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.

Lasagna Rollups

Kevin loves lasagna. But since there are just the 2 of us, I don't like to make a whole pan because we would have so much left over. Then I found this recipe for lasagna rollups, decided to try them, and now I think he likes these even better than regular lasagna! These are a regular dinner item in our house, and I probably make them once every 3 weeks or so. I make mine with the spinach, but Kevin doesn't like it so I make his with just the meat and cheese.

Beef and Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups
Source: Pillsbury.com
Ingredients:

1/4	lb extra lean ground beef
3	tablespoons chopped onion
1	jar (14-oz.) tomato pasta sauce
1	egg white
1/2	cup ricotta cheese
2	tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1	teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3/4	cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)
4	(8x2 1/2-inch) frozen precooked lasagna noodles, thawed (I use cooked dry noodles)
1	cup fresh baby spinach leaves, washed, stems removed

Directions:

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In 8-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce. Remove from heat.
2.	In bottom of ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish, spread 3 tablespoons of the remaining pasta sauce. In medium bowl, beat egg white. Stir in ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
3.	Spread 1/4 each of ricotta mixture, spinach leaves and beef mixture over each lasagna noodle. Starting with short side, gently and loosely roll each noodle; place seam side down over sauce in baking dish. Top roll-ups with remaining sauce. Cover with foil.
4.	Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake an additional 2 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

One note: don't use fat free mozzarella like I did (it was all I had), or you will not get the nice gooey melted cheese on top. It will look like the picture above, and it is ok, but gooey cheese is way better.

Roasted Chicken Penne

This is a great comfort food recipe for a cold day. It reminds me of chicken pot pie, in pasta form.



Roasted Chicken Penne
Source: The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minute, 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Larsen

2 cups penne pasta
2 roasted deli chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless breasts that I poached myself)
1 10-oz jar garlic Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup chicken gravy (from deli or jar)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, remove meat from chicken and shred. Combine with Alfredo sauce, chicken gravy, and vegetables in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce bubbles and chicken and vegetables are hot, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. When pasta is cooked al dente, drain thoroughly and add to chicken mixture, stirring and tossing gently. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and serve.

Serves 4.

Spicy Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Basil

This is one of Kevin's favorite pasta dishes because of the shrimp, and one of mine because of the fresh basil!

Spicy Pasta with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Basil
Source: Unknown

1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
6 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced italian-style tomatoes in juice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorrino Romano

Directions: Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes (in their juice) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes and basil.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain; reserving 1/2-1 cup cooking water. Transfer pasta to serving bowl. Add reserved cooking water, tomato sauce, shrimp, basil and parmesan cheese, and toss. Serve immediately.

I printed this recipe out ages ago, probably from a Weight Watchers message board, but I am not really sure where it came from. I usually make a half recipe of this without the cherry tomatoes for the 2 of us. One other thing I do is crush the tomatoes with the back of a slotted spoon after I dump the can in, because Kevin doesn't like chunks of tomatoes and they cook down a little better this way.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I made this with the honey yeast rolls for my family on the night before Thanksgiving. It was so delicious! I couldn't find any of the blackening spice that the recipe calls for, so I ended up making my own version based on a recipe I found from Emeril.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Source: The Cynical Chef, originally from Food Network

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Emeril's Essence
Source: Food Network

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
  
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

My dad, who is a spicy food fanatic, loved this! It was pretty much the perfect seasoning, it had a great kick but didn't burn your mouth off. The leftovers were pretty good the next day, too.

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.

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Arugula

I have been a really bad blogger! I have been so busy the past couple weeks I haven't even had time to unload my pictures off my camera, so I apologize for the lack of updating!

On to the food- the only thing I have to say about this is that it was delicious! I ate it for lunch for the next two days and it was just as good as the first time.

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage-Tomato Sauce, Arugula, and Parmesan
Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2008 via Pachey's Treats

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds fresh hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes with added puree

8 ounces rigatoni

2 cups (packed) fresh arugula, stemmed

1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I omitted)

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add sausage; cook until browned, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Drain drippings. Add wine, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes; increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Stir pasta, arugula, basil and oregano into tomato sauce. Simmer until arugula wilts, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

I didn't get a good picture of this before we ate, so this is actually my leftovers the next day... oops! I guess that is something I need to work on, because I have made several dishes over the last few weeks and totally forgotten to take photos. And what fun is a blog post with no photos!