Oh How I Love Pasta...

What a nice day it’s been. I was able to go to my heated yoga this morning that I love. It’s amazing how good you feel after you’re done. We won’t discuss how you feel during the class though!

After school, the boys had a picnic under the trampoline with their buddies. The weather is so beautiful, I’m sad that it’s not going to last much longer!

What a yummy dinner this turned out to be a few nights ago. Staring at me in the fridge was some spinach, gorgonzola cheese and some beautiful asparagus that needed use up, so I whipped up this pasta and what a hit it was with the family.

Don’t be afraid of the gorgonzola in the sauce, it’s very mild and gives the best flavor with the parmesan cheese. I was so proud of myself for using lowfat milk in the sauce rather than a heavy cream. I must say, it’s really good and I would have never known I used lowfat milk if I hadn’t been the one to make it.

This dinner was so good that we had it for a second night. When re-heating, make sure to add a little milk to loosen the sauce. Enjoy everyone!

Spinach and Asparagus Chicken Linguini in a Parmesan Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

12 oz uncooked linguini pasta
1 Bunch asparagus tips
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 Cups lowfat milk
1 ¼ Cups crumbled gorgonzola
¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Cups baby spinach
2 medium size chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 strips precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare linguini according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan filled ¾ full of water to boil. Place asparagus tips in hot water and cook for 3 minutes. Remove and place into a bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking. Set aside.

2. Place butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat to melt. Whisk in flour, pinch of salt and pepper until combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium high. While whisking, heat until milk comes to a light boil. Reduce heat to low and immediately stir in parmesan and gorgonzola until melted. Stir in chopped spinach, linguini, asparagus, chicken and half the bacon. Gently toss to coat, season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a large serving bowl and garnish top with remaining crumbled bacon pieces.

You Looking At Me?

I was cracking up when I saw some of these pictures of my pasta. I swear they are looking right at me. Girlfriend spent one too many hours at the dental convention yesterday!! Slides and slides of oral cancer get to you after a while! Don't smoke or chew people! However, it was nice to catch up with some of my friends from hygiene school. Go class of 2001!

A few weeks ago, we got some take out from Fazolli's, which I hadn't been to in years, and it was actually really good. I ordered a Romano Rigatoni pasta that was surprisingly tasty. I made my own version of the pasta the other night, added a few extras and I enjoyed it even better, check it out, nice easy and cheesy!

Remember when I said I make "Florentine" dishes often? I wasn't joking. It is so good and why not add spinach whenever you can right? I tell my boys they'll be strong like Popeye and it works everytime. My 2 year old even likes it on his peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches. Sick huh?!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend! AZ is going to be beautiful the next few days, even a little toasty. Summer is coming quick!

Baked Rigatoni Romano Florentine with Italian Sausage

1/2 lb dry Rigatoni pasta

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4 lb Italian Hot Sausage
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
3 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
2 14 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 Cup fresh grated Romano Cheese
2 Cups shredded mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat oil into a large dutch oven or other large pot. Saute onion and red bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sausage is cooked through.

2. Add spinach leaves and cook until wilted down. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked pasta, stir to combine, then transfer to a 9x13inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Romano Cheese and mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Beef Florentine Pasta Soup with Basil and Cream

I love this soup. It's a great "comfort food" soup with some of my personal favorite ingredients inside. You'll see that I use "Florentine" in many of my recipe titles, I love spinach. The beef stew meat makes this soup nice and hearty. Great quick fix meal, both my boys, even my picky husband ate it up.

I know everyone gets freaky about using heavy cream, but don't look at the fat and calorie count on the back of the carton and just drizzle a little over the top of your soup. It's seriously fab! Don't forget a little piece of garlic bread.

Hope everyone has a great week. I've got some yummy cookies coming this week, so stay tuned!

Mmmm!

Beef Florentine Pasta Soup with Basil and Cream

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 lb cubed beef stew meat
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
5 Cups beef broth
14 oz can Italian diced tomatoes, with basil and garlic
½ lb dry Campanelle pasta
4 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

½ Cup heavy cream
½ Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
½ Cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1. Place olive oil into a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and carrots for 5-7 minutes or until slightly softened. Stir in stew meat, salt and pepper. Cook until browned and cooked through. Stir in fresh garlic for 1 minute then stir in broth and tomatoes. Increase heat to medium high until soup comes to a light boil. Pour in pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Reduce heat to low and stir in spinach leaves. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve each bowl of soup with a drizzle of heavy cream, a spoonful of parmesan cheese and basil ribbons.

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter with their family. We really had wonderful Easter, it's so nice to have all of our family here. I loved watching the boys wake-up to find their baskets the Easter Bunny left for them. The look on their faces is priceless!

Last week, during spring break, we had my cute little niece spend the night with us and the boys just love her. She is 10 and is so good with my rowdy youngsters! She wanted to help make dinner with me and this is what we came up with. The kids love pasta, so we thought we'd kick it up Mexican style. Nothing fancy tonight, just good! This is a nice easy dinner to have your pre-teens/teens make for the family.

All of you gourmet cooks will be cringing that there is canned soup in this dish. I like it in dishes like this, it gave the sauce a great flavor. Quick and Easy was our goal for the night and it turned out soooo tasty too. The fire roasted tomatoes make for a delicious sauce.

I love my little All Clad Oval Bakers, they are perfect for individual servings. I found these at Marshalls a couple of years ago on clearance, they are great. Check them out if you'd like. Hope your family enjoys!

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni

1 lb dry Rigatoni pasta or any other pasta of choice
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Anaheim green chili’s finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
1 can cheddar cheese soup
½ Cup milk or half and half
1 Cup sour cream
2 15 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
Heaping ½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves (add more if you love cilantro)
2 Cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, making sure it’s not overcooked. Drain and set aside.

2. Place olive oil into a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Saute onions and chilies until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef, salt, pepper and garlic salt; cook and crumble until browned. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream and tomatoes. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cilantro and cooked pasta.

3. Pour mixture into a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish or individual size baking dishes of choice, see my link above. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

Thanks Beth from Our Sweet Life for the Award. Food Bloggers are so great!!

Vegetable Ziti with Garlic Caper Cream Sauce and Bacon Crumbles

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone! I spent the day cleaning teeth, then was welcomed home by our little neighbor boy pinching me for not having green on my scrubs! I so remember doing that to everyone in school.

I opened up the fridge tonight not having any clue what I was going to make for dinner. As I was searching through all of the veggis I needed to use up, I thought, let's make a veggi pasta. This pasta was so good. For being a last minute dinner, I must say, it turned out fantastic!

Some of my favorite dinners have been created at the last minute with my kids running in and out of the kitchen like maniacs! Hope you all enjoy! I've got to go finish the Bachelor, some of these girls are wacked! The clarinet performance??!! Seriously?!

Last minute deliciousness!

Vegetable Ziti with Garlic Caper Cream Sauce and Bacon Crumbles

1 lb dry ziti pasta noodles

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium red bell peppers, finely diced
8 oz bag sugar snap peas
2 medium zucchini, halved then thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons capers
¾ Cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 slices precooked bacon, crisped and crumbled (I get the box from Costco)

1. Cook ziti noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.

2. Place oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pot over medium heat. When hot, stir in bell peppers, sugar snap peas, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes then reduce heat to low.

3. Place oil into a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and capers for 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until bubbly and starting to thicken slightly.

4. Pour noodles into vegetables then pour sauce over pasta. Stir in crumbled bacon until combined on low heat. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

**This pasta is also great topped with Feta Cheese, if you’re a Feta Fan**

Taco Night....Two Ways

Taco night is always fun because you can have them in so many ways. I picked up these cute little mini pita breads at Trader Joes and used them as the shell for these little mini tacos. You can also use regular size pita bread for a bigger shell, it works great as well.

I used arugula here, but use any lettuce you like. I needed to use it up, so we've been putting arugula on everything! Skys' the limit with tacos, have fun. This taco meat is really tasty, I use fire roasted tomatoes and cut them up into even smaller pieces once they were in the meat. Makes for a tasty taco meat.

Open Faced Mini Pita Tacos with Arugula and Guacamole

20-25 3 inch whole wheat mini pitas (found at Trader Joes) *You can also use 1 package of regular pitas, they’ll just make bigger open face tacos, more like tostada size*

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
½ Cup water

Simple Guacamole
2 avocados, mashed
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of salt and pepper

Arugula leaves
1 Cup sour cream
½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ Cup finely diced tomatoes

1. Place pitas onto a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes or until crispy. Reduce oven’s temp to warm and keep warm while preparing meat.

2. Place oil into a large skillet or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes then add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned. Stir in taco seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Place avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper into a medium bowl; mix/mash until well combined.

3. Place crisped pitas onto a serving plate. Top each with arugula leaves, a spoonful of taco meat, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole, pinch of cheese and tomato. Serve warm.

Macho Nachos

Is there anyone who doesn't like Nachos? I personally love them and since I used the Whole Grain Tostitos, I didn't feel as bad eating these!

Same goes with Nachos, top em' with whatever you like! The rules are, there are no rules! Have a great weekend everyone!!

Macho Nachos

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
½ Cup water

Tortilla Chips of choice (The Whole Grain Tostitos stayed crispy even after baking in the oven, great choice for nachos)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Black Beans (I just used canned ones, drained)
Guacamole (see recipe above)
Sour Cream
Diced Tomatoes

1. Place oil into a large skillet or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes then add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned. Stir in taco seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Place avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper into a medium bowl; mix until well combined.

2. Arrange tortilla chips onto an oven save plate. Sprinkle evenly with desired amount of cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top nachos with beans, guacamole, sour cream and diced tomatoes. Eat warm.

Another Quick Weeknight Dinner..... Chicken Teriyaki Stir-fry

Again, not my best picture, but this quick fix dinner was so good, I'm passing it on to all the busy moms/dads/peeps out there.

When I was shopping at Trader Joes last week I picked up a bag of pre-chopped stir-fry vegetables (cabbage, carrots, broccoli, bok choy, sugar snap peas, celery). I know they sell this at most grocery stores as well, so check your produce section.

While I was grocery shopping last week at Walmart (as much as I dislike the place, I still find myself shopping there!), I found these stir fry noodles in the asian section called Wel Pac Chuka Soba Stir-Fry Noodles . I was pleasantly surprised at how they turned out in this dish. Very much like the kind you'd order at a Chinese restaurant. Click on the link to see a picture of them. I'm assuming you can get then at any Walmart.

My boys really loved this dinner. I made some steamed rice to go with it, a very tasty 15 minute dinner!

Chicken Teriyaki Stir-fry

1 package Wel Pac Chuka Soba Stir-Fry Noodles
3-4 Tablespoons Canola or Vegetable oil
3-4 Cups prebagged stir fry vegetable mix
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 Tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
Steamed Rice

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil into a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When hot, add stir fry veggis. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in chicken, cooked noodles, Teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. Gently toss to combine.
3. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Quick Weeknight Pineapple Sesame Chicken

I hesitated posting this because I didn't like how my picture turned out, but my family loved this dinner so why not pass it on. I first saw the recipe on the blog called Closet Cooking.

Please note, I was supposed to marinate the chicken. However, when everyone's hungry sometimes marinating just doesn't happen in my house. If you make this in advance, follow the directions! It looks so much prettier!

I added a little more pineapple than the original recipe and added broccoli over the rice. This is a great dish I highly recommend trying. Enjoy!

Closet Cooking's Sesame Chicken

4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger (grated)
1 pound chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 teaspoon peanut oil
4 servings cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
green onions to garnish

Directions:
1. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sugar, ginger and chicken in a ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan and saute until the chicken is cooked and the sauce begins to thicken. (This is where I started the recipe and it tasted delish, if you don't feel like marinating)
4. Serve on cooked rice and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onion.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Hoagies

My little guy has been asking for spaghetti and meatballs for the last few days, so I thought I'd make some. I've had these little mozzarella balls in my fridge for the last week and needed to use them up, so here they are stuffed inside the meatballs.

After I made my boys their noodles for their spaghetti, I thought meatball hoagies sounded like a better idea for my husband and I since I had been making pasta so much.

I bought these yummy garlic ciabatta rolls from Walmart. They were so good, they tasted just like crispy garlic toast. I broiled them in the oven with some provolone cheese until nice and toasty.

Hot and steamy, ready to be eaten!

Here's those little mozzarella balls. They are marinated in olive oil. I can't remember where I got these, but most grocery stores carry them. I know Trader Joe's carries them.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball Hoagies

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon Tabasco Hot Sauce
½ Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried basil

12-15 1 inch mozzarella balls (marinated in olive oil)
1 26oz jar favorite pasta sauce, or homemade sauce
4-6 Garlic Ciabatta Rolls, or other rolls of choice, cut in half
4 sliced provolone cheese, each cut into halves

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place beef, egg, milk, hot sauce, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, oregano and basil in a large bowl. With hands or large spoon, mix until well combined.

2. Scoop about ¼ Cup meat mixture in hands; press 1 mozzarella ball into middle of meat and form a ball around the cheese. Do this until all meat and cheese is used up; makes about 12-15 large meatballs.

3. Place all meatballs into a 9x13 inch baking dish that has ¼ Cup olive oil spread into bottom. Bake for 20 minutes; flip all meatballs. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.

4. Place pasta sauce into a large pot. Place cooked meatballs in sauce. Simmer on low heat.

5. Place ½ slice of provolone onto the cut sides of rolls. Place onto tin foil or baking sheet and broil in oven for 1-2 minutes or until rolls are toasted and cheese is melted.

6. Place 3-4 meatballs onto bottom halves of toasted rolls. Spoon pasta sauce over meatballs and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Close with top roll and serve warm.

Another take on Spaghetti….. Spaghetti Bolognese, So Good!

Surprise Surprise another pasta recipe. If you couldn't tell, I love making anything that involves pasta.

I cut out this recipe from William Sonoma's catalog and adapted it a bit for to make it a quick weeknight dinner. If you've never tried Spaghetti Bolognese before, give it a try, my kids and my husband gave it 2 thumbs up. I will be enjoying it for lunch tomorrow as well!

Again, feel free to fancy it up a bit with your own homemade sauce. I love the Classico sauces and find it a real time saver to just jazz those up a bit. The color of this sauce is a creamy red/orange. My husband was a little skeptical until he took one bite. I, of course said, I told you, you'd love it! The bacon is surprisingly really good in the sauce. It gives it a real smoky flavor. If you are tired of the same old spaghetti, this is a great way to mix it up. I will be making it again very soon. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Bolognese

12 strips uncooked bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 26 oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce (or other favorite brand, or homemade)
1 ¼ Cups half and half (can also use regular milk)
¼ Cup parmesan cheese

1 Box thin spaghetti noodles (I love Barilla’s whole wheat noodles)

1. Cook bacon in a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until browned and crisped. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Discard all but 2 Tbsp’s of bacon grease. Saute onion in remaining bacon grease for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add beef, salt and pepper; crumble beef and cook until browned, about 5-8 more minutes. Stir in cooked bacon pieces. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce, half and half, and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine; cover with lid and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour.

2. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon noodles onto a large plate and pour sauce right on top. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

6 servings

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

Phew, what a crazy last few weeks it's been. I hope I'm not the only one who feels like a chicken with her head cut off!

I still haven't made part 2 of my holiday plates, I hope to get to that soon. In the meantime, I managed to whip this up for our Sunday dinner and my family loved it. It's quick, easy and everyone loved it, you would have thought I spent all day on it. It's so nice to throw everything in the crockpot in the morning, and it's done for dinner. I seriously need to use my crockpot more!

Steam some rice and pour the chicken and broccoli over top. It's really tasty and kid friendly! Happy Holidays everyone!! I can't believe we've got just a week left!!

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 14oz can cream of chicken soup
1 14 oz can cheddar soup
1 14 oz can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning (I used Emeril’s brand)
¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning (Lawrys)
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed, just fork tender ( I cook it in boiling water for 3-4 minutes)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place soups, chicken broth, salt, Cajun and garlic seasoning into a crockpot over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

2. When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces. Stir in sour cream and broccoli.

3. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese.

4-6 servings

Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti

Well, so much for my great pilates workout last night. I blew it after I ate this for dinner. This is one of my boys favorite dinners'. They just call it spaghetti and meatballs, and can't get enough. I love the oozing ricotta filling right in the middle, it's a great weeknight quick meal for the family. Use any pasta sauce your family likes or make your own homemade sauce if you are feeling ambitious!

Check it out, it's soooo yummy. I wish I could say it was fat free!

Cheesy Stuffed Baked Ziti

1 lb ziti pasta noodles
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small bell pepper of choice, finely chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 26oz jar Classico Pasta Sauce
1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch salt, pepper
2 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute bell pepper and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Brown beef. Add pasta sauce, reduce heat to low and stir in noodles.
3. Place ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
4. Place ½ pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon ricotta mixture evenly over pasta, covering entire dish. Pour remaining pasta over cheese, then sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

8 servings

Quick Weeknight Spaghetti

Had this for dinner recently and my boys went nuts for it. If you don't have time to make homemade sauce, this one is great. I love the classico sauce and whole wheat Barilla spaghetti noodles. Here's the recipe.

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (optional, but they are delicious in the sauce)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (lawry's is good)
1 jar Classico sauce of choice, I used the florentine
1/2 Cup water swished in the jar to get remaining sauce on sides
1 lb Barilla whole wheat pasta cooked and drizzled with olive oil to prevent sticking

1. Place olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Saute onions, bell pepper and garlic until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in beef, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Cook until browned. Add sauce and water. Simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. Season to taste if needs more seasonings.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions and serve with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread.

6 servings

Creamy Chicken Italiano

This recipe is featured in this Gooseberry Patch Cookbook

Creamy Chicken Italiano

¾ Box whole wheat penne pasta noodles

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed

1 jar Alfredo Sauce
3/4 Cup milk, swished in the jar to get remaining sauce
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

1 can Veg-All mixed vegetables, drained

¼ Cup, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed and drained

¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and return back to pot over medium heat. Stir in chicken, alfredo sauce, milk, parmesan cheese, vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Heat for 10-15 minutes or until heated through, stirring often.

2. Sprinkle top with cheese, cover for 5 minutes or until melted. Serve.