Tag Archives: pasta

Beef and Lentil Pasta Fagioli

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It’s cold. I know I shouldn’t complain, especially coming from me who wished for snow… today it was cold enough to snow! It definitely did NOT snow though. Boo. If it’s gonna be below 30 degrees most of the day, I seriously think that there should be snow. Ugh.

So, SOUP is on the menu!! I just have to say, when it is cold outside, I LOVE to have soup. It can just simmer on the stove top and make the whole house smell delicious while we wait for dinner time. Then all of the flavors just meld together into warm deliciousness.

I love chili, and I also like the Italian version: Pasta Fagioli. I made my own version of both.

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Ingredients:

  • Lentils : 1/4 cup lentils boiled/simmered in 1 cup water and 1/4 tsp salt for 20 minutes and set aside
  • 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 15 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can (4 oz.) tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 TB fresh chopped basil
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 cups cooked pasta (I used shells, you can use any small pasta)
  • dash hot sauce

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Directions:

  1. In a large pot, over Medium heat, cook the ground beef.
  2. Drain the liquid from the cooked beef (if any).  If you use ground beef with a lower fat ratio then you will have little to no liquid to drain.
  3. Stir in the chopped onions, carrots, seasonings, and minced garlic.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the can of diced roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, black beans (drained and RINSED) and corn.
  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  6. Add 1 cup of water and stir and simmer. Add additional water as needed to consistency that you desire.
  7. When the soup has 10 minutes left to simmer, cook the pasta in boiling water for 7 minutes or until a bit firmer than al dente.  Do not over cook the pasta.
  8. Drain the pasta and stir it into the soup. Add the cooked lentils at this time as well.  Simmer for 10 more minutes.
  9. SERVE! (Have with bread, or just sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and ENJOY!

pastafagioli

And now, for the quote of the day:

hahahaha….

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(I experienced this today with my 3 year old son… and discovered and ENTIRE roll of toilet paper in the toilet… took him like 10 seconds to do it. I think it’s a world record!)

Sun-dried Tomato Parmesan Pasta

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You know… I was actually really hoping it would snow. It’s weird coming out of my mouth, because I lived in the cold upper mid-west for most of my life, and now in the south I put on a THICK winter coat when it goes below 50 degrees… cuz that’s seriously chilly. But, when it snows, my husband gets to work from home, and then I get to see him more AND he gets to actually eat dinner with us! But, sadly, the snow and ice missed us, and he actually had to drive the 45 minutes to work… boo. Oh well, I’m glad he has a GREAT job that he loves to go to! But… for the sake of my little girl, who, as all other girls her age, is OBSESSED with Frozen STILL and really wants to see snow so that she can go outside and pretend she’s Elsa. So, I’m hoping for 1 short day of snow. Then I’ll be good. 🙂

So last night I had the girls over to watch the bachelor, and my friend brought over her kit to help me put on my jamberry wraps that I couldn’t figure out how to put on with my strangely overpowered hairdryer… with her little heater thing, it worked WAY better! HA! And we had a great girls night doing our nails and watching the strangeness that is the Bachelor. It’s like a car accident… you just can’t help but watch!

So, before the girls came over I had to quick make dinner and I had been wanting to try my own version of a sun-dried tomato pasta dish for a while since I saw this one on pinterest… so, I figured… chicken and pasta is quick, I’ll do that! I did have to eat it out with the girls, but it got done in time!!! 🙂

This one a real winner… so so good.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup julienne sun-dried tomatoes in oil in a jar
  • 4 large chicken tenderloins
  • 2 TB (about 1/4 of a small onion) onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz shell pasta (or whatever pasta you have)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or dried, if that’s what you have)
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • dash hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)
  • salt, to taste

sundriedtomatoparmesanpasta

Instructions

  1. Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:
  2. In a large pan, on med-high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) and diced onion in 1 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar – see note above) and 1 TB fresh olive oil for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. (Don’t burn the garlic or it changes the flavor of the whole dish!) Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil and onions, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika and italian seasoning (for color) and cook on high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and cut into 2 in pieces and place back into skillet.
  3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
  4. Place the sun-dried tomatoes back into the skillet with chicken. Add half and half and parmesan cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to a gentle boil. (Don’t put on high heat or it will curdle the half and half.) Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick – don’t worry – you’ll be adding some cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and the hot sauce and cayenne. Stir to combine.
  5. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once – you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more basil, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
  6. Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

And… VOILA!

sundriedtomatoparmesanpasta2

Dig in, and make your tummy happy!!!!

Ok, and for the quote of the day, it’s a funny play on what I’ve been working on. Especially since I LOVE the Duggars, I love how in their home, they don’t yell and scream at each other. It’s just not how they speak to each other. Since my husband and I have gotten married I’ve had to tame how I speak to him when I’m upset, and I’ve done SOO much better making sure I’m respectful with how I handle it…

With my children it’s an hourly battle. I literally at times have to step out of the room, count to ten, and then go back in. Otherwise it would at times come out as a full on scream. So… I’m gonna keep this in the back of my mind… read and enjoy. 🙂

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Lemony Bacon Avocado Pasta

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Do you ever look in your fridge and see all these separate components and wonder how in the world you’re going to make dinner out of them?? This is one of those. Bacon? Avocado? Lemon? Parmesan? Spinach? Basil? Peppers? Doesn’t that just SOUND like a winning combination?

When I’m having a cruddy day, I always crave pasta. Today was actually a pretty GOOD day. But, really, when does a good day stop you from wanting pasta with bacon? I mean, really.

I’m actually quite picky about my bacon though. As my previous post states, my son has a lot of food allergies and sensitivities. I found out that he is QUITE sensitive to a lot of preservatives. It can range from a rash to hives! So, when we buy bacon, we buy uncured and nitrite/nitrate free. Strangely, a LOT of ham and bacon has that in it. I CAN find it, but it’s hard and expensive. Trader Joes does have a good option that isn’t too expensive. Our favorite is this: TraderJoesFullyCookedAppleSmokedUncuredBacon-Package

When I cook it in the microwave, or in a pan on the stove top, it ALWAYS comes out yummy and crispy. Unless, of course, I’m at my sister’s house who has a monster of a microwave that burns it after 30 seconds and I always forget how powerful her’s is. HA! So… watch your wattage. I am NOT going to tell you how long to cook it for, because it seems my microwave may be weaker than other peoples… lol.

So, here’s another craving for you…

baconavocadopasta

You’re welcome world. That’s right. This dish has Bacon. Avocado. Cheese. Pasta.

And… it’s delicious. 🙂

My recipe is inspired by: http://damndelicious.net/2014/06/28/bacon-avocado-pasta/

I changed a few things, so the recipe below is my own, but if you’d like to see the original, check out the link above.

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces tri-color rotini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
  • 4 slices nitrite and nitrate free bacon, chopped
  • 1 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup diced sweet onion
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup baby spinach leaves chopped
  • 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup diced red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and onion cook until bacon is brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • In a large bowl, combine pasta, bacon, avocado, peppers, onion, spinach and basil. Stir in Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve hot or cold, garnished with Parmesan, if desired.

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ENJOY!

And now, for the quote of the day:

The-Reason1

Italian Orecchiette Pasta Bowl with Homemade Meatballs and tomato sauce

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orichiettepastainbowl

So after John’s recent cravings (not unusual) for spicy and Mexican food… I’ve been craving pasta!!!! And lots of it! I have had low to no carb recipes here lately too, so had to get my craving satisfied for some Italian food! So, I went to Giada on FoodNetwork.com. Where else would you go for a good Italian meal?! I mean, seriously!! Here is her original recipe that I changed up a bit: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orecchiette-with-mini-chicken-meatballs-recipe.html

So, I liked her recipe, but I am not a ground chicken or turkey kind of person. I just cannot do it. So, I made my own usual meatballs that I usually make for Levi. They are dairy and egg free, and one of his absolute FAVORITE meals!! Then, I slightly adapted the rest of her recipe to make it my own, and it was absolutely delicious! This one will go in my book as a “We will make this again!”. I just have to figure out how to boil orecchiette pasta better, because if you’re not careful (like I wasn’t) it all sticks together! UGH! I’ve gotta figure out a trick for it! If anyone has suggestions, please let me know!

So, homemade meatballs first:

Ingredients:

1 lb. 85/15 grass fed organic ground beef (my preference)
3/4 cup plain panko bread crumbs
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
2 TB rice milk (or similar… this is just what I use)
1 TB worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder

Mix all together in a large mixing bowl until well integrated. In the mean time heat 1 TB olive oil (or use cooking spray to coat the pan) in a large skillet. Once all of the meatball ingredients are well mixed and there are no dry breadcrumbs hanging out in the bottom of the bowl, you will start to shape the meatballs. Take a melon baller, or a chefmate cookie scoop and scoop out the meat mixture. Then, roll into 1-2″ balls. Then, place into skillet and start to cook. All of mine fit in to the skillet at once. I cook the top, then the bottom, for about 2-3 min each, and then sear all of the sides to “seal” in the juice. Once this is done to all of the meatballs, you will be adding the chicken broth and the can of diced tomatoes listed below:

homemademeatballs

 

Orecchiette Pasta Bowl

Ingredients:

1 lb. orecchiette pasta
1 1/2 cup low sodium organic chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz.) fire roasted diced organic tomatoes (no salt added)
1 clove garlic minced (I put it into the garlic press)
1/2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary
6-8 basil leaves chopped
1 zucchini sliced and cut into bite size pieces
1/2 small ball of fresh mozzarella
2 TB shaved parmesan cheese

Directions:

Now, add the chicken stock and tomatoes to the skillet with the meatballs from above. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. During this time add the minced garlic, basil, rosemary, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the zucchini to the meatball mixture in the skillet and toss until slightly softened and coated with the tomato sauce. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil into the bowl of the pasta. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil and a drizzle of pesto.

orichettepastabowl

This one was GOOD!! Craving Italian food and don’t want to spend the $$ to go out?? Make this one! I have a feeling this one will be crave-able!

Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Ritz Cracker Coated Chicken with Pasta and a Cream Sauce… NOT LIGHT!

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Ok… so first off, this is NOT what I planned on cooking tonight. I was going to make a lightly “pan fried” chicken with a lemon dill sauce. Let’s just say I found out that I was out of corn starch, then I found out that I was out of panko bread crumbs. THEN I ruined my lemon sauce because I added a bit of cream… it was going well, and THEN I added a bit more lemon… CURDLED my sauce!!!! UGH! Then, the other sauce I tried to make I followed a recipe. Shouldn’t have. It was HORRIBLE! So then, I just made my own “alfredo” sauce with a bit of dill (I needed to use my DILL!!). (light version)

So… Here goes!! HAHA, the final recipe I actually used…

chickenritz

Chicken Recipe:

6 chicken tenderloins
1 cup milk (I used coconut milk… you can use whichever)
2 TB light oil (canola or coconut)
1 cup flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt&pepper to taste
3 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 roll of ritz crackers (or equivalent… I used TJ version)
2 TB parmesan cheese grated

Directions for the Chicken:

Soak the chicken in the milk for 30 min. at least in the fridge. Place the flour, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper in 1 bowl. In bowl #2 place the egg whites and water. In bowl #3 place the ritz crackers crushed up to crumbs, and the parmesan cheese.

Take the chicken, dip into the flour mix (bowl #1), then into the egg and water mixture (bowl #2) and then into the crumb mixture (bowl #3).  Then place into the heated skillet of oil on medium to medium-high. (Just covering the bottom, not dropping into a vat of oil)

Since I had more chicken than could fit into the pan, the chicken that was already crisped up, I placed onto a pan in the oven @350 to keep crispy and hot in the oven. (not for more than 15 min or so)

While all of this is happening… INSTEAD of making mashed potatoes like I THOUGHT I was going to… haha, I made linguini. Yeah, where was I at the grocery store?!

Then, I made the sauce… oh man. I’m telling you, this was a struggle. UGH! Ok. So… here’s the recipe for the sauce:

1 1/2 – 2 TB butter
2 TB flour
3/4 cup half and half (or whatever milk you prefer)
2 TB parmesan (or similar) cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp garlic (powder or minced)
1 tsp minced FRESH dill (optional)

1. Melt butter in small sauce pan on low
2. slowly add flour and whisk
3. when thickened add the half and half slowly while whisking quickly
4. add salt and pepper
5.add cheese just till melted, whisking the entire time until melted thoroughly
6. add fresh dill (and leave some for garnish)
7. remove from heat and pour over pasta and chicken

 

I served this with a salad with the leftover dressing from last nights summer fruit salad!!! YUM!

Creamy Tomato Pesto Pasta with Garlic & Chicken

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creamytomatochickenwithpesto

Tomato and pesto… and 1/2&1/2 ….  could this go wrong???? I don’t think so!!! Not with those ingredients!!!

YUM!

Basically my favorites all rolled into one. Except, no veggies except in the pasta, but this turned out great! I paired it with a salad (with BUTTER LETTUCE!!!)

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1/2 tsp minced garlic, olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, lemon zest and 2 TB of spaghetti sauce, oregano, 6 leaves of basil chopped up, salt and pepper
Cover the chicken with the above marinade, and let sit for 30 min at LEAST in the fridge (if not overnight)
1/4 cup Pesto (homemade… I’ve put the recipe on a previous post)
5-6 chicken tenderloins
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup(s) chicken broth
8 ounce pasta of choice (I used Vegetable Radiatore)
8 ounce(s) Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Sauce
1/4 cup(s) half-and-half
2 tablespoon(s) parmesan (sprinkled on top after served)
2 tablespoon(s) Olive Oil

 

Directions:
Place chicken into bowl, cover with marinade, cover with plastic wrap (or similar) and place in fridge.

Boil water and start on noodles.  Pour entire batch of chicken, (with all juices from marinade) into skillet and cook chicken fully (the marinade will evaporate/cook down) for about 7-8 minutes per side. Remove the chicken, and put onto a plate off to the side. Add chicken broth and heat and thicken sauce, add tomato sauce and garlic. Place chicken back into sauce. Simmer in chicken broth until half has cooked down.  Reduce heat to LOW until barely simmering. Then add milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.  Toss pasta in. Add flour if it needs to be thickened.  Place chicken on top and serve. Drizzle with pesto over the top of the dish, and parmesan cheese.

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Spaghetti Carbonara with Shrimp and Grape Tomatoes

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SpaghettiShrimpCarbonara

THIS is a new FAVORITE!!! I gotta say, this is one my hubby said “I WOULD ORDER THIS IN A RESTAURANT!!!”

This is an Italian Staple. I have seen so many different adaptations and recipes for this! I did my own adaptation of this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/jamie-olivers-pasta-carbonara-351138

I did change more than 3 things, so it’s MY recipe… but I can’t guarantee that noone else made my version because Carbonara is so popular! But… oh man… SO GOOD!

Warning***** I CANNOT tell you that this was under 500 calories… bacon fat was used… FYI. BUT IT WAS YUMMY!!! 😉

Ingredients:

This is for 3 -4 (small) servings

1 Lg. handful THIN spaghetti pasta
1 egg
1 cup white wine (or if you prefer, chicken broth)
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 slices smoked streaky bacon (I use antibiotic, nitrite and nitrate free), roughly sliced
1 cup fresh chopped mint and parsley
1/2 small container of grape tomatoes (about 20)
1/4 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup hot pasta water (don’t dump all of it!!!)
8 pieces of fresh, wild caught, shrimp
sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese

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1

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti, and cook according to the packet instructions. Cook 2 pieces of the bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet lined with foil at 400 degrees for 18 minutes. When you remove from the oven, put bacon on paper towel, and leave bacon fat on tin foil.
2
Whisk the egg in a bowl with the wine, salt and pepper. and then put the shrimp onto the pan with the leftover bacon fat, turn over until coated in fat. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. (for LARGE shrimp frozen)
3
Put the remaining 2 pieces of bacon into a second pan and cook until crispy and golden. Then, add garlic and onion, and 1/4 of the wine. Once onions start to look translucent, add the tomatoes.
4
When the tomatoes start to sear, add a bit more of wine, put lid on, and cook until the tomatoes burst.
5
When cooked, drain pasta in a colander, saving a little of the cooking water.
6
Add the pasta to the bacon mixture in the skillet and stir in most of the mint and parsley, finely sliced – if the pan isn’t big enough, mix it all together in a large warmed bowl.
7
Now add the the hot pasta water to the egg and wine (or broth) mixture. Once beaten, add to the pasta mixture. What’s important here is that you add it while the pasta is still hot. This way, the residual heat of the pasta will cook the eggs, but not so that they resemble scrambled eggs. Then add in the shrimp. (I cut up the shrimp into approx. 1 inch pieces and tossed in)
8
The pasta will actually cook the egg enough to give you a silky smooth sauce.
9
Toss together and loosen with a little of the reserved cooking water if necessary.
10
Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the Parmesan and the rest of the mint and parsley leaves, and serve as soon as possible.

Read more: <a href=”http://www.food.com/recipe/jamie-olivers-pasta-carbonara-351138?oc=linkback”>http://www.food.com/recipe/jamie-olivers-pasta-carbonara-351138?oc=linkback</a&gt;

ENJOY!!!!!!!