Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage & Tomatoes

Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage & Tomatoes

• 1 pound frozen or shelf-stable gnocchi
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 9 ounces cooked chicken sausage (about 3 links) , sliced into 1/4-inch-thick coins
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 to 2 ounces fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (1/2 to 1 cup loosely packed)
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1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.

2. Heat a 10-inch or larger cast iron skillet over medium heat with a light drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausages and cook until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Push the sausages into a pile at the edge of the skillet and turn the heat up to high.

3. When the skillet is quite hot, add the tomatoes, skin down, crowding them in if necessary. Cook until they are blistered, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the sausage and cook until both tomatoes and sausage are slightly browned, about 2 minutes more. Stir in gnocchi and cook just until all is combined, but the tomatoes have not broken down into sauce.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Mom's Hamburger Stroganoff

1 1/2 lb hamburger
1/2 C chopped onion
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (or homemade substitute!)
4 C dry egg noodles
1/4 C butter
1 C sour cream

Heat water to boiling; pour in noodles.  Cook until tender (approx 10 minutes).

Brown hamburger and onion, draining off fat.  Stir in flour, salt, garlic, pepper and mushrooms; cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly  Stir in soup; heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Drain noodles; mix with butter.
Stir sour cream into meat mixture; heat thoroughly.
Serve over hot noodles.

Easy Lasagna

Easy Lasagna

1 lb ground beef or italian sausage (just depends on preference)
28 oz tomato sauce
16 oz ricotta
8 oz mozzarella
7 lasagna noodles

Combine beef/sausage with tomato sauce and add dried minced garlic, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper and salt to taste.  Layer in 9X9 pan from bottom to top: sauce, noodles (you'll have to break them to fit, use extra pieces to fill in), sauce, ricotta, mozzarella.  Repeat twice.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Cover with foil halfway through to prevent cheese from burning.

Tortellini Primavera

2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 cups chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, squash and snap peas
1 16-ounce package frozen cheese tortellini

Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Meanwhile, whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the pan, bring to a boil and cook, stirring until broth has thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cheese, tarragon and salt.
Add vegetables and tortellini to the boiling water; return the water to a simmer and cook until the vegetables and tortellini are tender, 5-7 minutes. Drain; add to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Mushroom Stroganoff

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth (or beef if you're a carnivore)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp tomato paste
5 oz sliced Cremini mushrooms
8 oz sliced baby Bella mushrooms
3.5 oz Shiitake mushrooms
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
8 oz uncooked noodles
1 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Cook noodles in a pot of salted water according to package directions, I like to under-cook them a bit so I can mix it with the sauce and let it finish cooking.

Meanwhile, while the water starts to boil for the noodles, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter over medium heat and add onions to the pan. Cook 2 - 3 minutes over medium-low heat.

Add flour; stir with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds. Gradually add broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper; stir and cook 4-5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 seconds. Stir in sour cream; add noodles, mix well and garnish with parsley if desired.

Marina Sauce with Pasta

1/2 lb. bacon, cut up
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
4 medium mushrooms, quartered and thinly sliced
28 oz Italian tomatoes, drained
pasta of choice, cooked and drained

Saute bacon.  Add onion and garlic, saute.  Add zucchini, pepper, mushrooms, saute.  Add tomatoes, heat through.  Serve over hot pasta.

One-Pot Pasta

One-Pot Pasta

4 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 jar (7 oz) oil-packed sun dried tomatoes OR diced fresh tomatoes

3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (5 ¼ C)

1 pound uncooked penne pasta

1 head broccoli (2 C small florets)

2 medium carrots, peeled

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese

¼ tsp salt

½ coarsely ground pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Thinly slice garlic.  Place 1 Tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes into 8-quart stockpot.  Cook over medium heat until golden brown.  Add broth; increase heat to high.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Stir in pasta; cover and simmer until pasta is almost cooked but still firm.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets.  Cut carrots lengthwise and then into thin strips.  Cut cream cheese into cubes.

Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and pepper to pot.  Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated.  Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Serve immediately.  Top with grated cheese.

Spaghetti with Sausage and Spinach

Spaghetti with Sausage and Spinach

6 oz kielbasa sausage, diced
1 medium pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 C chicken broth
2 C fresh spinach, chopped
Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti

Start water boiling for spaghetti, add red pepper and noodles.  Saute pepper and onion until slightly tender; add sausage.  Let simmer while spaghetti noodles cook.  Add chicken broth to veggie/meat mixture and bring to a boil.  Drain spaghetti, add sauce mixture to noodles.  Add spinach and stir to slightly wilt.  Plate noodle mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan.  Serve hot.

Italian Beef Stir Fry

Italian Beef Stir Fry

1 lb. beef round steak

2 C. hot, cooked spaghetti

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. olive oil                      

2 sm. zucchini, thinly sliced

1 C. cherry tomatoes, halved             

½ C. Italian salad dressing

1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Cut steak into thin strips, 2-inchs long.  Cook and stir garlic in oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute.  Add half of beef strips; stir fry 1 to 1-/2 minutes until outside surface is no longer pink; remove from pan with slotted spoon; repeat for remaining strips; remove from pan.  Salt and pepper steak; keep warm.  Add zucchini to skillet; stir fry 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp.  Combine beef strips, zucchini, tomato halves and salad dressing.  Serve over hot spaghetti noodles; sprinkle with cheese.

Stuffed Manicotti

Stuffed Manicotti

14 manicotti tubes

14 sticks mozzarella cheese (string cheese)

1 lb hamburger

1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

28 oz Italian tomatoes

8 oz tomato sauce

Saute olive oil, onion and garlic. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Keep sauce warm. Brown hamburger and add to marinara sauce. In the meantime, cook manicotti tubes in pot of boiling water for six minutes. Grease 11X7 baking dish. Drain pasta well, then rinse under cold water and drain again. Insert a mozzarella stick into each tube. Arrange the filled pasta in the prepared baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over top. Sprinkle with half the parmesan cheese. Baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with remaining parmesan.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese


1 ½ C. elbow macaroni
½ cube butter, melted
3 Tbsp. flour
2 C. milk
1 C. grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper


Add flour, salt and pepper to melted butter. Make this into a white sauce by slowly stirring in the 2 cups milk. Stir and cook until thick. Add cheese, and pour over cooked macaroni in a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serves 3-4.

Broccoli Bacon Linguine

Broccoli Bacon Linguine


10 oz cooked linguine
6 green onions, sliced
1 small red pepper, diced
1 tsp salt
1 large head of broccoli, cut into flowerets
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano


Bring water to a boil and add linguine.  Cook according to package instructions and preference. Put olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic and saute lightly. Stir in broccoli, chicken broth and oregano; cook covered on high about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper and salt; cook covered on high about 1 minute. Taste test. Top with bacon and toss with cooked linguine.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce


Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 pinch garlic salt, or to taste
lemon pepper to taste


Combine the butter, cream cheese, and half and half in a saucepan. Season with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Bring to a low boil over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened slightly. Serve over 12 ounces of cooked pasta.