Summer Minestrone Soup

2 T olive oil
1 c sliced carrot
1 c sliced celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
8 c. chicken stock
14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes, drained
14.5 ounces cannellini beans, drained
2 c chopped yellow squash
2 c chopped zucchini
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 c fresh green beans
1/2 c uncooked pasta
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 ounces kale, chopped
1/4 c. pesto
2 ounces parmesan cheese

Add oil to a pan and heat.  Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste, cook 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.  Smash 1 c of the beans in a bowl and add the beans (smashed and unsmashed), squash, pepper, green beans, pasta to the pan.  Increase heat to medium and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in kale and cook 2 minutes.  When you serve, top with pesto and cheese.

Tortellini soup

1 bag frozen tortellini
1 sm bag of fresh spinach
2 cans italian diced tomatoes
1 box of veggie broth
1 block of cream cheese

Put it all into a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Skillet chicken and mozarella

I found this in Cooking Light and adapted it a little.  And cleaned up the very confusing directions. (you're welcome) This is easy and was a hit at our house.

1/3 c. panko
2 T grated parmesan
2 tsp butter (melted)
1 T olive oil
4 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 c chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c. chopped tomato
3/4 c. marinara
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T chopped oregano
2 oz. mozarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400
Chop the tomatoes and onions, and have the minced garlic ready to go (so peel and chop now if you need to).
In a small bowl, put the grated parmesan cheese and butter.  
Heat a large skillet to medium, and add panko.  Saute for 3 minutes - it will start to turn brown.
Add the panko to the bowl is parmesan and butter.

In the hot pan you just dumped the panko out of, add olive oil, and swirl it around until the bottom of the pan is coated.  Put chicken in the pan and salt/pepper it.  Cook 5 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes on the other side.  Remove the chicken from the pan and put it on a plate.

In the same hot pan that the chicken just came out of, add a little more oil, onion, and garlic.  Saute for 2 minutes, and then add tomato, marinara, chicken broth, some salt and pepper, and oregano.  Put the chicken back in the pan with this mixture and bring it all to a boil.

Pour all the mixture in the pan into a corning ware dish, and sprinkle the panko mixture over the top.  Bake in th eoven on 400 for 10 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Chicken tetrazzini

10 oz. linguini (whole wheat)

2 T butter

¼ c. whole wheat four

2 ½ c. chicken broth

12 oz. evaporated milk

½ c. parmesan cheese

1 oz. fat free cream cheese

Kosher salt, black pepper

4 T olive oil

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 small chopped onion

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsp. fresh thyme

½ c. white wine

4 chicken breasts, shredded and cooked

1 package of frozen green peas

 

Cook the pasta and drain.  Melt the butter in a skillet, and whisk in flour.  Cook for two minutes, stirring the whole time.  Add chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil.  Simmer for five minutes.  Remove from heat and add in the cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper.

 

Sautee mushrooms, onion and thyme in oolive oil.  Cook for three minutes.  Add in wine and cook for another minute.  Combine all the ingredients/mixtures together in a 9x13 pan.  Top with breadcrumbs (if you want) and bake on 350 until browned.    Adapted from Cooking Light. 

Pasta Fagioli Crockpot Italian Soup Thing

This recipe is really great, and is a knock off of something they serve at Olive Garden.  It is really great and everyone in my family loved it. 

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2-28 oz can of diced tomatoes
16 oz. red kidney beans
16 oz. cannellini beans
30 oz. beef broth
3 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. pepper
5 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
20 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce

Brown the meat and add everything to your crock pot.  This will make A LOT of soup, so make sure you have a big crock pot.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.  Boil some pasta (whole wheat elbows or shells) and mix it in the bowls when you serve.  Top with parmesan or mozzarella cheese. 

Chicken Bowtie Pasta

Disclaimer--I will cook this this weekend, and will probably use chicken broth for the wine.  I'll let you know how it goes, but since it is Pioneer Woman, I have a sneaking suspicion that I know what the result will be.
Update--made it this weekend, and it was yummy.  It might need something...else...maybe twice as much garlic, and next time, I will probably throw in a little basil from the garden.  

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo

Prep Time:5 Minutes

Cook Time:20 Minutes

Difficulty:Easy

Servings:6

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Bowtie Pasta (farfalle)
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Dry White Wine (may Substitute Low-sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning
• 3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, slice into thin strips, and set aside.
Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by the minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in wine (or broth), then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it's all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.
When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it's all combined. Again, if it gets too gloopy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)
Taste it, adjust seasonings, and top with minced parsley and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

Baked Ziti - Pioneer Woman style

  I love the Pioneer Woman, and even though I have not made this yet, I know I will love it.  I encourage you to read the real recipe on her website here because she is precious and posts a lot of cute pictures and commentary. 

Baked Ziti

Added by Ree on November 25, 2012 in Main Courses, Pasta

Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 45 Minutes

Servings 12

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 pound Italian Sausage
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 can (28 Ounce Can) Whole Tomatoes, With Juice
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces, weight Ziti Or Mostaciolli, Cooked Until Not Quite Al Dente
• 1 tub (15 Ounce) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1-½ pound Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
• ½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 whole Egg
• Fresh Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for several minutes, or until starting to soften. Add Italian sausage and ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off fat, leaving a bit behind for flavor and moisture.
Add tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. After that time, remove 3 to 4 cups of the sauce to a different bowl to cool down.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, 2 cups of the grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir together just a couple of times (do not mix completely).
Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and cool it down. Pour it into the bowl with the cheese mixture and toss to slightly combine (there should still be large lumps.) Add the cooled meat sauce and toss to combine.
Add half the coated pasta to a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the top, then top with half the remaining mozzarella cheese. Repeat with another layer of the coated pasta, the sauce, and the mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
(Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta before serving!)

Italian Hillside soup

+Modified from my crock pot cookbook

1 green bell pepper
2 stalks of celery
1/2 yellow onion
----chop these and sautee in a pan with about 1 tablespoon of EVOO.  Cook until soft, or about as long as it takes you to assemble the rest of the ingredients.

2 small zucchinis
1 box (32 oz) of chicken broth
1 can of diced tomatoes with oregano, garlic and basil
1 can of navy beans (or 2 cans...), rinsed
1 tsp minced garlic
8 oz. frozen green beans

Add all of this to the crock pot and cook on low for about 5 1/2 hours. 

When you are about 30 minutes from eating, toss in a box or container of tortellini.  I threw in a box of cheese tortellini (7 oz), and then added some frozen, too.  Also, toss in about 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil from your garden (about 15 big leaves).

I served this with cheesy biscuits.  I think you could also throw in about 4 frozen chicken breasts and it would be great.  YUM! 

bruschetta

A couple of variations:

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
8 fresh basil leaves
black pepper
12 1/2" slices of Italian bread.

OR

2 tomatoes (maybe Roma?)
2-3 large cloves of pressed garlic
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 T. EVOO
Sea salt

Brush bread slices with olive oil and toast


Either way, toast the bread, serve.

Prosciutto Garlic chicken

This is super easy, and super yummy!

8 Chicken breasts
8 slices of prosciutto
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 T butter, melted

Mix the garlic and butter.  Brush/spoon over the chicken breasts.  Wrap in the prosciutto.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350.  I served this with freshly steamed garlic spinach:

one bag of spinach (10 oz)
2 T olive oil (eyeball it)
1 clove of garlic, chopped

Cook the garlic in the oil until the garlic smells strong (3 minutes?).  Dump in the spinach and stir until the spinach is covered in the oil.  Cook until the spinach is just wilted (2 minutes).  Add salt and pepper. 

Chicken Spaghetti

from my friend Jamey from law school:

1 package of chicken breast or 3 cans of canned chicken (I would rather vomit than eat canned chicken...but apparently you can eat canned chicken and be OK because that is how the recipe was given to me...)
1 c. onion, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1 package of spaghetti
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 jar of cheese whiz
cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken breast and cut into small pieces. Saute the onion and celery in butter and pepper. Cook the spaghetti. Add it all together except for the cheddar cheese. Put in a 9x13 baking dish, and top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Easy Italian--Spaghetti and Pita Pizzas

I love Italian food so much, and lately everything I eat tastes fancier and yummier with a few sprinkles of goat cheese and some fresh basil leaves (straight out of the back yard) on it.

Spaghetti:

To make this healthier, remember to use whole wheat noodles. Read the package carefully, because sometimes noodles labeled as "wheat" are not the healthy "whole wheat." If you are trying to get used to whole wheat, try angel hair or some other fine pasta, rather than trying to choke down some thick spaghetti.

For sauce, check out the new Giada lines of pasta at Target. Also, Bertolli has some good sauce. Whatever kind of sauce you use, read the label very carefully and make sure sugar is not listed as an ingredient. Sugar is hiding in a lot of sauces, and is unnecessary and can sabotage your efforts to lose weight.

After you cook the sauce, you can add in crushed tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes for extra flavor.

Of course, sprinkle with goat cheese, add a few cherry or grape tomatoes, maybe some capers and black olives, and a few leaves of fresh basil. Yum-o.


Pita pizzas:

A few years ago, my friends introduced me to this wonderful easy Italian dinner. Top some pita bread (look for whole wheat or low carb for a healthier option) with some tomato sauce (see above), Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, parmesan), and top with your favorite toppings. Throw in the oven on broil and watch very carefully to make sure it does not burn. It is wonderful and takes about five minutes to cook.

Spinach Alfredo Fettuccini

This recipe is from my friend Amy, from her friend Sara. Yummy yummy yummy. I will probably add some chicken in when I make it, so it feels like more of a meal to my kiddos.

Spinach Alfredo Fettuccine
Southern Living JULY 2001
Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) package frozen creamed spinach, thawed (could use fresh or frozen non-creamed too)
• 1 (10-ounce) container refrigerated Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces fettuccine, cooked
• 2 green onions, chopped

• Cook spinach and Alfredo sauce in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thoroughly heated. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, basil, and pepper. Serve over pasta; top with remaining cheese and green onions.
Add in baked chicken breasts, chopped up, and serve with french bread.

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

2 lb. chopped tomatoes
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
16 oz. linguine
1/2 cup pine nuts

Toss tomatoes with cream cheese and dressing, refrigerate for two hours. Cook pasta and toss with the tomato mixture and pine nuts.

From Kraftfoods

Cavatappi with Arugula Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes

From Cooking Light's summer recipes. Can tell I'll have to double the pine nuts. I'll probably serve with some cool chicken or ham that I've baked the day before. And this looks like one of those recipes where it will taste better the second day.

Review: Made the Pesto on Sunday night and left in the fridge until Tuesday evening. Served with cut up chicken breasts and spaghetti. This was a win!

Ingredients

Pesto:
* 5 cups trimmed arugula
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1/3 cup water
* 2 tablespoons EVOO


Remaining ingredients:
* 1 pound uncooked cavatappi (I'll find something similar that is Whole Wheat)
* 2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (about 3/4 pound)
* 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Preparation

To prepare pesto, combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely minced. With processor on, slowly pour 1/3 cup water and oil through food chute; process until well blended.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Combine pesto, pasta, and tomatoes in a large bowl; toss well. Sprinkle pine nuts over pasta. Serve immediately.

Penne with Asparagus, Bacon and Spinach

Ingredients
• 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (whole wheat)
• 2 bacon slices (I'll use turkey bacon, and I will use more than two slices!)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Preparation
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to bacon pan (with a little Pam or butter if there isn't any grease); sauté 1 minute. Add asparagus and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add pasta, spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper to pan; toss well. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bacon.

I bet this will be one of those things that is better after it sits a little while, so it would be great to make the night before for the next day's dinner.

Slow cooker lasagna

Chef Meg's Slow Cooker Lasagna

I love Chef Meg--she is a contributor to a lot of great recipe websites and has healthy things to contribute. I am a little hesitant about cooking with eggplant, since I've only tried one eggplant recipe before, but I'm not going to skip it in this recipe.

*Review: I made this recipe for my family and it was not a big hit. Three of the five people in my house refused to eat any or more than a bite. I assembled it the night before (using regular lasagna noodles) and put the crock pot in the fridge. Then, it was ready to crock the next day, slowly. It was all OK, but was missing something. My husband suggested using Italian sausage instead of ground beef, and I may try that next time. Either that or add some Italian seasoning, basil, or more red pepper. I also think that you could substitute squash or zucchini for the eggplant and be fine.

INGREDIENTS
16 oz (1 lb) ground beef,
2 c eggplant, diced (no need to peel it) <--- I'm going to peel it.
1 jar marinara sauce (I will use Classico's Tomato Basil since it does not have added sugar)
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 t dried thyme
1 1/4 c water
15 oz. ricotta cheese, part skim
1 T parsley chopped
1/4 c egg substitute(or 1 egg white)
1 c shredded Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella)
6 lasagna noodles, dried, no boil variety

DIRECTIONS
Brown the ground beef in a skillet over moderate heat; drain any excess fat. Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant, and water. In a bowl combine the egg substitute, ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and parsley. Place enough meat sauce to cover the bottom of slow cooker. Top with 2-3 noodles, broken to cover the meat sauce. Repeat layer. Top second layer with cheese mixture and finish with a top layer of the meat mixture. Cover and set slow cooker on low. Cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Number of Servings: 8

Pizza Rolls

We love DoubleDaves, but when I heard my sister-in-law (who lives in the woods) made her own pizza rolls, I thought I would give it a shot. While nothing can replace DoubleDaves, this is healthier (I think) and cheaper option:

Pizza Rolls

--Canned pizza dough (find it near the biscuits at the store, or make your own)--I tried thick and thin crust and liked thin the best
--mozzarella cheese, grated
--turkey pepperoni (much less fat, and not as greasy as regular pepperoni)

You could add other pizza toppings, too, but I haven't tried it yet.

Unroll the dough and cut it into triangles. Layer cheese and pepperoni on the triangle. Start at a straight edge and roll. You'll probably have to mush the edges down so they don't unroll and there might be a little cheese on the outside (but that just makes it yummier)

Brush them with melted butter and bake as directed for the dough. When the rolls get out of the oven, you might want to brush them again with melted butter (and sprinkle in some garlic salt with the melted butter and I bet it is yum!)

David's Pasta Salad

I also call this "Finger Salad" because one time when I was making it, I chopped off part of my finger. Yuck.

1 lb. small shell pasta
1/2 lb. salami
1 lb. provolone cheese
1/2 lb. Mortidella or cajun turkey
1/2 lb. ham
20 pitted black jumbo olives, sliced
20 green queen olives (stuffed), sliced
1/2 c. minced yellow onion
1 or 2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped fresh thyme
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 c. EVOO

Dressing:
6 tbsp. apple cider or balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp or 1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
Garnish:
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded

Chop cheeses and meats into 1/4" cubes
Mix the salad ingredients in a large bowl
Season with salt and pepper
Wisk dressing ingredients and pour over pasta.

Italian Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (I leave this out because I think that mushrooms look like brains)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
1 onion, chopped
26 oz. spaghetti sauce (I use the Classico Tomato & Basil because it is sugar free)
Spaghetti or other pasta

Combine all ingredients (other than the pasta) in the crock pot and cook on low for six or eight hours. Serve over cooked pasta.