Buffalo Chicken Pasta

This recipe was originally a pasta salad that I found on Pinterest. It evolved quite a bit after we realized how greasy the hot wing sauce made the dish (especially when you reheated the leftovers). It separates when it's heated and becomes rather icky. We solved the grease problem by holding the hot sauce until you're sitting down with a big bowl of the pasta. This also lets you control how much heat (and heartburn!) you want. Now it's just about perfect, and Jeff devoured the stuff. I don't like buffalo anything, and even I thought it was pretty good.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

16 oz. penne
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
3 cups cubed cooked chicken

10 oz blue cheese crumbles (2 small containers)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Frank's hot wing sauce
Ranch salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, milk, soup, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth. Stir in chicken, blue cheese, and mozzarella. When pasta is cooked, draine (do not rinse) and pour into chicken mixture. Carefully stir to combine. Transfer to a 9x11 or 1.5-qt casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown. Serve with hot sauce and Ranch dressing.

Serves 6

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Make this Pinterest Recipe #2 - tried and approved. (See, I am doing more than just look!) The recipe came from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour (how hysterical is that?). I tweaked it ever so slightly - leaving out the pepper because I didn't have one, adding a can of kidney beans, and using the whole can of enchilada sauce - and ooooh, it was tasty! Super filling, too, especially since I used whole-wheat pasta. I also used a reduced-fat sour cream without any problem. You could try low-fat cheese, but it probably won't melt as well. I might give it a go next time, though. This is not the spiciest dish I've ever had, but you could use chipotle chili powder or cayenne to crank up the heat a notch or two.

For the record, this stuff makes a ton, but it sure is good!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce
2 10-oz cans green enchilada sauce
1 15-oz can beans, rinsed & drained (your choice - I used kidney but black or pinto would work too)
2 c shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 c sour cream
16 oz penne
tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, and/or green onion for garnish

Cook penne according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onions in hot oil until nearly translucent. Add garlic and bell pepper; continue cooking until tender. Stir in cumin, chili powder, chicken, enchilada sauce, and beans. Bring just to a boil and stir in cheese until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Add pasta. Garnish as desired.

Serves: at least 6, maybe 8.

Sausage Spaghetti Pie

I love spaghetti in all forms, and this recipe was especially intriguing because it is lower in fat and calories. I doubled it from the original and switched up the ingredients a bit. Nutrition is calculated for Ragu No-Sugar Added sauce and whole-wheat spaghetti.

Sausage Spaghetti Pie

8 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, diced
1 26-oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 15-oz container reduced-fat ricotta cheese
3 egg whites
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, saute sausage for 3-4 minutes or until browned; stir in spaghetti sauce.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and one egg white; set aside. Drain spaghetti; add 2/3 cup Parmesan and remaining egg whites. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 casserole dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon ricotta mixture into crust. Top with sausage mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8.

Nutrition Info: 313 calories, 11g fat, 6g fiber

Pasta Supreme

I adapted a Quick Cooking recipe to add a lot more veggies and yummy goodness. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's actually not difficult to put together. I will often cook all the onion/pepper I need for multiple recipes at once. When I get a bag of chicken, I boil the whole thing and cut it up for future use. Same thing with the bacon - so most everything was already cooked and I just had to assemble it.

Pasta Supreme

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/2 each onion, green pepper, red pepper, orange pepper, and yellow pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano, and parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut in 1-in pieces
8 turkey bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed and pressed dry
cooking spray
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute onion, peppers, garlic and seasoning until almost tender. Add chicken, bacon and spinach, stirring until heated through.

In a blender, combine tomatoes and tomato paste, process until well blended. Stir into chicken mixture. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Toss drained pasta with chicken mixture. Spoon half into casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Repeat layers, topping with remaining mozzarella and all the Parmesan. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through.

Tarragon Chicken Casserole

This is a nicely mild dish that is easy to put together. It's would be an excellent choice for a potluck, because the taste should appeal to most everyone and it makes enough for 12 people. If you just don't like tarragon, feel free to substitute any of your favorite spices. One piece of advice - skip the grated parmesan that sits in the pasta aisle. Parmesan is a highly flavorful cheese, and since a little goes a long way, it's well worth it to splurge on a block and grate it yourself. There is simply no comparison in the flavor.



Tarragon Chicken Casserole

2 cans low-fat condensed cream of chicken soup
2 cups evaporated skim milk
4 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp pepper
16 oz linguine or spaghetti, cooked and drained
6 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
paprika, optional

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine soup, evaporated milk, tarragon and pepper. Stir in pasta and chicken. Transfer to a 4-qt casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan and paprika. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until heated through.

248 calories, 5gm fat, 50mg cholesterol, 373 mg sodium, 31 gm carbohydrate

Cashew Noodle Casserole

Did you think I had forgotten about you? Of course not - but I haven't done much cooking since the first of the year, when we realized we were going to move in a few weeks. I'm settled in my new place, and have done my first cooking in my new kitchen. Great fun. :)

I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook. I changed quantities of most of the ingredients to make it healthier and more economical. It is mild, but quite tasty. If you want to keep some for leftovers, do not add the chow mein noodles before cooking.

Cashew Noodle Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 4-oz can mushroom pieces, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. fine eggs noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup reduced-fat finely shredded cheddar
1 6-oz package chow mein noodles (I only used half the bag)
1 c. whole cashews

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the mushrooms; set aside. In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. In a 2-qt baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray, layer egg noodles, beef mixture, and soup mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and chow mein noodles. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cashews. Serves 6-8

Baked Spaghetti

I have been remiss in not sharing this with you. I found the recipe in a Light & Tasty magazine. It has all the comfort qualities of good old lasagna, without all the hassle. (I know how commercial-esque that sounded. Bear with me!) It makes up a ton, reheats very well, will easily last a week in the fridge, and if you use the right ingredients, is even Weight Watcher friendly at 7 points a serving. I have not tried freezing this one, but I suspect it would freeze as well as lasagna does.

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. 96% lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. Ragu No Sugar Added Tomato & Basil Sauce
4 c. 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 c.part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
½ c. reduced-fat Parmesan topping, divided
12 oz. whole wheat angel hair pasta

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the spaghetti sauce and heat through.

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 ½ c. mozzarella and ¼ c. Parmesan.

Drain spaghetti.

Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half the spaghetti, half the cheese, and half the remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. (Dish will be very full, and you may have to press it down with a spatula to make it all fit.)

Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10, 7 WWP per serving.

Penne with Peppers and Sausage

Mmm-mmm tasty! It smells wonderful cooking, it pretty easy to throw together, and reheats well. Plus it's good for you. If you can find them, use fire-roasted diced tomatoes. They add greatly to the flavor. Adapted from Weight Watchers online, here is:

Penne with Peppers and Sausage

1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 orange bell pepper, julienned
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. turkey sausage, spicy-Italian flavor
1/8 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
3 c. cooked whole wheat penne

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook pepper, onion, garlic, and mushrooms until almost tender (7-8 minutes).

Remove turkey sausage from casings; add to skillet and brown until no longer pink. Break up with a spoon as it cooks. Add oregano, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes; stir in tomatoes. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Gently stir in pasta. If desired, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6

Chicken Spaghetti Toss

It's unbelievable how much flavor comes from a recipe so simple. While it's best fresh, the leftovers are still quite yummy. I tripled the amount of lemon, since I like the tartness.

Chicken Spaghetti Toss

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. freshly ground sea salt
1/4 tsp. dried lemon peel
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
7 oz. angel hair spaghetti

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter and oil until tender. Stir in chicken, lemon juice, parsley, salt, lemon peel, and black pepper. Saute for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.

Adapted from Quick Cooking Annual Recipes 2003