Italian Pasta Salad

This salad works in just about any setting—summer picnics, potlucks, a quick lunch, or whenever you need something simple to round out a meal. It’s flexible enough that you can swap in whatever ingredients you have on hand, and the amount of Italian dressing is entirely up to you.  This makes a lot of pasta for a large gathering.  If you are making this for a smaller family, you may want to make a half of the recipe.

 

1 box (1lb) Fusilli (corkscrew) pasta (or any other hearty pasta you wish to use) Tri-color is also fun to use

1 8oz block of cheese:  Cheddar, Colby Jack or Mozzarella or any combination of cheese. Cut into small pieces

1 cup pepperoni slices, cut into quarters

1 cup black olives, sliced

1/2 cup orange bell pepper (about a half of a pepper), cut into small pieces

1/2 cup red bell pepper (about a half of a pepper), cut into small pieces

3/4 cup red onion, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the cheese in the green can)

1 or 2 (16 oz) bottle(s) Olive Garden Italian dressing (I used about 3 cups which is 24 oz)

Boil water and add pasta, cook according to package directions.  Pasta should be al dente (slightly firm, not mushy).  Drain pasta and run cold water over the pasta in a colander.  Drain well.  Take several pieces of paper towel and toss it around in the bowl to get the excess water off of the pasta.  Does not need to be totally dry.  Set aside.

In another large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Gently toss in the bowl to completely combine the ingredients.  Add the cooked and cooled pasta and gently toss again.

You may want to use more than one bottle of dressing, depending on how many ingredients you added to the salad and how much dressing you prefer.

Place salad in a 4-quart serving bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.  Give the salad one more gentle stir just before serving.

Other suggested ingredients you may wish to add:

McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning

raw broccoli, cut into small pieces

raw cauliflower, cut into small pieces

Romaine lettuce, cut into small pieces

salami

pepperoncini

green onions

cherry tomatoes, whole 

fresh basil

pimento

cucumber

Makes 4 quarts (16 cups)

Mark and Marianne

Mac & Beef (Pressure Cooker)

If you are in search of a speedy dinner recipe, this one's ideal. Both kids and adults will like this meal.  Browning the meat beforehand will cut down your meal prep time.

If you wish to make this recipe on the stove-top instead of the pressure cooker, you can boil the pasta separately and cook the sauce on the stovetop, eliminating the beef stock.  Mix the pasta and the sauce together and enjoy!

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

Black pepper

28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 cup beef stock

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 lb dried elbow macaroni, or other pasta

1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Preheat the pressure cooker using the brown setting.

Add the oil and brown the beef.  Avoid breaking up the beef too much, but let it cook in larger chunks.  Add the onion, peppers, herbs and spices, salt and pepper and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring well.

Without stirring, add the tomatoes, beef stock, ketchup and elbow macaroni to the pot and lock the lid in place.

Pressure-cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.

Reduce the pressure with the QUICK-RELEASE method and carefully remove the lid.  Give the ingredients a good stir, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese or for a cheesy dish, stir in the grated Cheddar cheese.

Serves 4-6

Source: bluejeanchef.com

Kimberly

Creamy Spinach & Sausage Pasta

This is a quick one-pot meal that is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.  Next time I make this, I would add more spinach and some sliced mushrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 oz smoked sausage (I used 12 oz Kielbasa sausage)

1 TBS olive oil

1 medium onion

1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies (do not drain)

2 cups chicken broth

8 oz pasta

3 cups fresh spinach

1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 whole green onion for garnish

Thinly slice the sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 TBS of olive oil.  Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes).  Drain off the excess fat.

Dice the onion and add it to the skillet.  Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes).  Add the can of diced tomatoes with chilies and the chicken broth,  Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender.  Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.

Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted.  If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir.  Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over the top.

Makes: 4 servings

Source:  www.kevinandamanda.com

Janice

Make-Ahead Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Whether you are looking for a recipe for a "Meatless Monday" or just want a healthier lasagna dish that is different from all the others, this is the perfect one to try.  You may also make this with all zucchini if you don't wish to use eggplant.  I like this recipe because you can make it the day before.  

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 lbs eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 TBS extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 - 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 - 3 TBS chopped fresh basil
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
3 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups) **Use the real stuff...not the cheese in the green can!

To Finish and Serve:

4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)

To Prepare:

Refrigerate the diced tomatoes.  Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss zucchini and eggplant with 3 TBS oil two-thirds of garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Spread vegetables over two greased rimmed baking sheets and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes.  Make sure you scrape the bits of garlic off the bottom of the pan so they do not burn and get stuck to the pan.  You wouldn't want to lose their tasty goodness!

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 TBS oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors blend, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  To cool, stir in chilled diced tomatoes and let sit until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.  (You should have 7 cups sauce.  Add water as needed to reach 7 cups.)  Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Measure out 2 cups of the sauce to a storage container to be used later.  Place in the refrigerator. 

Spread 1 cup sauce evenly over bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Arrange 3 noodles in single layer on top of the sauce.  It's alright if the noodles don't fit perfectly in the pan.  I broke some of the noodles into pieces in order to fill in some of the gaps.  Sprinkle one-quarter of the vegetables evenly over the noodles, then spread 1 cup sauce evenly over the vegetables.  Sprinkle 2/3 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce.  Repeat layering noodles, vegetables, sauce and cheeses two more times.  For the final layer, arrange 3 remaining noodles on top, sprinkle with remaining vegetables and cover with the final 1 cup of sauce. 

To Store:

Wrap dish tightly with Saran Wrap and refrigerate lasagna and remaining sauce separately for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

To Finish and Serve:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Unwrap baking dish, spread reserved sauce evenly over top of lasagna and cover dish tightly with greased aluminum foil.  Bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges and lasagna is hot throughout, about 45 minutes.  Remove foil, sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan and continue to bake, uncovered, until cheese begins to brown, about 10 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

Serve with a salad and lightly toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil. 

Serves 8 - 10

Source:  America's Test Kitchen

Janice

Slow-Cooker Penne with Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Serve this with a loaf of crusty bread and a salad and you have a delicious meal.  This was so good!   

2 1/2 cups chicken broth
8 ounces (2 1/2 cups uncooked) penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (I used reduced fat)
1 tsp minced garlic (my addition)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped coarse
Salt and Pepper
1 pound chicken tenderloins (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices)
4 ounces (4 cups) baby spinach
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms and/or artichokes (my addition)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Line the slow cooker with a foil collar and spray with vegetable oil spray.  Microwave broth in a bowl until steaming, about 2 minutes.  In separate bowl, microwave penne and oil at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the hot pasta to prepared slow cooker and immediately stir in hot broth (pasta will sizzle).  Stir in 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into pasta.  Cover and cook until pasta is tender, 2 hours on high then turn to low and cook an additional hour.  After this has cooked about 1 1/2 hours, I added a 1/2 cup of water because it seemed to be a little dry.  Also, about halfway through cooking, you may add a 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms and or artichokes.     

Remove foil collar.  Gently stir in remaining Alfredo sauce, adjusting sauce consistency with hot water as needed.  Stir in spinach and let sit until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Source:  Cook's Country

Eileen

One-Pot Orecchitte with Sausage, Kale, and White Beans

When I work late it's often difficult to get dinner on the table at a decent time.  By prepping the vegetables the night before, you can have this fast, hearty and healthy meal on the table in about 30 minutes.  Also, there are not many dishes to wash after dinner is done!  I served this dish with the Easy Parmesan Knots. 

Orecchitte is a small pasta meaning ''little ears".  I used Cavatappi pasta since the store I was at didn't carry the Orecchitte.

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed, sausage broken into 1/2 inch pieces.  (I used a mild sausage)
1 white onion chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed (I used 2 cans)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (I omitted)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 pound orecchitte pasta  
12 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
Salt and pepper

Heat 1 TBS oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.

Add onion and beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, fennel, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil.  Stir in pasta and half of kale.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pasta begins to soften, about 4 minutes.  Without stirring, add remaining kale on top of pasta.  Cover, and continue to cook until pasta and kale are just tender, about 4 minutes longer.

Uncover and stir kale into pasta.  Simmer, uncovered and stir occasionally, until most liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.  Off heat, stir in Pecorino and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with extra Pecorino cheese.

Source:  Cook's Country

Janice