Here’s a little secret: olive oil-packed canned tuna, chili pepper flakes, and pasta is a master combination (and classic Italian). One of my favorite dishes on this site is the tuna, arugula, chili pepper, pasta recipe. So when I stumbled on another variation with similar core ingredients in Giulia Melucci’s I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti I had to try it. Score! If you like canned tuna and pasta, you must try this. I made one batch (serves two), ate half of it for lunch and the rest for dinner. Because I know someone is going to ask, if you don’t cook with wine, try substituting 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and 1/4 cup of water for the white wine the recipe calls for. Regarding tuna packed in water, I’ve tried it and believe me, it doesn’t work (dry, tastes bad). You need to use tuna packed in olive oil.

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From Simply Recipes.

Salmon Pasta Salad

• 15-1/2 oz canned salmon
• 8 oz macaroni
• 2 cups cucumber, sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese cut into this strips
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Lemon Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp lemon peel, grated
• Pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to packet instructions. Drain, rinse and cool.

Drain and flake salmon and place into large serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss.

Blend together all ingredients for the lemon dressing.

Add the lemon dressing to the salmon pasta, toss well and enjoy.

Pine Nut and Chickpea Pasta

Ingredients:
16 oz Penne pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cilantro
1×14oz can chickpeas
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup olive oil (extra)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook the penne pasta according to packet instructions in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, heat the olive oil and cook the garlic and onions until soft. Add the spices and stir for a minute. Then add cherry tomatoes, currants, extra oil and chickpeas, stir everything gently and cook until just heated through.

Add the pasta to the chickpea mixture, stir gently and serve immediately in deep bowls sprinkled with basil leaves and pine nuts.

Enjoy with a generous helping of Parmesan shavings!

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes and juice
1 (7 ounce) container sun dried tomato pesto
2 eggs
2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 (14 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (8 ounce) package Italian cheese blend, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oven ready lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Pour the oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Once the oil has is hot but not smoking add the onion. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking 1 minute garlic should be fragrant. Pour in the tomatoes and use the back of a spoon to crush being sure to leave chunks in the sauce. Place the heat on low and cook 3 minutes. Add the pesto and stir well. Remove the skillet from the heat. Beat the eggs slightly in a large mixing bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, spinach and 1/2 of the cheese blend. Stir well. Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and continue stirring until completely combined. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with sauce. Lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Cover with sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times ending with sauce on the top. Bring the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining Italian cheese blend. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking 30 minutes or until bubbly. Allow lasagna to stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Super Cheesy Macaroni Bake

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked macaroni
1 large can diced, spiced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare macaroni, rinse, drain and pour into a casserole dish that has been greased lightly. Mix diced tomatoes and spices in a small bowl, set aside. Add all but 1/4 cup of cheeses to hot macaroni and blend until well melted. Mix in tomatoes and herbs. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. (Tomatoes can be omitted, if desired.)

Ground Beef Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

1 small package egg noodles
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 can tomato soup
2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup cooking sherry
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350?. Follow package instructions to cook noodles. Rinse, drain and set aside. Brown grown beef, rinse, drain and return to skillet. Add soup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and garlic. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add noodles to sauce and then sherry. Place mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbling and top is slightly brown.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
12 Ritz crackers
Salt
1 tablespoon butter
Vegetable coating spray

Cook and drain the macaroni according to package instructions. Place the macaroni back in the pan and add a dash of salt and a pat of butter to avoid sticking. Set it aside to cool a little. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a casserole dish. Spoon 1/3 of the macaroni into the dish and cover with 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of the grated cheese; add two more layers and use the cream instead of milk for the final layer.

Crush the Ritz crackers in a plastic bag then sprinkle the crumbs over the top later of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Angel Hair Pasta With Cabbage

8 oz angel hair pasta cut into 2 inch lengths
4 cups green cabbage – shredded
1/2 cup vegetable broth
salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup fat free sour cream (plain yogurt can be used instead of sour cream)

Cook angel hair noodles and drain well. While noodles are cooking, saute shredded cabbage in broth until tender (approximately 10-15 minutes). Once cabbage is tender add pasta noodles and mix well. Once combined together well, remove pan from heat. Salt, pepper and add garlic powder to taste. Top with sour cream and serve while warm.

Healthy Shrimp Pasta Dish

2 cups of cooked, peeled, and ready to eat shrimp
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tablespoon seeded and chopped chili
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole wheat spaghetti for four

Cook and drain the spaghetti according to package instructions and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan and add the garlic and chili, stir over low heat for approximately 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and shrimp and heat through for a minute or so. Toss the mixture and spaghetti together, add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with a little parsley and serve.