Spaghetti Casserole

Good morning friends!

I promised this recipe a few days ago & I am here (finally) to share it!
We've made this recipe...well..countless times! We make it to share with friends because it's so easy & it's a crowd favourite.
It's also from the Guindon Family Cookbook.

*It's not baked in this picture.*

Here is what you need!

• 1 box of cooked spaghetti (454g)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 lb of lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with herbs
• 1 cup of grated cheese or more. We used more than a cup for sure ;)
• 1 can of mushroom soup

Step one:

To start you fry the onions, garlic and lean ground beef. Don't forget to drain the fat! 

Step two:

In a casserole dish add all of the cooked spaghetti.

Now add the cooked beef on top.

Now the can of tomatoes.

Now the can of mushroom soup.

Lastly the cheese! MMMMM.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

I promise you will love this.

It's a fun twist to your normal spaghetti dinner!!

I hope you guys are all having a really great Saturday!

XO

-Britt

{FAST} Vermicelli with Spicy Sausage & Spinach

Good day! It is a rainy May day here. I am going to spend the day relaxing, working out with a friend and packing for my Edmonton trip tomorrow! What are you all up to today? I am very happy to be sharing this recipe with you all. It was excellent. This is the second time we've made it & we will probably make it again.
Here is what you need:

• 1 pound of  cooked or uncooked spicy sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tsps olive oil
• 2, 14 ounce cans of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 ounces of dried vermicelli (about 1/2 a pkg) broken in half
• 3 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup of whipping cream

Step one:

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion & sausage. Cook until the meat is fully cooked. Stir so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

Step two:

Add the chicken broth & water. Bring to a boil. Add the vermicelli & cook for about 3 minutes. Stir frequently. Add the spinach & mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring. Stir in the cream, pepper & serve! mmmmm

Enjoy!

xoxo

Veggie Fettuccine Alfredo with Baked Chicken

I am not a big pasta fan...so I rarely make it.(I'm weird, I know..)  BUT..for some strange reason I was in the mood for some..a biggggg bowl of it. I have also not had fettuccine alfredo in a long time so that's basically the reason why I made this yummy (terrible for you..) creamy dinner. As Dan and I were eating it he told me "You know there are healthier ways to make this..." hahahha of course I know that! I just didn't care...but now that it's Monday I am starting to care. Two meals of this and a few desserts over the weekend have left me feeling..well..crappy. haha Time to hit the gym! Anyways...This meal is absolutely delish! Just don't pare it with some cake for dessert...and you won't feel so bad! hahha I will also try out some healthier options and when I make that I will post it :)
Here is what you will need!
-8 onces of fettuccine
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 tbsps butter
-1 cup of whipping cream
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp black pepper
-1/2 cup of grated or finely shredded parmesan cheese
-veggies of your choice. I used one green pepper chopped, one cup of baby spinach, a handfull of chopped mushrooms and a head of broccoli.
LETS GET STARTED :)
1-Prepare your chicken breasts in a caserole dish. I decided to bake the chicken because baked chicken tastes so tender and that goes great with the pasta.

I added black pepper, a pinch of salt, fresh garlic and fresh parsley to the chicken. I baked it in the oven at 350F for about 35 minutes. It might need more time depending on the size of the chicken breasts.



2-In a large saucepan begin to cook your pasta
3-Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook garlic in hot butter over medium high heat for one minute. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Add your veggies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Boil gently, uncovered until the mixture begins to thicken.

4- Once the veggies are cooked remove from heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to combine. Serve with your baked chicken and voila dinner is served!

xo Enjoy!

Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

This was a scrumtious dinner. Very rich, and you will enjoy every bite! To start you are going to need all of these ingredients!

-pasta of your choice!

-2 or 3 whole tomatoes

-salt and pepper

-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

-2 cups of fresh basil

-1/3 of a cup of pine nuts or walnuts

-3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

-1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

-black olives

-mushrooms

-2 handfulls of baby spinach

-shrimp or chicken (bite size pieces)

-mozerella cheese, cubed ( totally not necessary, but tasty)

Lets get started! First things first I started with my tomatoes! Preheat the oven to 400F

Slice them, lay them out on tin foil on a medium to large pan and then brush with olive oil.

Next sprinkle sea salt and pepper on them.

Put them in the oven and let them bake for about 40 minutes until wrinkly and softened. Here are how mine turned out!

PESTO TIME! While your tomatoes are roasting you can make your pesto. It is best to use a food processor BUT we don't have one of those yet. A blender will do just fine. First take your pine nuts or walnuts and put them in the blender. Grind up until fine. Then add your 2 cups of fresh basil.

I AM IN LOVE WITH OUR NEW BLENDER !!
Okay next you add the parmesan cheese, the garlic and the 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Lastly, salt and pepper to taste and VOILA! PESTO!!

PASSSSTTTAAA TIME.

Now it is time to get your favourite pasta noodle going. Get it cooking :)

In the mean time, on a frying pan sautee your mushrooms and spinach in a bit of olive oil. (a very little bit)

I used about 4 or 5 large mushrooms.

It is time to prepare your meat that you are going to use. We had leftover shrimp so that was easy. If using chicken you should cut it into bite size pieces and cook them on the stove top.

Also cut up your olives, and your cheese if using it.

Get a large, colourful bowl and start adding your ingredients. once the mushrooms and spinach are cooked (which does not take long at all) all them to the bowl. Your cooked and drained noodles, olives, cheese, shrimp or chicken then lastly your pesto. TIP: Pesto is rich, especially this recipe. You may not need to use all of the pesto...we only used about 3/4 of it.

Garnish with your roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. ENJOY every bite!

xo