Winter Greens Pasta

• 2 heads escarole, leaves removed from core, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 5 to 6 anchovy fillets (omit these to make this dish vegetarian)
• 5 to 6 large garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) (eyeball it)
• Salt
• 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 pound spinach leaves, thick stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons drained capers (eyeball it)
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 cups (about 3 large handfuls) arugula leaves
• A few grates nutmeg

Breadcrumb Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil over high heat to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta. Cook according to package directions to al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta-cooking water before thoroughly draining the pasta.

Once the water is almost up to a boil to cook the pasta, start the greens: Place a large skillet over low heat with 4 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 4 tablespoons. Add the garlic, anchovies and the crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the anchovies have completely melted. If you don't use anchovies, cook until the garlic is golden in color.

Once the water is almost up to a boil to cook the pasta, start the greens: Place a large skillet over low heat with 4 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 4 tablespoons. Add the garlic, anchovies and the crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the anchovies have completely melted. If you don't use anchovies, cook until the garlic is golden in color.

Turn the heat up to high and add the escarole, spinach, some salt and pepper. (The greens may have to be added in batches; adding a handful and cooking it down before adding more.) Once all of the greens are in the skillet, add the reserved cup of pasta-cooking water, capers, lemon zest and juice, arugula, nutmeg and the drained pasta. Toss to combine and cook about a minute. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the breadcrumbs and toast until dark golden brown. Remove from heat and add the parsley and some pepper.

To serve, divide between 4 serving bowls and top with a handful of the breadcrumb mixture.

Serves 4

Source: Rachael Ray 

Baked Lemon Pasta

1 pound Thin Spaghetti
4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Lemon, Juiced And Zested
2 cups Sour Cream
½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, Or More To Taste
Plenty Of Grated Parmesan Cheese
Flat-leaf Parsley, Chopped
Extra Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.

In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.

Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.

Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)

When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top. Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley. Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Serve with crusty French bread and a simple green salad.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Penne a la Betsy

¾ pounds Penne Pasta

1 pound Shrimp

3 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 whole Onion (small)

2 cloves Garlic

½ cups White Wine (or To Taste)

1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)

1 cup Heavy Cream

Fresh Parsley, to taste

Fresh Basil - To Taste

Salt To Taste

Pepper To Taste

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.


Source: Pioneer Woman

Buffalo Chicken Chili Mac

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 2 pounds (about 4 to 6, depending on size) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bits
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it
• 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 scallions, root ends removed and thinly sliced

To make cutting the chicken easier, place it into the freezer for about 15 minutes until it firms up slightly but isn’t frozen through. This will let you cut it up quickly into small pieces.

Preheat broiler and place a large pot of salted water over high heat to bring up to a boil for the whole wheat elbow macaroni.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the chicken bits and brown them, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer the chili for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together and thicken it slightly.

While the chili is simmering, toss the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and toss it into the chili, then transfer everything to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top and place it under the broiler until the cheeses have melted and the top is golden brown, 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle the chopped scallions over the top and serve.

Serves 6

Source: Rachael Ray Show

Linguini with Caper and Green Olive Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 26-ounce jar marinara sauce
1 6.75 ounce jar Spanish olives, drained and roughly chopped
1 3.5 ounce jar capers, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1-pound box linguine

Heat the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper in a large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, olives, capers, parsley, and lemon zest. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the linguine according to package instructions. Drain and add linguine to the sauce, tossing to coat. Transfer to a large serving dish and serve family style.

Serves 4 to 6

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Macaroni and Cheese

4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
1 egg beaten
1 pound (sharp) cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of sauce and slowly pour into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Source: Pioneer Woman

Chicken Piccata with Artichoke Hearts

2 whole boneless chicken breasts
1 whole shallot, diced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cream or half and half
2 tablespoons capers
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped (14 ounce cans)
1 package favorite pasta, cooked and drained (13-16 ounce box)
1 cup fresh spinach

Pound your chicken out. Salt and pepper both sides and sauté in hot skillet with olive oil until well browned. Take out chicken and let them rest. While skillet is still hot add the diced shallots and stir around for about 3 minutes. Pour in white wine to deglaze. Add the chicken stock and keep heat pretty high for few minutes. Add lemon juice. Let reduce down for about 10 minutes. Add the butter and cream and stir. Add capers and artichokes. Stir. Add the chicken back into the misture and keep on low heat.
Serve with spinach and pasta.

Serves 4

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Grilled Chicken and Asparagus Pasta

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
1 pound bow tie pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook to tender-crisp about 2 minutes. Take asparagus out of water and rinse with cold water to stop cooking, set aside.
Return pot to stove and water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, set over low heat, combine butter, garlic, cream, and stock. Stir in salt, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken, cheese and drained pasta. Cut asparagus into 1 to 2 inch pieces on a diagonal. Add asparagus and serve.

Serves 8

Source: ksl.com