Lightened up Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese is probably a meal that floats everyone's boat. It's quick, simple, delicious and requires just a handful of ingredients that we all have in the fridge. It's the perfect meal to make after a long work day, on a lazy weekend or really whenever you crave some Mac & Cheese. The bonus is: kids love it!!

Now, normally people finish the meal with putting breadcrumbs on top and baking, which is very delicious. This lighter version comes together in 10min on the stove top, there are no breadcrumbs, no baking, and it requires less sauce... Less calories, less fuss, still very delicious!!

Rigatoni With Butternut Squash and Pancetta

I had a butternut squash in the fridge and wanted to try something with it. So, I came across a great recipe that I'd like to share. It's amazingly delicious :)
The recipe is by Laura Vitale and here is a link to get all the ingredients and instructions:

http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/all/episode.php?episodenumber=478

Enjoy!

Creamy Fresh Tomato and Garlic Marinara

Being in Macedonia for a couple of weeks and enjoying the fresh tomatoes, I just can't get enough of them :-) But what happens when you don't eat them quickly enough and they start to get soft? You make a delicious pasta sauce! :-) Adding cream cheese to the sauce gives it some extra richness but you can get creative and put anything you like. This is what I did:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 4 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 4tbs plain cream cheese (double cream works too)
- 3tbs olive oil
- 1lb uncooked pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3tbs fresh chopped parsley (any fresh herb works)
- grated cheese to sprinkle on top (any cheese works)

 Process:

- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.
- In a sauce pan, drizzle some olive oil, set the heat to medium and add the garlic immediately to infuse with the cold oil. Let it go for 6-8min or until the garlic is golden brown.
- Add the tomatoes, give them a good stir, increase the heat to a medium-high and let them cook for about 10min or until saucy consistency.
- When the tomatoes are done cooking, add the cream cheese. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Add the fresh parsley and give it a good stir.
- Add the pasta to the sauce, give it a good toss, add grated cheese on top and enjoy!

Boozy Bolognese

How many Bolognese Sauce recipes are out there? Thousands! Maybe even more than that. Every family probably has it's own recipe. I've made this sauce for years and I've heard advices like "use beef broth instead of wine", "use Worcestershire Sauce instead of wine", "wine is really not necessary"...

So today I figured maybe I should add some red wine to the sauce and decide by myself whether it plays a relevant role or not. And trust me, it does! It gives that deep flavour, that's so indulgent and addictive (no worries, the alcohol cooks out). So here it goes...

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 500g minced beef
- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 generous glass red wine
- 2 cans of chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 3tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

-  Place a sauce pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the beef, break it up with a wooden spoon and cook for about 4-5min.
- Add the onions, and cook for a few minutes so they soften up.
- Add the red wine and cook for 2min, so the alcohol cooks away.
- Then add the tomatoes and give it a stir.
- Partially cover the sauce pan, set the temperature to as low as it can go and let it simmer for about 2h. This allows for the flavours to "marry".
- Add your favourite pasta to it and enjoy!

Lemon & Basil Pasta

I love using fresh herbs! Basil is probably my favourites and if I had enough on hand, I would probably use it every day :-) So since the plant I have in the kitchen was growing pretty quickly, I decided to make this pasta dish and it turned out pretty nicely.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 500g pasta (any shape or size you have)

- 25-30 basil leaves, finely chopped

- 1 lemon, squeezed

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 6tbs olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- parmesan cheese to taste, grated

Process:

- Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, but don't rinse.

- Put the pasta back in the pot and add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese and a few basil leaves. Give it a good toss.

- Add the cheese, taste for seasoning and adjust. Sprinkle the few basil leaves on top, give it a gentle toss and enjoy!

Beef Cannelloni

I love cannelloni and I happened to have a few begs of bechamel sauce in the fridge so I thought I should give this a try. I like using the no pre-boil pasta because it seems like it's easier to handle. Here is what I did:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 22 no pre-boil cannelloni tubes
- 800g minced beef
- 600g bechamel sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- cheddar and parmesan cheese to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 180 C degrees.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and mix it around so it's seasoned all over.
- Fill the cannelloni tubes with the meat.
- Spoon a little bit of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, place the cannelloni tubes and cover them with the rest of the sauce.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then cover with cheddar cheese.
- Cover the dish with a piece of aluminium foil and bake for 20min. Then uncover, put the heat up to 200 C degrees and bake for additional 10min.
- Let it cool for about 10min and enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Pasta

This recipe came from having a bunch of leftovers in the fridge. I love putting them together and creating a tasty meal. The pasta was coated with the creamy tomato sauce and was a winner that night :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250g pasta of your choice
- 4 slices of chicken breast, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 150g tomato sauce
- 180g double cream (heavy and whipping cream works, too)
- 1tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat the olive oil to a medium heat and saute the chicken and onion until golden brown.
- Add the tomato sauce, give it a stir and let it reduce for about 5-6min. Add the cream and let cook for about a minute. Check for seasoning and adjust to taste.
- Turn the heat off, add the cooked pasta and enjoy!

Basil & Tomato Pasta Salad

This is a great alternative for those who are fans of pasta salads, but would like to replace the old, boring mayo dressing. The lemon-basil-garlic-olive oil combination is just unbeatable :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250g cooked pasta, drained and cooled
- 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 100g fresh basil
- 100g any cheese, shredded
- 1 lemon, juiced
- a pinch of dry oregano
- a pinch of granulated garlic
- 2tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Place the basil leaves, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend till everything is finely chopped. Transfer the dressing to a salad bowl.
- Add the diced tomatoes, cheese and cooked pasta.
- Stir everything together, check if the seasoning is right and enjoy!

Camembert and Parmesan Mac & Cheese

Another leftover recipe :) I had different cheeses in the fridge, so I decided to give it a shot. I never thought of putting Camembert in mac & cheese, but now I love it. It gives the dish a nice twist.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 20g all purpose flour
- 40g unsalted butter
- 300g milk
- 175g Camembert cheese, cut into thin slices
- 100g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 250g macaroni (any pasta works)
- breadcrumbs
- 1tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat oven to 200 C degrees.
- In a large saucepan bring water to boil, add a good amount of salt and put pasta in. Cook till al dente.
- To make the bechamel sauce, place the flour and butter in a saucepan and mix together on a medium heat.
- When a paste is formed, start incorporating the milk little by little. Stir until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.
- Turn the heat off, add the Camembert and Parmesan cheese. Stir everything together.
- Place the pasta and sauce in a casserole dish and stir till pasta is coated.
- Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and olive oil on top, bake for 20min and enjoy!

Arugula Pesto

This is a good way to use arugula (rocket) salad. I am not a big fan of raw arugula. I think it tastes too strong and over-powering. However, blended with some garlic and olive oil makes it very mild and enjoyable.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 100g arugula (rocket) salad
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Place the salad, garlic, lemon zest and juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to break up all the ingredients.
- Slowly start streaming olive oil in the mixture and keep blending until the mixture becomes a paste. Check for seasoning and adjust.
- Serve with pasta, meat, or toasted bread and enjoy!