Creamy Shrimp Alfredo - Natasha's Kitchen

Serving: 4 as a main course
Ingredients
3⁄4 lb fettuccini pasta
1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 Tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄3 cup white wine (optional)
2 cups 1/2 & 1/2
1⁄3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
1⁄4 tsp paprika, or to taste
Parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions

1. Add 3⁄4 lb pasta to a pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp salt and cook according to package instructions until al- dente. Drain without rinsing and set aside.
   
2. While pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp and sauce. Season shrimp with 1⁄2 tsp salt, 1⁄4 tsp black pepper and 1⁄4 tsp paprika. Place a large, non-stick pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 min per side or just until cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove to a separate dish to prevent overcooking.
   
3. In the same hot pan, add 2 Tbsp butter with finely chopped onion and sauté until soft and golden (3-5 mins), stirring often. Add minced garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Stir in 1⁄3 cup white wine and boil down until there is only 25% of the liquid left.
   
4. Stir in 2 cups cream, bring to a light boil then simmer 2 min. Sprinkle sauce with 1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese and stir just until creamy and smooth. Let it come just to a simmer without boiling then turn off the heat and season sauce with more salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
   
5. Stir in the drained pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing until noodles are well coated in sauce. Serve in warm pasta bowls with a generous sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, more parmesan cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper.
   

Notes
Important: do not boil the alfredo sauce once the cheese is in, or the cheese will separate from the cream.
Copyright © 2015 Natasha's Kitchen 

Shrimp/Crab Louie Pasta Salad

I had this salad at Grandma's & Grandpa Rays house the other day and loved it so much that I have made it twice since then.  It is the perfect summer salad.  I personally do not like shrimp so much so I use crab instead of the shrimp.  This serves 6-8 people.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups spiral shaped pasta, uncooked

1 cup mayonnaise (the real stuff)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/3 cup seafood cocktail sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 lb medium cooked shrimp, peeled & deveined

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

1/2 cup sliced green onion

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ranch dressing, seafood cocktail sauce,lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt& pepper.

Stir in cooled pasta and remaining ingredients.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

White Spinach Lasagna

Oh so good.

Ingredients
 16 oz container ricotta cheese
 16 oz cottage cheese
 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (FRESH is better – I parboiled it so is shrunk down, squeezed it dry and just added layers of it between the noodles)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped drained sun-dried tomato packed in oil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 2 (16 ounce) jars alfredo sauce, divided
 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
 In a large bowl combine ricotta, spinach, eggs, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and nutmeg. 
Spread 3/4 cup Alfredo sauce in ungreased 13 X 9 baking dish; top with 3 noodles (crosswise). Spread with 1/3 of ricotta mixture; repeat layering twice with noodles and ricotta mixture, ending with noodles. 
 Pour remaining Alfredo sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes; remove foil and bake another 10 minutes. If desired, place lasagna under broiler for 2 minutes to brown cheese. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Submitted by Kathy Hansen

Lasagna Pasta

I recently learned how to make lasagna and have been making it a lot lately using the jumbo tubs of cottage cheese from Costco.  But I have been getting tired of eating the same texture all the time. So I decided to switch it up a little.

Lasagna Toss

-2 cups uncooked penne pasta
-1 lb ground italian sausage
-1 (26 oz) jar favorite spaghetti sauce (ex. Garlic and onion, traditional, whatever)
-1 1/2  - 2 cups cottage cheese
-2 cups divided shredder mozzarella cheese ( I also add a little parmesan cheese as well)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2.5 quart baking dish.
2. Boil noodles until tender. Drain.
3. Cook and stir the ground sausage, turkey, whatever, in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain the fat from the meat. Pour the uncooked pasta and spaghetti sauce into the skillet with the meat and stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. (Depending on your skillet size, it might be easier to mix all of this in your pasta pot instead of your skillet, I'm just sayin').
4. Pour half of the pasta-meat-sauce mixture in the baking dish. Spread with cottage cheese in an even layer and sprinkle half the shredded cheese. Spread the remaining pasta-meat-sauce mixture of the shredded cheese, and top with the remaining shredded cheese.
5. Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until the casserole is hot and the cheese is bubbling. Let it stand for about 5 minutes to firm up before serving. Voila!

Submitted by Kim Hansen

Tri Color Pasta Salad

This is from my favorite recipe blog http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/ I love her recipes always!

12oz. package Pasta Rotini, tri colored, cooked and drained
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 can black olives, sliced
¼ cups red onion, finely diced
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
6 fresh basil leaves, cut into strips (Just used the tiny chopped up leaves from my basil spice)
4 tablespoons basil pesto
2/3 cup creamy Caesar dressing
2 teaspoons sauté spice (equal parts black pepper, salt, and garlic powder)
½-1 cup toasted pine nuts (Didn't have this so I skipped it)

Cook pasta and coat with Caesar dressing while warm. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the pine nuts) and toss. Top with toasted pine nuts. Yummm!

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

My kids aren't big on tomato sauce, so here is a vegetable-based pasta they love.

4 T. olive oil, divided
1-2 chicken breasts, cut in pieces
¾ cup sliced carrots
1 t. minced garlic
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed
¾ c. chicken broth
½ c. parmesan cheese
1 lb. angel hair pasta

Heat 2 T. olive oil in skillet over medium-high. Add chicken, stirring until cooked through. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.Start water boiling for pasta.Add remaining olive oil to skillet. Cook carrots 3 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic, cook 2 more minutes.Cook pasta as directed on the package.Add broth, chicken, and cheese to vegetable mixture. Simmer on low until pasta is ready.Mix pasta and chicken-vegetable mixture together, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.