Roasted Tomato Pasta

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Roasted Balsamic Tomato Pasta

Simple to prepare, yet bursting with flavour!

First off, I’ll apologize for doing two pasta recipes in a row. Once you try this one, you’ll understand, trust me!

Grape and cherry tomatoes have been on sale often lately, and this is my go-to recipe when I want to lighten up my pasta yet have great flavours. Even better, with tomatoes being two pints for five dollars or less, you can serve up four people for less than ten dollars!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and get out a large baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper so clean up is quick and easy!

Preparing Tomatoes for Roasting

Preparing the tomatoes and onions for roasting.

Roughly chop a large onion and lay it on the baking sheet. Wash two pints of cherry or grape tomatoes, and put them on the sheet with your onions. Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables, and add about four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss the mixture so they’re well coated.

Put the vegetables into the hot oven and roast for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, you can get your water on for your pasta. To keep this dinner a bit healthier, I used the new Barilla PLUS® spaghetti.

Roast the Tomatoes Until They are Bursting

When the tomatoes are starting to burst, they’re ready.

The tomatoes should take about 30 minutes to be done, but check them and when the skins are puckering and they’re starting to burst, they are ready. You may need to adjust your time up or down a few minutes depending on your oven.

Once they are cooked, grate some Parmesan cheese over them, and add some freshly chopped basil. If you do not have fresh basil, I would add some dehydrated basil when you add the salt and pepper before roasting to give them that extra boost of flavour.

Add Cheese and Basil to the Roasted Tomatoes

It looks and smells so good at this point, I could dig in with my fork!

Drain your spaghetti, and return it to the pot. Add the tomato mixture, and mix well.  If you prefer a more “saucy” texture, you can purée the roasted tomatoes and onions before adding your pasta. I prefer the chunkier style so when I take a bite of the pasta, the tomatoes explode in my mouth with their sweet flavours.

That’s all there is to this simple, delicious and healthy dinner!

Roasted Tomato and Balsamic Pasta

Roasted tomato pasta with balsamic. Summery, and light with incredible flavours!

As with anything else I cook, you can feel free to top this with more cheese! I like mine with a bit of regular grated Parmesan!

Top your Roasted Tomato Pasta with Parmesan

Add a bit of Parmesan for a sharp bite!

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Quick, Easy and CHEAP Sausage and Pepper Penne

Posted on April 21, 2013 by

Penne with Sausage and Peppers

A five-ingredient meal that’s very simple to make, yet incredibly flavourful!

Sausage and pepper penne is one of those meals that just “hits the spot” when you want comfort food with great flavours. With only five ingredients, it’s budget-friendly yet served up with a salad it’s tasty enough to serve up for company! It’s also a very simple dish to make, easy enough for even a beginner cook to make with ease. My dear Patti, I’m thinking of you as I write this recipe!

Slice Italian Sausage

Cut up four Italian sausages into bite-sized pieces. Tip: I use a pair of kitchen shears for work like this. Takes only a few seconds!

The ingredients I used makes enough to serve four large portions.

Begin by cutting up four Italian-style sausages into bite-sized pieces. I like to use hot sausages for the extra burst of flavour, but use your favourite type. Toss them in a high-sided frying pan over medium-high heat with about a half cup of water, and cover. Give them a shake every once in a while so they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, put on a pot of water to boil for your penne pasta. The pot should be large enough to hold three cups of dry pasta. Don’t forget to salt your water!

Slicing a Pepper

An easy way to slice a pepper is to cut the top and bottom off, and slice around the inside of it with your knife. Push out the “guts”, then slice into strips.

Slice up a large red pepper into strips. You can use any sweet pepper in this recipe, but I prefer the sweetness of a nice red pepper with the hot sausage. Slice up a large onion into strips roughly the size of the red pepper ones you did.

By this time your water should be boiling. Add three cups of penne pasta, and cook until it’s al dente, or slightly firm but no longer raw.

Add Peppers and Onions to Sausage

Toss the peppers and onions into your pan with the sausage.

Add the peppers and onions to the pan with your sausage. Notice how the spices from the sausage are being picked up by the veggies?  Saute for two minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften a bit. Add a cup of water and mix well, then cover the pan for about three minutes.

A Can of Tomato Soup Forms the Sauce

The big secret to the sauce… are you ready for it?

Although I don’t advocate the use of canned soups, I do keep a couple of cans on hand for fast meals. The secret to this sauce is simply a can of tomato soup. Since I knew I was going to use that, I didn’t add any extra salt during the cooking process.

Mix the soup into the sausage and peppers, and blend well. Put the heat down to low and let it simmer while your pasta finishes cooking.

Add the Penne to the Sauce

Drain the penne pasta and add it to your sausage and pepper mixture.

Add your cooked pasta to the sausage and pepper mixture, and toss well to coat. This recipe also works well with bow-tie pasta, macaroni, or any other short cut pasta.

Simple Sausage and Pepper Penne Pasta

Wasn’t that easy? Five ingredients and only about 30 minutes!

A really simple to prepare meal that is equally easy on your budget! The sweetness of the peppers and the bite of the sausage guarantee you a burst of flavour with every bite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder

Posted on April 12, 2013 by

Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potato

Since Mother Nature decided not to be very nice today, I decided to whip up some comfort food for lunch.

I can’t believe it’s April 12th and we’re in the middle of a blustery snowstorm. Okay, I guess I can believe it, but I don’t have to like it! To ward off the chill, I decided to make a bacon, potato and corn chowder to warm my belly.

To begin, chop about six slices of bacon into small pieces and fry until almost crisp. Drain the fat and return the bacon to your soup pot.

Adding Celery and Onions to Bacon

Once the bacon has been returned to the soup pot, add finely diced celery and onions.

Add 1 large, finely diced onion and about four ribs of finely diced celery. Let them cook on low with the bacon while you prepare your potatoes.

Wash and dice into bite-sized pieces four medium to large potatoes. I like to use red-skinned potatoes and keep the skin on.

Diced Potatoes for Chowder

Dice your potatoes into bite-sized pieces and toss them in with the bacon, onions and celery.

Cook the bacon and vegetable mixture for about five minutes. Add four cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and four cups of water, 1 tsp of tarragon and 1 tsp of thyme. Bring the mixture to a low boil and allow to simmer until the potatoes are just slightly under-cooked, roughly six to eight minutes.

Add a bag of your favourite frozen corn (I use peaches and cream) and bring back up to a low boil until the potatoes are fully cooked and the corn is heated through.

Adding Corn to Finish the Chowder

Keep at a low boil until the potatoes are fork tender and the corn is cooked through.

If you’re one that loves heavy cream, at this stage you can add two cups. I prefer to use regular 2% milk with two tbsp of corn starch mixed in to thicken my chowder to keep things a bit lighter. If you use the slurry method, stir the mixture into the boiling liquid, and allow it to cook for at least five minutes. The chowder will thicken and the corn starch will be cooked in so you won’t be able to taste it.

All that’s left to do is season to taste with salt and pepper!

Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder with Cheddar

Never miss a great opportunity to add a little grated Cheddar!!

 

 

 

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Quick and Easy Huevos Rancheros

Posted on April 7, 2013 by

Huevos Rancheros Made Simple

A Mexican-inspired breakfast dish that’s hearty enough to serve for any meal.

I love Mexican dishes, and the traditional breakfast dish Huevos Rancheros is no exception.  To re-create the original dish would take a lot of time, effort and ingredients so I came up with this way to make the dish that is not only very simple, but delicious too!

Render Chorizo

Finely dice and fry about a half cup of chorizo or other sausage to render some of the fat.

The chorizo I had on hand was thinly sliced so I used my kitchen shears to chop it finely, then lightly fried it to render some of the fat.  If you prefer to make a meatless version, some drained black beans would work very well in this step.

Add prepared salsa to the pan to a depth of about one inch and bring it to a low boil.

Crack Eggs Over Heated Salsa

Crack eggs over the boiling salsa mixture. Four eggs fit comfortably in the ten-inch pan I used.

I added some freshly ground black pepper, but didn’t add salt since both the salsa and the sausage are fairly salty in my opinion.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the egg whites are cooked through.  I like a soft yolk so I cooked mine for approximately three minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, warm up four soft flour tortillas.  To do this quickly you can place them on a plate covered with a dampened paper towel and microwave on high for about 40 seconds.

Lay the warm tortillas on plates and add some grated cheese to each.  Carefully scoop the eggs and salsa mixture over the cheese and tortillas to serve.  I garnished mine with some green onions to add a bit of colour and freshness, but you could top these with your favourite toppings such as cilantro, sour cream and guacamole if you prefer!

All that’s left to do is dig in and enjoy!

Quick and Delicious Huevos Rancheros

Very simple to make even for a large group, yet delicious and filling.

 

 

 

 

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Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Posted on March 22, 2013 by

Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Lemon and Herbs

Quick and easy to prepare, yet easy on the budget.

Trying to feed your family fairly healthy meals on a tight budget while keeping flavour high can be quite a challenge these days.  This meal has some great nutritional value while keeping the cost to serve four people at under fifteen dollars.

Brown the Chicken Legs

Brown the chicken legs to render off some of the fat.

Start by browning four chicken leg quarters.  Not only will browning help give the chicken a better texture, it will render off a lot of the fat.  While your chicken is browning, mix together the ingredients for the marinade you’ll cook the chicken and sweet potatoes in.

Lemon and Herb Dressing

These simple ingredients add incredible flavours that go well with both the chicken and sweet potatoes.

I divided the ingredients between the dish for the potatoes and a cup to pour over the chicken.  You can simply mix it in the cup, and pour some into your baking dish if you prefer.

Add 1/2 cup of olive oil, the zest of one lemon, the juice from the lemon, 1 tsp of granulated garlic, 1 tbsp of rosemary, 1 tbsp of sage and 1/2 tsp of salt to a measuring cup or small bowl.  Mix well, and pour half into your dish for the potatoes.

Preheat your oven to 375 and cut three large sweet potatoes into roughly one-inch cubes.  Slice a large onion, and add half to the potatoes in the baking dish.  Toss well to coat.

Mixing the Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Marinade

Toss the sweet potatoes and onions well in the marinade so they’re evenly coated.

Pour the remaining marinade evenly over the chicken and toss in the remaining half of sliced onion.  Slice a lemon thinly and place the slices over the chicken.

Lemons and Sliced Onions on Chicken

Adding extra layers of flavour to the chicken.

If your frying pan is not oven safe, use a separate baking dish for your chicken.  I don’t recommend cooking it in the same dish as the potatoes due to the fat released by the chicken during baking.

Bake the two dishes for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender.  While the chicken and sweet potatoes are cooking, you may want to cook a favourite green vegetable for extra vitamins and an added pop of colour for your plates.  I made broccoli with mine.

Remove the lemon slices from the chicken, and give the potatoes a final toss.  Serve up your plates, and enjoy a wonderful burst of flavours that you’ll never guess cost so little to make!

A Budget Roasted Chicken Dinner

A flavourful and healthy dinner on a shoestring budget!

For those of you that may shudder at the thought of sweet potatoes, I wanted to add that I’m normally in your camp.  I’ve been determined to find a way to cook them that I could actually eat them, and I have to say this is it.  I made sure not to overcook them since I don’t care for the  ”mushy” texture they can acquire, and the lemon and herb marinade gave them a wonderful flavour that I actually enjoyed.  If you’re not a big fan of sweet potatoes but want to try a healthier option to regular potatoes, give this recipe a try…it may surprise you!

 

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