Healthy Spaghetti

I discovered something new tonight....spaghetti squash. Why have I never cooked with this before?!?! It was so easy to prepare and once it's fully cooked, it just peels off in strands that look just like spaghetti.  It definitely holds true to it's name SPAGHETTI squash.

So tonight I gave it a try, not sure of what to expect. Spaghetti squash has a naturally buttery flavor and the texture completely fooled my taste buds.  I did not miss the standard, highly processed, pasta noodles that I would normally serve with spaghetti sauce. I loved it and can't wait to find other recipes to use this wonderful squash in!

This is what it looks like after it's been roasted.  I took a fork and the "spaghetti" strands just flake off.

It only takes a couple minutes to get all the strands out and onto your plates.  Then top with your favorite spaghetti sauce and be prepared to be fooled.  What a great meal! I'm so excited I discovered the spaghetti squash!

Healthy Spaghetti

Source: Adapted from www.isavea2z.com

1 lb. hamburger or sausage

Jar of spaghetti sauce

Spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Slice spaghetti squash lengthwise down the center, remove seeds and roast cut-side down for 40-45 minutes.  (You'll know it's done if you can easily poke your fork into it.) Flip cut-side up when roasting is complete and allow to cool slightly before harvesting strands with a fork by scraping with the grain until the squash is cleaned.

Brown hamburger or sausage and drain grease. Add your favorite spaghetti sauce and season with extra Italian seasoning to your liking. Heat through.

Serve warm sauce over the spaghetti squash.

Cheese Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad on hot spring/summer days. I especially love pasta salads made with cheese filled tortellini!  This recipe made a TON!!! Oh, and did I mention, it was fabulous?




Cheese Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad
Source: Food.com

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained, quartered
1 (10 oz.) container grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 (6 oz.) can medium black olives, drained, sliced in half lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (20 oz.) package cheese-filled tortellini, cooked al dente, drained
1/3 c. olive oil, more if needed
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz.) jar basil pesto
1/2 t. salt, more if needed
2 t. minced garlic
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
8 oz. rotini pasta, cooked al dente, drained

Cook pastas, set aside to drain and cool a bit. In large bowl, add rest of ingredients, folding gently until well mixed. Gently fold in pastas well. Adjust seasoning to taste, meaning, add more salt, parmesan, etc. until you like it. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If you make this a day ahead of time, you'll need to "refresh" it. Just add a bit more olive oil, salt, and parmesan before serving.

Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Shells

This is one busy week! Full time hours at the bakery, kindergarten open house for my son, my daughter will be turning TWO on Thursday followed by her 2 year doctor appointment, swim lessons, and then the week will end with my family coming to town to celebrate my daughter's birthday! It's going to be a fun week but I didn't want to have to worry too much about meal planning so I made this yummy pasta dish yesterday. It makes a huge meal (plenty for either lots of leftovers or even some for freezing). It was really good and my whole family cleaned their plates!




Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Shells
Source: Jamie Cooks It Up!

1 (16 oz) box elbow macaroni or medium shell pasta
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T. olive oil 
1 lb. sausage
2 (14.5 oz.) cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 t. cumin
1 t. basil, dried
1 t. oregano, dried
salt and pepper
2-3 c. cheddar cheese, grated
  
Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, and pour in your dried pasta. Cook it according to package directions. Don't let it get over cooked. Al dente is the texture you are looking for. Once the pasta is cooked pour the contents of the pot into a strainer resting nicely in your sink. Pour warm water over the top of the pasta and let it hang out there for a bit. 

While you pasta cooks, chop up one green pepper, one onion and 4 cloves of garlic.  Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of olive oil to the pan.  Add the chopped veggies and cook them until the onions are translucent.  Add the sausage and cook until browned. 


Open up 2 cans of Italian Stewed Tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium sized bowl. Stick some kitchen scissors into the bowl and cut the tomatoes up into large chunks. Pour the chopped up tomatoes into the skillet with the sausage and veggies. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon dried basil and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the top and give it all a nice stir to combine. 


Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet and stir it into the tomato mixture. Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray and pour the pasta/tomato mixture of bliss into it. Sprinkle it with grated cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. 

Simple Sesame Noodles

This recipe is a new favorite in my house. It received 8 thumbs up...well, 12 thumbs up if you include the friends we had over for dinner that night too! It went well with my Asian dinner of noodles, bok choy, and steamed fish with soy sauce and black beans (recipe to come). These noodles are so easy to throw together and make a delicious side dish! Thanks Pioneer Woman! I can always count on you for fabulous recipes!



Simple Sesame Noodles
Source: The Pioneer Woman

12 oz, Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
2 T. Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 T. Rice Vinegar
3 T. Pure Sesame Oil
1/2 t. Hot Chili Oil
4 T. Canola Oil
4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed. Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and toss. Serve in a bowl with chopsticks.

Homemade Spaghetti-Oh's

My kids love Spaghetti-Oh's. You know, the kind straight out of the can. I feel so guilty feeding it to them because it tastes quite gross and who knows how long it's been in that can. When I saw this recipe for homemade Spaghetti-Oh's I just had to make them. My little guy and gal gave it 4 thumbs up and even this momma had Spaghetti-Oh's for dinner that night. They were good (and I didn't feel guilty feeding it to my kids)!!!

I couldn't find Anillo pasta (small ringed pasta) at my local grocery store so I used Tubettini instead. They look like miniature ringed pasta.

Also, please note that this recipe makes a HUGE pot of spaghetti-oh's! I mean huge! Be prepared to freeze some, make a half recipe, or plan on eating them for several days. :)



She was my biggest fan. Notice the Spaghetti-Oh in her hair? LOL!


Homemade Spaghetti-Oh's
Source: So Says Sarah...

1 (28-oz.) can of tomato sauce – whatever kind you like
3 c. water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 T. butter
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
14 oz. Anillos (small ringed pasta)

Start by giving the Anillos a pre-boil in a big pot of boiling water for about 10-minutes. While the little rings are simmering away, you can assemble the sauce in another stockpot. Can’t find Anillos? You could use mini shells or tiny elbow macaroni, too.

Add the sauce, garlic, pepper, salt, and sugar to the blender and give a good whirl. This breaks up any clumps in your sauce and really incorporates the seasonings. I used a nice basic non-chunky tomato sauce and was very happy with the results.

Now add the tomato mixture to the pot along with the water and stir. Turn the heat to medium and let the sauce warm up.

After 10-minutes, drain the pasta and return it to its original pot. Add the butter and stir to coat using its residual heat. Those little circles of pasta will soak in that yummy buttery goodness.

Go ahead and slowly add the rings to the tomato sauce and let simmer for about 20-minutes making sure to stir every 5-minutes or so to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Give your pasta a taste test and check the seasonings. If you want more salt, add a sprinkle. If you would prefer things to be more garlicky, shake on some garlic salt…

Also, check the sauce consistency. Your pasta should have soaked up all that yummy sauce, but if things are still too watery, you can let everything simmer for another 10-minutes or so.

But, if you are good with how things are shaping up, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Turn off the heat and add the milk and shredded cheddar and then stir. The milk gives everything that great creamy taste and the cheese helps hold things together – and it’s cheese. Anything with cheese is good stuff.

What’s great about this recipe is it’s really basic, and you can adjust, add-too, and change-up however you like.

Your homemade spaghetti-OHS are ready to eat! If there are any leftovers, fill a few plastic bags with single servings and pop in the freezer to enjoy later.

Ratatouille

The first time I've ever really even heard of Ratatouille was when I watched the Disney movie. Have you all seen it? Ratatouille is an adorable kids movie about a young rat who dreams of becoming a renowned French chef. If you haven't seen it you really should.

Then last April in my Intro to Culinary class we made ratatouille. It was my first experience eating it and I fell in love. It was delicious! I am a huge fan of vegetables so this should be no surprise to those of you who know me.

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew from the Provence region of France. It is made of eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onion, garlic and seasonings -- usually basil and thyme. The ingredients are cooked together until tender. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold as an appetizer or side dish. It is often accompanied by rice, potatoes, pasta or French bread. When I saw this crock pot recipe I just had to try it! I served it on top of rice noodles (it's the only pasta I had on hand), sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese, and it was delightful!

Risotto

We learned how to make risotto during pasta/carb week in my cooking class. I had never eaten risotto before until that day. I had no idea what I was missing out on!!! It is so earthy, so flavorful, and so filling! I wanted to rush home and make it for my hubby to try. We served it as a side with grilled steaks and I was stuffed at the end of the meal. It was amazing! It takes a little time to make because you have to constantly watch over the rice and stir it very often for about 30 minutes, but the end result is so worth it!

Quick note: You cannot use just any rice for risotto. It must be Arborio rice which can be found in the rice aisle of most grocery stores. I found it with no problem at my local Meijer.

Lasagna Cupcakes

I just love making entres where the portions are already divided out for you. Like my mini meat loaves for example. There's no need to cut into a big meatloaf because they are already the perfect size for everyone to put on their plates.

The same goes for these Lasagna Cupcakes. Just grab one or two (three if you're really hungry!), add some garlic bread and a salad then your dinner is served! These are fun to make with kids and make such a cute presentation on the plate!

Crockpot Lasagna

You all know how much I love using my crockpot! It's one kitchen appliance I believe everyone should have. Slow cookers produce some of the most tender and flavorful dinners!

I never imagined I would be making lasagna in my crockpot but when I read on Facebook about a friend who had made it, I was more than intrigued and had to try it. The outcome? A meaty, cheesy, gooey lasagna that was oh so good!!!! My whole family loved it! I used ground beef like the recipe calls for but it would also be good with sausage.

Thanks Linda for sharing this recipe with me!

Quinoa and Black Beans

A friend of mine posted a link to this recipe on her Facebook page saying how good it was. After reading the name of it I was intrigued. I didn't even know how to pronounce it let alone know what it was!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America. Quinoa's origins are truly ancient. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization. The quinoa seed is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. It also contains more protein than any other grain; an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9 percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Sounds healthy, right? So I wanted to cook it and see if it tasted any good!

The results? I loved it! It was full of flavor and reminded me of my favorite pre-packaged Cuban black beans and rice that I've made several times only this dish is a lot healthier. I ate it as my main course but it would be a great side dish as well. It was very easy to make. In fact, the hardest part is finding quinoa in the grocery store. After several minutes of looking, and 2 aisles later, I found a little container of it across from the pasta section in Meijer. For you locals, I heard that Kroger sells it also.

You can add many other things to this dish if you like. I enjoyed my quinoa with some fresh lime squeezed on top. My husband added ham and a sunny-side up egg to his.

Thanks Cyndi for this great find! I will definitely make this dish again!

Chicken Parmesan

It's been awhile since I've made this recipe. So long that I almost forgot how good it was! The chicken was so tender and I served it over linguine.

The first time I had it was at a company potluck lunch. After my first bite, I had to ask for the recipe! It is surprisingly easy to make and everyone will think that you cooked for hours once they sit down to eat it.

The only change I make to this recipe is doubling the sauce. I normally use a 24 oz. jar of pasta sauce and that sometimes is still not enough because we like to put a generous amount on our pasta.

Meatball Bubble Biscuits

Pasta, Pasta!

That's what we had for dinner tonight! Along with these adorable little meatball bubble biscuits. I just love these. If you didn't know any better, you'd think you were just biting into some cute little rolls, but then surprise....there are meatballs and cheese inside! They are the perfect little dippers for marinara sauce and go great with a side of spaghetti.



Meatball Bubble Biscuits
Source: Barbie F.

1 can Pillsbury golden layers biscuits - each pulled into 2 layers
10 frozen fully cooked italian style meatballs - thawed and cut in half
2 sticks string cheese - cut each into 10 pieces
1 T. parm cheese
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 c. marinara sauce

Heat oven to 375. Separate biscuits into 2 layers. Place 1 meatball half and one piece of cheese into each biscuit, wrap dough around it and seal edges. Place seam side down into 9 inch round cake pan. Sprinkle with parm cheese, garlic pwd. and italian seasoning. Bake 18-20 min or until golden brown. Serve warm with warm sauce.

Italian Lasagna w/Meat

For dinner last night...LASAGNA! This recipe caught my eye and I've been meaning to try it for awhile. It was very good and full of flavor! I even doubled the recipe, baking one last night and sticking the other in the deep freezer for another day.



Italian Lasagna
Source: Amanda's Cookin'

1/2 of a (1-pound) package lasagna, uncooked
1 lb Italian sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
2 t. sugar
2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. basil leaves
1/2 t. fennel seed
1/4 t. pepper
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 T. parsley flakes
1/2 t. salt
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. grated parmasan cheese

Prepare lasagna according to package directions, drain.

In large skillet, combine Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. In medium bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parsley, and salt. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer one-third each lasagna, remaining meat sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Cover. Bake in 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake until hot, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Serve with garlic bread and side salad.

Pizza Pasta Bake...

...another freezer meal.

Spaghetti Casserole

This freezer meal idea came from Mari's Recipe Blog.