Category Archives: Pasta

Street Corn Pasta Salad

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Street Corn becomes a whole new side and is so addicting. There’s sweet corn and salty cheese that wakes up with lime. I love elotes as a side but gave it a whole new personality.

This stores so well and is great later. Turn it into a full meal with a scoop of black beans or chicken on top. I added a mound of arugula and it was so nicely balanced.

Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients: (for ~4 side servings or 2-3 meals)
1-1 1/2 cups pasta (Ditalini or small elbows)
1 cup corn
1/4 cup cheese (feta or cotija)
3 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder/chili lime/smoked paprika/cayenne

Directions:
Cook the pasta and the corn and allow to cool.
Mix up the mayo, lime juice, and chili seasoning.

Add the dressing to the corn, pasta, and the cheese reserving just a sprinkle for the top.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top with another sprinkle of chili powder. Refrigerate until serving.
Enjoy!

I love the combo here of sweet corn and salty cheese. Make it yours by increasing the lime, or spice, or corn, or dressing. The dressing could be half mayo and half Greek yogurt or half sour cream.

This keeps well for days or is great made the day before. This would be perfect alongside tacos and seems ideal to make freezer tamales or taquitos into a meal.

Orzo with Boursin and Sundried Tomatoes

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This is absolutely the most simple side dish – orzo, boursin, and sundried tomatoes. The 80s are calling – they are all for sundried tomatoes, just not in every single dish!

I loved the deep but simple flavors – the cheese adds herbs and creaminess and the sundried tomatoes are juicy with a great chew. We had this with some grilled chicken and brussels sprouts.

Orzo with Boursin & Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients: (serves 4-6 as a side)
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 wedge of boursin
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon sundried tomato oil

Directions:
Boil the orzo in salted water – about 9 minutes.
When fully cooked and drained, add back to the pot with butter. Stir well.
Add in the boursin, sundried tomatoes, and oil.

Stir well to melt and incorporate the cheese.
Enjoy!

The kids weren’t into the sundried tomatoes and mostly picked around those but ate everything else. Add extra sundried tomato oil to the leftovers and eat cold or warm! If you love the cheesiness, add the whole block in. If the tomato part interests you most, add in the whole jar! If sundried tomatoes aren’t your thing – swap for bruschetta mix!

Lasagna Bowls

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I make lasagnas often for Lasagna Love so this idea came to me as the easiest way for those flavors – and in a customized way without a lot of servings OR to use any leftovers! There’s no one way to make a lasagna so treat this bowl the same that you can use what you have or what you love. My fam does not love mushrooms so these would be my addition!

Lasagna Bowls
Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings)
~4 lasagna noodles OR ~3/4 cup orzo
2 tablespoons Parmesan
1 zucchini
1 pint mushrooms
1 cup tomato sauce OR meat sauce 
~3 meatballs (optional)
1/2 cup ricotta (or blended cottage cheese, or skip all together)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 

Directions: 
Boil salted water for the lasagna noodles or orzo and cook accordingly. 
Chop the zucchini and mushrooms. In a large skillet, sautee the zucchini until getting soft through the center (~4 minutes) and add in the mushrooms for the last two minutes. 
Warm the tomato sauce (or the meat sauce or the tomato sauce + meatballs. I used tomato sauce with chopped-up meatballs to be a meat sauce).  
Warm the ricotta/cheese mixture. 

Assemble with noodles (lasagna noodles chopped if using those!) tossed with parmesan, and top as you like – with ricotta, tomato/meat sauce, veggies, and shredded cheese. 
Enjoy! 

I loved this. I always have a partial box of lasagna noodles but orzo also seemed so useful too so I did both and packed another portion to be a work lunch. My ricotta was vegan “ricotta” I had leftover but I’d normally go with regular or a drizzle of leftover alfredo would also feel fitting.  

Swap any veggies you like! I love warm and cold for a bowl so I secretly wanted to dump a handful of arugula dressed in Italian dressing on top. The noodles + sauce + maybe a meatball and some tomato/mozzarella salad on top would also be great with ricotta on the bottom of the bowl. Next time!

Tomato Basil Chicken

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{originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023}

When I originally made this, I breaded the chicken and this time around I wanted to update it with grilled chicken. I served it over pasta (these kids love love love pasta) and would also be happy to serve it over parmesan orzo like the first time around.


Grilled chicken felt so fitting to top with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic reduction.

Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)
4 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Italian Seasonings
1 large tomato
~6 basil leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbs balsamic reduction
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:
Marinate the chicken in the seasoning, salt, and pepper and preheat the grill.
Grill the chicken to cook through fully.
Chop the tomatoes and basil. Add the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir.


Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the tomato basil mixture.
Enjoy!

Pan frying cutlets was really good last time, but both the patience and mess doesn’t feel worth it, especially during the season of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.


The balsamic reduction is from the grocery store lasts forever and is great on salad or sandwiches. Reducing balsamic is easy too.

Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

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This pasta salad is packed with serious flavor and is anything but forgettable. There’s nothing worse than pasta salad that has some dressing but doesn’t actually taste like anything. This has lots of lemon and mustard. There are a bunch of herbs and pancetta too.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

These are some starting points but customize as you like!

Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 pound of pasta
1 cup raw pancetta
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of ~1/2 lemon
lemon zest
1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
herbs – chives, basil, and mint.

Directions:
Boil the pasta and let cool. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil as it is cooling so it doesn’t stick together.
Pan fry the pancetta and drain.
Mix up the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste. Taste it and see substitutions below if it is too strong.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

When the pasta is fully cool (don’t rush it, let it truly cool) mix in the dressing and the pancetta.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

Refrigerate until serving and then top with herbs.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

This was a really great lunch and it packs well. Swapping dijon with honey mustard would mellow it out a bit or adding something sweet – like a teaspoon of honey or sweet relish or maple syrup would make it a bit more mild and less lemon.