This pink sauce is packed with flavor thanks to a shortcut! Continue reading
Loaded Tomato Sauce
Tag Archives: pasta
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Chicken caesar salad but as a pasta salad! It is a great meal or a fun side. Continue reading
Street Corn Pasta Salad
Street corn gets a new life as a pasta salad just in time for cinco de mayo…or any taco night. Continue reading
Orzo with Boursin and Sundried Tomatoes
The easiest side dish: orzo + boursin + sundried tomatoes! This has lots of flexibility and goes with everything. Continue reading
Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad
This lemon dijon pasta salad is packed with flavors of the herbs and pancetta. Continue reading
Sesame Noodle Bowls
These sesame noodle bowls get all the toppings to take it from a side of noodles to a balanced and customizable meal. We have peanut sesame noodles with dumplings or edamame but these bowls were a slight variation with a … Continue reading
Tortellini in Honey Garlic Sauce with Ham
Tortellini with honey garlic sauce was a perfect paring with ham. Continue reading
Lemon Garlic Pasta
Roasted garlic and lemon pair so well for a light but flavorful pasta sauce. Our 7-year old ate about 3 servings and said this was in his top pastas – the 4 year old ate about 2 bites. Make the … Continue reading
Butternut Squash Lasagna Redo
I posted this butternut squash lasagna last year but I thought it it needed a little re-do.
Don’t judge this lasagna until you try it. It is seriously so good and a great fall food. I love this one! It is much faster to prep & cook than traditional Italian lasagna.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, roasted
16 oz ricotta cheese
½ cup cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
½ box lasagna noodles
Directions:
Roast butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. (this could be done the day before)
Combine ricotta, cream cheese, egg yolk, and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
Mix squash and chicken stock over medium low heat.
To assemble lasagna: spread noodles on the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan; top with ricotta mixture and some cheese; layer more noodles; top with butternut squash mixture.
Repeat laying noodles then ricotta and cheese, then noodles, then squash and repeating until all the layers are used.
Sprinkle some cheese on top.
Bake 30 minutes at 375.
I sprinkled some fresh basil in there. I love the flavor combo and I hadn’t grabbed a package of sage. I think the fresh-factor is important and sage makes it more fall-ish.
See? Pretty simple and it’ll feed a crowd. It is a great dinner to prep in advance and stick in the oven for just little fuss. It reheated well and I froze leftover pieces.
Butternut Squash Lasagna (serves 6-9)
1 butternut squash: $1.89
16 oz. ricotta: $1.99
4 oz. cream cheese: $0.62
1 egg yolk: $1.24
16 oz. mozzarella: $3.59
4 oz. Parmesan cheese: $1.98
8 oz. chicken stock: $0.11 ($2.99 jar/25 cubes=11 cents per cube/cup)
8 oz. lasanga noodles: $1.00
total cost = $12.42/9 servings = $1.38 per serving
Even cutting larger pieces (6 instead of 9) comes to $2.07 per serving!
I had some leftover noodles. Early on in your layers, take a quick count how many noodles fit so you don’t run out mid layer when you could have scooched a few. I cut the up the leftover noodles with a little sauce and some cheese. Pow! Pop a meatball on and I’ve got a last minute dinner in the freezer some night! My resourceful Momma taught me well!
Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
The ingredients say it all. Bacon, check. Ranch, check. Mac & cheese, check. Ohh my deliciousness. This mac and cheese was awesome. It is orange and amazing. Whip it up and enjoy between trick or treaters!
Ingredients:
6 strips of thick cut bacon
1 box jumbo shells
¼ cup butter
⅔ cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz shredded cheddar melting blend
1 packet ranch dressing mix
Directions:
Boil pasta according to box.
Fry bacon until crisp, then chop into pieces.
Melt butter over medium and add the flour to the melted butter.
Stir butter-flour paste mix for about 5 minutes. The roux needs to cook through so there isn’t any flour flavor.
Slowly add the cream while whisking to get any lumps out.
Slowly add the cheese until melted before adding the ranch mix.
Mix cheese sauce and pasta.
Add the bacon last before into ramekins or baking dish so it doesn’t get too broken up.
Top with shredded cheese and bake for 10 minutes at 375-degrees.
This was amazing. I loved the flavor. I used ¾ of a pound of pasta and I think it was too little. There was plenty of cheese sauce and tons of ranch flavor. It was almost too much.
I’ll definitely make this again. I wanted a fall pasta dish that wasn’t just thrown together when I didn’t know what else would be for dinner. I think this fit the bill. It isn’t light by any means. It was heavy, warm, and comforting. I thought it was good for a crisp October night!