The Easiest Most Delicious Pasta Sauce from Scratch

*oh look, my tomatoes from last summer! Yes, that's my picture. I ate that orange one about two seconds after snapping this photo. 

I've been feeling a little uninspired in the kitchen lately. My hubby has been out of town a lot, and it's hard to get back into "cooking for one" mode. Then again, last week I made that amazing, incredible cauliflower casserole... and that thing was inspired, man.

Anyway. The point is, when I got home tonight I had a few leftovers and absolutely no ambition whatsoever to make anything fancy, but I was craving pasta badly. Cue the carb-fest!

I adapted this recipe from my Simply Shrimply Spicy Pasta. You can, and probably will, adapt it to suit your taste and the contents of your fridge. My one regret tonight is that I didn't have any soft cheese to add to this in globs... ricotta or even goat cheese would have been welcome.

What you need:

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes (I am still using Meijer's "organic" petite diced ones.)
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 clove garlic (or 1 tsp of minced from the fridge, ya'll)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
+EITHER:
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
OR:
2 tsp minced fresh basil (or more? I LOVE basil...)
OR:
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Garnish: Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

What you do:

If you're going to eat this now, start your water boiling first and get your pasta going. You'll want the pasta to be finished around the same time as the sauce. Tonight, I used elbow macaroni.

Set your skillet on medium and put the olive oil in to heat.

Add the butter.

Once the butter melts, add the garlic and stir slightly. Let the garlic soften but don't brown it.

Add the whole  can of tomatoes, juices and all. Add all the spices. Stir together well.

Let simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Using a potato masher or some other method of your choosing, mash your tomatoes to a consistency you want to eat. If you like big chunks of tomato, don't mash. I prefer a more blended sauce, personally.

You should probably be ready to drain your pasta by now... please do. I'll wait.

Turn off the heat under your sauce, then toss your pasta into the skillet and stir it all up. The sauce probably won't coat the pasta very well but you still want to marry them together as much as you can.

Serve, preferably with Parmesan cheese all melty and gooey on top.

Seriously, this takes a total of maybe 10 minutes to do if you've got everything handy.

Simply Shrimply Spicy Pasta

*I totally did not take this picture. As you can see by the watermark, it's from Budget Bytes.

I don't get a lot of "weird" food cravings, but when I do crave something I definitely get some serious tunnel vision about it. So, when I realized I'd been thinking about almost nothing but shrimp for over a week, I decided it was time to do something about it. 

I've only ever cooked shrimp once or twice before; I'm a little intimidated by seafoods in general, as they are so easy to under or over cook. Still, I decided I needed to be brave and give it a shot, and I'm glad I did. The ever-amazing and wonderful Budget Bytes provided the base recipe (here), and I messed with it a little until it tasted the way I wanted, which was freaking delicious. 

A few notes about this recipe: Your home will likely smell like garlic shrimp for a day or two after making it. It's worth it. Also, the recipe calls for fresh parsley; so do yourself a favor and use fresh parsley. You can get by making it with dried (I did it), but the burst of fresh herbs will add a flavor dimension to this meal you just can't get with dried, IMHO. When you're picking up the parsley, get some fresh basil too. Trust me. 

What you need:
1 (15oz) can of Diced Tomatoes

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

4 Cloves Garlic, minced (or 3-4tsp of minced from the jar... or more, if you like it zesty!)

1/2 lbs Raw Peeled and Deveined Shrimp (I bought a 3/4 lbs bag of flash-frozen raw/peeled/deveined shrimp for like $8; they only take about 10 minutes to thaw by running them under cool waater.)

1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 tsp Chili Pepper Flakes (Hot, optional)

1/4 tsp Salt

Black Pepper to taste

A small handful of fresh Parsley (about 4T worth).*

A small handful of fresh Basil (see above)... (if you like basil. If you don't, just skip it.).*

8oz fettuccine or equivalent of your favorite long pasta (I use angel hair). 

What you do:

• Mince your garlic if you're using fresh. Tear or finely chop about 2T worth of parsley and basil and set aside. Roughly tear the rest of the parsley and basil to sprinkle on when serving. Set aside.
• Boil water for the pasta. Add the pasta. Cook the pasta. Got that? Once it's tender, drain it and set it aside. 
• Rinse your shrimp with cool water (unless you just thawed them under cool water, which would render this step unnecessary.) Be sure to drain the excess water. 
• While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Once the butter melts, throw the shrimp and minced garlic into your skillet. Sauté the shrimp and garlic for 3-5 minutes; just until the shrimp is opaque and slightly pink. Once done, remove the shrimp from the skillet and set it aside. Use tongs; you want to keep as much butter/oil/garlic in the skillet as possible.
• Pour the can of tomatoes, juices and all, into the skillet, along with your pepper flakes (both if using both), salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and then let the sauce simmer for 5-6 minutes; it should thicken slightly. 
• Once the sauce thickens, toss your shrimp back in there and simmer it all together for 1 minute. Then, add the drained pasta into the skillet as well and stir it all together. You want the sauce to coat the pasta. 
• Taste and adjust your salt/pepper if needed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle a little of the roughly torn parsley / basil over the skillet before serving, reserve a little if people want to garnish with more. 
• Serve hot with some fresh Parmesan cheese tossed on top. 

*Like I said, you can totally swing this recipe using dried herbs, as I did. I used about 1T each of dried parsley and basil in the sauce and didn't reserve any for garnish... next time, I will definitely use fresh, but in a pinch you'll be just fine. 

Baked Chicken Parmesan

*Yes, this is my image, and it was my chicken parm... delish!

Chicken Parmesan Bake

I've never been a huge fan of chicken parmesan, but this recipe has totally changed my mind. It's easy, delicious, and hearty. We decided within three bites that this recipe is a keeper. It's originally posted on the Food Wishes blog, which I highly recommend because it's awesome! Great recipes, great tutorials, and Chef John has a pleasant voice and a great sense of humour too. 

Here's the recipe... but be sure to read  the *Disclaimer* at the end... it's important if you're making this for a date! 

What you need:

1.5lbs of boneless, skinless chicken. (Could go up to 2lbs I think)
2Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
Crushed chillies or hot red pepper flakes, to taste
2 C pasta sauce
1/4C chopped fresh basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5 oz) package of garlic croutons*

Preheat oven to 350. 

What you do:

Grab yourself a baking pan. I used a 9x13 Pyrex dish which was fine. You know what you've got, go get it! 

Drizzle the olive oil into the pan and add the chopped garlic. Smear it all around so the garlic and oil cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle your hot peppers lightly across the pan, making it as spicy as you want it. 

Next, lay your cleaned and trimmed chicken breast (I used pre-cut chicken tenderloins, but whatever your preference is will work fine) on the bottom of the baking dish. I wouldn't leave much space between them... I put mine close together down the middle of the pan because I had some extra room. 

Spread your pasta sauce (we used a Classico variety) evenly over top of the chicken, making sure to cover the chicken completely. Sprinkle half of your mozzarella cheese over the pasta sauce, then half your Parm. 

Spread the croutons evenly over top of everything else, then sprinkle the rest of your mozzarella and Parmesan on top of that. Basically make everything into a big pile of Italian goodness. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts. Take it out, check the chicken for done-ness, then let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you're going to serve it over pasta, try to coordinate so that your pasta is ready when the chicken has rested for 10 minutes so it's nice and hot. 

Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: This recipe is super, super garlicky. Think about it: you're using chopped garlic in the pan, garlic croutons, and depending on the sauce you use you will probably have garlic in there as well. If it's date night, I would suggest cutting back on the garlic by using plain croutons or using a non-garlic sauce or cutting back/skipping the chopped garlic in the pan. Just a thought. 

Wicked Tex-Mex Chicken or Turkey Pasta

*yep, that's my picture... Of my dinner. ;)

Wicked Tex-Mex Chicken

I was always told not to go to the grocery store when hungry. I suppose it's sound advice; going to the grocery store hungry often leads to impulse purchases, and they're not usually healthy choices! 

However, one trip on an empty stomach inspired me to make this wicked tex-mex chicken, which has become a pasta staple in our house. 

What you need:

1 lb skinless boneless chicken or turkey, cubed
1 (16 oz) container of Garden Fresh "Jack's Special" medium salsa (the best salsa ever. If you can't get this one, any fresh-made salsa would probably work)
2.5 servings bowtie pasta
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Kraft Mexican four cheese)
2 T olive oil

What you do:

Set water to boil for pasta. Add pasta. Cook it. You know how this works. I try to cook the pasta simultaneously with the chicken, so everything is ready at the same time. Once your pasta is done, strain and set aside. Don't let it dry out. 

Heat oil in a frying pan on med-high heat.

Add chicken or turkey. Cook until sealed on all sides. 

Turn heat down to medium.

Add 1/2 the package of salsa. Stir with the chicken. Simmer until chicken turkey is fully cooked. 

Remove everything from heat. In a casserole dish, stir salsa and chicken or turkey together with pasta. Add half the remaining salsa from the package and stir it all together. Sprinkle with cheese. You can eat it now...
or...

...put the casserole under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble. 

Once bubbled to your liking, remove the casserole from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

Eat it. Praise me silently (or not) throughout the meal. The great thing about this dish is that it's absolutely delish as a leftover, hot or cold. :)