Pasta

Chili-Cheese Mac

I was happy to not really have any plans this past weekend and looked forward to three days of laying low, staying in and saving money. I really had to keep myself on a tight budget this week so I’ve had to curb my spending, even at the grocery store. Every ounce of restraint to spend money went out the window though on Sunday when I met some friends for lunch. Because it was dreary and rainy outside, we were restless. No one had anything to do after lunch and no one wanted to just go back home. Next thing we knew, we were on a train to Atlantic City where we played blackjack for five hours straight. For someone who was really trying not to spend any money over the weekend, the whole trip was probably a terribly bad decision so thankfully it worked out. Just one day earlier, I was at the grocery store mentally calculating the cost of my items as I went along. So many of us are on budgets so it’s always good to find recipes that are light on the wallet and can either be made with staple pantry items and/or inexpensive ingredients. This Chili-Cheese Mac is a perfect example of such a meal.

Ground meat is seasoned with spices before being simmered in broth and water with canned tomatoes and macaroni. A super simple cheese sauce made of milk, cream cheese and cheddar cheese is mixed in to create a creamy and filling meal. This dish is the closest thing I have ever made that has reminded me so much of Hamburger Helper, which I love. The spices really provide plenty of flavor and the cream cheese adds a slight tang. I used chicken broth and ground turkey instead of beef broth and beef so any variation works. An addition of peas or spinach would be great additions to make it a full meal. This makes a ton of food too so it’s great if you are feeding a big family or if you just want to have plenty of leftovers for the week.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and the spices. Cook 3 minutes or, if using ground chicken or turkey, until meat is fully cooked.

Add broth, water, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni; cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is done.

Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar.

Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture; toss well to coat.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Chicken broth
  • Ground turkey
  • Whole-wheat macaroni

Overall Rating: Love It

Penne with Vodka Sauce & Vegetables

I’ve noticed a pattern in the food I’ve been eating lately – vegetarian and with zucchini. For someone who didn’t touch zucchini as a kid and grew up eating deer meat and rabbit, this is an interesting revelation. Trust me when I tell you, I prefer my diet much more now. Although I wish I didn’t eat so many carbs, I’m happy that I don’t eat nearly as much as I did when I was a vegetarian and ate pasta constantly. As in every single night. Because things have changed, I look forward to a hearty pasta dish, especially one made with vodka sauce. Penne with Vodka Sauce and Vegetables is a lightened up version of regular pasta in vodka sauce which is hearty enough that you won’t even notice the fact that there is no meat in sight.

Whole-wheat penne is mixed with zucchini, peas, onion and spinach and tossed in a tomato sauce made with vodka and half-and-half. The sauce is creamy and light, given subtle touch of heat from red pepper flake. Add Canadian bacon for an additional flavor boost as per the recipe if you prefer.  This recipe makes a ton, making it perfect for a family, guests or tons of leftovers.  This will be my lunch and dinner for days but that’s ok.  I’m used to eating a lot of pasta.

The ingredients:

Cook penne according to package directions, approximately 11 minutes. Add zucchini and peas during last 3 minutes and stir in spinach. Drain and place back into the pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; add vodka and cook 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and red pepper flake. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Stir half-and-half and half of the parmesan cheese into the sauce.

Toss sauce with pasta and let stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon into serving bowl and top with remaining cheese.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Canadian bacon

Substitutions:

  • Whole-wheat penne

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Family Circle Magazine

Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce

Happy July (my birthmonth)! If you live in the United States, most likely you spent this past weekend in some serious HEAT! It’s days like these that all I want to do is stay inside in the air-conditioning or find the nearest pool. Unfortunately, I had no access to a pool so that meant sitting indoors, listening to my A/C struggle to get cooler than 81°. The sunny, warm weather and impending holiday had me craving cook-out food and since the majority of my friends were out of town this past weekend, I took it upon myself to make pasta, baked beans, turkey burgers and milkshakes, all of which I plan to share with you this week in honor of the 4th of July. The first dish I made was Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce. To be honest, I made this to eat as a side, like pasta salad, but I’m pretty sure that it’s supposed to be dinner in itself. Whatever! That’s what’s great about making your own food – you can eat it however and whenever you want, right?

Freshly zucchini is grated and squeezed dry before being cooked with grape tomatoes and lemon zest. The whole mixture is tossed with broken pieces of lasagna noodles, parmesan cheese and chives. The tomatoes pop with sweetness, the zucchini provides a light summery freshness and the bright hint of lemon rounds out the whole dish. If you have any other pasta on hand, use it in place of the lasagna since the zucchini and tomatoes are really the stars of this dish. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but my grocery store was out so I used grape tomatoes which made a perfect substitute. Eat this hot or cold, alone or alongside your favorite burger and remember, no matter how hot it is outside, it’s summertime. So enjoy it!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a smoky baked beans dish!

The ingredients:

Grate the zucchini and drain in a colander with salt for 10 minutes. Remove from the colander and gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with a paper towel or clean towel.

While zucchini is sitting, break lasagna into piece and cook in boiling water according for 12 minutes. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Cook tomatoes in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl and add the pasta and parmesan cheese and toss.

Stir in half of the chives and half of the reserved cooking water, adding more to loosen, if needed.

Season with salt and pepper and top with more cheese and remaining chives.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Grape tomatoes

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Food Network Magazine

1 … 3 4 5 … 8
Blog at WordPress.com.