Easy Summer Pasta

Clearly I love Ina Garten and I was watching her show two weeks ago and she made, what looked like a really delicious, summer pasta salad. Click here for the original recipe! I made half the amount that she did, and we still had a lot of left overs for lunch the next day. But this was super fantastic, the entire family LOVED it! And when you have a garden, or CSA (especially later on in the summer) this is the perfect meal to use up a lot of those cherry tomatoes!

Summer Pasta Salad
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
6-9 fresh basil leaves, julienned
*small pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp crushed black pepper, or more to taste (I liked this with a lot of black pepper but you can always add that at the end before you dig in!)
1/2 lb Angle Hair Pasta
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
*Shaved Parmesan for Garnish
1. Put tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into a bowl mix together thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap leave on the counter to mingle/marinate for up to 4 hours - the longer the better!
2. Cook pasta according to package directions but it should take less than 5 minutes. Angle hair is perfect for in the summer because it cooks quick and anything that won't heat up your house is a bonus!
3. On top of tomatoes add Parmesan and then noodles, tossing well to have everything combine, serve with shaved Parmesan on top for garnish. (buy a big wedge of Parmegiano Regiano it keeps forever in the fridge and then get out your carrot peeler and make a dish like a pro!)
*Don't forget to add a little more freshly cracked black pepper before serving too if so desired, super good!



Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Great tasting quick pasta! See Relish for more recipes like this!

Spaghetti With Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Prep and cook time: 35 minutes
WW+ pts 9
10 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), julienned, chopped reserving oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
[1] Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through but still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water and return the pasta to the pot.
[2] Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil and cook for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes (and juices) and the sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes, for about 15 minutes.
[3] Add the tomato halves and simmer for 10 minutes more.
[4] Add the pasta to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add pasta water by the tablespoonful if needed to moisten.
[5] Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with Paremsan.

Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese (WW)

A couple of nights ago I made this with the pasta I received from The Barilla group, in reference to Share the Table see here for the post on that, I looked for a recipe on WW online that had some ingredients that I had on hand. I REALLY modified the recipe to fit what I thought would sound good, and it was very good. Of course it was pasta so I needed to have a soup and salad so I didn't GORGE myself on the pasta, it was very good!

Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
PTS 6, serves 6
2 cups uncooked pasta, penne variety
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup(s) cremini mushrooms, sliced
5 re hydrated shitaki mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion(s), chopped
1 can petit cut canned tomatoes
1 chicken breast, cubed
1 egg
1/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
Toppings:
2 oz hard-type goat cheese, low-fat, crumbled
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped OR 1/2 tsp dried parsley

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, then add the mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken mushroom mixture to the pasta in the bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, egg, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and broth. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the goat cheese.

3. Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the topping is browned and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Yields 1 cup per serving.

Molly really loved this, she loves chicken, she loves pasta win win!

Share the Table Project

A few weeks ago I got a couple of free boxes of pasta from Barilla, I love their new campaign for sharing the table with your family. Fits right in with my blog right? I e-mailed them about it and they sent me some free pasta.

If you go to the Barilla site, click here, you will see that they have committed to getting people to think about family dinner time again. They currently have a button on the site that if you click and commit to meaningful meals with your family Barilla will donate a dollar to Meals on Wheels. You can also freely download a collection of recipes from Mario Batali who has lent his star power to help recognize the importance of bringing America back to the table. Something to think about. I will be using the pasta in different ways. So far I have only used it to supplement a frozen pasta entree (that I think uses too much sauce, and it is supposed to be only for two but by adding extra pasta it stretches it for the whole family with some left over, on those nights that I just don't have the energy to start from scratch). Look for more posts using this free pasta from Barilla and continual updates on their Share the Table project, as I feel it so closely connects to my idea for this blog.





BEST DINNER EVER!

So tonight my husband isn't feeling well, a tummy bug is being passed around the house from daycare, but Molly is finally back to 100% and she showed it tonight at dinner. The child ate a HUGE dinner, and she sat there for the whole time. She never does this, usually she sits for about half of the time that Brian and I actually eat. This time she sat there the whole time. AMAZING! She had several helpings of the bread, TWO helpings of salad, and all of her pasta. This was sooooo tasty if you are looking for a really great meal you have found it, try this and I guarantee you will love it.  And I finally got to use my fancy pancy salad dressing mixer! (see add to the right to check it out!)

Shout out to Relish, for the recipe on the salad and pasta.

And if anyone tries this at home I have to hear back on if you liked it!

Orecchiette with Prosciutto and Breadcrumbs
10 oz orecchiette pasta (I couldn't find any at my local store and didn't want to go to a specialty store so I just used the bigger shells)
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided in half
8 slices of prosciutto
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to directions, (salted boiling water) Saute prosciutto till crispy in half of the olive oil.
2. Remove the bacon, then add the remainder of the oil and the bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley. Stir constantly so they don't burn, and get them a golden brown (you will smell the most wonderful buttery garlic toasty goodness at this step)
3. Drain the pasta (reserve a little water to help the shells not stick together) put the pasta in your saute pan that you have been using. Add a little water (maybe 1/4 cup) and the Parmesan cheese. Let the water be sucked in by the pasta (this is another reason why it is so important to salt the pasta water) I didn't have to add any salt to the recipe because the bacon and Parmesan and the salt in the pasta water was more than enough. Toss back in the bacon then transfer to dinner plates and top with the crumbs.

The salad and the amazing dressing I have talked about before, go here for the recipe.

You know you have been blogging awhile and constantly taking photos of your food when your 2 year old daughter insists on you taking a picture of her plate before she starts eating. So here you go Moll's here is your picture too!

She got started on her bread before I got to her pic! The bread recipe is one from my mom, and it takes me back only instead of using a french bread loaf I used a baguette. It has a little butter, garlic powder, Parmesan Reggiano, and dill on top and then broiled until cooked through.

Linked to Family Food Fridays, Boost My Blog Friday, Friendly Friday Follow,  & New Friend Fridays Fresh Clean and Pure Fridays ! Also linked with Susieqtpies recipe swap click here!