Pasta

Beefy Penne Bake – Help Crush Hunger

September 27, 2016 by Tiffany King Leave a Comment

I have shared a lot of posts and recipes over the years, but this is one of the most important. In a world that can seem a little (or a lot) out of control, with more bad news than we think we can handle, we also have the opportunity to join together for good.

This October, Red Gold is partnering with Feeding America for the #HelpCrushHunger campaign. And we can easily join in to help!

For each Red Gold product purchased throughout the month of October, Red Gold will donate a meal to someone in need. The goal is to donate 1.7 million meals to Feeding America food banks across the country.

You guys! How easy is that? All we need to do is buy Red Gold tomato products in October and a meal will be provided for people who need it! Since every grocery list I’ve ever put together has canned tomatoes on it, this is a no-brainer, simple way for me to help.

Our church has a small after school program for kids that live in a nearby neighborhood. This year the organizers of the program committed to including dinner as part of the program. Many of the kids don’t get enough to eat at home.

I made a big pan of Beefy Penne Bake to share with them last week. They ate it up! Another woman brought a watermelon from her garden. The kids love fresh fruit. One little guy is a true watermelon lover. I lost count of how many pieces he ate. I remember him loading up on watermelon during Vacation Bible School too.

I hope you’ll join me and #HelpCrushHunger during the month of October. When you show or tell about a family meal experience on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, use #HelpCrushHunger in the caption and you’ll be entered to win a Red Gold Family Meal Kit and $100 to donate to your local food bank. Visit www.HelpCrushHunger.com for more info.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Beefy Penne Bake: [Read more…] about Beefy Penne Bake – Help Crush Hunger

Pasta Puttanesca – So easy to make, so amazing to eat!

September 20, 2016 by Tiffany King Leave a Comment

The first time I heard of Pasta Puttanesca, was in the book Belong to Me by Maria de los Santos. (Fabulous book, by the way.) Something triggered my memory of the dish the other day and I decided to make it.

Oh my! This pasta is full of flavor! Garlic, tomatoes, olives, basil, Parmesan and anchovies all come together in a burst of taste. Please don’t leave because I said anchovies. They add so much flavor and you’ll never even know they’re in there. They disappear when cooked, leaving behind only a wonderful taste. Even your kids won’t know about it if you don’t tell them.

This dish is so quick to make. I pulled it together on a Sunday for lunch after church. It’s ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Pasta Puttanesca – So easy to make, so amazing to eat!

Quick and Easy Homemade Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

April 12, 2016 by Tiffany King 1 Comment

Spaghetti or pasta is a favorite weeknight go-to dinner for many families. It is for us too.

I used to reach for a jar of prepared pasta sauce, but once I figured out that homemade pasta sauce didn’t have to take all day to make, I rarely grab the jar.

Instead, I use some version of this recipe. It starts with a can of Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes. Well, actually I started this version with the Italian sausage, but the crushed tomatoes are the main ingredient.

The sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. It’s so easy! Homemade is so much better than store-bought and it’s just about as easy as opening a jar.

Italian sausage and plenty of herbs spice up the good tomato flavor. It’s fantastic over any type of pasta.

Here’s what you’ll need: [Read more…] about Quick and Easy Homemade Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Pasta

July 21, 2015 by KateS Leave a Comment

The Eat at Home Challenge is off to a great start! Nearly 1800 people have joined. I’m doing the challenge right along with everyone else, but last week I was sick all week. Summer isn’t supposed to be for viruses, but this one sure did lay me flat! It’s put me a little behind and made the Eat at Home Challenge a bit more challenging for my family. We haven’t eaten perfectly planned meals, but we have eaten. Fingers crossed that this week is better!

Today, we’ve got a recipe from Kate. This one looks fantastic!

I know the summer stereotype is lazy days but my summers are always busy. The longer days always seem to keep us out and about later, which often means less time to make dinner. This pasta has been one of my favorites so far this summer. It’s a recreation of something I got at a local café and it comes together in about fifteen minutes. If you cook the pasta the night before, you can have it on the table in about five.

I prefer to serve this cold – it feels more refreshing on a summer night, especially with fresh-from-the-garden corn and tomatoes – but you can heat it if you want to.

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Chipotle Ranch Chicken Pasta

Author: Kate S

Ingredients

1 lb. mini penne
1 lb. cooked chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 ear of corn grilled and cut off
1 tomato diced
½ red onion diced
8 oz. Colby Jack cheese shredded
1 cup ranch dressing
2 tsp. chipotle sauce or more, to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
In a small bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing and chipotle sauce.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chicken, corn, tomato and onion. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Add the cheese and stir until evenly distributed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kate is a home cook and new mom from New Jersey. In addition to sharing recipes with Eat at Home readers, she blogs her cooking adventures at Kate’s Recipe Box. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find her reading or tending to her garden.

Perfect Pasta Salad {plus tips I’ve learned}

April 29, 2015 by KimM 7 Comments

Pasta salad is a great dish to bring to a party, family get-together or for summer entertaining. It makes a great side, and if you are like me, you can make a meal out of it. It’s also so versatile, that you can add just about anything to it. However, for years…I just couldn’t get it right. After much trial and error, I have come up with what I think is the Perfect Pasta Salad!

First tip, it’s important to cook your pasta al dente (it should say on the box how many minutes this is, I like to use rotini pasta and it’s usually 7 minutes). This will prevent the pasta from getting too mushy/soggy because the pasta will soak up some of the dressing as it sits.
Second, and this is where I often went wrong, you need equal amounts of pasta to vegetables/add-ins. I like to chop my main veggies fairly uniform (“bite” size), like cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. My other ingredients that I use less of because of the strong flavor, such as onions and peppers, are chopped smaller. By add-ins, I am talking about not only vegetables, but also cheese, meats (pepperoni, ham, chicken), etc.
Third, the dressing…everyone has their favorite and how much they like, but too much or too little can turn your perfect pasta salad into a “ehhh, it’s okay” pasta salad. My rule of thumb is 4:4:1 – 4 cups cooked pasta, 4 cups veggies/add-ins, 1 cup dressing. Even when I make a large batch for a cook-out or party, I stick with my ratios. See, math does come in handy sometimes! The pasta and veggies will soak up some of the dressing, so if you make this the night before, you may need to add a little more dressing the next day. This is a good starting point, and you can adjust to suit your taste buds.
Finally, and this is just a suggestion because they are not always readily available, but I highly recommend adding fresh herbs. My favorites to use are basil or cilantro.

I am particularly fond of the above ingredients for my pasta salad. However, I usually add peppers and I always add some kind of cheese, which somehow did not make the picture! I usually use feta, but feel free to add whatever is your favorite.

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Perfect Pasta Salad {plus tips I've learned}

This pasta salad is the perfect side or light meal. Great for parties, cookouts, and more.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Author: Kim Morris

Ingredients

8 oz dry pasta will yield about 4 cups when cooked
4 cups desired vegetables/add-ins such as cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, fresh herbs, cheese
1 cup dressing such as House Italian, Oil & Vinegar, etc.
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to directions on package for al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl, adding vegetables and desired add-ins.
Add dressing, salt, pepper and stir to combine.
Place in fridge to chill or serve immediately.

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Kim is a contributing writer for Eat at Home and author of food & family blog, Makin’ it Mo’Betta. She blogs about her adventures in the kitchen, incorporating life as mom to teen and tween girls, as well as a young son with nut allergies, and wife to a diabetic husband. Life is never dull!