Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Here's a pantry raid meal for you that tastes much more sophisticated than a typical semi-homemade dinner. I got it from www.ourbestbites.com a favorite recipe/craft site.

12 oz bag tortellini, prepared according to package (i didn't have dry tortellini on hand so i used
some frozen ravioli that i had)
4 oz bacon chopped up and cooked (i used leftover easter ham that i had, and just added a bit of oil for the next step since i didn't have the rendered grease)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
(2 Tbsp oil/butter/bacon fat)
2 Tbsp flour
2 C milk
salt
pepper
1 1/2 t dried basil (i used a cube of frozen chopped basil from trader joes)
red pepper flakes
1 lemon, zest & juice
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
3/4 C grated mozzarrella cheese, divided (i used 1 cup cheese total)
3/4 C grated parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown bacon to a crisp in a skillet. remove bacon and drain. Reserve 2 Tbsp bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest (or add 2T fat to pan at this point). Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant. Add flour and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with a whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to sa simmer

While sauce is heating, use a grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 t zest and 1 T juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in pot. Add bacon to pasta. Add spinach, 1/2 cup of each cheese. Add sauce and stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty.

Enjoy!

Baked Manicotti

This is my altered recipe from Americas Test Kitchens. Not that their recipes aren't perfect, I just found a few shortcuts and added a vegetable.

1 jar TJ's Marinara sauce 28 oz
2 tubs of low fat cottage cheese 16 oz each
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped spinach - I used frozen that I defrosted first
black pepper
No boil lasagna noodles

Pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broiler safe baking dish, ( I used a sheet pan so I could soak 6 at a time) then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. (I had to soak them twice with boiling water) Remove noodles from water and place on a plate one at a time.

Spread bottom of 13 X 9 inch baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soup spoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Bake at 375 for 45 min or until pasta is tender.

Stove-top macaroni and cheese with ham

1 lb elbow macaroni
1/2 C sour cream
1 1/2 C milk
3 C shredded cheese, mix and match
2 t dijon mustard
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1/8 t nutmeg
1 C diced ham

optional: dry bread crumbs and grated parmesan, about 2T each

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large bowl. While still hot, stir in sour cream and set aside. I would wait about 1 minute after it's in the bowl.

Scald milk by heating over medium heat until tiny bubbles just appear around the edges, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese, mustard, pepper, salt, and nutmeg and simmer until the cheeses melt, stirring gently and constantly. Fold the cheese mixture into the pasta, along with the ham, and transfer to a serving dish.

Optional: combine bread crumbs and parmesan, then add to a dry skillet and set over medium heat. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until both are golden brown. Sprinkle evenly over macaroni and serve.

Also optional: I browned the cubed ham before adding to macaroni because it tastes better that way.

Tortellini Salad

We had this at Emma's birthday party and it was a hit-at least among the people that eat salads or pasta with more than one ingredient ;)

It's great to make ahead and tonight, I didn't have all of the ingredients so I improvised a bit and it was still delish.

6T olive oil
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 shallot, minced (I used some minced red onion this time around since I didn't have a shallot)
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb asparagus trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (I had to leave these out this time since I didn't have any :( )
2 9oz pkgs of fresh cheese tortellini (you could probably use dried ?)
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I added extra this time since I didn't have asparagus)
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1. whisk oil, basil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper together in the bowl you will make the salad in

2. cook asparagus in boiling, salted water unti ltender (3 min). Transfer to a colander using a slotted spoon (don't dump cooking water) and run under cold water until cooled off. toss with dressing.

3. return water to boil, add tortellini and cook until tender. drain thoroughly and toss while hot with the asparagus and dressing. refrigerate until chilled.

**** if you're making it ahead of time, stop here****

4. just before serving, add pine nuts, tomatoes and parm. (if you made the salad the day before, you might want to freshen it with a bit more oil and lemon juice before serving)

Beef Stroganoff

I forgot how good this is!

1 lb beef -- cut into bite size pieces or use ground beef, season with s&p
1 onion, chopped
8 or so mushrooms, cut (I use Cremini)
2 packages brown gravy (dry)
2 C water
1 C sour cream

Start cooking onions in large pot with some oil, butter or mixture. When they start to turn translucent, add the meat and cook thoroughly. Add mushrooms at any time depending on how soft you like them. I add them when the meat is nearly cooked. Add brown gravy mix and two cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat, cook intil thick and opaque. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Stir in about 8 oz of cooked wide egg noodles.

Very easy, very fast

Southwestern Pasta Salad

So this recipe is a takeoff from Jamie's Southwestern Salad recipe. I didn't have enough fresh ingredients to do a salad justice, and Grandma doesn't really do well with lettuce so I turned it into a pasta salad. I think it's delicious!

1lb pasta
1/2 c frozen corn (fresh would be better)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Some cubed cheddar cheese
Cooked Chicken cut into pieces
1 c or so fresh salsa (jarred would probably be okay too)
Ranch dressing

Make pasta. In the last minute or so of cooking, add in frozen corn
In large bowl, mix together some salsa and ranch dressing until desired flavor and consistency. Add in beans & chicken.
Drain pasta/corn and add to dressing mixture.
When it's all mixed up and cooled a little bit, add in cheese chunks and stir those in.
Mix up and enjoy room temp or cold.

Note: fresh vegis are always better so you could add cucumber, fresh tomatoes, fresh corn, fresh bell pepper, cilantro, etc and this would only get better!

Lasagna in 30 minutes- seriously!

This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated The Best 30 Minute Recipes book. It's your basic lasagna ingredients, but made in a skillet on the stove top. It cooks in 30 minutes AND you only have 1 pot to clean. This recipe is a suggestion but you could do your own flavorings as you like. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

1 lb ground meat (I used Light Jimmy Dean sausage b/c that's what I had around, but you could
use turkey, beef, or any combo)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 t red pepper flakes
6 oz (8 noodles) curly edged lasagna noodles, broken in to 2-inch pieces. Do not use no boil noodles.
1 26 oz jar tomato sauce/marinara sauce
2 cups water
1/2 bag frozen, chopped spinach
1/2 c grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
3/4 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c minced fresh basil (optional)

1. Cook meat in a large 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Drain fat out of meat and return to skillet.
2. Stir in garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 t salt and cook over medium high heat for about 30 seconds.
3. sprinkle broken noodles into skillet, then pour in tomato sauce and water over top and add in frozen spinach. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping at a vigorous simmer until noodles are tender (about 20 minutes)
4. Turn off heat, stir in half of mozarella and parmesan cheeses. Dot heaping spoonfuls of ricotta over noodles, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover and let stand off heat until cheeses melt (3-5 minutes)
5. Sprinkle with basil and eat up!

Thai Chicken Pasta (or rice)

This dish seems a little complicated because it has a lot of ingredients but you dump them in all at once and I usually have all of them on hand, except for the half-and-half...and please don't try to use whole milk and cornstarch instead, it does not work!

Everyone in my family loves this and, even though it seems special, it takes hardly any time to make.

Ingredients:

1 pound any kind of noodle (or you can serve over rice)
enough chicken to feed your family, shredded/cubed/or however

Sauce:
1/2 C chicken broth
1 T minced ginger root OR 1/2 t ground ginger
3 T soy sauce
4 T peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
3 T honey
1-2 t hot chili paste**
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 C half-and-half

Cook pasta until al dente or rice according to package. Drain. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan combine all sauce ingredients. Cook and whisk over medium heat until mixture is fully incorporated and heated through. Add noodles and chicken, toss to coat. I top mine with chives if I have them and chopped peanuts "for a nice crunch!" (little food network reference there)

**In the ethnic foods/Indian section of the grocery store I found a jar of Patak's Original Vindaloo Curry Paste "hot" It says to use within six months of opening but I didn't read that until just now and I've been keeping mine in the fridge and using it for at least a year now with no problems :)

Balsamic chicken with noodles and tomatoes

*disclaimer, this is a very lose recipe as I make it different every time and never write anything down.

Chicken Breasts
Cherry Tomatoes
Balsamic Vinegar
Noodles
Basil
Salt
Pepper

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook the chicken breasts in a frying pan over med heat until done. Once they are done take them out and deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar- about 1/3 cup?? Get all the flavor off of the bottom of the pan. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, add them to the vinegar along with the cooked chicken and basil. Cook for a min or two just to warm the tomatoes. Serve over noodles.

** I use the frozen basil from TJ's and whole wheat angel hair pasta. You can also serve it with fresh parmesan cheese.