Peasant Pasta

As my Mom said, life has been a little busy. After baby #2 made his debut on April 9th life has been a little crazy. Between family coming to visit, and then traveling to see our brothers graduate High School, I have had no free time. And now summer is in full swing, and I am busy with other things. But life as a family of four has been a new adventure.

Which leads me into this next recipe. Peasant Pasta. A good friend of mine brought over this dish for our family just after I had the baby. And let me tell you, it is GOOD. And not to mention a fairly easy recipe. It comes from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals and it feeds A LOT. I would say 6-8, maybe more if you combine it with a salad and french bread on the side. My husband and I were eating it for like 3 days as leftovers. And even the leftovers are good, which is saying something for me. (I am a very picky leftover eater).

So, go ahead. Give this recipe a try. You will not regret it!

Peasant Pasta
Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 2 links, casings removed

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 4 links, casings removed

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped, optional

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup frozen green peas

24 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente

Grated Italian cheese, for passing

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir cream into your sauce, this will blush the color and cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir peas and basil into your sauce to combine. Toss hot drained penne rigate in pan with the sauce, then transfer pasta to serving bowl.

This was the dish I made for Mother's Day, so satisfying.

And for dessert we had this........

Raspberry Cream Pie

recipe coming soon

Old Fashioned Mac N Cheese

This is comfort food at our house.  It is adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook and has become a family favorite.  It is best with freshly grated cheeese, but I often use the preshredded.  The original recipe calls for a 9x13 pan, but we like it better thicker in a 9x9 or 7x11 dish.

Old Fashioned Mac N Cheese

7 ounces elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)

1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 cups shredded cheese
2 cups white sauce


Heat oven to 375.  Cook macaroni as directed on package.  Place half the macaroni in ungreased 2 –quart casserole.  Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper and cheese; repeat.  Pour white sauce over casserole.  Bake about 30 minutes till hot and bubbly. 

Thin White Sauce:
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cup milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat.  Blend in flour salt and pepper.   Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly.   Stir in milk.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.

Easy Tortellini Dinner

I searched for some different ways to make Tortellini, I looked all through pinterest but I wasn't really finding just what I wanted. I also wanted a meal that could go together fairly quickly, because some nights you just don't have time in the kitchen. So I took inspiration from a few different recipes to create my own. The hubby really seemed to enjoy it and I was happy with the end result. The great thing is, you can change this recipe depending on what you have on hand with veggies and cheeses. Mine was pretty basic, but it tasted great and the leftovers were just as good.

First fry up some bacon......

Or pop it in the microwave, whichever is easier. I like to cut the bacon into chunks first and then fry it in the skillet, you definitely want it crispy to add some crunch to your pasta. Place the cooked bacon on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the rest of the grease and set aside.

While your bacon is frying, boil your water and get your tortellini cooking. Just follow packaged directions. I bought this family sized packaged of refrigerated Cheese-filled Tortellini. I used half the package and froze the other half to use for later. This way you can buy the tortellini a little cheaper and use it for two meals, or one depending on how many you need to feed.

Drain your pasta once it is cooked completely and return to your pot. Now add some Alfredo sauce. To make it easy I used half a jar of store bought Alfredo, but if you have more time make your own and it will add more flavor to your pasta. Then add in some cheese, I used mozzarella, like 1 or 2 handfuls. Then add in your bacon and some frozen peas (just eye-ball it) and lastly, salt and pepper to taste. Tortellini is such a hearty and filling meal you won't be able to eat too much.


Easy Tortellini Dinner
Servings: 4

4 slices of Bacon
1 pkg. Refrigerated Tortellini
1 jar of Alfredo Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Frozen Peas
Salt and Pepper

Cook bacon and crumble. Set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add Alfredo sauce, cheese, cooked bacon, frozen peas and salt and pepper. Cook until heated through. Serve with a salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!