Pasta With Vodka Cream Sauce & Ricotta

Sauce
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 bulb garlic, diced
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 large can tomato sauce
1 c. flavorless vodka
1 can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 small carton heavy cream

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is clear. Add tomato sauce, paste, vodka and basil. Simmer on low to medium heat for approximately 1/2 hour (long enough for the alcohol to evaporate). Stir in cream and let simmer another 7 minutes.

Prepared pasta (I like Penne or Farfalle for this)
Baby spinach (uncooked)
1 lb. browned Italian Sausage (I like Hot- can be mixed in with the sauce if you prefer)
Ricotta cheese

Layer on your plate: Pasta, sausage, ricotta, spinach and then sauce. Enjoy!


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 5-6 people

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Hawaiian Shrimp over Thai Noodles

1 lb. peeled medium shrimp
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cans light coconut milk
1 c. crushed pineapple
1 c. shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. steamed edamame (shelled) (optional)
Prepared Thai Rice Noodles

In a large skillet, heat up shrimp, ginger & garlic. You may need a small amount of olive oil or nonstick spray to keep it from sticking. Cook over medium to high heat until shrimp is cooked through. Reduce heat and add coconut milk. Stir constantly until bubbly. Add pineapple and coconut. Reduce heat to medium low, stirring constantly until it is bubbly. In a separate pan (or microwave) steam edamame. Drain & add to shrimp mixture (or serve on the side for those who don't like edamame). Serve over prepared Thai Rice Noodles.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 5-6 people

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3 Layer Lasagna

1 pkg. no boil lasagna noodles (I think American Beauty makes them)
1 jar pasta sauce (my favorite is Ragu roasted garlic)
2 small cans mushrooms
1 lb. Italian Sausage, browned (substitute with 1 large Italian squash, diced & sauteed for a vegetarian version)
1 lb. grated mozzarella cheese (I use pre-grated)
1 16 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 diced onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 c. sauteed spinach (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix sauce, sausage, mushrooms, onion, garlic, Italian Seasoning & spinach. In a greased 9x13 pan, layer sauce, then cheeses, then a layer of noodles. This should give you three layers, with a layer of sauce and cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, or until cheese is golden & bubbly.

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
serves: 7 people

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Mediterranean Pasta

1 box orzo pasta
2 cans white cannelini beans
1 Tbsp. diced garlic
1 diced onion
1 diced green apple
1 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 c. diced celery (optional)
1/2 c. diced Italian Squash (optional)
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Preheat Oven to 400. In 9x13 baking pan, coat the bottom with olive oil. Mix together all ingredients into the pan. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 min. Uncover & bake for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked thoroughly.

* Note: My husband likes when I make this with diced chicken in it. If you decided to make it with chicken, make sure that you dice into small pieces, raise the temperature to 425 and add 15 minutes to the cooking time.

Prep time: 10 min.
Cooking time: 45 min- 1 hour
Feeds: 5-6 people

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