Baked Rigatoni

When I was in college, this was a consistent request from friends. It's the best comfort food and makes great leftovers. :)

You'll need:

1 (1 lb.) package rigatoni
1 lb. lean ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Newman's Own Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic)

1/2 a medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. Italian season
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil (or a few leaves of the fresh stuff)
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 oz. container sour cream
8 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded


Dice your half onion.

Saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Add diced garlic and saute for another couple minutes before adding your ground beef. Brown the meat, breaking it up into tiny pieces.

Add the whole jar of spaghetti sauce.

Add some fresh basil if you have some on hand. Otherwise, the dried stuff will do the trick. Add Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

While that's simmering, start cooking your pasta.

This is also a good time to mix the sour cream and ricotta in a small bowl.

Cook the pasta according the package instructions and drain.

Return pasta to its original pot and add the meat sauce. Stir that up!

Add half of the pasta mixture to a 9x11 glass dish that's been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.

Top with the sour cream/ricotta mixture.

Layer that with the rest of the pasta/meat mixture.

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Invite friends over to share, and serve while hot!

Enjoy!

Pasta in Creamy Wine Sauce

This is another one of those pasta recipes that I improvised and somehow it turned out great!! Try it out!

You'll need:
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 onion, coarsely sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely sliced
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese (plus a little more for topping)
1/4 cup dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/3 pound pasta - I used medium shells.
*Serves 2 - Feel free to double or triple the proportions. :)

Sauté onion, pepper, and pine nuts in olive oil in a medium pan for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Chop up and add some olives, and sauté for another 5 minutes or so.

Drizzle on more olive oil as necessary.

When the veggies are tender and cooked the way you want them, set the pan aside (off the heat) while you make the sauce. I like to buy these mini bottles of Chardonnary because they're great for cooking. Just use what you want and store the rest in the fridge!

 Start melting 2 Tbsp. butter on medium-low heat.

Whisk in wine and half-and-half.

Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes as the butter melts and alcohol evaporates out, stirring occasionally.

Add your cooked pasta to the veggie mixture.

Pour on sauce, and toss. Top with more parmesan, obviously.

Enjoy!

Fettucini Lasagna

When I made this I was craving lasagna (which happens way too often) but didn't want to mess with the hassle of building and baking. This is a great weeknight meal - it's quick and works well as leftovers throughout the week.

You'll need:
1 lb. pasta (I used fettucini, but I may try shells next time - use what you want!)
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 sweet onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
3-4 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Bertoli Marinara with Burgundy Wine.)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
8 oz. package mozzarella, grated
1/3 cup parmesan, grated (I actually used some Pamigiano Reggiano that I had in my fridge.)
1/2 cup sour cream

Prepare onion and garlic (and pepper and mushrooms if using), and add to 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat.

Sautee for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Then push the veggies to the side of the pan to make room for the ground beef, and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. I'm kind of picky about raw meat and don't like it touching other food until it's cooked. I'm sure it really doesn't matter in the end, but that's just personal preference. If I was less lazy, I would use a different pan, but this will work.

Add the ground beef,  chopping as it browns.

Almost there...

Once it has just browned, turn your heat down to medium-low. Mix everything together, and add turmeric. I know it's a random spice to throw in, but that's what my mom always does... so that's what I do.

Add spaghetti sauce.

Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, tasting along the way and adjusting spices if necessary.

While that's simmering, cook your fettucini according to the package directions, and prepare your sour cream and cheeses.

Drain pasta when al dente, and fold into sauce.

Add sour cream and cheeses and stir gently. Don't be afraid of the sour cream - you can't taste it at all, but it really holds everything together.

Taste just like lasagna in half the time! Enjoy!

Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

I've been M.I.A for a while, which is a really good way for a blogger to lose followers... but I'm hoping you'll try this pasta and forgive me! I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's blog, so you know it's good! Check out her site for some really great step-by-step photos of this pasta.

You'll need:

8-10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. fettuccine 
1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
About 1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Parmesan, grated
Dash of Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil

Sauté mushrooms about 8 minutes on medium heat until tender. Sometimes I'll just cook them with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, but you can also use about 1/4 cup dry white wine (shhh...) to give the mushrooms lots of flavor. Just be sure to sauté until all the liquid is gone so the alcohol evaporates out of there. :)

While those are wrapping up, begin cooking the fettuccine until al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium-low heat. 

Once the butter is melted, whisk in the cream!

Add salt and pepper.

To create the pasta, add 1 cup of Parmesan to a large serving dish/bowl. Pour the warm cream mixture over the cheese. Resist the temptation to stir... and add the drained pasta to the top of the mixture. Now, add the rest of the cheese and stir it all together with tongs or a pasta server. The pasta will probably be a little goopy and sticky, so gradually add the chicken broth until the pasta reaches a creamy consistency that makes you happy. You may not need to entire cup of broth. (Pioneer Woman uses a cup of pasta-water reserved before draining the pot of fettuccine, so you could do that to make this a vegetarian dish. I prefer the flavor of the chicken broth!)

Kinda messy, but so delicious. Throw in the dried basil, and please, use fresh if you have some. I was out!

I served the mushrooms separately because I had a crowd over, and not everyone is a fan of mushrooms. Crazy, I know. But you could mix them in before serving as well. Or add other vegetables, chicken, or shrimp. The fettuccine alfredo is a great base for whatever meat/veggie you're craving.

Sending you (better late than never) love from my kitchen!