Baked alfredo rotini pasta with mushrooms and onions

For this recipe you can use my alfredo sauce, a pre-made sauce, or a sauce mix. I used a mix to save time and get fewer dishes dirty.

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil spray
• 2 cups rotini pasta of your choice (I used whole-grain)
• 1 1/2 cups prepared alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (you may want to skip this if you are using a sauce or sauce recipe that already has it)
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning (unless your sauce includes it)

Notes:
- Frozen diced onions and frozen or canned sliced mushrooms are another good time-saver. Water will gather in the pan as frozen vegetables warm up, so drain them before adding them to the pasta or use a slotted spoon to transfer.
- If you are using a sauce mix, be sure to have all the ingredients that the package directions list (usually just milk and butter, but this might vary depending on the brand).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Begin boiling water for the pasta in a medium pot. If you are using a sauce mix to make the alfredo, you may want to go ahead and begin preparing it (according to package directions) so that it can sit and thicken. If you are using a pre-made sauce, you can warm it on a low heat setting, stirring occasionally.
3. When the pasta is partially cooked, combine the mushrooms and onions in a skillet or pan on medium-low heat. Stir together as they start to warm. When the onions sizzle, lower the heat.
4. When the pasta is finished, drain it and return it to its pot. Stir in the onions and mushrooms. Stir in the sauce next, then the garlic and oregano or Italian seasoning.
5. Lightly coat a small baking pan with the cooking spray. Add the pasta and use a spoon or spatula to level it out in the pan.
6. Sprinkle the cheese evenly across the top, then the bread crumbs.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges of the cheese turn golden-brown.

"Robin's Second-Favorite Macaroni and Cheese"

(My husband's baked macaroni with ground turkey is my first favorite!)

I prefer vegetarian ground meat or bacon in this dish, but you can use real meat if you like.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat or whole-grain macaroni pasta
• 1 1/2 cups any shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend)
• 1 cup vegetarian ground meat, or enough vegetarian bacon to make 1 cup when chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Optional - Black pepper or other seasoning for ground meat
• Optional - Additional shredded cheese for topping

Note: You may want to add more garlic and salt. I didn't use much because I seasoned the vegetarian meat with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.

1. Cook the vegetarian meat or bacon according to package directions. If using bacon, chop when finished. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta. Drain and return to pot.
3. Add the butter and stir.
4. Stir in the cheese, then the garlic and salt, then the chopped bacon or ground meat (I don't mix everything together at once because the cheese sometimes "clumps" with the meat if they are stirred together at the same time).

Pasta with creamy pesto sauce and chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pasta of your choice (I used whole-wheat rotini)
• 2 to 3 small chicken breasts, rinsed and trimmed
• Salt or garlic salt
• Italian seasoning or black pepper
• Pesto sauce mix or 1 cup prepared pesto sauce (use my recipe if you like)

Notes:
- I used a pesto sauce mix this time. To make it creamy, I replaced the amount of water indicated in the package directions with milk. I also stirred in 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.
- I used garlic salt and Italian seasoning on the chicken in this picture.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking oil spray. Place the chicken breasts about an inch apart. Sprinkle on the salt/garlic salt and pepper/Italian seasoning. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. When finished, cut into small chunks and set aside.
3. Cook the pasta.
4. If you are using a pre-made sauce, warm it in a small pot over low-medium heat when the pasta is partially cooked. Stir occasionally. If you are using a recipe or a mix, you might want to begin cooking it at the same time as the pasta, so that it can thicken as the pasta cooks.
5. Drain the pasta when finished and return it to the pot. Add the chicken pieces and pesto sauce. Stir until the chicken and pasta are evenly covered with the sauce.
6. Serve. Top with shredded or grated cheese if you want.

Cheese ravioli with breaded chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 breaded chicken patties (I used Tyson’s frozen pre-cooked patties). Use vegetarian ones if you like.
• 1 package refrigerated or frozen cheese ravioli
• Butter
• Garlic powder
• 1 jar pre-made tomato sauce
• 1 small can mushroom slices or stems and pieces
• Shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese, or an “Italian blend”

Notes:
- This is one of those recipes that I don’t give specific ingredient amounts for. You can easily adjust them according to the amount of pasta you are making or your own personal taste.
- Even if your tomato sauce is a “mushroom” variety, I recommend adding the extra mushrooms. I’ve found that many pre-made sauces have only a few tiny slivers.

1. Begin cooking the ravioli in a medium or large pot.
2. Depending on the type of breaded chicken, you may want to microwave the patties or bake them in the oven. If you’re baking them, I recommend starting the oven at the same you begin cooking the ravioli so that both will be finished cooking at about the same time.
3. When the ravioli is about halfway cooked, heat the tomato sauce in a small pot.
4. Stir in the mushroom pieces (drain them after opening the can). When the sauce begins to bubble, keep it on low heat and continue stirring occasionally.
5. When the ravioli is finished, drain and return it to its pot.
6. Stir in butter and garlic powder until the noodles are evenly covered.
7. Serve the ravioli and breaded chicken onto plates. Spoon the tomato sauce over the ravioli noodles, then top with the shredded cheese. Sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese over each piece of chicken as well.
8. If you want, add a small portion of broccoli or mixed vegetables as a side.

Baked ziti pasta with broccoli

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces ziti pasta
• 1 medium egg
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 1/2 cups parmesan or mozzarella cheese, or an “Italian blend” variety
• 3 1/2 teaspoons seasoning(s) of your choice. I used Cavender’s Greek Seasoning; one of my favorites. I also like Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt and Mixed-Up Pepper, garlic salt, or 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning + 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

1. Cook the pasta. When it is finished, drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Add the broccoli pieces, egg, butter, 3 teaspoons of the seasoning, and 3 1/2 cups of the cheese to the mixing bowl (you will need some of the cheese and seasoning for topping later). Stir until everything is well-blended.
4. Carefully pour the mixture into a glass baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the dish. Top the noodles with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning over the baked pasta. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Spaghetti alla carbonara

Ingredients:

• 3 cups spaghetti pasta
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese or an “Italian blend”
• 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley or an “Italian seasoning”
• 1 cup chopped cooked bacon or “bacon bits”
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. When the noodles are almost finished (after about 5 to 7 minutes), crack the eggs into a small bowl. Add the cheese. Stir until a creamy blend forms.
3. Drain the spaghetti and return to pot. Reduce heat to a low setting. Stir in the egg-and-cheese mixture for about 5 minutes, until the noodles are evenly covered and the eggs cook a little.
4. Stir in the bacon and pepper.
5. After serving, top with a bit more cheese and the parsley/Italian seasoning.

Toasted ravioli

This recipe doesn’t require strict amounts for each ingredient. You can easily adjust them according to the amount of ravioli you want to make.

Ingredients:

• Baking dish
• Frozen or refrigerated ravioli pasta
• Bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• About 2 tablespoons milk
• About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• Tomato sauce of your choice
• Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, or an “Italian blend”

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions. Let cool.
2. While ravioli is cooling, stir the bread crumbs and Italian seasoning together in a bowl.
3. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, then add the milk to it.
4. Preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting. Set a baking dish inside and allow it to become warm. This will be used to keep finished ravioli warm as you fry the rest of the pieces.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons.
6. Dip each piece of ravioli in the egg-and-milk mixture first, then in the bread crumbs and seasoning. Lightly coat both sides.
7. Set ravioli in the frying pan. Cook each side of each piece for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. When about half of the ravioli are done, warm the tomato sauce in a separate small pan over low-medium heat.
9. After arranging the finished ravioli on plates, drizzle the tomato sauce over them, then top with cheese.

Baked pasta with tomato sauce, bacon, and mushrooms

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil spray
• 3 cups macaroni, ziti, rigatoni, penne, or shell pasta (I used whole-wheat macaroni)
• 1 cup chopped cooked bacon or bacon bits
• 3 cups pre-made tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms, or “stems and pieces”
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan or “Italian blend” cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon oregano or Italian seasoning

Note: The garlic powder and oregano/Italian seasoning are optional. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to add them to pre-made tomato sauces, even those that are a labeled as a garlic flavor variety.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. When it is mostly cooked, warm the tomato sauce in a separate small pot on low heat.
3. Stir the garlic powder and Italian seasoning/oregano into the sauce.
4. Drain pasta when finished and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato sauce and stir until the noodles are evenly covered.
5. Mix in the bacon, mushrooms, and 1 cup of the cheese.
6. Lightly coat a glass baking dish (I used a 9-inch x 13-inch) with the cooking spray. Pour in the pasta mixture and level with a spatula or other utensils.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and top the pasta with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes.
8. Let cool. If you wish, sprinkle with a bit more Italian seasoning or garlic before serving.

Cheese tortellini with broccoli in lemon butter sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups frozen, dry, or refrigerated cheese tortellini pasta
• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli (I used frozen, already-chopped broccoli)
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons milk
• Garlic powder
• Optional: Italian seasoning, shredded Parmesan or “Italian blend” cheese

Note: If you aren’t concerned about making this a vegetarian meal, use any tortellini variety of your choice (one with a chicken filling, sausage filling, etc.).

1. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Heat the chopped broccoli and set aside.
2. Before draining the tortellini, heat the butter in a small pot. Use medium heat until the butter is mostly melted.
3. Lower the butter’s heat. Add the lemon juice and milk. Add a bit of Italian seasoning if you are using it. Mix until a thin sauce forms, then remove from heat.
4. Drain the tortellini and return it to the pot. Stir in the broccoli, then add the lemon butter and stir again.
5. After serving, sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Top with a bit of shredded cheese if you want.