Fishy Christmas Pasta

Ready for a 20 minute meal that is red and green for the holidays?

1. Spread a pint or two of grape tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add one bag of frozen peas; bring back to a boil and drop in a pound of whole wheat thin spaghetti. Cook according to package directions and drain, reserving about 1/2 a cup of pasta water.
3. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet. Place thawed pollack fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, into the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Flake and set aside.
4. Roughly chop a handful of fresh basil leaves and set aside.
5. When the tomatoes are looking a little shriveled on top, take them out and transfer them to a large bowl or pot. Add the pasta water and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the basil; then add the pasta and peas, as well as the fish pieces, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and though we went cheeseless this time, I'm sure some parmesan cheese would be lovely at this point as well :)


Enjoy!

Rotini with Meatballs

Rotini is not only fun to say, it is fun to eat. Twirly pasta. What more could you ask for? Oh, I know. How about a tasty meal that you can get on your table in less than 30 minutes?

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 pound ground turkey or chicken, 1 palmful of fennel seeds, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, and basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Roll them up into little balls and place on a baking sheet (I think I actually used 1.25 pounds meat, and I got 41 mini meatballs out of it.) Bake for 8-10 minutes.

2. While the meatballs are in the oven, heat a splash of olive oil in a pot. Add 4 cloves minced garlic; saute just for a minute, stirring constantly, and then add 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1 regular can tomato sauce. Season with basil, oregano, and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.

3. Heat a pot of water to boiling. Salt the water; add whole wheat rotini and cook according to package directions.

4. When meatballs have been in the oven for 8 or so minutes, take them out and transfer them into the simmering tomato sauce for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked all the way through. When the pasta is done, drain and add it to the pot as well. Serve alongside steamed broccoli, and you've got yourself a quick, easy, and delicious meal!


Enjoy!

Pumpkin Sausage Macaroni

Don't judge. This is sooo good. And easy! Here are the simple steps.

1. Brown a pound of Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage, but have it your way) until it is crumbly and gooooood.
2. Slice 1/2 pound of mushrooms and add to the sausage. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. Pour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir up all the bits of sausage from the bottom of the pan. Stir in 1 can pumpkin puree, then 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk).
4. Cook one box of whole wheat elbows until al dente. Mix the pasta and the pumpkin sausage sauce all together. I think you could probably go ahead and eat it like that, making it a super quick meal, or you could pour into a casserole like I did, cover it and bake it at 350 for 20 minutes or so, just to let it set. Either way, you should serve it with fresh hot yeast rolls and die happy.


Enjoy!