One of the nice things about my pantry is that I almost always have pasta on hand. So for me an easy and quick weeknight dinner is to cook up some pasta and then throw in whatever I happen to have on hand. So here is a quick run down of some of the combinations that I use to add to a box of pasta. The directions are pretty simple:
Cook pasta al dente
Add additions (be sure to cook veggies before adding to the pasta or they may not cook completely while baking)
Place in greased baking dish
Put shredded cheese over top
Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees
Favorite Addition Combinations:
1. Jar of red sauce, half a bag of frozen spinach, mini turkey pepperoni, chopped eggplant (already cooked)
2. Can of diced tomatoes w/ juice and can tomato paste, Italian seasoning, cooked mushrooms, half a bag of frozen spinach and ricotta cheese layered in the middle of two layers of pasta with tomatoes
3. Jar of red sauce and block of cream cheese mixed together, fresh spinach, chopped chicken breast
4. Jar of alfredo sauce, parmesean cheese, asparagus (cooked), drained diced tomatoes
5. Parmesean cheese, butter, italian seasoning, asparagus (cooked)
My only warning is this...the more you add, the bigger it gets, so be careful or you may end up with more than you anticipated!
