Smoked Sausage Pasta

There are some recipes on my Pinterest Food board that I've had bookmarked for so long that I wonder if I'll ever make them...and then there are those that I come across and make nearly immediately, like this Spicy Sausage Pasta courtesy of Kevin and Amanda (with a few adjustments on my end).

I was so intrigued by using smoked sausage with pasta instead of the traditional beef or Italian sausage. But what really sucked me in was the fact that you threw the pasta into the mix without cooking it first. How much do I love recipes like that? I know, it's such a simple thing, but eliminating just that one step is so very attractive to me.

When I took my first bite, right out of the pan, my first thought was, "Eh. There's really not much to this." Then, the heat from the Rotel kicked in at the back of my throat. When I went back about 10 minutes later to make my plate, the sauce had thickened up and it had become a dish with a lot of flavor.

Printable recipe

1 package smoked sausage
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 can Rotel
8 ounces penne pasta
1 cup mozzarella cheese


Slice sausage and saute in large skillet in olive oil over medium-high heat until brown. Add cream, stock, Rotel (undrained), and pasta (uncooked) and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted. Let sit off heat for 10 minutes to thicken.

King Ranch Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

  

After my Southern Living recipe challenge in 2009, in which I cooked 100 of their recipes in a year, I didn't think I would ever make another SL recipe again...but then I saw the January cover, and I was sucked in.

King Ranch Chicken is a popular Southern dish, but this is a twist, using macaroni in place of the traditional tortillas. I made some changes to the original, omitting the onion and bell pepper for personal preference. 

How can a recipe that starts with a base of Rotel dip be anything but delicious? It was looking fantastic as I was preparing it, but once I added in the chili powder and cumin, it transformed it into not just a rich, creamy, cheesy dish, but a fragrant one, as well.Whatever you do, don't leave the spices out.

This is comfort food at its finest!

Printable recipe

8 ounces macaroni
1 can Rotel
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni and set aside. Combine cubed Velveeta and Rotel and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until cheese is melted. Stir in soup, sour cream, and spices to cheese mixture. Add chicken and cooked pasta. Pour into 9x13 casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chicken Ziti with Two Sauces

I re-pinned this from a friend of mine, and I loved the idea of combining marinara and Alfredo sauce. How could that not be good?

Well, it was absolutely delicious. Creamy, comforting, cheesy, and very filling. I added chicken to make it a little more hearty, so I decreased the amount of pasta from original recipe to balance it out and make sure it wasn't too dry. The original also called for a layer of cheese sprinkled on top, but I decided to skip this step.

Printable recipe

8 ounces ziti

1 15-ounce jar Alfredo sauce

1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to directions and drain.  Mix the sauces together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mozzarella and stir to combine. Add ziti and toss to coat. Pour into a 9x13 dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Dinner at my house often boils down to one question: Italian or Mexican? So, when I saw this recipe, I knew I'd love it...even though it seems like a strange mix of flavors on paper. If you're a pasta fan looking for a twist, this is for you.

I know stuffed shells can seem like a process, but this recipe is so worth it. One of the best cooking tips I've ever received was to fill a Ziploc bag with whatever you're stuffing shells with, snip a corner, and pipe away. So easy.

I have to confess...we had quite a few spoonfuls of the meat mixture (I mean, cream cheese and taco seasoning?) and both agreed that we could have had that for dinner alone. Seriously delicious.

Printable recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning 
3 ounces cream cheese
16 jumbo pasta shells, cooked
1-1/2 cups salsa
1 cup taco sauce
2 cups cheddar cheese 


Brown beef and add taco seasoning. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each cooked pasta shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes with the foil removed.