Pasta with cherry tomatoes and swiss cheese

Cook pasta (any kind). Meanwhile, mix together 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard with a pinch of suagr. Add pepper and chopped chives. Place drained, cooked pasta in a bowl, toss through cooked bacon, baby spinach, halved cherry tomatoes and grated swiss chesse. Pour dressing over and serve

Stuffed Pasta Shells

You will need some large pasta shells or cannelloni

Make a mixture of

-        250g/8oz ricotta

-       2/3 cup shredded mozzarella

-       1 egg

-       ¾ cup cooked spinach (fresh or frozen but cook, squeeze out excess moisture, then add to mixture)

-       pinch of pepper

-       pinch of nutmeg

Stuff pasta with mixture.

Pour a small jar of pasta sauce or canned tomatoes over the base of a casserole dish

Top with filled pasta shells

Pour another small jar of pasta sauce or canned tomatoes over the shells

Top with grated grated parmesan and mozzarella

Put casserole in the fridge for a few hours (if you can, if not it will still be ok)

Bake for 1 hour at 180C/350F

I’d never made an alfredo sauce before – I think the only recipes I’d ever seen had raw eggs in them (or maybe that was the carbonara sauce). But this was so quick and easy and yummy !

Fettuccine Alfredo

 ¾ lb./ 350g fettuccine                                   

3 TB butter

1 cup cream

Pinch grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp fresh-ground blackpepper                                   

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

6 slices bacon

In large pot of boiling, salted  water, cook fettuccine until just done, about 12 minutes..

Meanwhile, fry the bacon in one pan and heat the butter and cream in another.  Add the nutmeg and pepper.

Drain the fettuccine. Toss with the cream sauce, bacon and Parmesan.  Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

This is a new recipe but something I have been craving for a while. I was very easy and quick to make and the boys ate it too !

Fettuccine Alfredo

 ¾ lb. fettuccine                                   

 3 TB butter

1 cup heavy cream

 Pinch grated nutmeg

 1/8 tsp fresh-ground blackpepper                                   

 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

In large pot of boiling, salted  water, cook fettuccine until just done, about 12 minutes..

Meanwhile, heat the butter and cream in a small saucepan.  Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Drain the fettuccine. Toss with the cream sauce and Parmesan.  Serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese.

                                                                                          Serves 4

We have this quite often – as a variation on the regular pasta sauce with ground beef/mince.

Cut up raw sausages into chunks, put them in a saucepan with pasta sauce and simmer for 20-30mins.

Serve over pasta of your choice.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake 

Pasta Mixture

            ½ onion, chopped

            1 teaspoon olive oil

            1 garlic clove, pressed

            1 jar (16oz/400g) white Alfredo sauce or other pasta sauce

            2 pkg (9oz/270g) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini

            2-3 chicken breasts/thighs (boneless)

            1 cup milk, 1 cup water

            1 cup frozen peas

            ¼ teaspoon black pepper

            2 tablespoons fresh basil or 1 teaspoon fried basil leaves

Crumb Topping

            ½ cup grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

            1 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

            1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C.  Heat oil over medium heat add chopped onion and garlic, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender.  Add chopped chicken and cook until  just cooked through. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, milk, water, peas and black pepper.  Heat until mixture just comes to a boil; remove from heat.  Stir basil into pasta mixture.Meanwhile, for crumb topping, place butter in microwave on High for 30-45 seconds or until melted.  Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix wellSpoon pasta mixture in casserole dish; sprinkle with crumb topping.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown. 

I don’t like peas so I don’t include those, and I use tomato pasta sauce because the alfredo ones in a jar gross me out. Sometimes I do the topping, sometimes not …

MAKE MEATBALLS WITH 1 EGG, 1/2 CUP FINELY CHOPPED ONION, 1/4 CUP DRY BREADCRUMBS, 2 CLOVES GARLIC MINCED, 3 TABLESPOONS GRATED PARMESAN, 1 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO, 1/2 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER. MIX IN 1LB/500g GROUND BEEF. SHAPE INTO SMALL BALLS.

HEAT OIL IN A LARGE PAN AND FRY 1 CHOPPED ONION FOR 5 MINS OR UNTIL SOFT. ADD 1 SWEET RED PEPPER, CHOPPED AND 3 CLOVES MINCED GARLIC. COOK FOR 10 MINS OR UNTIL ONIONS ARE VERY SOFT. REMOVE.
ADD MEATBALLS AND FRY UNTIL COOKED. STIR IN 2 JARS PASTA SAUCE AND 1 TABLESPOON RED WINE VINEGAR. RETURN VEGETABLES TO PAN, SIMMER 15 MINS.
COOK 5 CUPS PASTA AND DRAIN,R ESERVING WATER.
ADD PASTA TO MEATBALL MIXTURE, WITH 1 CUP OF RESERVED WATER
COMBINE 2 CUPS MOZZARELLA AND 1/4 CUP PARMESAN (SHREDDED). SET 1 CUP ASIDE, ADD REMAINING CHEESE TO PASTA. POUR PASTA INTO A LASAGNE DISH. SPRINKLE WITH CHEESE AND BAKE FOR 15 MINS AT 400F.
NOTE – CAN SUBSTITUTE HOT ITALIAN SASUAGE OR CHORIZO FOR MEATBALLS

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (drained)

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon balsalmic vingear

2 tablespoons oil (from tomatoes)

1/2 cup olive oil

500g (1lb) pasta (bowties or spirals work well)

1 bunch of fresh asparagus (I substituted sugar snap peas)

250g (8oz) cherry tomatoes

250g (8oz) yellow pear tomatoes (but any tomatoes will do)

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Combine sun dried tomatoes, oils, garlic and vinegar in food processor and combine for 20 mins.

Cook pasta and drain. Mix in dressing while pasta is warm.

Blanch asparagus for 2 mins then rinse in cool water. Halve pear and cherry tomatoes.

Add vegetables to pasta and season with salt and pepper if desired. Garish with basil leaves to serve.

We had this tonight & it was pretty good. I left out the artichokes since a certain person doesn’t like them …

This recipe tasted slightly odd – the peanut, coriander (cilantro), parsley combination didin’t thrill me but it was nice to have a lighter style pasta dish … if it appeals, I’d say try it and see, but honestly I don’t think we’ll ever have this again …

Peanut Pesto Chicken with Noodles

½ cup coriander and parsley

1/3 cup unsalted peanuts

¼ cup grated parmesan

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup margarine

2 chicken breasts, cubed

4 cups baby spinach

4 cups cooked linguine

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

Combine coriander, parsley, peanuts, cheese, lemon juice, pepper sauce and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.

Melt ¼ cup margarine and blend into pesto mixture. Set aside

Season chicken. Heat remaining margarine in a skillet and cook chicken until browned. Add spinach to the pan, toss through. Toss the pasta with the chicken, pest mixture and sun dried tomatoes and reheat.