Kinda Creamy Pasta Bake

Erin made this in May's swap. Here's the link to the original recipe! It was delicious!

Italian Wonderpot

Italian Wonderpot

By Elizabeth Lavy Morgan on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 10:40pm

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz. fettuccine
• 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ Tbsp dried basil
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• freshly cracked pepper to taste
• 2 oz. feta cheese

Instructions

1. Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
3. Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.
4. After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.

I prepared the sauce ahead and froze.  Noodles & Feta are provided.  Thaw sauce and then proceed as directed.  Enjoy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA...Elisha Hicks

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

Optional toppings

Avocado

Green Onions

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}.  Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. 

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil!  Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle.  Gross.  Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta & return to pot.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.  Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Rustica

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Rustica

Prepared by Melissa Wolfe for January swap

1 1/2 pounds Italian Sausage Links
4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 each red, orange and yellow peppers, seeded & cut into 1" x 1/4" strips
SALSA MARINARA
1 can28 ounces Italian-style or plum tomatoes, including liquid
1 can10 3/4 ounces Tomato puree
1 teaspoon Garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Basil, fresh, chopped finely, firmly packed
3/4 pound Ziti pasta
Parsley
Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste



Directions
Bake or pan-fry sausage until fully cooked. Drain.
Cut sausages half lengthwise; then cut into 1/2" slices. Result will be semi-circles of sausage.
Sauté pepper slices in olive oil until their crispness is lost, but not soft.
For Salsa Marinara (5 cups):
Do not puree the tomatoes, just break them up.
Combine tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil in sauce pan. Bring to a light simmer.
Cook pasta. Drain and transfer to four warmed plates. Top with sausage, peppers and salsa marinara.
Garnish each plate with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Tex-Mex Bake

Tex-Mex Bake

By Cindy Bowcut Floyd for October 2013 swap

Tex-Mex Bake

8 oz. Mostaccioli pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 can corn, drained
2/3 cup salsa
16 oz. cottage cheese
1/4 t. Cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg
1 TB fresh cilantro

Cook pasta.  Cook beef, stir in corn and salsa.  Remover from heat.  Combine cottage cheese, egg, cliantro, pepper and cumin.  In a greased casserole dish layer as follows:

1/2 beef mixture
ALL pasta
ALL cheese mixture
1/2 beef
sprinkle Monterey Jace over top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells
Cindy Floyd for Feb swap

Original recipe makes 8 servings

 Ingredients
 1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
 2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions
 Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain. Mix together cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and garlic powder. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells. Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15 x 10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan. Spread remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Crispy Ravioli

Okay, so I may have messed this one up a little tiny bit (maybe a-lot-a-bit, we'll see).  I combined a few recipes that I read to create my own that sounded simple and yummy.  When I prepared them for all of you, I skipped one minor (er, major) step.  I did not par-boil the ravioli before breading them.  So, I did a little research and I think that they are salvageable.  Instead of following the instructions that I wrote on the bag, you should follow these instructions:

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen cheese filled ravioli
3 eggs, beaten
2 parts plain bread crumbs
1 part seasoned bread crumbs
1 part parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Beat eggs in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, salt, & pepper in a bowl.  Dip ravioli in egg, then roll in crumb mixture.  Flash freeze here, then store in gallon size freezer bag.

On serving day:
Thaw Ravioli.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with marinara on the side for dipping.

An alternative if you're concerned about not having enough liquid would be to add some marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan.

Taco Mac

I used a recipe from the Freezer Friendz website.  The only difference is that I added a can of chili beans to the bag.  Be careful thawing the bag - it will be soupy.  There is a lot of liquid in there to cook the macaroni.

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2010/08/taco-mac-by-jackie.html

Directions are on the bag and on the ^ website!

Bacon Ranch Chicken

This has become a family favorite since my sister noticed it on Pinterest last spring. Hope you enjoy it!
You can find the post I used as inspiration here, although I also read that it was originally a Taste of Home recipe?

On cooking day, simply pour the contents of the bag into the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. When you're ready to serve, boil the pasta and shred the chicken in the crock pot (I use a pastry  blender for easy shredding!). Serve the alfredo-like-sauce over the pasta with garlic bread and a salad. YUM!