Baked Taco Pasta

This is a really easy, really delicious comfort food dish that's perfect for a cold winter night. Tacos are one of my favorite foods, as is pasta, so why not combine the two??

I sort of wished I had crumbled up some Fritos or tortilla chips as a topping, to give this the sort of crunch I love from hard shell tacos, so I'd recommend giving that a try. You could add any number of other toppings too, based on your preferences - fresh or pickled jalapenos, olives, sour cream, whatever floats your boat. Make it work for you!

Baked Taco Pasta

16 oz. rigatoni noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
Toppings - tomatoes, scallions, jalapenos, olives, sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the pasta for the shortest time listed on the package instruction so it remains a little al dente. Drain.

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet and drain the excess grease. Add the taco seasoning and water to the ground beef and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Add cream cheese to beef mixture and stir until melted.  Put cooked pasta in a casserole dish (I used a deep 9 x 13 pan), and mix in 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Add the beef mixture to the pasta and gently combine. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and the top is beginning to get slightly brown. Serve toppings per your personal taste.

Bolognese Sauce

What's better than the smell of a big pot of sauce slowly simmering in your kitchen? Especially this sauce, which gets extra love from some bacon! It's thick, it's hearty, it's easy to make, and it tastes so darn good. I haven't bought jarred sauce in years because I always like to make my own and freeze it in small portions to have on hand for a quick dinner. I've switched up my sauce recipes over the years and I think this may be my new go-to when I want a good bolognese. On top of being delicious, it's fairly healthy, at just 3 points plus per half cup serving. Can't beat that!

Bolognese Sauce
Recipe adapted very slightly from Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
4 oz pancetta, chopped (or center cut bacon - that's what I used because it was cheaper)
1 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/2 cup carrots, minced
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93% lean)
1/4 cup red wine
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup half & half

Directions:
In a large pot (I used my Dutch oven), cook the pancetta or bacon over low heat until the fat renders/melts. You're not looking to completely cook the bacon or get it crispy; you just want a lot of the grease to cook out so that there's more red/pink parts of the bacon left than the white fatty parts. This took about 8 - 10 minutes to get to the stage I was looking for. Increase the heat to medium-low and add butter, onions, celery and carrots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high, add ground beef and season it with salt and pepper. Once meat is browned, add the wine and cook until it reduces down, about 3-4 minutes.

Add tomatoes and the bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in the half & half and parsley and cook just a few minutes longer.

Makes about 8 cups.  

Cheeseburger Macaroni

I am fully aware that this post, this "recipe", is a total cheat. It's one of the easiest things you could possibly make and can't even really be considered a recipe. But it is hands down my favorite comfort food. I loved when my mom used to make it when I was growing up, and it's still what I make now, as a 32 year old, when I just want a hug in a bowl. 

In my opinion, it's WAY better than the Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni many of you may be familiar with. For some reason I could never really get on board with that stuff. But this, with the Kraft mac & cheese, is just oh-so-good. I should note that while it is optional, adding ketchup on top (which I promptly mix in thoroughly) is a must for me. It makes a near-perfect meal absolutely perfect.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (I use 93% lean)
7.25 oz box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, original flavor
2 cups water
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
Ketchup for topping, optional (but not really)

Directions:
Cook the ground beef in a large pan over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through. Drain excess grease from pan. Reduce heat slightly and add in the macaroni and 2 cups of water, stirring to combine and making sure the pasta is mostly covered by the water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water is mostly evaporated, 8 - 10 minutes. Add the butter, packet of powdered cheese, and milk. Stir to melt the butter and combine thoroughly. Serve, topped with ketchup!

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This super easy pasta is all over the blog world and Pinterest lately. It originated with Martha Stewart over the summer and adapted versions have been popping up all over the place ever since. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give it a try myself, using a version from Apron Strings as my inspiration. It's a perfect weeknight dish because, as the name of the recipe suggests, everything is cooked in one pot. Instead of cooking pasta in water and draining it when done, you allow the pasta to absorb all of the liquid and cook right along with the vegetables added. So quick and easy to make, with very little clean-up!

The cast of characters:

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Adapted slightly from Apron Strings

Ingredients:
12 oz. linguine (I had to break it in half to fit in the pot)
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips*
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes (this definitely gave it a kick - decrease to 1/2 tsp if you don't love spicy food)
2 tsp dried oregano 
15 - 18 basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll them up, and slice into thin ribbons)
32 oz. carton of chicken broth (regular broth - don't go low sodium with this one)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

*I've julienned a number of other foods before, but never an onion, so I watched this video to learn how.

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Pour in chicken broth. Add the basil, pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Here is the "Before" shot:

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving just a little bit still in the pot to allow for a little bit of sauce. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir the pasta several times to distribute the seasoning and the liquid remaining in the bottom of the pot. 

And here is the "After" shot:

Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Makes four very generous servings or six "regular" size portions. If you want to make this vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Shrimp Scampi

The photo above doesn't do this dish justice, but trust me - this shrimp scampi is phenomenal. I first made it probably 9 years ago, and used a recipe by the great Tyler Florence for inspiration. It was a staple in my household for quite some time. I've made it less often lately partly because I've been trying to do Weight Watchers for the last two years, and partly because shrimp dishes are not leftover-friendly, something that's pretty important to me now as a single person who does not have time to cook every night.

It's worth indulging in from time to time though, because the flavor combination of the shallots, garlic, and butter is just out of this world. As you saute all of that together, you're going to want to bathe in it, because the smells that will come from your stove will blow your mind. Try to resist though, because as good as it smells, it tastes even better. Make sure you have plenty of crusty French bread on hand so you don't waste a drop of the saucy goodness.

Shrimp Scampi
Recipe from Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

1 lb. linguini

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 small shallots (or one large), finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

One pinch of red pepper flakes

4 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp butter

½ cup white wine

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Parsley (I didn't have any when I made this, but it makes for a very pretty plate if you add it!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan for topping

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed. Make sure you start boiling the water early - you want the pasta done by the time the shrimp is ready.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large skillet. Add shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute until shallots are tender. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until pink (only takes a few minutes - don’t overcook). Remove shrimp from skillet. Add wine and lemon juice and boil for a minute or so. Add remaining olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, return shrimp to pan and sprinkle with parsley. Coat shrimp with sauce and give them a few seconds to reheat. Serve over the linguine. Add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese over the top and serve with French bread for dipping.