Sour Cream Noodle Bake

The Pioneer Woman posted this recipe recently. I wanted to try it because it looked really fast and easy. It was also quite delicious, comfort food at its best. I changed the original recipe just a bit for our taste. I think I had this all assembled in about 15 minutes, it is great for those busy weeknights when you want something fast to throw together yet everyone loves. Even tastier for leftovers. This recipe fed my family of 6 with leftovers for a couple of us the next day.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1 package egg noodles

1 pound ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper

2 garlic cloves

2 small cans tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce, just plain ol' tomato sauce)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

1 small bag frozen corn

1 cup shredded cheese ( I used cheddar)

Brown ground beef in skillet with garlic cloves. Drain fat and add tomato sauce, salt and pepper and allow to simmer while you prepare the rest. Cook egg noodles al dente. Drain pasta and toss with the cottage cheese, sour cream, fresh ground pepper and green onions.

Add half the noodle mixture to a baking dish, top with half the ground beef, top with cheese then frozen corn. Finish with the remainder of the noodles, ground beef and top with more cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Pasta Taco Salad

This is the first time I have had a mexican pasta and it certainly won't be the last. This is definitely part of my regular rotation now. I loved it for dinner and I loved it the next day for lunch. It will be great in the summer because you don't need the oven and I like having meatless meals on the menu.

Pasta Taco Salad

1 pound pasta (bowtie, wagonwheel or spiral)
salt
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn
1½ cups salsa (I reccomend making this and using it, I make up a batch every Saturday and never buy jarred salsa anymore after finding it)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 roma tomatoes, diced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup olive oil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions with 1 Tablespoon of salt. Drain pasta and stir the corn in frozen to cool pasta and defrost corn. Toss the pasta with salsa then the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese.

2. Toss the avacado with the lime juice, remove avacado and add to pasta. With remaining lime juice, add spices, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt, then slowly whisk in the oil. Add dressing to pasta. Serve immediately. Stays well for up to 1 day in fridge, longer if you keep the avacado separate.

adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Marinara Sauce and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

This is the sauce I make if I am having company and want something tastier than jar sauce. I mostly use jar sauce and doctor it up a bit with tomatoes and some seasonings.

Marinara Sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 8 ounce tomato sauce

1 6 ounce tomato paste

2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes

saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, mushrooms, parsley and spices. Stir to combine. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Fill empty tomato cans and tomato paste cans with water and add to sauce. Allow to simmer for up to an hour.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound ground pork (or you can use all beef)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Tablespoons dried or fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

8 ounce package mozzarella, cut into small cubes (about 1/4 inch in size)

Mix all ingredients and form into walnut sized balls, forming meat around cheese cube. Cook in olive oil in a large pan. Try to be gentle, the cheese tends to ooze out if you turn too much. Serve over pasta and marinara. Top with parmesan.

This makes about 2 1/2 dozen meatballs. I usually use half and freeze the rest or save them for leftovers. Or, just cut the recipe in half.

Sausage tomato penne

My whole family went to my sisters cabin a few weeks ago and this is what my sister in law suggested we make for the meal we were in charge of. Delicious!! It is so easy and perfect for summer since it is all done in the skillet. A new favorite at our house.

Sausage Tomato Pasta

1 package penne, cooked according to package
1 pound mild italian sausage
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large can diced tomatoes with italian seasonings
1/2 onion, chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
italian seasoning

Cook onion, sausage, and garlic with olive oil. Drain fat. Add heavy cream and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add can of tomatoes and italian seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, heat and toss with pasta.

Easy Chicken Pesto Penne

This is so delicious, so easy, fast and great for summer. I used a rotissere chicken so I didn't have to turn on the oven at all. Everyone, including my kids liked this. I bought a large jar of pesto from Costco and can't wait to use it in other recipes. I am LOVING pesto lately.

Chicken Pesto Penne

make and takes

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 cup parmesan

salt

pepper

1 pound penne pasta, cooked and drained

Boil heavy cream, stirring constantly, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. Add pesto and stir then add parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss with chicken and pasta.

Low Fat Alfredo Sauce

This is so good, I would never guess it was low in fat. My kids absolutely loved it and all asked for more and more.

Guiltless Alfredo

from Our Best Bites

2 C low-fat milk

1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese (I used fat free and it turned out fine)

2 T flour

1 t salt

1 T butter

3 garlic cloves

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Mix milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender until smooth. Melt butter in skillet and saute garlic for about 30 seconds. Add milk mixture to garlic and stir for a few minutes until thickened. Add parmesan cheese and stir. Cover with a lit, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to thicken up more. If you refrigerate this it will get very thick, add milk and re-heat.

Creamy Carbonara

Creamy Carbonara

(printable version here)

3 large eggs

1 cup Romano Cheese ( I used a blend of Romano, Asiago and Parmesan)

2 TBS heavy cream

1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine

1 TBS salt

1 pound spaghetti

Wisk eggs, cheese and cream together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and keep 2 TBS bacon fat in the pan. Add garlic and pepper to bacon fat and cook for about 30 seconds. SLOWLY wisk into the egg mixture. (add slowly and wisk constantly when adding hot to the egg mixture or the egg will cook and ruin the dish).

Add chicken broth to skillet and simmer, scrape bottom of pan to remove brown bits from bacon for about 5 minutes. SLOWLY wisk into egg mixture, wisk constnantly.

Meanwhile, cook pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain and return to pot, toss with egg mixture along with 1/2 cup of the noodle cooking water. Add bacon and more water as needed to thin sauce.

Enjoy!

This is one of my top five main dishes. My mom always made this for our

family and it was a big hit every time she served it. We buy the sun dried tomatoes from Costco in a 2 pound jar, they are in olive oil and last quite a while in the fridge.

Pasta Passion

(printable version)

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup extra virgin ol

ive oil

3/4 pound chicken breasts, boned, skinned and cubed

2 cups broccoli florets

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

1 tsp. dried basil

pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 cup white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound bow tie pasta,

cooked

2 Tbs. butter

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

In skillet or saucepan, sute garlic in oil until golden. Add chicken and saute until

cooked. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add broccoli florets. Saute until crisply tender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, seasonings, white wine and chicken broth. To complete sauce, add butter, cover and remove from heat. Add pasta and toss.

(I omitted the butter and used a full cup of chicken broth since I had no white

wine)