One pot tomate basil pasta with meatballs

I made this pasta dish from online http://www.apronstringsblog.com/one-pot-wonder-tomato-basil-pasta-recipe/ a while ago but didn't post on my blog. Jeremy loved it and he posted picture of the dish for a while ago. I 'm glad that I decided to go back to posting my recipes again. I love this pasta dish because cooking style is different. I found this recipe from online as a meatless dish but we love our meat. I added ground chicken meatballs to this dish.  Also, I used fresh tomatoes instead of can and cooked differently. Here is the my version of the recipe,

 Ingredients:
12 ounces linguine pasta

15 meatballs ( I prepared meatballs ahead of time )
4 tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion, cut in 1/4 inch julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch (about 10 to 12 leaves) basil, diced
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Preparation:
Put  olive oil in the pan with onion and garlic cook 2 minutes and then add tomatoes cook 2 more minutes. Pour in chicken stock. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano.Add pasta cover pot and bring to boil.
 Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add basil leaves and stir pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot evenly throughout the pasta as you are serving. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Pastitsio

I came back running 8K race. It called Jingle bell all the way. It was a fun race. I was hungry but I didn't want to eat outside this time for a change. I had still energy to cook something and I was searching to find something rich. I found this recipe called chicken pastitsio. It is a Greek dish.
The cookbook called best -ever chicken, published by HH. I made some changes recipe didn't have eggplant but I added eggplant. It wasn't easy recipe especially, after running 5 miles but I cooked it anyway. I was very happy about it. It was delicious.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Baking time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• coarse salt and ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp tomato paste
• 1-1/4 cup red wine or beef stock
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (use less if you like)
• 1big eggplant cut slices-grill both sides.
• 2-1/2 cups cooked tubular pasta (macaroni, penne etc.)
• 1-1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs
• chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and if you wish line a wide casserole dish with foil for easy clean up. Heat oil in a large shallow skillet, on medium high heat, and cook the ground chicken, onion and garlic. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown in colour. Stir in the tomato paste, red wine and cinnamon. Add a bit more liquid if needed. Once everything is cooked through turn the heat off.
 2. To make the béchamel sauce, pour in the milk, butter and flour into a saucepan. On medium heat, whisk the ingredients together until thick and smooth. Add in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Layering the casserole: Put grilled eggplants slices bottom of the pan.  Ladle the chicken sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish, then layer on the cooked pasta on top, then finally pour on the béchamel sauce. Place the sliced tomatoes evenly over top of the béchamel covered pasta, sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and place in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.

Pasta Spinach Bake

I found this recipe from Cooking Light cookbook. I added 3 eggs to the sauce. It worked very well. I posted with my changes. I cooked for the dinner party last Saturday. I was very happy with the recipe. Everyone loved it.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked mostaccioli (3 cups uncooked tubular-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie stick margarine, divided
1 cup vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups skim milk
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) preshredded Parmesan cheese
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook 4 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper; remove from heat. After the sauce cool add eggs and mix well.
Combine pasta, sauce, 1 cup cheese, tomatoes, and spinach in a large bowl; stir well. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons cheese, and remaining 1 tablespoon margarine; sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Spagetti bolognese

This recipe is from cookbook called Perfect Pasta. It is easy to make and delicious. I didn't follow exact recipe as usual. I didn't use mushroom, bacon, chicken liver and heavy cream. Here is the recipe with my changes.
Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery stalk finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 package spaghetti cooked according
to  package direction
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley to garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preparation Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion carrot, celery to the pan,then cook until soft. Add the ground turkey cook until the ground turkey is evenly cooked.
Stir tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. pour in the wine and season with slat, pepper and the nutmeg. Add the stock.Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer gently over low heat for 30 minutes.
Spoon the sauce over the cooked paste, garnish with parsley and serve with parmesan cheese.

Penne with Broccoli and Chili

This recipe is from cookbook called  Anne SheasbyLow Fat Low Cholesterol. I found very good recipes from this book. I used olive oil instead of broth. It was easy to make. We enjoyed eating this light pasta dish.
 Ingredients

1 lb small broccoli florets
2 tbsp broth or olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small red chili pepper. sliced, or
1/2 tsp chili sauce
4 tbsp plain low fat yogurt
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
3 cups penne pasta
salt and pepper
Preparation Method
Add the pasta to a large pan of lightly salted boiling water and return to a boil. Place the broccoli  in a steamer basket over the top. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until both are just tender. drain.
Heat the oil or broth and add the crushed garlic and chili or chili sauce. Stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the broccoli, pasta and yogurt. Adjust the seasoning, sprinkle with nuts, and serve hot.

Rotini - Vegetable Salad with pesto dressing

We will go to block party today so I decided to make pasta dish. This recipe is from cooking light cookbook. It is very easy and  taste delicious.

Ingredients

1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 cup packed basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups cooked rotini
(about 2 cups uncooked corkscrew pasta)
1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or 
other white beans, rinsed and drained
I used chick peas

Preparation

Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Add basil, cheese, salt, and pepper; process until finely minced. With food processor on, slowly pour water and oil through food chute; process until well-blended.
Combine rotini, zucchini, tomatoes, and beans in a large bowl; toss well. Add pesto mixture, tossing gently to coat.

Pasta salad with roasted vegetables

 I made up this pasta salad. It is very healthy dish. 

 Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil 
salt and pepper 
1/2 lemon juice

1 head  broccoli cut into florets
1 red bell pepper cut small pieces
1 cup mushroom
2 small zucchini sliced
1 cup pasta cook according to package direction 

Preparation Method

Mix all the vegetables with olive oil salt and pepper. Roast the in the oven 45 minutes.
Mix with cooked pasta and add lemon juice.

Penne pasta with vegetables and tuna

I decided to make tuna with pasta. I had green and red bell pepper and tomatoes in the refrigerator. I combined them together and I cooked very light and delicious pasta salad.

Ingredients

 2 CAN Tuna
1 BOX     whole grain  Penne pasta
1/4 CUP     Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 CUP     White Onion, Chopped
2 CLOVES     Garlic, Minced
2 CUPS     Red bell pepper cubed
2 1/2 CUPS     Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
2 CUPS     green bell pepper
TO TASTE     Salt
TO TASTE     Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
6 LEAVES     Fresh Basil, Cut Into Strip 
1 CUP chopped green olive (optional)

						Preparation Method

	BRING a large pot of water to a boil. HEAT oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. ADD green and red bell pepper and continue 3 additional minutes. ADD tomatoes sauté an additional 2-3 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened. ADD tuna saute 1 more minutes. SEASON with salt and black pepper to taste. COOK Penne according to package directions. Drain pasta. Immediately add hot pasta to the skillet. Mix well. TRANSFER to a serving bowl or platter; garnish with fresh basil strips and green olives  serve.

Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

 I got this recipe from Costco cookbook. Costco cookbooks has a lot of great recipes.
 http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/2008cookbook/#pg108

Ingredients
1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray
3 carrots
2 celery stalk
1 pound ground turkey
Salt and pepper
2 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup reduced fat low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 package whole wheat spaghetti

Preparation Method
Put onion and garlic in a food processor and finely chop or chop by hand.
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat.
When the skillet is hot, add olive oil, then onion and garlic, cook until onion and garlic begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
Add ground turkey and break small chunks with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper and cook until the meat begin s to brown 3-4 minutes.
Put carrots and celery in the food processor and finely chop; add to the skillet and cook 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes, broth and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally,  for 30 minutes. stir in sweet potato puree and parmesan.
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until dante. Pour the warm sauce over the paste.

Pesto pasta with zuchini

 I found this recipe from internet but I changed a little bit. We like pesto very much so I try to use with different dishes.

Ingredient

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 2  small zucchini, chopped small
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2 tablespoon pesto
• cook pasta according to package instruction. 

 Preparation Method
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon  walnut pesto to pasta and toss to coat.
Add zucchini mixture and toss over low heat to combine. Season pasta with salt and pepper. Transfer pasta to large bowl.