Pasta

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches Swiss Chard, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons flour
¹⁄₂ cup sundried tomato pesto
2 cups plain whole fat yogurt
2 cups goat cheese or feta
1 pound elbow pasta
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as directed by package directions.  Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water then drain well. 

2. Heat oven broiler. 

3. Heat oil and butter in large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven until butter has melted.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add garlic and continue cooking until vegetables are tender.  Add chard and cook until leaves have mostly wilted, another 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. 

4. Add pesto, yogurt, goat cheese, and pasta.  Stir and cook until everything is heated through and begins to thicken.  If sauce becomes too thick, thin with reserved pasta water.  Sprinkle Parmesan over pasta and place skillet under broiler 5 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.  Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Perry’s Plate. I saved it in my bookmarks last year and have been waiting for Swiss chard to be back in season ever since.  It was a long wait, but well worth it!  I thought it was delicious and have been enjoying leftovers ever since.  Art also loved it but Lance has decided that he’s not a huge lover of goat cheese.  If I make it again, I’ll try using feta instead.  This pasta was creamy and full of great flavors.  If you’re looking for new things to do with chard, consider this!

Shown here with Seasoned Top Round Roast.

Internet - Perry’s Plate

Ingredients
1 pound rotini pasta or other small shaped pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups half and half
4 lemons, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces baby spinach
¹⁄₂ cup grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions
1. Bring large pot salted water to boil and cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions.  Drain well and return pasta to pot.

2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add half and half, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. 

3. Pour sauce over pasta and cook over medium low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until most of sauce has been absorbed.  Remove pot from heat and add spinach, Parmesan and tomatoes.  Toss well until spinach wilts.  Season to taste and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from Sunshine and Bones.  It was scrumptious.  The sauce was almost like a lemony alfredo and the spinach and tomatoes tasted fantastic.  I would make this again in a heartbeat and it’s a perfect summery pasta dish with beautiful vibrant colors. 

Shown here with Baked Italian Chicken.

Internet - Sunshine and Bones

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion. chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried thyme
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes (diced tomatoes are okay too)
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
2 pounds ravioli
1 ¹⁄₂ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 425*F. 

2. Heat oil in large ovensafe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add sausage, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until sausage is cooked through and onion is softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add thyme and tomatoes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, until sauce thickens and reduces, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, bring large pot salted water to boil and cook ravioli 2 minutes less than directed to by packaging.  Drain pasta well.  (Toss pasta with some olive oil at this point if the sauce hasn’t quite finished.  This will help keep it from sticking.) 

4. Once sauce finishes, transfer pasta to pan with sauce and toss well to combine.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste and Tell.  I wish that I had taken a picture of it once it had cooled for leftovers.  Once it was chilled and sliced it looked a lot like lasagna from the side.  I liked this significantly more than lasagna and whenever I think I’m craving lasagna in the future I might make this instead.  I used spinach and ricotta ravioli and added sausage to the original recipe.  You can make this with any ravioli or even tortellini if you desire.  The meat can easily be omitted or swapped out for some other ground meat, just be sure to add some seasoning if you’re using plain ground meat instead of a spiced sausage. 

Shown here with store-bought garlic bread.  What can I say, I like Safeway’s garlic bread.

Internet - Taste and Tell

Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into pieces roughly the same length as penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
¹⁄₃ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F.  Bring large pot salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.  Drain well and return pasta to pot. 

2. Toss asparagus with oil, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper.  Spread pieces on baking sheet and roast until tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside. 

3. Meanwhile, simmer vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Stir in brown sugar and remaining ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper.  Remove from heat. 

4. Stir vinegar sauce, butter, Parmesan cheese, remaining salt, and asparagus into pasta and toss well to combine and melt butter. 

Comments
This recipe is from Mel’s Kitchen Café and wow, it was great!  Roasted asparagus is super delicious and it went so well in this pasta dish with balsamic sauce.  I think that I might omit the brown sugar next time, since it was really unnecessary with a good quality balsamic vinegar that already has enough sweetness on its own.  This is tasty stuff, you should make it.

Shown here with a simply grilled t-bone steak.

Internet - Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients
1 pound short pasta, such as penne
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
¹⁄₄ cup water
²⁄₃ cup half and half
3 tablespoons coarse grain mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt, to taste
¹⁄₄ cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside. 

3. Add sausage and garlic to skillet and cook until browned.  Break sausage apart with wooden spoon while cooking. 

4. Add wine, water, and simmer until liquid has reduced by half, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet.  Add half and half, mustard, paprika and salt.  Simmer for another 2 minutes.  Return mushrooms to skillet and heat through.  Toss pasta with sauce, stir in basil, and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Creative Pot.  I could have made a double batch and probably should have because that’s how much everyone loved it.  The guys both had seconds and we would have all happily had it for leftovers most of the week if there had been more.  This recipe has the bonus of being extremely simple and, at least for me, uses ingredients that I pretty much always have around.  I only made this a few weeks ago, but I’m ready to make it again already!

Internet - The Creative Pot

Ingredients
1 pound angel hair pasta
8 tablespoons butter
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
Sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Instructions
1. Bring large pot water to boil and cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain well. 

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and green onions and sauté until softened. 

3. Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and oyster sauce in small bowl. 

4. Add pasta and sauce to skillet with garlic butter.  Stir until pasta is well coated.  Garnish with sesame seeds if desired. 

Comments
This recipe is from Budget Bytes and I had it in my “to cook” files for quite a while but it kept getting skipped.  I finally made it and it was fantastic.  These noodles would work well with any stir fried meats or vegetables. 

Shown here with Teriyaki Grilled Chicken.

Internet - Budget Bytes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped (about 1-2 stick or a handful or 2 of baby carrots)
1 cup celery, chopped (about 2-3 stalks)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cup all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup panko
1 pound short pasta, such as penne
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Heat oil in large ovensafe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Cook on each side for 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into small pieces. 

3. Melt 8 tablespoons butter in same pan.  Add onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add chicken broth and continue stirring until sauce thickens.  Add half and half and stir until combined.  Stir in tomatoes, green chilies, 3 cups cheese and chicken.  Stir until cheese has melted.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 1 minutes less than packaging directs.  Drain pasta well.  Add pasta to sauce and stir well to combine. 

5. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small bowl in microwave.  Stir in panko.  Top pasta mixture with remaining cheese and panko mixture.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Let casserole rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Meaning of Pie and I chose it because I thought it would be a nice, easy, and comforting meal to bring together.  And it was!  Delicious.  Lance thought the grape tomatoes were a bit odd due to their sweetness, but Art and I thought it was pretty much perfect. 

I would suggest making this in a large Dutch oven (6-7 quarts) because this generates quite a lot of food.  Your goal for vegetables (onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots and celery) is about 6 cups total, excluding the grape tomatoes.  Any shape of pasta would work, I just like using pasta that makes stirring easy when I’m making casseroles.

Internet - The Meaning of Pie

Ingredients
For the pasta
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (Muir Glen’s fire roasted work great.)
2 red onions, quartered
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar
3 garlic cloves, peeled and stems trimmed
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 red bell pepper, quartered
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound short pasta
1 pound ground beef

For the sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 ¹⁄₂ cup milk
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Dash nutmeg

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F. 

2. Pour tomatoes into rimmed baking sheet.  Top with onions and sprinkle with sugar.  Spread garlic and tomatoes over vegetables in baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil.  Place bell pepper pieces on top, skin side up.  Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and roast for 45-60 minutes, or until tender and bell pepper skins are starting to char. 

3. Remove vegetables from oven and place bell pepper into ziptop bag.  Seal bag to allow bell peppers to steam.  Reduce oven heat to 350*F. 

4. Bring large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta 2 minutes less than directed by packaging.  Drain. 

5. Season ground beef with salt and pepper.  Sauté in Dutch oven until cooked through.  Remove from Dutch oven and drain. 

7. Remove bell peppers from bag and carefully remove skins.  Transfer all roasted vegetables to Dutch oven and puree with immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender this can be done in a food processor or blender.) 

8. Return ground beef to Dutch oven with vegetables and simmer 5 minutes.  Check for seasoning.  Stir in pasta and mix well. 

9. In the pot used for pasta, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Slowly add in milk, stirring constantly.  Once sauce thickens add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and dash nutmeg.  Simmer sauce over low heat 2 to 3 minutes. 

10. Pour sauce over pasta mixture and bake until pasta and sauce are bubbly and starting to brown. 

Comments
This recipe is from the always awesome Kayotic Kitchen.  I know it looks like it has a lot of steps, but it really comes together easily once you get the vegetables roasting.  All three of us gobbled this up and enjoyed it quite a bit.  This casserole is definitely a great, comforting, delicious wintertime dish.  Yum.

Internet - Kayotic Kitchen

Ingredients
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces frozen spinach
2 pounds rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
16 ounces half and half
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon white pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash nutmeg
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup Italian cheese blend
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, shredded or shaved

Instructions
1. Heat grill and set for direct grilling.  Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  

2. Season chicken with garlic salt and black pepper.  Grill 3 to 4 minutes a side or until chicken is cooked through.  

3. Place spinach into large sieve.  Cook pasta 2 minutes less than directed by package directions, drain over spinach.    

4. Heat oven to 350*F.  

5. Add butter and olive oil to large saucepan or Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat.  Add flour and stir to combine.  Cook one minute, stirring, until smooth.  

6. Slowly add half and half to pan, stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil.  Add milk, salt, garlic, white pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg to pan, stirring constantly.  Return to boil and add sour cream and cheese.  Remove from heat and stir until cheese has melted.  

7. Cut chicken into small pieces.  Mix together chicken, pasta, spinach, and sauce in a large baking dish or Dutch oven.  Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until bubbling and heated through.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.  

Comments
This recipe is from Patio Daddio BBQ and it was scrumptious.  The flavor that the grilled chicken brought to the dish was really grand.  Art was happy to grill up the chicken for me and I prepared everything else.  I’d love to incorporate grilled chicken into more dishes like this, because it really did enhance the overall flavor of the meal.  I wonder if I could grill up a bunch of chicken breasts at a time and then freeze them in meal-sized packages?  It’s worth considering.  

I did think this dish needed a little bit more of something, but I’m not sure what.  Maybe sundried tomatoes?  Or a bit more spinach?  Or… mushrooms!  Mushrooms would be a great addition here!  

Be aware, this recipe does make quite a bit of food, so consider halving it if you’re not interested in having leftovers all week.

Internet - Patio Daddio BBQ

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes with puree
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
1 pound farfalle pasta
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Bring large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and red pepper flakes.  Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up into pieces with wooden spoon while cooking.  Add onion and garlic, sauté until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and half and half.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. 

3. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid in ¹⁄₄ cup increments to sausage mixture and stir over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen and I selected it because it combines some of Art’s favorite ingredients – sausage, pasta, basil and tomatoes.  It was a great dish and we all enjoyed it.  I only wish I had made more so that there were more leftovers.  Luckily, this is a pretty easy dish to double.

Internet - Sweet Pea’s Kitchen