Meat Thukpa (Nepali Recipe)

1 lb. Tibetan noodles, similar to spaghetti, or cavatelli(I used regular spaghetti)
1/2 lb. Lamb, cut into ¼-in. slices (can be substituted with chicken or shrimps)
1/2 lb. Spinach, washed and cut into pieces
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced (I used about 1 tsp. powdered ginger)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
3 fresh chilies, julienned
1/2 teaspoon jwanu (lovage seeds)(I omitted this as I didn't have any)
1 bay leaf
1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups lamb broth (I used beef broth)
2 tablespoons musturd oil (I used olive oil)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Cook noodles in boiling salted water until slightly undercooked. Drain and rinse. In a sauce pan heat 2 tablespoons of musturd oil. Add onions, fry till light brown. Add turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin powder, and chilies. Stir well for 1 min. Put the pieces of lamb and brown well. To the lamb mixture add tomatoes, soy sauce, yogurt, broth, jwanu seeds, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook until the lamb is tender. Add the noodles and stew for 5-7 more minutes. At last, add spinach and fold into the stewed noodles for a minute or so, until wilted. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with roti.

Ham Tetrazzini

2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tsp. Herb and Garlic Dip Mix (optional but highly recommended)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or mozza/ swiss blend
1 cup diced ham
6 ounces spaghetti or broad egg noodles
2 cups frozen veggies


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute chopped onion in butter until tender.
Stir in cream of mushroom soup, water, seasoning, veggies and shredded cheese. Heat mixture until cheese melts, stirring often.
Add ham, cooked and drained pasta.
Stir until heated through, add extra cheese on top if desired. Serve hot!

Cheesy Pepperoni Bake

1 - 3.5 oz. package sliced pepperoni, divided (I have used farmer sausage cubed or summer sausage sliced instead of pepperoni)
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 8 oz. package of elbow macaroni (I've used what ever small sized pasta I have)
1 - 8 oz. package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup water

Reserving several pepperoni slices for garnish, combine remaining pepperoni, tomatoes, soup, uncooked macaroni, 1 cup cheese and water in a 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top. Garnish with reserved pepperoni. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours ( I usually prepare this around 10 am and am able to have supper around 5 pm) to allow macaroni to absorb liquids. Bake covered casserole in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is bubbly. Serves about 6.

Cheesy Italian Sausage Bake

2 cups penne pasta uncooked
3/4 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed (I used mild Italian sausage)
2 cups halved zucchini slices
1 red pepper chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Brown sausage, stir to break up sausage. Drain fat. Stir in veggies and sauce. Cook 5-6 minutes until veggies are tender-crisp. Add cooked pasta and cheddar cheese. Mix well. Spoon into greased 9 x 13 pan and top with parmesan cheese. Bake 15- 20 minutes in 350 degree oven.

'Skinny' Fettuccine Alfredo

12 oz (340 g) fettuccine or linguine pasta
1 cup 2 % cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used a mozza/edam mix as I did not have parmesan)
1/4 cup milk
1tbsp. Epicure cheese, chives and bacon dip mix
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Puree cottage cheese in food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Add cheese mixture to drained pasta. Return to heat. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Serve immediately. I cut up chicken breasts and fried them in a frying pan and added cheese sauce to chicken instead of pasta. I served this over the pasta.

Salsa Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 medium onion
3 cups shelled pasta (cooked)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
1 cup salsa
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 can mushrooms (optional)
1 tsp. seasoning salt
1 1/2 tbsp. Tex Mex spices

Brown ground beef and onion. Add seasoning salt, Tex Mex spices, green peppers and mushrooms. Cook until tender. Cook shelled pasta as directed. Combine pasta and rest of the ingredients with ground beef mixture in a 2 1/2 lit casserole dish. Save some cheese for sprinkling on top of dish. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Curry Pasta

1 1/2 c veg. broth
1 c. light coconut milk
1 tsp each sugar and coriander
1/2 tsp each cumin and chili pwd.
1/4 tsp each curry pwd and ginger
8 oz rotini pasta (about 3 cups dry)
1 c frozen green peas thawed OR 1 cup cooked lentils (I use lentils instead of peas)
1/2 c fine chopped red pepper
1/4 c dried currants (I use Craisins)

Combine broth, milk, sugar and spices in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add pasta, reduce heat to med-low. Cover and simmer for 6 min, occasionally stir. Add peas, pepper and currants. Simmer 6-7 min more, until liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender. Let stand 5 more min. Makes 4 servings.