Beef & Bow Tie Pasta

I have several “beef and pasta” recipes in my recipe binder (and even one by the same name as this blog’s title), but I decided to combine the idea behind several of them to come up with my own version of beef and pasta. Here it is…

Ingredients:

• 2 cups bow tie pasta (a.k.a. farfalle), cooked
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
• 2 cups any brand of Traditional Pasta Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (or a mix of basil, oregano, and thyme), optional
• Parmesan cheese
• Parsley (dried or fresh, chopped)

Directions:

Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and cook in a large skillet over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, until well browned. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in olive oil, garlic, and mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 5 minutes. Finally, stir in pasta sauce and additional Italian seasoning, and cook for a couple more minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir farfalle into beef mixture, mixing well. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top before serving.

Creamy Chicken & Noodles

Another Campbell’s Kitchen recipe (campbellskitchen.com), this really is a quick and easy meal! It’s very creamy and delicious, and I added freshly grated Parmesan cheese to give it a “wow” factor.

[Side Note: I had a bit of an accident while preparing this dish. Let's just say me and the grater had a bit of an argument; the grater won, and I have the scar now to prove it. Just a reminder to myself and to YOU that safety should always be a priority in the kitchen!]

Start with two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and cut them up into small “cubes.” Cook the chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat. (I melted a tablespoon of butter in the skillet before adding the chicken and added salt and pepper.)

Also cook 3 cups of medium egg noodles and drain.

Heat the cooked chicken and eggs noodles along with the following in a large saucepan:

• 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken and Mushroom Soup (or just use their Cream of Chicken Soup, sans mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 5 grinds of fresh black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Continue heating until hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese on top.