My husband loves mac and cheese, and we decided to try this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/791299472-creamy-mac-and-cheese-with-buttered-crumbs?unlocked_article_code=1.G1E.ourk.neG1O0njXeTE&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, we halved the recipe as follows: for the main body, 12 oz (minus 1/4 cup, set aside) Trader Joe’s Ooey Gooey Cheese Blend (https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products.html), which is a combo of cheddar, gruyere, and havarti (see note below); 2 Tbsp…… Continue reading Creamy mac and cheese with panko topping
Tag: pasta
Skillet lasagna
We had a craving for lasagna, but didn’t have time to make a classic version. This skillet version is excellent and simpler to execute: https://www.skinnytaste.com/skillet-lasagna/. We used our oven-safe Ultimate pan. We also omitted the cottage cheese mixture entirely. Our modifications: first, instead of 8 oz minced beef, we used minced chicken. Because chicken has…… Continue reading Skillet lasagna
Roasted vegetable pasta with Italian flavors
We tried this Feasting at Home recipe, and it was delicious and satisfying: https://www.feastingathome.com/roasted-vegetable-pasta/ For the vegetables, we used 1 large zucchini (1/2” half-moons), 1 large bell pepper, 10 oz grape tomatoes, 8 oz cremini mushrooms (stemmed trimmed and cut into quarters, and for large mushrooms into 1/6), and 1 medium red onion (first halved…… Continue reading Roasted vegetable pasta with Italian flavors
Tomato and stars soup
We tried this NYT Cooking recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/771009089-easy-tomato-and-stars-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c. This was delicious. Our modifications: first, instead of 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) stelline pasta, we used 1 1/4 cups (about 10 oz). Second, we blended 4 medium Roma tomatoes, 1 medium shallot, 1 clove garlic, and 1 cup no-salt chicken broth. We then added 3 additional cups…… Continue reading Tomato and stars soup
Baked orzo with roasted vegetables and spinach
We love orzo with tomato sauce, and we took inspiration from this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020823-cheesy-baked-orzo-with-marinara?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share&cgs=c Our modifications: first, we added a lot of roasted vegetables. We cut 3/4 of a medium cauliflower (saving the remaining 1/4 for another recipe), 1 large red bell pepper, and 2 large shallots into bite-sized pieces, tossed them with 1.5 Tbsp…… Continue reading Baked orzo with roasted vegetables and spinach
Lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese and spinach
We are big fans of SkinnyTaste, and we enjoyed this recipe: https://www.skinnytaste.com/lasagna-roll-ups-with-cottage-cheese/. The cottage cheese worked really well. Our modifications: first, for the marinara sauce, we combined 15.5 oz Rao’s marinara and 8 oz no-salt tomato sauce to reduce the sodium. (We also prefer saucy casseroles, so 2 cups from the original recipe seemed too…… Continue reading Lasagna roll-ups with cottage cheese and spinach
Turkey pesto soup with pasta
It’s a cold winter day, and we decided to try this ingenious recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027654-pasta-pesto-soup-with-turkey-and-spinach?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share For the pesto, we used Severino. For the pasta, we used 1/4 cup ditalini (which needed 1 more minute of cooking) and 3/4 cup orzo. We used 1 quart no salt chicken stock. Based on our pantry, we skipped the spinach.…… Continue reading Turkey pesto soup with pasta
Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens
On this chilly day, we craved a healthy, warming soup. We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015767-chickpea-stew-with-orzo-and-mustard-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It was very tasty and satisfying. Our modifications: first, for the aromatics, we used 1 small fennel bulb, 1 stalk celery, 1 large leek (white part only and in lieu of onion), and two medium carrots. Second, along with the…… Continue reading Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens
Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce
We made these Italian-style turkey meatballs from NYT Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018723-turkey-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Our modifications: first, we doubled the recipe. In the doubled recipe, we also reduced the salt in the meatball mixture to 2 tsp (from 1 Tbsp). Second, to manage sodium in the marinara sauce, we combined 32 oz (4 cups) Rao’s marinara sauce with 16…… Continue reading Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce
Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti
My husband had a craving for stuffed shells, and we settled on spinach and ricotta manicotti. We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/. Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb uncooked manicotti shells, which were the right amount for the spinach ricotta filling. The stuffed shells also fit in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Second, instead…… Continue reading Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti
