Recipes

Spinach & Artichoke Baked Pasta

February 9, 2013 nk330Leave a comment

This is one of the hearty meat-free dishes that I make. I like this one more than Andrew does, but that’s partially because I follow the recipe. He would prefer that I cook fresh spinach and chop up the artichokes more finely. Now who’s picky? 🙂

Spinach & Artichoke Baked Pasta
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8

12 oz short pasta, such as rigatoni
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 c. lowfat sour cream
4 oz lowfat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. grated Parmesan (2 oz)
2 t. lemon zest, plus 1 T. lemon juice
1 10-oz pkg frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
1 13.5 oz can artichoke hearts, rinsed, squeezed of excess moisture and chopped
4 oz mozzarella, shredded (about 1 cup)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3 Heat broiler. In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice; stir in the onion mixture.
4. Add the pasta to the bowl and toss to coat. Stir in the spinach, artichokes, and 1/4 cup of the cooking water (adding more liquid if the pasta seems dry). Fold in 1/2 cup mozzarella.
5. Transfer the pasta mixture to a broiler-safe 2-1/2 to 3-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and broil until golden brown, 3-5 minutes.

Per serving: 330 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 29 mg cholesterol, 509 mg sodium, 16 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, and 3 g fiber.

Don’t Forget Your Vegetables

February 9, 2013 nk330Leave a comment

I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but there are a few things that I don’t really care for. Andrew thinks I’m weird for not liking nuts (it’s a texture thing) and melons (I only like watermelon). Mushrooms are not a favorite of mine, although I still put them in recipes for Andrew. And like a lot of people, there are some vegetables I don’t care to eat. I have found a recipe for carrots that I actually like (I’ll post that recipe soon), and I like the Brussels sprouts Andrew makes (with bacon), but now I have a recipe that gets me to eat peas. It’s not my favorite recipe (because of the peas!), but Andrew likes it, and it gets me to eat a vegetable I usually avoid.

Spaghetti Pie
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 main-dish servings

1 lb. spaghetti4 strips bacon, chopped (I added 2 extra slices to help cover the taste of those peas!)
1 lg. red onion (10-12 oz), finely chopped
1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese
4 lg. eggs
2 c. 2% milk
1/4 tsp. cayenne (ground red) pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
2 c. frozen peas (I would happily decrease this to 1 cup…)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat large covered pot salted water to boiling on high. Cook spaghetti as package directed.
3. Meanwhile, in 12-in. skillet, cook bacon on medium 6-8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain To fat in pan, add onion. Cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4. While onion cooks, in very large bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs, milk, cayenne, half of Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
5. Drain spaghetti well. Stir into ricotta mixture along with peas, bacon, and onion. Spread in even layer in 3-quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until set.

If following the recipe above (no extra bacon or higher fat milk or ricotta), each serving has about 660 calories, 36 g protein, 76 g carbohydrates, 23 g total fat (11 g saturated), 6 g fiber, 175 mg cholesterol, and 700 mg sodium.

Recipes

Bacon Mac & Cheese

January 21, 2013 nk3301 Comment

For those of you who know me, you know that I love pasta. And I really love macaroni and cheese. I’ve tried several different mac & cheese recipes over the years, and I have a couple go-to recipes that never let me down. The following recipe is one from the October 2012 issue of “Woman’s Day” (where I get a LOT of great recipes!):

Bacon Mac & Cheese
Active time: 45 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Serves: 6

1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 T. olive oil, divided
2 leeks, cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons
Kosher salt & pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 T. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c. whole milk
4 oz. low-fat cream cheese
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. cayenne
8 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded
8 oz Gruyere, shredded (I substituted mozzarella)
6 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat oven to 425F/220C. Oil a shallow 3-qt baking dish or 9×13″ pan. Cook the pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the leek mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the cream cheese, nutmeg, and cayenne until blended. Stir in the Cheddar and Gruyere and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss the bacon with the bread crumbs, parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
5. Toss the pasta with the cheese sauce and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumb and bacon mixture over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

Per serving: 603 calories, 31 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 782 mg sodium, 28 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber