My Night In! Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti

Chad is working late tonight due to the State of the State address by Governor of Michigan. He has to stay there to listen to the speech and maybe some receptions afterward. The roads are going to get bad quickly so I hope he just comes home.
Well, when I found this out I got excited about what I am going to have for dinner. I am having a recipe from Ruth at 4Every Kitchen for Marscarpone Herb and Lemon Spaghetti. I made it once before and it was so yummy. I am sure Chad wouldn't like it so I have to wait to make it just for me. Then I thought, OH BOY this is going to be so good for lunch this week at work! So, I made it. I used Ricotta because Marscapone is SO expensive and I am cheap! My dinner was SO delicious. You should try this INCREDIBLY easy recipe. I mean, you don't even cook the sauce!

Lemon and Ricotta Spaghetti

Ingredients
8 oz Spaghetti (or other type of pasta)
the zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup Mascarpone or Ricotta Cheese (I used lowfat, naturally)
2 tbsp each chopped basil and flat leaf parsley (I did that this summer when I had an herb garden but today I used dried *gasp*)
1/2 cup coarsely grated parm. cheese

Directions
1. cook the pasta according to package directions
2. meanwhile mix mascarpone or ricotta and zest and juice in a large bowl
3. drain pasta and mix in the cheese
4. mix in herbs and parm
5. serve and enjoy

It is seriously that easy. It is just as easy as Kraft Mac & Cheese. This recipe is SO GOOD! You should try it, it has very few ingredients and a lot of good flavor. It made me feel all summery during such a dreary day!

Alfredo - hold the fat

I really love alfredo sauce but once I looked at a full fat recipe and I have never again ordered it at a restuarant. I also looked at the fat grams etc. of traditional alfredo sauce and I nearly passed out! So I was so happy to find a cooking light version of alfredo sauce to try.
I got the recipe from Melanie's Favorite Recipes. She got it from Cooking Light.
I am going to post this on Presto Pasta Night on Ruth's wonderful blog.

I changed the recipe a little bit to suit our tastes and because I took out the cream cheese to soften and then I forgot that I did that and thought I was out of cream cheese. No problem, I used some ricotta instead. I also halved the recipe because only two people live at my house.

Chicken Radiatore Alfredo - Hold the Fat
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups 1/2% low-fat milk
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (I used ricotta)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot cooked pasta(I used Radiatore)
1 can pre-cooked canned chicken or leftover chicken breast
1/2 cup broccoli florets, cooked

Directions
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt.
Meanwhile heat chicken on stove and heat broccoli in microwave if desired.
Toss sauce with hot pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley. Garnish with black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

This was quick, easy, and delicious. I loved getting the alfredo flavor without all of the fat. Honestly, between the two of us we had 1/2 tablespoon of butter, less than a cup of 1/2% milk, a bit more than 1/2 a cup of parm cheese, and a tablespoon of lowfat ricotta. Seriously, no large amounts of fat anywhere. What a great way to get the yummy taste without the extra time on the treadmill.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

When I was at the grocery store the other day I bought some ricotta cheese because I wanted something good and cheesy. Of course, as the good Weight Watchers girl that I am, I bought the low-fat ricotta and then looked for a yummy recipe that would add about 10 lbs to my girlish figure. I found a cooking light recipe and changed it a bit to fit my needs. I am going to submit this to Ruth's Presto Pasta Night! Enjoy!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
1/2 cup parmesaen cheese
healthy sprinkle of Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic minced
2 eggs
1 10oz box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed through a kitchen towel
24 large pasta shells
1 large jar (26 oz) marinara sauce

Cook pasta shells according to directions, drain
Preheat oven to 350* F

Mix 2 cups mozzerella and next 5 ingredients.
Spoon into the cooked and drained shells

Place shells in a 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray
cover with 1 cup mozzerella cheese

bake at 350* F for 30 minutes

Amy's Lazy Garlic, Lemon, Chicken Pasta

Well, tonight I was on my own for dinner. Also, my freezer is getting low on Lean Cuisines for work so I wanted to make a dinner that would have leftovers for work this week. I also ate my fill of fat earlier in the day and I am tired. So, my dinner had to be low fat, easy, and have enough for tomorrow's lunch.

I have about a million recipes saved on my computer for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, my internet connection was down just as I was about to access one of these delights. So, I improvized. I used some ingredients that foodies would call shameful but I cook like a real person. I mean, I work full time and I am taking two graduate classes this semester, so sue me if I use pre-minced garlic. I am doing my best.

Amy's Lazy Garlic Lemon Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
1 can pre-cooked chicken (gasp!)
1 forkful of pre-minced garlic (double-gasp!)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Spaghetti
Lemon Juice
Romano Cheese
Parm. Cheese
Salt
Pepper
If I had broccoli or green peppers I would have used them as well!

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. Add broccoli toward end of cooking if you have some (I wish I did!)

Meanwhile, heat EVOO over medium heat and add forkful of pre-minced garlic
Add the can of chicken (or fresh chicken if you aren't as lazy as me)
Keep stirring until heated through,add some salt and pepper
When pasta is done mix in chicken/garlic/EVOO mixture
Squirt in a few squirts of lemon juice
Throw in as much grated Romano and parm. as you like (I like a lot)
Mix it up in the hot pot until its melty and yummy.

Serve it and enjoy! This is a great meal for a lazy night when you don't feel like cooking but want something yummy! Simple and delicious!

I am submitting this for Ruth's Presto Pasta Night on Once Upon a Feast. Everyone always has very complicated and delicous pasta dishes, but I thought I would mix it up a bit with a novice cook's version of pasta! Enjoy!

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I have been an admirer of Presto Pasta Night for a few weeks now. I am by no means a food blogger and I am surely not a chef but Chad and I had some people over to watch football today so I thought I would try my hand at a new pasta dish. I am so excited to add my recipe to Ruth's fabulous blog.

I went on Food Network and found Everyday Italian's Giada DeLaurentis's Cheesy Baked Tortellini. I changed it up a little bit and doubled the recipe.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini
4 cups Marinara Sauce
2/3 cup Mascarpone Cheese
1/4 cup chopped Parsley (it calls for Italian parsley, I used whatever was in my garden)
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (at least I am pretty sure that is what I used from the garden!)
2 pounds frozen tortellini (it called for fresh but the frozen was on sale)
4 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella (originally called for smoked mozzarella but some reviews said it was too overpowering so I used regular, shredded would have worked just as well in my opinion)
1/2 grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350*F (or forget to heat the oven until it is time to cook like I did.) Lightly grease or spray a 9x13 baking dish.

Whisk the sauce and mascarpone together in a large bowl. Add parsley and thyme.




Meanwhile cook the tortellini as directed, drain and return to the pan.
Add the the sauce to the tortellini and mix to coat.
Pour the tortellini and sauce into a greased 9x13 inch pan.


Top the mixture with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.



Cover and bake until the cheeses melt and the sauce bubbles. The recipe said this would take 30 minutes, it took my oven a good 40.



It was SO delicious. The sauce had just the right amount of creaminess thanks to the mascarpone which was a new ingredient for me. The dish was very cheesy and rich. I fed 5 adults and a three year old with two huge leftover servings. I gave everyone a lot of pasta, however. The amount I made should have easily fed 10 adults. The dish is rich enough that a much smaller portion would have been enough for most people. I ate WAY too much because I gave myself too big a portion and couldn't stop eating once I started! So watch out!



I served the tortellini with delicious garlic bread from my best friend The Humble Housewife.



Everyone loved dinner and I can't wait to eat the leftovers at work this week for lunch!