I love you, I love you not.

Oh carbs.. we have such a love hate relationship.  The most popular question people ask me when they find out I'm a food blogger is "what's your favorite kind of food to eat and make?"  It would be Italian, hands down; you can do so much with so little.  I have to create balance in my diet though.  Yes, I'd love to eat a huge pasta dinner with garlic bread every night, but as my parents say there's a difference between want and need.  I try and change things up, and look for some healthier pasta recipes, because there are a lot out there.  This recipe is somewhere in the middle, and those are worth a shot too!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.  While the pasta is cooking heat tomato sauce over low heat in a large sauce pan.  I used my homemade tomato sauce, recipe found by clicking here.  You can use store bought or whatever you have in the house and it will work just as well.

Once warm, stir in half and half.  This is optional, if you'd like to use skim milk that would create the more creamy sauce as well.

Add in the freshly grated Parmesan. 

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and dump into the sauce, mixing to coat and turning off the heat.  Fold in the freshly chopped basil leaves.

Fold in mozzarella cubes. I used organic low fat mozzarella from Whole Foods and it worked perfectly.

Cut around a pint of grape tomatoes in half.  Also from Whole Foods, these tomatoes were locally grown and delicious.

Once combined into the pasta, spray a baking dish with non-stick spray and pour the whole pasta mixture into the dish.  Top with additional fresh mozzarella if you'd like.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

You can also top with additional basil or Parmesan if you like.  I didn't add a thing, and it was tasty as is.  Creamy without being too thick because of the mix of tomatoes and cream.  Carbs, until we meet again...

Creamy Caprese Pasta

Serves 4-6

1 pound whole wheat pasta noodles

1 cup of tomato sauce

1/3 cup half and half or milk

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil water and cook pasta according to directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the tomato sauce in a large sauce pan over medium heat.

Once warm, add the half and half and Parmesan cheese.

When pasta has finished cooking, drain and dump into the tomato sauce.

Fold in the basil leaves, mozzarella, and tomatoes.

Once combined, spray a baking dish with nonstick spray and pour the mixture into the dish.

Bake for 25 minutes until cheese has melted.

Enjoy!

Cheese & Pepper Pasta

I hope you all had a great weekend!!  Tomorrow I'm posting an awesome kabob recipe, but today wanted to share what I ate with the kabobs.  I got the recipe from Elaine over at The Italian Dish, she lives in Michigan, which automatically makes me like her.  Most importantly though, her pictures are amazing, and her recipes are authentic Italian. Please take a look at her blog, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

I always like trying new things from Target, as I think their Archer Farms line always has new and interesting products.  I decided to try some of their organic whole wheat spaghetti for this recipe.  It was great, and I couldn't tell the difference between this and the more expensive pasta imported from Italy.

Boil pasta in a pot with salted water until cooked al dente.

A minute or so before the pasta is finished cooking, heat the olive oil and pepper in a medium pan.

Grate around a cup and a half of fresh Parmesan cheese and set aside to add to the pasta.  I highly recommend using fresh, it makes such a huge difference in taste.

Once the pasta has finished cooking in the pot of water, drain, and place into the pan with the olive oil.  Toss until well combined.  Keep the pasta water!!

Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until combined and melted.  Add a tablespoon or so of the pasta water to make it easier to combine.

This pasta has very little ingredients in it, but the simplicity is the best part; it's light but full of flavor.  Make sure when you go to make this you have good pasta, fresh ground pepper, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and you won't be disappointed!

This is C's perfect bite, it does look pretty yummy.  Tomorrow I'll show you mine so you can compare.  Happy Monday everyone!

Cheese and Pepper Pasta

Adapted from: The Italian Dish

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

3 tablepsoons olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly cracked ground pepper

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan reggiano cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and boil the spaghetti until al dente.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and pepper.

Saute gently for a couple of minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked drain and place into the skillet. *Keep the pasta water

Swirl to coat the pasta with the olive oil and pepper.

Add the cheese and continue swirling to cat.  

Add a tablespoon or so of the pasta water until everything is well combined.

Serve immediately.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

There are a few meals that will always remind me of childhood and being at home with my family, tuna casserole is one of them.  It was one of my Mom's staples, and besides tasting great, there are many other reasons to make it.  It's quick, easy, good for you, and you can feed a bunch of people with one dish! 

Boil water for pasta and cook pasta according to package directions.  I used whole wheat pasta and it worked out great.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Melt butter over medium heat and add garlic. 

Saute for a minute, then add flour, cooking and stirring for about one minute.

Slowly add milk and stir often until sauce becomes thicker.  I used skim milk, if you want to make it richer you can use 2% or whatever you like.

Add tuna to the sauce and remove from heat.  Stir into sauce until evenly distributed.

I also added some broccoli to this recipe to add some veggies.  Steam on the stove while the pasta is cooking.

Drain the pasta and mix the pasta, sauce and the broccoli together.

Freshly grated Parmesan makes every recipe better :)

Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and mix into the pasta.

You can serve immediately or bake for 20 minutes.  I put the mixture in a 9x13 inch pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, and baked for around 15 minutes. 

It came out perfectly.  Although I don't have a calorie count, this is a great healthy dinner.  I mentioned it before, but it is very quick and easy!  You don't have to cut up a lot of veggies, and you won't use a lot of dishes, so it's perfect for a week night meal.  I can be iffy on if I like tuna or not, but I love it in a creamy casserole.  Try it out, might surprise you! 

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and were around family and friends.  I was very lucky to have my whole family around this past weekend, and was pretty sad to see them leave today.  My apartment will be pretty quiet compared to what it's been like this past week.  I'm guessing I'll be baking and cooking to make up for it :)  Happy Monday everyone!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

*Makes around 4 1/2 servings

2 cups chopped broccoli

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups of milk

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 teaspoons salt

12oz can of tuna

Parmesan cheese

~1/2 box whole wheat pasta shells

Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli until crisp and tender.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt butter over medium heat and add garlic.

Saute for a minute, then add flour, cooking and stirring for around a minute.

Slowly add milk and stir often until sauce thickens.

Add tuna to sauce and remove from heat.

Drain pasta and mix the pasta, sauce and broccoli together.

Add Parmesan on top.

Serve immediately or bake for 15-20 minutes.