Gnocchi - Baked with Goat Cheese and Spinach Cream Sauce

Delicious. Easy. Perfect way winter meal for a main dish or as a side. This is such a decadent dish, and it's so pretty at the same time. It honestly takes no time at all to throw it together, and it looks like you've been fussing over it. The flavors are to die for. Make this for a special dinner or just for some delicious comfort food. Half it for a smaller group or make the full recipe if you've got a crowd coming over. You don't want to miss this one! Giada does it again! Merry Christmas!!

Ingredients:
2 17-ounce packages potato gnocchi

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

12 ounces baby spinach leaves

3 ounces goat cheese (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method:
Find the full recipe from Giada HERE.

Happy Cooking!

Penne with Creamy Sausage & Tomato Ragu

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 2/9/2014:
This is an easy but special pasta dish.  It is great for a Saturday night at home or for a special occasion, such as the one that is coming up THIS FRIDAY.  The original recipe calls for the diced tomatoes to remain whole, but I like the sauce a little less chunky, which is why I threw mine in the food processor.  The more basil you add, the better in my opinion.  This was a hit from the baby to my husband, and it will likely become a staple in this house.

The recipe is from TodaysMama.com.


Ingredients:

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage (I use the Godfather from Lowe's Foods SausageWorks)

2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil (I omit this)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tsp fresh basil, sliced (reserve some to garnish with) or use 2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes (I pulse in the food processor)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (can omit if your people don't like spice)

1 1/2 C cream

1 lb penne pasta 

Method:
Complete method from TodaysMama.com  is found HERE.

I added my little detail to the cooking instructions...just a few different methods below, but the recipe is all hers!

(1)  Brown the sausage in large skillet. Remove sausage from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.
(2) Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
(3) Pulse basil in food processor until chopped; reserve some for garnish.  Add garlic to remaining basil and pulse until chopped.  (You can certainly chop by hand)
(4) Add olive oil to pan that had the sausage in it.  Add garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Saute until garlic is soft, about 2 minutes.
(5) Pulse tomatoes in food processor a few times to break tomatoes up. (Or mash with potato masher or fork, or use immersion blender, whatever you have on hand will work!!)
(6) Add tomatoes and cream to garlic/basil mixture.  Stir until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
(7) Drain pasta and return to pot.
(8) Add sausage and tomato sauce to pasta and cook for about 5 minutes longer.
(9) Serve family style in a large bowl or in individual bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese and reserved fresh basil.

Happy Cooking!

Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta

This recipe screams fall comfort food. It comes together in a little over 30 minutes, so it's great for a weeknight meal, or serve it with a yummy salad for a delicious date night in. I will say that it's pretty rich, so you'll have leftovers (always a good thing in my book), or consider serving it as a side dish rather than a main course. Everything that I've tried from Skinnytaste is always popular with every member of our family. If you want to try some other recipes, I'd recommend any of her turkey chilis. They are delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 oz Delallo uncooked whole wheat pasta (use brown rice pasta for GF)
2 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1 shallot, minced
15 oz homemade or canned pumpkin puree
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella (I recommend: Polly-O)

Method:

Complete recipe from Skinnytaste found HERE. 

Happy Cooking!

Weeknight Bolognese

My good friend, Erin gave me this Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I have found so many yummy, easy recipes that I cannot wait to share with you all. This took about half an hour to make from start to finish and made a very special weeknight dinner for our family. All five of us LOVED it. You can use any kind of little pasta that you like: I chose mini farfalle. Also, the San Marzano tomatoes that she suggests really do make a difference, so if you can find them, use them. (I could only find whole ones, so I crushed them with my hands...our you could use a food processor.) This dish definitely has a kick so if you or your kiddos are not a fan of spicy food, cut down or cut out the red pepper flakes. This recipe is hearty but not heavy and is truly worthy of a special occasion without a lot of fuss.

Recipe from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

Ingredients:
2 T good olive oil, plus extra to cook the pasta
1 lb lean ground sirloin
4 tsp minced garlic
1 T dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like spicy)
1 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
28oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 T tomato paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound dried pasta such as orecchiette or small shells (farfalle shown in picture)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Method:
Recipe from Ina Garten found on Foodnetwork.com HERE.

Happy Cooking!