Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is one of my favorite dinners during the summer. They're fast and easy and they don't heat up the whole kitchen.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
1 (12 oz.) box multi-colored pasta
several handfuls baby kale or spinach (spinach would have a milder flavor)
1 (14 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 large can olives, drained and chopped
1-2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved (I used yellow)
1-2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
1 c. italian dressing
1/2 c. mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Here are the ingredients I used:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, add kale to the pasta.

 Stir and cook just until kale wilts (it only takes about 30 seconds).

 Drain pasta and kale. Rinse with cold water.

 To prepare dressing, whisk together italian dressing and mayonnaise.

 Toss all ingredients in a large bowl with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 I was unsure if my kids would even touch the kale in this salad. They usually just eat the noodles and leave the veggies. But they actually ate it all! I am delighted whenever they get excited about a new food. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti

I know that spaghetti is one of the easiest thing to make, but believe it or not, doing it in a crockpot is even easier and SOOOOO good! I got the idea from Picky Palate and I've adapted my recipe from that one.I found this 32 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce at Costco, but you could just measure 3 1/2 cups of any spaghetti sauce.Slow Cooker Spaghetti

1 lb. lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey

2 t. onion powder

2 t. garlic powder

1 t. italian seasoning

salt to taste

8 oz. dry spaghetti (I used whole wheat)

32 oz. (3 1/2 c.) spaghetti sauce

4 oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)

2 c. water

Brown meat in a large skillet and add onion and garlic powder and italian seasoning. Add salt to taste.In crockpot, pour half of the spaghetti sauce and top with half of the dry spaghetti (broken to fit).Add cooked meat to crockpot and top with cubed cream cheese.Add remaining spaghetti sauce and pasta. Add 2 cups of water.Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours. Stir well before serving. Top with parmesan cheese.This spaghetti is so good! My whole family really loved it. Enjoy!

Fettucini with Creamy Zucchini Sauce & Mushrooms

I really love pasta. This recipe is delicious, simple, and very flexible. If you want to add meat, you could use chicken or shrimp instead of (or in addition to) mushrooms.

Fettucini with Creamy Zucchini Sauce & Mushrooms

12-16 oz. dry fettucini (I used Ronzoni Garden Delight) cooked according to package directions

1 bottle alfredo sauce (I used Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan)

2 T. oil

3 small zucchini, sliced or chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 t. garlic powder

1 T. butter

4 c. sliced mushrooms

Parmesan cheese, if desired

(This sauce was great, but any alfredo sauce would be delicious!)

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add zucchini and onions. Season with salt and cook over medium heat until veggies are soft.
Pour sauce into a blender and add cooked veggies and garlic powder. Blend until smooth.

Return skillet to heat and add butter, mushrooms, and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft.

To serve, layer pasta, sauce, mushrooms, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.

Such a delicious and easy dinner. Enjoy!

Tortellini Soup

This italian style soup is great for any weeknight meal. It's adapted from a recipe in one of my cookbooks and my family really enjoyed it.

Tortellini Soup
12-16 oz. fully cooked chicken sausages, sliced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. dried minced onion
3 t. garlic powder
2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 c. water
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (18 oz.) package cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)
1 (6 oz.) package spinach
1 t. dried basil
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat oil, sausage, dried onion, and garlic powder. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook for 5-7 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Add spinach, basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until spinach wilts. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

This mac 'n' cheese has hidden veggies (always a good thing.) It is adapted from my Taste of Home Almost Homemade cookbook.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

2 c. dry pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen cauliflower, thawed

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 T. canola oil

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

2 c. grated cheese

1/2 c. milk

1/2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. prepared mustard

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, chop cauliflower into small pieces. Heat oil in a saucepan and add onion and cauliflower. Saute for a couple minutes.

Drain pasta. In the pasta pot, combine remaining ingredients and heat over medium. Stir constantly until it becomes a cheesy sauce.

Add pasta and cauliflower mixture to sauce and toss. Serve warm.

I'm a big pasta lover so I really enjoyed this dish. Plus my family all ate it too, veggies and all!

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta

This recipe is adapted from my Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade cookbook. It makes a large 9x13" pan, so next time I think I'll freeze half of it to save.

Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta

1 lb. dry penne pasta, cooked

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 t. dried basil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach, microwaved and drained

1 jar alfredo sauce (about 2 cups)

1 1/2 c. cottage or ricotta cheese

1/2 t. garlic salt

black pepper to taste

1 (12 oz.) can chicken breast, drained

1 c. parmesan cheese

Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, basil, garlic and onions.

In a separate bowl combine spinach, alfredo sauce, cottage cheese, garlic salt, pepper and chicken.

Combine the two mixtures.

Spread into a greased 9x13" pan and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Macaroni Salad

I have a bunch of leftover ham and boiled eggs from Easter so I decided to just mix it together with pasta for a fun salad.

Ham & Cheese Macaroni Salad

8 oz. dry macaroni, cooked and drained

1-2 c. ham, chopped

4-5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 c. cheese, cubed or grated

3 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

3 green onions, chopped (or 1 t. onion powder)

1/2 c. (heaping) mayo or miracle whip

1 T. mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Tuna Casserole

This dinner is a winner! It's quick, it's easy, and kids love it. Well, MY kids love it. And, more importantly, my hubby loved it. I mean, what's not to love about creamy, cheesy noodles with tuna?

Tuna Casserole

2 c. dry pasta (I used macaroni)

2 c. frozen veggies (I used peas)

1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom, chicken, or celery soup (or cheddar cheese soup)

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream

2 cans tuna, drained

1 c. grated cheese

2 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

squirt of mustard (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. french fried onions

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Mix pasta together with all ingredients except french fried onions. Spread into a greased 2-quart baking dish.

Top with french fried onions.

Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes.

This was seriously so easy to throw together. Plus, most of these ingredients are common foods that we often already have around the house.

I actually used a 14 oz. can of salmon instead of the tuna and it was delicious. You could also use canned chicken, too. You could also just omit the meat altogether and increase the grated cheese to 2 cups. Enjoy!

Garlic Herb Pasta

Sometimes I just want a simple, quick, somewhat light meal at the end of the day! Especially on those days when I'm just too tired to cook something big. This is such a simple and tasty pasta dish for one of those days.

Garlic Herb Pasta

1/2 lb. dry pasta, cooked

2 T. butter

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or you could use other herbs, dry or fresh)

1 clove garlic, minced (or some garlic powder)

parmesan cheese, as much as you want

salt to taste

Toss all ingredients together and serve alongside a salad or vegetable. Enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo

This is a simple and quick dinner that is so delicious. I adapted it from this recipe. I think this is a new favorite.

Chicken Alfredo

1/2 lb. rotini (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)

2 T. italian dressing

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 block (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut up

1 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

2 c. rotissere chicken, skin removed, roughly chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium saucepan, heat italian dressing and garlic over medium for about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Add chicken broth, a little at a time, and stir until smooth again. Add parmesan cheese and continue to heat and stir for about 5 minutes. Toss the sauce and chicken with pasta. Serves about 4.

This was such a tasty meal. My kids even loved it because it's basically another version of mac-n-cheese! We served it with veggies and ended up mixing them together. Yum yum. Enjoy!

Easy Chow Mein

I just got done eating this for dinner. I had some cooked noodles in the fridge and I wanted to use them so I threw this together with the veggies that I had on hand. You really could use any veggies you want.

Easy Chow Mein
butter
angel hair pasta (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
cabbage
yellow squash
mushrooms
salt
tamari (or soy sauce)

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large pot, heat butter. Add veggies and cook until tender. Add cooked pasta, season with salt and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Serve with tamari or soy sauce.

I thought this was a very tasty meal, not to mention very easy and quick. It happens to be vegetarian but if you want you could add some meat or scrambled eggs. Enjoy!

Bruschetta Sauce

Man, if I had a garden I would totally grow tomatoes. I used store bought tomatoes but I can only imagine how yummy this would be with fresh garden tomatoes! We ate this sauce last night with spaghetti, but it would also be delicious on crackers or garlic toast!

If you're looking to boost your pasta nutrition then here you go. I love this pasta because it has 6 grams of fiber and as much calcium as a glass of milk (30%). It tastes just like regular pasta but is much more nutritious!

Bruschetta Sauce
4-5 c. chopped tomatoes

1/4 c. oil

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

2 t. dried minced onion

1 t. dried basil

1/2 t. dried oregano

salt to taste

Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, basil and oregano. Heat and stir until garlic is golden.
Add tomatoes and stir until well combined. Add salt to taste.
Simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until saucy. Serve over pasta, crackers or toast.

I served this sauce over angel hair pasta with chicken sausages and parmesan cheese.

This sauce is pretty runny. If you want to make it thicker just add a cornstarch/water mixture after simmering and heat a while longer. Enjoy!