Ingredients

• 1 pound penne or rigatoni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 24 ounces marinara sauce or pasta sauce
• 14 ½ ounces petite diced tomatoes drained
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook pasta in salted water al dente according to the package directions and drain.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Add cream, tomatoes and marinara sauce. Simmer 2 minutes.
• Place pasta in a 9×13 pan. Add sauce and toss to combine.
• Top with shredded cheese and bake 20-25 minutes or until hot and cheese is bubbly.
• Remove from the oven, cool 5 minutes and top with fresh herbs.

Notes

Cook pasta to al dente (firm) as it will cook a bit more in the oven.

If you prefer a creamier sauce, add ⅓ cup extra cream.

Cooked meat such as rotisserie chicken, ham, or ground sausage can be added. Add any cheese you have on hand on top of this dish.

Do not overbake or the dish can become dry.

INGREDIENTS –

1 lb pasta (penne works well) –

2 tbsp ghee (or neutral oil) –

1 medium zucchini, sliced in half moons –

1 lb cherry tomatoes, sliced in half –

1/2 tsp salt –

5 cloves garlic, minced –

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes –

!# chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces

1/2 cup cream –

1 tbsp lemon zest –

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese –

1/2 cup chopped basil

INSTRUCTIONS –

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.

Once boiling, add 1 tbsp kosher salt and the pasta.

Return the water and pasta to a boil and cook until al dente, according to the pasta instructions.

Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.

Drain the pasta and return the pasta to the stock pot until the sauce is prepared. –

While the pasta is cooking, melt the ghee (or oil) in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

Once the ghee is melted, add the pieces of chicken, in an even layer.

Sauté until brown, 4-6 minutes.

Flip the pieces over and brown on the other side as well, for 4-6 minutes.

When the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the skillet and set them aside. –

In the same skillet over medium heat, add the prepared tomatoes and zucchini

Stir to make sure both sides of zucchini are browned and the tomatoes begin to burst and break down, 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt.

Cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 minute. –

Pour the tomatoes and zucchini into the pasta in the stock pot.

Add the cream, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the pasta with the sauce until the mixture is hot and bubbling, 3-4 minutes.

Turn off the heat. – Add the cheese, lemon zest, and basil.

Stir and add more pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Serve immediately.

NOTE: this makes sauce just enough to lightly coat the pasta/veggies. There is not excess sauce. You may want to double this, as any leftover pasta will “soak” up the sauce.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

2 c Marinara Sauce

1/3 c Mascarpone Cheese

¼ c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1# purchased cheese tortellini (or gnocchi)

2 oz thinly sliced, smoked Mozzarella

¼ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Lightly oil 8x8x2 baking dish

Whisk the marinara sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender.

Drain

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.

Top with the smoked Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about another 10 minutes.

Serve