Mmmm Mmmm Mon....errr...I mean Tuesday: Tortellini Spinach Bake with Creamy Lemon Sauce

Okay so I'm a dork. I was all thrown off this weekend because yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the kids were off school, so my brain told me it was Sunday. Hence the lack of a Mmmm Mmmm Monday post.

I'm hoping y'all will forgive me for the day delay when you try this deee-licious recipe. Seriously...it's THAT good. When I was cooking it my mouth was salivating like you wouldn't believe. I took a bite before I stuck it in the oven, which turned out to be pure torture while I waited for it to be done...it was just fantastic! (Which explains why the photo was taken after I had already started dishing it up...I couldn't wait to wolf it down!)

It's another one I found over on Pinterest and it is orignally from the Our Best Bites website.

So without further ado, here's what you need for Tortellini Spinach Bake with Creamy Lemon Sauce!

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini (they're in the dry pasta aisle)

4 oz back or pancetta (about 4 strips of bacon)

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbsp flour

2 Cups milk

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 and 1/2 tsp dry basil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 medium lemon

2 Cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3/4 Cups grated mozzarella cheese

3/4 Cups grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet over med-high heat on the stove. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 Tbsp bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with a whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil & red pepper and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, zest about 2 tsp of your lemon over the sauce. Then cut the lemon in half and remove the juice. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice to the sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and put back in pot. Reserve 1 Tbsp of cooked bacon and add the rest (crumbled) to the pasta. Add spinach, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Add the sauce and stir gently to combine. Place pasta & sauce mixture into an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and the remaining crumbled pieces of bacon.

Cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and back an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese on top is melted and the pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before serving.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Spinach Chicken Pasta

This is another winner of a recipe that I found on Pinterest. I made it for dinner last week and it was so good...I can't wait to make it again!

Here's what you need:
8 oz uncooked Rigatoni
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 oz) container chive & onion cream cheese
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 and 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella

Prepare pasta according to box directions.
Spread oil in bottom of large baking dish. Add onion. Bake at 375* for 15 minutes. Transfer onions to a large bowl and set aside.
Drain spinach well. Stir pasta, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, cream cheese, salt & pepper into bowl with onions. Mix well.
Spoon mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until bubbly.
Serve hot.

Next time I make this I PROMISE to take pictures...we were so hungry the night I made it that we just dug right in!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Vodka Penne Pasta

This is SUCH a yummy recipe. My kiddies informed me that they prefer this type of pasta over the regular pasta & spaghetti sauce that I usually make. Fine by me...this is one of my favorite's too!

Here's what you need:

1 package (16 oz) penne pasta, cooked

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Grated Parmesan cheese

and either

2 jars chunky spaghetti sauce and 1/4 cup vodka

-OR-

2 jars Bertolli Vodka Sauce

Heat the sauce, basil and red pepper in a 3 qt saucepan to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

Place pasta in a large serving bowl. Pour sauce mixture over and mix well to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

You will NOT be disappointed in this easy to make dish!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Stovetop Broccoli Mac & Cheese

I made this dish a week or so ago and everyone loved it. The kids devoured it, and my sis & I ate the leftovers for lunch daily and were pretty bummed when it was all gone. This recipe comes from Woman's Day's October issue and let me tell you...it's a keeper!

Here's What you need:
12 oz pasta (I used 1 lb)
4 cups broccoli florets
1 container creme fraiche (I couldn't find this in the store so I used sour cream as an alternative)
1/2 tsp hot sauce
2 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp gound ginger
Ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 7 minutes. Add broccoli and cook another 2 minutes or until pasta is tender. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a 2 qt saucepan over med heat, whisk the creme fraiche & hot sauce until simmering, about 2 minutes.
Add the Cheddar, garlic powder & ginger, then stir over low heat until just melted. Season with pepper.
Combine sauce with macaroni & broccoli, and serve. Add extra cheese if desired.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Stuffed Shell Bake

Saw the tail end of this recipe being cooked on Rachael Ray a couple weeks ago and before I could get downstairs and find it myself, my sister had found it, printed it out and put it on the counter. We tried it Saturday night and Oh. My. Heavens. It was deee-lish!

Here's what you need:
EVOO

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped. Divided

1 large or 2 small/medium onions, finely chopped & divided

1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated (we didn't use the carrots but it still tasted superb!)

salt & pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme (about 5 or 6 sprigs)

1/4 cup flat leave parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white or red wine

2 cups chicken stock

2-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 pound medium or large shell pasta (not the extra-large stuffing size)

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry w/a towel

1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly ground if you have it)

2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten

In a large pot, heat 3 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 3/4 of the finely chopped onion & the carrot. Season w/salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds & thyme, and gently saute 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in parsley, stir, then add wine and reduce 1 minute. Add stock & tomatoes, bring sauce up to a bubble, then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

After sauce has been simmering 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375*.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt and cook past for 5 minutes.

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat remaining 2 Tbsp EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Ad remaining garlic and onion and saute to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spinach to pan, seperating as needed. Stir to combine and season with salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Turn off heat.

Drain undercooked pasta and return to the same pot. Add spinach mixture to pot along with ricotta cheese and grated Parm. Stir to combine, adjust salt & pepper, then add eggs and stir.

Pour a thin later of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Fill dish with pasta, then top with another layer of sauce. Save remaning sauce to pass at the table. Bake for30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve directly from casserole dish, using extra sauce and parmesan cheese to top.

And don't forget to enjoy!!

(This recipe left ALOT of marinara sauce, which makes it perfect for spaghetti another night!)

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Gnocchi w/Zucchini & Brown Butter

This is a SUPER tasty recipe from Disneyfamily.com. It calls for gnocchi but we substituted tortellini because I couldn't find gnocchi and didn't feel like making my own. And it was just as tasty!

1 lb fresh or frozen gnocchi (or tortellini)
2 tbsp butter
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 pound zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise (this makes ribbons)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi (or tortellini) according package instructions until they float, approx 3-5 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet of med-hi heat. Cook until butter is beginning to brown, approx 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often until the tomatoes are just starting to break down. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Cream Cheese Chicken & Broccoli

This crockpot recipe was passed to me by my cousin and we finally tried it last week and LOVED it. It says to put the chicken mixture over spaghetti (which we did) but I also ate it on it's own for lunch during the week and it was just as good without the noodles.

Here's what you need:
4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2" peices
1 tbsp olive oil
1 package (1 oz) Italian dressing mix **This I could not find, so I just used Italian seasoning instead**
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 bag (10 oz) frozen broccoli, thawed
1 package low-fat cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup dry sherry (didn't have any of this so I omitted it)
Hot cooked pasta (we used spaghetti)

*Toss chicken with olive oil and Italian dressing mix to coat chicken. Place in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
*Coat large skillet w/nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms & onion, cook 5 minutes over Medium heat or until onions are tender. Stir occasionally.
*Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese and sherry to skillet; cook & stir until hot. Add to chicken in crockpot. Cover, cook on low one more hour. Serve over pasta.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday:Goulash

This is a well-loved recipe in my house. It's from a church cookbook that my church back in Florida put out in 1999. It was a fundraiser for our youth group to go to Convention out at UCLA. Oh, the memories!

Anywho, without further ado, here's the recipe!

3 cloves garlic
3 onions, chopped (I only use 1)
1.5-2 lbs burger
29 oz tomato sauce
1/2 ketchup
1 Tbsp paprika
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp pepepr
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Pasta of your choice (I use a full 1 lb. box of elbow macaroni)

Fry garlic, onion & hamburger. Drain. Put back in pan and add sauce, ketchup, muchsrooms, pepper and all the seasoning. Simmer for 1 hour. Cook & drain pasta. Return to pot and add the meatsauce. Mix well, serve, and enjoy!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Chicken Broccoli Parmesan Bake

This is another goodie that I got off the back of a pasta package. I tweaked just a bit and added some seasoning and more cheese, (and doubled the noodles for a larger family). Here's the recipe as it was written down (without my additions).

Chicken Broccoli Parmesan Bake (serves 3-4)
8 oz egg noodles
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic OR 2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 lb small broccli florets
4 and 1/2 cups chicken gravy
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb cooked chicken (shredded or diced)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, cover & set aside.
Preheat oven to 350*
Heat oil in a large skillet on med-high heat. Add garlic, onion & broccoli; saute' until tender. Add chicken gravy and milk, and bring to a slow simmer. Stir in cheese, chicken, and cooked noodles.
Pour mixture into a non-stick casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Herb Penne with Chicken & Tomatoes

This is a recipe that I got off the back of a pasta box, and I tweaked it a little bit. It was really tasty and so simple!

Herb Penne with Chicken & Tomatoes
1lb box Penne Rigate
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh chopped basil
12 oz cooked chicken breast strips (I used two 6 oz pkgs of Tyson pre-cooked chicken strips)
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
salt, pepper, and oregano to taste

Cook & drain penne according to package directions.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes & basil, cook 2 more minutes. Add chicken, simmer for 5 minutes.
Toss with pasta. Season to taste with salt, pepper and oregano. Top with Mozzerella and serve immediately.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Tortellini with Red Pepper & Peas

This recipe came from one of my dearest friends, Natali. We tried it here the other night and everyone LOVED it. So I'm sharing it with you.

Tortellini with Red Pepper & Peas
1 bag frozen cheese Tortellini (we used 2 small bags)
1-1/2 tsp olive oil
1-1/2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 of a large onion, diced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup of half and half (or no-fat milk)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Start water for tortellini and bring to a boil, add pasta.
Saute garlic & onion in olive oil until tender. Toss in red pepper. Remove veggies from pan.
add wine, and allow to reduce for 1-2 minutes. Add half and half/milk. Gradually whisk in Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper & basil.
Right before the tortellini is done (last two minutes or so), add peas. Drain and put back into pot. Add veggies and sauce to the tortellini and mix to coat. Serve immediately.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday; Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco

This is another Pampered Chef recipe. And it's actually a microwave recipe! I have to be honest, I was a little hesitant at first because of that fact, but decided to try it anyway. I should never have doubted the Pampered Chef, because I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious!



Grilled Chicken Penne al Fresco
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3 cups uncooked penne pasta (or any tube shaped pasta requiring 9-11 minutes cook time)
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used an additional 3/4 cup of the chicken broth, because I didn't have any wine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup packed)
2 cups diced grilled chicken breasts (I used the pre-cooked grilled chicken strips by Tyson that you get in the lunchmeat section at the store. It just made it easier for me.)


Slice garlic into a 2 qt glass baking/casserole dish. Add tomatoes. Cover; microwave on high 4-5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to burst, stirring after 2 minutes. Crush tomatoes. Add pasta, broth, wine, salt and black pepper.


Return dish to microwave; cover and microwave on high 12-18 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop basil. Reserve 2 Tbsp for garnish, if desired. Grate your Parmesan cheese as well.


Carefully remove dish from microwave and remove lid, making sure to lift it away from you. Add basil, cheese and chicken to dish and mis well. Garnish with reserved 2 Tbsp basil, additional Parmesan cheese, and more black pepper, if desired.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Vegetarian Baked Ziti

We are definitely a family of meat eaters, but we do have friends who are vegetarians, so I always like to have a few meatless recipes on hand to make on the occasions when they come for dinner. Here's one of my favorites.

Vegetarian Baked Ziti
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pkg stir fry mix, thawed (I got an Italian blend instead of Terayaki or any of the other with an Asian feel. The Italian blend was perfect!)
28 oz chunky spaghetti sauce
16 oz ziti
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1/3 cup sun-dried tomates (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add stir-fry mix; cook, stirring until softened. Add spaghetti sauce, bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Heat oven to 350*. Cook pasta according to box, drain, but don't return to heat. Add sauce, 1.5 cups of mozzerella cheese, parmesean cheese, and tomates. Mix well. Spoon into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzerella cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.