Tag Archives: pasta

Jul 2

Chicken and Mushrooms with Sweet Marsala Wine (Carmela’s Chicken Rigatoni)

★★★★★

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 chicken thighs
  • 1 large onion , sliced
  • mushrooms , sliced
  • 1 1/4 cup sweet marsala wine
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • parmesan , grated
  • 1/2 Tbsp salt , to taste
  • 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch , to thicken
  • 1/2 box rigatoni pasta

Directions:

  1. Caramelize the onions by sauteing in medium heat in butter. When they begin to reduce and turn transparent, reduce to medium-low heat and add a tablespoon of brown sugar, salt, and pepper and let it continue to caramelize on medium-low heat. (I would do this in a separate pan so I can continue with the rest of the dish)
  2. Cook rigatoni pasta el dante (you want them to be firm because you will cook them again in the sauce)
  3. Brown the chicken thigh pieces, remove from pan and set aside.
  4. Add mushrooms to the pan, cover and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add caramelized onions.
  5. Add Marsala wine and let it cook for a few minutes to help burn off some alcohol. Then add heavy cream. Season with salt. Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
  6. Put chicken back in the pot and heat through. Then add pasta and grated parmesan into the sauce. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for about 5-10min so it soaks up all the goodness!
Apr 4

Angel hair with roasted bell pepper, garlic, and olive oil

Parts of this recipe came from a Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen recipe, but I tweaked it to try to make it more like a dish I tried at BJ’s Restaurant (the Angel Hair Toscana). The dish turned out very flavorful and is something I’ll definitely be making again! Plus, it’s fairly healthy (for a pasta dish, that is).

Angel hair with roasted bell pepper, garlic, and olive oil
Makes about 5 servings or so

Ingredients:

2/3’s of a 1 lb. pkg Angel hair pasta
4.5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup garlic, minced
3 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (see recipe below) OR use jarred roasted red bell peppers (found in condiment section of grocery store)
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (Optional)
Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Parmesan, grated
Cooked chicken meat (or any type of meat, like grilled shrimp)

Roasted Bell Pepper:
1) Turn on broiler. Place bell pepper on oven rack. Turn almost every 2 mins with tongs until charred on each side.
2) When the skin is blackened and the skin is soft, transfer them to a bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap or foil for 10-15 min, or until cool enough to handle.
3) Rub or peel the charred skin off. Cut or tear the pepper open to remove seeds and stem.
Can be kept in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Directions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) While water is heating, in a medium skillet add olive oil, minced garlic, dried parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over LOW heat. Once it starts to sizzle a bit, stir constantly until garlic foams and is sticky, 10-12 minutes. (Cook the garlic slowly, so you don’t rush and burn it.) Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes (if using), roasted red bell pepper, and basil.

3) When water is boiling, add pasta and salt liberally (about 1-2 TBLS). Boil for 5 min (or to your preference). When finished cooking pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the rest.

4) When ready to combine ingredients, mix the reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water with the pasta. Pour the olive oil mixture over the pasta and combine. Add the warmed chicken meat and grated Parmesan.

Feb 2

Beef Stroganoff Crock Pot

My friend, Alisa, gave me this recipe. She raved about how delicious and easy it is to make. I have yet to try making it myself but it sounds yummy! I’m not sure where Alisa got this recipe, so unfortunately I’m unable to credit the source!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds beef round steak, cut into cubes (I used chuck roast)
  • 1/2 teaspoon EACH salt and pepper
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) can sliced mushrooms (I do NOT add these)
  • 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 6 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes (reduced fat)
  • 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (reduced fat)
  • 12 ounces egg noodles

Directions

Place first 11 ingredients (through soy sauce) in 6-quart crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Increase heat to high (if necessary) and stir in cream cheese cubes. Continue cooking for 30 minutes until melted. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions, drain well. Add sour cream and noodles to crock pot and cook 10-20 minutes longer until heated through.

Number of servings: 8

Dec 23

Crock Pot Lasagna

My sister found this recipe and loved it. She said it tasted like the frozen lasagna that we always get at Costco.

NOTE: This recipe fills up the crock pot to the very top, so it’s a very tall lasagna.

Ingredients:

    • 1 lb. ground beef
    • 1 large onion, finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
    • 1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz. jar) spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu or Prego) [I added a little sugar, salt, pepper, & oregano)
    • 1 package (8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
    • 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 1 lb. ricotta cheese
    • 1/4 cup milk
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese

      Preparation:

      Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain off any grease. Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat mixture. Mix well.

      In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg. Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Then mix in the mozzarella cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the cheeses are combined.

      Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides.

      Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut them if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until noodles are tender.

      Mar 30

      Ketchup Spaghetti

      My mom makes Ketchup Macaroni, which is macarni pasta, ground beef, onions, ketchup and sugar. I don’t usually have ground beef handy, so when I crave this, I just do a more simple version. Some may think it’s weird, but you’d be surprise how many recipes there are out there for ketchup spaghetti (or ketchup + any type of pasta).

      I had a strong craving for this today — and I happened to have some leftover spaghetti so I decided to whip this up real quick. Took me just a minute to make.

      Ingredients:
      - Spaghetti (or any type/shape of pasta)
      - Ketchup
      - Sugar

      Directions:
      1. Cook pasta, al dante. Rinse and drain. Return pasta to stove top over medium-high heat.
      2. Add ketchup (enough to coat the amount of pasta you have, add a little at a time to make sure you don’t drown the pasta).
      3. Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar to taste (add more if you like it sweeter, or less if you prefer more of the ketchup tangy/saltiness). Once spaghetti is heated through, enjoy!

      Mar 5

      Pasta Puttanesca

      I got this recipe from the Food Network. I wanted this dish to be meatier since Sun doesn’t like veggie dishes, so I added chicken sausage since I can’t eat regular sausage (nitrates + pregnant woman = bad idea). Add whatever ingredients you want — next time I’m trying shrimp. I also couldn’t find arugula so I substituted it with baby spinach, which turned out perfect! I omitted the parsley and capers because I don’t care for it. Oh, and if you can find Barilla Plus spaghetti, I suggested getting that over whole-wheat pasta. It tastes just like regular pasta and it has all the nutritious stuff.

      Ingredients:
      8 ounces whole-wheat thin spaghetti, vermicelli or angel hair
      1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
      2 cloves garlic, minced
      1/4 cup pitted chopped Spanish or Greek olives
      1 teaspoon anchovy paste
      1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
      1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
      1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably “no salt added”
      3/4 cup chopped fresh arugula (or baby spinach)
      3-4 sausage links (optional)
      1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
      2 tablespoons capers (optional)
      1/4 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

      Directions:
      1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta (half a box is good for 4 people) and cook al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water, then set aside.

      2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. If you are using sausage, pan fry to cook through, then set aside. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the parsley, olives, capers, anchovy paste, oregano and crushed red pepper to the skillet, and saute for 2 minutes more.

      3. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add cooked sausage and spaghetti. Stir in the arugula and simmer for 1 minute more, until the greens wilt slightly. Top with grated cheese.

      Jan 27

      Baked Macaroni & Cheese

      I got this recipe from CampbellsKitchen.com and it was really easy to make. I love mac-n-cheese that’s really creamy/saucy. Sun and I LOVE the mac-n-cheese at Boston Market, and this dish reminded us of it. I’m also a fan of mac-n-cheese straight from the box (Kraft!). I prefer the runny, artificial cheese vs thick/rich/oily fancy melted cheese.

      Ingredients:
      1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell’s® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
      1/2 can soup milk
      1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
      2 cups hot cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta OR medium shell-shaped pasta
      1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
      2 teaspoons butter OR margarine, melted

      Directions:
      1. Mix soup, milk, black pepper and pasta in 1-qt. baking dish.
      2. Mix bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over pasta mixture.
      3. Bake at 400°F. for 20 min. or until hot.

      Jun 30

      Baked Ziti (HKW’s recipe)

      Ingredients:
      1 box (1lb) Rigatoni pasta
      1 package (1 big link) of Kielbasa — can use pork, turkey, or chicken sausage – skin removed (preferred)
      3/4-1 cup Mushrooms
      1 jar Spaghetti sauce
      3/4 container of Ricotta cheese
      3/4 – 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
      2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
      Red crushed pepper (optional)
      Pepper to taste

      Directions:

      1. Cook pasta according to instructions on package MINUS 3 minutes (el dante). Drain pasta, then set aside.

      2. Chop sausage and mushrooms then saute over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through.

      3. Reduce heat and add Spaghetti sauce until it begins to simmer. Then add Ricotta cheese and black pepper. Mix well.

      4. Add pasta back in once sauce comes back to a simmer. Careful not to stir too much or it will break the pasta apart.

      5. Transfer pasta to a oven-safe and sprinkle Parmesan to add saltiness (don’t stir). Layer Mozarella on top.

      6. Broil on high for about 10-15 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.

      You can substitute the mozzarella and Parmesan with a cheese blend if you can find one. I’ve tried a 3-cheese blend (found at Whole Foods) that had Asiago, Parmesan, and Fontina! The Asiago/Fontina melted nicely while the Parmesan gave it a nice saltiness.

      I also prefer to use chicken sausage as it’s healthier. And if you have Italian bread crumbs, feel free to sprinkle a handful of it ontop of the cheese before it goes into the oven. Gives it a nice crunch!

      Mar 1

      Tarako Spaghetti

      You can find Tarako “mash” in a jar at Uwajimaya. They also come in the egg sacs, which you just scrape the eggs out yourself.  My favorite is Spicy Tarako Mash, it has a good kick to it!

      Serving size: 2

      Ingredients:
      3+ tbsp Tarako
      1/4 cup Milk
      1 tbsp Butter
      1/2 tbsp Flour
      Spaghetti

      Directions:
      1. Boil spaghetti el dante, then strain – set aside.

      2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, add milk, butter, flour. Simmer for about 5 minutes (the longer you let it simmer, the thicker the white sauce gets and it also kills the flour taste). Then add Tarako (add as much as you like to desired taste) and let it heat through, stirring frequently. If the sauce gets too thick, thin it out with more milk and/or butter, if it needs it.

      3. Remove sauce from heat, then add the cooked spaghetti and mix until the sauce coats the spaghetti evenly.

      4. Garnish with shredded seaweed and serve immediately.

      Mar 1

      Tuna Macaroni

      This is how my mom makes the Campbell’s version. It’s much better!

      Ingredients:
      1 can Cream of Celery
      1 can Cream of Mushroom
      1 cup water
      1 cup milk
      Chopped celery and onions (optional)
      Peas, salt & pepper (to taste)
      1 Box of pasta
      2 Cans of Tuna

      Directions:
      1. Cook pasta, drain, rinse.
      2. Stir fry onions and celery, then add tuna.
      3. Add both cans of soup with water and milk. Salt and pepper. Bring to boil, then add pasta.
      4. Add peas, bring to boil. Add more salt & pepper to taste.