Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Cajan Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

  • 8 ounces uncooked linguine (or whatever pasta you prefer)
  • 1 pound chicken breast strips
  • 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced (any color)
  • 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup skim milk
  • 3 tbsp light cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • 2 scallions, chopped (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • cooking spray
 (Note: The skim milk, cream cheese, and flour and be substituted for whipping cream if you don't have the other ingredients. The milk makes it a little healthier)
  1. Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
  2. Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.
  3. Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
  4. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.
    Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.
  6. Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy! http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

3 TBSP Olive Oil
6 garlic cloves (fresh or jarred)
Pinch of red pepper flakes (portion based on spice taste)
28 oz of Plum Tomatoes, blanched
Handful of torn basil (dried or fresh)
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic and red pepper flakes in oil and cook over medium-low until garlic is golden (about 6 minutes).  Crush tomatoes into skillet. We used fresh tomatoes from our garden and blended them with a hand blander. If you use canned tomatoes, add an additional 1 cup of water.  Add basil, salt, and pepper. Cook uncovered until thick. Makes about 2 full jars of sauce. Store in fridge if you choose not to seal the containers.

Delicious with spaghetti and meatballs. :)

Better-Than-Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I have been on the hunt for an amazing homemade Alfredo sauce and I think I found one. It's simple and delicious! Try it with our homemade veggie crepes recipe (soon to come!). Thanks goes to an old friend, Suzy Shumway. :)
  • 3 tablespoons sweet butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese  
Melt butter in medium saucepan with olive oil over medium/low heat.
Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir often!
Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
When sauce has thickened add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. STIR!

Grandma Jo's Noodle Casserole

  • Uncooked pkg of egg noodles (8 oz)
  • cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 lb Velvetta, sliced
  • ground beef (1-1 1/2 lbs)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cans tomato soup
  • garlic, minced
Cook noodles according to package.  Saute onions and cook the ground beef and garlic, and mix it with the tomato soup. Set aside. Spread half of the noodles in a buttered 9x13 pan. Cover with a layer of cheddar cheese (however much you desire), cottage cheese, green pepper, Velvetta, and sour cream.  Then add the rest of the noodles on top. Last, layer with meat mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Awesome Shrimp Salad

1 (12 oz) pkg salad Roni
2 cans shrimp (reserve juice)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 green onions (sliced)
1/2 yellow pepper (diced)
1/2 green pepper (diced)
1/2 red pepper (diced)
shredded cheddar cheese
Mayonnaise


Cook noodles and drain. Mix shrimp juice with vinegar and mix with noodles and vegetables and leave overnight. (save shrimp in separate container overnight) Next day add shrimp, cheddar and enough mayonnaise to make it creamy.

Chicken Pasta Spinach Salad

I had this just recently at my sister's bridal shower and loved it. It is Chicken/Spinach/Pasta and very light salad. You will love it too!

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 12 oz. Spiral pasta (tri-color works well too)
  • baby spinach
  • cashews
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
Vinaigrette:
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 Tbsp sugar (splenda)
  • fresh ground pepper

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar and pepper together. Cook chicken and cube into chunks. Cook pasta and drain. Add soy sauce mixture to noodles while still hot in a ziploc bag. Add chicken cubes and refrigerate overnight or several hours.

When ready to serve, add pasta/chicken mixture to a bowl and add spinach, cashews, sunflower seeds, and cheese and toss. There will be enough dressing on the noodles to coat the spinach.

Dijon-Dill Chicken and Noodles

I found this recipe yesterday and was pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed it and it reminded me of a dish I used to have at Thanksgiving Point.

Egg noodles (1 1/2 oz)
4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin bite-size strips
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 can Chicken Broth
Handful of frozen carrots (or use one can Progresso® Light vegetable and noodle soup)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 cups fresh broccoli florets OR asparagus
1 oz fat-free cream cheese (Optional: to make it creamier)

  • In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook chicken and onion over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until onion is tender and chicken just begins to brown.
  • Stir in soup, mustard and dill weed. Heat to boiling.
  • Stir in noodles; return to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add broccoli or asparagus; cook uncovered 4 minutes longer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in cream cheese until well blended.

    Sweet and Spicy Noodles w/ Chicken

    Another amazing Asian dish!

    First prepare:
    2-3 chicken breasts cut into chunks and cooked (Cook it with some peanut sauce tossed or any other spices you like to give the chicken some added flavor)
    1 lb noodles, fully cooked and drained (any kind you prefer)

    In a small sauce pan brown 4 tsp minced garlic in some olive oil then add:
    1/4 c. vegetable oil
    1/3 c. white vinegar
    1/4 c. sugar
    1/8 c. sesame seeds
    3 Tbsp. soy sauce
    1/2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (or other spicing such as hot sauce or chilies)

    For added flavor:
    2 c. steamed broccoli (optional)
    cashews to taste (optional)

    Toss the chicken, noodles, and sauce together in a large fry pan or wok on medium heat. Let it all simmer together for about five minutes so the noodles absorb some of the sauce. Toss in steamed broccoli and cashews (optional). Serve hot.

    Bacon and Tomato Pasta

    Compliments of Guy Fieri ;)

    16 ounces spaghetti pasta
    1 pound thick-cut bacon, chopped
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 cup red onion, diced
    1 teaspoon red chili flakes
    3 tablespoons garlic, minced
    2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
    1/4 cup red wine (we used diluted red wine vinegar)
    4 tablespoons basil
    1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      Boil water and cook noodles.
      In a large saute pan over medium heat, add bacon and saute until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove 3/4 of the bacon fat from the pan. Add extra-virgin olive oil, onions, and red chili flakes. Cook until onions are translucent, add garlic, cook for 2 minutes then add tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, then add wine.
      Drain pasta and add to the tomato mixture pan. Add basil and bacon. Toss with Parmesan, and add salt and pepper, to taste.

      Veggie Noodles

      One day, we had almost nothing left for dinner. So Kory decided to see what he could make with what we had. He found zucchini, rotel and noodles and put them all together in his own concoction and it turned out to be one of our favorite meals now. It is also low in calories if you buy the healthier wheat spaghetti noodles which is what we used. The recipe is really simple: 

      2 Chicken Breast (optional)
      2 Zucchini
      1 package Mushrooms
      1 Green or Red Pepper
      1 Tomato
      1 can Rotel
      Lots of Basil
      Sprinkled w/ Parmesan Cheese

      First cut up a couple of Chicken Breasts, however much you want. If you want a vegetarian dish just leave chicken out. Cook the chicken in frying pan and then combine it with the vegetables. When the veggies are done, add rotel and basil. Cook noodles separate and set aside. Put desired amount of chicken/veggie mixture over noodles, top with Parmesan cheese. You can use almost any vegetables you want and there are no exact measurement because it's all exchangeable. This is just something easy and delicious for one of those laid back days. Feeds 4 people.

      Creamy Bowtie Pasta

      Bow Tie Pasta
      16 oz bag bow tie pasta - cook
      1 lb bacon - fry and crumble
      Chicken - cooked and cut in small pieces
      Mushrooms - saute

      Sauce
      3 cloves garlic
      *1 cup whipping cream
      *1/2 cup butter
      *1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

      Melt butter in small saucepan. Add garlic, whipping cream, and Parmesan. Whisk on low heat 4-5 minutes. Add sauce to cooked pasta, bacon, chicken, and mushrooms.

      *I always double these ingredients to create more sauce. Mom triples these and adds broccoli to the main ingredients.

      Optional additions:
      Broccoli (add to pasta water while cooking)
      Peas (add to pasta water last 5 minutes of cooking)
      Zucchini or other veggies
      Garnish w/ tomatoes
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