Sausage and Tomato Baked Pasta

I'm surprised I've never posted this baked pasta recipe considering how many times we've made it. It's a great meal for when it's time to go shopping and you're just left with pantry items (we almost always use dried basil for this reason). Also, it's great for adding in extra leftover veggies (chopped mushrooms, shredded carrots, etc.). Finally, this meal can easily be frozen, which I do after assembling and before baking. Normally I'll double the recipe and freeze half for another night when we have less time.

Italian Pasta and Bean Soup

I'm not sure what happened, but I've been picking winners lately. The recipes we've been trying have been really good. Maybe we were just extra hungry the past month. Even John's been telling me they're some of the best things I've made. Some are impromptu, some are from a recipe. Last night we had Italian Pasta and Bean Soup. It was delicious. Too bad the little boy wasn't as up for it. The only change I'd make to how we did the recipe this time is to use homemade chicken broth, but this time I did cook the beans fresh rather than use them from a can. Also, I chopped the spinach before throwing it in the soup to make it a little more appealing for the baby (didn't work, I guess), and I used a no egg pasta which limits my selection more than most people (threw it in cooked at the end so it wouldn't get soggy).

Fried Rice

We have several types of fried rice we make regularly, and here is one of the egg free versions. I thought fried rice always had eggs in it, but I guess most anything can be modified (reminds me of my egg free quiche...). This recipe is another great one for whatever leftover meat is laying around ready to use, or leave the meat out. You can also throw in veggies you have on hand. Though only peas are called for in the recipe, I added shredded carrots I had prepped and frozen over a month ago, as well as fresh chopped mushrooms. Lots of nutrition in every bite, and it's tasty, too! Remember to prep all ingredients before starting to cook, since the process goes quickly.

Fried Rice modified from "Bakin' Without Eggs"

INGREDIENTS
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP grated ginger root
5 cups cold, cooked rice
2 cup frozen baby peas
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
5 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
6 TBSP chicken stock (use water if none available)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp white pepper

METHOD

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 4-5 minutes, until crisp-tender.
2. Add ginger, rice, and peas; stir-fry 3-4 minutes longer.
3. Add chicken; stir-fry until hot, about 3-5 minutes longer.
4. Stir in soy sauce, stock, thyme, and pepper. Stir-fry until rice absorbs the liquid and food is hot, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

No Sauce Challenge

I really enjoy eating pasta. Unfortunately, many times with pasta you also get tomato sauce, which doesn't agree with Sam's stomach. So, I've been having to figure out ways to be able to at pasta (and pizza, another favorite) without tomato sauce and still keep it interesting. Thursday night we were in need of a trip to the grocery store but also wanted to have a good meal (without tomato sauce). We found this White Cheese and Sausage Pasta recipe which did the trick to satisfy our stomachs with standard ingredients we have in our pantry, fridge, and freezer even when we don't really have any food around.

White Cheese and Sausage Pasta

(adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 C skim milk
1 lb ziti, cooked and hot
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. Place a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.
2. Cook sausage until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and set aside. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel.
3. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add flour, and stir with a whisk. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook until thick (about 8 minutes), then remove from heat.
4. Combine sauce, sausage, pasta, Parmesan, and salt in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings

I discussed this recipe here.

Pasta and Veggies, Mostly

I wouldn't have come up with the combination on my own, at least not the cauliflower, but this Farfalle with Cauliflower and Turkey Sausage was a good meal. For some reason we liked it even better as leftovers. The 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper scared me, so we took it down to a little more than a 1/4 tsp. The sliced garlic was very flavorful. I was hesitant since I thought it'd be too strong in bigger chunks, but it was nice. Also, based on some comments, we added broccoli to the original recipe, and I'm glad we did, since there wouldn't have been much color otherwise.

John made this one for us since I was busy writing a paper. He mentioned how he liked baking the veggies and sausage. It was a nice variation from our typical stir-fry.

Farfalle with Cauliflower and Turkey Sausage

(adapted from Cooking Light's Farfalle with Cauliflower and Turkey Sausage)

INGREDIENTS
2 (4 oz) links mild Italian turkey sausage
3 C small cauliflower florets
2 C small broccoli florets 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 C uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 C (2 oz) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Pierce sausage several times with a knife. Combine sausage, cauliflower, broccoli, and 1 Tbsp oil in a small roasting pan; toss. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 tsp salt. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Add garlic to pan; toss. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until sausage is done. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut sausage crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain, reserving 2 Tbsp pasta cooking water. Combine pasta, reserved cooking water, remaining 1 Tbsp oil, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and crushed red pepper in a large bowl; toss. Add cauliflower mixture, sausage, and cheese; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

I discussed this recipe here.