Golden Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked macaroni)
• 2 cups milk 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• 2 (10-ounce) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 1/2 cups) and divided* 
• 1 cup soft breadcrumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 

Preparation

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well. Set aside.
2. Place milk, flour, and onion salt in a quart jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously 1 minute.
3. Stir together flour mixture, 3 1/2 cups cheese, and macaroni.
4. Pour macaroni mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish or 2 (11-inch) oval baking dishes. Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and remaining 1 cup cheese; drizzle evenly with melted butter.
5. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
6. *20 ounces loaf pasteurized prepared cheese product, shredded or cut into small cubes, may be substituted. Omit breadcrumbs if using prepared cheese product.
7. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Kraft Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar Cheese.

Louise Floyd, Potters Station, Alabama, Southern Living
JANUARY 2004

Spaghetti with Ricotta and Pea Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound spaghetti 
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• Fresh mint leaves, torn
• 5 teaspoons toasted pine nuts

Preparation

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine peas, 1/4 cup pine nuts, Grana Padano cheese, lemon juice, garlic clove, salt, and pepper until chunky. With processor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until smooth. Reserve. Drain spaghetti, but do not rinse. Toss pasta with reserved pesto. Divide pasta among 4 bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta, some torn fresh mint leaves, and 1 1/4 teaspoons toasted pine nuts.

Joe Bastianich, Health

Spaghetti with Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lb.), peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• 1 pound spaghetti 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. On baking sheet, toss squash with oil and 1/4 tsp. salt to coat. Spread squash in a single layer and roast until soft, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
2. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook spaghetti until just tender, about 10 minutes, or as package label directs. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Return spaghetti to pot and add squash, butter and sage. Stir, adding pasta water as necessary to moisten. Serve immediately, topping with Parmesan.

All You

Stir-Fried Beef with Noodles

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups broccoli florets 
• 8 ounces pad thai rice noodles
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons green or red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound flank steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preparation

1. 1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli and rice noodles; cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water. In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, curry paste and fish sauce.
2. 2. In a large skillet, warm oil over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper; add to skillet in a single layer. Cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. 3. Add ginger and garlic to skillet; sauté 30 seconds. Add broth mixture, beef, noodles and broccoli to skillet and sauté until sauce thickens and ingredients are heated through.

All You

Roasted Vegetable Hot Pot with Buckwheat Noodles

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/2 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish 
• 1 (8.8-ounce) package buckwheat, lo mein, or soba noodles, cooked

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Toss first 4 ingredients in a bowl with olive oil and cumin to coat. Spread vegetables evenly on a lightly greased rimmed baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender and golden brown around edges.
2. 2. Place broth and next 4 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a low boil. Add chickpeas, salt, and pepper, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Add roasted vegetables, parsley, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; stir to mix. Discard bay leaves. Serve warm in large bowls; top with noodles and cilantro leaves, if desired.

Sara Foster, MyRecipes

Vegetable and Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles (lo mein)*
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 cup coarsely shredded carrots 
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or tofu
• 3/4 cup mung-bean sprouts
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 

Preparation

1. 1. Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and mix with sesame oil. In a small bowl, combine hoisin and soy sauce.
2. 2. Pour 1 tbsp. canola oil into a 12-in. nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, carrots, celery, and red onion, and stir often just until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and bean sprouts and stir just until warm. Turn out into a bowl and keep warm.
3. 3. Wipe frying pan clean. Pour remaining 1 tbsp. oil into pan over medium heat. Add noodles; stir and turn occasionally until light brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. 4. Pour hoisin mixture and chicken mixture over noodles, add cilantro, and mix gently.
5. *To substitute fresh angel hair pasta for Chinese egg noodles, use 9 oz. and cook 45 seconds.
6. Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Ann Cooper, Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, Sunset

Asian Beef-Noodle Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (3.75-ounce) package bean threads (cellophane noodles)
• 8 ounces sliced deli roast beef, cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut carrot
• 1/2 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice 
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled fresh ground ginger (such as Spice World)
• 6 cups torn spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Preparation

1. Cover noodles with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand 15 minutes or until tender; drain.
2. Combine beef, snow peas, and carrot in a microwave-safe bowl. Combine the teriyaki sauce and the next 4 ingredients (teriyaki sauce through ginger), and pour over beef mixture. Microwave at high for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add the noodles; toss well. Serve over spinach. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Cooking Light

Gingery Pork Meatballs with Noodles

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Noodles:
• 8 ounces uncooked wide rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 cup red bell pepper strips
• 1 cup julienne-cut snow peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. 1. Place a foil-lined jelly-roll pan in oven. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. 2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; stir gently just until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide pork mixture into 20 equal portions; shape each portion into a meatball. Arrange meatballs in a single layer on preheated pan. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until done.
3. 3. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Rinse noodles under cool water; drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, peas, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add noodles; toss. Place 1 3/4 cups noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons green onions.

Jennifer Martinkus, Cooking Light

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ground beef 
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-oz. can tomato puree
• 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 12 ounces spaghetti 

Preparation

1. 1. Warm a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 Tbsp. of fat, if necessary. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, broth, Italian seasoning, bay leaf and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring often.
2. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente, about 10 minutes or as package label directs. Remove bay leaf from sauce and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Pour sauce over spaghetti, toss and serve.

Quick-Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti 
• 2 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped or torn fresh basil leaves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled semisoft goat cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. 2. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 tablespoon salt and spaghetti to boiling water; cook 10 minutes or until spaghetti is al dente. Drain spaghetti in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water. Return spaghetti to pan; set aside, and keep warm.
3. 3. While spaghetti cooks, combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, vinegar, 3/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper on a jelly-roll pan, tossing well to coat. Bake tomato mixture at 450° for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and lightly charred in places.
4. 4. Add tomatoes and any tomato juice to spaghetti in Dutch oven. Add 3 tablespoons reserved cooking water to jelly-roll pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; carefully pour water mixture and remaining 1 tablespoon oil into spaghetti mixture. Place Dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until spaghetti mixture is moist, tossing frequently. Stir in basil and parsley. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Amelia Saltsman, Cooking Light

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked linguine
• 2 pounds chicken breast strips
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 cup butter 
• 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced*
• 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced*
• 1 (8-oz.) package fresh mushrooms
• 2 green onions (white and light green parts only), sliced*
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Garnish: chopped green onions

Preparation

1. 1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
2. 2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with Cajun seasoning and 1 tsp. salt. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Remove chicken.
3. 3. Add bell peppers, mushrooms, and green onions to skillet, and sauté 9 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates.
4. 4. Return chicken to skillet; stir in half-and-half, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Add linguine; toss to coat. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.
5. *1/2 (16-oz.) bag frozen sliced green, red, and yellow bell peppers and onion may be substituted. For testing purposes only, we used Birds Eye Pepper Stir-Fry.

Lilann Hunter Taylor, Savannah, Georgia, Southern Living
MAY 2007

Speedy Spaghetti with Chicken and Fresh Tomato

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• 6 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut in 1/4-inch dice
• 12 ounces cooked boneless chicken, torn in pieces (3 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 (4 to 5 oz.) log fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add spaghetti and cook according to package directions, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid from pasta. Drain spaghetti in a colander and reserve.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in same pot. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Return pasta to pot along with tomato, chicken and pasta liquid. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Transfer pasta to plates. Sprinkle with basil, dot with crumbled goat cheese and serve immediately.

All You

Pesto Fettuccine with Chicken

Ingredients

    1 pound fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti

    1 tablespoon unsalted butter

    1 tablespoon vegetable oil

    3 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

    S alt and pepper

    18 cherry tomatoes

    1/2 cup prepared pesto

Preparation

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt butter in vegetable oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned and firm to touch, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Discard all but 1 Tbsp. fat from skillet. Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Cut chicken into chunks.

Ladle off 1 cup pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add chicken, tomatoes and reserved pasta water. Stir in pesto and mix well until ingredients are coated.

All You