Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce

Original Recipe from my friend Maaret @ OK Just A Sliver

8 medium vine tomatoes
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1-2 TBS fresh minced garlic
3 TBS minced FRESH basil (or 1 TBS dried)
1 vegetable or chicken bullion cube
1 1/2 TBS sugar (or 1 tsp white stevia powder)
1 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground pepper

Boil tomatoes in salt water until the skins break and begin to peel. Remove from water and drain. Cool slightly and peel skins completely off- Be careful, they will be HOT. Discard skins. Chop tomatoes and put in a medium saucepan. They will be VERY juicy- try to keep all the juice! Add spices, bullion cube, sugar, garlic, & oil. Simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes or until it is reduced by half. *I usually get my sauce started first and put my pasta water on to boil when my sauce begins to simmer.* You can leave the sauce chunky or you can puree it. It will be very light and a bit watery. Toss with hot pasta (or whatever else you like) and enjoy immediately. Top with fresh grated Parmesan or asiago cheese.

My family loved it! We'll definitely be making it again!

Erika's Penne Pasta Casserole

This recipe is a mixture of THIS recipe and THIS recipe with my own added touch.

*1 Package of Penne Pasta, Cooked and Drained

*1 Pound Sausage, or Hamburger Browned and Drained

*1 Jar of your favorite Pasta Sauce (about 2 cups)

*Dried Basil (to taste)

*Garlic Powder (to taste)

*Grated Mozzarella Cheese

*2 Eggs

*1 small Container Cottage Cheese

*1/2 med. yellow onion

*1 tbsp e.v. olive oil

*2-3 cloves minced garlic

Get a pot of salted water going. Over low heat in a large skillet, add some olive oil, onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and sweat / simmer that until translucent.

Add the ground beef and/or italian sausage and brown. Drain it, return to pan with onion mixture. Add spaghetti sauce, and cook on low stirring occasionally for about 10-15 min. Add chopped basil and garlic powder. You may want to alter the flavor with salt, pepper and sugar depending on your spaghetti sauce.

When water boils, add the penne and

UNDERCOOK it. (Because it will continue to cook in the oven).

Combine Cottage Cheese, Eggs, and mozzarella

Cheese in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine spaghetti sauce mixture, cottage cheese mixture and noodles together in a 9 x 13” baking dish.

Top with cheese, bake at 350F for about 30-45 minutes. You might want to cover lightly with aluminum foil until the last 10 minutes.

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Ravioli Casserole

1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 package frozen cheese ravioli, cooked and drained
2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese
4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Spread 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the ravioli, 1-1/4 cups of sauce, 1 cup cottage cheese and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings

This was soooo easy to make, and not to mention that it made my tummy happy! It was like a quick and easy lasagna. My whole family loved it. We will be making it again!

Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound lean ground beef (We used pork sausage)

½ cup chopped yellow onion

3 ¾ cup tomato sauce (2 15 oz cans)

2 – 4 ounce cans of sliced mushrooms (Didn't use mushrooms)

1 teaspoon cider or red wine vinegar

2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (for optional topping)

Preparation

Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet and add the chopped onion. Brown the beef and onion until done. Drain off liquid. Return heat and add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, while you boil the pasta according to the package directions. Toss together with, or spoon over cooked pasta, top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Makes 6 to7 – ¾ cup servings.

I haven't found the perfect recipe for spaghetti sauce yet. But this was o.k. considering. Once I find "The one" I will be replacing this.

Homemade Mac-N-Cheese

From The Pioneer Woman

(She gives a wonderful step by step picture tutorial)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 cups dried macaroni

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons) butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (I thought this was a little too much, personally)

1 egg, beaten

1 pound cheese, grated1/2 teaspoon

salt (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

*Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed!

DO NOT UNDERSALT.Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

I grew up on homemade Mac-N-Cheese. My mom used to make it at our request. My older brother used to put ketchup on everything, including homemade mac-n-cheese. Somehow all us kids ended up liking the zing the ketchup gave our mac-n-cheese. Although my husband thinks it's odd, I still eat it this way today!

Lemon Chicken Farfalle

3 tsp olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; sliced
1 cup frozen baby peas
1 cup carrot, cut into small strips
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 Tbsp Cream cheese
6 cups farfalle (Bow tie) pasta, cooked
9 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Start boiling the pasta. Meanwhile...Heat a large, non stick skillet (med high heat) and add olive oil. Add garlic, saute one minute, being careful not to burn. Add chicken; saute until almost cooked through. Add carrots and peas and saute until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Add broth and cream cheese to pan and cook over med high heat until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Stir in chicken mixture, farfalle, and next four ingredients. Cook about one minute.
(serves 6; 8 pts per serving)

Mike and I really enjoyed the pasta, however the kids didn't care for the light lemon taste it has. We made the pasta with the Barilla MINI farfalle pasta. The kids thought the pasta "Was so cute and little". Anyway...we enjoyed it!

Pasta Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 Tbls. butter
1 chopped onion

Saute until onion is tender

Cook 8 oz. corkscrew pasta in 3 c. water
Add 6 chicken bouillon cubes
3 c. steamed broccoli
6 c. milk
3/4 of a 2 lb. block of Velveeta cheese

Stir well. Heat thoroughly. DO NOT BOIL, it will curdle.

I was given this recipe to me by a friend who always made the best food. She said this was a pampered chef recipe.
It's a twist to the normal everyday broccoli and cheese soup. Enjoy!

Three Cheese Shells

1 box large pasta shells (cooked according to directions)
2 eggs
3 cups mozzarella cheese, (divided)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbls. Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
Dash Pepper
Spaghetti Sauce

Cook Pasta according to manufactures directions.

For filling, in a medium mixing bowl stir together eggs, half the mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, the 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and dash pepper. Spoon filling into shells.

Once the shells are cooked thoroughly, stuff them with the above mixture.

Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into a 9 x 13" baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in the baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese atop. If desired, cover and chill shells for up to 24 hours.

To serve, bake the stuffed shells, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until heated through.

I loved this dish as a kid, still do! My mom used to make these all the time. Yum!
My whole family loved these, even right down to the baby! Serve with warm garlic bread. Enjoy!

Oddles Of Noodles Bake

1 (8 oz.) pkg. medium egg noodles
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. cottage cheese
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and drain noodles. Brown and drain hamburger, then add spices and tomato sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. In mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cottage cheese, and noodles. Spray casserole dish with pam. Beginning with noodles, alternate layers of noodles and meat (2 or 3 layers). Sprinkle top layer with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

We all really liked this dish..we were extra hungry though. It reminded me of fancy mac N cheese. It was creamy, and cheesy. YUM!

The Best Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

1 Stick Butter
1 Pint Heavy Cream
1 tsp. Garlic Powder (little more if necessary)
Salt & Pepper To Taste
A dash of Cayenne Pepper
3/4 c. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 c. Cream Cheese
1 lb. Box Fettuccine-Prepared As Directed
Chopped Fresh Parsley-For Garnish

In a saucepan over medium/low heat, melt butter; add cream, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes stirring constantly, until thick. Add cream cheese.
Remove sauce from heat and stir in cheese. Serve sauce over hot fettuccine noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

*You cannot rush this sauce
*You can also add grilled chicken strips to make it a fuller meal

* This is one of my very favorite recipes, I also love it with the homemade soft breadsticks (I'll post that recipe later)