Southwestern Pasta Salad

Perfect for those summer barbecues. Cut down on the pasta, skip on the cheese & oil, and replace with vegetables & beans to keep the calories/fat down.


My husband & I were going to a picnic on Sunday night and I needed to come up with a salad recipe. I wanted to do something besides macaroni salad or Amish pasta salad. I wanted to do something healthy & light so I looked up some ideas on All Recipes and pulled this together. Lots of leftovers to eat throughout the week!

Ingredients (serves 12+):

• 1 package of colored rotini pasta 
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz. cans of whole kernel corn
• 2 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro paste (goya)
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to box directions.
• Meanwhile, chop of peppers & tomatoes.  
• In a large bowl combine lime juice, chili powder, cumin, cilantro paste, salt, & garlic. Stir in pasta.
• Mix in veggies, corn, & beans. 
• Stir well, use hands if necessary.
• Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

 Serve in this awesome Mickey Mouse bowl if you have one :-) 

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Mini Chicken Parmesan

I was in the mood to make something Italian for my small group. I know that I enjoy making Chicken Parm, but I needed something that would be easier to make for 14 people. So I wanted something "smaller" or really just simpler. I started doing some research online. I found some really creative ideas out there (google: mini chicken parm) but then finally settled on making Miniature Chicken Parmesans with already cooked chicken nuggets. It was listed as a Fun For Kids recipe but I decided it would be perfect for a group of adults too. It was delicious! Chicken nuggets were on sale @ Darrenkamps so I bought two big bags. Just make sure you have plenty of cheese & sauce and you are good to go. My small group always pitches in and brings stuff to share. We served with a side of multi-colored rotini, plenty of sauces to choose from, garlic bread, & a delicious salad with avocado slices. Then ended the night with an Oreo Torte! YUM!



Here is a recipe that will serve about 8 people.



Ingredients:
1 large bag of frozen chicken nuggets.
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups of pasta sauce (may need additional for pasta)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
pasta, any kind
salt & pepper, if desired


Directions:
Preheat oven and cook nuggets according to directions. (remember to flip halfway through)
Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Stir in onion & garlic and cook until tender. 
Stir in pasta sauce, parsley, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box directions.
Mix parmesan & mozzarella together in a medium bowl.
Top each nugget with a spoonful of pasta sauce.
Spring with cheese mixture.
Return to oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted. 
Serve with cooked pasta. Use excess sauce on pasta.

Evelyn is still too young to enjoy mini chicken parm, but some day she will enjoy the food that her Auntie Jilly cooks her  (ok, so i'm not really her Aunt)

Three-Cheese Kielbasa Bake

This is one of my new favorite dishes to make! (Another great selection from Taste of Home's Freezer Pleasers!)


Ingredients:
12 to 20 oz of uncooked elbow macaroni or mini penne pasta
2 pounds of polska kielbasa (I used turkey polska kielbasa)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup onions, diced

1 large zucchini, quartered & sliced
1 cup of diced or shredded carrots
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 large can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
2 containers (15 oz) of fat free ricotta cheese
1.25 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 green onions, chopped


Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions
Meanwhile, in the largest skillet you have, brown sausage in oil. (I skipped the oil and used olive oil spray).
Drain, if necessary. You may not have this problem if you are using lean kielbasa.
Add the onions, zucchini, carrots, and garlic. (Admire all the pretty colors).
Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Make sure the veggies are crisp-tender.
Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil. 
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the pasta.
In each of two greased 13 x 9 baking dishes. Layer the pasta, the meat mixture, the ricotta cheese mixture, and shredded cheese.
Repeat layers and top with green onions.
Cover and bake the casserole at 350 for 15 minutes.
Then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
You can freeze one of the dishes and cook the other. Or you can freeze them both.


If you choose to freeze...thaw in the fridge for 24 hours. 
Remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. 
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.






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Meatball Soup

Can you guess where I got this recipe from? Yup, you guessed it. Freezer Pleasers!


Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
4 cups reduced-fat beef broth
1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 cup uncooked pasta, any kindDirections:
Combine egg, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan, garlic salt and pepper.
Mix in crumbled ground beef and mix well.
Shape into 1-inch balls. 
Brown meatballs in large saucepan. They do not have to be entirely cooked through at this point.
Add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrot, and italian seasoning.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat.
Cover & simmer for 10 minutes.
Add pasta. Simmer 10 minutes longer or until meat and pasta are cooked.
Serve or freeze.


To use frozen soup -- thaw in fridge that morning. Place soup in saucepan and heat through.


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Mediterranean Tuna Casserole

This is a Martha Stewart freezer recipe. It makes more than one casserole dish. I was actually able to make 3 square casserole dishes to freeze. So if you only want one then cut the recipe in half or a third. 


Ingredients:
2 tsp of olive oil
salt & pepper
16 oz of pasta, such as penne or egg noodles
2 red bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 cups of skim milk
2 cans of tuna in water, drained
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Grease 2 8x8 inch square casseroles.
Cook pasta according to box directions until 2 minutes short of al dente.
Drain pasta and return to pot.
Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
Add peppers, season with salt & pepper. 
Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth.
Cook some more, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer.
Remove from heat. Add to pot with noodles.
Add the tuna and green onions.
Season with more salt & pepper.
Mix well together.
Separate into baking dishes.
Top with parmesan cheese.
Freeze or bake for about 20 minutes. 


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Eggplant & Zucchini Lasagna

I've been on a big lasagna kick lately. But it's hard to cut out the fat & calories. So instead of using any meat I've been trying different vegetables out and was excited when I realized I could give eggplant a try. I had two eggplants and three zucchinis. You don't need that many, but I put aside some of the leftover vegetables to eat as a snack. You might want to use less vegetables. Also, I keep the skins on the vegetables to save time, but you can feel free to peel the eggplant & zucchini and cut into smaller pieces.



To make this recipe healthier I use Light Ragu instead of another type of pasta/tomato sauce. I also use fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I know my true Italian friends are gasping everywhere, but sometimes these sacrifices need to be made. This was a big dish and I was able to make 3 lasagna layers because I had so many veggies! I think this recipe could use some improvement so I'm open to any suggestions. It's easy to make it taste better by adding more cheese, but I'm trying to avoid that. For starters, I only used 1 jar of Light Ragu. I would recommend using maybe two. I also like making lasagna with diced tomatoes. You can use fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes from a can. I would recommend doing that for this recipe even though I didn't. Also try using Parmesan cheese on the top layer.


When I had dinner with my in-laws this weekend I needed to have enough food to feed the 7 of us. I didn't think one lasagna was enough. So I brought this along with the taco lasagna. 

Ingredients:
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, chopped
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I used light ragu)
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup water
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to box directions.Chop eggplant, onions, & zucchini.
Heat oil in large saucepan and add vegetables. 
Saute until tender.
Stir in pasta sauce, water, and parsley.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain noodles, separate and place on parchment paper to avoid sticking together. 
Arrange 3 pasta pieces on bottom of greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish.
Spread 1/2 cottage cheese over noodles. 
Spread 1/3 sauce mixture over cheese.

Top with 3 more noodles.
Repeat.
Top with final 3 noodles. 
Spread mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese on the top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until hot and bubbly. 
Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
 
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Spinach Lasagna

You can really take the fat/calories out of lasagna by switching up your ingredients. Try cottage cheese instead of ricotta (I know, I know real Italians are cussing at me everywhere), use vegetables instead of meat, cut down on the cheese, use whole wheat pasta, try fresh tomatoes, and use low fat cheeses. This recipe calls for fat-free cream cheese rather than doing other types of cheese. I thought that was something different so I gave it a try. It turned out really well. When some of the girls came over to make cake pops with me we I had this for dinner. 


This was inspired by the Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto recipe that I found here. But I made it differently and then adapted it some more so I could freeze it. See directions below and how to cook after freezing it for up to 2 months. 


Ingredients:
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorina romano cheese
2.5 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 large egg
1 jar of low fat pasta sauce (I used Ragu)
cooking spray
12 lasagna noodles (I use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
1 to 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained, dried out, and mashed with a fork. 
1/2 cup of reduced fat parmesan cheese


Directions:
Cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions. Separate on wax paper when finished cooking and draining. 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix garlic and cottage cheese together.
Make sure cream cheese is soft and at room temperature. Use microwave if needed.
Mix in cream cheese, pecorina romano, basil, pepper, and egg. Mix well. 
Spread 1/2 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased/sprayed 13x9 baking dish. 
Arrange 3 noodles on the bottom. 
On top of the noodles spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. 
Top with 1/3 of the spinach mixture.
Top with 1/2 cup of pasta sauce.
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, & pasta sauce. 
Repeat with noodles, cheese, spinach, then noodles again. 
Pour remaining pasta sauce over noodles. 
Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. 
Bake in oven, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.


Or...if you want to freeze it, don't bake it now. Cover it with foil, plastic wrap, or casserole dish lid. Place in freezer for up to 2 months. 


The night before defrost in the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a little bit of water in the bottom of the dish so that noodles don't dry out. But not too much water. Cook in oven for about an hour and a half, covered. Optional-top with additional mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered. 





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Swedish Meatball Casserole Dish

Allrecipes.com has this awesome feature where you can type in the ingredients you have and it will find recipes that use those ingredients. You can even include ingredients you DON'T want. I had a box of hamburger helper that I got for something like 17 cents because I had a coupon and it was already on sale. You can probably just eat hamburger helper on it's own. No recipe needed, just follow the box directions. But I found a recipe for these swedish meatballs that uses a box of hamburger helper. So I went with it. It was delicious!

Ingredients:
3 cups hot water
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 box of hamburger helper (i used basil & tomato penne)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1.5 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Pour the hot water into a 3 quart casserole dish. Stir in heavy cream. 
Mix in sauce mix from the packaged dinner and the nutmeg.
Add uncooked pasta/noodles from package and stir until well mixed.
Cover & bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, and garlic powder. <
Mix well and form golf-ball sized meatballs, about 12. 
Place a cooling rack into a cookie sheet (meatballs will drip while cooking) and arrange meatballs on rack. < Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Check to make sure meatballs are no longer pink all the way through.
Stir in the cooked meatballs with the noodles and cook uncovered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve with garlic bread. :-)





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Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Penne Bake

This is another Martha Stewart freezer recipe. I'm learning that these recipes are some-what INVOLVED. But this one is deliciously worth it. The recipe calls for a lot more butter, oil, milk, & cheese then I wanted to use. So I cut it down to include the ingredients below. I LOVE sun-dried tomatoes. I used the kind with oil and I didn't drain it too much. But you might want to think about getting oil-free sun-dried tomatoes or getting the kind soaked in oil and then draining and drying them out. After cooking the dish it's possible to let it cool and then freeze it up to 3 months. I was able to make two casserole dishes worth of food. So it's perfect to eat one now and save one for later. If you don't want that much think about cutting the recipe in half.


Ingredients:
1 package of penne pasta
olive oil spray
8 oz boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or chicken strips

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all purpose-flour
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups skim milk
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup italian pecorina romano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Boil & cook pasta in a salted pot according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken. Season with salt & pepper. Heat until cooked through.
In a large pot, melt butter and add garlic & flour.
Whisk together and while whisking add milk gradually and bring to a simmer. Whisk frequently.
Add tomatoes, cook for a minute. Remove from heat.
Add cheeses and stir in completely until melted.
Add chicken and drained pasta, season with additional salt & pepper.
Divide pasta between to baking dishes. (Feel free to top with parmesan cheese)
I chose to freeze mine so I skipped the next step and covered with foil.
Bake uncovered 20 to 30 minutes until top is golden & bubbling. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve.
If you choose to cook frozen heat in 400 degree oven for 1.5 hours. It should be covered and after cooking you can remove foil and cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.

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Creamy Chicken & Noodles

Inspired from my Freezer Pleasers book. So this means there is enough to eat a dish now and freeze a dish for later. I was able to freeze A LOT of meals. I filled about 4 small containers. The original recipe called for bow tie pasta. But I didn't have any so I used no yolk spiral noodles instead. The recipe also called for a lot more cheese & butter, but I cut that down as well. 


Ingredients:
8 oz. of no yolk noodles
1.5 pound of  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tbsp cup butter, cubed
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 can of reduced fat cream of celery soup
2 cups frozen peas or mixed vegetables
1.5 cups of milk
2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup reduced fat grated parmesan cheese


Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, cook chicken & red pepper in butter for 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in soup, peas, milk, garlic salt, pepper. Bring to boil.
Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
Stir in parmesan cheese. 
Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture, stir together.
Transfer to freezer container or eat now.
If you freeze, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Then transfer to microwave-safe dish. Cover & cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes.


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Beef Taco Penne Bake

I was suppose to make beef taco lasagna (from my Freezer Pleasers book) but realized I only had 4 lasagna noodles (I needed 24). So i bagged the lasagna idea and went with another type of taco pasta dish. This makes 2 casserole dishes. One to eat now & one to freeze later! :-) I froze both because i have an awesome new freezer!!!!!!!!!!


So last night I used one of the dishes for dinner. If freezing, defrost in fridge for 8 hours. I put it in the fridge before I left for work and took it out when I got home, probably was more than 8 hours, but that was fine. Then take out of fridge and preheat oven to 350. Bake in oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Mine came out a little dry, so you may want to think about adding a little bit of water when it's in the oven. Or you can add more sauce & cheese to the original recipe, maybe diced tomatoes as well.


Ingredients:

Casserole, before it goes in the oven.

1 box of whole wheat penne pasta
1 lb of extra lean ground beef
3 tablespoons of taco seasoning
4 egg whites
2 cups of fat free cottage cheese
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans of diced tomatoes or salsa


Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink.
Stir in taco seasoning & tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Cheesy, yummy goodness.

In a small bowl, combine egg whites & cottage cheese.
Drain noodles and pour into two casserole dishes.
Pour in cottage cheese mixture, then beef mixture.
Top with shredded cheese.
Cover & freeze or cook now.


To eat now: Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
To eat later: Thaw in fridge for 8 hours. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cook in oven as above.

I would love to know that you visited my blog or tried out a recipe. Leave me some love & encouragement!

Meatball Soup

Another awesome recipe from Freezer Pleasers! LOVE THIS BOOK! I've cooked a lot of these recipes so far. I was able to fill two full loaf pans full of soup. One to eat now, one  to save for later in the freezer. This smelled so good while making it and it was pretty easy to do.


Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup of carrots or dry cole-slaw mix
4 cups low fat beef broth
1 can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can italian stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
4 oz. uncooked tiny penne pasta


Directions:
In a small bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, & pepper.
Crumble uncooked beef over mixture, mix well.
Shape into 1 in meatballs. 
Brown in large saucepan. Does not have to be cooked all the way through.
Add broth, beans, tomatoes, and italian seasoning. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add uncooked pasta and cook for 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and pasta is tender.





What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)