Category Archives: Pasta

Feb8

Shrimp Scampi

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spaghettiwithlemonandshrimp

Shrimp Scampi

This is a very simple pasta dinner that you can put on the table in 30 minutes.  Creamy, lemony sauce over hot pasta with either shrimp or bay scallops.  Yum!!  Be sure to use a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup juice (2 lemons)
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced to a paste
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 lb. small shrimp (51 to 60/lb.), peeled, deveined and tails removed
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 lb. pasta (I used spaghetti, but angel hair would be good too.)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I didn’t use because I didn’t have any on hand.)

Whisk olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in bowl, then stir in Parmesan until thick and creamy.

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add shrimp in single layer and cook until shrimp are curled and pink on both sides, about 2 minutes (3 minutes for bay scallops); transfer to separate bowl and cover.

Meanwhile, bring 4 qts. water to boil in large pot.  Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.  Add olive oil mixture, shrimp (or scallops) and any accumulated juices, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and basil and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency.  Serve.

Serves 4 to 6.

“God pursues us in our restlessness, receives us in our sinfulness, holds us in our brokenness.”

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Oct26

Ranch BLT Pasta Salad

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ranchbltpastasalad

Ranch BLT Pasta Salad

Oh.  My.  This is so good!

  • 1/2 pound small ridged elbow macaroni or corkscrew pasta
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 (12-oz.) pkg. thick sliced bacon
  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup ranch dressing
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 5-6 green onions, chopped, opt.

Cook pasta al dente in liberally salted water per package instructions.   Drain pasta then rinse in cold water.  Drain again, then place pasta in a large mixing bowl.  Don’t let it sit and dry out too much; the pasta should be on the moist side.

Add parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard to pasta, and stir until well combined.  Let pasta “marinate” in the seasonings for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, at room temperature.  (This allows the pasta to soak up the flavors before adding the mayonnaise mixture.)

While pasta is “marinating,” slice bacon into 1/2-inch ribbons, and cook until crispy; drain, and set aside.

Remove softer, outer leaves from lettuce.  Roughly chop approximately 4 cups from the inner (more crunchy) leaves; set aside.

Whip together mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and vinegar, then add mixture to the cooked pasta, and stir to combine.  Add half the bacon, tomato halves, chopped romaine, and green onions to pasta, and gently stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.  Top with remaining half of bacon, and serve immediately.

If not serving this immediately, mix all but the romaine and second half of bacon.  When you’re ready to serve, toss pasta with romaine, then top with remaining half of the bacon.

“God can use ordinary instruments to produce a concert of praise.”

Feb13

World’s Best Lasagna

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worldsbestlasagnaWorld’s Best Lasagna

The sauce for this recipe is outstanding.  Make it a day ahead for the flavors to develop.  And it can also be used for many other pasta dishes.

For sauce

  • 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
  • 3/4 – 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
  • 1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 3/4 – 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

For lasagna

  • 12 lasagna noodles
  • 16 oz. ricotta cheese (I used 32 oz.)
  • 1 egg (I used 2)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 16 oz. sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  In a large, heavy pot, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well-browned.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.  Stir in sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parsley.  Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Boil lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.  In a mixingt bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, parsley and salt.

3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4.  Spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce.  Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture.  Top with half the mozzarella cheese.  Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Continue layering:  1 1/2 cups sauce, 6 noodles, remaining ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1 1/2 cups sauce, remaining half of mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Cover with foil; to prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray so cheese doesn’t stick to the foil.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Cool 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 12.

Makes 7 cups sauce.

(I didn’t use all the sauce or all the ricotta mixure.)

“The true test of our character is what we do when no one is watching.”

Jan9

Baked Spaghetti

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bakedspaghettiBaked Spaghetti

This is soooo good I can’t wait to eat leftovers.  As I was making the sauce, I was thinking, why wouldn’t jarred pasta sauce work for this?  It would, but this sauce is so good I doubt if I’ll ever use jarred.  This is definitely a 5 Star recipe.  You must try it, you’ll love it.

  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup diced onions
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons House Seasoning (recipe follows)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
  • 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

To make the sauce, in a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.  Crumble the ground beef in a saucepan.  Cook until no pink remains, then drain off the fat.  Add the ground beef to the stockpot.  Simmer for another 20 mintes.  While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with sauce.  Add a layer of pasta, then half of the cheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with the remaining cheese, return to the oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Cut into squares before serving.

(I didn’t divide the cheese right so I ended up with all the cheese in the middle and none on top.)  Still delicious!!

**House Seasoning

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

Stir the ingredients together.  Keep the seasoning in a jar with the rest of your spices.

“Knowing the Bible helps us know the God of the Bible.”

Oct9

Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo

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lowfatfettuccinealfredo

Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo

This is as good as Olive Garden’s.  Try some grilled chicken on top.

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and lightly crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, opt.
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 (9-oz.) pkg. fresh futtuccine (fresh is best)

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil.  Heat bowls.

Heat butter over medium heat in large saucepan until foaming.  Whisk in flour until mixture is smooth and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.  Whisk in milk, half-and-half,  garlic, salt and pepper.  Bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Discard garlic, stir in Parmesan, and remove from heat.

Stir 1 tablespoon salt (I didn’t use) and pasta into boiling water and cook, stirring constantly, until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.

Return sauce to low heat, add 1/3 cup pasta water and cooked pasta; toss  until evenly coated.  Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 1 minute.  Add more cooking water as needed to thin sauce to proper consistency and adjust seasonings.  Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Serves 3 to 4.

“In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.”

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Aug22

Taco Casserole

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Taco Casserole

I am always trying new recipes and especially ones that are quick and easy.  I only put them on my blog if I think they are blog worthy.  To me this was good but not blog worthy.  But wait a minute, if you are feeding children, it is another story.  My grandkids loved this and went back for seconds and thirds and wanted to take the leftovers home to warm up.  So what do I know!!

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 8 oz. macaroni, cooked
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can condensed tomato soup
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (1 1/4 oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix
  • 4 oz. shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • Sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta al dente.  Drain

In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef and onion over medium heat until brown.  Mix in tomato soup, diced tomatoes and taco seasoning mix.  Stir in pasta.

Spoon beef mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle crumbled chips and grated cheese on top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Serve with sour cream and extra shredded cheese.

Serves 8 to 10.  (Depending on the size of your boys.)

“Kindness is Christianity with its working clothes on.”

Aug6

Lemon Capellini

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lemoncapellini

Lemon Capellini

I fixed this with barbecue chicken, but I think it would be excellent with grilled shrimp and garlic bread.  It’s delicious and very quick and easy.  1/3 cup juice gave it a light lemon taste.  If you like it more lemony, use more lemon juice.  1 medium lemon is 3 tablespoons juice.

  • 1 lb. capellini (angel hair pasta)
  • 1/2 lb. unsalted butter, melted
  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons (1/3 cup juice)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Drizzle some olive oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the capellini, and cook al dente.  Drain quickly, leaving a little water with the capellini.  Quickly toss the capellini with the melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.

Serve immediately.

6 servings.

“The powers of evil around you are no match for the power of Jesus within you.”

Jul18

Bow Ties with Salmon and Asparagus

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farfallewithsalmonleeksanda

Bow Ties with Salmon and Asparagus

If you have everything measured and prepped before you start cooking, this is a 30 minute meal.  Very delicious and healthy recipe.

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
  • 2 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets, 1 1/4 inches thick
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 lb. farfalle (bowties)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.  Add asparagus and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until tender, about 3 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate.  Return water to boil, add pasta, and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Reserve 1/2  cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

While asparagus and pasta is cooking, melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and cook until tender, about 4 minutes.  Season salmon with salt and pepper and add to skillet.  Add wine, cover, and cook until salmon is just cooked through, about 6 minutes.  Transfer salmon to plate and cover.  Stir cream into now-empty skillet and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes; remove from heat and cover.

Add sauce, salmon with any accumulated juices, asparagus, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss gently to combine and break salmon into bite-size pieces.  Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6.

“Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily.”

Jul16

Chicken Noodle Casserole

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chickenandnoodlecasserole

Chicken Noodle Casserole

This is a pantry casserole and so delicious.  It makes quite a large casserole, but can be cut in half for fewer servings.

  • 1 (12-oz.) pkg. egg noodles, cooked & drained
  • 2 (10-oz.) cans chunk chicken breast, drained
  • 2 (10-oz.) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup milk or water
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced or 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or use canned)
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook egg noodles and drain well.

While noodles are cooking, combine chicken, soup, mayo, milk, onion, cheese and peas and carrots in a large bowl.  Stir until combined.

Gently stir in cooked egg noodles.

Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle top with panko bread crumbs.  Pour melted butter evenly over top of bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden brown.  Serve.

Serves 8 to 12.

“Suffering is the fire that God uses to purify and strengthen us.”

Apr3

Chicken Tetrazzini

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chickentetrazzini2chickentetrazzinaChicken Tetrazzini

We were guests for dinner at my daughter’s home last week.  This is what she cooked and it was really delicious.  I had to put it on my blog so I can fix it sometime in the future.

  • 9 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk, room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, opt.
  • 12 ounces linguine
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.  Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly.  Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan.  Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes.  Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper.  Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes.  Drain.  Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture.  Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend.  Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta.  Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.  Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Serves 8 to 12.

“We honor God’s name when we call Him our Father and live like His children.”