Pasta Archives - Page 2 of 2

Chicken Zucchini Pasta

October 19, 2011

Chicken Zucchini Pasta Once upon a time, I went to my parent’s house to be “helpful” while they were out of town.

Then the story took a turn.

It became me trying to survive and keep everyone fed and alive.
[Read more...]

posted in: 5 Ingredients, Meat and Chicken, Pasta, Quick and Easy 28 Comments

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and Apple

October 3, 2011

Butternut Squash Mac n' Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and Apple I have a thing for butternut squash mac n’ cheese, mostly because I have a thing for secretly healthy things that don’t seem healthy.

But the butternut squash is just the beginning. In case you didn’t notice by the longest blog title ever, there is a ton of good stuff in this mac and cheese, because sometimes I just need to add in everything.

And by everything, I mean caramelized onions, fresh crispy sweet apples, and crispy bacon.

Are you in love yet? My stomach is happy and so are my skinny jeans and so is my husband. This is a delicious miracle!

Now, for the moment of truth.

Nutrition Facts for Butternut Squash Mac n' Cheese

Come on, you can uncover your eyes.

This mac n’ cheese is almost guilt-free!

And I guess if you wanted to be a little weird, you could leave out the cheese for an even more guilt free (but still creamy and super delicious) meal!

Butternut Squash Mac n' Cheese

4.6 from 15 reviews

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Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, and Apples

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ box whole grain elbow macaroni (about 2.5 cups dry)
1 cup canned butternut squash puree
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 oz low fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup onions, sliced thinly
1 large crispy apple, chopped or grated
4 tablespoons crumbled bacon

Instructions

Heat butter in a skillet over low heat. When melted, add onions and let caramelize for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor. Keep heat on low/low-medium.
Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and return to pan over low heat. Add butternut squash, chicken broth, evaporated milk, and cream cheese. When combined, add in salt.
Add onions and apples to the pasta. Stir to combine and add a tablespoon more broth or milk if needed.
Just before serving, mix in cheese and stir until melted. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon bacon.

Notes

Because there’s very little butter, it can “dry out” quickly, especially once off the heat. Add a tablespoon of water, milk, or broth if you need to get it back to its original creaminess.

If this is eating healthy, I like it.

I also like rewarding myself with these cookies afterwards.

posted in: Lightened Up, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Superfoods 154 Comments

Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

September 5, 2011

Did you know that red Thai chili peppers at the farmer’s market are only sold by the hundreds?

Not kidding.

And yes, I’m still talking about the farmer’s market.

So what do you do when you only need one? Just one little itty bitty red Thai chili? [Read more...]

posted in: Meat and Chicken, Pasta, Salads, Superfoods 39 Comments

Farmer’s Market Pasta

July 21, 2011

Trust me. You don’t even want to know how many titles I came up with for these little pots of joy. Instead of sharing all of the potential recipe titles with you, I will give you the chance to do something more productive with your 3 seconds. [Read more...]

posted in: Pasta, Superfoods, Vegetarian 4 Comments

Caprese Penne

May 18, 2011

Caprese Penne

What a day. What a bad, bad day.

It started with student behaviors. Then it was student performance. (And that’s not to mention teacher behaviors and performance. Which, of course, comes full circle back to student behaviors and performance.)

Caprese Penne Spoonful

And then there are the completely random things that just have to happen on the same (bad) day.

Finding just 6 lonely oats in the bottom of the oatmeal canister this morning. Almost eating the whole jar of White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter to compensate (I guess that part wasn’t so bad).

Finding the receipt for my new water bottle, inside the bottle, wet and disintegrating, after drinking out of it for the last 5 hours.

Hiding my cute spring outfit under my jacket all day in an effort to keep my body temperature above 60 degrees.

If forced to identify anything positive about this day, I can come up with two things.

1. The pug wall in my classroom.

Hi My Name is Lindsay

2. Having this cheesy, fresh, bright Caprese Penne for dinner. Again.

Caprese Penne in Bowl

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Caprese Penne adapted from How Sweet It Is

Author: Pinch of Yum

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ box whole wheat penne
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup parmesan cheese
fresh mozzarella, sliced (sliced provolone works in a pinch)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (some halved, some left whole)
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.
While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large saucepan. Once warm, stir in sour cream and grated parmesan.
Once pasta is done cooking, drain and dump into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off heat. Add the tomatoes and a few chopped basil leaves. Once combined, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the entire pasta mixture into the dish. Top with the sliced cheese (as much as you want).
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Top with additional fresh basil!

Caprese Penne in Pan

Oh, did I mention that my helpful, sweet, and hilarious husband won’t be home until late tonight? Eating dinner without him is not a great end to this day.

Although eating his share of pasta is.

posted in: Pasta, Quick and Easy, Superfoods, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

April 13, 2011

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta I have way too many memories of eating apps (that’s appetizers) at Applebees in the last 5+ years. My favorite was – and still is – the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. It’s so bad and so good all at the same time. [Read more...]

posted in: 5 Ingredients, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Superfoods, Vegetarian 3 Comments

Sun Dried Tomato Dill Linguine

March 24, 2011

Sun Dried Tomato Dill Linguine

Springtime dinners have been stumping me lately. I want to eat light and fresh, but then again, I want to eat something cozy and filling, because usually I’m a little cold and a lot starving.

And after dinner, I want to eat cookie dough ice cream. And I want to sip on a hot chocolate. And an Oreo brownie would be nice, too. But that’s a dilemma that goes beyond just springtime. [Read more...]

posted in: Pasta, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Butternut Squash Lasagna

March 13, 2011

Butternut Squash Lasagna

What do you get when you combine macaroni and cheese, lasagna, and healthy? You get this amazing lasagna that will rock your world.

I was a little nervous about Bjork liking this (or, more accurately, not liking this). After all, it does seem a tad girly considering I took out the meat and replaced it with a delicate butternut squash puree. [Read more...]

posted in: Healthy, Lightened Up, Pasta, Superfoods, Vegetarian 14 Comments

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

September 22, 2010

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

Ricotta cheese is my new best friend.

I have always made this combination of whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, and broccoli as a fast and healthy dinner…But for some reason, I never really pursued a creamy tomato sauce.

Lazy much?

Tonight I was feeling inspired to make my sauce a little thicker, creamier, and more satisfying. And that’s why ricotta is my new best friend.
I’ve used half and half before to creamify my tomato sauce. Let’s just say the sound of the half and half glugging into my pasta sauce does not necessarily make me feel healthy. Not to mention, the consistency never gets quite thick enough for me.

Ricotta to the rescue! A mere 2 tablespoons adds creaminess and thickens the sauce like magic. And 45 calories… thank you very much.

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

So here’s my classic pasta recipe, in all it’s semi-homemade glory.

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Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

Author: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

tomato sauce
part-skim ricotta cheese
broccoli
whole wheat pasta
parmesan cheese

Instructions

Boil noodles.
Steam broccoli.
Drain.
Add sauce, ricotta, and broccoli to pan.
Top with parmesan cheese.

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

Wait, was that even a recipe?

Hmm.

Do you make your own pasta sauce?

What kind of pasta sauce do you prefer: cream or tomato based? Creamy is my favorite.

Speaking of creamy, shout out to Ang and the days of dorm living when we thought cooking a gourmet meal was opening a jar of alfredo sauce and dumping it on fettucine noodles.

I guess I haven’t really come that far after all…

posted in: 5 Ingredients, Healthy, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Superfoods Leave a Comment