Margarita Chicken Pasta Salad

My friend Julie also introduced me to this yummy recipe - I love it when she invites me over for lunch!  I forgot to take a picture when I made it last week, but I'm sure I'll be making it again before too long.

Ingredients:

Salad
10 oz. rainbow rotini
1 lb boneless skinless poached chicken breast, shredded
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Dressing

1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. sour cream
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp salt
1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 (4.5 oz) chopped green chilies
4 tsp tequila (optional)
1 packet taco seasoning

Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor; blend until smooth.  Combine cooked pasta, corn, beans and chicken in a large serving bowl, fold in dressing.  Serve cold.

*I like to poach and shred the chicken ahead of time so that it's really easy to throw together on a busy night.

Chicken Spaghetti

My mom has made this since I was a kid; I'm pretty sure she got the recipe from a neighbor. I didn't like it much then, but now I love it! So even if it sounds a little weird, give it a try. It's really yummy!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, stewed with 2 bay leaves and 1 chicken bouillon cube for each cup water used
1 lb Velveeta Cheese, cubed
1 (10 oz) can tomato soup
2 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 small onion, diced
1 lb spaghetti


Directions:

Cook and cool chicken. Reserve broth. Saute onions in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, soup and cubed cheese. Stir over medium heat until cheese is melted. Add cubed chicken and simmer while noodles cook. Cook spaghetti in reserved chicken broth, drain, then put back into pan. Pour sauce into pan with pasta and toss until coated. Heat through to allow the sauce to thicken and serve. You can also bake the pasta in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes rather than heating on the stove.

Serves 6

Bowtie and Asparagus Pasta

I may have mentioned this before, but my mom gave me her neighborhood's cookbook for Christmas and I've been trying all kinds of recipes from it. I just made this recipe last week and, mmm...so good. I loved it! It took a little bit of time to prepare, but for me, that always happens with new recipes. After I make this a few times I'll have a system down and it'll go much faster.

Ingredients:

1 box bowtie pasta

1/2 c. butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes (I used 2)

1 pt. heavy cream (I only had a 1/2 pint, so I substituted the rest with fat free half and half)

Salt and pepper to taste

10-15 spears asparagus, blanched

1/2 c. bacon, crumbled

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

Fresh parsley (I used about a 1/2 c. chopped)

Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

Boil bowtie pasta in salted water until al dente. Do not overcook. In wok or heavy skillet, melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté a minute or so. Add Parmesan cheese and bouillon cubes. When the bouillon cube is disolved, slowly stir in heavy cream until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pine nuts, parsley, and Parmesan cheese then toss together. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

*I found that the chicken bouillon took awhile to disolve. I think the next time I make this, I'll use Better than Bouillon instead. Since it's a paste instead of a cube, it will disolve quickly; I think it'll give a better flavor to the dish as well.

This makes quite a bit of pasta; I should have known - it uses a whole box of pasta! You may want to half this recipe if you're only making it for a few people. My kids didn't eat it - big surprise there - so there was quite a bit left for me and my hubby. Surprisingly, it was still really good leftover. Normally I don't like dishes like this left over because the cream and butter separate and it just doesn't taste as yummy as it did when it was fresh. Besides, then you can see just how much butter you're actually eating and that's not appetizing. I prefer to conceal the butter as much as possible! However, this was still pretty good. The sauce did seperate some, but it didn't completely gross me out like, oh, I don't know...the way leftovers from Olive Garden do. :)


*Update - I made this again last night and the bouillon dissolved just fine, so really you could use either the cubes or Better than Bouillon.   :)  Oh, and Andrew actually ate the pasta - minus the asparagus.  Can't blame him though; I didn't like asparagus until just recently.

Chris' Spaghetti

Growing up, my version of spaghetti was noodles with warmed up sauce. If we got fancy we added ground beef or meatballs. I thought it was pretty good - until I tried my Mother-in-law's recipe. From then on, I was hooked. She made this for us all the time when we were newlyweds. I finally asked her for the recipe and although I don't think mine turns out quite like hers does, it's still pretty good.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce, plus 1/2 jar of water
1 package McCormick Thick and Zesty spaghetti mix
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Brown hamburger until cooked most of the way through; drain the grease. Add the garlic, onions, bell pepper, salt and pepper; cook about 5-7 minutes. Add the spaghetti sauce, water, tomatoes, spaghetti mix and tomato sauce; stir over low heat. Cover and simmer on very low for about 30-45 minutes. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions then top with sauce. *I generally cook 1 box of noodles (1 lb) so that I have leftovers for the next day.

Creamy Fettuccine with Rainbow Veggies

I found this recipe in my mom's ward cookbook and just had to try it. I have a sudden and unexplainable need to try every recipe that includes asparagus, which is odd, because my parents could never get me to try it while I was growing up.


I have to admit, I was slightly worried about the cream sauce - I've been trying to start a diet for months now - but some awesome new recipe always gets in my way! However...it hardly uses any cream or butter compared to some recipes I've made. The end result is a very light, cheesy taste. Besides - the veggies cancel out any of the bad calories. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt (for cooking pasta), plus 1/4 tsp for sauce
2 Tbsp butter
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (upper half of spears only)
1 small zucchini or summer squash, cubed
1/2 c. finely diced carrot
1/2 c. diced red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 lb. fettuccine
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Directions:

In a large pot, combine 3 to 4 quarts of water, olive oil and salt, then bring to a boil. Meanwhile in another pan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the garlic and warm gently for 1 minute. Add the broth, veggies and 1/4 tsp of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pan and continue to simmer the veggies undisturbed for 3 minutes, then stir in the cream.

Remove the pan (with the veggies) from the heat and leave it covered. Add more salt to taste if needed. Once the water has reached a boil, gradually add the fettuccine to it. Cook the past according to the package, then drain. Quickly bring the veggies back to a simmer then add the drained pasta. Continue to simmer the mixture over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes while carefully tossing the noodles up from the bottom of the pan with tongs or 2 forks. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle in half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss once more. Serve at once using the parsley and remaining cheese for garnish.

Serves 4 to 5

*I've made this a couple of times now and I can tell you that substituting fat free half and half for the heavy cream doesn't work very well. Stick with the heavy cream - it's much better. The veggies and sauce will be pretty soupy until you add the Parmesan cheese at the end. Once you do, the cheese soaks up some of the sauce and makes it a bit creamier.

Tomato 'n Cheese Pasta

This is one dish that my sweet hubby never gets tired of. It's super easy to put together, even on a busy night!

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked small tube pasta (I love to use mini penne)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cans Italian Diced Tomatoes

1 t. dried basil

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 mins. Drain pasta; stir into sauce pan. Transfer to a greased 1 qt. baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 10-15 mins or until cheese is melted.

4 servings

Turkey Pasta Soup

This is something that we have fairly often. It’s a little spicy – once I substituted turkey sausage instead of ground turkey, and let me tell you – that was hot! I don’t recommend it! 

Here's one tip - I cook my pasta, but don't add it to the soup. When I dish it up, I put the amount of pasta I want in each bowl and then add the soup. That way I can refrigerate the leftovers without the pasta soaking up all of the broth.This makes quite a bit of soup, so sometimes we freeze the leftovers and then it's quick to heat up for another meal. I also like to sprinkle some shredded Parmesan on top just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked small pasta shells
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian stewed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, cook the turkey, onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to the soup. Cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Yield: 10 servings

Roasted Pepper Ravioli

1 each medium orange, red and yellow peppers

1 package (25 oz) frozen cheese ravioli

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

4 oz sliced part-skim mozzarella (you can also use shredded)

Place peppers on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Broil 4 in. from the heat until skins blister.  With tongs, rotate peppers a quarter turn.  Rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened.  Immediately place peppers in a bowl; cover and let stand 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ravioli according to package directions; drain.  Peel off and discard charred skin from peppers.  Remove stems and seeds.  Finely chop peppers and place in a small mixing bowl.  Combine the peppers with the oil, sugar and salt.  

Spread 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce in a 9 x13 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Layer with the ravioli, pepper mixture and cheese.  Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.  Cover and bake at 350 degree for 15 minutes.  Uncover; bake 15-20 mins longer or until heated through.

I found this recipe in Light and Tasty magazine a few years ago and it's been one of our favorites ever since.  I changed the recipe some; originally it called for 2 peppers of each color, green red and yellow.  On accident, I once used an orange pepper instead of a green one, but we liked it and kept the change.  We also found that we liked it just as well with fewer peppers, and considering the cost of peppers, it worked better with our budget :)  One more thing: it may seem strange to layer the spaghetti sauce on top of the cheese - but trust me, it works.

*Please forgive my unprofessional photos - I'm sure I'll get better at some point :)