Pasta with Broccoli and Peppers

This is a recipe we use to make before we entered our GF lifestyle.  I don't make it as often since it is a bit more of a challenge but it is still delicious.  You can add chicken and it is really yummy, but I usually do it without any meat.

Broccoli Pepper Pasta (printer friendly recipe)
12 oz short cut pasta
2 C broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1 T olice oil
1/2 C diced red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C chicken broth
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 C diced roasted red peppers (or just red peppers)
2 T grated Parmesan cheese (opt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 T chopped fresh basil (opt.)

1. In a large pot cook pasta according to package directions.  If using frozen broccoli add when you add the pasta.   If using fresh broccoli add the last 3-4 minutes of cooking. or until pasta is tender and the broccoli has turned bright green.
2. While that cooks, heat a medium skillet on medium heat.  Add the oil.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until they are tender.  Add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil  Reduce heat to low and stir in the red peppers and black pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

 3. Drain pasta and broccoli and dump into a large bowl. Pour sauce over the top and toss.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil (if using).

Strogaccine

My 6 year old has been on strike (until 2 days ago) from all versions of tomatoes except the sauce on pizza.  Consequently, I haven't made a whole lot of pasta lately.  I'm just not in the mood for the fight.  Anyway, the other night (before the break in the strike) I really wanted pasta, and so I started cooking the hamburger with a small onion and some garlic and got the pots (one for GF pasta and one for regular pasta) on to boil.  In the middle of the process I decided I really didn't want the fight after all and had to change directions.  So I decided to make a fettuccine sauce with the hamburger.  Or at least a mozzarella white sauce.  It turned out relatively well.  I just wish I had had whole milk or some cream and some mushrooms and it would have been better.  Otherwise, it was a pretty good hack job.

Strogaccine (printer friendly)

1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 lb hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper, or to taste
1 can mushrooms-pieces and stems, drained or 1 C fresh
4 C milk, divided*
3 T cornstarch
1/2  tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 C shredded mozzarella
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

1. In a deep skillet cook hamburger, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper until the meat is browned.

2. Add the mushrooms and toss for a minute or so. Add 3 C milk*, basil, oregano, and thyme.  Bring to a light boil, stirring occasionally.  Stir cornstarch into remaining milk* and stir until mixed then slowly add to sauce while stirring.  Bring to a light boil and let cook for 1 minute.  Add cheese and stir until fully melted.
 3. Serve over pasta with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.


*or 1 C cream and 3 C milk.  Add the cornstarch to the cream.

Chicken, Toasted Garlic & Veggie Pasta

First I have to admit that the photo is not using GF pasta.  My daughter who is GF had the flu the day I served this and she didn't want to eat anything, so I didn't have to make her pasta.   That said, it had been a long day and I needed something fast so I went to my Rachel Ray Express Meals cookbook and went searching.  I came upon "Toasted Garlic & Sweet Pea Pasta" that I had been wanting to try for a while, but was always missing one or more ingredients.  Well I still didn't have enough peas but decided to make it work anyway, by using the end of a bag of broccoli.  I also decided it needed chicken.  Let me say, this was DIVINE!!  It was so good I ended up freezing it in portion sizes so I could eat it later.  I am definately going to make this again.  If you are worried about it being too garlicky, it isn't.  The garlic seems to just melt into the sauce and compliments perfectly.  I think I am going to try adding toasted sliced almonds next time, I think it would give a great crunch.

Chicken, Toasted Garlic & Veggie Pasta  
(printer friendly recipe)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, chopped
1 lb pasta
1/4-1/3 olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lg onion, finely chopped
1 med green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt, to taste (about 1/4 tsp for me)
black pepper, to taste (about 1/4 tsp for me)
2 3/4 C chicken broth
1-10 oz box of frozen peas
1 small bag of frozen broccoli
3 T dried parsley
1 C grated Parmesan Cheese (opt)
1/4 tsp sliced almonds, toasted (opt.)

1. In a medium skillet cook heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and cook chicken until golden brown.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, be sure to save about 1/2 C of the pasta water for the sauce.
3. In a large skillet heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and add the sliced garlic.  Cook until golden brown, careful garlic goes from golden to black quickly.  Remove garlic to a paper towel lined plate. 
4. Turn the heat up to med-high and add the red pepper flakes, onion, green pepper, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook, being sure to stir frequently, until the onions and green pepper are tender and the onions start to brown.  Add the chicken stock and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add the peas, broccoli, cooked chicken and 1/2 C pasta water (if doing GF & regular pasta be sure to get water from the GF pasta pan).  Bring the sauce to a boil and add the parsley and garlic slices.  Stir to combine and taste to determine if it needs more salt and pepper, add if necessary.
5. Pour sauce over pasta and and stir to combine.  Add cheese and stir.  If the sauce is too thick you can add more chicken broth.  Pass cheese at the table for those who want more.

Pasta & Cheese

I'm almost ashamed to admit that until yesterday I had only had pesto once, bought from the store and I did not like it.  Which is even more surprising since I LOVE Basil.  Yesterday my kids and I had lunch at a friends where we had quesadillas.  My friend said that she had some pesto and suggested pesto quesadillas to which I decided to try it again.  They were so good I could hardly believe I had ever not liked it.  The main difference, it was freshly made not store bought.  Anyway, I ran to the store and bought the ingredients I needed to go with my fresh basil and made it for dinner to serve over pasta.  The problem: there was no way my kids were going to eat it so I decided they would have macaroni & cheese.  The next problem, no GF mac & cheese.  However, I did have some leftover GF pasta in the fridge from when we had Fresh From the Garden Sauce & pasta, so I decided to make a quick sauce to pour over and it turned out so good I had some myself. My husband ate it with pesto.

Pasta & Cheese (printer friendly recipe)
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced onion or 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T potato flour
1 C milk
dash of Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 C cheddar cheese
3 T Parmesan cheese
Cooked pasta

1. In a small saucepan over med heat, melt the butter.  Add the minced onion (if using) and saute for a minute or so.  Add the garlic powder, paprika, salt & pepper and saute a few seconds.  Add the flour and stir forming a crumbly roux.
2. Add milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.  Add Worcestershire sauce.  Continue stirring until sauce boils.  Boil for 1 minute.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Serve over cooked pasta. Makes 1 Cup sauce.

Lasagna Casserole

I love lasagna, I, however, hate making it and trying to get the noodles just right. I realize it isn't that big of a deal, but at the time it always seems daunting. Anyway, our spinach is starting to go crazy, meaning we REALLY have to eat it. I am going to freeze some, but having fresh spinach makes me think of lasagna so I decided to make more of a casserole instead of a full blown lasagna and it turned out just as yummy. I am not a ricotta fan so I always use cottage cheese, but I imagine you could use ricotta just as easy.

Lasagna Casserole
2 lb dry spiral noodles
1 24-oz container cottage cheese
1 C fresh spinach, coarsely diced
2 Tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
1/2 C parmesan Cheese, grated
2 jars of spaghetti sauce*
1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl combine cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, and basil.
3. Grease a 9x13 pan or line with foil and grease.
4. Layer 1/2 C sauce then 1/3 cooked pasta, then 1/2 cottage cheese mixture and then a couple handfuls of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 1/3 pasta, sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and a couple handfuls of cheese. Then layer remaining pasta, sauce and mozzarella cheese.5. Grease one side of tin foil large enough to cover casserole dish. Cover dish tightly and bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 more.

* or your own equivalent

Beef Stroganoff

I love Beef Stroganoff, yet I rarely have enough sour cream to make it. Tonight I was completely lost on what to have for dinner and called my sister who also has a daughter with Celiacs and said, "What are you having for dinner?" She didn't know, but she mentioned she had Beef Stroganoff the other night and since I had to run to the store anyway, I was able to get sour cream and even used fresh mushrooms (usually it is just canned). It turned our very yummy. Basically, I just used the recipe in the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook with a few changes.

Beef Stroganoff (printer friendly)

1 lb hamburger
1 8-oz carton sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C water
2 tsp beef bouillon granules (or 2 cubes smashed*)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 C chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 C hot cooked noodles

1. In a small mixing bowl combine the flour with the sour cream. Add the water, bouillon, and pepper and whisk until smooth.
2. In a large skillet cook hamburger partially, then add mushrooms, onions, and garlic and cook until meat is done. Drain, if desired.
3. Add sour cream mixture and stir until thickened. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 more minute. Serve over noodles. Makes 4 servings.

*I use a meat tenderizer to smash the unopened package of the cube and then open the package.

30-min Veggie Tossed Pasta

Tonight we had a million things going, and as much as I wanted to eat out, I swore we wouldn't. That said, I also wasn't up to cooking anything fancy or that took a lot of time. After looking through a couple of Rachel Ray cookbooks I came across a recipe that took veggies & tossed it with penne with pesto and some other things. Well, I was even too lazy for pesto (plus, I don't have fresh herbs -- yet). But I remember a recipe I hadn't made forever that is similar and decided to do a mix of the two, but instead of fresh veggies, I used a frozen package of PictSweet Deluxe "Steamables" Spring Vegetables seasoned with black pepper. It turned out fabulous. Even the picky one ate it all up. Yeah! Even better it took less than a 1/2 hour from start to eat.

30-min Veggie Tossed Pasta
1-lb pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
1 med onion, sliced & sliced again (it will look chopped & sliced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp dried basil, crushed*
1 tsp dried parsley, crushed*
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 pkg frozen package of "Steamables" Spring Vegetables seasoned with black pepper, cooked according to package directions.
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
Black Pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil & butter over med-high heat. Add onion. Saute a couple minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, & parsley. Saute a few more minutes until onion is tender, but not slimy. Add vinegar. Allow to cook 1-2 more minutes. Add vegetables and allow to cook until pasta is ready.
3. Drain pasta and toss with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Pour vegetables over pasta and toss. Add more pepper if desired.

*Use 1/4 C of fresh basil and 1 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped if you have them.

I think this would be fantastic with chicken or broccoli, which I usually use. I however, loved the combo of asparagus, yellow squash & zucchini with the pasta. My 3 favorite veggies.

Chicken Pasta Bake

This is a take on my 4-Cheese Pasta Bake that I make a lot. But this is my toss in the pan version. Basically, I had some leftover pasta in the fridge that needed to be eaten, but not enough to just throw sauce over, so I looked in the freezer to see what I had and added a few more things. I didn't really measure so just dump and eat. The best thing I found in the freezer was some zucchini marinara I made last August, which is basically spaghetti sauce with zucchini. YUM!

Chicken Pasta Bake (printer friendly)
Cooked Pasta (about 3 C)
1 cooked chicken breast, chopped
1/2 pkg cream cheese (or substitute - I like Tofutti), chopped
1/2-1 C chopped spinach, depending on how much you like spinach
Spaghetti Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese (opt)

1. Put pasta in baking dish, chicken cream cheese and spinach. Stir spaghetti sauce into mixture. Top with Mozzarella Cheese.
2. Bake, covered, in a 350-degree oven for about 30-minutes or until the cheese is melted. I ended up having to finish in the microwave since some of my ingredients were frozen, but it was still yummy.

4-Cheese Pasta Bake

This was originally my Sister-in-law's recipe that I fell in love with. Over the years I have tweaked it a little bit and done various versions. This particular time I made it without meat - I was too lazy to thaw and cook it - but I included everything in the actual recipe. This is one of the few recipes I actually make 2 versions, Gluten-Free and regular. I usually freeze GF leftovers in portion sizes for school lunch.

The Regular is on top, the Gluten-free is on the bottom.

4-Cheese Pasta Bake
1 12-oz pkg short cut pasta*
1 jar pasta sauce, approx depending on how saucy**
1/2 - 3/4-lb hamburger or sausage browned***
1 can mushrooms, drained***
1/2 C cottage cheese
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Cook according to package directions, Drain and place in a greased 11x7 baking dish.
3. Mix the pasta sauce, and cottage cheese into the pasta
4. Top pasta with about tsp size pieces of cream cheese and turn so they are mixed in slightly.
5. Sprinkle Parmesan and Mozzarella on top. Cover with greased tin foil and bake in oven for 30-45 minutes or until cheese is melted.

NOTE: Once you cover the pasta you can refrigerate until ready to heat.

*penne, spiral, etc. we used a variety in the Regular version

**I used some Marinara sauce from my freezer
***Not in the photo, I didn't use it this time.