parmesan

Creamy Tortellini with Red Bell Peppers and Peas

June 19, 2009 by Tiffany King 19 Comments

I know I’ve declared my love for pasta many times, but let me say it once more – I really love pasta! I bought the totellini with the intention of re-creating a pasta dish at Fazoli’s. I’ve never eaten that dish, but the picture in the ad looked good and involved artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Yum. For some reason, I could not find artichoke hearts in Walmart the other day and I forgot to buy sun-dried tomatoes. I did have red peppers and peas though, so I created this instead. A very good combination of flavors in a creamy, cheesy dish.

Pasta Salad – Perfect to Make Ahead or Pack Up

April 6, 2009 by Tiffany King 24 Comments

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.

Rustic Italian Sausage Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Two Cheese Sauce

March 24, 2009 by Tiffany King 23 Comments

I invented this recipe last night when I wanted something a little different, but also quick. It was a hit, as most pasta dishes are at our house.

Here’s what you’ll need. As always, feel free to substitute and change out ingredients for what you have available. I thought mushrooms would be good in this, if you like them.

1 lb. linguine or other type pasta (penne would be good)
half & half (about 2 cups)
parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
mozzerella cheese (about 1 cup)
small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
butter for making the sauce (2-3 Tbs)
roasted red peppers (I used about 1/2 jar)
Italian sausage, browned

Cook the pasta according to the directions. Brown the sausage and drain the fat. In a saucepan, cook the onion and garlic in the butter until soft. Whisk in the half & half. Then stir in the cheeses and let them melt into the sauce over low heat. I didn’t really measure any of the sauce ingredients, but went by what I thought looked good. I also added salt and pepper.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and put it back in the cooking pot. Add in the sausage, sauce and roasted red peppers. Serve it with garlic bread and salad.

We had some left over for lunch today and I thought it tasted even better. The flavors were more pronounced today. I’ll be making this one again!

Stuffed Shells

February 5, 2009 by Tiffany King 32 Comments

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.

Fettuccine Alfredo

January 3, 2009 by Tiffany King 15 Comments

Dinner is on the table in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta. Much faster than grabbing take-out, and the ingredients can be kept on hand for when you need a super fast meal. I altered this recipe from Country Gourmet Cookbook. That recipe called for raw eggs and I’m not willing to risk a case of food poisoning for dinner, so I took the eggs out and added a bit more cheese and half & half.

Gather up your ingredients:

1 box fettucine
1 container of shredded parmesan cheese (the original recipe calls for 1 cup, but I like more)
4 Tbs. butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups half & half, warmed

Put the water on to boil and cook the fettucine according to the package directions. Warm the half & half in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. You don’t want to boil it, but you do want it warm. Drain the pasta and put it back into the cooking pot. Add the 4 Tbs. of butter to the pasta. Pour in the warm half & half and add the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can also add finely chopped basil or parsley. I’m usually in too much of a hurry to fuss with that when I make this meal.

For my family of 6, this is enough pasta if I serve a few side dishes with it, like salad, broccoli or bread. I really need to start making a double batch to keep everyone happy. The big kids really eat a lot of this!