Shrimp Pomodoro Pasta

Pomodoro pasta -- I dream of you all year. Right up until my tomatoes are ripening on the vine. So fresh and delicious, I love this pasta fanatically. I also love some shrimp with my pasta. This is a simple, fast and fresh tasting dinner perfect for a hot summer night.

I used shrimp that was frozen and already precooked. Because, it was simpler that way.


Pomodoro Pasta

1 box of angel hair pasta.
1/4 Cup of left over pasta water
4  chopped fresh tomatoes ( depends on what you have coming out of your garden. I say the more the better)
3 Cloves of garlic minced
1/2 white onion minced
1 pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tb of fresh basil, sliced thin
2 Tsp of olive oil
1 Tb of balsamic vinegar.
Salt to taste. This really depends on the acidity of your tomatoes.
1 Lb shrimp (thawed, precooked)
1/4 Cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare angel hair pasta.
2. While cooking pasta, combine tomatoes, basil, salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Let sit for about 10 minutes for flavors to marry.
3. Saute onion and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil. When onion gets translucent add garlic and saute for 15 to 30 seconds. Remove from pan and toss with tomato mixture.
4. Add shrimp to pan and saute until just warm.
5. Optional. Add tomatoes on top of shrimp and warm for 30 seconds to a minute. Add reserved pasta water to pan.
6. Drain pasta, add about a TB of olive oil, Parmesan cheese and toss pasta.
7. Serve pasta with shrimp, pomodoro tomato mixture and additional Parmesan cheese.

Mediterranean Style Tuna Lasagna

Featured Food Storage or Pantry Item: Tuna Fish

I am so in love with the sauce in this lasagna. It may just be my new favorite way to use canned tuna. I know it sounds scary. Tuna in lasagna? But the Italians often add tuna to their pasta dishes. Yes, canned tuna. Now granted they use tuna canned in oil and I don't buy my tuna in oil but there is an easy remedy for that in this recipe.

This recipe is so easy and the homemade sauce (which is also simple) tastes so much better than the canned spaghetti sauce. I promise you will love this different way to use your tuna. Plus it is a cheaper version of lasagna especially if you buy your tuna on sale like I do. Raise your hand if you get sick of tuna casserole. I mean if I had to live off of Tuna I would be tired of all those cream based recipes out there. That is why I am so excited that it can be made into a tasty red sauce for lasagna.

Now I played with a recipe I found on the internet and I found that this sauce really only makes enough for a half lasagna -- 6 hefty servings. (which is perfect for my family of 5). Double this recipe if you want to make a bigger lasagna.

8 No boil lasagna noodles
2 Cans tuna (in oil or water)
1 Tb of Olive Oil if using tuna canned in water
1 green or yellow bell pepper (I actually used a seeded anaheim and it turned out great)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 can crushed tomatoes (12 oz)
2 TB basil
2 TB of Italian Seasoning
1 Tsp of Crushed Red pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 eggs
1 carton of part skim
Ricotta (smaller carton)
1 Cup of shredded white or medium cheddar
1/8 Cup shredded parmesan cheese.

Heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.

Heat oil from tuna can or the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped garlic to olive oil and cook for about 1 minute.

Add tuna and chopped pepper to the oil. Heat through and add crushed tomatoes, crushed red pepper and 3/4 of the basil and 3/4 of the Italian seasonings. Add chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes or until partly reduced and thickened.

Mix ricotta and eggs.

Layer igredients in a 9x9 pan. 2 Noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, a small handful of cheddar cheese. Repeat until you reach the top of dish. Top layer should be noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture about a half a cup of cheese, parmesan cheese and remaining basil and italian seasoning. (In the picture you will see that I did not top my last noodle layer with sauce. The topw was too crunchy. Don't do that.)

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

sorry for the worst pic ever.

I am sitting here freezing and I don't feel so well. Therefore, I think a little homemade soup sounds perfect right now. I love pasta in all its playful shapes and sizes. I definitely think that every pantry or food storage should have a variety of pasta shapes. As soon as the specialty pasta boxes go on sale I am swooping them into my basket.  Ditalini is one of my new favorites. Such adorable little cylinders. You can use any small past shape for this soup, even maccaroni would be fun and a good use of all that extra macaroni you have stored. However, make it fun and try the Ditalini if you can find it. The other reason I love this soup is  because it is a great use of my canned smoked ham and cannelini beans. It's pantry friendly!

Ingredients
1 Cup Ditalini or small pasta shape
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion minced
1 celery stalk minced
1 carrot minced (You could also use about a 1/4 cup of deyhdrated carrots here)
2 Cans (15 oz) cannelini beans drained and rinsed.
4 cups beef stock
1 Tb fresh thyme, minced or 1 tsp dried
1 bay leaf
Dash ground black pepper
Rind from a piece of parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt to taste
Basil, minced
Parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, heat oil and add onion, celery and carrot.. Saute for 5 minutes. Add ham and garlic and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes beans beef stock, thyme, bay leaf and parmesan rind.

Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minitues. Transfer 1/2 cup of soup from pot to a small processor or blender and puree.

Return to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring liquid to a boil and add pasta. Simmer until pasta in tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Daily Special Challenge

Pasta is a staple in my menus and my foodstorage. However, I do not believe that pasta only comes in one shape and therefore I keep different pastas on hand in my pantry. Manicotti and Jumbo Shells are two of my favorites. They have so many storage possibilites and stuffed they are delicious.

So, I am going to give you three ways to make these. First. the no boil method which happens to be my favorite, Second, the make ahead directions which can be frozen until ready to use. Oh the possibilities. Finally the standard boil version.

The No-Cook Method (my favorite)

1 Carton of Jumbo Shells (uncooked)

 1 3/4 Cups part skim ricotta ( did you know you can make your own. Will be experimenting with this soon.)

2 Cups shredded mozarella

1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese. (the canned stuff stores for a little while)

2 TB fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 can or 1 cup of chicken (drained)

3 cups (26 oz. jar) of spaghetti sauce

1 cup water.

Stir together cheeses, chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Spoon into uncooked Jumbo shells.

For sauce heat sauce and water to boiling.

Cover bottom of casserole dish with a layer of sauce.

Add a layer of stuffed shells, and cover with more sauce.

Add another layer of shells, Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.

Cover. and bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Make Ahead Freezer Directions.

We often do not eat a whole box of stuffed shells, so this recipe works for when you want to make some and freeze the rest for later. Hello instant, impressive Italian meal. OK, almost instant.

The only difference with the ingredients is that you omit the water from the sauce and you do not heat the spaghetti sauce. Boil box of jumbo shells in salted water for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in colander. Fill shells with filling. Place in a freezer safe container and layer with sauce, shells, sauce, shells, sauce.

Cover with a plastic wrap or other lid and freeze up to 2 months.

To bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and  bake for 2 hours if frozen or 40 to 50 minutes if defrosted.

Standard Method.

Boil jumbo shells, stuff with filling and layer shells and sauce in casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Freeze Dried Stroganoff Review

Calling all food storage and emergency preparedness fanatics.

Before

  After

I am so excited to review one of the products I recieved from The Ready Store. I am really excited about this site I recently discovered online. I called and asked if I could review some of their product for this blog and you would not believe the haul of stuff they sent me. I will be doing more than one review of their products in the next couple weeks. The online store has everything from MREs to freeze dried meals in bulk to emergency kits. I am so loving them. In their freeze dried food, they carry two well-known brands Saratoga Farms and Mountain House. Occasionally, I want to stock up on some freeze dried food. Yes, it is expensive but it so much tastier than the plain old dehydrated stuff (which they also carry). I love that I don't have to go scouring the shelves of my limited store sources in town to find what I need.

So on to the first review. We are big lovers of stroganoff in this family. And so when The Ready Store sent me a can of their Mountain House Freeze Dried Stroganoff to try, I thought to myself, "We shall see." Now I am not saying this stroganoff turned out as delicious as my homemade stroganoff. It did not. But it was good! And we gobbled it up. It was a little reminiscent of hamburger helper (although this stuff includes the meat) but my girls don't like hamburger helper and they liked this. There is also no MSG in the ingredients.

It was ridiculously simple to make. Add boiling water and let set. The simplicity and the taste lends itself to many uses. It comes in both #10 cans, four-serving packs and single-serving packs (there are lots of other main dishes available). I will say that once it the #10 is open it suggests using within a week. Which can be tricky if you only need 5 servings at once. (#10 can has 10 servings) however if you need to feed a crowd, the #10 can is perfect and I will be purchasing a couple of these (despite the price tag) for my food storage. See #4 tip for a way to use leftover servings within a week.

5 Ways to use Freeze Dried Stroganoff
1. Camping. This is a perfect meal for a camping trip. Boil the necessary amount of water and then soak the mix. Done and hearty, tasty and low maintenance.

2. College Students - When my brother was in college he literally ate the same thing every day. It was ridiculous. But give a college boy a #10 can of this stuff and he has a week of meals for $26.49. What a perfect care package gift.

3. Food Storage - Freeze dried food is always expensive. But if you are stocking your food storage it is a good idea to have a few simple meals that require nothing more than water to prepare.

4. Hot Lunches - One serving requires 1 Cup mix and 3/4 Cup water. Use any leftovers from the #10 cans for lunches. Prepare and place in an insulated soup tin. With 11 grams of protein it packs a good energy punch.


5. 72 hour Kits - Buy the individual packs or four-serving pack for your 72 Hour kits. They come in waterproof space saving bags that make them perfect for emergency meals.

Next week I will review one of their other products. You can also check out their store by clicking on the badge on the side of this blog.

Baked Sausage, Spinach 4 Cheese Penne

This baked penne turned out so addicting, I am sitting here two days later craving more. Wow it was good. Of course, I am self avowed pasta addict but this creamy cheesy pasta dish has me hooked. The surprising part for me (this recipe is the result of a sample from Bertolli courtesy of the Foodbuzz tastemaker program) is that it involves using a canned cream sauce. I actually have issues with most canned Italian cream sauces. They always have a funny consistency and aftertaste to me. I am kind of a fresh cream sauce snob. So I went into the review of Bertolli's new 4 Cheese Rosa Sauce with a little trepidation. I wanted to love it. I mean look at the gorgeous package they sent me. But as I said I have past issues with cream sauce. I decided to do a little alteration on one of the recipes they sent me.

Two reasons for this recipe: It sounded like it was right up my alley and secondly, I have a friend who reads this blog that has told me she needs recipes for her Italian sausage. So, Heather this one is for you and for anyone else that needs an absolutely decadent grown up version of baked mac and cheese. We have mentioned my cheapness on this blog before and I rarely buy pre-made sauces unless they are the cheapo Hunts or I make it from scratch.

So, I priced out Bertolli sauces today; because seriously I have every intention of keeping a bottle of this stuff in my pantry just so I can have it on hand to whip up a delish dish for company. Bertolli sauces run about $2.50 to $3 in my neck of woods. But considering the large quantity this dish makes I think it is worth the splurge. Because this dish really can feed 8 to 10 people (Excuse me, am I gushing).

Without further ado my new favorite Rosa Cream sauce pasta dish:


1 Cup ricotta cheese
2 Cups shredded Italian cheese mix or mozarella.
1 Tb dried basil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb Italian sausage removed from casings and cooked and crumbled
1 cup fresh spinach
1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa Sauce
8 oz of penne or rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained
2 Tb Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 Tb grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage until brown. Saute spinach in sausage drippings until slightly wilted. Combine ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese, basil, egg, and pepper. Toss hot rigatoni with sauce, sausage and spinach in large casserole dish (11 x 7-inch). Stir in ricotta mixture.
Top with remaining shredded cheese, bread crumbs and parmesan. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until bread crumbs and cheese begins to brown and cheese is melted.

Next I am going to give their arrabbiata sauce a try.

Asian Tuna Casserole

Featured Food Storage or Pantry Items: Tuna Fish, instant ramen noodle packs, Cream of Mushroom Soup

I know what you are thinking: Another Tuna Fish Casserole recipe. Yep. But this one has an Asian twist and since I am always looking for some variety for my canned tuna, I thought this would be a great addition, especially if you keep those instant ramen packs in your pantry. I don't actually stock up on these. But they are so ridiculously cheap that even if you just use the noodles without the seasoning packet you are saving a bundle.

The family verdict on this recipe: First, I really liked it. It was lower fat than my standard tuna casserole and it had some crunchiness from the cashews and celery that I appreciated. My husband didn't love it (but he still liked it) because he is not an Asian noodle fan or a nuts in his casserole fan. My daughters liked it but they ate around the mushrooms. So, if you like all those things you may find this tuna casserole version a tasty change of pace.

TUNA AND CASHEW BAKE

From the One Pot Meals cookbook (which is good cookbook stuff, by the way)

3 cans of tuna fish, drained (the original recipe called for 2 cans)

1/2 Cup sliced mushrooms

1 Cup unsalted cashews

3 scallions or green onions trimmed and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

4 packages ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded Cooked according to package directions and drained.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 Tb water

1 Tb soy sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place tuna in a bowl and break apart. Add mushrooms, cashes, onions, celery and 2/3 of the cooked noodles. Stir gently until fillings are distributed evenly in the noodles. Spoon mixture into casserole dish.

Pour soup into a separate bowl and add water and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Pour soup mixture over casserole. Top with the remaining noodles, sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 45 minutes.

Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo

I am unbelievably proud of this recipe. It is one of the few recipes that I have created totally by myself. I entered it in the Buitoni recipe contest and while I doubt I won, some of those entries were pretty creative and unbelievable, it turned out really delicious and I have to restrain myself from making it every week because I love it so much.

When I took on the challenge to create a pasta sauce recipe I wanted to make sure I used food storage and pantry items because I wanted to share it on this post dedicated to such cooking. I am pleased to say that the evaporated milk, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomato pesto (I make a big batch and store it in my freezer to use throughout the year) are all food storage staples in my home.
This is a really easy recipe and all my family has enjoyed my invention. OK I should clarify -- all my family that loves marinated artichoke hearts.


1 Cup canned evaporated milk
1/2 Cup whipping Cream
2 Tb butter
1/2 Cup freshly grated parmesan
3/4 Cup of marinated artichoke hearts,
2 Tb marinated artichoke liquid reserved
2 TB Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (use store bought or the recipe below).
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
3/4 Cup Sun-dried Tomatos (not packed in oil)
4 Garlic cloves
1 Tb Fresh parsely
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tb lightly toasted walnut pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1.Soak sun-dried toamtaoes in hot water for 5-10 minutes until soft. Drain and reserve liquid.
2. Plade tomatoes and remaining pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until well mixed. If paste is too thick blend in a little of reserved water.

Freeze pesto in ice cube tray for Tablespoon servings. Keep extra pesto in freezer until ready to use.

Directions:
Place artichoke hearts in food processor and process until finely chopped. If using handmade pesto make now.
1. Heat whipping cream, milk and butter in a small saucepan on medium low heat until reduced by 1/3. Stir occasionally.
2. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Sauce should thicken.
3. Add artichoke marinade, Stir to combine.
4. Add sundried tomato pesto and chooped articoke hearts and stir until combined and heated through.
5. Serve immediately with pasta.

Pumpkin Sausage Penne

I have a secret weapon in my pantry. It adds flavor, color and veggie power to everything from dessert to pasta. I love canned pumpkin. I always have at least one can of pumpkin stashed in the back of my pantry. It adds variety to the standard canned vegetables and it truly is so versatile. I forgot how much I loved this recipe that truly does rely on pantry items. It's creamy and surprisingly good. I have to admit my two younger girls didn't love it but they are ridiculously picky. They pretty much only eat plain pasta lately. The rest of the fam gobbled it up and they never even realized its secret ingredient.
I did adapt this recipe from a Nestle recipe.

2 Cups dry Penne pasta
1/4 Cup dried onions
1 lb Italian sausage
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 can (15 oz) pumpkin
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 Tb paprika
1/2 Tb worchestire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Cup frozen green beans, thawed or 1 can green beans, drained

Cook pasta for 1 to 2 minutes less than package directions, drain.
Cook sausage and onion in a large pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium and stir in remaining ingredients, except pasta and green beans. Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture begins to simmer. Add pasta and beans; stir until heated through

Chicken Pesto Alfredo Fettucine

Every year I serve up this dish for a St. Paddy's day luncheon. But, St. Patrick's day has come and gone and the more I thought about this favorite pasta dish I realized that I almost always have these ingredients on hand and it is therefore an ideal recipe for food storage and pantry eats. I love pesto. I store it in at least three different versions in my home at all times. I make my own every summer from homegrown basil and then I freeze it for the long winter months ahead. I will share my pesto recipe with you this summer when the basil is prolific. I also always keep a jar of pesto in my pantry or refrigerator and then I always have the powdered pesto sauce mix on hand for this pasta creation.

The alfredo part of this dish is also from the powdered sauce mix. I have a handicap when it comes to making alfredo sauce from scratch. It always flops. But I seem to get along better with powdered alfredo sauce mix. Plus these are easy, budget friendly storage alternatives that add a little spring flavor to your pasta repertoire. I usually add chicken to this pasta but it makes a good stand alone dish as well.

1 Pkg powdered creamy alfredo mix
1 Pkg Pesto sauce mix (I like McCormick and Knorr)or 2 TBS fresh pesto
water depends on pkg directions
oil depends on pkg directions
milk depends on pkg directions
1 1/2 C. cooked Chicken, cubed (optional)
1 pkg fettucine

Prepare pesto sauce first and then prepare alfredo mix. Add pesto to alfredo during the last minute of cooking. Toss with chicken and pasta.
So simple and so delicious.