Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

Sarah

Tonight my plan for dinner was to make spaghetti. We had spaghetti last week, and I froze the leftover meat sauce, and wanted to use it up. But… on my way home today I decided that didn’t sound good, so I thought I’d get creative… and this is what happened!

Creamy Baked Spaghetti | thepajamachef.com

An oh so delicious carb fest… tomato-y, creamy, cheesy, noodle-ly… filled with veggies and meat… which makes myself and my husband both happy! This recipe isn’t overly tomato heavy – though the tomato still makes its presence known – which is a bit of a refreshing change from many Italian dishes! This is a recipe I’m excited to experiment with, as it there’s a lot of potential to mix up the veggies, sauce, meat, and more. It is definitely a work in progress [and a delectable one at that!] and I will be sure to keep you updated!

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 2 2/3 cups meat sauce [I had previous made up one batch of meat sauce using 1 pound browned ground beef + 1 jar marinara sauce, then froze about 1/2-2/3 of the batch… which was about 2 2/3 cups.]
  • 7 ounces angel hair pasta
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup green pepper, diced
  • 1 cup yellow squash, diced
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese, divided
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano
  • nutmeg
  • ground black pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using cooking spray, grease an 8 cup baking dish [or 3 – 2 cup baking dishes and 1 – 1 1/2 cup baking dish if you want to be like me and make everything possible in individual containers!! :)]. This dish is super quick to make if you get all three pots and pans going at once. After the initial prep work of dicing and measuring, out-of-oven cooking took 15 minutes, tops. Ready?

In a medium size pot, get some water boiling for the pasta. Meanwhile, get the oil sizzling in a small saucepan. Finally, begin melting butter over low heat in a small pot.

When the water is ready, add the noodles, breaking them in half before cooking to shorten their length [especially important if using individual dishes]. Cook until al dente. [My noodles cooked for about 4 minutes so watch ’em closely!] This will be cooking again in the oven, so do not overcook the noodles!

Check the oil in the saucepan by throwing on a little piece of garlic or a green pepper–if it sizzles, you are good to go. Sauté the  garlic, squash, and peppers until almost tender or about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.

When the butter melts, whisk in the flour. Stir until smooth or about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Stir in the milk and sour cream, taking care to stir constantly to avoid lumps. Heat until sauce thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. This should take an additional 5-6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of sauce, or about half of the sauce.

In a large bowl [or a large pot if you had foresight unlike me], mix the cooked noodles, meat sauce, veggies, oregano, and half of the butter/flour/milk/sour cream divine-ness [aka the unreserved cup]. Add 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on a dash of ground pepper and nutmeg [trust me! It’s good!], and mix well. Spoon into baking dish[es], top with remaining shredded cheese, and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve and smile! 🙂

Creamy Baked Spaghetti | thepajamachef.com
Look at those sauces swirl!

 

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Enchilada Sauce

Sarah

My absolute favorite type of food is Mexican. From quesadillas to tacos to burritos to chips & salsa, I love it all. While I almost always in the mood for a dinner out at a local Mexican restaurant, lately, for health and financial reasons I have been recreating restaurant meals at home. This enchilada sauce is phenomenal. It is also very versatile. I’ve made full recipes and halved it, made it with homemade tomato sauce, plain ole tomatoes, and store-bought tomato sauce, and adjusted the spiciness–and even used fresh oregano instead of dried. Feel free to play around and find the balance that works for you! It’s yummy! 🙂

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce | thepajamachef.com

Enchilada Sauce

  • Servings: about 2 1/2 cups
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces tomato sauce
  • 4 ounces chopped green chilies
  • 1/4-1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder [I’ve been using this Mexican-style chili powder, and using less because it’s spicier.]
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano, or about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Using a food processor, puree all ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pour in a medium saucepan and heat uncovered until warm. Simmer until ready to use.

To make enchiladas I fill tortillas with cooked and seasoned meat [pork, chicken, ground beef], 1/8-1/4 cup enchilada sauce, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese or cream cheese, as well as beans, rice, salsa, spinach/lettuce, etc. Roll tortillas and place in a greased shallow baking dish. Cover with additional sauce and/or cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce | thepajamachef.com
Dinner is served!

Easy as that… dinner is ready! 🙂

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Sweet Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

Sarah

Last night for dinner we had some fabulous grilled pork chops. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had grilled pork chops before, but I have a feeling we will be grilling them more often from now on. Yum! I’m not exactly sure where I found the recipe that I adapted for this meal–somewhere in the newspaper, I believe–but it sure was a tasty meal!

sweet mustard glazed pork chops | thepajamachef.com
Served with some steamed green beans topped with a little butter and ground lemon pepper.

Sweet Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

  • Servings: 4
  • Print

sweet mustard glazed pork chops | thepajamachef.com
Served with some steamed green beans topped with butter and ground lemon pepper.

Ingredients:

  • 4 pork chops
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Directions:

Combine the brown sugar, pepper, onion powder, and paprika and rub the mixture on both sides of pork chops. Cover and refrigerate overnight [I let mine sit for about 22 hours]. The next day, combine honey and mustard and set aside. Grill pork chops [husband used the George Foreman] until they are approaching desired doneness, then brush on glaze for last minute or so of cooking.

Appetizers, Recipes, Sides, Vegetables

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sweet & Spicy Garlic Dip

Sarah

Sweet potato fries are all the rage lately [but is the phrase “all the rage” really all the rage? Or is it way outdated?]. We eat these as a side dish or a snack, and I even eat them as a meal sometimes [just like one of my roomies used to!]. But Ben prefers some meat with his meals… oh boys, whatcha gonna do with them! 🙂 I have seen them on the menu at so many restaurants, chains and local places alike. I’ve ordered them a few places only to be disappointed that they are actual fries–fried in a fryer–not the baked, soft, crispy, sweet potato goodness of these fries. Annnnnd since they are baked, you get all the taste [and health benefits… shhhh!] of sweet potatoes, with the crunchy satisfaction of fries, without all the grease, salt, fat, and other bad stuff. Though traditional fries do taste so good sometimes! Also, for those who are concerned and do not like Thanksgiving sweet potatoes… these bear no resemblance, so have no fear. These are goodies that should make an appearance many times a year!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sweet & Spicy Garlic Dip

  • Servings: 2
  • Print

Sweet potato fries and dipping sauce.

for sweet potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound sweet potatoes, roughly peeled and chopped into 1/4″ sticks or wedges
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive or canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place prepared potatoes in a large bowl. Add oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and then spread potato slices in an even layer across the surface of the pan. Try to keep the slices in a single layer to regulate baking; use a second baking sheet or bake in 2 batches if necessary. Bake potatoes for 30 minutes, using a spatula to flip the fries every 10 minutes. Fries will be done when light brown and crisp to the touch.

Notes:

I often am impatient while cutting the potatoes and end up making the fries larger than 1/4″, so I have to cook them longer, for a total of about 40-50  minutes, so feel free to experiment with your oven and personal preferences. Also, this is just a basic recipe. Sometimes I will add 1/2 teaspoon of basil and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, or other herbs and/or spices to the fries. Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors! I do find that I prefer plainer fries with the following dip.

for dip

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/2 cup Miracle Whip [I have never tried this with mayonnaise, but imagine the taste would be similar.]
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican-style chili powder [I prefer this one but any should work.]

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients. Adjust spices to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for best taste. Keeps up to one week in the fridge.

Note:

If you are sensitive to spicy foods, use a milder chili powder or reduce amount. This sauce is also excellent in a panini, and I bet it would be good with pita or bagel chips, though I have yet to try it.