Don’t you just love easy dishes that look fancy, but are no fuss? That’s exactly what you’ll get with this spinach pesto pasta, a slightly different take on the traditional basil version. I used spicy turkey sausage because Hubs and I are ground turkey fanatics and love a little heat. If you’re not a sausage lover, [Read More…]
Turkey Bolognese
These cold nights in New Jersey have been screaming for a big bowl of pasta. And like the thoughtful cook I am, I obliged. Like any bolognese, this recipe will take a few hours to make. But the results will be amazing and completely worth the effort. Perfectly savory with that je ne sais quoi, [Read More…]
Pumpkin & Chicken Baked Gnocchi
Question for you. What is better than a pasta bake? How about a gnocchi bake? Add pumpkin and tomato sauce, loads of cheese, and my goodness, eat a bowl of this and you’ll be curled up taking a nap in no time! I gave this post some extra love. And by extra love, I mean extra photos. I [Read More…]
Mediterranean Tortellini
You can pull this yummy Mediterranean Tortellini dish together in 15-20 minutes. I swear. And with its mix of cheese tortellini, roasted peppers, salty kalamata olives, fresh basil and sprinkles of feta, this will top your list of easy-peasy dinners. Case in point: I came home from work at 5:45pm. At the time, Hubs was [Read More…]
Gnocchi with Roasted Tomato Sauce
I think I’m going through a gnocchi obsession phase. Earlier this month I had it for dinner during my vacation with Hubs and since then I’ve been loving these little potato dumpling-macaroni thingies. I’ve read that making homemade gnocchi is pretty easy, but I decided to take the semi-homemade way out with buying it pre-made and making [Read More…]
Tortellini with Broccoli Pesto
Put your basil away and make way for broccoli pesto! You’ll fall in love with this super fast and healthy dinner that’s ready within 30 minutes. Oh yeah, babe. Please don’t use frozen broccoli. It’s one extra step, chopping the broccoli crowns into florets, but it’s so worth it! You can taste the freshness and [Read More…]
Skillet Lasagna
Lasagna in a pan… say WHAT? I dare you to find a faster way to make this Italian classic. Ready within 30 minutes, I’m thinking my Crock-Pot Vegetable Lasagna has finally met its match. It seems like I’ve been on a streak of sweets, cheese and carbs… and okay, maybe I have. But these long [Read More…]
Crock-Pot Vegetable Lasagna
An easy dinner that’s both skinny and delicious! This Crock-Pot Vegetable Lasagna is a “set it and forget about it” slow cooker recipe that is perfect dish to warm up your bones on a cold night. Did I mention it makes for even better leftovers? Making a lasagna in a crock pot is no different [Read More…]
Three Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Shells
What’s a Sunday afternoon without some good Italian cooking?! Growing up, macaroni and meatballs was a staple for a late Sunday lunch. The aroma of sautéing onions and garlic still brings back some of the greatest memories. About two weekends ago (I know, I’m late posting this!), I made two trays worth of these Three Cheese [Read More…]
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Roasted butternut squash. CHECK. Heaps of mozzarella cheese. CHECK. Crumbled crispy bacon. CHECK. Usually I could tell you one or two things missing in a dish. Maybe an extra crunch, more of that, less of this. There always seems to be room for improvement, which makes cooking so much fun. But THIS butternut squash mac [Read More…]
Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta Bake
A dish that LOOKS like it was a lot of work, but was really a big mosh of ingredients mixed together in a big bowl. *sly grin* This grilled chicken caprese pasta bake is just. so. simple. The only trick I threw in here was using Greek yogurt in lieu of cream to save on [Read More…]
Broccoli Chicken Mac & Cheese
You’ll love this Broccoli Chicken Mac & Cheese – it’s creamy, savory and hearty with the bits of chicken. But, I have to ask… Why are carbs and cheese SO GOOD?! WHY?!?! This is a battle I’ll fight the rest of my life, I just know it. I can barely say “no” to the bread basket whenever [Read More…]
Sunday Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce
There’s something so deliciously comforting about macaroni and red sauce on a Sunday. Between the hours of 1 and 3 pm to be exact. It’s one Italian tradition that gives me warm fuzzies and flashbacks to childhood. Growing up, nearly every Sunday morning I woke up to the scent of onions and garlic sauteing in [Read More…]
Skinny Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
Looking for a creamy, pasta dish without the guilt? This is it! You would never know that cream was omitted and replaced by Greek yogurt. It’s cheesy, garlicy and the roasted broccoli gives it that extra “pop”! Cooking this dish requires a lot of multi-tasking, but I’m confident that you can do it. Start off [Read More…]
Campanelle Pasta Bake with Spinach & Chicken
This is a pretty light pasta dish, plus it’s amazing! It has chicken (protein!), spinach (folic acid!), garlic (vitamin B6! vitamin c!) and crushed tomatoes (vitamin a! vitamin c!). And if we’re telling the truth here, fresh mozzarella has calcium! Pile on the cheese, people. Your entire kitchen will smell heavenly while this bakes [Read More…]
Easy Marinara Sauce
Hands down, my favorite Food Network personality is Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa). Naturally, when I needed a marinara sauce recipe for my eggplant rollatini I scoured her website for one. Whether it’s sauce or gravy to you, it’s always good to have a recipe for it on hand. It’s more on the sweeter side, so if you like [Read More…]
Linguine with Spicy Shrimp
Mike and I were pleasantly surprised at how easy and amazingly delicious this recipe turned out to be! Cooking together, we altered the recipe based on what we had at hand. You’ll see our adjustments below. To accompany this dish, Mike sliced some leftover Italian bread and slathered it with butter, garlic and fresh parsley. Lining a [Read More…]