Recipe Swap: Pizza Pasta Casserole!!

I love the bloggers choice swaps. Sometimes it takes me a few days to find a recipe but as soon as I saw Pizza Pasta Casserole from Carrie at Carrie's Sweet Life, my mind was made up. K doesn't like red sauce from a jar/can so I made it myself but other than that I stayed true to the recipe. I baked mine in a smaller round dish so I could make a layer of pasta, pepperoni then cheese and repeat. We both loved it!! I sprinkled a little crushed red pepper on mine.

Pizza Pasta Casserole: 

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 T. garlic powder
1 (26 once) jar spaghetti sauce
12 ounces rotini pasta, cooked and drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces sliced pepperoni

Brown ground beef, onion, adding oil if needed. Drain. Stir in pasta, spaghetti sauce, and 2 cups cheese. Place mixture in a greased 9×13 pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with pepperoni. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Top with Parmesan before serving.

RecipeSwap: Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables

It's recipe swap time again and I was very excited to try this one. I was given Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables from Nicole with Cookies on Friday. I looooove meat so I am always skeptical of main recipes that don't have any. This recipe was delicious and perfect without meat. It was light and tasty. I did add more cheese than it called for and used jarred spices instead of fresh.

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables:

4 ounces uncooked ziti

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow squash

1 cup chopped zucchini

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cups chopped tomato

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Recipe from Cooking Light, July 2011

Gnocchi Mac N Cheese

It's recipe swap time and this time the theme was pasta. I got Gnocchi Mac N Cheese from The Jey of Cooking and it was awesome! I followed the recipe exactly and it received rave reviews. I made gnocchi from scratch before but due to time restraints I used the kind in the package. It was just as good.

Gnocchi Mac N Cheese:

1 Lb. Gnocchi (I used pre-packaged)
6 Slices Bacon
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
8 Sage Leaves, finely chopped (I used a small palm full of dried)
1 Tbsp. Flour
1 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Ground Mustard (omitted-I didn't have any)
1/2 Cup (or more) Gruyere Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup (or more) Fontina Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup (or more) Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium low heat, turning frequently until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate, chop and set aside. Add onion to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, anywhere from 10-30 minutes.

Drop the gnocchi into a pot of salted boiling water and cook until they float to the top, 2-3 minutes. Drain in a colander then return gnocchi to the pot.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and sage and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk until it bubbles, then add the milk and ground mustard. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the Gruyere and Fontina and stir until melted. Mix in the bacon and caramelized onions. Pour over the gnocchi and stir until combined.

Transfer the gnocchi and sauce to a lightly oiled baking dish and cover with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

A certain someone in my house doesn't like red sauce and I wanted to make a lasagna. After doing some research I found a delicious white cheese chicken recipe on Allrecipes. It's so good we both had seconds! I made two small lasagnas instead of one so I could omit the spinach in his. I wish it photographed better because it was absolutely incredible.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

I cheated a little and used a jar of Alfredo sauce, but hey I was busy today! It was sooooooo good and creamy. I hope you like it, too.

Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Box of pasta (I chose Penne)
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar alfredo sauce (what ever brand you like)
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
Cheese (whatever you like- I used a three cheese blend)
Broccoli (optional)

Place chicken breasts in crockpot and top with salt, pepper and 1/2 of a can of cream of mushroom soup. Cook on high for 3-4 hours then shred chicken. Add jar of alfredo sauce, stir and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. Cook pasta and top with meat mixture and cheese. Add broccoli if desired.

Chicken Tomato Pesto Pasta

I was in the mood for a chicken and pasta dish the other night. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and made a few modifications. Below is my version of the dish. I didn't really measure the ingredients when I was making it. I just eyeballed it as I went along ant the below measurements are an approximation. It makes a lot, too. Very nice for lunch the next day. :)

Chicken Tomato Pesto Pasta:

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp Basil Pesto
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian style
1 cup White Wine
Kalamata Olives, pitted
1/2 cup heavy cream
Red Pepper flakes (optional)
Box of Penne Noodles, cooked

Cube the chicken breasts and place in a dish. Lightly coat the chicken with olive oil and season with garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. (You can skip this step if pressed for time)

Heat skillet and add chicken cubes. Cook till no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain tomatoes and add to chicken along with cream, wine, red pepper flakes (if using), and olives. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Toss with pasta and serve.

Chicken Noodle Soup

My man was sick and asked me to make him some soup. What's better than chicken noodle soup when you are sick?? Nothing. :)

Chicken Noodle Soup:

Rotissere chicken
Carrots
Celery
Salt
Noodles

Boil chicken, cool. Remove meat from bones, discard waste. Chop carrots and celery. Bring broth to a boil, add noodles, carrots, chicken, and celery. Cook till noodles and veggies are soft. Add salt to taste.

Ground Beef Ricotta Bake

Ground Beef Ricotta Bake:

1/3 box pasta
1 TBS margarine
1 pound lean ground beef
1 TBS minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 c. part skim ricotta
1 TBS dried basil
1 TBS dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 large tomato, chopped
4 TBS ketchup
1/2 c. part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. While waiting, brown ground beef. Drain. Add minced onion, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. After pasta is cooked and drained, add to an 8x8 square baking pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Mix 1 TBS of margarine into spaghetti. Spread in an even layer. Add ricotta to the ground beef in its skillet. Mix well. Spread beef and ricotta mixture evenly over spaghetti. Sprinkle basil, oregano, and rosemary over the top. Cover this layer with chopped tomatoes. Distribute ketchup evenly over tomatoes. Cover it all with the mozzarella cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Calories: 367.5
Fat: 21.2g
Carbohydrates: 20.1g
Protein: 23.1g

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Peppers

I had some bell peppers on hand that needed to be used. I came across this recipe on allrecipes and modified it to my taste. The original recipe called for snow peas, water chestnuts, and deli chicken. Here is what I came up with.

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Peppers:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ red bell pepper, julienned
½ orange bell pepper, julienned
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped tomato
1 cup spinach
2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch salt
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta

In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook till browned. Add garlic, bell pepper, and onion. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato, spinach, ground black pepper and salt to the skillet. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

In a separate small saucepan, heat the chicken broth and wine to a near boil. Pour the hot broth into the vegetable/chicken skillet. Toss and serve mixture over cooked angel hair pasta immediately. Top with parmesan cheese.