pasta

Bacon & Mushroom Pasta in Cream Sauce

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It’s summer and I really can’t be bothered to thaw meat some days.  Do you ever feel like that’s too much trouble?  I have too many other summery things to do… like take a nap.  Ha!  On days like that, it’s salad for dinner or a (mostly) meatless dish like this one.  If you love mushrooms, you will love this pasta.  It’s chock full of meaty baby portabellas, but perfectly balanced with a little bacon in a creamy sauce.  After making this a couple times, it hit me that the perfect finisher for this would be some finely diced green onions.  So, if you have those in the fridge, throw those on top at the end and finish it with some extra crisp bacon and shredded parm.  Perfection! ~Erin

6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped into bite-sized pieces (plus more for serving if desired)

1 lb. uncooked whole wheat linguine

¼ c. reserved pasta water

1 lb. uncooked baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. olive or avocado oil

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 ½ c. fat-free half-and-half

Shredded parmesan and extra cooked bacon, optional – for garnish

Chopped green onions, optional – for garnish

 

Cook the linguine in salted water, according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, in a large, high-sided skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Set aside. Carefully clean out remaining bacon grease with paper towels. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced mushrooms and stir and cook until mushrooms are fork-tender (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute). Stir in the flour and stir and cook until no white flour is visible and mushrooms are sizzling – about a minute. Add the bacon back to the skillet. Stir in the fat-free half-and-half and pasta water; bring to a simmer.  Simmer and stir until it starts to thicken – about 3 or 4 minutes.  The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.  Add the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with extra bacon and parmesan if desired (will add to points on WW).

WW info:  This recipe makes 8 1 ½-cup servings.  Green plan – 8 points; Blue plan – 8 points; Purple plan – 3 points

Tortellini with Sundried Tomatoes, Chicken & Sausage

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What’s the food that you can eat multiple times a week without getting tired of it?  I think for me it’s any type of pasta. I’m telling myself that this pasta dish is more healthy since it has some vegetables.  I’m not sure if that’s reality, but it’s one of my absolute favorite pasta dishes.  It has just enough spice to give the flavor an extra boost, but if spiciness isn’t your thing you can always omit the red pepper flakes.  Recipes with easy adaptations and adjustments are our favorite around here and we can’t wait to hear from you about how you love this one! ~Tracy

4 T. butter, cut into 1 T. pieces

1 T. sun dried tomato oil (from jar)

3 T. chopped sun dried tomatoes

4 oz. chopped baby bella mushrooms

2 T. minced garlic

¼ c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

½ tsp. paprika

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 ¼ c. milk (I use 1%)

1 cup chicken broth (can use prepared chicken bouillon)

½ c. shredded parmesan cheese (more for topping)

2 packages cheese tortellini (such as Louisa Four Cheese tortellini, 19 oz. bags)

1 cup shredded chicken (I use rotisserie)

½ c. cooked/crumbled pork sausage

2 c. fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Cook your sausage, drain any excess grease and set aside.  Shred your rotisserie chicken while the sausage cooks and set it aside as well.

Begin cooking tortellini according to the package directions.  Leave the pasta slightly al dente as it will continue to cook when added to the other ingredients.

In a large skillet, melt 1 T. of butter and 1 T. of the sun dried tomato oil.  Sauté the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.  Add in the sun dried tomatoes and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.   Add the minced garlic and heat through for another 30-45 seconds. Remove this mixture from the skillet and set it aside.  

Add the rest of the butter to the skillet and allow to melt.  Whisk in the flour until smooth.  Add all dried seasonings and mix together.  

Gradually add the chicken broth and milk until the mixture begins to thicken.  Slowly stir in the ½ c. parmesan cheese.

Add chicken and sausage to sauce.  Stir together and then add the cooked tortellini and the spinach, mushroom, tomato mixture.  Stir all together until well mixed and top with a generous helping of parmesan cheese.

WW Info:  This recipe makes approximately 10 cups at 13 points each on all three plans.

Lemon Zucchini Pasta

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My sisters and I grew up with grandparents who had huge gardens!  They may not have been as big as my childhood memories make them seem,  but my sisters and I helped harvest more goodies than you can imagine. We learned to dig potatoes and peanuts, how to pick okra and how to shuck corn, and of course we learned how to snap beans.  I remember sitting outside in the summer and eating fresh watermelon (with salt, of course).  I think that’s one of the reasons that I’ve developed such a nostalgia about growing anything that I can manage, and I love using those things in my kitchen.  The fresh zucchini and basil in this dish are so summery tasting!  I wish I could say that I grew the dill.  Our Mammaw often had dill growing in her back flower beds, and it smelled better than any flower.  Good food is a source of such good memories – and this is definitely good food! ~Tracy 

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Zest from 1 lemon

½ c. finely chopped white or yellow onion

2 c. zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 T. finely chopped capers

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. spaghetti noodles

3 T. finely chopped fresh dill

3 T. finely chopped fresh basil

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ c. fresh grated parmesan

½ c. crumbled feta cheese

1 c. reserved hot pasta water from spaghetti

Cook spaghetti in large pot, with salted water, according to package directions.

While spaghetti is cooking, heat olive oil in large, high-sided skillet. Saute onion and zucchini until zucchini begins to soften and onion begins to become translucent. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and capers, continuing to simmer on low for another minute or two.  

Add cooked and drained spaghetti to the pan with the zucchini. Add in lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, and basil.  Toss the entire mixture with the spaghetti to combine. Add in ½ c. of the reserved pasta water and stir (you can gradually add a little at a time before serving if pasta appears too dry). Remove from heat and allow to sit for two to three minutes to begin the cooling process.  Then toss in both the parmesan and feta cheese.

Serve immediately with grilled chicken or enjoy as a tasty meatless pasta dish.

This recipe makes 8 servings at 9 points per serving on all three WW plans. 

Lemon Chicken Piccata

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If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that each year, we sisters take at least one trip together.  In fact, one of our “when the kids are all older” dreams is that we can travel much more often. We enjoy a little bit of luxury in a nice hotel, and we shop (a lot).  But, we have to admit…and most of who are close to us won’t be surprised to hear…that our favorite thing to do is eat at new places. When we visited Charlotte, NC, a few years ago, we had an amazing chicken recipe that we were still talking about months later.  This is how many of our recipes are born, folks. During a weekend of cooking and blogging, we worked to create this perfect Lemon Chicken Piccata. Don’t let the long list of ingredients fool you. It really is a fairly fool-proof recipe that we hope may also remind you of one of your favorite restaurant meals.  ~Tracy


For Chicken: 
  • 2 T. chicken broth
  • 5 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ tsp. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • dash ground cayenne pepper
  • 3 T. olive oil

For Sauce:

  • 6 T. butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¾ c. chicken broth, divided
  • 8 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 T. capers, drained
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • angel hair pasta

Flatten each chicken to ¼ inch thickness.   In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs, chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic and pepper sauce.    In a gallon sized zip top bag, combine flour, cheese, parsley, salt, garlic and onion powders, and cayenne pepper.

Dip each chicken breast in egg mixture then into flour mixture, coating completely.   Place on baking rack to rest for 15 minutes. In a large non-stick skillet, brown chicken breasts on both sides, over medium heat, in several batches, using approximately a tablespoon of olive oil each batch.  Be sure not to crowd the chicken in your pan as this will impact the browning. Remove to baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

For sauce:  Reserve 3 tablespoons of chicken broth in small bowl.  In the same skillet used to cook chicken, melt butter over medium low heat.  Add minced garlic, stir for one minute. Add chicken broth and lemon juice.  Add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Bring to low boil. Stir cornstarch into reserved chicken broth.  Pour into sauce mixture, return to a boil. Add capers and stir. Remove from heat.

Top cooked angel hair pasta with one chicken breast.  Drizzle approximately ⅓ c. sauce over each breast and pasta.  Serve immediately.

Taco Pasta Salad

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I don’t know about you, but I feel like my family eats a ton of spaghetti and lots of tacos, mostly because they are family friendly, tasty, quick and economical. Personally, I get bored with the same-old, same-old for dinner so I try to mix it up when I can. This dish marries two of our favorites together — tacos and pasta! This would be a great “meatless Monday” dinner or as a side dish. We love it served with grilled chicken as our main course too. One of my boys says we should call it “Paco Salad,” mashing “pasta” and “taco” together.   Whatever you want to call it, it’s delish! ~Kathy

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. orecchiette (ear shaped) or medium shell pasta
  • 1 can (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 c frozen corn, thawed and drained
  • ½ c. (loosely packed) cilantro
  • 1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • ¼ c. red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jar (15.5 oz) salsa (roughly 1 2/3 c) – I used Tostitos Restaurant Style
  • ¼ c. olive oil
  • 3 T. lime juice
  • 3 T. taco seasoning, dry
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Hass avocado, ripe but slightly firm, diced
  • 2/3 c. cheddar cheese, diced to about 1/4” cubes (a good ww friendly option is Cabot sharp light cheddar 50% reduced fat)*

Instructions: 

  1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Drain, rinse in cool water and set aside to cool. 
  2. In a large bowl, add the pasta, beans, corn, cilantro, onion, tomatoes and salsa.  Mix gently together. 
  3. In a small bowl whisk olive oil, lime juice, garlic and taco seasoning.  Mix well.  Pour over pasta and mix to coat. 
  4. Gently fold in cheese and avocado just before serving. 

WW Freestyle Info.:  Makes 12 one-cup servings at 7 points each.  You could  also add grilled chicken breast for zero ww points if desired! 

Artichoke Pesto Chicken Pasta

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Pasta is always good for my hungry crew after work, football practice, and a long day of school.  Almost as good as the flavor is the fact that I can make this Pesto Chicken Pasta in less than 30 minutes when I use rotisserie chicken and pre-made pesto sauce.  ~Tracy

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Ingredients:
  • 2 T. butter
  • ½ c. finely chopped white or yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ c. flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ½ c. 1% milk
  • 1 ½ c. chicken broth
  • 3 T. jarred pesto (I like Barilla)
  • half of a 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ c. chopped white meat chicken, I use chopped chicken breast from rotisserie chickens
  • 1 lb. pasta, cooked in salted water according to package directions (I used Campanelle pasta)

Instructions: 

  1. Melt butter over medium heat in large, deep skillet.
  2. Add garlic and onion, sauteing for a few minutes until onions begin to become tender.
  3. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine with onions and garlic.
  4. Add milk and continue stirring until forms a thick paste with the flour.
  5. Gently stir in the chicken broth until forms a thickening sauce.
  6. Stir in jarred pesto and chopped artichoke hearts.
  7. Add chopped chicken and cooked pasta stirring to combine well.
  8. Serve topped with shredded or sliced parmesan.

WW Freestyle Info.: This recipe makes about 8 one-cup servings. Each serving is 9 points not accounting for parmesan cheese topping.

Super Duper Spaghetti with Beef

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We are huge fans of spaghetti at our house; it was (and still is!) always a favorite of both of my picky kids even when they were little…maybe that’s why we started calling it “super duper” — and it stuck!  (As you’ll see it the picture, it literally stuck everywhere too!  Luckily, since it’s been four years since this pic, they’re a bit neater these days!)  At any rate, all the prefab sauces are either way too sweet (yuck!) or just painfully bland – not to mention full of a zillion unnecessary additives and sugars.

My own recipe is almost as fast as opening a jar.  Plus you have to wait for the noodles to cook anyway; may as well take those few minutes to throw together this super flavorful, super healthy, super duper version!  ~Robin

Ingredients:
  • 1 ¼ lb. 95% lean ground beef*
  • 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (or 1 ½ tsp. jarred, minced garlic)
  • 14.5 oz. (1 large can) Hunt’s tomatoes, petite diced, undrained
  • 15 oz. (1 large can) Hunt’s diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 12 oz. (2 small cans) Hunt’s tomato paste
  • 6 oz. water (one small tomato paste can-full)
  • 4 tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 tsp. Italian seasoning (I like McCormick’s)
  • 2 -3 tsp. garlic salt, as preferred
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions: 

  1. Put your spaghetti noodles on to boil (whatever your favorite brand is; I use Ronzini Healthy Harvest 100% Whole Grain); cook to al dente.
  2. While noodles are boiling, in a large stock pot, brown the ground beef with the minced garlic. Once cooked, drain any excess oil.
  3. In the same pot, add diced tomatoes, petite diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
  4. Add the 6 oz. of water.
  5. Finally, add all the spices. (Add garlic salt 1 tsp. at a time so that you can measure it to your own taste.)
  6. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until heated throughout and flavors have combined well.
  7. Add the sauce to your al dente pasta and enjoy!

*My package of beef was just a little bigger than usual, but the points are the same and all the other ingredients amounts don’t differ if you use exactly one 1 lb of 95% lean beef instead – I just went ahead and used this much since I had it.

WW Freestyle Info.: This meat sauce is only 2 points per ½ cup serving. Makes 15 servings; freezes very well. (Remember to count the points for your pasta.)

Chicken Nacho Mac & Cheese

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I had this brainstorm at like midnight one night. Because that’s when you have your best recipe ideas…at midnight when the fridge starts calling your name. For the record, I didn’t get up and make this in the middle of the night, but I did grab my phone and add it to my notes for “recipe ideas.” Here’s how my thought process went: ‘What if two of my favorite foods, pasta & nachos, got married and had a baby? What would that be like???!!’ The answer is: AMAZING! I hopped on Pinterest to see if this already exists. Nope! Not that I could find. This is a one-of-a-kind original, people, and it’s everything I imagined. ~Erin

Ingredients:
  • 12 ounces rotini pasta
  • 2 (10 oz. each) cans Mild Ro-tel tomatoes & green chilis, drained
  • 1 (10 oz.) can Campbell’s Healthy Request cheddar soup, undiluted
  • 1 c. Tostitos Salsa Con Queso (found I the chip isle)
  • ¼ c. whole milk
  • 1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s)
  • 1 c. 2% shredded Mexican cheese
  • 2 – 4 T. chopped pickled jalapenos
  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (one per person)
  • 1 tsp. of low sodium taco seasoning per chicken breast
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions:

  1. Cook pasta, in salted water, according to instructions, until al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, coat each side of the chicken breasts with ½ tsp. of taco seasoning (1 tsp. per breast) and grill (or cook in a nonstick skillet with cooking spray) until cooked through; set aside.
  3. Drain pasta and immediately add Ro-tel, canned cheddar soup, Tostitos Salsa Con Queso, milk, seasoned salt, and shredded Mexican cheese; stir over low heat until melted and well combined.
  4. Stir in jalapenos to taste. (I used 4 T. and it was pretty spicy – if you are sensitive to heat, leave them out completely.)
  5. Plate your desired serving size of nacho mac & cheese; slice one chicken breast per person and serve on top of the mac & cheese!

WW Freestyle Info.: This mac & cheese recipe makes 12 servings of 5 ounces (about ¾ cup) each.  One serving is 6 points.  Two servings (about 1 ½ cups) comes to 11 points.

Italian Turkey Sausage & Pepper Pasta

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I’ve been making this for years…since before we had kids. In fact, when we were first married, we lived near a Johnny Carino’s Italian restaurant and went there often. My husband always ordered a “Skilletini” which is a tomato based pasta dish served with peppers, onions, & sausage, much like this one. Maybe that’s why we love this so much. It reminds us of our newly-wed date nights. It was a favorite then and it’s a favorite now in our own home. ~Erin

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Ingredients:

8 oz. uncooked whole wheat penne pasta

1 ¼ lb. turkey Italian sausage (5 links)

1 bell pepper of each color: green, red, yellow, and orange; sliced into strips

1 lg. onion, sliced

2-4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 1 T. squeeze garlic)

1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 T. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

3 T. of pasta water (reserved before draining cooked pasta)

1 T. olive oil

Parmesan cheese for serving, optional (not included in WW points calculations)

Crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional

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Instructions:

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions; reserve 3 T. of pasta water, drain, & set aside.

Brown sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat; remove from pan & set aside. You can either leave them whole to cook them, then slice each into four pieces; or you can slice and then cook them. I prefer to slice first and then cook the pieces because they cook faster. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Cook peppers and onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until they are crisp-tender (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute).

Add the Italian seasoning, salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta water, and sliced sausage pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add penne pasta and stir to heat through.

Serve with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Weight Watchers Info.: This recipe makes 10 servings. Each 8 oz. serving (about 1 ½ c.) is 5 SmartPoints.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

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We were raised Catholic, so growing up in our house meant fish on Fridays during Lent. I can still hear young Tracy groaning, even in my memories. Ha!! She hates all things seafood related. Luckily, I like it. One of my favorite dishes to make on Lenten Fridays is this Tuna Noodle Casserole. It reminds me of a something my mom made when we were kids so, for me, it’s comfort food…creamy and cheesy with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Yum! And honestly, the albacore tuna in this is so mild, I’m confident that even fish-hating folks like Tracy will like it! I’ll serve it to her next time she visits and report back. 😉  ~Erin

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Ingredients:

12 oz. uncooked egg noodles (I use No Yolks brand.)

3 pouches (2.6 oz. each) low sodium, white albacore tuna (I use Starkist brand.)*

2 cans (10 ½ oz. each) condensed 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 ½ oz.) condensed cream of celery soup

1 c. fat free shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup chopped green onion (OR desired amount of frozen green peas, thawed)

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cook the egg noodles according to package directions, drain & set aside.

Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine tuna, soups, cheese, noodles, salt, and green onions; spread mixture evenly in prepared casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs together with olive oil; sprinkle evenly over tuna/noodle mixture.

I like to lightly spray the top with a bit more cooking spray, just to make sure it browns well, but that step is optional.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.

Weight Watchers info:  This makes 8 servings at 8 SmartPoints each on Freestyle.