Garden Veggie Lasagna

This is one of my all time favorites. It's very labor intensive though and creates a lot of dishes. But the end result is just soo good and sooo satisfying. It's worth the work. Plus now I've got it down to a science and am able to put it together easily and fairly quickly. The recipe comes from Cooking Light however I also add baby bella mushrooms to it which I mix in with the squashes. It gives it even more flavor and since I love mushrooms, it just seems natural to have them in there. I recommend making this the next time you have a free hour or so on a Sunday afternoon. It is filling, gives you lots of leftovers and is pretty darn good for you!

Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli

I saw this recipe while reading Parents magazine and it really was right up my alley. Pasta - check! Chicken sausage - check! Easy - check! I've made it twice and although I made a few minor changes to it, it's a great meal for a weeknight and to have as leftovers for lunch. And of course, the 18 month old and 10 year old were very happy with it and that means success to me!

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 13 oz. tricolor pasta
  
• 1 10 oz package frozen broccoli
  
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 links (6 oz.) cooked chicken sausage with Italian flavorings, sliced
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP crushed red pepper (optional)
  

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth and water to boiling in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Four minutes before the pasta is finished add the broccoli to the pot. Just before draining, reserve 2-3 ladles of the cooking liquid. Drain and return the pasta and broccoli to the pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the sausage slices until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the sausage and any olive oil in the pan to the drained pasta mixture. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Mix in the cheese and red pepper flakes. Makes 6 servings.

Rotini with Cheese

This is from the November 2010 Cooking Light magazine. I love this magazine but haven't been making too many recipes from it lately because of time and not always having all the ingredients on hand. But this one was easy and I had it all. I did make a few changes to it to suit my tastes. It was good but not great. However for an easy, quick weeknight meal, I'll take it!

• 3 turkey bacon slices
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• salt & pepper
• 5 cups hot cooked rotini (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Increase heat to medium-high. Add butter and oil to drippings in pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add flour, and sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Gradually add 1 cup milk, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes. Add cheeses, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

2. Place pan over low heat. Stir in bacon, pasta, and peas; cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing to coat.

Rigatoni di Gregorio

I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats in my google reader and it was right up our alley. And it was a score. We love pasta but this was different and delicious. I will say I have only been to Maggiano's once in my life so I have no idea what this dish tastes like in the restaurant but I do know we all loved it at Chez Jenn.

I made a little more so we could have leftovers and I substituted the heavy cream with light cream. I didn't have fresh herbs so we made due with the dried version. Annie's picture is WAY better than mine but in my defense, my camera is giving me trouble today. Still, this was a great meal, so thanks Annie!

12 oz. rigatoni
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 3 oz. each
½ cup chopped yellow onion
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Marsala wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup light cream
1 TBSP dried basil
1 TBSP dried oregano
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. If necessary, turn down the heat to medium-low so the outside doesn’t brown too quickly. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan with the heat on medium-high. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook until most of the liquid has been released and the onions are softened, about 5 minutes more. Mix in the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the wines, scraping with a spoon to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth. Return Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in the cream, herbs and chicken and cook until heated through. Add in the Parmesan cheese and butter; mix until well blended and the butter is completely melted.

Add the cooked rigatoni to the pan and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately with additional grated Parmesan as desired.

Broccoli Mac & Cheese

To go with the meatballs I made broccoli mac & cheese. I need to get veggies in our dinner so without making another side, I went this route. It turned out pretty darn good and the family definitely enjoyed it.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
7 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 oz. swiss cheese
13 oz of rotini, penne or macaroni
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/3 cup panko
2 TBSP Smart Balance butter
1 head of broccoli, chopped and steamed

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Add 5 oz of the cheddar cheese and all of the swiss cheese; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in macaroni and salt and pepper liberally.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Mix in the broccoli. Top with the remaining extra cheddar cheese and the panko and dab the butter on top. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Farfalle with Vodka Sauce and Grilled Chicken

I love un-jarred sauce but life isn't always cooperative so sometimes you gotta just use it. However on Saturday I took the time to make us a nice sauce at home. Dave said it was my best one yet. Go me! I didn't have a lot of cream so it's a dark sauce but still so delicious. Add more cream for well, a creamier, sauce.

1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 cup vodka
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 pint light cream
1 TBSP dried oregano
salt & pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in the vodka and cook another 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked out. Add in the 2 cans of tomatoes and salt and pepper (to your taste). Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Pour in the light cream and simmer another 30 minutes. Add in more salt & pepper and dried oregano during the final simmer.

Pasta with Walnut Pesto

Fresh basil, mmm. Nothing like a good pesto. Unfortunately sometimes I just can't bring myself to pay the astronomical price of pine nuts, so this time I bought walnuts. I think it is just as fabulous.

Pesto:

2 cups basil leaves
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 TBSP butter
1 garlic clove
3 TBSP parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
olive oil ~1/4 cup

Cook rotini pasta according to the directions, reserving 1 ladle full of the cooking water to add to the pesto.
Combine all the pesto ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a food processor. Blend, pouring in the olive oil as it goes, creating a paste-like texture. Combine the pesto, pasta and pasta water in a large bowl and mix together.

Cheesy Tomato Chicken Skillet

I got this recipe from my friend Brooke's blog. As a working Mom, I don't have much time to come home and make dinners but this one was fast and easy, and might I add, delicious! Thanks Brooke! And I don't mind using the cream of ... soups. They are a great help to us busy ladies! But I do wish I had a short pasta to go with this, but no matter, it was still good.

Cheesy Tomato Chicken Skillet

2 cups of pasta
3/4 lbs chicken, cut into pieces
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup of milk
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Cook the pasta as directed. Heat 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken & cook thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium; stir in soup, tomatoes, milk and seasonings. Stir in cooked pasta. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until bubbly & heated through. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat, cover & let stand about 5 minutes.

Creamy Taco Mac

It's my turn on this recipe that's been making it's way around the blogosphere. I spotted it through my friend's blog, Lauren's Kitchen, which she in turn got it from Delish. And I can't agree more, it was delish. And very family friendly. I'm happy I was able to make this one and I recommend it to everyone!

1.25 lbs ground turkey
12 oz macaroni plus 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 packet of mild taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

I finally got my butt back in the kitchen after seeing this recipe in my latest issue of Real Simple and got inspired to cook something. I'm sure my family was happy to finally eat something that I actually made. I would definitely make this one again for an easy go to meal. I did make some changes to the original recipe so here is my version.

12 oz. Smart Taste elbows
1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 10-oz. package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parm cheese
2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided

Cook the elbows and drain. Put back in the pot and stir in the ricotta cheese, artichokes, spinach, parm cheese and 1-1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Combine well and transfer into a baking dish. Top with the remaining cheddar and cook at 350 for 25 minutes.

Pasta with Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Sauce

So originally I set out to make Giada's Rigatoni with Creamy Mushroom Sauce that I saw her make on TV today. However it morphed into something completely different and it was still delicious. I knew I wanted more veggies in it and that I wanted some kind of protein so I just started adding things to it. Plus I didn't want to run out for mascarpone cheese when I had cream cheese here... oh and no wine since I'm 8 months pregnant, no wine was open. So basically, it's a whole different recipe. But hers still looks really good. :). This one serves 4.

8 oz. whole wheat rotini or other short pasta, cooked al dente
3 links turkey sausage
1 shallot, diced
1 clove, garlic (crushed), I used my awesome Pampered Chef garlic press
5 oz. (1/2 a box) of frozen spinach, defrosted
1 package, about 8 oz., mushrooms sliced
5 oz. light cream cheese
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
Olive oil

Chop and brown the turkey sausage in cooking spray. Set aside. In the same pan, pour in a little olive oil and add in the shallots and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add in the spinach and saute it all together another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the cream cheese. Cook until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce begins to thicken. Return the sausage to the pan and salt and pepper and top with the parmesan cheese. Stir in the pasta and coat it well with the sauce. Top it with more parm cheese if desired and eat it up!

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls

I got the idea for these when I recently read the Daily Deliciousness blog. I've never made an alfredo sauce so I was originally going to skip this but then I decided, what the heck, I'll go for it. I'll probably never make it non-pregnant because it's really not good for you (sorry Robyn, I hope you don't die when you read this!). Honestly, I think I made magic in the kitchen when I made it. It was so simple but SO good. I guess cheese, butter and cream are a pretty damn good combo. Anyway, these are heavy and hearty. We loved them for our Sunday night dinner. Here's how my lovely rolls came together. OH and by the way, 1 roll is plenty for one person if you have a salad with it.

Rolls

12 oz. chicken breast, poached and shredded
12 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
5 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked according to package

Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP dried oregano

Grease a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, combine the chicken, spinach, ricotta and parm cheese. Spread the mixture down the center of each noodle, leaving about an inch and a half at each end. Roll the each noodle and place it in the pan.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the parm cheese, garlic and oregano.

Pour the sauce over each noodle. Top with the 4 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes.

Exercise as soon as you can after eating these. :)

Cavatelli with Veggies and Ricotta Sauce

This I made based on some suggestions from fellow bloggers as to what kind of sauce to pair with the cavatelli and veggies. I decided the ricotta sauce would be best and it was certainly good. It was just enough cheese and sauce but not too much that it was overwhelming. It allowed all the other flavors to come through which I really liked

1 package frozen cavatelli, cooked to instructions
2 TBSP olive oil
3 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 head of broccoli, chopped
5-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 TBSP part skim ricotta
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 ladles starchy pasta water
Salt & pepper to taste.

Boil the water for the cavatelli and cook according to package instructions.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the bacon to it. Cook the bacon thoroughly. Drain and set aside.

To the same skillet, add the garlic, onion, broccoli and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Add the bacon bacon into the veggie mixture. Ladle in two servings of the starchy pasta water. Add in the ricotta and parmesan cheese and stir well until everything is combined. Drain the cavatelli and add that to the skillet. Mix it all together and serve, topping with extra parmesan, salt & pepper if desired.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bolognese Sauce

I got the inspiration for this meal from Proceed With Caution but I put my own spin on it. I prepared the dough a bit differently from her way because I didn't have quite long enough to bake the potatoes and I made my own version of a bolognese sauce with what I had in the house. I think they came out pretty good and I even froze the leftover gnocchi to use another time.














Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 large sweet potato
2 large russet potatoes
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Scrub the potatoes thoroughly and submerge in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove from the pot and cool. Removed the skins and shred each potato using a potato ricer into a large bowl.

Add in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, kneading the potatoes and the dough. At the end, knead in the parm cheese. The consistency should be sticky, not dry. Divide the dough into workable amounts (about 5-7 small balls) and roll them out between your hands and a cutting board into long, thin strands. Cut the gnocchi into bite-sized pieces and mark indentations in them with a fork. Place them on a floured cookie sheet to dry, approximately 30-45 minutes.

Boil a pot of water and place 1/2 the gnocchi in it and let them rise, about 3 minutes. Once they have risen immediately remove them with a slotted spoon and drain.

Sauce

2 large cans (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic diced
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chopped
Olive oil, 1 TBSP
2 TBSP dried oregano
1 TBSP dried basil
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Add in the onions, garlic and mushrooms and saute for approximately 5 minutes. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the spices and mix well. Bring to a low simmer and cook 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Nothing in the House Baked Ziti

I didn't even have mozzarella cheese! But have no fear, this baked ziti came out cheesy and delicious anyway. I even got a "you have to make this again!" Alright, you don't have to ask me twice and maybe next time I'll have mozzarella cheese.

1/2 box farfalle, prepared as directed
1 container part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1 jar pasta sauce (or 16 oz. homemade)
1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

Cook the ground beef and add the sauce to it to warm. Add the cooked pasta into the beef and sauce, then transfer to a 9x12 baking pan. Mix in the ricotta cheese and half the parmesan cheese until well-combined. Top with the remaining parm cheese and cook on 350 for 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Voila!

Baked Cheesy Macaroni and Cheese

Mac & cheese while watching my favorite team the New York Giants play just makes me happy. So last Sunday I made this to go with my BBQ crockpot meatballs for the perfect game day dinner.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
7 oz. shredded sharp cheddar, divided
5 oz. shredded Jarlsberg light cheese
13 oz of rotini
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/3 cup panko

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Add 5 oz of the cheddar cheese and all of the jarlsberg light cheese; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in macaroni and salt and pepper liberally.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with the remaining extra cheddar cheese and the panko. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Penne with Pesto and Sausage

Here's a quick dinner I threw together with some pesto I had frozen a couple of weeks ago made from my very tall and growing way too fast for me to keep up basil plants. I added in 3 links of turkey sausage crumbled and whole wheat pasta to round out our meal. Another quick and well-rounded dinner for us on a weeknight.

Spicy Vodka Shrimp

I thought of making this for dinner tonight while lying in bed this morning. It sounded so good and I knew I had everything I needed and it would be easy. It was. We had my brother over for dinner and this served us three with leftovers. Definitely one to try.

I do have to add that using uncooked, unpeeled shrimp is much better in my opinion than the precooked ones. They come out way less tough and chewy.

18 frozen, unpeeled, uncooked shrimp
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp butter
3 cups of vodka sauce
2-3 TBSP red pepper flakes
8-10 oz whole wheat spaghetti

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Place the frozen shrimp in a bowl of very cold water with some salt for about 30 minutes or until they have defrosted. Remove and peel the shrimp. I also cut the tails off to make them easier to eat. Pour about 1 TBSP of olive oil into a pan and cook the shrimp until pink, 2-3 minutes on each side. Add in the butter and garlic into the pan and saute about 1 minute. Stir in the vodka sauce and red pepper flakes and heat through. Serve over the pasta.

Cheesy Mac with Vegetables

Okay, I think I need to stop posting pasta recipes for a while. It's getting a little out of control. Anyway, this one deserves a post because it is good and easy for a weeknight meal. I took Emma to the pool after we got home from work/camp today and still sat down to dinner before 6:30. Not too shabby. The recipe serves 5-6 generous portions and it is filling and yummy.

10 oz. whole wheat macaroni
1 bag of frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, defrosted and drained
1 can 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1 cup of milk
2 tsp. mustard

Cook the macaroni according to directions. In the last minute, add the vegetables to the water, then drain it all together. In the same pot, add in the soups, milk, mustard and cheese and stir well. Heat under a low flame until the cheese melts. Mix in a large bowl or in the same pot the pasta and veggies back into the cheese mixture.

BLT Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe for a BLT Pasta Salad on Elizabeth's edibles and I had to try it. What a great idea! It made a very large batch so tons of leftovers and it definitely satisfies the pasta craving and is ideal for the summer 'cause it serves cold.

12 ounces corkscrew-shaped whole wheat pasta
12 ounces lean bacon
3 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 cups of lettuce, chopped

Cook the pasta according to directions. At the same time cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside to drain and cool. Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and saute for a minute. Crumble the bacon and toss in a large bowl with the pasta and tomato mixture. Blend together the mayo and sour cream and add to the bowl along with the scallions. Mix with the pasta until well combined and serve chilled.