Sausage and Spinach Gnocchi

This quick and easy one skillet dinner will taste like you've been cooking all day!

Sausage and Spinach Gnocchi

1 lb ground Italian sausage
sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg gnocchi (find it in pasta aisle)
1 can diced Italian tomatoes
1/4 c chicken broth
4 c fresh baby spinach
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c mozzarella
1/2 c parmesan
Brown sausage with onion and garlic, don't drain. Add gnocchi, stir 1 min, breaking up clumps. Stir in tomatoes, broth, and pepper, cover and cook 5 minutes on medium. Remove from heat, stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle with cheese and cover until melted.

Smothered Chicken Pasta

Smothered Chicken Pasta

2 chicken breasts

4 slices bacon

Caesar salad dressing

1 1/2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp flour

3/4 c heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 c chicken broth

4 oz sliced mushrooms

1 can diced Italian tomatoes, drained

Onion, chopped

1 c gruyere cheese

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz angel hair pasta

Marinate chicken breasts in caesar dressing overnight. 

Cook bacon in large skillet until crispy, drain and crumble once cool. Cook chicken in bacon grease until browned (don't worry about it being cooked completely through). Move chicken to square glass baking dish, drain bacon grease. 

Melt butter in skillet, add onion and mushrooms and sauté for 5-7 minutes until starting to caramelize. Stir flour into skillet with onions and mushrooms, cook 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, salt, pepper, gruyere cheese, and 1/8 c parsley; stir well. Pour sauce over chicken and top with diced tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While baking, cook pasta and drain. After 30 minutes, top pasta with chicken and pour over sauce. Top with crumbled bacon and more parsley.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and it is such a good one!  It can feed a crowd pretty easily, so it's great for tailgating or parties.  It's a little different take on pasta salad.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

1 16oz pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
8 oz pepperoni, quartered
2 green onions, diced
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 small jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 7oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 oz mozzarella cheese, diced
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Place tortellini, pepperoni, green onion, olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and mozzarella in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour over pasta mixture.  Toss to coat and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Creamy Spicy Sausage Pasta

This is a quick easy meal for a busy weeknight.  You can change a few things in the recipe to make it more/less spicy.  I used freshly made pasta from our local farmer's market, but feel free to use whatever pasta you like.

Creamy Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can (or 2 c) low-sodium chicken broth
1 can RoTel (or I used diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos)
1/2 c heavy cream
8 oz pasta
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 c monterey jack cheese
Place olive oil in large skillet; brown sausage, onion, and garlic.  Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt, and pepper.  Bring to boil, cover.  Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.



Grilled Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a great, easy pasta recipe that has a lot of flavor!  It makes a delicious weeknight meal.

Grilled Chicken Cajun Pasta

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp black pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts
8 oz bowtie pasta
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning, white vinegar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. Pound chicken breast to 1/4" thickness. Place chicken in a ziplock bag, add marinade, toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Grill until chicken is no longer pink (I grilled the chicken on my stove with a grill pan).  Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, remaining Cajun seasoning, remaining pepper, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Whisk together on low heat for 5-6 minutes until smooth and the sauce begins to thicken.  Slice chicken and place over pasta, pour sauce over chicken and pasta.  Sprinkle a little more shredded parmesan cheese on top and serve with salad.
Adapted from http://www.plainchicken.com/

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

Wow, Pinterest has really good recipes!  This is my adaptation of another recipe I found on there.  I have frozen half of these since this recipe makes way more than 2 people can eat.  We'll see how the frozen ones turn out in a few weeks!

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 lb hot sausage, browned

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 c frozen spinach, cooked and drained

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

16-18 pasta shells, cooked and drained

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

Brown sausage with garlic, drain.  Cook shells according to package directions and drain.  Add cooked shells to a bowl of ice water to cool.  Return sausage to skillet, add tomatoes and spinach, heat for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in ricotta.  Stuff shells with a fork and place in a greased glass baking dish.  Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.inspiredtaste.net/

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

I am loving Pinterest!  If you haven't checked it out and you like to cook, you should!  All of the recipes I've tried so far from there have been great.  This is another recipe from Pinterest with a few changes of my own.  Enjoy!

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 8oz container chive & onion cream cheese
1 can Italian style tomatoes, drained
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8oz rigatoni pasta
3 cups mozzarella cheese
Cook chicken.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Place olive oil in large 9x13 baking dish.  Add chopped onions, toss in oil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  Add 1 tsp garlic, place back in oven for 5 more minutes or until onions are soft.  Meanwhile, drain thawed spinach on paper towels.  Place onions and garlic in large bowl, add cream cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and seasoning.  Add 1 1/2 cups mozzarella in bowl.  Add in chicken and pasta, stir until well mixed.  Spoon mixture in baking dish, sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella.  Bake covered on 375 for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking 15 minutes.  Serves 4-6.
Adapted from http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

This is another great shrimp recipe that's really quick and pretty easy.  Brent and I had never had shrimp scampi before, so we weren't sure how it was supposed to look, but it was really good!  

Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
8 oz whole grain angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
In a medium saucepan, melt butter with mustard, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice.  Place shrimp in shallow baking dish (I used a pie plate).  Once butter is melted, pour sauce over shrimp.  Bake at 450 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until shrimp is done.  Serve over angel hair pasta.  I served with sauteed squash as a side dish.

Spicy Sausage Teragoni

Yes, I know Teragoni is not a real word.  But this recipe is a creation of mine and Brent named it "Sausage Teragoni"!  It's basically just a spicy sausage pasta dish.  It's an easy two pot meal and you can tone down the spicyness if you prefer.

Spicy Sausage Teragoni

1 lb link sausage, diced (I buy Hillshire Farms spicy)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat rigatoni pasta
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegarette dressing
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
oregano and basil
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.  Brown sausage in skillet with garlic.  Once sausage is browned, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, dressing, and seasonings.  Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.  Toss in pasta and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese until cheese is melted.  Top with other 1/2 cup cheese.  Serve with salad.