Italian Pasta Salad

I love pasta salads! You almost always can put whatever you want in them and throw on a vinaigrette dressing and your done. It's hard to mess up a pasta salad. Which is one of the main reasons it is always a go to dish when company comes over. ;) This salad is delicious, light, and flavorful. I love the salami & mini pepperoni's along with the mozzarella. So tasty!! It can be a side or a whole meal in itself. What are your favorite ingredients to put in your pasta salad?

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 (16 ounce) package fusilli (spiral) pasta                       
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved                                                                 
• 1/2 pound provolone cheese, cubes                       
• 1/2 pound salami, cubed                             
• 1 bag of small pepperoni's
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces    
• 1 (10 ounce) can black olives, drained                  
• 1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained                    
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing

Instructions:

 

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.

2. In a large bowl, combine pasta with tomatoes, cheese, salami, pepperoni, green pepper, olives, and pimentos. Pour in salad dressing, and toss to coat.

 

Recipe adapted & modified from All Recipes.

Skillet Four Cheese Baked Pasta

Happy Wednesday friends!! I hope everyone is doing well today. :) I cooked this yummy dish in my oven proof skillet which made clean up really easy, just one dish. ;)  Who doesn't love that!! Super easy to throw together and it makes a lot so we were able to have leftovers for lunches during the week. What one dish meals are your favorite?

Ingredients:
1 lb rotini or penne pasta
1 lb Italian Sausage
2 sweet red peppers
1 onion
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 jar Marinara Sauce
2 cups Italian Cheese blend

Directions:

• Heat oven to 450 F. Cook pasta following package directions. Drain.
• While pasta is cooking, cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices. Seed and slice peppers and slice onion. When I cook a dish like this I always like to eyeball how many onions and peppers I put in. I don't like every bite to be full of onions and peppers. The original recipe calls for 4 cups. I diced all of mine up and tossed a hand full in, stired, and then added more to get the desired taste for our family. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, peppers and onions. Cook, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers and onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in the drained pasta and 1 cup of the cheese.
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over the pasta and bake at 450 F for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole starts to bubble. Cool 5 minutes before serving. 

Source: Recipe.com  

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

This dish is a staple in our home! It's quick, easy, and everyone eats it. And trust me, those meals are hard to come by in a family of six when more than half of you are very picky little eaters!! :)

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• McCormick Grill Mates Garlic, Herb & Wine Marinade
• Bertoli Alfredo Sauce
• Fettuccini pasta

Directions:

Using the McCormick marinade, marinate your chicken for 2-4 hours or over night.

Grill chicken on a medium heat for about 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your meat, or till the juices run clear.
In a medium pot boil enough water to cook your amount of Fettuccine.  Cook pasta according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking pour your Aflredo sauce into a small sauce pan and warm on a low heat. You don't want for it cook. Just warm the sauce.

 

When your pasta is done cooking and your sauce is done warming combine the two.

Take your cooked chicken and either place a whole piece on top of your Fettuccine Alfredo or cube it up like in the picture above and you can mix with your pasta. Cubed up is how our family likes to eat it because once it's all on your plate you can just focus on gobbling it all up instead of cutting up your chicken. :)

I hope that you enjoy this east recipe like we do! Our family loves eating it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread.

Baked Ziti

 

 Talk about good ole comfort food. This dish will not disappoint!! Serve with some hot garlic bread and a side salad and your family will think you are the best thing ever in the kitchen!! Perfect dish to make ahead of time and just throw in the oven when are ready to serve. Also, a great dish to a pot luck or a friend in need of some extra love. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound dry ziti pasta                                                    
1 pound Italian Sausage

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce                                                    

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced                                                                     

15 oz ricotta cheese

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded                                                                     

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp oregano

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown the Italian sausage over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Mix the basil, parsley, & oregano into the ricotta cheese.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, ricotta, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Modified from All Recipes

Italian Sausage and Cheese Lasagna Rolls

 

Aren't these so pretty!! I love the way these rolls turn out every time I cook them. They look so fancy. ;) This is such a unique and delicious lasagna dish. The individual rolls are a fun and different way of eating lasagna. I have experimented with this recipe a few times and it never seems to go wrong. You can put spinach, chicken, mushrooms, hamburger meat or just what ever sounds good. I have even used Alfredo sauce (Chicken Alfredo Roll Ups) instead of pasta sauce and it really spices things up a bit!! :) These rolls I served  alongside garlic bread, & Cesar salad. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

 

Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
1-2 jars of pasta sauce depending on how much sauce you like
15oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grate Parmesan (I'm always overly generous with cheese so I do more than a fourth) ;)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 lb Italian Sausage
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Brown your Italian sausage in a skillet.

Boil you lasagna noodles according to your package directions.

While the pasta is cooking combine your cheese, egg & sausage in a bowl. (I leave a little bit of the sausage out so that I can crumble it on top of the rolls.)

When the pasta is done drain, and then lay them on parchment paper side by side. Carefully spoon the mixture onto each noodle evenly. Roll up and place in a greased 9 x13 that has a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom.

Top with remaining sauce, cheese, and sausage crumbles. Bake 45 minutes.

Angel Chicken

 

Oh this recipe is SO good and easy!! Perfect for those busy week nights. I found this recipe a few months ago at Eat at home and have made it several times since. All of my kids LOVE it so that is a huge plus for me. :)

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts

3 tbs butter

Italian dressing mix-1 packet

cream of chicken or golden mushroom soup

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup white wine

angel hair pasta, cooked

Directions:

Put the chicken in the crock pot . Melt the butter and soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Stir those together with the Italian dressing mix, the soup and wine. Place the Italian mixture over the chicken and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Now, I don't care for white wine (I'm a red wine girl) so the first time I made this I didn't care for the flavor as much. So, I have left it out ever since and it is just as good. :) 

Serve the chicken and sauce over a bed of angel hair pasta. 

Spaghetti with tomatoes, kalamata olives, garlic, and feta

 

This meal is a perfect summer dish! It's light and refreshing. I served the pasta as my main dish along side a Caesar salad & garlic bread. But it could easily be a side or the perfect summer dish to take to a party!

 Ingredients: 

1. 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 3), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2. 1/2 cup Kalamata or other black olives, pitted
3. 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
4. 3 tablespoons drained capers
5. 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
8. 3/4 pound spaghetti
9. 6 tablespoons olive oil
10. 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Combine the tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and the garlic oil to the tomato mixture and toss.

 Food & Wines Variations:

 Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Mozzarella Use 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, in place of the feta.
Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Olives, Garlic, Feta, and Fresh Herbs Use 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 3 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon and chives, in place of the parsley.

Source: Food & Wine

Spicy Sausage Pasta

My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! The flavors in this dish are SO yummy!! I have made it a few times and have altered it a bit. We are sausage lovers so I put two links instead of one. I also, didn't put a whole cup and a half of onions. After chopping the onion up I just added pinches of onion until I liked the amount. I didn't measure. We are also lovers of CHEESE!! So I put about 2-3 cups of Monterey Jack which made it really cheese and oh so good. ;) Below is the original recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilis, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Directions:
1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Source: Kevin and Amanda

Chicken Parmesan

 

 While I was grocery shopping the other day I was on the soup aisle and ran across Progresso Recipe Starters cooking sauce. I usually am on a mission when I'm at the store and don't look for new recipes but for some reason this can caught my eye and I looked at the recipe on the back. It was for Chicken Parmesan. I have never made it before and had always wanted too.  I'm so glad that I stopped because this recipe is really easy and delicious! Another family favorite! :)

 

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/3 cup Progresso Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, flattened slightly

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (18oz) Progresso Recipe Starters fire-Roasted tomato cooking sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4oz)

Directions:

1. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.

2. In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Shake each chicken breast in bread crumb mixture; set aside.

3. In 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic; cook until garlic starts to brown. Add chicken breasts; cook 6 to 10 minutes, turning once, until browned. Pour Recipe Starters Cooking sauce around chicken; sprinkle chicken with remaining bread crumb mixture and mozzarella cheese. Heat to boiling. Cover; reduce heat to medium. Cook 5 to 8 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut and cheese is melted. Serve with spaghetti.

Makes 4 servings.

Bacon and Tomato Pasta

 

As I have said before my family LOVES pasta dishes and whenever I find a new one we have to try it out.  This dish didn't disappoint us! The sauce is creamy with cheese, tomatoes, and a hint of garlic. So Yummy! I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did. :)

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta- I used penne, but you could use any shape you like
2 Tbs butter plus 2 tbs olive oil
onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
salt & pepper
bacon, cooked and diced (I used a whole pack)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
fresh Basil leaves, chopped

Instructions:
1. Boil the pasta according to the directions.
2. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender.
3. Add the wine and cook for a minute or two.
4. Add the half & half, whisking to blend. Stir in the cheese and let it melt.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Toss in the bacon, tomatoes and basil.
7. Drain the pasta then mix it with the sauce.
8. Serve it with extra Parmesan and black pepper if you like. Yum!!

Source: Eat at home cooks

Bucca Di Beppo Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

My daughter loves almost all pasta dishes! She also loves Alfredo sauce! Well, yesterday we celebrated her 15th birthday and what did she want for dinner?!?!? PASTA! I hadn't ever cooked this recipe before and hated to try something new on her day, but after showing her the recipe we both agreed that we thought it would turn out delicious and it did!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Alfredo sauce (I use store bought)
2 cups Marinara sauce (I use store bought of this also)
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 lb (16oz) rigatoni noodles, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons butter
Sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese and a pinch of red pepper flake for garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet on medium high heat, heat two tablespoons olive oil. Saute garlic, red pepper flakes, and coarse black pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add in thin strips of chicken breast, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until chicken is cooked through. This should only take a few minutes because the chicken is cut thin.
Add in marinara and Alfredo sauces and stir. Let the sauces simmer for about 10 minutes. To the sauce/chicken, add two tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup peas (we put our peas on the side). Stir until the butter melts. Combine chicken/sauce mixture with cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese, and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

Source: www.sixsisterstuff.com

Easy Chicken Macaroni Casserole

This recipe is nice because your whole family will enjoy it. I say this because it is hard finding dishes that all four of my kids will eat and that my husband and I enjoy as well. :) I also season, cook, shred, and freeze chicken ahead of time.  This makes at least one step of some of my recipes a lot easier because all I have to do is pull it out of the freeze & thaw and that part is done. Gotta love that!! :)
I hope that you enjoy this dish as well. It's good!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onions (to be completely honest, I omit the onions to make it kid friendly but it is still good)  ;)
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 1/2 cups cooked macaroni
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Directions:

• In a large skillet over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender. (if you decide to use).
• Add in soup and 1 1/2 cups cheese; gradually stir in milk.
• Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and macaroni; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Transfer mixture to a greased 2 1/2 quart casserole; sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
• Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.
• Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake 5 minutes.

Source: www.food.com

Italian Sausage with Bowties

Ingredients:

1 lb bulk Italian Sausage
1 box bowtie pasta
2 cans Italian style stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 cups half & half

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. While that cooks, brown the sausage, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Drain and rinse under hot water to remove the extra fat. Return to the skillet and add the tomatoes and half & half, salt and basil. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it until the sauce reduces a bit. Drain the pasta and put it back into the cooking pot. Add in the sauce and stir. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

A fresh Caesar salad and garlic bread is excellent along with this meal.

Recipe Source: www.eatathomecooks.com

Chicken Alfredo Roll-ups

9-12 lasagna noodles
2 1/2 cups Alfredo sauce
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
oregano
garlic salt
3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of you choice

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and pour 1/2 cup alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil water in a large pan, cook lasagne noodles until al dente. Be sure to add salt to your water so that they won't stick together. I lay out wax paper on my counter and immediately take the noodles out of the water one out a time and lay them on the wax paper. I don't drain the water and then take the noodles out to prevent sticking together and tearing.

Spread about 2 tbs Alfredo sauce over each noodle. Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce. Take shredded chicken and spread out evenly over each noodle. Add approx 3 tbs cheese. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. Be gentle while rolling to not squish out the inside.

Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining Alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese in completely melted on top.

 

Recipe source: www.mmmcafe.blogspot.com

Chicken Tetrazzini

Not only is this dish delicious but it makes enough for two casseroles!! Don't you love that?!?! I do, because I make one to serve that night and then I freeze the other to have when we are really busy or I don't know what to make. Plus, this is one of those dishes that gets better over time. SO YUMMY!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16oz) package vermicelli
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
• 1 (10 3/4oz) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10 3/4oz) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 3/4oz) can cream of celery soup
• 1 (8oz) container sour cream
• 1 (6oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 cup (2oz) shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain. Return to pot, and toss with chicken broth.
• Stir together chicken and next 8 ingredients; add vermicelli, and toss well. Spoon mixture into 2 lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Source: www.myrecipes.com

Club Pasta Salad

I made this for lunch a couple of Saturday's ago for my mom and dad and it was a huge hit. The combination of ingredients is delicious!! My family and I give this salad Five stars!! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked shell pasta
• 1 (1oz) packet Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups cut-up cooked turkey or 1 1/2 cup chicken
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup julienne strips cheddar cheese
• 4 cups bite-size pieces lettuce

Directions:

Fill large saucepan 2/3 full of water. Heat to boiling. Stir in contents of pasta.

Gently boil uncovered 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until tender.

Drain pasta. Rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

Combine Hidden Valley ranch mix, onion powder and bacon bits with mayonnaise in a large bowl. Stir in chilled pasta and remaining ingredients except lettuce. Serve on lettuce. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Food.com

Chicken Manicotti

Ingredients:

2 (3oz packages) of cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8oz) sour cream
1/4 cup m inced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (8oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 tablespoon butter
14 manicotti shells, cooked and drained

Sauce:

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups 2%milk
3 cups (12oz) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

In a bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in chicken. In a skillet, cook onion and mushrooms in butter until tender; add to chicken mixture. Stuff into manicotti shells.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese just until melted.

Spread about 1/2 cup cheese sauce in each of two greased 11 x 7 dishes. Top with stuffed shells and remaining sauce.


Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.