Clam Sauce Spaghetti

This is one of my go-to meals for a weeknight when I'm tired and need something easy.  It's simple, creamy, delicious pasta that fills those hungry bellies and makes people want to know how you're so amazing. 

You Need:

2 T. olive oil
1 bunch green onions
2 c. white wine
1 pint cream
1 can sliced olives
2 cans chopped or whole clams, drained
Spaghetti noodles (I use about 10 ounces for my family.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Cut the green ends of the green onions into 2-inch pieces.  Heat in the olive oil.

Remove the green onions from the oil when browned.  They'll look like this:

Discard these onions.  These just help to begin the flavor of the sauce to develop.

Pour in the 2 cups of white wine.

Let simmer on medium heat until it is reduced by half and it turns cloudy.

Start your water for the noodles now.  Cook them according to package directions.  By the time they are cooked, the sauce should be ready.  Quickly whisk in the cream.  Simmer on medium until thickened.  The bubbles will start to get bigger as the sauce gets thicker.

 

 Slice the green onions that are left (the white parts).  Add the green onions, olives, and drained clams to the cream sauce. 

Drain the pasta and coat with the sauce.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Here's the whole plate of deliciousness.

Here's a close-up of the sauce-y noodles and good stuff.  This is a happy, loving, comfort food that will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. 

Pasta in a Pesto-Cream Sauce

Ok, this dish is NOT diet-friendly.  However it is SO delicious.  You'll think you are at a fine-dining restaurant.  Your family will wonder where you went to culinary school.  Oh, and did I mention it's fast and easy???

SIDE NOTE:  I was making this for 13 people, so it looks like tons.  However, the measurements included will serve 4-6.

2 lbs. chicken breasts
Balsamic Herb marinade (make your own or buy a bottled one)
1 12 oz box of fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti noodles
1 8-oz tub of Buitoni prepared pesto (or make your own, but this brand tastes homemade)
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. cream
2 T. olive oil

Marinate chicken for 1 hour to overnight.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil add about 1 T. prepared pesto to the olive oil.  Let cook until it's browned.  Add white wine to the pan.  Let reduce by half.

Slowly add cream to the wine in the pan.  Whisk well to incorporate.  Cook over medium-low heat until thickened (about 10-15 minutes).  Stir often. 

While the sauce cooks, heat a grill to medium heat.  Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through (about 15 minutes).  Remove chicken from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add pesto to the cream sauce.  Whisk together well.   I forgot to get a picture of the sauce.  It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  If it needs help thickening, add 1 T. cornstarch mixed with 2 T. cold water. 

Drain pasta, combine with sauce.  Slice chicken breasts.  Serve pasta with chicken on top. 

This is so yummy. It makes my mouth water just looking at it!!
NOTE:  To make a Balsamic Herb marinade, I took about 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar, 2 T. olive oil, 1/4 c. water, 1 T. basil, 1 T. oregano, 1 T. rosemary, salt and pepper.  Blend well in a blender or food processor.  If you are in a hurry for the marinade to penetrate, add 2 T. vodka to it and pre-slice the chicken into strips.

Lasagna Fake-Out

My kids love lasagna.  I hate how long it takes.  Once in a great while, I'll resort to frozen, but I really don't like it.  This easy recipe has all the great flavors of lasagna, MUCH less time, and has spinach hidden in there for nutritional value.  Big score for moms here!

You need:

1 box medium-large style pasta (shells, penne, rotini)
2 T. olive oil
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and wrung out in a towel
3 T. butter
1/2 onion chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes (Total of 28 ozs.)
1 c. (or one container) Ricotta cheese
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper
dash nutmeg (freshly grated, preferably)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta according to package directions, but about one-two minutes shy of the recommended cooking time.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Saute the onion for 2 minutes, or until golden.

Add the spinach to the skillet.

Add about 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Remove the spinach to a small bowl.  Add canned tomatoes to the pan.  Bring to a simmer and let thicken slightly.

Add basil to sauce.  Let simmer while you spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Drain cooked pasta and return to the pot.  Add the spinach mixture to the noodles

Add the Parmesan and ricotta cheese to the noodles.  Stir well.

Spread this mixture into the prepared pan. 

Pour the sauce over the top of the noodles.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until it is piping hot with melty, bubbly cheese on top.  I forgot to take a picture of the dish right out of the oven.  We served ours with green salad and garlic bread.

This is yummy comfort food, and is seriously done in about half an hour.  That's less time than it takes to cook a frozen one!!!

Green Bean Rice Pilaf

My kids love this side dish.  They think it's awsome to have rice, noodles, and green beans all together.  I love this side dish paired with something that has a sauce to go on top.  Sauces just make it much better.

You Need:

3 T. butter
1 c. rice
1 c. spaghetti noodles broken into small pieces OR 1 c. Orzo pasta
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
1 c. green beans (fresh or frozen)


In a pot, melt the butter.  Add the rice and pasta.

Cook in the butter until the rice begins to turn a golden color.

Add the chicken stock and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low or medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Add the green beans (I was going to cut the whole beans to 1 inch long, but I found some French-cut green beans, and I used those instead.).

Stir gently to incorporate, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

Serve alongside just about anything, but I served it with Chicken in Creamy Sauce.  It's so yummy with sauce on top.

Macaroni Salad

This is one of those feel-good side dishes that tastes so good with summer food, or, if it is winter, it might make you remember what summer was like.  It's not hard to make, and it tastes SOOOOOO much better than store-bought.

You Need:

1 lb. package small pasta
1/2 lb. colby jack or cheddar cheese
1 or 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, green, or orange)
5-6 green onions
1 can tuna or small shrimp OR 1/2 lb. cooked ham
2 c. Miracle Whip (Or 1/2 Miracle Whip and 1/2 Mayo)
1 c. honey or dijon style mustard (I use my mom's, Dione's Mustard, email me to find out how to get it.)
1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar
1-2 T. rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain in a colander and run cold water over it until the pasta is cold.  Drain out as much water as possible.  Dice the cheese, peppers, and ham (if using).  Slice the green onions.  Drain tuna or shrimp (if using).  Put all of these ingredients in a large bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the Miracle Whip, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until the sugar disolves. If it seems to thick, add some milk a 1/4 c. at a time.

Pour the dressing over the macaroni and stir to cover every morsel with dressing. 

It is great right then, and even better the next day.  I love to serve this with BBQ Ribs, hamburgers, chicken wings, or anything else on the grill!

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

OK, this lunch is just about as quick and pain-free as boxed macaroni and cheese, but it's about 1000 times better.  Plus, only has 5 ingredients, and you can pronounce all of them.  There is no disodium phosphate, autolyzed yeast extract, or yellow dye #5 or 6.  So, it has to be better for you too, right?  Plus, this is like a tummy full of love.  Pure comfort food.

You Need:

4-5 servings of a small pasta (shells, bowtie, wagon wheel, elbow)
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded colby jack cheese (or cheddar, swiss, jack, mozzerella, whatever floats your boat)
1/4 c. flour
3 T. butter

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Begin the sauce when you put the noodles in the boiling water.  Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot.  Mix in the flour.  This makes roux, a paste that thickens the cheese sauce.

Next, add in about 1/2 cup of the milk and thoroughly mix it into the roux. 

Add in the rest of the milk.  Stir until it is thickened and bubbly.  This is called a bechamel sauce.  A fancy name for a creamy mixture that is the base for lots of sauces and soups in cooking.

Add the cheese a handful at a time and mix until melted into the bechamel sauce.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Pour the cheese sauce over the top and stir to mix.

Serve immediately.  I like mine with salt and pepper, but my crazy family prefers ketchup. 

*NOTE:  It is super yummy to start with about a half of a chopped onion.  Saute it in the butter, and do everything else as it says.  So good.*

My Dad's Amazing Spaghetti

Looking at the ingredients for this dish, you'll notice the smoked sausage.  The first time my dad put in the sausage I thought, "Oh my heck.  This is going to be terrible.  What is he thinking????"  Well, I LOVE spaghetti this way.  So, just try it.  Trust me. 

You need:

4-5 servings of spaghetti noodles
1 beef smoked sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 med. onion, chopped
1 can sliced olives
2 T. oregano
2 T. basil
2 T. Italian seasoning
1 t. minced garlic
1 packet Spaghetti seasoning (I like McCormicks)
1  15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1  15 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 c. red wine
1 1/2 c. water

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles.  Cook according to package directions.

In a hot, deep pan brown the hamburger and break it up as it cooks.  Drain any excess fat from the cooked burger.  Add the chopped onion and sliced mushrooms to the burger and cook until they start to soften.

Add the garlic, basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning to the pan.  Now, I know I gave measurements, but the picture below shows how I measure.

My cupped palm holds about 2 Tablespoons.  Do it by taste.  If it's too much, start with less.  If it's too little, add more.  Add the sausage and olives to the pan.  Let all that good stuff in the pan hang out together for a couple minutes.  Smell the good smells.

Add the spaghetti seasoning, tomato sauce, water, and diced tomatoes to the pan.  Stir and bring to a bubble.  Now, taste it.  The wine is optional, but it adds such a richness to the dish that it's really missing something without it.  However, it is your choice, and the sauce will still be awesome without it.  If you are adding the wine, do so now.  Stir, and let that hang out in the pan on low, stirring occaisionally unitl ready to serve.  It will taste delicious once it's all bubbly and thickened slightly.  However, letting it simmer for 20 minutes or longer just makes it better. 

Yummy sauce.  Yummy, yummmy sauce.  Here it is all served up.  I like it with a side of garlic bread and salad.

NOTE:  If your pan doesn't look as full as mine, it is because I make a double recipe and freeze half of it.  This makes another spaghetti dinner on a night that I don't feel like cooking just a moment away.