Summer Spaghetti with Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies

I love cooking with fresh veggies in the summer. I also love it when you can find a pasta recipe that is light and flavorful and doesn't weigh you down during those HOT summer dinners.

When I first came across this recipe I was so excited at the idea of combining zucchini (which I LOVE) with spaghetti. I'll admit I was a little skeptable because there wasn't really a sauce in this recipe. I am used to including some sort of red, white or cheese sauce in my pasta dishes and I was afraid it was going to be kind of dry and bland. I also use gluten-free rice pasta, which sometimes can taste a little off if you don't have thick sauce to go with it. It does have a different taste than typical pasta, and until you get used to the different taste you kind of need a thick sauce to cover up the flavor a bit. I am getting used to it, so that probably helped as well.

This dish turned out to be very flavorful and will probably become one of my regulars. I used a spicy Italian chicken sausage with fire roasted peppers which helped to make the dish flavorful and a little spicy. The garlic infused olive oil also helped to add some flavor. I also reserved some of the pasta water to help keep the spaghetti from drying out and it helps the dish to thicken up a bit and kind of form a sauce with the garlic infused olive oil.

Picture from BHG

(mine didn't turn out very well, so the next time

I make this I am going to update with a new pic)

Summer Spaghetti with Spicy Chicken Sausage and Veggies

Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats & BHG

Ingredients:

· 16 oz spaghetti, dry

· 3/4 lb spicy Italian chicken sausage with fire roasted peppers removed from their casings (I used the Meijer brand)

· 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

· 1 garlic clove (I used minced garlic and the original recipe called for 4 garlic cloves. I used less because of food allergies)

· 2 zucchinis, halved and sliced

· salt & pepper

· 10oz cherry tomatoes

· Fresh basil (although I totally forgot to put this on my dish :(

· Romano or parmesan cheese, if desired (I did not include cheese because of food allergies and it was still very good!)

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from their casings, add to the skillet and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove to a plate and set aside.

2. Turn heat down to medium and add extra virgin olive oil to the skillet. Add garlic and cook until smelling flavorful, about 1 minute. Add zucchini, season with salt and pepper, then sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes then place a lid on top of the skillet and allow tomatoes to get hot and tender, about 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.

3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water. I cooked 8 oz of gluten free rice pasta and 8 oz of regular pasta. Make sure to reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before draining. Because I was preparing a gluten free version, I used the pasta water from the pot of rice pasta to keep out all of the gluten.

4. Add cooked chicken sausage to the skillet with the zucchini and tomatoes. Add this mixture to the top of your pasta and drizzle a little pasta water over your serving. Serve topped with torn fresh basil, and grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, if desired.

5. Enjoy!

Caprese Lasagna

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and are getting ready for some holiday fun! Also hope all those in Central Ohio survived the storms. I know a lot of people are still out of power, and luckily I only lost mine for a few days. Still caused me to lose some food in my fridge, but sometimes you just need to clean out your fridge and start over right!!! That's what I keep telling myself anyway...ha!

As you can see with a few of my last recipe posts, I have a theme going with yet another caprese meal. Summertime to me means using lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially a lot of tomatoes and basil, so you are going to see a lot of recipes using these ingredients here in the next couple of months.

This recipe is great because it feels very summery with the tomatoes and basil, and the sauce actually seems a little lighter than your traditional marinara sauce, but you still get that comfort food that comes with lasagna. You could probably include any variety of vegetables in this recipe and it would still come out great. I bet it would be awesome with some summer squash and zucchini.

We are off tonight to enjoy some Red, White and Boom, and hopefully some fun food trucks! I'll be sure to share any fun food finds in the next couple of days!

Caprese Lasagna

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
-- 1 box of lasagna noodles (I believed I used 9, but I cooked a few extras in case they broke)
-- Extra virgin olive oil
-- 3/4lb sweet turkey italian sausage
-- 2 tablespoons butter
-- 2 garlic cloves, minced
-- 3 tablespoons flour
-- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
-- 1 1/2 cups skim milk (I was trying to cut fat, but I think a higher fat content like 2% would make a more creamy sauce)
-- Salt & pepper to taste
-- 4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
-- 8 basil leaves
--1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles in a very large pot of salted, boiling water until just under al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Add a splash of extra virgin olive oil and gently stir to coat the noodles.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Squeeze sausage out of its casing and cook while breaking up until no longer pink. Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, melt butter, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour, then whisk to combine and cook for 30 more seconds.
4. Slowly pour in chicken broth a few tablespoons at a time, whisking to break up any lumps. Continue pouring and whisking until mixture is smooth. Pour in milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
5. Switch to a spatula and stir sauce until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl with a spout, and set aside.
6. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13″ baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour 1/4 cup sauce into the bottom, then spread evenly with a spatula. Place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom, then top with 1/3 of the tomatoes, 1/3 of the basil, 1/3 of the cooked turkey sausage, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/3 of the remaining sauce. Repeat 2 more times, for a total of three layers.
7. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Bowtie Lasagna

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog a while ago, and this has become one of my favorite go-to, easy pasta dishes. It is so simple and easy to make, but yet has the taste of a more complex comfort food. It's like eating lasagna, but only takes half the time and a lot less prep! It also tastes really good as leftovers and I think it might even taste better the next day. You totally need to try this, and you can make it somewhat healthy by using ground turkey and low-fat sour cream and cheese. If you try it, let me know what you think. You might become addicted to this recipe like I am!

Bowtie Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Ground Turkey (or beef, chuck, whatever you prefer)
• 5 cups Bow Tie Noodles
• 3 cups Spaghetti Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cups Sour Cream (I used low-fat)

Directions:
Brown ground turkey in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce.

Add ground turkey, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with extra cheese on top if desired (of course why wouldn't you!)

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Penne

This is a recipe I featured in last week's Friday Favorites, and was originally called Spicy Chicken Rigatoni. It's a Buca Di Beppo knock-off recipe and it was so very easy to make. It was a little spicy, but you can always adjust the seasonings to your own taste. I would just halve the red pepper flakes, or add just a small sprinkling, and don't add any at the end.

I made a few adjustments to my recipe, so if you would like to see the original recipe you can find it here. This turned out really well and was even better the next day as left overs. Definitly going to be added as one of my go-to recipes!

Spicy Chicken Penne

ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 jar of marinara sauce with cream included (mine also included some pancetta and was a Meijer's Gold brand)
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 lb penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
• additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)
• parmesan cheese
• fresh basil and oregano

directions

1. In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic. Saute just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add the chicken and coat with the sauces. Saute until brown.

2. Add the marinara/cream sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is completly cooked. Add the frozen peas and simmer until the peas are heated up.

3. Stir in your cooked pasta. I then garnished with some parmesan cheese and fresh basil and oregano.

Enjoy!

Orzo Carbonara-Style

I have been wanting to try orzo for a while and finally got around to making this dish which I have had bookmarked for a few months. I love risotto, and this was kind of similar, but was easier and quicker. After the broth/orzo mixture came to a boil, it only took about 8 mins to finish cooking, and you don't have to stir the orzo as much as risotto. Although I still love risotto, this is a great option if you are looking for something quick for dinner. It also was still pretty creamy and flavorfull a few days later, so it is great for leftovers.

~ Orzo Carbonara-Style ~

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound orzo
• 5 cups chicken stock (homemade or low-salt broth)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp, five to eight minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Discard all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat.

Add the butter the saucepan, and let cook until it starts to brown, about two minutes. Dump in the orzo, and still well. Pour in 4 1/2 cups of the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender but al dente and the stock has been absorbed, about eight minutes.

Stir in the cream and the frozen peas, stir well, and bring to a simmer. Return the bacon to saucepan, and add half of the Parmesan cheese and all of the thyme. Stir well, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the remaining stock if it looks too dry. Turn off the heat. Serve with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese.

Pasta with Peas, Bacon and Ricotta

This is a recipe that I adapted from one of my Giada cookbooks. You can find her original recipe here. This is a great recipe for using what you have in your freezer. Just add whatever meat and veggies you have on hand to some pasta with a ricotta cheese sauce. To make the ricotta cheese sauce, add the ricotta cheese to the warm cooked pasta and then add a little bit of pasta water to make it more of a sauce. I added some red pepper flakes at the end for a kick. Quick, easy and I didn't have to buy anything extra to make this.

Pasta with Peas, Bacon and Ricotta

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta (I used spaghetti)
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas (or whatever frozen vegetable you have)
• 1/2 cup of chopped/cooked bacon (I used turkey bacon)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes (or according to the directions on the package). Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the frozen peas, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the pasta with ricotta to the pan with the peas and toss to combine. I then added in the cooked bacon pieces and sprinkled some red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Acorn Squash

This recipe was in the October 2011 issue of Everyday Food and the original recipe called for butternut squash and also escarole. I used half of an acorn squash, and did not include the escarole and it was still very delish!

This pasta uses a brown butter sauce, and really who can go wrong with a brown butter sauce...no one! It was so buttery and the acorn squash really helped to fill you up. I also included some ricotta cheese and some parmesan cheese which just helped to make everything very creamy.

Spaghetti with Acorn Squash
October 2011 Everyday Food
**Please note I am including my version of this recipe. I did halve the recipe and got 2 servings, but I'll include the full recipe for 4 servings.

Ingredients:
-- coarse salt and ground pepper
-- 1 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-- 1 pound of spaghetti
-- 6 tbs unsalted butter
-- 7 oz ricotta (3/4 cup)
-- Parmesan cheese, sprinkle however much you want on top before serving

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook squash until crisp tender, about 3 mins. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a colandar to drain.

Return water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbs butter over medium-high heat. Add squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots and tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 mins. Add to pot with pasta.

To skillet, add 4 tbs butter and cook, swirling skillet occasionally until butter is lightly browned and has a nutty aroma, about 1 min.

Drizzle over pasta and toss to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a light sauce. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Top with ricotta and parmesan cheese.

**Please note I only added the ricotta cheese right before serving. If you are going to have left-overs the next day you may want to hold off adding the ricotta cheese.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

This is the first recipe that I tried that started my love of cooking. I saw this recipe on Giada at Home and thought, "this looks pretty easy." It was about this time last year, and there was an abundance of zucchini and squash at the store, so it was a great meal to make. I have modified it slightly, so if you want to see the original recipe, you can find it here.

Ingredients:

-- 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips

-- 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes

-- 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes

-- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips

-- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

-- 1 teaspoon salt, divided

-- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

-- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence

-- 1 pound penne pasta

-- 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)

-- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

-- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping

-- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

By the way, this makes a lot, so I typically halve this recipe and it makes about 4 or 5 small servings which is what I typically eat. If you are making for a large family, I would suggest making the recipe as it is above.