I first blogged this recipe in 2007. It blows my mind away that I’ve been going at blogging for over 5 years now. I really really don’t know where the time goes. What started as a little way of sharing recipes with just a handful of friends has really grown over the years. Oh how I’ve come to love blogging. I’ve missed it over the last year. First it was the nausea, then it was the pregnancy exhaustion and being super busy at work, then the baby arrived… excuses excuses. I’m back now though. I’ve got a bunch of recipes/posts lined up as well. Its good to be back.

Back to this recipe, I thought it was time to revisit this recipe. To this day, my original Salmon & Asparagus pasta post remains one of the most popular posts on this blog. I get more emails/comments about this recipe than any other, and there’s a good reason — its good y’all.

I’ve tweaked the instructions a bit below from the original recipe. If you’re looking for something creamy and more alfredo-ish, then double or even triple the butter & heavy cream. I purposely kept the heavy cream to a minimum. It adds a little bit of richness but lets the  flavor of the salmon & asparagus stand out rather than drowning in cream. But creamy can be good too. You can also obviously use two different pots for the asparagus & pasta, but it works to just use one and I’m all for saving yourself time and not unnecessarily having two pots to wash

I’d forgotten just how good this dish was. Hubby ‘mmmmm’d through this meal just as he did the very first time. Its Its going back into our rotation for awhile. Yum.

Fresh Salmon & Asparagus Pasta

1 small bunch thin asparagus, trimmed
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1.5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
freshly cooked Salmon, cut into small pieces
salt & black pepper to taste

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender but firm, 1-3 minutes. Using tongs, remove asparagus from boiling water and put in an ice bath to stop cooking. Return water to a boil, add pasta and cook until desired firmness. Drain when done. Trim cooked asparagus into one inch pieces.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Meanwhile, trim cooked asparagus into one inch pieces. Add asparagus tossing just to coat. Add heavy cream and lemon pepper. Heat until cream begins to thicken. Add cooked pasta, salmon, and parmesan cheese. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Toss and serve hot.

Baked Garlic Salmon

2/3 lb. fresh salmon fillet
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried parsley
kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and place salmon skin side down. Season salmon with parsley, minced garlic and salt & black pepper, to taste. Add parsley & minced garlic. Bake ~12 minutes until flaky.

Better for you hamburger helper — that’s what we decided this recipe was. Reminiscent of hamburger helper but without all the preservatives and ingredients you can’t pronounce. Creamy, cheesy, and delicious! I could probably live off this pasta for lunches for weeks on end. Its so good! I love recipes like this that become instant favorites and kitchen repeats as a result of cooking out of the pantry when you haven’t been grocery shopping in awhile. Do you have some favorite meal that are a result of just cooking out of the pantry?

You could easily use ground beef of course in this recipe, but we actually prefer the turkey flavor! With some wheat pasta and lightened up cream cheese and sour cream, its not too bad for you! Its a perfect weeknight meal! Delicious, quick & easy!

Creamy Taco Mac

1.25 lbs ground turkey
8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese *
1/2 cup sour cream *
salt & pepper
cheddar cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melty and incorporated.  Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

* I have successfully tested this recipe with low fat cream cheese & sour cream.

Spaghetti with meat sauce is probably one of my favorite dishes. Unfortunately, I have a hubby who doesn’t like tomatoes so spaghetti with tomato sauce is rarely on the menu. I typically make spaghetti to package for lunches to take to work for myself. I wanted to cut back on the calories in meat sauce and was reminded of one of my favorite dishes at Carino’s Italian Restaurant. So off to the kitchen I went to recreate one of my favorite dishes on their menu.

I love this dish! Its really quick to make (especially if you follow the shortcut method) and delicious. You can also easily add chicken or italian sausage as desired if you want to get a little more out of the dish. I love it just with veggies though! Enjoy!

Spicy Spaghetti Skilletini

8 oz dry spaghetti, uncooked
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 clove garlic, minced
2 cups bell peppers, chopped*
2 cups onions, chopped*
3 – 4 cups marinara sauce as desired
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Add dry spaghetti to a pot of boiling salted water. Once the spaghetti has been cooked according to package directions, drain and set aside (rinse under cool water to prevent pasta from sticking together). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add bell peppers & onions. Once bell peppers are softened and onions translucent, add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add marinara sauce, crushed red pepper and cooked pasta. Simmer over low-medium heat for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

* Shortcut method: Buy frozen pepper & onion stir fry mix.

Serves: 4

I’ve been slacking. Work has been nuts – I’ve been working like 11 hour days on top of continuing to check my email once I get home; the result of having half our team half way across the globe. So I guess I’m not really slacking per se, but I’ve been too busy to dedicate time to my beloved food blog! So this recipe I made quite awhile ago but have just now gotten around to writing it up.

My husband was shocked the first time I made these noodles without meat (no meat??! how can it be?!). I normally prepare them with some chicken or pork and no veggies cause hubby doesn’t really eat them. But lately I’ve been making a strong effort to wean hubby off of thinking he has to have meat at every meal, and attempting to force him to eat veggies or at least pick around them! I’ve grown quite fond of this veggie variety. I has a slightly different flavor than my regular chicken lo mein, and its a great meal!

The key element of these noodles are fresh noodles. I love being able to buy fresh noodles from the oriental market. For starters, the cook very quickly which is great for a weeknight meal. Prepping this meal only takes about 20 minutes. But secondly, fresh noodles are absolutely delicious. Its amazing how different they taste than the dried noodle varieties. I usually have a box of dried noodles on hand but whenever I can, I use the fresh.

I didn’t specify a quantity of veggies below because it really varies just depending upon what you’d like to use. In this specific mix, I used julienned carrots (~ 1 1/2 cups), and some diced Chinese cabbage (~ 5 cups loose). I also frequently use shitake mushrooms as well (which hubby will eat), but we were out in the fridge. If I had a husband who ate more veggies, I’d probably use more veggies but since he picks around them anyway this is a good quantity for us! Its really easy to add more to your liking, especially something like cabbage which cooks quickly. You can just toss more into the wok until the ratio fits your liking.

Veggie Lo Mein

1 pound fresh noodles
Veggies of choice
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce
5 tsp low sodium soy sauce

Prepare noodles as directed on package. After straining noodles, run noodles under cold water to cool them and prevent them from sticking.

In a medium sized wok over medium heat, add 1/2 tsp olive oil, minced garlic and vegetables (adding the veggies first that require more time, such as carrots). Season with a pinch of salt & 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce. Saute vegetables for a few minutes until cooked. Remove vegetables from heat and set aside.

Return empty wok to stove and add sesame oil to wok along with 1/2 tsp olive oil. Allow sesame oil to become fragrant. Add all the prepared noodles and drizzle with more olive oil. Turn heat to medium-high. Toss noodles repeatedly to allow them to coat with the oils. Add soy sauce and 1 tsp Sriracha sauce. Continue tossing for approximately 10 minutes and noodles are thoroughly reheated and flavors have had a chance to mingle. Stir in prepared vegetables. Serve warm.

The menu plan was to fix Grilled Salmon & Asparagus Risotto. But making risotto sounded like too much work so I decided to make a quick pasta. This recipe turned out absolutely amazing. With every other bite, came a ‘mmmm’ noise for hubby’s mouth literally. I knew I had a winner on my hand! We tend to eat a lot of beef and chicken so this was a nice change of pace. This was delicious and something hubby declared must go into our normal rotation. I have to agree.

I used angel hair this time cause it was the only thing in the pantry, but I’d use something next time with a little more substance, probably linguine or a farfalle, even something like a spinach linguine would be absolutely wonderful! I’m going to submit this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Once Upon A Feast.

Salmon & Asparagus Pasta

1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. pasta
1.5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
freshly cooked Salmon, cut into small pieces
black pepper to taste

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add cut asparagus and cook until tender but firm, 1-3 minutes. Scoop out the asparagus and put in an ice bath to stop cooking. Add pasta to pot of boiling water and cook until desired firmness. Drain when done.

Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet. Add asparagus tossing just to coat. Add heavy cream and lemon pepper. Heat until cream begins to thicken. Add pasta, salmon, Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Toss and serve hot.

Baked Garlic Salmon

2/3 lb. salmon
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp parsley
kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. pray baking sheet with cooking spray and place salmon skin side down. Season salmon liberally with salt & black pepper. Add parsley & minced garlic. Bake 10-12 minutes until flaky.

I tried this recipe for the first time after it was published in the March issue of Real Simple magazine. It was my first time trying Gnocchi and I loved it. I’ve made it several times and always use Italian imported refrigerated gnocchi. One of these days, I’ll make it during the weekend and take the time to make gnocchi from scratch (one of my all time fav blog entries shows how to make it like an Italian Grandmother). This recipe could easily be made with a different pasta such as penne. I like this recipe for a lot of reasons, including the fact that its something different from our typical Italian fare.

Gnocchi with Sausage & Spinach

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated gnocchi (or a 17.5-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi)
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1-2 Italian sausages (~1/4-1/2 lb), casings removed
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
7-ounces baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the gnocchi according to directions, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, heat sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling with a spoon until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the onion & garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the drained gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid, and the Parmesan and toss.

Source: Adapted from Real Simple Magazine, March 2007.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

16 oz package pasta shells
1.5 lb ground beef (or turkey)
8 oz cream cheese
1.5 cup ricotta cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
3 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 – 1 cup mozzarella cheese, as desired

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place shell pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

Place the beef in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly brown and crumbly. Drain grease from skillet. Add garlic, onions & herbs. Saute 5 mintues over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in cream cheese, ricotta, and 1/2 cup of marinara.

Stuff the cooked pasta shells with the beef mixture, and arrange in the prepared baking dish. Cover evenly with the marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake 15-25 minutes in preheated oven, or until bubbly.

“Fried” Ravioli

9 ounces Cheese Ravioli, prepared according to package directions
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Italian dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat broiler. Prepare baking with foil lining and spray with olive oil. Dip prepared ravioli into beaten eggs, coating both sides, then into bread crumbs, coating both sides. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Lightly spray top of breaded ravioli with cooking spray. Broil for 1 – 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Turn and spray with additional cooking spray; broil for 1 – 2 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn!

Spicy Sausage Penne Bake

16 oz. penne pasta
1/2 – 3/4 lbs. hot Italian sausage, grilled and thinly sliced
1 3/4 c. marinara sauce
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare large pot with salted water to boil pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Slice grilled sausage and set aside. Add marinara, heavy cream & all spices to the pot and stir occasionally over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add back pasta and stir until pasta coated evenly. Continue stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in cooked sausage.

Pour pasta into 9×13″ baking dish. Top with mozzarella & Parmesan cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

6 ounces penne pasta
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
1-2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Cachere’s)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green onion, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or a combination of milk & cream)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Italian Cheese Blend
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, and toss to coat.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in olive oil until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through. Add Italian cheese blend. Simmer. In a large bowl, toss penne with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com