spaghetti with veggies

I am trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our diet. I have nothing against meat, I just know that it's not necessary to have at every meal. It can also be expensive, so spacing it out over the week can save lots of money, too. We usually have meat sauce for our spaghetti, but I wanted to try something meatless, yet still delicious and satisfying. The options are endless here... as you can add any veggies you like. I am going to leave off the amounts of the veggies, since you can add as many or as little as you want.

ingredients:

homemade spaghetti sauce (recipe here)

any kind of pasta (I used angel hair)

1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes (I used italian style)

fresh mushrooms

onion

bell pepper (any color you want)

minced garlic

directions:

1. make homemade sauce (or really, any sauce you want) and let simmer for an hour. add in the can or two of diced tomatoes.

2. boil your pasta according to directions. set aside.

3. in a medium saucepan, add about 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. let it get hot before throwing in the veggies.

4. dice up veggies, and add them to the pan. stir around until they are golden brown and soft. add salt and pepper, and the minced garlic about a minute before you remove the veggies from the heat. (you don't want the garlic to burn.)

5. pour the cooked veggies directly into the sauce and continue to let simmer for another 10-15 min.

6. the sauce is ready! serve it over your pasta with a little parmesan cheese. enjoy!

simple pasta

I got creative in my kitchen the other night and came up with such a yummy pasta dish. I mostly just used what I already had on hand. I didn't use any measurements, but I will try to approximate what I did. You can easily change the amounts due to your liking, or how many servings you need. Enjoy!

ingredients:

pasta (any kind... i used regular spaghetti because it's what I had)

1 can diced tomatoes (i used the italian flavor)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. boil pasta according to directions. remember to keep it al dente since it will be going in the oven for a bit. set aside.

3. in a large bowl, mix diced tomatoes with olive oil. whisk together well to make sure they are well incorporated.

4. add everything except the butter and bread crumbs. mix together well.

5. add pasta and mix well with the sauce.

6. pour pasta and sauce into a baking dish. top with bread crumbs and dot with pieces of butter.

7. bake until top is golden brown and the sides are slightly bubbly.

8. enjoy!

spaghetti sauce

This is my family's famous spaghetti sauce. My family, meaning my grandmother and my mom. I'm not sure if my grandmother created it or if she got it from somewhere else. Either way, it's amazing and it always brings me back to my childood. I remember growing up and I'd walk in the door from school to smell this sauce simmering away on the stove. Oh my gracious. It's not a sweet sauce, and it's a little more thin, not very chunky. The recipe doesn't call for it, but feel free to add onions, bell peppers, or diced tomatoes to the sauce. My mom just never put this stuff in there because apparently we were all pretty picky as kids. Sorry mom! :)

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 cans Hunts tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

2 cans water (if you want it a little thicker, just do 1.5 cans)

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 package spaghetti seasoning (italian style. i usually use McCormick.)

1 tbsp butter

directions:

1. brown beef and drain.

2. add all ingredients to a pot on the stove, or a crockpot.

3. if using stovetop, bring to a boil and let simmer as long as possible (at least an hour, if not more). if using crockpot, cook on low for 3-4 hours.

italian baked chicken and pastina

This is a Giada Laurentiis recipe. I love a good pasta dish. This one is easy and simple, yet different.

ingredients:

1 cup small pasta (any kind you choose. i usually use small bowties.)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup cubed chicken breast

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cloved minced garlic

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tbsp butter

directions:

1. preheat oven to 400.

2. cook chicken in olive oil. add onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft and chicken is done.

3. put chicken mixture into a bowl with the cooked pasta.

4. add tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt & pepper. stir.

5. pour mixture into greased 8x8 dish.

6. in a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. sprinkle over pasta. dot with small bits of butter.

7. cook until top is golden, about 30 minutes.