Pasta

Fiesta Fettuccine

July 30, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Fiesta Fettuccine is vibrant with color from the peppers, corn and basil. Add to it some spices, pasta and cheese and you have a dish full of flavor.

I could eat pasta every day, really, I love it that much! I try to control the amount of pasta I eat, too many carbs to eat it every day. When I make a pasta dish I like to add in a fair amount of vegetables to off set the carbs. At least in my head I think I am eating healthier. 🙂

There are some wonderful spices in Fiesta Fettuccine, my favorites are paprika and cayenne pepper. These spices add some smokiness and heat to the dish. The cilantro and basil add a fresh element to the dish. Lastly, I added bacon and cheese to the recipe because everything tastes better with bacon and cheese. I’m right, aren’t I?

Enjoy!

Fiesta Fettuccine

Rating: 51

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Fiesta Fettuccine

Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine pasta
3 cups corn, fresh or frozen off the cob
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1 lime, juice of ½, ½ for garnish
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. chili powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper, more if you want it spicier
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. salt
1 sweet pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
½ onion, sliced
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or julienned
6 sliced bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Instructions

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
Add the corn to a microwave safe dish and heat for 2 minutes, set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, juice of a ½ a lime, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Take ½ of the mixture and mix it in with the corn. Put the other half in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the pepper and onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until they start to soften.
Stir in the milk and heavy cream. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often, until the mixture starts to thicken. Stir in the cup of pasta water.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan and cheddar cheeses. Stir to combine, return the pan to the heat. Add in the pasta, corn, parsley or cilantro, basil and bacon. Stir to combine.
Plate the pasta, garnish with queso fresco, a slice of lime and basil.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/fiesta-fettuccine/

It’s almost ready to eat!

Fiesta Fettuccine

Squeeze fresh lime juice before eating.

Queso Fresco is a mild mexican cheese.

Love the color combination.

Pasta Perfection

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

May 28, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

All the flavors of Chicken Parmesan are found in this comforting Chicken Parmesan Casserole that is filled with chicken, pasta, marinara and three kinds of cheese.

I love Chicken Parmesan but it is time consuming to make. To get all the flavors of Chicken Parmesan I came up with Chicken Parmesan Casserole. Onions, peppers, chicken and spices are sauteed and added to marinara sauce and pasta. The pasta mix is then layered with ricotta and mozzarella cheese. This casserole is then topped with parmesan cheese and is baked until golden brown.

The casserole comes together in a jiffy and will be well liked by everyone who eats it! Serve with a green salad for a quick week night meal. Having Chicken Parmesan Casserole as a left over in my opinion is even better than straight out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Rating: 51

Yield: 6 Servings

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta, cooked to package directions
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small sweet pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp. basil
1 large jar marinara
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the pepper and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Set the peppers and onions aside in a bowl.
Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to the pan and add in the chicken chunks. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken and add the basil. Saute the chicken for 7-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Add the peppers and onions back into the pan with the chicken. Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the pan. Dollop the ricotta cheese over the pasta mixture. Spread 1 cup mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. Add the rest of the pasta mixture and add the last cup of mozzarella cheese over the top. Lastly, sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the pasta mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/chicken-parmesan-casserole/

Saute onion and peppers.

Saute chunks of chicken with herbs.

Add marinara sauce.

Toss everything together.

Layer half of the pasta mix and add dollops of ricotta cheese and mozzarella.

Add a second layer and top with parmesan cheese.

Bake until golden brown.

Each bite has lots of cheese.

Pasta Goodness!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Kielbasa Pasta

April 18, 2014 by Kay 2 Comments

Kielbasa Pasta is not an ordinary pasta dish, it’s made with a spicy kielbasa to kick it up a notch.

Kielbasa Pasta starts with frying the kielbasa and onion in in olive oil. You want the kielbasa to get crisp and brown, it really makes a difference in this recipe.

While the kielbasa is frying you can boil the pasta. I used penne rigate for this dish. I used a home made canned pasta sauce I canned last summer. You can easily use a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Once you have mixed everything together, serve it up and top with mozzarella cheese. Pasta always tastes better when topped with cheese!

This is a perfect week night meal, it comes together quickly and is super delicious.

Enjoy!

Fry the kielbasa and onions.

Kielbasa Pasta

Spicy Kielbasa

Kielbasa Pasta

Load it up with cheese

Spicy Goodness

Kielbasa Pasta

Rating: 41

Yield: 4 Servings

Kielbasa Pasta

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta, I used Penne RIgate
1 lb. Kielbasa
1 medium onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 Large Jar of Pasta Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the box's directions.
Cut the Kielbasa into thick slices. Peel and chop the onion.
Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add the Kielbasa and onions and cook for 6 - 8 minutes, you want the onions soft and the Kielbasa to be browned. Reduce the temperature to medium and add the pasta sauce, stir to combine.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce pan, stir to combine. Serve up the pasta dish and top with the mozzarella cheese.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/kielbasa-pasta/

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Skinny Gorgonzola Pasta

April 13, 2014 by Kay 3 Comments

Skinny Gorgonzola Pasta is rich in flavor and not in calories and has the addition of roasted corn and tomatoes to make a mouth watering dish.

This recipe starts with roasting corn and grape tomatoes which gives them both a sweeter flavor. I guarantee you will love the flavor of both in this recipe.

Gorgonzola cheese is an Italian Blue Cheese, buttery in texture and has a strong pungent flavor. I recommend using a good quality gorgonzola cheese for this recipe, it will make a difference.

The gorgonzola sauce starts with an olive oil, garlic and flour mixture which chicken broth is added to. Using olive oil and chicken broth reduces the calories in this recipe. Add in the gorgonzola cheese to the sauce and you are ready to serve this with pasta and top it with the corn and tomatoes.

Add the corn and tomatoes to baking sheets and toss with olive oil.

This is what the corn and tomatoes look like after roasting.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and some of the corn.

Add some corn and tomatoes to the top of the pasta before serving.

Twirl some pasta on your fork and make sure to get some corn and tomatoes in with it.

Creamy goodness.

Enjoy!

Skinny Gorgonzola Pasta with Roasted Corn & Tomatoes

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Servings

Skinny Gorgonzola Pasta with Roasted Corn & Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 pint grape tomatoes
12 ounces linguine
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for roasting
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. flour
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup low-fat milk (I used skim)
3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese, plus more for serving
½ tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Add foil to two baking sheets. Toss the tomatoes on one of the baking sheets and sprinkle with oil, toss to coat the tomatoes. Lightly salt & pepper the tomatoes. Spray the second baking dish with cooking spray and add the thawed corn. Pat the corn with paper towel to soak up some of the moisture. Lightly salt & pepper the corn. Roast the tomatoes and corn for 15 minutes. The tomatoes may take a couple extra minutes, the skins should be wrinkled when done.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and whisk to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, whisking occasionally.
Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for a couple of minutes or until sauce has thickened, then whisk in the Gorgonzola cheese until melted. Add in the spices and whisk to combine. Reduce heat to low until pasta is finished cooking.
Drain pasta and return it to the pan and add 1 ½ cups of the corn. Pour the gorgonzola sauce over the pasta and corn and toss to combine.
To serve, add the pasta mixture to a bowl and top it off with the roasted tomatoes and the rest of the corn. Add more gorgonzola on the top if you would like.

http://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/skinny-gorgonzola-pasta/

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