Tag: pasta

Mac & Cheese with Kielbasa

Mac & cheese with kielbasa is always one of my favorite treats. I love mac & cheese and this is my favorite version of it. Kielbasa is also a nice protein to have with it since it’s spices are so flavorful and compliment the mac & cheese perfectly.

  1. Cook 1 1/2 cup of macaroni to al dente and drain.
  2. While that is cooking, preheat oven to 375 F. Dice 1 small onion (1/2 cup) and cook in a large frying pan with 4 Tbsp of butter until translucent.
  3. Remove Kielbasa from packaging, remove skin, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces, place into a casserole dish, add 1/4″ of water and set aside.
  4. Once onions are translucent, add 4 Tbsp of flour stir to combine, then add 2 1/2 cups of milk. Heat to a slight simmer.
  5. While that is heating, cube one block of sharp cheese (8 oz) by cutting the block in half the short way, then slicing into slices 1/4 inch thick. Once milk is simmering, remove milk from heat and immediately add cheese and start stirring until all cheese is melted.
  6. Place drained macaroni into a 2 quart size or bigger backing/casserole dish. Then pour the hot cheese over top and carefully stir.
  7. Add Kielbasa to oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir. Return to oven for another 15 minutes. Cook with the mac & cheese. Bake your mac & cheese for 30 minutes until the top has begun to brown and is bubbling hot. Serve together.
0

Ravioli-Beefaroni

I’ve been making this dish for years. It’s a quick and easy meal that can feed as many as you need. In fact, this is one of the first dishes I made. If a young child (about 12) can make this, anyone can. I’m also not sure who will like or appreciate this recipe, but it’s been done and I’ll certainly make it again when I really don’t want to cook. You can also just use 3 cans of your choice flavors. I usually would do 2 beefaroni and 1 ravioli when I was growing up, but me and my husband eat more than when I was a kid, and we like to have an extra meal or 2 for lunch the next day. 4 cans makes enough for 4 people.

  1. Open 2 cans of ravioli and 2 cans of beefaroni. Use a rubber spatula to scrap cans into a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat for 10 minutes covered stirring occasionally until everything is heated through. Add 2 Tbsp of Parsley and 1 Tbsp of Garlic powder. Stir together then serve.
0

Ranch Dressing Pasta Salad

This is a very filling and heavy pasta side. Adding fresh veggies would easily brighten it up and make it a perfect salad for a summers day where you’ve done lots of work, or a great picnic salad to be served with grilled chicken and watermelon. Every time you change the ingredients, it’s like your getting a new salad! I would also add a bit of dill to the salad, but I don’t have any at the moment, so none this time.

  1. Boil 8 oz of pasta until al dente. Strain and rinse with cold water. Shake off excess water and transfer to serving bowl.
  2. Add 1/3 cup of ranch dressing. Add 1 cup of mayo. Add 3 Tbsp of dried minced onion. Add 1 Tbsp of garlic powder. Add 2 tsp of onion powder. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp of chives. Mix together.
  3. Refrigerate until serving.
1

Easy Carbonara

The first time I made Carbonara was in junior high cooking class. We were making dishes from around the world, and it was so delicious I’ve made it many times since!

When I make carbonara, I try to make everything go as smoothly as possible while also moving as quickly as possible. I also like to have a second pair of hands to help me move along quickly too.

I’ve also used many types of parmasean/romano mixes. I’ve used fresh cheeses and dried cheeses. And though they have always worked, fresh is best, but Aldis brand bottled cheese is the best bottled I’ve worked with. These is also a Kraft brand bottle that has real cheese in it, and that works too, but Aldis melts quicker and more evenly.

  1. Bring to a boil 7 cups of water. Add 12 oz of Spaghetti and cook for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  2. In a big serving bowl, mix together 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of grated parmasean and romano mix cheese.
  3. Once the spaghetti is cooked, move quickly. Put 1 cup of spaghetti water into the egg and cheese mixture and stir like crazy until homogeneous. Place to the side one extra cup of spaghetti water, strain the spaghetti, shake twice, then quickly transfer into serving bowl and immediately start stirring. Stir until everything looks homogeneous, add 1 tbsp of butter, and if desired add extra water to loosen the cheese sauce.
  4. Serve and enjoy!
1

Apple Cider Vinaigrette Pasta Salad

This pasta was delicious. I don’t usually make vinaigrettes because they tend to be too bitter for me or over power the dish. The proportions for this dish are perfect for covering the pasta, but still allows the flavor of the pasta to come through. This would be a fantastic summer dish to give a refreshed feeling, or served heartier with the addition of other veggies, cheeses, or even a meat. Some ingredients that would be a good addition include broccoli, zucchini, cucumbers, diced red peppers, diced onion, shredded or cubed sharp cheese, cubed pepperoni or hard salami, etc.

When I made this pasta, I used the ingredients below: apple cider vinegar, canola oil, and buckwheat blossom honey from a local beekeeper. I used the specified vinegar and oil, however, I did add an additional teaspoon of plain honey to add additional sweetness without the additional buckwheat flavor. The buckwheat honey did give it a very unique flavor though! The apple flavor was perfectly complimented by the buckwheat honey, and because of the honey, there was a floral aftertaste that was very unique. Buckwheat honey also added additional bitterness, so that was why I added additional plain honey.

  1. Bring to a boil 3 cups of water in a large pot.
  2. Once boiling add 8 oz of rotini pasta and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Shake off excess water, then transfer to your desired serving bowl.
  3. In a small bowl/ramekin, mix together 1/4 cup of canola oil, 3 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar, and 1 Tbsp honey. Stir until homogeneous and adjust to taste.
  4. Stir together pasta, apple cider vinaigrette, and any other ingredients you desire. Refrigerate until serving. Serves 4 as a side dish.
1

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started