Recipes Discovered

Spaghetti Squash Cacciatore Soup Recipe

I was trying to use up some leftover vegetables last night, mostly mushrooms and spaghetti squash, and ended up concocting a new recipe. At first, I thought I could make something like cacciatore, with mushrooms, peppers, and onions and spaghetti squash as a replace for the pasta. I sauteed the onions and peppers until they were soft and then added the mushrooms. After adding the spaghetti squash, I thought it needed a little something more so I added some fresh tomatoes that had been cooked. To add some protein, I tossed in some leftover chicken breast. After seasoning it with salt and parsley, I served it in bowls, since it turned out to be a cross between cacciatore and soup. It tasted great though, very fresh, and used up a lot of veggies, which was the point!

Spaghetti Squash Recipe

Meatball Recipe

Marinara Sauce Recipe

Since my mom is careful about the amount of carbs she eats, her and my dad don’t have pasta much anymore. My dad loves spaghetti and meatballs though. There is a type of squash that the flesh separates into strings and looked just like spaghetti (obviously called a spaghetti squash). Luckily, my family likes pretty much any vegetable and the spaghetti squash makes a great substitute for pasta.

The squash is really easy to cook. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. Then, I put it in a glass dish, cut side down, with about an inch of water. It took about 40 minutes to bake and become tender. Then I scraped out the flesh and served it with sauce and meatballs, just like spaghetti.

The squash is a little sweeter than pasta and is a little thinner than traditional spaghetti. I would compare it to angel hair pasta in size and texture. It is delicious on it’s own but it also taste great with spaghetti sauce and is an excellent substitute for diabetics watching their carb intake.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells Recipe

Generally when I make stuffed shells, I have to make two different kinds to keep everyone happy – ones stuffed with meat and ones stuffed with cheese. I thought this recipe sounded like a good compromise between the two.

I started by boiling a large pot of salted water and adding jumbo pasta shells. I assume 4 or 5 shells per person so a 12 ounce box of shells should serve about 8 people. Even though the directions on the box said to boil the shells for 15 minutes, I only let them go about 5 minutes until they were pliable. This will keep them from falling apart when they bake. I drained the shells and separated them on wax paper to cool.

For the stuffing, I sautéed an onion over medium heat until it began to soften and then I added the garlic and ground turkey. I left the turkey in pretty big chunks and let it cook for a minute until it got a nice crust on the outside, then I begin to break it up unto smaller pieces. I seasoned everything with salt and pepper, and when the turkey was cooked through, I added the chopped artichoke hearts and removed the skillet from the stove. In a large bowl, I combined ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, dried basil and parsley (I didn’t have fresh), salt, and pepper. When it was well mixed, I stirred in the turkey mixture. >> Read more

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

I got an email from the Food Network this afternoon (apparently I am signed up to one of their newsletters) with a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. The picture looked pretty good and I had all the ingredients, so I thought it would make a good dinner.

I started by sauteing chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper in a skillet over medium heat. They took about 3 or 4 minutes on each side to turn a nice golden brown color. While they were cooking, I sliced up an onion, a red bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. It’s a rustic dish, so the vegetables don’t have to be sliced perfectly. I transferred the chicken to a plate and added the onion and pepper to the pan. When the onion turned translucent, about 5 minutes, I added the mushrooms. I let the veggies cook about another 5 minutes before adding the garlic. After that, I added white wine and let it simmer for about a minute before adding a can of stewed tomatoes. The recipe called for chopped whole tomatoes but the stewed tomatoes worked out fine. I also added oregano, red pepper flakes and some salt. I covered the pan and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the chicken back to the skillet. It only took about 10 minutes for the chicken to be cooked through.

I served the chicken and sauce over spiral pasta and sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese. The flavor was good, but it was way too spicy for me. I will definitely cut down on the red pepper flakes next time. But overall, it was a good dish. The chicken stayed very moist and the veggies blended together to make a great sauce. It just needed to be less spicy.

Simple Marinana Sauce Recipe

Lately I have enjoyed making homemade dressings and sauces rather than buying them at the store. I found this recipe for a really simple and easy marinara that makes a great pasta sauce. I has a classic tomato flavor that pairs well with any pasta dish. I’ve tried a variety of canned tomatoes, included fire roasted diced tomatoes and San Marzano chunky crushed tomotatoes. They all turn out great, it just depends what consistancy and flavor you like. I have even reduced it longer and used it for pizza sauce!