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Everyday Food for Busy People

Italian

Grandma’s Spaghetti Sauce in the Crockpot

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slow cooker spaghetti sauce

 

When I was little, my favorite meal was my Grandma’s spaghetti and meatballs. This is her recipe, but I can never make it taste just like hers. I think she had a special spoon she stirred it with. Cooking the sauce on the stove and simmering it for hours makes it taste better than cooking it in the crockpot, but I didn’t have hours the other day. It was still yummy in the crockpot. It only took a few minutes to put the sauce together and turn the pot on high. I had already made the meatballs, so they just had to be added to the pot to heat with the sauce.

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Pasta Salad – Perfect to Make Ahead or Pack Up

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This is my favorite pasta salad. I like to make a whole meal of it by adding grilled chicken. (Somehow the chicken never made it into the photos.) It also holds up well in a packed lunch. You’ll be the envy of others eating a fast food meal or lunch meat sandwich as you feast on this.

This is one dish that turns out a bit different every time I make it, because I use what I have available or what sounds good at the moment. As always, feel free to substitute ingredients to your own tastes and pantry items.

For the salad:

bowtie pasta – This was only a 12 oz box. I prefer 16 oz box, just because I end up with more.
broccoli
red pepper
grape or cherry tomatoes

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Chop the veggies. Add the chopped broccoli to the pasta water about 2 minutes before the pasta finishes cooking. This is enough time to make the brocoli a bit more tender, but still crisp. Drain the pasta and broccoli and run it under cool water to stop the cooking process. Put it in a big bowl with the other veggies.

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white or red wine vinegar (I used white this time)
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
black pepper
fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, chives, tarragon etc. or use dried like I did this time

This dressing recipe comes from the New Recipes from Mooswood Restaurant cookbook. Just whisk all the ingredients together, or put them in a container with a tight fitting lid and give it a good shake.

I really like using fresh basil in this, but I didn’t want to pay for it in the grocery.

Stir the dressing into the salad. I added some mozzerella cheese to this that didn’t make it into the ingredients photo. I also like adding shredded parmesan and after cooking with gorgonzola the other day, I think that would taste great in this pasta salad too.

For the grilled chicken, just season it with salt and pepper and grill. Slice or chop it into the salad.

Penne Gorgonzola with Grilled Chicken

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We don’t eat out often, but when we do I really like to go to Johnny Carino’s. The last time we were in there, my husband and I shared an order of Penne Gorgonzola and I got the bright idea that I could cook up a knock-off version at home. I was right! This tastes almost exactly like the restaurant version.

Here’s what you’ll need:

penne pasta
2 cups half & half
Gorgonzola cheese (the package I used was 5 oz)
Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 cup grated
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbs. butter
fresh ground pepper
tomato for garnish
grilled chicken, sliced thin

I was so focused on trying to re-create this dish that I forgot about taking a picture of the chicken. Unfortunately, it was pouring the rain so I had to grill it on the George Foreman. The outside grill would have made it taste better, but it was still fine. I just sprinkled it with salt and pepper before grilling.

Heat the water for the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. While that’s cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Saute the garlic for a bit in the butter. Whisk in the half & half and heat it over medium heat, then whisk in the cheeses. Allow the cheese to melt and add the pepper. I tried to keep mine hot, but not boiling but I wasn’t successful. It boiled just before I was about to pour it on the pasta. At first the sauce seemed very thin, but then after adding it to the pasta it thickened up.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir in the thinly sliced grilled chicken. The Carino’s version also has mushrooms, so if you like those you could add them in. Top with chopped tomato and extra cheese if you like.

This was a hit with everyone in the family. Now I need to conquer my other favorite dish from Carino’s, Bowtie Festival.

 

Italian Sausage with Bowties

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This recipe comes from Bethany at For the Love of Grub.
It’s highly recommended by the ladies on the Sonlight Forums and by me. Even my picky eaters liked it. As a bonus it’s fast and easy to make.

Gather up your ingredients:

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 box bowtie pasta
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 cups half & half (or heavy whipping cream)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While that cooks, brown the sausage, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Drain and rinse under hot water to remove the extra fat. Return to the skillet and add the tomatoes and half & half, salt and basil. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it until the sauce reduces a bit. Drain the pasta and put it back into the cooking pot. Add in the sauce and stir. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Stuffed Shells

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The best thing about this recipe (other than the fact that it tastes really good) is that it makes a lot. The picture only shows half of the recipe. The other half of the shells are in my freezer, waiting for their turn to become dinner.

Gather up your ingredients:

1 box jumbo shells
4 cups (2 lbs) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2-3 jars or cans of spaghetti sauce (I always use the cheap Hunt’s brand sauce for this. It works fine.)
Cook the shells according to the package directions. Drain them and cool in a single layer on wax paper or foil. Meanwhile, combine the cheeses, eggs, and seasonings. Fill each shell with 1 1/2 Tbs. of the cheese mixture.
Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Place the shells in the pan in a single layer. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
I froze the extra shells to use later in a single layer and then placed them in a ziplock bag. To use them, I’ll just assemble the shells and sauce in the pan and bake them a bit longer.