One-Pot Penne with Turkey Meatballs

Last month in Runner's World there was an article about chefs that turned into runners and some of their favorite pre-race foods. This one immediately caught my eye. I really like feta cheese and thought it would be a great combo with the sauce and turkey meat. I was right! Delish! And the sauce was really yummy and light. Although I am not running any big races this year I will definitely be making this again, healthy carbs and low fat protein = great meal!

One-Pot Penne with Turkey Meatballs

Pam Anderson from Runner's World Magazine

Serves 6

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves (3 whole, 5 minced)

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

3/4 crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup crumbled saltines

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 large egg

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup olive oil

4 slices prosciutto, chopped

1 cup red wine

2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 pound penne pasta

Directions

Heat skillet on medium-high (I used my Dutch Oven). Add the whole garlic cloves; toast 5 minutes. Remove, then smash and mince. Break up turkey in a bowl. Mix in feta, saltines, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt. Combine the egg, toasted garlic, and tomato paste; mix into the meat until thoroughly combined. Form into 24 meatballs. Heat oil over medium in a large pot. Heat meatballs and brown on two sides; transfer to a plate. Add minced garlic and prosciutto to the pot; sauté until garlic is golden. Add wine; reduce by half. Add tomatoes and enough water (about 1 cup) to thin the sauce. Bring to a simmer; add meatballs and cook (loosely covered) 15 minutes. Add 6 cups of water and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Add penne; cover loosely and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender (15 minutes). Uncover and simmer until sauce thickens. Serve, sprinkling each portion with feta. Serves six.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp scampi is a great summer meal served with a little linguine and a nice glass of wine! We made this a few weeks ago and it did not disappoint. Denis and I always make Ina's baked shrimp so we thought we would try this recipe for shrimp scampi. It was very easy, which I loved, and full of flavor. The fresh herbs and the lemon zest and juice made all the flavors pop with every bite!

Baked Shrimp Scampi

Ina Garten Back to Basics

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 lbs (12 to 15 pound) shrimp in the shell

3 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons dry white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 extra-large egg yolk

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish , arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and down toward the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and linguine.

Fusilli with Spinach, Ricotta and Sausage

We love pasta so I'm always looking for new recipes. I got this one from March's issue of Everyday magazine. Rachael Ray actually used Kale which neither Denis nor I care for so I changed it up a little and used spinach instead. It was simple yet tasty, with a little kick! Sometimes after swimming practice at night I don't feel like cooking so this was a fast and yummy meal to throw together fast.

Fusilli with Spinach, Ricotta and Sausage

Adapted from Rachael Ray

Serves 4, generously

Ingredients

1 pound spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 pound sweet or hot Italian bulk sausage

1 pound short or long fusilli pasta or curly spaghetti (look for an imported Italian pasta)

3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small Italian red cherry chile pepper or 1 fresno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped

About a 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

A couple of small sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

About 1 1/2 cups fresh sheep's -or cow's milk ricotta cheese

Freshly grated nutmeg

Shaved pecorino-romano cheese

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return the pasta to the pot, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Once the pasta water is boiling, in a large skillet, drizzle 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, crumbling the meat, and cook until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Add the garlic and chile pepper to the skillet and stir for a couple minutes. Stir in the thyme and rosemary.

Whisk the reserved pasta cooking water into the garlic oil. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add mixture to pasta. Then add the sausage, ricotta and some nutmeg; toss vigorously to coat the pasta. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Serve in shallow bowls and top with the pecorino-romano.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

I have been baking a lot lately and my blog has been seriously neglected! So I apologize but I am going to be adding a ton of great recipes and entries for the next couple of weeks. This is the first of many.

I few weeks ago Denis and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants in Hoboken, called Anthony and David's. They recently updated their menu and added a Bucatini dish, it was amazing and I couldn't stop thinking about it!! I found this recipe on Chow.com and it sounded just like my dinner. It was very easy and really yummy, tasted just like what I ordered. Only draw back, it was really nice when someone else cooked dinner.

One last thing, just in case you can't find Bucatini in the grocery store you can substitute Bigoli, perciatelly, pici and other long thick strand pasta.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Chow.com

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped about 1 cup

3 thick pancetta slices about 1/3 pound, cut into 1/2-inch squares

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, coarsely chopped with juice reserved

2 small dried red chile peppers

1 pound bucatini or spaghetti

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When butter foams, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add pancetta and cook stirring rarely, until slightly crisp, about 3 minutes more.

2. Add tomatoes and their juices and a generous pinch of salt. Crumble in chile peppers, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.

3. While sauce simmers, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook bucatini according to the package directions. Reserve about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water, drain pasta but do not rinse, add to the frying pan, and toss to coat in sauce. Add reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.

4. Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle Pecorino Romano, and serve immediately.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

With all this snow and freezing temperatures I have really been craving big pasta dishes and comfort foods, so last week Denis made this mac and cheese for me. The recipe yields 2 servings but there was more than enough for left overs. I was expecting it to be very gooey but it wasn't, which was actually perfect. The pieces of bacon with the mixes of cheeses tasted so good. Denis used Panko bread crumbs instead of fresh, as the recipe called for, and the crunchiness was a nice touch to the mac and cheese.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese

Ina Garten

Serves 2

Ingredients

4-ounces thick-sliced bacon

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated

2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch nutmeg

2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed (I used a 1/2 cup of Panko instead)

2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumble bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes. (We actually used a 11 x 9 baking dish, and had left overs).

If you are using bread; place bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb over the top of the pasta. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce in bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Cherry Tomatoes Red Clam Sauce with Linguine with Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad

The beginning of the summer Denis and I got a puppy named Cooper. He's honestly the cutest! So a few weeks ago our friends The Beeney's (Matt, Nicole and their cute little Pit,Maya) came over for dinner and we had a puppy playdate! This was the first time they met and it was super cute. I served Cherry Tomatoes Red Clam Sauce with Linguine and Grilled Caesar Salad. It was pretty yummy. I didn't really change anything but the clams, I used little necks instead of the Manila. The biggest difference is the size, littlenecks are slightly smaller than Manila clams. And don't be afraid of the anchovy ingredient it just adds a little something extra to the flavor and the anchovy taste is not strong in this recipe.

Since we had our dinner party/playdate at the end of the summer I used sunflowers to decorate the table with a yellow and blue color scheme. I love tablescaping!

Cherry Tomatoes Red Clam Sauce with Linguine

Rachael Ray

Serves 6

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound linguine

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5-6 anchovies

1 pint small cherry tomatoes

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 stems oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped

a handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

black pepper

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

3 pounds Manila clams, scrubbed

1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Preparation

Bring water to a boil for the pasta; salt the water and cook the pasta just shy of al dente

While the water comes to a boil, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the anchovies and melt into the olive oil. And the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pan and season with crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley and pepper. Saute until the tomatoes and onions are soft, 8-10 minutes.

Add the wine and reduce for 1-2 minutes, then melt the butter into the sauce and add the clams to pot. Cover the pot and cook the clams until they open, 6-7 minutes.

Remove any unopened clams and add the pasta to the pan. Toss the linguine with the sauce for about 2-3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Add the basil to the pasta and taste to adjust the seasonings.

Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad

Adapted from Cooking Light 15 Minute Recipes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 romaine hearts, cut in half lengthwise

Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

4 (1-ounce) slices French bread baguette (1 inch thick)

Caesar Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Prepare grill

2. Coat romaine hearts with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat both sides of bread slices generously with cooking spray.

3. Place romaine and bread on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill romaine halves 4 to 5 minutes. Grill bread slices 3 minutes on each side or until toasted.

4. Arrange grilled crouton evenly over romaine halves; drizzle evenly with caesar dressing.

Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Yields 3/4 cups.

NOTE: I used a hand held blender to make it really smooth and blended.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

As I have mentioned before mac and cheese is one of our favorite foods. So when I was reading Food Network Magazine from this month and found this recipe, Denis and I knew we had to make it immediately!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Food Network Magazine - April 2010

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish

Kosher salt

1 pound elbow macaroni

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken ( we bought 2 rotisserie chickens to be safe, and 3 cups ended up using almost 1 1/2 chickens)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)

8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

2/3 cup sour cream

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot suace and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4. Spread half of the macaroni mixture in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

5. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes (we found 40 minutes was best). Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Lobster Mac and Cheese

I don't always make low fat meals and this definitely might be one of my favorite recipes. Definitely not something to eat everyday but a great treat now and then. Since it is Lent I made this on a relaxing Friday night. The only change that I would make is to toast the panko bread crumbs with a little olive oil before putting them on top of the finished mac and cheese. I also substituted white cheddar with orange cheddar, it added really nice color. It came out great even though I would make a change and the color looks great with the Emile Henri blue baker. Definitely recommend this dish!

Lobster Mac and Cheese

The Neely's: Down Home with the Neely courteous of the FoodNewtork.com

8 Servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp of butter, plus 1 for greasing the dish

kosher salt

1 pound penne

2 small shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

5 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white wine

4 cups heavy cream

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1 bay leaf

2 cups shredded white cheddar ( I substituted orange cheddar)

2 cups shredded Gruyere

2 - 8 oz lobster tails, defrosted if frozen, meat removed from shell, chopped

1/4 panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsely

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the middle. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve.

Add 4 tablespoons butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter shimmers, add the shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the tomato paste and flour and stir to toast, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce, by half, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream, whisking well to remove any lumps. Add the paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf. Bring the cream up to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Let reduce until the cream is thick and can coat a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes. When thickened, remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, combining well after each addition. Add the chopped lobster meat to the sauce and stir well. Add the pasta and stir. Add to the greased baking dish and sprinkle with the panko crumbs and parsley. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with parsley.

Low-Fat Penne with Vodka Sauce with Meatballs

So two of my favorite things to eat are meatballs and vodka sauce but neither are very low calorie. I found 2 recipes which Denis and I love that are so easy and low fat. We have tried a few vodka sauces and despite the fact that this is low fat it is by far our favorite. I made them for my sister Aileen, Denis and I on a really snowy night (during the blizzard of 2010)! It is always nice to have a big pasta meal on a cold night, with a cold glass of wine.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Weight Watchers

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter

2 medium shallot(s), minced (about 1/2 cup)

2 medium garlic cloves(s), minced

2 tbsp parsley, fresh, minced

1/2 small sea salt or other course salt

1/4 black pepper, freshly ground

2 tbsp canned tomato paste

2 oz vodka

1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste (for cooking pasta)

12 oz uncooked penne

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

20 leaves basil, fresh, cut into ribbons (chiffonade)

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat. Add butter, shallots and garlic; saute until shallots start to caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add parsely, sea salt and pepper, stirring once or twice. Add tomato paste and mix to form paste. Cook for about 5 minutes, moving paste around pan occasionally; add vodka. Scrap bottom of pan with a spoon and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook paste according to package directions; drain.

Add cream to tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat; top basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

7 Weight Watchers points

Scrumptious Skinny Meatballs

Cook Yourself Thin

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 12 oz to 14 oz jars of your favorite marinara (we love Classico Marinara with Plum tomatoes and olive oil)

2 slices of your favorite sandwich bread

3/4 cup water

1/3 lb ground veal

1/3 lb ground pork

1/3 lb ground turkey

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 large egg

1/2 small onion, finely minced

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped basil

1 tsp oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Heat marinara sauce in a large , wide pot over medium heat. Cover to prevent splattering.

Remove crusts from bread, place bread in a medium bowl and pour water over. Let sit 10 minutes, and gently squeeze out excess liquid. Put bread in a large bowl, discard water.

Add all the ground meats, cheese, egg, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes to bowl with bread. Gently toss to combine, maintaining a light touch to keep air in the meatballs (don't squish the meat too much, or you'll end up with tough meatballs). Roll the meat mixture in your hands to create meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball.

Remove marinara sauce from heat to prevent splattering, gently drop the meatballs in the warm sauce. Return tomato sauce to medium-low heat, bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until meatballs have cooked through, about 30 minutes.

This recipe can also be paired with whole wheat spaghetti. If you choose to make with spaghetti cook 8 oz of whole wheat spaghetti according to package, toss with marinara sauce, and top with meatballs.