Cheese Tortellini

(I couldn't find this on here, if it has already been posted we can delete this one.)

Ingredients:
1 (19oz) bag of frozen cheese tortellini 
1 small bag of fresh spinach (I used about half of a 5 oz package, but more is better!)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 block (8 oz) of cream cheese** (softened in microwave)
1 lb. of ground sausage or chicken/turkey sausage
3-4 cups of chicken broth (start with 3, add 1 more if it looks like it needs it)

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot,
chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 4-6 hrs.

Serves 4-6 

*Keep an eye on your tortellini, it may be done sooner.
*If still soupy, leave lid off for the last half hour or so of cooking. 
*For a vegetarian version, omit sausage and use vegetable broth instead.

Italian Chopped Salad

Sweet Italian Dressing:
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
2 T. Honey
1 tsp. dried Italian Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. olive oil

Place vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper in blender or food processor.  While machine is running, slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing is combined and emulsified.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Add more oil for less acidity.

Salad:
1lb bacon
2 c. ditalini pasta, cooked al dente and cooled
1 c. crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 hears romaine lettuce, chopped
1/4 small red cabbage (optional or use more lettuce)
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small red onion, minced

Cook pasta, drain and cool.  Preheat over to 375* line baking pan and cook bacon for 10-15 (or until crispy OR cut bacon into piece and fry until bacon bits are done.)

In large bowl, combine the bacon, cooked pasta, gorgonzola, romaine lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes and red onion.  Add dressing and toss  OR build your own salad.

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

1 can tomatoes with green chiles
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz process cheese, cubed or shredded
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked, cubed
7 oz vermicellie, cooked, drained

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the tomatoes with green chiles with the undiluted soup in a large skillet.  Add the cheese and chicken.  Cook until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.  Place the vermicelli in a greased casserole. Pour the cheese mixture over the vermicelli.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serves 8

alfredo, broccoli, and cheese pasta

Ingredients -

• 1 pound box of shell pasta
• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken breast
• 1 – 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
• 1 – 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce (I used one jar, but I think it need two to make more creamy)
• 1 - 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting chicken
• lemon pepper (didnt use)

Directions -
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts then season them well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let the chicken cool until you can safely handle it, then shred it and set it aside. (I didnt do this I just boiled chicken and shredded it)
2. Put a large pot of salted water (at least a gallon) to boil. Once it’s come to a rolling boil pour the pasta into the pot, stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to ensure even cooking. Once it’s finished, drain pasta and set aside.
3. Steam the broccoli in the microwave by dumping the bag in a microwave safe container. Add a little water then cover tightly with plastic wrap – don’t forget to poke a few holes to let steam out. I cooked mine for 4 minutes – they don’t have to be completely cooked through.
4. Get a large bowl out add pasta, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli and alfredo sauce, then season well with lemon pepper. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and pour the pasta mixture then sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or if you like your cheese to brown and bubbly, you can place it under the broiler for a few minutes instead. Enjoy!

Creamy Jambalaya Pasta

I am not a huge Jambalaya fan, but this was VERY good!  Zach and I both LOVED it.
http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/09/creamy-jambalaya-pasta.html

Creamy Jambalaya Pasta
adapted from Steamy Kitchen
(Printable Recipe)
1/2 pound Farfalle pasta
1/2 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup heavy cream (or half & half or evaporated milk)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion or 2 Tbsp minced onion flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Parmesan cheese


In a large pot, boil water for pasta. Salt water.  Boil pasta and cook until al dente.  Set aside.

Brown sausage in a small skillet over medium heat. Once browned, add onion and saute for two minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add white wine to skillet, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.  Let wine reduce by half, about two minutes.
Stir in Cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, pepper and tomato sauce. Add cream and heat to almost bubbling, then reduce heat to low. Allow the cream mixture to reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Toss with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan.

Ramen Noodles Recipes

Ramen Beef
(This can be cut in half for smaller servings)
1 lb hamburger, browned and drain
-Sprinkle 1 ramen season packet over beef, set aside.

2 c. water
2 c. frozen vegetables
1/4 tsp. ginger
2 pkg. ramen noddles
1 ramen season packet
-Boil, then simmer 3 minutes.  Drain.  Add to beef


Chicken Broccoli
Cook 2 ramen packets according to instructions, drain.

Add:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 - 1 1/2 c. broccoli
Heat through in casserole dish.


Chicken Ramen Soup

Cook 2 pkg ramen noddles in 1 can chicken broth and 3/4 cup water.

Add 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp pepper and ramen seasoning.

Add 1 pkg frozen vegetables (suggested to use peas with onions) and 1 can shredded chicken.

Serve with sprinkled paprika.

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 box bowtie pasta
1 bag spiral pasta
4-5 c. cooked, cubed or shredded chicken
2 c. diced celery
4 green onion, sliced
2 c. grapes, halved
1 lg can mandarin oranges
1 sm can mandarin oranges
1 lg can pineapple tidbits
1 bag raisins or craisins
1 can water chestnuts (opt)
1 can cashews
1 bottle coleslaw dressing
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise

Cook 3/4 bag and box of pasta according to package directions.  Drain & rinse; set aside.  Mix all ingredients together, except mandarin oranges, coleslaw dressing and mayo, in large bowl.  Toss gently.

Combine coleslaw dressing and mayo together and pour over salad until all ingredients are coated.  Gently stir in oranges and chill.

*Can omit chicken for a salad only*

Lasagna Crockpot

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 jar (28oz) spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. water
1 (16oz) cottage cheese
2 c. mozzarella cheese

Break noodles in half.  Place half of the noodles in bottom of 4qt. slow cooker. (I usually only use 6-8 noodles.)  Stir italian seasoning into meat and spread half over noodles.  Then layer half of the sauce, half the water, half the cottage cheese, and half the mozzarella cheese over beef.  Repeat layers.  Cover and cook on low heat 4-5 hrs.  Do not cook more than 5 hrs.

Fiesta Chicken Pasta

2 c. rotini pasta, uncooked
1 tbsp oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 c. chopped red peppers
1/4 c. zesty italian dressing
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on med-high heat.  Add chicken, cook and stir 6 minutes.  Add peppers, dressing & chili powder.  Cook 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently.  Stir in salsa and sour cream.  Toss pasta with chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese to eat.

Tortellini Soup

1 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves fresh garlic
4 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz)
18-20 oz. package fresh four cheese tortellini
1/4 c. frshly grated parmesan
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 oz) not Italian or Mexican
(I put in 2...oops! It was still delicious and I don't like tomatoes!  However I did blend mine up so there wasn't huge tomato chunks.)
1 bunch of fresh clean spinach or 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
6 fresh basil leaves chopped or 1 tsp. dried crumbled basil

Melt butter in soup pot on medium heat. Add crushed garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in broth; add tortellini and bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer briefly until tortellini are just tender (about 5 min). Stir in tomatoes, spinach, and basil. Simmer 3 minutes. Serve and sprinkle parmesan on top.

To freeze:  I simmered the soup without the pasta in it. Then added the pasta at the end till it was just barely al dente. I can get 2 bags of soup from each pot. When the soup cools add the parmesan to the mix before freezing.

Creamy Chicken Alfredo

1/4 c. flour
2-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Only cook what you will eat)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Sprinkle chicken with salt; coat with flour.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken; cook, turning once until golden, 2-4 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from skillet; place in a 9x13 baking dish.

2. heat remaining olive oil in same skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender, 1-2 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high; add whipping cream, parmesan and pepper.  Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Spoon sauce over chicken in dish.

3. Bake chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of chicken registers 180*F, 8-12 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

4. I cooked some linguine pasta while chicken was baking.  Place the pasta on the plate and top with chicken and sauce.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in a Creamy Lemon Sauce

(click here for printable version) - From The Farm Girl Recipes http://thefarmgirlrecipes.blogspot.com

12 oz  Tortellini (find them in the dry pasta aisle and the only brand my store carried was Barilla Parmesan Cheese but any kind should work)

6 strips bacon 

3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced

2 Tbs flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. cream

¾ t. kosher salt

⅛ t. black pepper

1 1/2 t. dry basil

¼ t. red pepper flakes, optional

1 medium lemon

2 c loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped

¾ c. grated mozzarella cheese, divided

¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

2.  Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and cream continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

3.  While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon--be careful not to get any of the white part in the sauce, it is quite bitter.  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add zest and lemon juice to sauce.  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

4.  Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

5.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and serve.  Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese

1/4 c. margarine or butter
2 c. uncooked elbow maracroni
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. green pepper chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic salt (I usually saute a fresh garlic clove in the butter)
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/8 t. dry mustard (I have left this out when I dont have any)
2 c. water (more if needed)
1/4 c. flour
1 can (13oz) evaporated milk
2 c. (8oz) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

In large skillet melt butter over low heat. Add uncooked macaroni, onion, green pepper and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 7 minutes or until onion becomes transparent. Add water, bring to boil. Cover simmer 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle flour over mixture, blend well. Stir in evaporated milk and shredded cheese. Simmer 5 minutes longer stirring occasionally until cheese melts. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken and Noodles Skillet

1 T. Vegetable Oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 c. broccoli or peas
1 c. carrots chopped
1 c. uncooked egg noodles
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup

In skillet, heat oil over medium-heat. Brown chicken and onions in oil.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender.

High altitude (3500-6500 ft.): In step 2, add up to ¼ c. water during simmer time if mixture is too thick.

Cheesy Pasta Twists

6 c. rotini pasta cooked and drained
1 jar (24 oz.) Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
      Add amount desired to taste
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Stir the pasta and sauce in a skillet and heat over medium heat until the mixture is hot.
Reduce the heat to low. Top with cheese. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted.

Creamy Pesto Chicken and Bowties

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk
½ cup prepared pesto sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
Heat butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often.
Add soup, milk and pesto sauce. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in pasat and heat through.

Pasta with the Works

1 medium green pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
½ cup thick sliced pepperoni
2 cups pasta sauce
1/3 cup ripe olives
4 cups corkscrew pasta
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Paremesan cheese

Cook pepper and pepperoni in medium skillet over medium heat until pepper is tender-crisp, stirring often.
Add pasta sauce and olives. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes.
Stir in pasta and mozzarella cheese. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Cheesy Tortellini Bake

Olive Oil
2 cups marinara or alfredo sauce
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I don't like dried thyme it in!)
1 lb cheese tortellini
2 oz smoked mozzarella (I just use normal mozzarella)
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil an 8x8" baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, cream cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted. About 30 minutes.