Sweet Pepper Pasta

Say that three times fast!

This is one of the most simple and satisfying meals. To boot, it also helps you eat seasonally.

Roasting the peppers give them a great taste, while topping it with burrata or fresh mozzarella is just fun.

Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

What you'll need:

• 1 16 oz package of linguine or fettuccine 
• 2 red peppers
• 2 yellow pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 package of burrata (if that's not available, fresh mozzarella or ricotta)
• olive oil 

What to do:

Boil the water and cook the pasta according to directions.

Quarter the peppers and lay them out in a single layer on a foil lined broiler pan. Broil the peppers for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is blackened. Once they are nicely roasted, put them in a ziptop back and let sit for about 15 minutes. When the peppers are cooled, peel the skin and discard.

Take our your favorite food processor and puree 1/2 of each color of pepper and set aside. Chop the other half. 

Heat up the olive oil and brown the garlic. Toss in the chopped peppers and saute for 5 minutes. 

Drain the pasta and mix with pureed peppers. Top with chopped pepper mix and buratta. Serve immediately and enjoy. 

Tex Mex Mac and Cheese

We wanted something a little spicy after gorging ourselves on sweets all through Thanksgiving. Rachael Ray had an interesting take on mac and cheese by adding jalapeños . It sounded interesting, but we wanted a bit more spice and have a soft spot for cheddar, so we put our spin on the recipe.

However, because of the spice, this could be an overwhelming main dish. Instead, we served this as a side with baked chicken breasts and roasted asparagus.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 jalapeños, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 5 tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 cups of buttermilk (any milk is fine too, the buttermilk just added some richness)
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 package of tube or curly pasta like a rotini

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 casserole dish and cook the pasta according to the package direction. 

Melt the butter slowly in a medium sauce pan, something big that will hold all the ingredients. 

When the butter is melted, add the jalapeños, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. 

Add the flour, cumin and chili powder and stir until smooth. Then slowly add the milk, stirring until well incorporated. Once the mixture looks smooth, add the cheese gradually. Stir until thick.

Mix the sauce with the pasta. Put the mixture in the casserole dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly on top. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. 

Pasta Salad with Shredded Chicken

Pasta salad is no longer relegated to plastic tubs to be carted off to picnics. This version is a riff of a pesto pasta salad and uses spinach and almonds, instead of basil and pine nuts. It's light and tangy without being too cloying. 

Preparation time is minimal, with the bulk of time spent chilling the mixture. This dish is versatile  and can be a satisfying side dish or light main dish. As a main dish, expect 6-8 servings, and as a side dish, about 10-12 servings.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Chill time: at least 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs chicken breast, shredded
• 1 package rotini pasta, or other short pasta like ziti or penne 
• 4 cups of  baby spinach
• 3-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1.5 cups sliced almonds
• option to toast for extra texture

Brown the chicken in a pan. Once cooked, shred and set aside. Cook pasta according to directions and cool under cold water when finished.

In a food processor, combine spinach, cheese, olive oil, salt, sriracha and water. Pulse until well combined. Mix mayonnaise and spinach mixture  with pasta. Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve over a bed of spinach and a sprinkling of sliced almonds. 

Baked Chicken Noodles

Another great adaptation from Cooking Light. This chicken and pasta recipe combines two unlikely companions, Asian and Italian staples. Using linguine instead of chow mein noodles, and a soy sauce based sauce instead of a marinara dish yields a surprising new family favorite. While on paper the taste combination may not instantly sound appetizing, they somehow work together to create a light and non-greasy tasting noodle dish. 

Of course we've added a bit of sriracha, but even with just the red peppers, the dish has a subtle heat that doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. 

As always, we used the Cooking Light recipe as a guide and edited it to our tastes (and, admittedly, what was currently in the pantry). The recipe below yields a 9x13 dish and can easily yield 8 servings. Bonus: it heats up well and make for great leftovers or packed lunches. 

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 17-20 minutes, depending on how brown you like your bread crumbs

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz package of linguine 
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 medium sized red bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz mushroom caps (shiitake or portobello work nicely)
• 1.5-2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
• 3 small to medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 less-sodium cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 1 to 1.5 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
• 2-3 heads of bok choy, leaves thinly sliced
• .5 to 1 bunch of green onion
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cook the pasta according to your taste and preheat the oven to 400.

Heat peanut oil in a large pan or wok and add the bell peppers and mushroom. Saute for 2-3 minutes then add the chicken and garlic. Add the soy sauce and coat the mixture, stirring frequently.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch and chicken broth, whisking until cornstarch is dissolved completely. Add the mixture to the pan and cook until the liquid is slightly thick. Be sure to stir, stir, stir. 

Remove the pan from heat and add the vinegar, red pepper, and if using, sriracha paste. Then drain the pasta and add it to the mixture, followed by the bok choy, onions and 2 teaspoons of the sesame seeds. Toss to combine.

Grease your 9x13 dish (glass works best) and spoon the pasta mixture evenly into the dish.

Combine the melted butter and breadcrumbs, then sprinkle evenly on top of the pasta.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the bread crumbs are slightly browned. 

Pasta with Bacon, Artichokes and Shrimp

We haven't made pasta in forever and wanted to try our hand with shrimp. Granted, we used frozen shrimp, but baby steps! 


We used this recipe from All Recipes as a basis, but of course added our own flair (read: lots of spice and bacon!). 


The bacon taste is not too overpowering and and gives each bite a satisfying bacon flavor and same goes for the crushed red pepper flakes. These are very potent, so you can adjust to taste.


This is a very easy recipe, but watch the cook time on the shrimp to make sure it doesn't turn rubbery. 


The dish looks monochromatic, but trust us, there are many, many tastes at play here!


Prep time: 25 minutes (includes thawing of shrimp)
Cook time: 15 minutes


Ingredients: 

• 1 package fettuccine 
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease, plus the grease from the fresh bacon
• 2-3 strips of thick cut bacon, cut into strips 
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen fully cooked salad shrimp, thawed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (14 ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan & Romano cheese

While the pasta is boiling, cook the bacon  and garlic until the bacon is crispy. Add the artichokes, shrimp, red pepper flakes and salt. Toss the pasta with the shrimp mixture. Top with the cheese mixture. 

Weekend Meal: Four Cheese Baked Macaroni

This recipe is quick, simple, and best of all, low-fat without tasting like it:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 2/3 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 ounces light processed cheese
  
• 6 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 3 cups uncooked)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup crushed onion melba toasts (or any flavored toasts)
  
• 1 tablespoon reduced-calorie margarine, softened

Pre-heat the oven to 375.

To make the sauce, put the flour in a pan and gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir constantly until thick, then add the cheese. Stir until melted:

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the cooked macaroni. Spray a casserole or rectangular pyrex dish with cooking spray and spread the pasta mixture. Combine crushed toasts and butter/margarine and spread over the mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
All told, the ingredient total about $25, depending on the type/brand of cheese you buy. Yum!

Pasta with Mozzarella, Peppers, and Arugula

I'm on a pasta kick (read: feeling a little poor). But, with spring coming up, it's a good time to explore some lighter pastas with seasonal vegetables. This particular recipe uses a couple of my favorite vegetables, red peppers and arugula.

Pasta with Mozzarella, Peppers, and Arugula
Serves 4-6

1 box short pasta (ziti, penne etc)
8 oz. mozzarella cut into bite sized pieces
2 bunches of arugula, washed (you can also just buy an arugula salad)
1-2 red peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the peppers until tender. Add the arugula and cook until wilted. Add the pasta, cheese, salt & pepper. Ta da! Dinner.

All told, the meal costs between $12-$15, depending on how much you spend on the cheese.

How To Cook Pasta

So pasta is the fall back meal. Always good in a pinch and pretty cheap. But I discovered (late, as usual) that it really does matter how much water you use and that adding oil isn't really necessary.

I came across a pretty handy article in the March 2008 issue of Cooking Light that outlines the simple steps in making pasta.

For Dry Pasta:

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of water. Use one quart of water per two ounces of uncooked pasta, and choose a pot that larget enough to prevent crowding (keep this in mind when buying your one pot)
2. You can add salt to water if you think you'll need it for the taste, because ultimately, your sauce determines how much salt you'll need. You can also try adding a little bit of lemon juice to give the pasta a little flavor
   
3. Before you start boiling the water, make sure to have ready your colander ready so you can whisk the pasta off the stove when it's time
4. You should add the pasta when the water is at a rolling boil and cover the pot. Uncover the pot once the water returns to a boil. To make sure you make the pasta al dente, look at it closely and taste it; it will still have a white core and not be tender when you bite it
5. When draining the pasta, you can save some of the starchy water and can add it to the sauce later
6. Lastly, don't follow the time listed on the box too well, check the pasta about 3 minutes before the time listed
   

For Fresh/Frozen Pasta:

1. The above steps for fresh pasta, but keep in mind that fresh pasta will cook in as little as 3 minutes, and frozen pasta will take around 5-8 minutes
   

The Weekend Meal: Ravioli With Sauteed Zucchini

Being a vegetarian for a weekend isn't terrible, this meal, using cheese ravioli, should help ease the one day transition. Save the animals (for a day or two at least):

Serves 4

• 1 20 oz package of fresh cheese ravioli (you can also use frozen ravioli)
• 3 small zucchinis, thinly sliced into half circles
  
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
  
• Some Parmesan
  
• Olive oil
  
• Salt

Cook the pasta according to the package. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil and add the zucchini, onion, and garlic. Cook until the zucchini is tender (about 8 minutes)


When the pasta is done, toss the pasta with the vegetable mixture:

And you're done! Serve with a little Parmesan sprinkled on top. Very yummy, very easy, very quick.

If you have leftovers, I suggest storing the ravioli and the vegetable mixture in different containers. To heat up, toss them quickly in a pan.

Ta da! You just saved a cow or chicken.