Chicken Caruso

This is another easy recipe. I always have a jar of spaghetti sauce in the pantry. I often just take some of my homemade sauce out of the freezer about an hour before I need it. Homemade sauce is so much better than the canned or jarred version. And, you can control the ingredients that is in the sauce.

1 Lb. Chicken Tenders

1/2 Salt & 1/4 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp.Garlic Salt

3 Tbs. Margarine

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 Cup Sliced Celery or 1/2 tsp celery salt

Melt margarine in a sauté pan, Add salt, pepper and garlic salt. Add the chicken tenders and cook on medium heat until no pink remains. (About 3 to 4 minutes on each side). Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasoning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until well warmed through. Add celery or sprinkle about 1 tsp. Celery salt over all. Cook another 5-10 minutes over low heat. Serve over rice or noodles.

Baked Ziti

I have tried several Ziti recipes. This one is probably the easiest and my husband’s favorite. I made mine in an 8 x 8 inch baking pan. As my husband can eat pasta every day, I elected not to freeze half. But you can do that easily. I prefer to bake it before freezing and then after it is cooled, I put it in containers to freeze. It is easily thawed and reheated in the micro for lunch or for those nights where you want something warm, but don’t want to waste a lot of time cooking. Also great when you don’t have to turn on the oven during the warm summer days.

1/2 of a 16 oz. box of ziti or penne pasta

12 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese*

8 oz. finely shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 beaten egg

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 pound cooked hamburger if desired.

Bring to a boil 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon oil. When water is boiled, add 1 teaspoon salt and pasta. Cook for about 12 minutes until pasta is soft, but not mushy. It will cook in the sauce so you don’t want it overcooked.

If you decide to add hamburger to your mix, cook it in a small fry pan with 2 teaspoons chopped onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. Drain before adding to sauce mix.

While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, mix hamburger (if using) spaghetti sauce, egg, ricotta/cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and 6 oz. of the shredded Mozzarella. When ziti is cooked, drain and add to the sauce mixing well. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water when draining. After everything is mixed, if you feel like the mixture is not moist enough, add a little of the pasta water until it is a little moist.

If you like it really cheesy, mix all the shredded Mozzarella into sauce mix. then lay 4 thin slices of mozzarella over top. This gives you a nice cover and also adds more cheese to the casserole.

I always use cottage cheese with pineapple. It adds a little sweetness to your sauce and also, if I don’t use the full container, it makes a great afternoon snack. I am not a fan of ricotta cheese so this works well for me.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until cover cheese is browned and bubbly.

Tuna Casserole

Remember when you were in school and you were served Tuna Casserole for lunch. It always seemed to be thick and gloopy. There was no moisture to it. I swore I would never eat tuna casserole when I grew up. Well, I do eat tuna casserole now. It is not thick and gloopy. My tuna casserole is moist and creamy.

The recipe below calls for canned mushroom soup. But if you check the soup category, you will see a recipe for Creamy Mushroom Soup. I make the tuna casserole using soup that I have made.

1 cup dry medium egg noodles

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (or 2 cup homemade mushroom soup)

8 oz. milk (you do not need this if you use homemade soup)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 can undrained, solid, white albacore tuna*

1/4 tsp curry powder

Put about 2 inches of water into a medium saucepan with 1 tsp oil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt to boiling water and add pasta. Cook uncovered for about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain pasta.

While pasta is cooking, spray a 1 quart casserole dish with pam. Mix together the tuna, soup, milk, if using, mayonnaise and curry powder with a whisk. Add cooked pasta and stir to mix. Cover with bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. You have a carb in the casserole with the pasta, but maybe a fruit will round off your meal.

*I use solid, white albacore tuna instead of chunk tuna. It gives you more fresh taste instead of a can taste. It is just my preference, so use the tuna that you like best. The curry powder is an addition I made to bring out the flavor a bit. You could easily leave this ingredient out.

Shrimp and Noodle Bowl

This is a summer salad that is great on those hot days. I do not care for cilantro, so I leave it out. You could substitute Fresh parsley or basil if you prefer. If you use scallions, use the stems in place of the cilantro.

8 ounces of uncooked angel hair pasta

1 lb. cooked small shrimp

2 cups broccoli coleslaw mix

6 scallions sliced thin

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

2/3 cup reduced-fat sesame ginger salad dressing.

Cook pasta according to package. drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer this to a large bowl. Add the cooked shrimp, broccoli coleslaw mix, green onions and cilantro. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Using wheat pasta is a good dietary choice. Also, you can change up the dressing. Sweet Onion dressing is very good. And, you can buy the shrimp in your freezer section of your grocer. Just be sure to thaw before adding to salad as they tend to have some water in them.

Chilled Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 Cup Uncooked Pasta (use a fun shape like small shells)

½ cup sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup horseradish sauce (optional)

2 TBS grated onion

1 ½ tsp seasoned salt

¾ tsp pepper

1 Pound cooked, deveined and peeled small shrimp*

Large cucumber, seeded and chopped

1 or 2 small celery ribs thinly sliced

Cook past shells according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water

In large bowl, mix sour cream,mayo, horseradish sauce, onion, salt and pepper.

Stir in shrimp, cucumber, celery and pasta

Refrigerate until serving or at least an hour. Flavors should all meld together for a short time.

*You can purchase shrimp in your grocery store either at the fish counter or in frozen foods. If you use large shrimp, just cut them into smaller pieces.

Melting Bean Pot

This is a favorite of ours. It is made in a large fry pan or saucepan. It is similar to Mac and Cheese, but adds protein in the hamburger and baked beans. You can change up the flavor of the baked beans depending on your personal taste.

This is also listed as a meatless recipe. You just need to omit the beef and change the canned beans to a vegetarian style instead of Pork and Beans. It will still be a very tasty meal.

You may think that 2 teaspoons of chili powder is too much, but you will be surprised with the flavor. Try it with 2 at first and increase or decrease to your liking.

1/3 Lb. Ground Beef 3 Cups Cooked Macaroni*

1/4 Cup Onion Chopped 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/8 Cup Diced Green Pepper 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 Cup Milk 2 tsp. Chili Powder

1 Can (8 oz.) Pork & Beans

In saucepan, brown beef and onions and peppers with chili powder until tender. Add beans, cooked macaroni, cheese, milk and salt. Pour into small sprayed casserole dish.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 6 cups.

By leaving out the hamburger, you could make this a vegetarian meal.

* 1 ½ cups raw macaroni makes 3 cups cooked.

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To Cook Macaroni

Take a medium sauce pan and fill about ½ full of water. Add 1 tsp oil. Bring to a boil. When boiling, add 1 tsp of salt. Always salt pasta water. Add pasta. Stir and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes until soft but not mushy. Macaroni will cook with the other ingredients in the oven. rain using colander and add to beef mixture.

Macaroni and Cheese

3/4 Cup Uncooked Macaroni 2 Tbs. Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt 8 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Tbs. margarine 1 1/2 Cup Milk

1/8 tsp. Pepper 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

Cook macaroni in water with a little oil*. Place this in a Pam sprayed casserole.

While macaroni is cooking. Melt margarine in medium saucepan. Add flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. It will be thick. Let cook for one minute. Slowly add milk about 1/2 cup at a time. Let thicken between each portion. Stir constantly when adding milk. When milk is all added, let sauce thicken a little. Then add shredded cheese, still stirring constantly. When cheese is all melted and blended in, add this mixture to macaroni in baking dish. Mix together. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Should be golden and bubbly.

To Cook Macaroni:
In medium saucepan put 2 inches of water. Add 1 tsp. oil. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt and stir. Add uncooked macaroni. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until soft but not mushy.

Remember, pasta doubles when cooked. so if a recipe asks for 3/4 cup uncooked macaroni, it will be 1 1/2 cups when cooked. Always check recipe to see if they ask for cooked or uncooked.