I feel really bad for pasta…in the past 10 years, this staple item in many cultures has become enemy #1 here in America. This versatile and resilient ingredient makes dinner meals so easy to,prepare. Not to mention it is so inexpensive to make! I have found myself cooking up much more pasta as of late. You see, I have a GROWING 13 year old son and he is wanting to eat everything. Instead of having to make dinner and then a late night meal for him, I reintroduced pasta. It fills him up and does not make my bill go through the roof. There are some little tricks I do when buying and making pasta:
* Buy Multi-grain pasta in lieu of the ordinary. Or mix it half and half when cooking. Your family will never know!
* Cook your pasta al dente. No squishy noodles!
* Cook all of your pasta on the weekend and then store in Ziploc bags. Drizzle pasta with oil and you will save yourself 30 minutes of cooking during the week.
* Make sure and salt your boiling water! This is when you can infuse flavor into your bland pasta.
Cincinnati Chili
1/2 package Schwab chili
2 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
2 cups water
1 large can crushed tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 whole bay leaf
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 package spaghetti noodles, cooked
Grated cheese
In a sauce pan, simmer the Schwab chili, ground beef and crushed tomatoes. Add in the spices and simmer till cooked through. Serve over spaghetti and top with chopped cheese and onions.
Tortellini Wedding Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 cup celery chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 package mushrooms, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 package tortellini
1 package frozen meatballs
2 cups baby spinach
In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, celery and garlic till tender. Add in the chicken broth, meatballs and mushrooms. Heat till boiling. Add in the tortellini and cook on high for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and serve!
