Roasted Broccoli Alfredo

This was a great easy dish that was pretty yummy. Because I've been kind of...not really participating in eating what I cook for my boyfriend (still trying to eat somewhat healthier or cleaner), I've been trying to cook a lot of simple dishes (not because I can't eat it! Just because I occasionally have to prepare two dishes, his and my even simpler one...haha). I grabbed a jar of Trader Joe's alfredo sauce and wanted to try it out, so decided on this straightforward recipe that called for a lot of ingredients that I already had. I just used chicken apple sausages from Costco.

Roasted Broccoli Alfredo
Recipe from Simple Green Moms

1 lb. fresh or frozen broccoli florets sliced in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 package tortellini pasta (or other pasta of your choice)
4 to 6 links chicken Andouille sausage (optional)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup Alfredo sauce (I used Trader Joe's)
Parmesan cheese (for serving)

To roast the broccoli – Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the broccoli with 2T olive oil, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then spread the broccoli evenly on the sheet. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they are crispy on the outside and soft of the inside. Carefully remove from the oven and set aside.

To cook the sausage - Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet on medium-high. Slice the sausage then cook, turning occasionally, for about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another minute or so until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.

To cook the pasta – Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water then toss together in a large saucepan with the Alfredo sauce, sausage, and broccoli.

You can add a little extra milk to make it creamier, if desired. We think it is best served warm, and sprinkled with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese!

Caprese Pasta Salad

I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe so if you know (or mom, if you made this by yourself), let me know! I feel like my version of this recipe did not do it justice. Whenever my mom made this I LOVED it. It is SO good. The ingredients are important though: it's best with a LOT of cherry tomatoes and a LOT of mozzarella! Yum! Will definitely be making this again (with more of the aforementioned necessities)!

Caprese Pasta Salad

1 lbs penne or oriechette pasta

1/4 cups olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional

1/4 cups kalamata olives, sliced, optional

1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan for serving, more as needed

1 container bocconcini (mozzarella balls), or cut up chunks of mozzarella

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring until tomato juices run, about 3 min.

Add the penne, olives if using, basil, and then remove to large serving dish and toss with mozzarella balls and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta Bake with Green Beans

I made this a while ago (I'm a little backlogged on these recipes--been busy job hunting and getting a part time job since my real job hunt hasn't been going anywhere). It was very easy and very delicious. The original recipe was double this one and also had a bit of wine in it, but I thought it was just as flavorful without. For the vegetables, I used celery, broccoli, carrots, and an orange bell pepper. It may not have met the exact measurements of the recipe, but so long as you have the cooking times down it's a very flexible recipe! I served the pasta bake with some store bought garlic bread and the green beans (recipe below). The beans were a bit spicy so I'd probably limit the pepper flakes next time!

Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Bake
Recipe adapted by me from Lisa's Dinnertime Dish

2 cups assorted vegetables
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 box whole wheat penne pasta, cooked for 7 minutes (you still want it to have a bite)
1.25 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop vegetables into bite size pieces.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet.  Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until softened and starting to caramelize.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While veggies are roasting, cut up chicken into 1 inch chunks and season with salt and pepper.  Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until starting to brown (you don’t want to cook the chicken through at this point).  Pour wine over chicken, bring to a boil and reduce for about 2 minutes.  Stir in marinara sauce.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, roasted veggies and chicken mixture.  Transfer mixture to either one large 9×9 baking dish, coated with cooking spray or two smaller baking dishes.  Sprinkle cheeses over the top.

If baking right away, cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is heated through.  If you froze one of the pans, defrost before baking and you may have to add an additional 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.


Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic
Recipe from foodnetwork.com

2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch green beans in a large stock pot of well salted boiling water until bright green in color and tender crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and continue to saute until coated in the butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.