Tag: Pasta

Johnny Marzetti – Updated

One of my mom’s favorite meals was Johnny Marzetti. When I was Googling the history of the name of Johnny Marzetti, I noticed a lot of the recipes bake it. The difference with my recipe is that I don’t. My recipe is more of an American goulash.

It was named after a restaurant in Columbus that shut down in 1972 when the owner died.

When I made it this week, I modernized or added some depth to the spaghetti sauce that I used in the dish. I added a splash of dry red wine while the sauce was simmering. So delicious!

It’s a simple pantry item dish. Here’s what you need to make the dish.

  1. ground beef – I know the price for ground beef has increased. I get the frozen ground beef at this current time because it is cheaper.
  2. spaghetti sauce – I used a simple spaghetti sauce from Aldi. Less than a dollar for the jar.
  3. dry red wine – Doesn’t need to be expensive. Or use beef broth for a deeper flavor.
  4. onions
  5. elbow macaroni – Aldi has 3 pound boxes for less than $1.50
  6. shredded cheddar cheese
  7. Spices: Dried oregano and Italian seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste
  8. optional: mushrooms and green peppers

Johnny Marzetti

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped or 1/2 of a medium or large onion, chopped
  • 1 (24 to 26 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. dry red wine or beef broth
  • 1 lb or 2 c. dry elbow macaroni
  • 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
  • Optional: 1/4 c. white or Bella mushroom, chopped
  • Optional: 1/2 green pepper chopped

Steps:

  1. Cook the elbow macaroni according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Brown the ground beef in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Drain and remove from pan. Set aside.
  3. Add the onions, mushroom (if using), and green pepper (if using) to the pan. Add some oil to the pan if needed. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
  4. Add the cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce, and red wine to the onions. Simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Add the pasta and shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. Stir to combine.
  6. Enjoy with garlic bread and a salad.

You can leave the wine out if don’t want to use wine. I just used it to add some depth to the dish.

Printable Recipe

Stay kind!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Sundried Tomato Garlic Noodles – A pantry meal (Vegetarian)

My aunt came into town and helped me rearrange my pantry. Once I knew what was in my pantry, it was easy to decide what to make for dinner.

I had some Pasta Roni’s Butter and Garlic noodles, sundried tomatoes, black olives, chickpeas, and canned chicken in the pantry. What could I make for dinner?

I cooked up one box of the butter and garlic noodles and added the drained chicken to the noodles.

Once I cooked up the other box of the noodles, I placed half of it in the other bowl. With the other half, I added sundried tomatoes, black olives, and drained chickpeas. YUM! It sort of reminded me of my favorite dish at Piada.

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Sundried Tomato Garlic Noodles

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 box of Pasta Roni, Butter and Garlic
  • ¼ c. sundried tomatoes
  • ¼ c. black olives or Kalamata olives
  • ¼ c. drained and rinsed chickpeas
  • 1 to 2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese, optional


Directions

  1. Make the Pasta Roni according to the directions on the box.
  2. Once the Pasta Roni is cooked, add the sundried tomatoes, olives, and chickpeas.
  3. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.
  4. Enjoy!



Happy eating,
Traci

Pressure Cooker Mac and Cheese

One of my favorite comfort food is macaroni and cheese.  I have shared my favorite slow cooker mac and cheese, healthier mac and cheese, and make over mac and cheese.  Now I’ve found another favorite macaroni and cheese.

This recipe takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  Yum!

I use an electric pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooker Mac and CheesePressure Cooker Mac and Cheese

adapted from Dad Cooks Dinner

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 lb. elbow macaroni
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard
  • 1 – 2 tsp. salt
  • 4 c. water
  • 1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk
  • 2 c. cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)

Steps:

  1. Place the macaroni, butter, mustard, salt, and water in the pressure cooker.  Put the lid on the pressure cooker.
  2. Set it to pressure cooker for 5 minutes.  When it’s finished, quick release the pressure.
  3. Switch the setting to saute.  Add the evaporated milk.  Taste one the macaroni noodles.  It should be al dente and cooked through out.  If not, let it simmer for a few minutes.
  4. Slowly add the cheese.  Stirring each time you add the cheese.
  5. After adding all the cheese, let the macaroni and cheese sit for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to Miz Helen’s Cottage’s Full Plate.

Happy eating,
Traci

 

 

Sausage Pasta Skillet

Here is another easy recipe that I found in my Evernote account.

This is an easy skillet dish.  Enjoy with easy peasy garlic bread.

sausage skillet pasta

Sausage Skillet Pasta

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1/2 box of penne pasta or any other small pasta
  • 1 pound sausage (Italian, mild, or hot)
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/4 c. sliced black olives
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 c. Italian cheese blend or Parmesan cheese, for serving

Steps:

  1. Cook pasta following directions on box.  (Can use any small shape)
  2. In a separate pan, brown sausage.  (I used mild.)
  3. After it’s almost fully browned, add diced onions.  Cook until the sausage is fully browned.
  4. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, 1 Tbsp. of Italian seasoning, and sliced black olives.
  5. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Add the cooked pasta.
  7. Sprinkle Italian cheese blend or Parmesan cheese over pasta and sauce.

Happy eating,
Traci

Lemon Basil Pasta

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman’s website.  Since I had put some lemon chicken in the freezer, I decided that this would really compliment the chicken.  The pasta dish is pure heaven.  Okay maybe not pure heaven.  However, it was delicious and the smells coming from cooking it or even heating it up makes me happy.  In fact, I took it to work for lunch and one of my fellow teachers complimented me on the smell of the dish.  If you get a chance, make this dish and escape to happiness from the taste and smell.

Stars of the Recipe

  • 1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente
  • ½ sticks Butter
  • 3 whole Lemons, Juiced (I also used some of the lemon rind to add another depth of flavor.)
  • ¾ cups Heavy Cream (I used heavy whipping cream.)
  • ¼ cups Half-and-half
  • 1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)
  • Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
  • 20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped (I used basil paste in a tube.  It’s all I could find.  I used maybe a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half.  I didn’t measure.)

Directions

  1. Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain.
  2. Set pasta aside in a colander.
  3. In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.
  4. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons. (Also use a microplane to grate some rind.)
  5. Whisk together.
  6. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot.
  7. Dump in cheese and whisk until melted.
  8. Add salt, pepper, and basil.
  9. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. (I didn’t need to add that much.)
  10. Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top.  (I skipped this step.)
  11. Serve!

This recipe is great as a side dish or eaten by itself.

For other great recipes, Potluck Sundays, Delicious Dishes , and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

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