Macaroni & Cheese

There's a gazillion recipes for mac & cheese.  This is my go to recipe.  My kids love it.  I love the leftovers--it's super thick the next day.  I have added different types of cheeses--swiss, regular cheddar, etc.

Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb pasta

3/4 cup butter

4 Tbsp flour

1 tsp salt

3 cups milk

1 lb. Velveeta

1 cup shredded cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta until al dente.  Meanwhile melt butter in a large saucepan on medium low heat.  Then whisk in flour and salt.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in milk.  Stir often and cook over medium heat until mixture becomes thick.  Add Velveeta and shredded cheese, stir until cheese melts.  

Combine cooked noodles with cheese sauce.  Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes or heat in crock pot on low for 1 hour.

Creamy Chicken & Zucchini Pasta

If you're a gardener, you know that August brings zucchini.  Much zucchini.  I came up with this recipe because my family was tired of the regulars.  My WHOLE family ate this and loved it. 

Creamy Chicken & Zucchini Pasta

1 lb pasta

1 minced onion

salt & pepper

3 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups chopped zucchini

2 cups cooked & shredded chicken

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on box/bag.  Meanwhile saute the onion with garlic, butter, salt, & pepper at a low temperature.  Once onions are soft and translucent, add zucchini and chicken.  Stir and cook together for 1 minute.  Add broth, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese then cook on medium for 2-3 minutes.

Drain pasta, stir into zucchini/cream mixture.

I use a rotisserie chicken.  Easy to shred up, and the broth is already in the bottom of the rotisserie container.

Proof that kids love it too!

Chicken Tetrazzini

Who likes noodles? Everyone does! This meal is my go-to when I'm short on time. The ingredients are always in my pantry/fridge/freezer. Today I even had leftover cooked chicken breasts in the fridge so the meal was prepared in the time it took the angel hair pasta to cook.
Chicken Tetrazzini
12 oz angel hair pasta
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese - mozzarella or cheddar
milk - for desired consistency
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Meanwhile, combine other ingredients into saucepan and bring to simmer.

Serve sauce over top of pasta.

Baked Spaghetti

We don't eat a lot of casseroles. Baked Spaghetti is probably classified as one, though, since it has cream of mushroom soup and is a one-dish meal. This layered spaghetti has just the right amount of creaminess and cheese to make it the perfect feel-good food. And it makes really delicious leftovers. It's also easy to layer into two 8x8 pans if you need to take dinner to someone and still have some to feed your own fam.
Baked Spaghetti
12 oz spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper
1 quart stewed tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti until tender. Meanwhile, brown ground beef with onion, mushrooms, italian seasoning, salt, & pepper until cooked through. Add quart of tomatoes. If you have kids in your family that don't like tomatoes, just blend them before adding to beef.

In a 9x13 pan, layer 1/2 of spaghetti, 1/2 meat mixture, and top with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers.

Combine mushroom soup with water, and spread over top layers. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes until hot and bubbly around the edges. I usually let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes or so before cutting so the juices absorb.

Jazz it up!

My husband comes from a family of spaghetti LOVERS. I'm more of a spaghetti liker than lover, which translates to me avoiding the leftovers. I often times freeze the sauce so we don't have to eat it two nights in a row.

I'm not about to tackle a spaghetti sauce recipe. Everyone has their own special sauce. What I decided to do was transform the sauce we already had into what felt like a completely different dish. In fact, I made this dish for some company and 1. they loved it. 2. they were amazed when I told them how simple it was!

Here's spaghetti sauce leftover:

I added in some of this: (maybe 1/2 cup cream and a good handful of cheese)

And this blushy, beautiful sauce was the outcome:

I toss some freshly cooked bowtie pasta with the sauce, pair it with some delicious bread, and maybe a salad. Suddenly it feels like we're at an Italian restaurant. Crazy fast. Crazy delicious. See what your family thinks!

You Must

make this at your earliest convenience. It's a recipe I got from the Pioneer Woman's website. I've tweaked it to my own liking and have listed the recipe as I make it . . . with more bacon and sauce. : ) It's easier than easy to make and it's better than any restaurant pasta I've had. So Olive Garden, step aside. WAY to the side.
Pasta with Bacon & Leeks
12 oz. bowtie pasta
8 oz. bacon chopped
2 leeks chopped and rinsed (they sometimes have sand hiding in the layers. Leeks look like giant green onions, but they're very mild)
1 Tbsp butter
salt
pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (not the kind in the can, but you can use the kind in the bag)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, saute bacon in a pan until it starts to brown. Add the leeks and butter to the bacon (butter keeps the leeks from burning, so don't cut it to save calories). Saute for 7 or 8 minutes until leeks are soft. Add chicken broth and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in cream and simmer for another 2 minutes. Toss pasta into the sauce. Add parmesan, give it a stir, and serve!



Now, let's talk about this bread. It's simple. It's crazy good. My family now looks forward to this bread a few times a month at our house. You'd think by the depth of flavor in this bread that it is shmeared with spices and cheese. But nope, it's just salted butter. I was very skeptical when I first saw this recipe on PW, but then I read the reviews and decided I had to try it. And until that first bite hit my mouth, I was still unsure. It has a lot of butter. You'll just have to get over it.
The Bread
One loaf french bread
1 stick of butter room temperature

Slice the loaf in half length wise. Spread one-half stick of butter over each half. Place on baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Heat for 5 minutes. Move the rack to the top and broil bread for 3-4 minutes. Don't be afraid to get the edges of the bread a little black while the top browns. It really enhances the flavor.