Red Pepper & Feta Pasta

I love the combination of roasted red peppers and feta cheese. I had a couple of jars of red peppers in my pantry, and some feta in my fridge, so I turned them into a simple, yummy sauce for pasta. Jerry and I both loved this dish! The red pepper flakes make it a little spicy, and it goes really well with the sweet roasted peppers. This is written for two main dish servings, but you could easily double it.

Red Pepper & Feta Pasta

6 oz. dry pasta
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (12 oz) jar of roasted red peppers
1/4 cup fat-free half & half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 oz. fat free feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until softened, a few minutes. Drain the roasted pepper and add them to the pot, along with the half and half. Use an immersion blender to puree (or put everything in a food processor or blender, puree, and then put back in the pot). Add salt and pepper to taste, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Let the pepper mixture simmer for a minute, and then stir in the feta cheese and cooked pasta, and toss to coat.  Makes 2 servings (approximately 1-1/4 cups per serving, depending on the shape of pasta used).

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Crock Pot Italian Chicken Penne

This creamy comfort food pasta dish is perfect for a cold day!

I'm sorry, but this recipe has been migrated to my everyday blog, Runs for Cookies. This is a direct link to the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!  --Katie

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Noah's Spaghetti Pie

I call this Noah's Spaghetti Pie because when my eldest son, Noah, started kindergarten, we let him choose what to have for dinner on his first day of school--and he chose Spaghetti Pie. Now, whenever I make this, I think of him!

Noah's Spaghetti Pie

6 oz. Smart Taste pasta
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fennel
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup mozzarella
8 oz. lean ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions (I like to break it in half first).  Combine the egg and parmesan in a small bowl and stir well. Add the egg mixture to the cooked spaghetti and stir well to coat the pasta. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray, and form a "pie crust" with the spaghetti mixture. Cook the ground turkey, onion, garlic, and green pepper until the turkey is browned. Add the tomato sauce, oregano, and fennel. Spread the ricotta on spaghetti "crust", and top with the meat sauce. Top the whole thing with mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

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Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup

My aunt gave me this recipe, and it called for Italian sausage. I made it more figure friendly by making my own Italian sausage with lean ground turkey. Now, you can find the turkey Italian sausage at the grocery store and use it instead, but I like to make my own.

For the SAUSAGE:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. fennel seed, ground
3/4 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

For the SOUP:
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can white beans
1 can tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 tsp. dried basil
2 cups tortellini
parmesan cheese (optional, for topping)

Combine all ingredients for Italian sausage. Brown sausage with onion and garlic in a soup pot. Add the tomatoes, broth, and basil and bring to a boil. Add the beans and tortellini, and cook until tortellini is cooked through.

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Pasta e Fagioli

This soup is amazing! It takes on the flavor of the smoked sausage, and it's very hearty. My husband is crazy for this soup.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package Healthy Ones smoked sausage, chopped into small pieces (there are a lot of smoked turkey sausages available now, so any brand will do--the package will have roughly 90 calories per serving, 7 servings per package).
4 cups beef broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 oz. uncooked pasta (ditalini is our favorite)
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed

In a soup pot over medium-high heat, cook onion, carrots, and garlic with cooking spray until vegetables are soft. Add the sausage and cook until it starts to get a little golden brown crust. Add the broth and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and beans, and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.  Makes 4 (generous) servings.

 If you rinse the beans well, the sodium won't be as high as it shows.

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Lasagna Soup

This soup is pretty simple, but for some reason, it tastes so complicated and GOOD. I love to serve this with warm garlic bread on a cold day.

 Lasagna Soup

1 lb. 90/10 ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
4 cups beef broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 oz. uncooked pasta (I usually use rotini)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a soup pot over medium-high heat, cook onions and garlic (using cooking spray) for a few minutes. Add the beef, and cook until beef is browned and onion is soft. Drain, and add parsley, broth, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is done, about 12 minutes. Serve with 1 Tbsp. parmesan per bowl.

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SO EASY Baked Ziti

Don't be fooled by the lack of ingredients in this--it's SO GOOD. I was trying to imitate the baked ziti at Sbarro's. When I was a teenager, I loved Sbarro's baked ziti at the mall. So this is what I came up with. Trust me, I tried adding all kinds of Italian herbs and spices and different cheeses and all that... but I always come back to this recipe. My kids even clean their plates when I make this.

Baked Ziti

8 oz. (dry) ziti or penne pasta (I wouldn't recommend whole wheat pasta here)
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 (15 oz) can plain tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. In a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish, combine the ricotta, 3/4 of the tomato sauce, and all of the parmesan cheese. When the pasta is done cooking, add it to the dish and stir well to combine everything. Top with the rest of the tomato sauce and spread it around. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes, until hot.
Makes 4 servings. Nutrition info per serving (using Smart Taste pasta):

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