The Main Dish
Do you want homemade pasta in under 10 minutes?  Well, your wish is my command.  Today's featured recipe for 2 is ready in 8 minutes!  And what's even better, this recipe requires minimal ingredients, and yet it has a big impact on your taste-buds. 

The Side Dish
I'll be serving the Spicy Tomato Basil Capellini with a Caesar Salad, but I've put a unique spin on this classic side dish by grilling the romaine hearts.  Grilling romaine lettuce gives the salad new and exciting flavors that you'll be sure to enjoy.  

Spicy Tomato Basil Pasta
Total Time: 8 minutes
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes

What you'll need
4 ounces angel hair pasta (about 1/4 of the box)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons basil pesto 
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, combine tomato, basil pesto, red pepper flakes and salt in a medium skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, or until tomato softens. 

3. Add pasta and chicken stock. Toss gently.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Garnish with fresh basil leaves (optional).  

Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad
Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes

What you'll need
2 romaine hearts
3 scallions, chopped 
1 hard boiled egg, diced
2 tablespoons light Caesar dressing
1 garlic clove, pressed with a garlic press
cooking spray

Directions
1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. 
2. Cut 2 romaine hearts in half lengthwise, coat with cooking spray.

3. Place romaine hearts, cut side down, on the grill rack.  
* Tip -- before placing the romaine hearts on the grill I would grease the grill grate as well.  Also, I'd remove any of the thin lettuce leaves as these will easily fall through the grill rack. 

4. Grill for 5 minutes or until romaine is tender and browned.  

5. While the lettuce is grilling, mix together Caesar dressing and garlic. 
6. Drizzle lettuce with dressing, and sprinkle with scallions and diced egg.  Serve and enjoy!

As much as I'd love to say I'm about to tell you how to make homemade tortellini quickly and deliciously -- I'm not.  Buying pre-made tortellini is so much easier than trying to do it on your own, and it tastes great too.  So to me it's just not worth the fuss.  I can at least assure that the rest of the dish is freshly homemade, and you're going to love how quick and easy this dinner is.




The Main Dish
Tonight, I'll be making spinach cheese tortellini with fresh mozzarella.  The interesting part about this tortellini recipe is instead of smothering the stuffed tortellini in sauce, I'll be topping it with a little bit of olive oil, diced tomato and mozzarella.  I also add in fresh spinach for some extra nutrition.  The light sauce is the perfect compliment to the already heavy pasta.  

Spinach Cheese Tortellini with Fresh Mozzarella 
Total Time: 15-17 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10-12 minutes

What you'll need 
8 ounce package of spinach cheese tortellini
3 cups baby spinach 
1 medium tomato, diced 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 cup fresh mozzarella shredded or sliced depending on your preference
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain.
2. In a medium skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 cups of spinach.  Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Add diced tomato and continue to cook over medium heat for an additional minute. 
4. Add cooked tortellini to the tomato and spinach mixture.  Stir.  Let pasta heat on low for about 2 minutes.
5. Divide and pour into pasta bowls.  Sprinkle with fresh mozzarella cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste; serve and enjoy!

The Main Dish
Macaroni and cheese isn't just for kids and college students nor does it always need to come from a box.  With a little extra prep work you can make a delicious macaroni and cheese for grownup taste buds.  

Unfortunately, with a dish that has cheese in the title, it's hard to find a healthy alternative.  Therefore, I'm putting this one in the indulgence category, but it will be worth every bite.

Macaroni and Cheese
Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes

What you'll need
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 egg
6 ounces low-fat evaporated milk (about 1/2 can)
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup seasoned croutons, crushed
paprika
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
3. In a large bowl, mix together egg, evaporated milk, cooled melted butter, salt and pepper. 
4. Stir in cheese and cooked pasta. 
5. Spray a small baking pan or 2 oven safe 14-ounce bowls with nonstick spray.  Add the pasta mixture. 
6. Put croutons in a Ziploc bag and crush with your hands or a potato masher.

7. Sprinkle the top of the dish with crushed croutons.  Dust with paprika.

8.  Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

On the chance that you have a case of the Mondays, and you don't feel like doing much of anything, I thought I'd offer another quick and easy recipe to help ease the burden of cooking tonight.  This dish has become my go-to dinner when I want something filling and comforting, with little effort. 

The Main Dish
Tonight I'll be making Vegetable Rotini.  It's a light pasta dish, but it's still full of flavor, and as the name implies, it's packed with fresh vegetables.

The Side Dish
With simplicity in mind, I'll be serving the pasta with my real simple side salad.  

Let's start cooking!
I start tonight's meal by boiling a pot of water and prepping the vegetables for the pasta and side salad.  All you'll need to do is a bit of slicing and dicing -- halve the tomatoes, chop the garlic, slice the cucumber and slice some red onion.  Once the water is boiling and the vegetables are chopped you can get started on your main dish.

Vegetable Rotini
Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

What you'll need
1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth  
1 cup spinach 
2 cups vegetable(s) of choice -- broccoli, pea pods, zucchini, mushrooms
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese 

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and 2 cups of vegetables.  Saute for 3 minutes. 
3. Stir in spinach.  Sautee for an additional minute.
4. Add chicken broth and cooked pasta. Mix occasionally until pasta is heated through (about 5 minutes).
5. Add in tomatoes; simmer on low for 1 minute.
5. Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on grated parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.

While the pasta is heating, I put together the side salad.

What you'll need
lettuce (I use baby spinach since I also used baby spinach in the vegetable rotini)
1/2 cucumber, sliced
4-6 cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, finely sliced

Dressing
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed with a garlic press
salt and pepper 

Directions
1. Mix all of the vegetables together in a medium mixing bowl.  
2. In a separate bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients together; stir until oils are well blended.
3. Add dressing to salad as desired.

Once the pasta is cooked and the salad is mixed, dinner is served!

The skinny on the vegetable rotini
Not only is this pasta dish a quick and easy solution to dinner, but it is also lower in fat and calories than most pastas.  Below is an approximate breakdown, per serving, of calories and fat for my vegetable rotini:

• 3/4 cup rotini pasta: 210 calories and 1 gram of fat
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil: 119 calories and 13 grams of fat
• 1/2 cup chicken broth: 7 calories and 0 grams of fat 
* Tip -- regular chicken broth is packed with sodium, so I usually get lower sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese: 22 calories and 1.5 grams of fat 
• Vegetables: 50 calories and .5 grams of fat 

Total calories: 409
Total fat: 16 g

Growing up with a father who loves to cook Italian food made me a total sucker for pasta.  Then, I lived in Austin for 4 years and became an even bigger sucker for tex-mex.  So when I found a dish that combines my two great food loves, you would think, 'what more could a girl want?'  How about a quick and easy way to put it all together, and while we're wishing for things, make it low in fat as well?  Done.

The Main Dish
Tonight I'll be making "quick and easy southwestern pasta."  It's a delicious combination of noodles and vegetables smothered in a salsa based sauce.   What I love even more than the taste, is it requires little preparation and cooking time.  So it is a great meal to throw together after a long day. 

The Side Dish
I'll be serving my pasta with a side  of "Mexican cheesy bread."  It's a fun twist on traditional garlic bread. 

Let's start cooking! 
I start tonight's dinner by prepping the "Mexican cheesy bread" and cooking the noodles for the pasta. 

Mexican Cheesy Bread
Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

What you'll need
1/4 loaf french bread, halved
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican flavored cheese
1/2 tomato, diced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Add taco seasoning to melted butter. Mix well. 
3. Place bread on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  Spread seasoned butter over each side of the bread loaf.

4. Top with diced tomato.  Sprinkle on cheese. 
* Tip -- if you want to spice things up you can also top with a jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced.

6. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. 
* Tip -- if you put the bread in the oven as soon as you start making the sauce for the pasta everything should be ready at the same time. 

Southwestern Pasta
Total Time: 20 minutes 
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes 

What you'll need
1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta
1/2 zucchini, halved and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup 
1/2 can yellow corn or Mexicorn, drained
1/8 cup milk 
1/2 cup salsa 
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a medium skillet add cream of chicken soup, salsa and milk.  Mix well over low heat.
3. Add in zucchini, bell pepper and corn.  Stir occasionally until mixture begins to bubble (about 5 minutes).

4. Stir in noodles.  Mix well over low heat until pasta is heated through (about 5 minutes). 
5. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

6. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese before serving, if desired. 

Once the Mexican cheesy bread is baked and the pasta is heated through, dinner is served!

The skinny on the southwestern pasta 
Not only is this pasta dish a quick and easy solution to dinner, but it is also low in fat and calories.  Below is an approximate breakdown, per serving, of calories and fat for my southwestern pasta:

3/4 cup rotini pasta: 210 calories and 1 gram of fat
1/4 cup salsa: 35 calories and 0 grams of fat
1/4 can cream of chicken soup: 45 calories and 1.5 grams of fat
2% milk: 10 calories and .3 grams of fat
Vegetables: 50 calories and .5 grams of fat 

Total calories: 350
Total fat: 3.3 g

Recipe adapted from Campbell's Kitchen Southwest Chicken and Pasta