Baked Rotini

1 pkg. rotini
1 pkg. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 jar pasta sauce
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 can black olives, drained and halved
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Italian seasoning, to taste
brown sugar, to taste
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook pasts as directed on package. Brown beef and onions; drain.

In a large saucepan, combine beef and onions, sauce, mushrooms, olives, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Heat thoroughly. Add brown sugar by small handfuls until desired flavor is reached. (If you prefer a less sweet sauce, omit brown sugar.) Simmer 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add pasta to sauce and mix well. Pour into a large casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

A fresh garden salad or Caesar salad is a perfect pairing!

Chicken Spaghetti

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut/torn into bite sized pieces
*chicken broth
1 pkg. spaghetti
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 8-oz. pkg. fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 8-oz. container light sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup

Boil chicken; reserve broth. (*Add celery, onion, and bell pepper trimmings to water to flavor broth.)

While chicken is cooking, chop celery, onions, and bell pepper; slice mushrooms. Saute in olive oil until tender.

Remove chicken from broth; skim out trimmings. Cook spaghetti in broth according to package directions.

While spaghetti is cooking, cut up chicken. In a large bowl, mix sour cream, soups, seasonings, sauteed vegetables and chicken. Drain pasta; add to bowl and mix well.

This makes A LOT of chicken spaghetti, so be prepared to have leftovers - or invite someone over for dinner!

Garlic Butter Shrimp II

40-50 medium shrimp*, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach
1 pkg. pasta, your choice of size/shape
Parmesan cheese
cracked pepper, to taste

Prep onion, mushrooms, and shrimp.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add onion and garlic and saute until clear. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add mushrooms and saute. Add spinach and cook until heated through; add shrimp and heat for about 2 minutes.

Cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes for shrimp to warm throughout. Serve over your choice of pasta; top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.

*The shrimp I use is already cooked and frozen - and I wait to buy it until it's on sale. (Brookshire's Food Club brand is the best I've found.) I just thaw it out, then toss it in the skillet a few minutes before cooking is finished.

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

5 links Italian sausage, medium or spicy
1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can black olives, drained and halved
1 can diced Italian tomatoes (with basil, oregano, and garlic)
4 c. fresh baby spinach leaves
bowtie or other pasta
shredded Italian blend cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Remove sausage from casings and brown. Drain well and return to skillet. Add mushrooms, olives, and tomatoes, cooking until mushrooms are tender. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Pour over pasta and serve immediately. Top individual servings with cheese.

Serves 8.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

served with Garlic Cheese Biscuits, similar to those served at Red Lobster

40-50 medium shrimp
1 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
cracked pepper, to taste

Peel and de-vein shrimp; chop onion and set aside.

In large skillet, melt butter; saute garlic and onions until clear. Add shrimp and cook until pink, stirring occasionally. Top with fresh cracked pepper. Serve over angel hair or other pasta.

Serves 6.

Tip: To save time and money, I purchased boiled shrimp rings at a buy one/get one free sale at my local grocery store and froze them until ready to use. I thawed one tray, took off the tails, and added the shrimp to the skillet just long enough to heat throughout. The whole meal was ready to eat in just under half an hour!

Lasagna

1 pkg. oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 lg. jar Prego pasta sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 16-oz. container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 pkgs. Italian blend shredded cheese
additional seasonings, per your taste
(*I add onion flakes, Italian seasoning, and brown sugar.)

Remove sausage from casings and put into a large skillet with ground beef. Brown well and drain.

In large saucepan, heat pasta sauce, garlic, seasonings, mushrooms, and meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

In small bowl, mix ricotta cheese and egg.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In 9x13 baking dish, put a layer of sauce and a layer of pasta. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the pasta, then top with shredded cheese. Repeat layers two more times, ending with cheese.

Cover with a double layer of foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 5-10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.

Serves 12.