 8 g.; 4 g. fiber; 25 g. protein

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 T garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 c. olive oil

Mix altogether in either a dressing shaker or blender. Serve over greens etc.

Ranch Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta

Nothing like posting everything for the month in one day, right?

As it's January and the time of year when inevitably our thoughts turn to eating healthier I've been going through my stash of "light" cookbooks. This is from a Taste of Home cookbook that I really like. I can easily find something for dinner that doesn't have a bunch of wild ingredients and that  actually tastes like something my family would eat every time I crack it open.

I've had a ham sitting in my fridge for a couple of weeks and decided it was time to use part and freeze the rest. This is an easy recipe that is deceivingly rich tasting. Obviously you could use full fat cheese and make it super yummy but it was very tasty using the reduced fat cheese. I can't get my family to get on board the whole wheat pasta train so I just figured NI using regular pasta but you could up the fiber a bit if you went the WW route.

Jeff wasn't a fan of the Parmesan on the top. Bri doesn't really care for pasta as a general rule so she was neutral and Randy and I both thought it was pretty darned tasty so we'll be doing it again. I'm thinking you could probably swap a packet of dry Ranch seasoning for all the dried spices but it was kind of fun to throw them all in and have them come back out Ranch flavored. I felt pretty mad scientisty. :)

Ranch Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta
adapted from Taste of Home
10 1 cup servings

1 16 oz pasta (I would recommend penne, twists, or bow ties)
1 c. ham, chopped
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 c. fat free milk
2 t. dried parsley flakes
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. salt free lemon pepper seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)
1/2 t. dried minced onion
1/2 t. dill weed
1/4 t. onion powder
1/8 t. black pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 c. reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (opt)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. in a Dutch oven, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 min or until thickened. Reduce heat; fold in sour cream until blended. Add ham and pasta; cook and stir until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in mexican cheese blend until melted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Cal: 306, Fat: 9 g., Carb: 38 g., Fiber: 2 g., Protein: 20 g.

Fancy Pants Mac and Cheese

I've been eyeing this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website since it was posted. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/12/fancy-macaroni/ 
I printed out the recipe and took it to the store like a good little wanna be chef in training because I typically follow the recipe pretty closely the first time I make it. However, after pricing the cheeses listed I folded that sucker up and put it in my purse for a day that I felt a little richer. It's been kind of haunting me though. For weeks. I love mac and cheese as long as it doesn't come out of that box...just sayin'. {shudder} So, after much pondering of the contents of my fridge and a last minute call to my neighbor so she could ponder the contents of her fridge I decided to embark upon my own Fancy Pants Mac and Cheese Adventure.

Honestly, it turned out VERY good. Everyone liked it, the whole pan was almost gone after only one meal! The leftovers weren't as great so if you aren't planning on eating a bunch halving the recipe is a good plan. We really like the combination of the peppered bacon (thanks Jen!!) and the Pepper Jack cheese. It gave it a little extra zing that you don't typically find in mac and cheese and it beat that stuff out of the box hands down, no contest.

Fancy Pants Mac and Cheese
Servings 8

1 box macaroni, whatever shape
2 onions halved and sliced thin
1/2 lb peppered bacon, cut into small pieces
1 T. ish reserved bacon grease (come on, admit it, I'm not the only one that saves it in the fridge...)
1/4 c. flour
2 1/2 c. milk (this would be better with some half and half or cream)
2 whole egg yolks beaten (probably could skip this without too much trauma)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. pepper jack cheese shredded
2/3 c. Italian cheese blend (I just used what I had in the fridge)
2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook macaroni for approx 2/3 of the recommended cooking time. Drain and set aside.
3. Fry bacon just until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Reserve grease.
4. Melt 3 T butter and 1 T. bacon grease or olive oil in skillet and saute onions over medium low heat for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Really, don't rush this step, it's worth the extra couple of minutes to do it right. Set aside.
5. Melt 4 T butter with 1 T. bacon grease in pot. Sprinkle in flour and whisk together. Cook stirring constantly for about a minute (it will kind of turn a golden color). Pour in milk, cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until thick. Reduce heat to low. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Beat egg yolks and drizzle 1/4 cup hot mixture into the yolks stirring constantly. Stir until combined.Pour egg mixture into the sauce and cook for another minute.
7. Add cheeses and stir until melted.
8. Combine with onions, most of the bacon pieces and macaroni. Stir until everything is mixed well and turn into a sprayed casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining bacon on top.
9. Bake for 20 minute or until sizzling and bubbly.

Mom's Lasagne

My mom is a GREAT cook. She's made it her mission in life to fatten us all up one meal at a time, and she's good at it. One of her favorite meals that I've integrated into my own family menu is lasagne. I haven't fiddled with the recipe much at all because it is so good as is. Other than adding a few more spices and using only Italian sausage this is Mom's recipe and it's so yummy. I often make it in 2's so that I can either freeze one or take it to a neighbor for dinner. Even when you get distracted and let the cheese crisp too much it's still awesome. Eat until you are sick awesome.

Mom's Lasagne

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes or 1 quart if you are lucky enough to have bottled from your garden
handful dried minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion salt
1 1/2 T basil
1 1/2 T oregano
1 T parsley flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 carton cottage cheese
2 tsp parsley
1 egg
parmesan cheese
Mozarella cheese
8 lasagne noodles cooked

Brown meat with onion. Drain off grease. Add spices. Simmer, uncovered 40-50 min or until sauce is fairly thick.

Mix cottage cheese, egg and 2 tsp parsley together. Assemble in the following order.

Small amount meat sauce
Noodles
1/2 Meat sauce
Cottage cheese misture
Parmesan cheese
Mozarella cheese
Noodles
Remaining sauce
Mozarella
Parmesan

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 min. Remove foil and continue baking another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer the cheese browned skip the foil.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

My brother is blessing his baby tomorrow morning and my assignment is pasta salad. Now, I love the traditional pasta salad with the corkscrew pasta and lots of veggies dressed with Zesty Italian but I wanted to try something different.

This recipe has a warm lemon vinaigrette instead of the bottled dressing and it's yum. Not just a little yum but a lot YUM. Definitely a do again. This would be good with summer cucumbers and peppers too I think...

Tortellini Pasta Salad
Servings: 10

1 lb refrigerated tortellini
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
5 carrots sliced
1 can olives, halved
8 oz mozzarella chunked
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
2 lemons, zested
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 bottle McCormick Salad Supreme
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Cook the pasta per directions on package.
2. Toss pasta, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and carrots in large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. Cook over low heat for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together.
4. Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and toss.
5. Stir in grated Parmesan just before serving.

Calories: 422
Fat: 29.8
Carbohydrates: 24.9
Fiber: 2.6
Protein: 14.8