Hearty Christmas Pasta

My dad and I created this recipe together when I was home for a few days leading up to Christmas. I call it Christmas pasta because it is red and green. It is very filling and delicious, and has some unexpected ingredients that most people (myself included) don't tend to think of as going with pasta (such as the carrots), but worked very well. This could be made healthier by using lean ground beef and turkey sausage, but since it includes so many veggies already it isn't too bad. Since we made this up by tasting as we went along, I am going to try my best to recall this exactly how we did it, but I didn't take any exact measurements so keep that in mind.



Hearty Christmas Pasta
A Kelsey and Jeff original

1 box farfalle pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 links italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 - 1 whole onion, chopped
3-4 cloves minced garlic1 1/2 green peppers, in a large dice
2 handfuls baby carrots
4-5 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste and 1 can of water
2 teaspoons Dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Handful fresh basil leaves
Handful cherry tomato halves

Brown ground beef and sausage in a large skillet. Remove from pan and add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes then add the green peppers, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes or so until starting to soften, then add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. Add browned meat back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is reduced to the consistency you want. Make sure to taste the sauce as you go and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat, stir in basil and cherry tomatoes, and serve over the farfalle.

Green Beans with Bacon

I made this as a side dish for our Christmas potluck with Kevin's side of the family (sorry, forgot to take a picture!). The were yummy! I used onion instead of shallots and turkey bacon instead of regular bacon because that was what I had in my fridge, and also to lighten it up a bit. It was very good and I would make the recipe again, but it is nothing too special.

Green Beans with Bacon
Source: Cooking Light

Yields 12 servings (2/3 cup)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3 bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add beans, juice, salt, and pepper to pan; toss to combine. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. Remove from heat. Sprinkle bacon over bean mixture; toss.

Italian Chicken Pitas

Another easy, quick one pan meal! You can also use this filling for wraps, or just eat it plain!

Italian Chicken Pitas
Source: Weight Watchers Recipes

3/4lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut in thin 1" slices
1 small Zucchini cliced (1/2 cup)
1 small Carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
1 small Onion, slice in rings, then halve them
1/4 tsp dried Oregano, Basil and ground Pepper
1 med Tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
3 pita pocket breads, 6", warmed & halved
1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 dash garlic powder per sandwich (optional)

Stir fry chicken with non-stick cooking spray until cooked, no longer pink inside. Add Zucchini, Carrot, Onion, & Seasonings. (Add a little water if needed) Stir fry 2 - 3 min, until crisp tender. Remove from heat & add tomato just before filling warmed pocket breads. Sprinkle fillings with cheese.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

I have not measured the volume that goes into each pita, but I would estimate the filling volume around 1/2 cup. Add lettuce to cooled mix for a little more volume.

These pitas are a great way for me to sneak vegetables into Kevin's food, since he usually doesn't eat them. He claims to not like any of the ingredients in these except the chicken and carrots, yet somehow he will eat every bite when you put them all together!

Veggie Pasta Salad

I love making this stuff, but I don't get a chance to very often. It is one of those things that you make for a crowd. I get carried away throwing stuff into it so it is hard for me to scale it back! It is great because you can use whatever veggies you love or whatever you have on hand. You can also adjust the seasonings to your taste. I loathe mayo so I use Italian salad dressing as the main ingredient.

Veggie Pasta Salad

3 bell peppers, assorted colors
2 small heads of broccoli
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch celery
3 carrots
1/2 - 1 cup Light Italian salad dressing
Seasoning salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Italian seasoning blend
Crushed red pepper flakes



Directions:
Cook the pasta and run it under cold water until it is chilled. Chop the veggies and toss with the pasta. Add the salad dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste.



This stuff is truly simple to make. It is best when you let it sit for a few hours or overnight before serving to let the flavors blend together. It is also fantastic as leftovers for snacks or portable lunches! I made this for a tailgate and was eating the leftovers all week, and never got sick of it.