Tomato-Basil Sauce

2 Tsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
20 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded

Heat a medium pot on stove top over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic and onion. Let onions and garlic slowly over 15 minutes stirring frequently, be careful not to brown the onions. After 15 minutes stir in tomatoes and raise heat to warm tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and wilt into the sauce. Remove from heat. When ready to serve, place sauce in the bottom of a large serving bowl to toss with hot pasta.

(Erica and Jenny Supper Club)

Four-Cheese Sauce

2 C heavy whipping cream
1/2 C butter
2 C shredded Italian cheese
OR 1/2 C each fresh grated parmesan, mozzarella, provolone and romano cheeses.

In medium saucepan combine whipping cream and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until butter melts. Gradually stir in cheese. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately - sauce will thicken upon standing.

(Erica and Jenny Supper Club)

Slow-Cooker Lasagna - from Kraft

This is what's on the menu for today! :) Hopefully it's good! (I'll update this and let you know) Don't miss out on the Kraft Kitchen Tips at the end... especially the 2nd one, they make me laugh!

UPDATE: This is a super delicious recipe! It's quick and easy to put together, and the flavor is really good. It's not bland at all, and is a good mix of meat and cheese and pasta. It was a big hit with us tonight. For our little family of four, we ate about half of it and put the rest in the freezer for another day. I was really impressed with this recipe! :)

 

 

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

avg rating

   (274)

total time

4 hr 15 min

prep

15 min

servings

8 servings

what you need

1 lb. ground beef 

1 jar  (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

1 container  (15 oz.) POLLY-O Original Ricotta Cheese

1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 egg

2 Tbsp.  chopped fresh parsley

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

make it

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.

* Made with quality cheeses crafted in the USA. Ziploc® Brand is a registered trademark of S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc. All rights reserved.

kraft kitchens tips

HEALTHY LIVING

Save 4g of fat per serving by preparing with lean ground beef, POLLY-O Skim Ricotta Cheese and KRAFT Reduced Fat Parmesan Style Grated Topping.

STORING LEFTOVERS

Leftovers will be just as tasty tomorrow if you store them in Ziploc® Brand Slider Bags with the Smart Zip™ Seal.

NOTE

Recipe was successfully tested in 4-, 5- and 6-qt. slow cookers. For best results, do not cook on the HIGH heat setting.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil

1/2 C thinly sliced garlic
7 T extra virgin olive oil
2 C tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 lb)
2/3 C basil leaves, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 oz dried angel hair pasta (capellini or capelli d/angelo)
Parmesan cheese, optional

Combine the garlic and 3 T of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook slowly until the garlic is evenly lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and cook until the tomatoes are heated through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in ample salted boiling water. drain the cooked pasta and add it and the remaining oil to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the oil. Serve in warmed bowls with tomatoes and basil on top. Serves 4.

Pizza Pasta Dinner

(from Suzy)

2 C uncooked spiral pasta
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 C sliced pepperoni, cut in half
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
14 oz jar spaghetti sauce
4 1/2 oz jar sliced mushrooms
4 1/2 oz can sliced olives
1 C shredded mozzerella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a skillet cook beef, sausage, green pepper and onion. Drain meat. Add pepperoni, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and olives. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add pasta and heat through. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Spinach Pasta Salad

(from Suzy)

8 oz bow tie pasta
8 oz penne pasta
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 C fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
4 boneless chicken breasts, optional
6 oz bag baby spinach
16 oz bottle Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Boil pasta noodles, drain, and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, mix pasta with spinach, red pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Cook chicken breasts in olive oil and season with garlic salt and pepper. Chop chicken into small pieces, cool, then add to salad. Add salad dressing.

Pasta Sauce Tips

1. When herbs are in season, mix large quantities of fresh herbs with pasta and a simple base of live oil and garlic for a delicious, quick dish.
   
2. Add a little butter to your sauce for creaminess and flavor.
   
3. A can of anchovies - packed in olive oil - is a quick way to add great flavor to pasta. Use with garlic, as the base for a tomato sauce.
4. Chopped scallions work very well in place of chives.
5. For any pasta dish that isn't being served right away, oil the pasta to keep it from sticking. Just coat your hands with live oil and run them through the pasta.

Alfredo Sauce

1 3/4 cup heavy cream

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup grated fontina cheese

1 lb pasta of choice (fettuccine is suggested)

1 tsp cracked black pepper

salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat cream and butter until almost boiling. Using a small whisk, stir in Parmesan and then add fontina cheese into mixture and stir until thick and smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and pour into sauce mixture. Serve immediately, topped with shaved Parmesan and cracked pepper.

Serves 4

Puttanesca Sauce

1 can chopped tomatoes (approx. 2.14 oz)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 cup large pitted black olives

3 pieces anchovies, rinsed and sliced

2 Tbsp capers

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 lb pasta of choice (spaghetti suggested)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and saute garlic until golden brown. Drain and quarter black olives (Kalamata olives may be substituted). Thinly slice anchovies. Add chopped tomatoes, olives, anchovies, tomato paste and capers to the oil and garlic. Stir until blended. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Bring water to boil with 1 Tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt in a large pot and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, mix with sauce and top with chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 4

Angel Hair Pasta w/Cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes and feta

We have this really cute pasta dish set that has some good sauce recipes on the box. I'm finally going to get rid of the box, but want to keep the recipe's so here they are! Along with some tips.

Angel Hair Pasta w/Cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes and feta

10 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil from tomatoes

8 oz feta cheese, crumbled (herbed feta optional)

1 bunch fresh basil, coarsely chopped

4 oz angel hair pasta, cooked

Combine the first 3 ingredients and set aside. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and toss with tomato mixture and basil. Top with cracked pepper. Serve hot or cold.

Serves 4

Ok, I just noticed that the title says cilantro but the recipe calls for basil. Perhaps you can use cilantro instead, or else the title should say basil. Guess we'll just have to try either one. :)

noodle dogs

Looking for something fun for the kids? Try some noodle dogs.

That's right - spaghetti growing out of hot dog pieces! How did we do that you ask? Here is what we started with...

Cook until the spaghetti is done and enjoy (the spaghetti in the middle of the hot dog will be slightly less tender). My kids like noodles with plain parmesan cheese so that's how we served them - but I imagine spaghetti sauce would be good, too.

Bow-Ties with Lemon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Bow-Ties with Lemon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach

Any short, shaped noodle, such as penne, can be substituted for the farfalle. For an even bigger health benefit, use whole wheat pasta.

1/3 cup sun-dried tomato halves (not
oil-packed)
1/2 cup boiling water
8 oz. farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups baby spinach (about 6 oz.)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1. Place tomatoes in small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until very soft. Remove tomatoes, reserving soaking liquid. Slice tomatoes lengthwise into strips.

2. Cook farfalle according to package directions; drain.

3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook garlic and crushed red pepper 2 to 3 minutes or until garlic is soft but not brown. Increase heat to high; add broth, lemon juice and reserved soaking liquid. Bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup.

4. Reduce heat to low; add butter. Stir in tomatoes and spinach; cook until spinach is just wilted. Add farfalle; stir to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and oregano.

4 servings

PER SERVING: 340 calories, 10 g total fat (5 g saturated fat), 12 g protein, 51 g carbohydrate, 20 mg cholesterol, 865 mg sodium, 3.5 g fiber

Sunflower Chicken Salad

Dressing:
¼ C sunflower seeds
½ C oil
1/3 C soy sauce
1/3 C white vinegar
3 T sugar
¼ t pepper

Salad:
8 oz Garden Rotini pasta, cooked
3 C cold shredded chicken
½ C sliced green onion
1 package torn spinach

To make the dressing: Brown sunflower seeds in ¼ C oil over med-low heat. Remove from heat before completely browned, as they will continue to cook. Combine the remaining ingredients.

Combine all salad ingredients. Chill. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, or individually on each serving.