Baked Lemon Pasta

So in our house we tend to have the same repeat pasta meals with the same sauces. Spaghetti sauce, Alfredo, and a cheddar cheese. I LOVED this recipe offered another yummy option for us to try, and I'll definitely keep using it. It was ssooooo yummy. Next time I do plan to add some chicken and some kind of veggie with it though, which I would recommend.

Ingredients:

1 pound Thin Spaghetti
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested ( I didn't have a lemon, so i just questimated lemon juice)
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.) When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end or feel free to add as much as you like.

Summer Tortellini Salad

I love the sistercafe blog. I try a lot of recipes off of there. This one the most recent. I know it seems kinda random, but it was actually REALLY yummy. We were pleasantly surprised. I know it's more of a summer dish, but with us getting snow this week, we are dreaming of warm weather.

Summer Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (9 oz.) uncooked refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (You can also use dry tortellini. Barilla has a yummy four cheese and Costco has really good tortellini as well)
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped (I use the equivalent of baby carrots instead)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (or 4 tsp. dried parsley if you don't have fresh...fresh is always best of course, but dried works fine too)
1/2 cup home-made or you're very, very favorite ranch dressing (I tend to skimp a bit on this measurement but 1/2 a cup isn't too much, just trying to be healthy:)
Parmesan Cheese - to taste
*Option - I have added left over Rotissere chicken to this and really liked it

Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Place tortellini in a large colander and set aside. Meanwhile, slice zucchini. chop carrot(s). Cook the vegetables. Cut tomatoes in half and slice green onions. Snip parsley, if using fresh. Add vegetables to tortellini. Pour salad dressing over salad. Grate parmesan cheese over salad. cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 6 servings

I think this recipe works great as a main dish, especially if you added chicken, or a side salad.

baked chicken and pastini

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
1/2 cup cubed chicken breast (1/2-inch cubes)
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (i like italian flavored)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt & pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan

boil pasta about 5 minutes (in salted water). saute chicken in italian salad dressing (or just olive oil, but i like a little more flavor), add onion & garlic, cook til onion is transparent.
in large bowl combine everything except bread crumbs and parmesan. transfer to 8x8" baking dish, top with mixed bread crumbs and parmesan. bake about 30 minutes 400F.
serves about 3. easily doubled (9x13" or 2 qt casserole dish).