Category Archives: Pasta

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Suace with noodles and sausage

I consider this more of a “Poor Man’s Alfredo Sauce” ;) I have a hard time spending $6-$8 on a small hunk of Parmesan cheese when I can buy a large amount of cheese for the same price. So I’m always looking for ways to modify recipes to make them more affordable, and still taste good. This particular recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of fresh grated Parmesan cheese which I substituted with sharp cheddar, it turned out very smooth and tasty, and seemed very much like an Alfredo sauce. I was highly impressed with the flavor compared with that I have purchased from a jar, and it was not much more difficult than just heating up a jar of prepared sauce, and I know what’s in it! I hope your family enjoys this sauce as much as we did!

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Whole Wheat Egg Noodles Recipe

I made these tonight to go with my chicken noodle soup and they were actually really good. I used all whole wheat flour, but I think the texture would be better if you used some white flour. I rolled them out myself and I was surprised how quick and easy it was. Because I only had one egg I went ahead and made a 1/3 batch and it was plenty for a big batch of chicken noodle soup.

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Chicken And Pasta Salad With Feta Cheese for Summers

Going to try a variation of this tonight. Hopefully pictures to follow!

Chicken And Pasta Salad With Feta Cheese for Summers

1/2 lb penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup black olives, pitted
8 cups spinach, rinsed and stemmed
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, grilled and diced

1. Cook and drain the pasta, Set aside.
2. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic and basil.
3. Toss with the pasta.
4. Add the tomatoes, feta and olives.
5. Chill for 1 hour.
6. Arrange the spinach on 4 plates.
7. Top with the pasta salad.
8. Add the chicken.
9. Garnish with more feta and sliced red onions (optional).

4 servings
1 hour 30 minutes 15 mins prep (includes 60 minute to chill).

Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion ,chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-8 oz cans tomato sauce
2/3 C water
1-6 oz can tomato paste
1 t salt
1 t dried oregano
9 dry lasagna noodles (whole wheat works well)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1

Real Itallian Spahgetti Sauce in the Crock Pot

Real Itallian Spahgetti Sauce in the Crock Pot

My mother learned to cook in New York from a true itallian cook She
taught her that slow cooked sauce is the trick. Even before
crockpots my mom would cook the sauce all day long. For three
generations now we have enjoyed the memory of coming home to
spaghetti sauce cooking in the crockpot.

2 can of tomatoe puree,lg can or sauce or a mix of puree and tomatoes
or puree and sauce (we prefer the puree only because we like our
sauce thick)
1 lb ground meat
1 lb pepperoni, or polska kilbasa or similar sausage
1 small zuchinni (this is prefrence we just like it in our sauce)
onions to taste
garlic to taste

no salt should be needed if using canned puree or sauce
itallian seasoning to taste (I usually cover the whole top service
with the seasoning) but this is just what your family likes
And that is it just let it slow cook all day or night, I like to do
it all night then I have it made for lunch the next day.
The leftover makes wonderful pizza sauce as well that is why I make
so much. If you prefer you can cut back to the amount your family
would use.

Slow Cooker Lasanga

Slow Cooker Lasanga

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion ,chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-8 oz cans tomato sauce
2/3 C water
1-6 oz can tomato paste
1 t salt
1 t dried oregano
9 dry lasagna noodles (whole wheat works well)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1

Chicken Tetrazzini – Kim

Chicken Tetrazzini

This is a good freezer recipe. Eat one and freeze the other for another night.

Serving Size: 12 (makes 2 full meals)

12 oz spaghetti
1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10 oz milk
3 cups chicken, cooked, diced
Bread crumbs, if desired

Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain. Saut

Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto

Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto

One of the quickest pesto sauces you’ll come across and a perfect match for cheese tortellini.

Prep. time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 12 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup lightly packed flat leaf parsley, with thick stems removed
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound fresh or frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

In a food processor or blender, pulse the walnuts, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, oil, salt, and pepper to a coarse puree.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until just done, about 4 minutes for fresh and 12 minutes for frozen. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the tortellini. Toss with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the walnut pesto, and the butter. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan and pass more at the table.

Tips Wine Recommendation: Look for a crisp, acidic white wine to cut through the richness of the walnuts. A sauvignon blanc from either California or New Zealand would be suitable.

Lasagna – Nicole

Lasagna is a good dish too, and it freezes well. If you make up huge batch of sauce you can alway use it for multiple dishes (speghetti, raviolies, calazone, ect.) If you use the kind of noodles that you don’t need to pre-boil it really doesn’t take that much time to put together. Throw some of that pre-cooked hamburger meet in a crockpot with some Ragu and a few bay leaves, and garlic and let it cook on low for a few hours (if you let it cook in the crockpot to long than your hamburger will get a funny texture). It gives it a nice rich flavor to let it cook in the crockpot.

Layer: Sauce on the bottom of pan
Noodles, Sause, Cottage cheese (or ricotta), Matzarella Cheese, a little parmasian (optional), and repeat as many times as your pan allows. Cook for 50 minutes with foil over pan. (It’s so great to make a double or tripple batch and freeze for later)

Three Cheese Macaroni-Sabrina (aka Kraft Specialist)

Open the box of Kraft Three Cheese Macaroni…put in boiling water. Cook noodles for 8-10 minutes. Drain. Add 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup butter (not margarine). Add cheese package and WAA LAA you have mac-n-cheese baby. Yes, it will always be my favorite, and with little girls, they don’t mind having it 3 to 4 times out of the week! I am not much of a cook but I do have one special. I will send it later. Chicken parmesean. Mmmm Mmmm good!