2 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 package dried udon noodles, cooked according to directions on package (You can sub spaghetti noodles if you like)
1 frozen bag of asian stir fry vegetables (anything you want. we usually get one with edamame, red peppers, onions, broccoli, asparagus, water chestnuts, etc.
1 Tablespoon of sesame seeds
Add the oil to a medium/high heat pan. Add cooked noodles and sear them along with the frozen stir fry veggies. Seasoning everything with the garlic and onion powder and pepper.
In a separate boil mix together the tamari sauce, honey, and brown sugar. Then pour on top of noodle mixture. (If you want to be lazy skip mixing this in a bowl and just dump it on the noodle/veggie mixture)
Once the noodle/veggie mixture is seared to your liking, pour on sauce and sesame seeds and mix around.
You can also add some cooked diced chicken if you want.
This makes a ton so feel free to half it! Ingredients: 16oz of noodles Salt Pepper Garlic powder Onion powder Rosemarry 1 cup vegetable broth 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella 2 tbs Olive oil 1 head of Broccoli chopped (frozen bags work great) 1 head Cauliflower chopped (frozen bags work great) 3 medium Potatoes (thinly sliced) Preheat the oven to 425. Put parchment paper on 2 cookie sheets. On one sheet place the chopped potatoes. On the other sheet fill it up with frozen chopped up broccoli and cauliflower florets. Drizzle olive oil, Sprinkle rosemarry, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder over the broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes. Place the sheets in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until your desired tenderness. Bring big pot of water to boil. Cook any sort of pasta you want (16oz). We prefer short spirals. Strain and set aside. Chop up one medium onion Mince 3 cloves of garlic Place a big sauté pan over medium-high heat and place 2 tbs of olive oil in there. Toss in the onions and sauté for 3 minutes. When onions are caramelized and sausage is cooked place in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in cup of vegetable broth. Dump in the broccoli/cauliflower/potatoes. Dump on 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Dump in the noodles and mix it all around and it eat it! Ha ha!
Disclaimer: nothing can take the place of real noodles.
I know – le sigh.
However, if you’re willing to put that aside, this recipe is pretty awesome and will get you close to a lasagna-like dish without any gluten or dairy. Win! I’m currently back in Scotland visiting, and a trip to the local Tesco to get ingredients left me with zero options for pre-made sauce that did not contain any excess sugar, so I looked around and gathered some staples to make my own. If you can find a clean pasta sauce, by all means go ahead and use that which means you’ll save time and omit the tomato sauce, paste, and oregano. I also used lean ground pork, but beef or lamb or a combo of different meats would be tasty as well.
Prep time: 20min Cook time: 30 min Makes: 6-8 servings, one 13″ x 9″ dish or two 9″ round dishes
Ingredients:
2 medium or 1 large butternut squash
1 pound (500 g) lean ground beef or pork
~36 oz canned tomato sauce (1000 g Italian passata for my UK friends)
4 oz (100 g) tomato paste
1 onion, diced finely
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sliced olives
1 tsp dried oregano
4 eggs, beaten
Salt & pepper
Coconut oil or fat of choice
Sprinkle with Mozzerella if not doing paleo
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the diced onion in a spoonful of coconut oil until it’s softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pork, garlic and oregano and raise the heat to medium-high. Saute until the pork is cooked through.
Add the olives, tomato sauce and paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and simmer while you prepare the squash. [Note: this makes a tasty meat sauce all on its own or for use in other recipes.]
Peel the butternut squash. Slice into very thin rounds by laying the squash on a cutting board. I tried to make mine about 1/8″ thick. The key is to make the slices as uniform as possible so they cook evenly. You could also use a mandolin to make them evenly sized. Be sure you have a sharp knife! Other recipes call for the squash to be sliced lengthwise into long sheets but this is very hard to do with a knife. The rounds enable quicker prep time and the result is just as tasty.
Now it’s time to prepare the lasagna: start with a bit of sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Then place the squash in a single layer (I used small pieces from the bottom of the squash, which I had to cut into half moons to remove the seeds, to fill in the gaps between the rounds). Now add another layer of sauce. Don’t skimp because the moisture from the sauce is what cooks the squash. Now add about 1/3 of the scrambled egg and smear it around. It will look gross. Stay the path. It’s going to taste awesome and gives the appearance of cheese.
Repeat the squash-sauce-egg sequence one or two more times, depending on how much you have left (I used two 9″ round pans so each ended up with two layers).
Finish with a light layer of sauce. I also used up some of the extra pieces of squash as decoration. Fancy
Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the squash.
1
Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.
2
In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Using whisk, stir in flour, salt and garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until mixture smells nutty and is lightly golden, stirring constantly with whisk.
3
Add milk. Continue to beat with whisk, scraping bottom of skillet until mixture heats to boiling. Mixture will thicken. Remove from heat; add cheese and basil. Stir with whisk until smooth. Stir in drained macaroni.
4
Serve with additional basil leaves if desired.
Easy – Serves 4 and you can get this on the table in 20 minutes!
Ingredients:
16 oz pound brown rice pasta (spaghetti, penne anything!)
1 pound Chicken breast
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves Garlic minced (or more)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatos sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp dried Basil
Parsley, to taste
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping
Preparation:
Cook the brown rice pasta until tender-firm (al dente).
Heat about 1 tbsp. butter in a hot skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chicken breast. Add the chicken to the skillet and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Put lid on skillet and remove pan from heat. Let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes place chicken breast on cutting board (let it rest a few more minutes if you have time) and thinly slice into pieces.
In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Then add in garlic and stir around for 1 minute.
Next add 1/2 cup chicken broth. Add 1 cup of crushed tomato sauce. Then add 1 cup coconut milk. Stir well until combined. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Put in your herbs and season with salt and pepper so the sauce taste yummy to you. I tend to have to add more salt because I buy canned crushed tomatoes without salt.
Add your chopped chicken back into the tomato cream sauce. Finally add your cooked pasta and give it a good stir.
You can garnish it with some fresh parmesan, but I often leave it out because the sauce already tastes so creamy and yummy!
This is the recipe for the Pasta Fresca dish served at Noodles and Company. This is one of my favorite things to get there and I like to add Chicken also.
NOODLES & CO. PASTA FRESCA
Sauté Instructions: In a very hot sauté pan, add: 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 1/2 cups pre-cooked penne (bow-tie works well too) 1/4 cup cubed roma tomatoes 1/4 cup diced red onions 2 shakes of kosher salt & cracked pepper
Sear noodles, stirring occasionally until steaming hot
Add: 1 cup baby fresh spinach 1 oz. fresca sauce (recipe below) Toss to combine, serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese or fresca (hence the name)
FRESCA SAUCE: (for 15 servings) 1/4 cup fresh garlic 2 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup sweet white wine (I always use apple juice as a substitute and it taste perfect) 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sausage:
1lb plain sausage
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp red pepper flakes ( leave out if you don't lime spicy)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
Rigatoni and Sauce:
1 14oz box of whole-wheat rigatoni or any round short noodle, penne, whatever
3 cups of chopped bell pepper(red, yellow, orange)
2 cups chopped red onion
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 heaping Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup grated, reduced-fat mozzerella cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Combine ground sausage, parsley, pepper flakes, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. With clean hand or fork, mix well.
Place a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat and add sausage meat. Cook, breaking into chunks with a spoon for 3-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Remove from pan.
Prepare rigatoni according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Return skillet to heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add pepper and onions and cook 3-5 minutes until tender. Add reserved sausage. Add tomatoes, oregano, honey and garlic. Stir to combine and add in the cooked pasta. Mix well.
Pour into a 15"x10" baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with reduced-fat cheese and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake 10 minutes in oven, then remove foil and broil uncovered for five minutes. Let stand 5 minutes prior to serving.
“Can you bring a salad?” “Um…how about a salad?” “A salad would be great, any kind.” “Your assignment: salad”
Seriously, am I the only one who feels like they are constantly taking a salad to something? Parties, pot-lucks, church events, bridal showers- always need a good salad. I think for that reason, I’m always trying to think of new and interesting flavors to incorporate because it seems like you always see the same types of salads. This one is great for a party or gathering because it can sit around without wilting and it’s really unique. It’s also filling. But it’s not just for parties, I’ve actually never taken it to a party. Probably because I just made it up last week. Next party, this salad is invited.
I actually made it a few times, and we love it for lunch and dinner. This salad relies on pasta, but it has just as much, if not more additions so the veggie to pasta ratio is really high. Fresh veggies, black beans, sweet corn and more. It makes a great vegetarian meal, or you can add grilled chicken to make it more filling. I served it with some cheese quesadilla wedges and my whole family (even kiddos!) gobbled it up. This sits well in the fridge too, so you could make it one night for dinner and then take the leftovers to work the next day. Great one-dish meal. Definitely one of my new faves!
See all of the yummy {and healthy!} stuff I packed in there? Black beans, green onions, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, and corn.
I use Barilla Plus Pasta and I love it. (Not a sponsored comment, just my opinion!) If you have a hard time incorporating whole grain pastas (some can be hard and chewy) this one is awesome. You really can’t tell it’s any different than normal but it’s packed with all sorts of healthy stuff. Anyway…
One of my best tips for making a good pasta salad, or pasta in general is to SALT YOUR WATER. Yes I had to yell that because I think a lot of people skip that step. It does wonders for any pasta, but especially a pasta salad, which can often turn out bland.
As soon as your pasta is done, run it under cold water to cool it off.
Place it in a big mixing bowl (you can’t see because I’m so sneaky, but underneath all of that pasta is the zest of a few limes- limes you will be using in the dressing.)
and then dump on all the good stuff! Look at all of those gorgeous veggies- they sing to me. Not really. I’m not a crazy person who hears singing vegetables, but they look purdy, right? In the recipe I only call for one bell pepper, I had a variety so I used a third of a red, yellow, and orange, just for color.
Mix that all up. If you’re adding chicken, then add that here as well. I used Taco Chicken, which I cooked the day before and it was awesome. Any cooked chicken will do, but grilled pairs well with the Southwest flavors.
And then pour on the amazing dressing. You can make the dressing while the pasta is cooking, or even a day or two ahead of time. I started out with Kate’s awesome Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette. That dressing is fantastic on its own, but one problem with pasta salads is that they just suck up flavor. I’ve found I have to make dressings that are almost too strong for a regular salad and then they’ll be perfect for a pasta salad. Otherwise they just taste bland. So I started with the vinaigrette, decreased some of the oil, and replaced it with lime juice and additional spices. It’s a party in your mouth I tell ya!
Sprinkle on the cheese just before serving. I used queso fresco, which is a Mexican cheese you can buy at the grocery store. You could easily substitute Cotija (another Mexican cheese you can find at the grocery store) or use grated pepperjack, jack, or cheddar. Or leave the cheese out completely. Honestly, I added it because I think it looks pretty, don’t tell.
Southwest Pasta Salad Recipe by Our Best Bites
1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/2 C frozen fresh corn
zest from 2 limes
optional: 8 oz diced cooked chicken (this is fantastic)
1/2 C Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese (or you could sub grated mozzerella)
Dressing: 6 Tbs fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
1/4 C red wine vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
To prepare dressing place Boil pasta in salted water until cooked. While it’s cooking, prepare dressing.
First zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.
Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender. (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil) Process until smooth. With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.
When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool. Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest. Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn), and chicken if desired. Toss with dressing. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste. For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving. Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.
Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 side servings
1 1/2 cup Basil – before chopping
3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts (You can use any nut substitute, almonds, walnuts; ALMONDS ROCK!)
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Small clove of garlic
Throw all of this in a blender or a food processor and grind it to your desired thickness. This recipe makes one cup of prepared pesto. You can pour it over pasta, use it as a pizza sauce, a dip, whatever you want! You can also freeze it and use it later.
