Easy Cheesy Mac

Isn’t macaroni and cheese just one of the all-time ultimate comfort foods? I know it is for me. All that cheesy, creamy goodness wrapped around soft pasta. What more could you want? Of course, there are a multitude of recipes for mac and cheese. Everything from the ordinary to the sublime. But this is one for days when you’re in a hurry to get dinner on the table. It’s really quick. It can be ready in little more than the time it takes to boil the macaroni and it’s very satisfying.

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Ravioli with Chunky Tomato Sauce

 

Buitoni pasta has this new line of filled pastas that you can find in your local grocery store’s refrigerated section. There are four of them: Chicken and Four Cheese, Quattro Formaggi, Spicy Beef and Sausage, and Wild Mushroom. I chose to try the Quattro Formaggi first. I have to tell you that it was excellent. The quality of a good Italian restaurant. Really. You could use any of your favorite Italian style sauces on this ravioli with very good results. I made up a chunky tomato and veggie sauce for mine.  We added a tossed salad and garlic bread to complete the meal. Very good. Not too heavy but very satisfying. 

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Pasta with Sausage & Leeks

We’ve been on a bit of an Italian kick around here lately. Although most Italian recipes I cook use tomato-based sauces, this one is a little different. The combination of leeks, sausage and Parmesan made a fantastic dish! BeeBop had seconds. In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I didn’t make this up. It appeared in a recent issue of Fine Cooking magazine. I did, however, tweak it slightly. I think you could also sneak some tomatoes in there and it wouldn’t suffer any, either 🙂

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Pasta d’Arrabiata

Pasta d’Arrabiata…it’s one of BeeBop’s favorites.  And, really, what could be bad about a recipe that starts with frying up some bacon! Arrabiata means ‘angry’ and is a reference to the red pepper flakes in the sauce. I found this recipe years ago on the internet and while it may not be truly authentic, it’s darned good. A word of advice: don’t even think about making this dish with dried basil.  I’ve tried it. It just doesn’t work.

Now, the following is how I make it for me and BeeBop. You could double it for more, but really this would feed two adults and two children.  Also, if you’re feeding folks who can’t take the heat, go pretty light on the red pepper flakes. You can always sprinkle some more on yours before serving! 

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