Smoky Shrimp with Spinach Pasta

I am on a pasta kick this week! Actually, I shouldn't have put an exclamation mark behind that last sentence because I am supposed to be working on making healthy dishes and not indulging on pasta  every night. Anyway, I found this recipe a while ago while browsing through foodgawker. Today I had a craving for seafood and I immediately remembered this recipe.  It orginally called for smoked paprika and turkish pepper. I only had paprika in my pantry and have no idea what turkish pepper is. Google was surprisingly no help. If you know what it is, please comment below! s. I used cayene pepper instead. I added a little smoked chipotle tabasco sauce to try to add a smoky flavor to the mix. Next time, I will definitely use the smoked paprika as it wasn't as smoky as I expected. This meal was still yummy nontheless!

Smoky  Shrimp with Spinach Pasta

Courtesy of The Purple Kitchen

Ingredients:

12 oz shrimp, cleaned and shells removed

10-12 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chipotle tabasco sauce (optional) 

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2lb spinach spaghetti

Boil water and prepare pasta according to directions on the package.

Mince garlic and stir with salt. Heat pan (preferably cast iron skillet)  and add olive oil. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add paprika, cayenne pepper, and chiptole tabasco sauce and stir until well mixed.

 Add shrimp and saute for about 3-4 minutes until no longer grey. Drain pasta and add to pan with shrimp. Stir and mix well. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

Mediterranean Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

I spotted this recipe in the October issue of Martha Stewart Living and since I had almost all the ingredients I decided to make it for dinner tonight. This dish was full of flavor and very easy to make. It was definitely a "set it and forget it" kind of meal and I was able to relax and prepare for Sunday night television while the tomatoes roasted away! Sunday nights are always a night of comfort food for me for two reasons...it's the night when I have the most time on my hands to cook and it takes away some of the sadness of knowing the weekend is coming to an end.

Ingredients:
8 ounces of fettuccini pasta
10-12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper



Place tomato halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

Mix 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic and seasonings in a small bowl.  Spoon mixture over tomatoes.

Roast tomatoes  in preheated 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until soft.

Prepare pasta as directed on the package and drain well.

Place 1/2 of the roasted tomatoes and remaning 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl. Mash the tomatoes well until they form a coarse sauce.

Add pasta and remaining tomatoes and mix well. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Spaghetti

                                




My mom's friend used to make this all of the time and when I am home over the holidays I always beg her to make a batch for me. Yesterday I had a craving for chicken spaghetti and I simply couldn't wait for someone else to make it for me. Now, this is not an ideal dish for someone without a family (such as myself). I didn't realize the recipe would make so much! I ended up freezing a lot of it and giving some to my brother. This is such a yummy twist on traditional spaghetti and best of all...it's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:




1 chicken, cooked and deboned or 4 to 5 chicken breast
  1 onion
  2 tbsp. butter
  1 can cream of mushroom soup
  1 can cream of chicken soup
  1 can cream of celery soup
  2-3 cups Chicken Broth
  1 bell pepper
  1 pkg spaghetti
  1 lb. Velveeta, diced
  1 can Rotel

 Directions:

 Dice onion and bell pepper; saute in butter. Cook spaghetti
in chicken broth. In large bowl, mix cream of
chicken, mushroom, celery, chicken, Velveeta, pepper and
onion mixture. Add 1 can drained Rotel; mix well. Add
cooked spaghetti and 1/2 cup chicken broth and mix well.
Pour into large baking dish. Top with a few slices of velveeta cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.