Spinach & Spaghetti

(Originally published February 2008) Marlene Lehl (from Zion Church) brought me this as a mercy meal (I think it was when Liv came home) and it was delicious. I passed it on as a mercy meal last night and wanted to share this meatless main dish with the rest of you.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces spaghetti
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 teaspoons minced dried onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain well.
2. Combine egg, sour cream, milk, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, onion, salt and pepper; add monterey jack cheese and mix well.
3. Add spaghetti and spinach and mix well.
4. Turn into a 8 x 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake covered at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes more or until warmed through.

Spinach Pesto

We are big fans of pesto around here. Sadly, we ran out of last summer’s homemade pesto long ago, and I forgot to pick up a jar from the grocery store this week. I remembered spinach, though, and I vaguely remembered seeing a recipe (or three) for spinach pesto, so I Googled it and came up with a bunch of recipes. This is a combination of three or four of them because, yeah, I didn’t have all that stuff. It was tasty and super easy — had it not been crazytime at our house, it probably could have come together in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (I used cilantro because I had it on hand, but the “real” recipe called for Italian flat leaf parsley)
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts, toasted (I used walnuts because, again, I had them; I just toasted them in a skillet. I don’t know if I did it right, but they tasted just fine)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and grind to a fine paste.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings.

We like to toss our pesto with pasta (and sometimes we add chicken too).

Lazy Day Lasagne

This recipe is from the (old) Zion Cookbook. I think Brook has a similar recipe from her mom. It’s on the menu at our house this week.

1 12-ounce carton cottage cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 eggs

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 pound ground beef or sausage, browned

9 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1/4 cup water

Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large bowl, mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, parsley, onion powder, basil, and pepper; set aside. In medium bowl, mix spaghetti sauce and ground beef; set aside. In a 9 x 13 pan, spread 3/4 cup meat mixture in bottom. Layer with 3 uncooked noodles. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture and 1 1/2 cup meat sauce. Layer with 3 more uncooked noodles. Spread remaining cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Pour water around edges. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 additional minutes or until golden brown. Just before serving, sprinkle top of lasagna with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Pomodoro

This is a quick, easy, inexpensive, delicious sauce with a fancy name. The recipe comes from Cooking during Stolen Moments (via Pinterest).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I used less)
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons pesto or 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or cut chiffonade style
• 1/2 pound chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I used more)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are nearly translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. While the onion and garlic cook, pour the tomatoes (with liquid) into a food processor or blender. Process until coarsely chopped to desired consistency. (Process less time for a thicker, heartier sauce or longer for a creamier sauce.)
3. Add the tomatoes and sugar to the skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until very fragrant and somewhat thickened.
4. Stir in the pesto and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes. (If using fresh basil, let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes and then stir in the basil after removing from the heat.)
5. Stir the chicken into the sauce just until warmed through. Serve over pasta.

Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole with Basil Cream

Today was the second time I made this casserole, and to be honest, I had forgotten how many steps there are. Don’t necessarily let that scare you off, though — if you don’t have cranky, clingy kids underfoot, the 25 minutes of “hands-on time” that Clean Living Magazine claims may be more accurate for you than it was for me. The steps are actually very similar to making a lasagna. In any case, it’s really good and definitely worth it — the basil cream sauce makes it memorable, and I keep trying to think of other uses for the delicious (and easy!) addition. (And, yes, this is the second time I’ve made a creamy basil-y sauce today.)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 pound spaghetti noodles
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely grated, divided (I used more than twice this amount, family preference)
• 1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 6 ounces extra-lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon wheat germ
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 2 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Cook spaghetti to al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta, rinse under cold water and drain again; set aside.
2. In a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, add garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add basil and pulse again until finely chopped. Add oil and half of Parmesan and pulse until well blended. Remove 1 tablespoon basil mixture and reserve in a medium bowl. Add cottage cheese to food processor and process until smooth and blended.
3. Add beef, wheat germ, and milk to bowl with reserved basil mixture and mix gently until blended. Form mixture into rounded teaspoon-size meatballs (about 24 total). Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium -high heat. Spray skillet with cooking spray and add meatballs and onion. Cook, turning occasionally, until meatballs are browned and onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaf to skillet, reduce heat to medium and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and sauce is beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup tomato-meatball mixture into bottom of prepared casserole dish. Toss spaghetti with remaining tomato-meatball mixture and transfer half of spaghetti mixture to casserole dish. Dot tops of noodles in dish with half of basil mixture then cover with remaining spaghetti mixture. Dot top layer of noodles with remaining basil mixture and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake in oven until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Then remove foil and continue to cook until top is browned, about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

My sister-in-law made this one evening and since it’s become my favorite mercy meal. (Mercy meals are arranged by our church for friends who’ve had babies or have been ailing or had surgery. They are the best idea ever.) Since the recipe makes such a large amount of pasta, it can easily be divided for two small families.

2 packets Creamy Pesto Sauce (and all ingredients required to make it)
1 rotisserie chicken
1lb pasta, any shape

Debone chicken while still warm and discard bones/cartilage. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, set aside.

Make pesto sauce according to packet instructions. You will be doubling the sauce mix, but here’s one warning: do not double oil—the dish will be too oily if you do.

Cook pasta, drain. Dump in large bowl or back into your pot, then add chicken and sauce. Mix well and serve. Easy-peasy, as my 7 year old says!

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

I made this recipe from Eat Right America pretty much as written, and it was a hit with all the family. Plus with all the colors, it was gorgeous. I often substitute green peppers when a recipe calls for red (because red are expensive), but I did go with red this time, and they were really delicious. Next time I think we might skip the tomatoes (not in season and just kind of sad) and add mushrooms to the roasted vegetables (family preference).

INGREDIENTS

• Minimal olive oil (Less than 1 tablespoon — to moisten roasting pan)
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large yellow crookneck squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups 1/2 inch pieces peeled butternut squash
• 1 pound whole wheat or whole grain pasta
• 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, chopped or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Wipe large roasting pan with a thin coating of minimal olive oil. Combine red bell peppers, eggplant, yellow squash, and butternut squash in prepared pan.

4. Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

6. Combine pasta, roasted vegetables, tomatoes, and basil in large bowl.

7. Add vinegar and garlic. Toss to combine.

8. Add cooking liquid by tablespoons to moisten, if desired.

Chicken and Pasta Primavera

Okay, I admit it, I got this recipe off of the cream of mushroom soup can. It has become our latest “go to” recipe for those nights when there’s “nothing” in the house, since the ingredients are mostly pantry items.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (16-oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
4 cups cooked spaghetti

MIX soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder and vegetables in saucepan. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 min. or until tender-crisp.
ADD chicken and spaghetti and heat through.

Baked Ziti

Kristen, of This Classical Life, recently posted this recipe. Not only do the ingredients sound yummy (and appealing to my preschooler) but, as an added bonus, it’s a large recipe and makes quite a bit of food. Perfect for freezing or sending as a mercy meal. I omitted the mushrooms, used a little less shredded cheese, and added more ricotta/sour cream. Thanks for a great dinner idea, Kristen!

This recipe makes a ton, great for keeping some for your family while assembling a pan for a family who needs a meal. Just make sure you’ve got several pans out (13×9 and 8×8).

ziti or penne (1.25-1.5 lbs dry)
1 lb mild italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jars of spaghetti sauce
1 pound of italian cheese (a combo of sliced provolone and grated mozz. or “italian blend” grated)
3/4 c. sour cream
3/4 c. ricotta
parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 and start boiling the pasta.

Saute onions until translucent, add sausage and mushrooms and cook until everything is done. Drain sausage grease off. Throw in the garlic and cook another minute. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes or so. Mix sour cream and ricotta. Mix the cooked pasta and the sausage-sauce mixture.

Assemble as follows: layer of pasta/sauce, 1/2 cheese (either a layer of sliced provolone or just 1/2 the grated), 1/2 sour cream-ricotta, repeat, then end with a last layer pasta and parm on top. If you have extra pasta, freeze it as “penne with meat sauce” as a quick lunch or dinner sometime when you need it. The baked ziti needs to bake until everything is melted and warmed through (~30 minutes, more if its straight from the freezer). I bake it mostly covered and then uncovered at the end.