The Pajama Chef

Mystery Dish: Cheesy Baked Everything Pasta

November 25, 2013December 28, 2013 Sarah

Welcome to another edition of Mystery Dish! This month Krista from Joyful Healthy Eats challenged us to use three of the following ingredients: lamb, apple, butternut squash, puff pastry, Frosted Flakes, goat cheese, fresh rosemary, cherry pie filling, spinach, or corinader. I decided to use apples, butternut squash, and fresh rosemary to make a delightfully cheesy baked pasta.

The pasta features two kinds of cheese AND chicken sausage [that also contains spinach–bonus points for me!], so when I was trying to come up with a name for this dish, Ben suggested we called it “cheesy baked everything pasta” because it contains everything that’s good… fruit, cheese, veggies, meat, pasta. Pretty much all we eat on a regular basis. If only I had also included yogurt! Haha.

Anyways, this pasta is basically a kicked up mac ‘n cheese. All the magic begins with the sauce. While this sauce does include cheese–swiss and ricotta, to be precise, what makes this sauce stand out is that it starts with butternut squash soup. So Krista, I hope you don’t mind that I took a little liberty with this month’s ingredients. 🙂 At the core, butternut squash soup still features the squash itself as the star ingredient. For my dish, you can make your own soup [use leftovers] or use some storebought soup. Either way, butternut squash soup is so creamy that it thickens up perfectly with a little flour, seasonings [rosemary!!!], and cheese. It’s the perfect coating for pasta, sweet apple slices, and sliced chicken sausage.

Now, I know for the hardcore mac ‘n cheese lovers out there, there may be two red flags. First, the cheeses. Ricotta and swiss are NOT very strong. But they are flavorful and creamy, which helps this baked pasta dish stay velvety and indulgent on the inside, while still being a little crisp and heartier on the top. [On a sidenote, I love baked pasta so much because I adore standing in the kitchen after dinner, picking at the dish and grabbing the crunchy, cheese-covered noodles. Ben makes fun of me, but please tell me I’m not the only one who does this?!?] Also, this dish is a little sweeter than your average pasta… but really, the apples are just a fun addition and pair so well with the rustic herb-flavored chicken sausage and the woody rosemary. Cheesy Baked Everything Pasta is truly a great fall dinner… comforting and full of amazing fall tastes! I can’t wait to make it again!

one year ago: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
two years ago: Thai Peanut Ginger Chicken Wings
three years ago: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Sauce

Cheesy Baked Everything Pasta [adapted from Eats Well With Others]

Ingredients:

16 ounces rigatoni
32 ounces butternut squash soup [storebought or homemade]
2 tablespoons flour
6 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 apples, sliced [I used Jonathan]
12 ounces chicken sausage, sliced [I used Trader Joe’s Spinach, Fontina, & Roasted Garlic variety]
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish by greasing with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook rigatoni for 3 minutes less than the recommended cooking time. Drain and return to pot, setting off the heat.

Meanwhile, heat the soup over medium heat. Stir in the flour, half the rosemary, and some pepper. Simmer until it starts to thicken, then add half the swiss cheese and all the ricotta cheese.

Add cooked pasta to sauce, then fold in apple and chicken sausage slices. Pour into greased baking dish, then top with remaining rosemary, swiss cheese, and panko bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.

Time: 45 minutes.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Be sure to check out the other recipes for this month’s Mystery Dish here:

Desserts, Other, Recipes

Harvest Pear Crisp with Crystallized Ginger

November 22, 2013November 25, 2013 Sarah

Let’s conclude our week of Thanksgiving recipes with the best part of all… dessert! Since I’ve made so many pies this fall, we just weren’t in the mood for pie for our fun meal. So crisp it was! What’s more fall than a crisp? But not the classic apple or cherry, but another fall fruit–pears!

I think sometimes pears fall by the wayside, overshadowed by apples. Even though I am pretty much addicted to having at least one sliced apple a day, pears are another love of mine! They’re sweet and pair [ha ha ha] so well with cinnamon and ginger. Two things make this crisp sing–the crumbly, buttery topping with tangy pieces of crystallized ginger, and the simple spice of cinnamon. Some fall recipes use a bunch of warm spices. That’s all well and good, but keeping it easy and basic just celebrates the pear, cinnamon, and ginger. Yum! Exactly what we needed to polish off a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. The photos do NOT do this dish justice. It was getting dark… boo.

Oh well, I still hope you’ve enjoyed this week of Thanksgiving recipes! 🙂

two years ago: Whipped Sweet Potatoes
three years ago: Spinach Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spaghetti

Harvest Pear Crisp with Crystallized Ginger [from Bon Appetite, November 2009]
click to print

Ingredients:

filling

4 pounds ripe pears [6-7 large pears] – peeled, cored, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place pears in prepared baking dish, then add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss together gently with a fork.

In a medium bowl, prepare topping. Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then add oats and ginger. Toss with a fork, then spread evenly over pears.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Serve warm.

Time: 60 minutes.
Yield: 8-10 servings.

Linked up with: Foodie Friday, Weekend Potluck.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Turkey

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

November 21, 2013November 22, 2013 Sarah

For our early Thanksgiving dinner, Ben really wanted turkey. Problem was… we didn’t plan ahead enough to defrost a turkey AND my meat thermometer is busted so I would have had to buy another one of those to cook the big bird. Fortunately, I saw a recipe earlier this month for turkey breast. Who knew you could just buy part of a turkey? Certainly not I! But I am so glad to know now that I can… because this was absolutely delicious, fabulously easy, and all in all… amazing.

This turkey breast was so flavorful and so tender. It was just as easy as making a roast chicken in the oven, and while there was no dark meat for Ben to enjoy, we’ve been eating turkey leftovers all week. Can’t be disappointed with that! There were even a few bones so I could make some turkey stock in the crockpot. Yum yum! I hope you’ve been enjoying my Thanksgiving recipes this week… I can’t wait to share one last dessert recipe tomorrow! 🙂

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast [from Good Cheap Eats]
click to print

Ingredients:

3-5 pound turkey breast half
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
sprigs of thyme and rosemary, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the turkey breast in a roaster or baking dish.

In a bowl, stir together butter, thyme, tarragon, and sage. Cut slits in the turkey breast skin, then brush butter mixture evenly over the turkey. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the herbs around the turkey breast.

Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 45-90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Time: 2 hours.

YIeld: 10 servings.

Potatoes, Recipes, Sides

Chipotle-Cilantro Mashed Potatoes

November 20, 2013November 22, 2013 Sarah

Thanks for coming back for another edition of Thanksgiving week! On Monday I shared my recipe for Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls. On Tuesday, it was Mixed Vegetables Mornay [my fave side ever!!]. And today, it’s mashed potatoes.

I know, I know. Mashed potatoes are super classic… and you probably don’t even need a recipe to make them. BUT hear me out! These mashed potatoes are something extra special, because they’ve got a Southwestern flair to them! Chipotle peppers and cilantro are an awesome flavor combo, so why not add ’em to mashed potatoes??!

I seriously couldn’t get enough of these potatoes. And I’m not a mashed potatoes girl. I prefer baked potatoes or fries, anything really besides mashed potatoes. These potatoes are different though. They’re interesting and spicy, but not hot or anything out of control. I thought about adding some cheddar cheese–and I’m sure that would be awesome, but before you add a bunch of cheese… just try ’em! The cilantro adds SO much flavor. I know these mashed potatoes are far from traditional but you should definitely give them a try! Feel free to add more butter or use cream instead of milk if you like, but since I was making these for two, I decided to be a little less liberal with the indulgent stuff. And truthfully, I think these potatoes were creamy and flavorful enough without tons of cream and butter. They’re amazing, and I think I’ll go have a bowl now! Be sure to come back tomorrow for some turkey, and Friday for pear crisp! Yum yum and YUM!

two years ago: KC’s Dilled Carrots
three years ago: Layered Taco Dip

Chipotle-Cilantro Mashed Potatoes [flavor combo idea adapted from Food Network Magazine, November 2011]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes [Yukon Gold or Russet]
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/4-1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced [loosely packed]
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash and dry potatoes, then cut into quarters and place in a pan. Cover with cold water by an inch or two, then add 1 tablespoon Kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook, uncovered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and transfer to a bowl.

Add butter and milk, then mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in chipotle pepper and cilantro, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Time: 60 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings.

Recipes, Sides, Vegetables

Mixed Vegetables Mornay

November 19, 2013November 22, 2013 Sarah

Thanksgiving week continues with one of my favorite side dishes of all times… Mixed Vegetables Mornay! I know vegetables aren’t on most list of crave-worthy, holiday-table-worthy comfort foods, but after you try these Mixed Vegetables Mornay, I bet they will be on yours! At first glance, frozen mixed vegetables aren’t that exciting. But when you taste this fabulously cheesy, buttery mornay sauce, you’ll know why they should be–and why this dish tops my list of veggie comfort.

In my family, this side dish is the equivalent of the quintessential holiday green bean casserole. I like to think it’s a little bit better than that though–a little healthier, a little more flavorful, and a lot more awesome. I love green beans and mushrooms, but out of a can? No thanks. I like to opt for this dish instead. And it’s cheesy, so what more can you ask for? 🙂

Mixed Vegetables Mornay is super simple to put together, so don’t be afraid of the fancy-sounding sauce. It’s basically a Béchamel sauce with Parmesan cheese. If you can make a roux, you can make mornay sauce. And when you do, try really hard to save some for the vegetables. Fresh mornay sauce is great, but it’s excellent when it bubbles up around all the veggies….and paired with some toasted and buttered bread crumbs? Oh my goodness. I could eat these veggies for BREAKFAST they are so tasty! Be sure to come back tomorrow for another dose of Thanksgiving week, and if you missed my Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls from yesterday, check them out too! 🙂

two years ago: Crockpot Saucy Italian Chicken
three years ago: Lime-Soy Chicken

Mixed Vegetables Mornay
click to print

Ingredients:

32 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
up to 2 cups skim milk
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch nutmeg
pinch thyme
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter, melted [or olive oil]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch casserole dish and set aside.

Cook vegetables with 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes in the microwave until crisp-tender. Drain well, reserving cooking liquid for mornay sauce. Place vegetables in prepared dish with 1 tablespoon butter and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, stirring to combine.

Meanwhile, prepare mornay sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Fill measuring cup with cooking liquid and top off with enough milk to equal 2 cups. Then sloooowly add milk, stirring constantly. Cook until thick [about 3 minutes] then stir in garlic powder, nutmeg, thyme, and parmesan cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour over seasoned vegetables. Top with bread crumbs and drizzle with melted butter or oil.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!

Time: 50 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings.