Recipe: Sausage Spinach Pasta

This recipe came about by opening the cupboard and fridge and taking stuff out.  It turned out great.  Everyone liked it. Success!

Sausage Spinach Pasta
Time = 30 min
Servings = 8

Ingredients
1 lb mild sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c Marsala wine
1 box (1 lb) penne pasta
1 tsp salt
1 large bunch spinach, chopped (stems discarded)
Fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes
1/2-1/3 c shredded parmesan cheese

Directions
1.  Cook sausage in a large frying pan over medium/high heat for 5 minutes.  Add chopped onion and cook until the onion is opaque and sausage is no longer pink.  Add Marsala wine.
2.  Meanwhile heat a large pot of water to boiling.  Add salt and pasta to water.  Bring back to boiling and cook for 8 minutes.
3.  Add spinach to sausage mixture and stir until wilted.  Add fresh black pepper.  Add sun dried tomatoes.  Reduce heat to low to keep warm.
4.  When the pasta is done, drain reserving 1/4 c of the liquid.  In a large bowl, mix pasta with sausage and spinach.  Mix in shredded cheese.

Notes - If you want to kick up the heat, add 1 tsp of red pepper along with the black pepper.

Recipe: Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

Time = 15 minutes

Servings = 4

1/2 lb spiral pasta

2 large carrots

2 celery ribs

3 green onions

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup smoked Gruyere cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil for 8 minutes or until al dente. While pasta is cooking, peel carrots and shred. Trim celery and dice. Slice green onions, greens only. Dice the yellow bell pepper. In a small bowl, mix mayo, sour cream and sugar. Cut the cheese into 1/2" cubes.

Drain the pasta and transfer to serving dish. Stir in mayo/sour cream mixture. Add veggies and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust. You can always add more mayo and/or sour cream to make the pasta creamier. Enjoy!

Note - This salad is best made a day a head of time. Cover the dish and put in the refrigerator for the flavors to mix and mingle.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Servings = 4
Time = 25 min

Ingredients
1 18-oz package refrigerated spinach and cheese small ravioli
1 T olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1 8-oz package, pre-cut mushrooms
1 t all-purpose flour
1/2 c half-and-half
2 T warm water
2 T sun-dried tomato pesto (or chopped up sun-dried tomatoes)
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 c fresh Asiago cheese

Directions
• Heat olive oil in heavy skillet and saute onions until soft. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned.
• Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil. Add ravioli and soft boil for 5 minutes.
• Stir flour into veggies. Add half-and-half, water, sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir until sauce just thickens, then remove from heat.
• Divide ravioli into 4 bowls. Top with 1/2 c mushrooms sauce in each bowl and sprinkle with 1 T cheese

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Root Veggies Mac-n-Cheese
Servings: 8
Time: 30 min

Ingredients
1/2 lb carrotes, sliced 1" thick
1/2 lb parsnip, sliced 1" thick
1 lb elbow pasta
4 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
3 T flour
2 c 2% milk
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
2 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (9 oz)
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring pot of salted water to boil; add carrots and parsnip. Cook 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor or blender - puree. Bring second pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente (5 min). Drain.

Meanwhile, in a lare pan, melt butter. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add flour and stir until just moistened. Whisk in milk and simmer until just thickened. Remove from heat. Add Old Bay Seasoning. Add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and melt while stirring slowly with a wooden spoon. Taste and season with salt/pepper.

Preheat broiler. Stir pureed veggies and cheese sauce into pasta. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Broil for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The trick to not having grainy sauce is to remove the sauce from heat and letting it cool for a couple minutes before adding the cheese. It will take longer to melt the cheese, but the cheese won't separate and the sauce will come out smooth.

From: Rachael Ray Magazine (Oct 2010)

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Pasta with Zucchini
Servings = 4
Time = 20 min

Ingredients
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T minced shallots
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
5 tsp olive oil, divided
9-oz refrigerated linguine
2 minced garlic cloves
3 c chopped zucchini (1 lb)
3/4 c chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1/3 c Romano cheese, grated
3 T sliced almonds

Directions
Combine first 7 ingredients, through sugar, in a medium bowl. Add 2 tsp oil and toss to coat. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting oil. Drain. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add 1 T oil and garlic. Saute 30 seconds. Add zucchini; saute 30 seconds. Add broth; bring to simmer. Stir in pasta. Remove from heat. Add zucchini to tomato mixture - stir. Sprinkle with cheese and almonds - serve with more cheese.

Notes - You can use diced onion instead of shallot.

From: Cooking Light, June 2009

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Warm Caprese Pasta Salad with Chicken (or without)
Servings = 6
Time = 30 min

Ingredients
1 lb ziti or penne pasta
2 chicken breasts
1 Tbls olive oil
Approx. 30 cherry tomatoes - mixed colors
8 oz fresh Mozzarella
sea salt
cracked black pepper
1-2 Tbls olive oil
1-2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
Handful fresh basil
Shredded Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling)

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting the oil. Meanwhile, use kitchen shears to cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place chicken in a skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook, stirring occassionally, until done through - about 8 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, slice each cherry tomato in half. Cut Mozzarella into small, bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken, tomatoes and Mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar - mix.

Drain pasta and add to bowl with tomatoes. Snip basil into 1/4-inch pieces and mix into the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes - Make sure to wait until the very end to snip the basil because it starts to darken immediately. Adjust the amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for your tastes; I like it lite on both. Try different kinds of salt for a slightly different flavor and color.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Pasta Primavera

Servings = 6

Time = 30 min

Ingredients

1 lb rotini pasta

1/2 onion, diced

2 T olive oil

2 heaping T flour

1 c chicken or vegetable broth

2 c milk

salt/pepper

1/2 t dried basil

2 T olive oil

2 carrots, sliced

1 small head of broccoli, cut

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 small yellow squash, sliced

8 button mushrooms, halved
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting the oil. In a small sauce pan, saute the onions in olive oil until opaque. Stir in flour until it is moist. Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring until the flour is thoroughly mixed in. Add the milk. Add salt, pepper and basil. Slowly bring to simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat to allow further thickening.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots and saute to just tender. Add broccoli and saute until just tender. Add zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms. Continue sauteing to desired consistency. Pour sauce over veggies.

In a large bowl, mix pasta and veggies in sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve with additional cheese.

Notes - You can use any summer veggies and herbs (fresh or dried) in this dish. Or you could add chicken.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Goat Cheese Pasta
Servings = 6
Time = 30 min

Ingredients
1 lb linguine pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic head, diced
2 T olive oil
8 oz Cherve (goat cheese), broken up
1 bunch baby spinach, washed and trimmed
1 small bunch basil, washed and trimmed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta according to package dirrection, omitting the oil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Between two sheets of heavy plastic pound the chicken to 1/2 inch thick. Cook in skillet until brown on each side and done through. While chicken is cooking, in a sauce pan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Saute shallots and garlic for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add Cherve - stir until cheese is melted and keep warm.

When chicken is done, remove from pan and cut into bite sized pieces. Add spinach to the pan and wilt.

Drain pasta. Mix all ingredients, including basil, salt and pepper, in a larbe bowl.

Notes: To make vegetarian, omit the chicken and add any other veggies (e.g. mushrooms, carrots)

From: Fast and Fresh magazine

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Sausage and Fennel Pasta
Servings: 6
Prep and cook: 45 min

Ingredients
¾ lb pre-cooked sausage links
½ a fennel bulb
1 small onion
2-3 large carrots, peeled
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb gemelli pasta
¼ c fresh flat-leaf parsley
Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 F. Slice sausage into ½ inch thick pieces. Slice the fennel bulb and the onion into ½ inch thick ribbons. Slice the carrots at an angle. Toss the sausage, fennel, onion and carrots with olive oil, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare gemelli pasta according to directions, omitting the oil. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add sausage-veggie mix and parsley – toss to mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Notes: I used chicken broth instead of water for cooking the pasta. It was a big hit with both Jordan and Jeremy.

From Rachael Ray magazine

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Baked Ziti
Serves 8 to 10
Time - 1 hr 20 minutes (20 min active)

Ingredients
1 pound whole milk cottage cheese or 1 percent cottage cheese (see note)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
Table salt
1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (see note)
8 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese , cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups) (see note)

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander (do not wash Dutch oven).

2. Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in ½ cup basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl; transfer mixture to now-empty Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce, and ¾ cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

4. Transfer pasta mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

From America's Test Kitchen

Notes - This is a perfect meal to make on a Sunday and have leftovers on Monday and Tuesday lunch.

Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Mac and Cheese
Number of Servings: 4
Prep to Serve: 20 min

Ingredients
8 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 slice bacon
1 chicken breast, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 ½ c milk
1/3 c cream-of-mushroom soup
¾ c cheese, shredded
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
½ t salt
½ c Colby jack cheese, shredded

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting oil. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove and let cool, then crumble up. In the pan with bacon grease, add chicken and sauté over medium heat until done. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Combine milk and soup; whisk into butter/flour. Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat a let stand for 4 minutes. Add ¾ c cheese, onion and garlic powder and salt; stir until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler. Spoon mac-and-cheese into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with bacon and Colby-jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Notes: To make vegetarian, omit bacon and chicken; add mushrooms.

Submitted: Mindy Brooks, from Cooking Light magazine