Easy One Pot Garlic Parmesan Noodles

Do you need a quick side dish or even a main entree? Here’s a recipe even my vegetarian friends can eat. The sauce is not quite an Alfredo Sauce but has most the elements of one. I love how everything is cooked in one pot, because I like to cook, but I hate to clean up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup milk
• 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan  cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook stirring frequently, until fragrant; about 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken/vegetable broth, milk and fettuccine.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer. Stir occasionally until pasta is cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add more milk if mixture is too thick; or more cheese if too thin.
5. Add Kosher salt and fresh cracked blck pepper to taste and garnish with chopped parsley.
6. Serve immediately.

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Jerk Chicken Pasta

The hardest part of this recipe for me was finding somewhere that sold Jerk seasoning. I looked up and down the spice aisle. Then I tried the international aisle of my local grocery store. Still couldn’t find it. I tried the store across the way from my favorite grocery store. Still couldn’t find it. I found every other type of seasoning spices. Finally I did an internet search. I found it on Amazon of all places.  Finally! This recipes is actually very tasty and not as spicy as I like since my son can’t handle spicy foods. So feel free to adjust the amount of seasoning you use according to your tastes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Gemelli pasta (or Penne pasta will work too)
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk seasoning (divided)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 1/3  cup sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. . Season chicken breasts all over using 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning per chicken breast.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook chicken until golden and no longer pink, 8 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside to rest.
4. Add remaining oil and cook peppers until mostly tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add green onions and garlic until fragrant, 1 minute. Season with remaining  tablespoon jerk seasoning.
6. Add chicken stock and heavy cream and let simmer until thickened, 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, slice prepared chicken.
8. Add Parmesan and stir until melted and creamy, then add pasta and chicken and toss until completely combined.
9. Garnish with green onions and more Parmesan and serve.

Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

Do you need a quick and easy side dish to take to an office party or family gathering? I’m almost embarrassed to share this recipe because it’s really so simple  and all the flavor comes from a store bought pesto sauce.  But, hey you had to cook the pasta and cut up everything yourself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound rainbow rotini pasta (or whatever shape of your choice)
• 8 ounces cubed Colby Jack or Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3.8 ounce can of sliced black olives, drained
• 3/4-1 cup pesto or Italian dressing of your choice
• 8 ounces hard salami cubes (this is optional. I didn’t have any on hand but it tastes wonderful in the salad.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Chill in ice bath and remove once pasta is cool.
2. While pasta is cooking, cut up cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, and salami if using.
3. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and stir in pesto. Mix well.
4. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight for the next day.

Bacon, Chicken and Spinach Linguine

So one of the ways I get my son to eat things he normally says he doesn’t like to eat is to disguise them. Well more like hide them by mixing them with other foods he really likes. For instances, bacon. By adding bacon to this dish he doesn’t seem to notice the spinach or tomatoes or the cream sauce. But at least he gets one of his favorites in this dish. I remember when I was little and my mom tried to pass of cooked daikon radishes as potatoes. She straight up lied and said they were potatoes! Right then and there I told myself if I ever had kids I wouldn’t lie to them about food. Disguise maybe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces linguine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• garlic powder
• 6 slices cooked bacon, cut up in pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
• grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
• Italian parsley or basil for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook linguine noodles according to package until al dente. Drain and reserve 2 cups of pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook chicken until cooked through. Depending on thickness, 4-5 minutes per side.  Set chicken aside on a cutting board and cut into bite size pieces or strips.
3. To the skillet, add garlic, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and spinach. Stir well.  Add heavy cream and the reserved pasta water. (Use 1 1/2 cups pasta water to start. Add more if needed.) Combine and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Lower heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add linguine and toss until noodles are fully coated.
5. Add chicken and bacon to skillet and toss.
6. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley or basil.

One Pot Lasagna Soup

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you a year of health, happiness and tasty food!

It’s been mighty chilly here in Northern California. We are having a week of much needed on and off rain showers. So today felt like a hearty soup kind of day. I know, lasagna soup doesn’t sound like the healthiest way to start your year. But eat in moderation and you should be fine. Right?!

Okay, will it make you feel better knowing I added spinach and mushroom to the recipe and used low fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta to make this soup a little healthier and lighter?

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 1 medium size red or yellow onion, diced
• 4 ounces of white or brown mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (32 ounces) box chicken stock
• 2 (14.5 ounces) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 10 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• low fat cottage cheese (1 tablespoon per serving)
• chiffonade of basil for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Turn heat to medium high. Add olive oil to Dutch oven or heavy bottom large pot.
2. When oil ripples, add ground beef and Italian sausage to pot and stir occasionally until meat is browned.  Add onions, mushrooms and garlic. Mix and continue to cook until onions become translucent.
3. Drain any excess fat from pot.
4. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,Italian seasoning, sugar, kosher salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese and lasagna noodles. Mix well.
5. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
6. During last 5 minutes of cook time, add spinach to soup and stir.
7. Serve soup with a tablespoon of cottage cheese and basil for garnish.

One Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach and Mushrooms

A one pot meal done in 30 minutes? Challenge accepted. All those years of watching Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals must have rubbed off on me in more ways than I like to admit. For one, EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) is my oil of choice. Always. And if there is a way to make a complicated dish easier (and in less than 30 minutes) I’m all over it. I’m no Rachael Ray, but I think even she would approve of this recipe.  This recipe makes 4 generous to 6 small servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage (or mild your choice)
• 2 cups Cellentani (corkscrew) pasta or small pasta shape of your choice
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmigano Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In your skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. When oil ripples, add onions and mushrooms. Saute for 3-5 minutes. 

Once onions are translucent and the mushroom have browned, add Italian sausage to skillet. Mince the sausage and brown until sausage is cooked through. About 5 minutes. 

Add pasta to skillet. Yes, uncooked pasta. We are going to let the chicken stock cook the pasta. 

Add the chicken stock to skillet and stir to mix ingredients. The stock will cook the pasta and all the flavors from the onions, mushrooms and sausage will infuse with the pasta. Stir occasionally until pasta is al dente. ( Add 1 extra minute to pasta package instructions.) 

When pasta is cooked to your preference, add spinach and incorporate into pasta mixture. Don’t worry, all that spinach will magically fit into your skillet.

Once the spinach has wilted, your pasta is ready to serve. Salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with grated Parmigano Reggiano cheese. 

Creamy Bow Tie Pasta with Spinach and Bacon (Farfalle Spinaci)

How does bow tie pasta in a garlic cream sauce with spinach, bacon bits, caramelized onions and red bell peppers sound? It sounded good to my stomach. I know you’re thinking I’m trying to fatten us up by eating pasta, bacon and cream sauce in one dish. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There is no cream in this recipe. Instead I used two ears of sweet corn and chicken stock to make this creamy sauce. And I’m going to show you how easy it was.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 ounces uncooked bow tie (farfalle) pasta; about 1/2 a box.
• 2 ears of corn
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 2-3 whole cloves garlic
• 4-5 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese to top (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, boil water and cook bow tie pasta for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut corn kernels off cob into a bowl. I turned over a small dipping bowl to use as a base for the corn cob.

Add corn kernels to a blender along with garlic cloves and chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook bacon bits and onions over medium high heat.

When onions start to become translucent, add red bell peppers and continue to stir until bell peppers are tender. About 3 minutes.

Using a strainer, pour corn cream sauce into skillet. Mix until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add pasta to sauce and mix well.

Add spinach and mix until spinach is wilted.

After a few minutes, spinach should be cooked and pasta is ready to serve. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with fresh spinach.