Veggie Bolognese

In my never-ending quest to find ways to eat more vegetables, I was inspired by a recent recipe posted on Weelicious for Veggie Bolognese Sauce.  What a great idea, making a chunky tomato sauce which includes multiple vegetables!  But rather than follow this recipe, I decided to adapt my recipe for basic Meat Sauce and just replace the meat portion with tons of veggies.  Carrots are a natural addition to a tomato sauce (and are already in my meat sauce anyway), and then while I was grocery shopping this weekend I saw some great looking organic zucchini and yellow squash as well.  The resulting sauce was absolutely delicious - flavorful, sweet, and a little crunchy.  I loved the combination of flavors, but feel free to make your own combination of veggies.

My first application was in Baked Ziti, since hubby has been asking me to make a veggie version for a while, and I highly recommend giving this a try (just throw in the entire recipe below as the sauce portion in the ziti recipe).  Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the sauce before mixing it into the ziti, but hopefully you get the idea!

Veggie Bolognese Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion

2 cups (approx 8 oz) carrots

1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  Chop the onion, carrots, and squash by hand or in the food processor.  Add the veggies to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat, until onions are translucent and other veggies begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and salt.  Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until veggies are soft to your liking and sauce has thickened.  Serve over your favorite whole wheat pasta.

Makes enough for 1 lb of pasta

Baked Ziti

I have exciting news - my little munchkin, who for months and months has rejected anything with tomato sauce, has finally started warming up!  This has changed my life, as she will now eat pizza with us, and also opens up more options in terms of pasta dishes I can make since I don't necessarily need to have plain pasta set aside for her.  One of my favorites is baked ziti - it's similar to lasagna, but without all of the effort that goes into layering.  Over the past year I have tried a few versions that were trying to be too healthy (e.g., turkey instead of beef, not enough cheese, adding in veggies that didn't quite work), so I went back to more classic proportions.  I still consider this a wholesome dish, however, when made with whole wheat pasta and lean beef, and can be even more so if you use part-skim or low fat cheeses. 

Below I've described how I made it, but the beauty of ziti is that it's also infinitely flexible depending on your preferences and what you have on hand.  Prefer turkey over beef?  No problem.  Vegetarian?  Leave out the meat altogether.  Don't feel like making sauce?  Open a jar :)  But I did find that these basic proportions seemed to work well - cheesy and moist without being goppy.  And the best part is that ziti freezes and reheats beautifully, so if you find yourself with a bunch of leftovers, you are all set for a meal another night!


Baked Ziti
adapted from my mom

1 pound whole wheat ziti or other tube shaped pasta
1 pound shredded mozzarella, divided
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
4 cups sauce (with or without meat - I used 2 cups leftover meat sauce + 2 cups crushed tomatoes directly from a can)
1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan

Preheat oven to 375.  Take out a 9x13 baking pan, and lighly grease if not non-stick.

Cook the pasta, draining it while it is still al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, combine the mozzarella (reserving 1/2 cup for the topping), ricotta, and sauce in a large bowl.  (Note that if you have prepared tomato sauce but still want to include meat, you can brown 1 lb of lean ground beef and just mix in with the sauce and cheese at this step).  Add the pasta, mix thoroughly, and pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle reserved mozzarella and romano over the top and bake for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Serves 8-12

Meat Sauce

As I've mentioned many times, we are a family of pasta eaters.  More often than not, we end up making some whole wheat pasta mixed with frozen veggies, tomato sauce from a jar, and maybe broiled chicken breasts when I remember to take some out of the freezer.  But when I have a little more time to plan, I really enjoy making a more interesting sauce or topping, like pesto or meatballs with home made sauce (check out the pasta section of my recipe index for more ideas!). 

I am also a huge fan of meat sauce.  In college I used to brown a pound of meat and simmer for a few minutes with a jar of sauce, but I thought I should be able to do better than that now.  For some reason, though, I have been struggling to get the consistency and flavors right.  I tried looking up recipes, but most of the ones I found with good ratings also required tons of steps (e.g., first simmer with milk, then wine, then tomatoes, etc) and ingredients (e.g., multiple kinds of meat).  I just wanted a basic sauce I could throw together without too much fanfare!  And then I remembered my Classic Lasagna, which has a delicious, easy meat sauce as part of the filling.  With some very slight modifications, I finally found my recipe!  I made it a little less thick by cutting back on the amount of meat, added carrots for additional veggie power and sweetness, and replaced the fresh basil with dried so that it was easier to always have the ingredients on hand.  The result is is simple, adaptable, and delicious.  I hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Meat Sauce
adapted from me!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
1 cup carrots
2 garlic cloves
1 pound lean ground beef
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet.  Chop the onion, carrots, and garlic by hand or in the food processor.  Add the veggies to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat, until onions are translucent.  Add the beef, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt, and pepper.  Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.  Serve over your favorite whole wheat pasta.

Serves 4-6

Classic Lasagna

---This meal is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---

Hubby's family had a long trip to our house for Canadian Thanksgiving - about 8-10 hours.  So before I could worry about the Thanksgiving feast itself, I wanted to have a nice meal for them when they arrived.  I decided that I needed something that could be made and frozen in advance but could also be reheated multiple times in case hubby's parents and sister arrived at different times.  My first thought was baked ziti, until a friend recommended a Barefoot Contessa recipe for lasagna that she's had great success with in the past.  After a few failed veggie lasagna attempts recently I've been kind of avoiding it, but this recipe sounded very safe and not complicated at all to make.

I got to work, making a couple of changes - the original recipe calls for chicken sausage and goat cheese, both of which would make this dish very special but also not as universally liked, so I wanted to stick to more classic flavors.  If those ingredients sound good to you, though, please check out the original as it gets amazing reviews from my friend and reviewers over at the Food Network website!

I have to admit, making lasagna is a pain in the neck - every step was simple and the components were easy to pull together, but it took me a solid 20 minutes just to layer everything in the pan!  The result, however, was delicious, and accomplished my goal of still tasting good even after being reheated several times.  I was especially excited to get rave reviews from my mother-in-law who makes a great lasagna herself!  The proportions were great - cheesy but not too much cheese with plenty of sauce, and I think the fresh mozzarella adds a really special touch - I got several comments about it.  I served this with caesar salad and home-made whole wheat rolls, but I ran into some issues with those so the recipe on that will have to wait until I get it right :)

Classic Lasagna
adapted from Ina Garten

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 pound whole wheat (or regular) lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Take out a 9x13 baking dish (I used a disposable foil pan so as to not tie up one of my others while the lasagna was in the freezer).

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beef over medium-low heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl or dish with the hottest tap water (I used instant hot). Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (If you are using no-cook noodles, follow directions on the box - you may be able to skip this step.)

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of romano cheese, the egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta (this should fit nicely in one layer), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of romano. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Do ahead: Entire lasagna can be cooked according to directions above and frozen.  Place frozen lasagna covered in 350 degree oven for approximately 90 minutes, until lasagna is steamy when uncovered and knife inserted into the middle feels hot when removed.
 
Serves 8 for dinner, or 12 for lunch

Simplest Mac & Cheese

I know, I've already posted two mac & cheese recipes on this site, but I'm still on a quest for the perfect healthy recipe.  The Mac & Cheese (with Squash!) is yummy, and I love the Broccoli Mac & Cheese, but I have to admit pre-cooking pasta and making a cheese sauce is a bit of a pain.  It's not complicated, but inevitably requires lots of time and creates lots of dishwashing!  I had tried a recipe once before which didn't call for cooking the pasta or making a cheese sauce and it was pretty disappointing (greasy instead of creamy), but when my friend who is an excellent cook passed on a similar recipe, I was intrigued enough to try again.  As it turns out, the main differences in the recipes is that the new one called for 1/4 the amount of cheddar (!) and adding a bread crumb topping.  Less cheese could certainly solve the greasiness problem, but would it be good??

The first time I tried the recipe, I listened to her advice to just throw in an entire small onion instead of measuring 1/4 cup - big mistake!  I'm not sure if she really does this, but I found the resulting dish WAY too oniony (and I love onion!).  Plus, I thought I'd throw in some broccoli, which just complicated the results even more.  I decided to give it another try with no onion or broccoli so I could get a good baseline for the basic recipe. 

The result is a dish which is really tasty, although not particularly cheesy.  I'm not a fan of cottage cheese but couldn't detect it at all, and it really couldn't have been more simple to make.  The whole family gobbled it up as a great side dish to hot dogs (well, the munchkin had it as a side dish to her hot dog bun, but let's not split hairs!).  Next time I'm going to start playing with it again, possibly adding more cheddar since there's really not that much and I don't need the recipe to be quite THAT healthy!  A happy medium of 1:1 ratio cheddar to pasta might be right, instead of double or half.  Also might add in broccoli again (since the broccoli mac and cheese is the only way the munchkin will eat broccoli).  I will keep you posted on the variations, but in the mean time if you're looking for an easy and super healthy mac & cheese recipe, definitely give this one a try, and let me know if you make any changes that work (or not)!

(apologies, no pic again this time; we have gotten really bad at remembering to get out the camera while the food still looks good!  I promise an update at some point in the future! :)

Simplest Mac & Cheese
adapted from my friend

1½ cups cottage cheese (low fat or whole)
1½ cups milk (skim, low fat, or whole) or buttermilk
1 teaspoon dried mustard or 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Pinch of cayenne
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup grated onions (optional; I left this out and didn't miss it)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz), or more if you want to experiment
½ pound uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
¼ cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with a light coating of cooking spray or oil (this makes a very shallow mac & cheese...you could also use a smaller dish , or double the recipe in the 9x13).

In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, skim milk or buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the pureed mixture with onions (if using; or, if you use a food processor you can process them right in with the milk mixture and not pre-grate), cheddar cheese, and uncooked macaroni. Stir well.  Pour the mixture into the baking pan.

Combine the grated pecorino or parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top.  Bake for about 45 minutes until the top is browned and the center is firm.

Makes 6-8 side dish servings

Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

**This post has been updated since it's original posting date in December 2009**

My husband and I love pasta.  We could, and do, eat it several times a week, every week.  Usually we just make some pasta to toss with veggies and some chicken, but every once in a while we need to dress pasta up for company.  And that's where this recipe comes in.  It is a combination of recipes from 2 of my favorite Food Network chefs - Ellie Krieger, who makes healthier versions of traditional dishes, and Rachael Ray, who has great ideas for making quick meals.

The dish includes turkey meatballs, quick homemade tomato sauce, and whole wheat spaghetti - incredibly healthy, simple, and impressive and tasty enough for company, especially when served with a salad (e.g., caesar, or simple arugula) and some bread.  The sauce is also versatile - you can use it whenever you need a basic tomato sauce, since it comes together so quickly!

Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti
adapted from Food Network (here and here)

Meatballs
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread
1/2 cup carrot
1/2 small onion
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 cup chicken stock (or beef stock if using sauce with traditional meatballs or meatsauce)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
10 leaves fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
Splash of red wine (optional)

Other
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
Additional parmesan/romano cheese for passing at the table
Crusty bread
 
Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  Preheat the broiler on high.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick spray (olive or canola oil).
 
Place the ground turkey in a large bowl.  Remove the crust from a slice of wheat bread, pulse to crumbs in a food processor, and add to turkey.  Finely chop onion, garlic, and carrots in the food processor and add to turkey.  Add remaining ingredients (parmesan, egg, thyme, salt, and pepper) and mix well with clean hands.  Divide mixture into 12 lightly rolled balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
 
Place a saucepan over medium heat.  Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add chop onion and garlic for sauce.  Add oil, onion, garlic and red pepper to pan and sautee.  (Note that this is half the red pepper from the original recipe, which I think is enough to add subtle heat - feel free to add more if you prefer).  Once onions are soft, add crushed tomatoes and stock and simmer.
 
At this point, place the meatballs under the broiler for approximately 8-10 minutes, until tops are brown and meatballs are almost entirely cooked through.  Take the meatballs out of the broiler, and add to the sauce along with the basil and wine (if using)*.  At this point, salt the boiling water and add spaghetti.  The meatballs will keep cooking in the sauce while the pasta cooks.
 
When the pasta is ready, drain and toss with a few ladles of sauce, and pour the rest of the sauce and meatballs on top.  Serve with salad, bread, and additional parmesan or romano cheese. 
 
Serves 4 hungry adults

*This sauce is somewhat chunky, with obvious pieces of tomato and onion.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, feel free to use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the sauce before adding the meatballs, basil, and wine.

Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese is one of those foods that generally comes to mind when we think of unhealthy comfort foods.  But does it really have to be unhealthy?  The basic ingredients are actually pretty wholesome - pasta, cheese, and milk are good for you in moderation.  So my goal is to find a great mac & cheese recipe that is satisfying but can actually be a guilt-free part of my family's diet.  I've already shared with you my version of Ellie Krieger's Mac & Cheese with squash, but I recently had the thought that the dish could taste great with broccoli. 

Apparently I'm not the first to think of that idea because I was able to find plenty of recipes to work from!  I ended up choosing one originally from Cooking Light as a base, but then I tweaked and simplified since there were a lot of steps and the reviews weren't that great!  Major changes include using whole wheat pasta, a cheddar/romano mix instead of fontina/asiago (I mean really, mac & cheese without cheddar??), and skipping the onion and garlic (which sounded like too much work).  I also processed the broccoli into small pieces instead of florets and skipped the crushed red pepper to make it more munchkin-friendly.

Hubby and I were very pleased with the result!  Just like the squash version, this is definitely wholesome - no pasta swimming in a bowl of melted cheese like you'd get at a restaurant, but there was plenty of cheese, the texture was good, and I thought the broccoli was a nice addition!  It was a bit droopy when we first cut it (as you can see in the second picture), but actually firmed up and reheated nicely from the fridge, so I'm thinking if we'd had the patience to let it sit for a few minutes before cutting we could have actually cut it into squares.  Hubby's only complaint was that I made it as a main course and he thought it would be better as a side, but next time I'm going to try to work some chicken in so that this can really be a one dish meal.  Unfortunately the munchkin didn't love it, but then again, despite loving both pasta and cheese, she has not managed to like any mac & cheese I've given her (even a homemade version without veggies, and yes, even Kraft!).  But despite my finicky toddler, this recipe is definitely a keeper, and hopefully she'll come around one day :)

Broccoli Mac & Cheese
adapted from Cooking Light

1 pound broccoli
4 cups whole wheat elbow pasta (about 12 ounces)
3 3/4 cups 1% milk, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons grated romano cheese, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (fresh or dry, whole wheat or at least without hydrogenated oils if possible)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°, and spray a 9x13 baking dish with oil.  Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

While the water comes to a boil, chop broccoli into chunks and then process to very small pieces in a food processor. 

If you have time, here's some other prep work:
1) whisk together flour and 3/4 cup of milk
2) shred cheese (if necessary)
3) make topping by mixing bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons romano, and olive oil in a small bowl

When the water comes to a boil, add pasta, and then add broccoli 1-2 minutes before the end of the cooking time.  Drain both when the pasta is very al dente, and set aside.

Add milk/flour mixture and remaining 3 cups of milk to the pot and place over medium-high heat.  Bring milk to a boil, whisking regularly (this is another opportunity for prep work in between whisking).  Once it comes to a boil, whisk constantly for 1 minute or until thickened. 

Turn off heat and stir in cheddar and 1/4 cup romano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Add pasta and broccoli to milk mixture, tossing gently to coat. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with bread crumb mixture.  Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until the top is brown and cheese is bubbling.  If you have the patience, let sit for a few minutes before cutting.

Makes 8 servings

Arugula Walnut Pesto

I've mentioned my love of pasta, right?  Well, last week hubby asked me why we never have pasta anymore, which was kind of a shocking question.  But when I thought about it, I realized that I've been doing such a good job of trying new recipes that I forgot about the basics!  Well, that had to be fixed asap.  Especially with Passover coming up, last week was the perfect time to load up on pasta.  One night we just had spaghetti with sauteed veggies (I buy frozen mixed veggies so I always have something easy on hand), a little tomato sauce, and lots of romano (really, the whole meal was about the cheese!), and then another night I had some wild salmon to cook up, and decided a pesto pasta could be perfect.  I had also just bought some arugula for hubby's new favorite salad, and decided to try a pesto made with arugula as a complement. 

I did a quick search and came across a recipe on Simply Recipes that looked really exciting.  In some ways it was a pretty standard pesto, but included two new techniques that I had never seen before - did you know that you can "roast" garlic in minutes without any oil by putting cloves in a saute pan with the skins on?  And that you can "toast" walnuts in the microwave??  I had to give this a try!

The result was great.  In my opinion it's really hard to mess up pesto, and this one had a nice bright flavor from the arugula.  I also loved the roasted garlic - lately I've ended up with some really potent heads of garlic, and have been having a hard time finding the right balance when using it raw.  But the roasting allowed a nice subtle garlic taste without overdoing it.  It was a hit with hubby and the munchkin, too, and, like Spinach Walnut Pesto, is a good way for me to integrate more greens and nuts into our diets.

Arugula Walnut Pesto
adapted from Simply Recipes

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups packed baby arugula leaves
1/2 cup grated romano cheese
1/2 cup olive oil

Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.

Toast the walnuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor.  The walnuts didn't actually get brown, but they definitely took on a toasted smell without risk of burning :)

Combine the arugula, walnuts, and garlic into a food processor. Pulse just to combine, and then drizzle in olive oil while running continuously.  Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the cheese and season with a few grinds of black pepper to taste.

Mix with cooked pasta, adding some of the starchy cooking water or some extra oil if necessary. 

Makes enough for approximately 4 servings of pasta

Mac & Cheese (with Squash!)

It should be clear by now that Kraft Mac & Cheese, as yummy as it might be, is not something I'd consider cooking for my family (sodium tripoly-phosphate? yellow 5 AND 6?).  I have made the Annie's Organic Whole Wheat Shells & White Cheddar, and while I feel ok about the ingredient list, it just doesn't taste all that good.  So that led me to a quest for a home-made version that's not too unhealthy or hard to make. 

I started with this one from Smitten Kitchen, which had the appeal of not requiring me to boil the pasta OR make a cheese sauce first!  Unfortunately, it was too good to be true...the dish came out more like pasta with some melted cheese on it, and was greasy instead of creamy.  Even Deb at Smitten Kitchen later posted another mac & cheese recipe after deciding this super-easy one wasn't up to her standards!  I considered giving that one a try, but making croutons for the topping sounded a bit ambitious (remember, my cooking is SIMPLY wholesome!) and a pound and a half of cheese plus a stick of butter for a pound of pasta seemed a bit excessive.

So I went back to Ellie Krieger, the queen of lightening up traditional favorites.  A few years back I made her mac & cheese recipe for my in-laws, but couldn't really remember if I liked it.  Time to try again!  Well, I am very happy with the results.  This recipe is way more wholesome - there is only roughly a half pound of cheese for a pound of pasta, a ratio I think is much more reasonable, and she managed to include a vegetable for some added nutrients.  Plus, it is actually really tasty!  Let me be clear - this is not the ooey gooey mac & cheese with the buttery crust that you would get in a restaurant.  But if you are looking for a healthier version, this one is very enjoyable.  The squash actually helps create a creamy consistency and adds a little sweetness, which is balanced by the mustard and cayenne.  It tasted good right out of the oven, and then again on day 2 reheated in the microwave, so it's also a nice dish to have in the fridge.

Mac & Cheese (with Squash!)
adapted from Food Network

Non-stick spray
1 pound whole wheat pasta (elbow, or I used spirals because I couldn't find whole wheat elbows)
2 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups 1 percent milk
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, shredded, reserving 1/2 cup for topping
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is the original amount, which does not add a ton of heat, so feel free to add more if you prefer a good amount of spice)
2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons grated parmesan or romano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but firm (subtract about 2 minutes from the cooking time on the box).  Drain in a colander when cooked.

Meanwhile, place frozen squash on a microwave-safe plate, cut slits in plastic, and microwave 4-6 minutes until completely thawed.  This is also a good time to shred the cheese if you bought blocks, collect the rest of the ingredients, and start making the topping (combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons parmesan/romano, and oil in a small bowl).

Once the pasta is in the colander and the squash is thawed, add squash and milk to the empty pot.  Cook over medium-low heat, whisking a few times,  until mixture is smooth and almost simmering.  (Finish making the topping while it cooks if you haven't already).  Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese (except the 1/2 cup reserved cheddar and 2 tablespoons of parmesan/romano), salt, mustard and cayenne pepper.  Add the pasta and stir to combine.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.

Sprinkle the reserved half cup of cheddar over the mac & cheese, followed by the bread crumb mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and broil for 3 minutes or until the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Serves 8 as a side dish or lunch portion

Spinach Walnut Pesto

As I've already told you, we are big fans of pasta in our house.  And while it doesn't take much to make it exciting in my view (straight from the fridge with nothing on it is just fine!), I do like to vary the ways I eat it.  So far I've shared with you my mom's pasta salad and my spaghetti with turkey meatballs, but yet another preparation I love is pesto.  I find the smell of basil heavenly, love toasted pine nuts, and really, what isn't good with olive oil and romano cheese? 

But while a traditional pesto is certainly delicious, I was inspired this weekend to try a different spin to add a little nutritional boost.  We went up to visit my husband's sister and her family, and she had some leftover ravioli-type pasta which was stuffed with a spinach-parmesan cheese mixture.  And guess what - my little munchkin who doesn't like vegetables ate spinach when it was mixed with cheese and pasta!  I thought about how I could recreate this at home.  Homemade stuffed pasta is a little beyond my energy level at this point, but in the back of my mind I remembered seeing recipes for pesto made with spinach instead of basil and had my answer!  And as an added benefit, most of the spinach pesto recipes I found included walnuts instead of pine nuts - walnuts have higher levels than any other nut of those famous omega-3 fats we're all trying to eat more of.  Perfect!

I found a recipe published in The Washington Post that used frozen spinach, which made the preparation even easier, and bought some organic whole wheat spiral pasta that would hold plenty of pesto.  I also decided to throw in the rest of the sun-dried tomatoes that were still hanging out from the last time I made pasta salad, and cook up some free-range chicken in my freezer for some added protein.  Remember my lemon oregano chicken, which I told you was totally versatile?  Well in this case I used dried basil instead of oregano, and only used half a lemon because that's what I had left over from the pesto, and it was great - enough flavor to be tasty, but not so much that it competed with the pesto.

In the end, hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal for dinner last night AND lunch today, and the munchkin liked the pasta, too!  She didn't inhale it quite like her normal pasta with olive oil (she doesn't like tomato sauce yet...so sad...), but she certainly ate enough to call it dinner - a succcess in my book!

Spinach Walnut Pesto
adapted from The Washington Post

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted
2 teaspoons dried basil*
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Drain the spinach by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and twisting over the sink. Place it in the bowl of a food processor with all other ingredients except the oil. Pulse until finely chopped.

With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to form a smooth, thick paste.  Toss with hot pasta and add a little of the starchy cooking water from the pasta if necessary to loosen the pesto.  Add whatever else you are including in the dish and serve.

You can also cover and refrigerate if making it ahead.  Note that unlike basil, spinach does not turn brown as it oxidizes, so this pesto keeps it's bright green color much longer!

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups, and I used about 75% of that for 1 lb of pasta.


*The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves and 1 teaspoon dried, but I hate buying fresh basil, using a small amount, and throwing away the rest, as has happened way too many times.  So until I figure out how to keep a plant alive and grow my own basil, I try to only buy it when I'll be able to use the whole package.  That being said, I'm sure this would taste delicious the original way!

Mom's Pasta Salad

My mom has a few classic recipes that are favorites across my whole family - marinated skirt steak, brisket, and meatballs to name a few.  Another one is her pasta salad with fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes.  This salad has made appearances at countless barbeques and other events and is always a hit.  So of course I have felt the need to steal this recipe!  I brought this few years in a row to my office holiday potluck because it can be made in advance, travels well, and is actually best served at room temperature.  It's also healthy when eaten in moderation (although moderation is actually a huge challenge), since it includes whole wheat pasta (if you want), veggies, and a reasonable amount of olive oil.  This weekend I made the pasta salad to bring to some friends who just had a baby because it's the perfect snack to have around.  But of course I couldn't resist making a double batch so we could keep some for ourselves, and as it turns out the munchkin is a fan, too!  Well, she'll eat the pasta - she handed the cheese and broccoli back to me, and she can't quite manage sun-dried tomatoes yet, but close enough :)

I've done my best to convert some estimates to actual amounts, but feel free to adjust the recipe based on your preferences!  My mom often includes peppers, and you could certainly include whatever sounds good to you.


Pasta Salad with Mozzarella and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 lb spiral pasta (whole wheat for health, or tri-color for presentation, or if you're making a double batch you could do one box of each like I did in the picture above!)
1/2 lb (approx 1 pint) fresh mozzarella ciliegini (little balls)
1 bunch broccoli
1/4 lb (approx 1 cup) sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp grated romano (or parmesan)
1 tbsp olive oil

Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup olive oil

Put a pot of water up to boil.  Pour hot water over the sun-dried tomatoes and let sit.  Cut broccoli into bite-sized florets.

Prepare dressing:  in a bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together all ingredients except oil, and then slowly add the oil, continuing to whisk constantly, until emulsified.

Preheat a large non-stick sautee pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, and then add broccoli.  Season with salt and pepper and sautee until just starting to turn dark green.  Broccoli will still be very crunchy - you're just trying to get rid of the rawness.  (At this point you could also sautee any other vegetables you'd like to include.)

Meanwhile, when water boils, add pasta and cook until just al dente.  If you are combining whole wheat and tri-color pasta for a double batch, check the cooking times on the box, as you may need to add the whole wheat a few minutes earlier. 

While the pasta cooks, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces.

When the pasta is done, drain and quickly toss with broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and about 2/3 of the dressing (this means you'll want to make sure all of your other ingredients are ready before the pasta).  Taste and add a drop more dressing if still dry.  Allow pasta mixture to cool, and then add mozzarella (if you add cheese while pasta is still warm it will take on the shape of the spirals!).  Add additional dressing as needed.  Sprinkle on romano and toss.

Keeps well in the fridge for several days, but is best if brought to room temperature before serving.

Makes 6-8 side-dish servings.