Quick Pesto Tortellini

While making my 2 week grocery list, I'll ask my husband if there is anything specific he would like. He always says something like tortellini, or ravioli-he's a pasta lover...which I totally get,I love pasta, and I love him! :) Cute right?

So I wanted to make something really quick and tasty since we only have 20 min before our daughters gymnastics class...so here's what I came up with.

1-20 oz pkg. Buitoni cheese tortellini

3-4 tabl. Store bought basil pesto 

1 c. Heavy cream

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to the package. While pasta is cooking, in a lg sauce pan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.Allow to reduce by 1/4, add the basil pesto and remove from heat. When the pasta is finished, drain, and toss with the basil pesto sauce.

There you have it! I like to toss in some green beans or asparagus or some cubed cooked chicken. And serve it with some garlic bread. Yum!

Creamy Penne Pasta

I made this yummy dish for my family who stayed and watched my kiddos while the hubs and I were out. 

I stayed up late like I always do, and found a little left over to snack on...heaven!

All the kiddos ate their fair share, and more, even the little dude who doesn't like red sauce-talk about a miracle!

3 c. penne pasta

1 lb. sweet italian sausage (sprouts has an amazing sweet chicken italian sausage-to.die.for!)

1 green bell pepper finely chopped

8 oz.container onion and chive cream cheese

11/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Classico-yay Costco!)

Cook the pasta according to the package, then drain. In a large pan, cook your sausage, and bell pepper until the sausage is done, then drain fat. Turn down the heat to low, and stir in pasta, cream cheese, mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Make sure you stir it well-you want the cream cheese to be well mixed in. Once its all heated well, serve it up!

Chicken Parm & Spaghetti

My friend sent me this recipe, and it's the easiest chicken parm I've ever made, and so far the best tasting! Chicken parm isn't one if my fav's, but the hubs loves the stuff. After trying this recipe, I can see why! FYI it'll make your house smell yummy...be patient it will be done before you know it!

2 tabl olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
2 chicken breasts cut up into bit sized pieces
1 jar of your fav spaghetti sauce  (I used Costco's organic Classico brand)
1 pkg italian croutons (approx 2 cups)
3 c. shredded mozzarella divided
1 1/2 c shredded parmesan divided
12 oz spaghetti noodles

Pre heat your oven to 350, drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. Sprinkle in the garlic, and spread around evenly. Place chicken evenly on top, pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken, making sure its completely covered. Next take half the mozzarella & parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the chicken/sauce. Sprinkle the croutons over that, and finish off by sprinkling the remaining cheese over that. Bake for 35 min.
When the chicken is half way through cooking, start cooking your spaghetti noodles. Serve the parm chicken over the noodles, and enjoy!

This is a quick recipe, and its quite "forgiving" meaning the ingredient amounts don't have to be exact. You can alter it to your family's size/liking. If you really like garlic, toss in another minced clove, if you need more chicken, add another chicken breast.
We usually have a little left over from my family of 6...however all my kids are 6 and under, so its like the equivalent of feeding 4 adults. 

Sun-dried Tomato PastaSalad

The fam and I were headed out of town for a field trip to an aquarium the other day, and I didn't want to go out to eat (New year resolution to eat healthier and eat out less yadda yadda ya...)

I found on Pinterest this Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad recipe that tastes JUST LIKE the pasta salad from Beyond Bread. Its a winner, and travels well FYI

I didn't add the black olives-I used to love them, but for some strange reason when I was preggo with my 1st child, I couldn't stand them and still can't ;(

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon capers, drained
Kosher salt, to taste
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orecchiette or other small pasta
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced (optional)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

DIRECTIONS

1. Add half the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to a food processor, and process until almost smooth.
2. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package in a large pot of seasoned boiling water until al dente. Drain well, then toss with the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, mince the remaining sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, olives (if using), remaining sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and basil to the salad. Toss to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt.
4. Serve at room temperature.

Italian Tortellini

I had a package of tortellini in the frig that I needed to use up, and I didn't have time to throw something time consuming together. So I started rummaging through my frig and found more ingredients I could quickly toss together to form a tasty quick meal.

20 oz Cheese tortellini

1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage

1 Jar spaghetti sauce ( I used Classico)

1/2 c. Heavy cream

2 tabl. minced fresh basil

Parmesan

Cook your tortellini according to the package. In a large pot cook your sausage. Pour in your spaghetti sauce and heavy cream and simmer covered 10 min. Remove from heat and stir in the tortellini and basil.

Serve with parm cheese and a crusty bread.

Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Don't you just LOVE the Olive Garden's Fettuccine Alfredo??? The sauce is one of my favorite Alfredo sauces, and I figured out how to make a sauce that I LOVE just as much as theirs...I added portobello mushrooms, and garlic, you can easily skip those if that's not how you roll.

2 tabl. Butter
2 Portobello Caps thinly sliced
8 oz. Cream cheese
4 tabl. Butter
1 c. milk
6oz. Parmesan
1 garlic Clove crushed
1 tabl. minced fresh basil
White pepper to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.Meanwhile, melt the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk and Parmesan cheese, mixing until smooth. Add in the garlic, basil, and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic. Stir in the cooked mushrooms before serving.
Toss with your favorite noodles.

I had this recipe published on Allrecipes ---> Fettuccine Alfredo Check it out, rate it, and enjoy!!!