Party Pasta Salad

What you need:

2 lbs of pasta- (Rigatoni, Penne is fine)
one bottle of Italian dressing
1 cup diced cucumbers
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 sliced black olives
one pack of crumbled feta cheese
2 cups of Italian Cheese shredded or whatever you have(asiago, mozzerella, etc)
1 cup bacon (you can buy the pack at the store that is REAL Bacon and use it for lots of recipes and toppings)

How you do it:

Cook pasta until soft,
Take italian dressing and add to warm pasta
Add in everything else and served best at room temperature
Feel free to add more, less or substitute cheeses and veggies

Why it's so good:

It's pasta, enough said, but more importantly you can change it up to suit your party, picnic or family's taste. You can hide a lot of veggies in it, it's cheesy and a great mobile food since it can also be served cold. You can also dress it up with a Zesty Italian Dressing, add capers and expensive cheese or olives and poof a fancy pants pasta. Perfect fare for parties and BBQ's and also perfect for your wallet. It cost me $13 to make the version above and it was enough for 15 - 20 people to have very generous portions as a side dish. The secret is that I buy the pre-diced and chopped veggies and cheese from the salad bar at the grocery store. It saves time and money to only buy the amount you need.

Grab a 6 pack, some 80/20 ground beef and rolls, add some salt, pepper and a few friends... sounds like a fun time to me all for under $25! Mangia Tutto!

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

What you need:

6 TBSP of Butter
1/2 cup finely minced onion
10 oz Artichoke Hearts
10 oz Spinach (frozen)
1 can Cream of Chicken
2/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup cheese (I happened to have lots of cheese in my fridge when I made this so I used 1/4 cup each of Cheddar, Provolone and Swiss.)
1 lb Pasta (linguine, rigatoni, rotini, ziti)

How you do it:

Prepare Pasta, strain and set aside
In a large sauce pan saute onions in the butter until soft and translucent
Coarsely chop artichokes and prep spinach by defrosting it then ringing excess water through a dish or cheese clothe.
Break up spinach and add it along with cream of chicken, salt, garlic, and pepper
Add cheese and combine well
Add milk to mix and mix into pasta reserving a little extra for topping

Why it's good:

Essentially it's spinach and artichoke dip but over pasta. You could probably just leave out the milk and serve this as dip with chips or bread. You ring out the spinach because the extra water adds to much bitter flavor and turns the sauce an interesting color green. I literally used deli sliced cheeses for this dish, I even garnished with a torn up piece of Swiss cheese. Use what you have. I served it with Garlic Breadsticks, but I could see this as a great side dish to Parmesan Crusted Chicken. That recipe to come.

Enjoy and Mangia Tutto!

Sinful Mac and Cheese

What you need:

Pasta (i use rigatoni it holds the cheese better)
1 can Cream of Chicken
1/2 cup Minced Onion
1/2 TSP Minced Garlic
5 TBSP Butter
1/4 cup Cream (light cream, half&half or whole milk is fine)
About 3 cups shredded cheese*(I use Cheddar but you can make the taste more complex by using more than one cheese, like cheddar and swiss)
** OPTION** Capers, bacon, ham, chicken

How you do it:

Cook pasta according to package for al dente
In a pot over med heat saute Garlic, Onion and Butter
** Add capers and a whole slice of bacon if you want
Once the onion is transparent and bacon is cooked
Remove bacon, put to the side
Add the can of cream of chicken
Stir well and incorporate all the butter
Reduce heat to medium low
Handfuls at a time add your shredded cheese, melting it in slowly
Taste it and add salt and pepper to fit your palate
Sauce will be stringy and thick
Slowly add some cream until you are satisfied with the consistency

Stir cooked pasta into sauce
Pour mixture into Pyrex Pan or Casserole Dish
Sprinkle a little cheese on the top and the piece of bacon
** or serve it straight from the pot as is if you're really hungry!

Why it's good:
Well first of all it's Mac and Cheese, what could be better. The creaminess of the cream of chicken soup and the tang of the cheese give a rich texture and taste. I had cheddar and swiss in my deli drawer this time but sometimes I use fontina or even provolone if I have it. I love to serve this with some fried chicken tenders or garlic bread. Perfect for a rainy day.

Enjoy and Mangia Tutto!