Cyndi's Pasta Alla Medici

A while back, Olive Garden had a dish made with cheese tortellini, alfredo sauce, ham, mushrooms, and peas.  Hubby loved it.  They no longer serve it, so I recreated something similar at home for him and he just loves it!

You will need:
3 cups penne pasta

Sauce:
1 and 1/2 stick of butter
1 tb minced garlic
3 cups half and half
flour
container of grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup chopped ham
1 small package fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced.
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First boil water for your pasta. Add a touch of salt and a pat of butter to avoid sticking and boiling over.
While that is cooking (about 10 minutes), start your sauce.
Use a large saucepan and melt a stick of butter.  When melted, start adding flour. Start with a 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir with a wooden spoon or silicone heat resistant whisk to make a paste.  Add half and half, and Parmesan cheese.  Stir to correct consistency and amount that you will need.  At this point, add your garlic. Adding it sooner will easily burn it.

 Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt a 1/2 stick of butter.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender.

 Add frozen peas, chopped ham, and cooked mushrooms to the sauce.  Add garlic, cream, or cheese as needed for taste or consistency.

Drain penne pasta.  Place pasta on a dish and spoon sauce over top.

TIPS:
You can use milk instead of cream if desired.
Use a large non-stick skillet for easy clean up, like this one from Amazon.
Use a silicone whisk like this one for best results.
Serve with easy Cresent Rolls, or any other kind of bread.

Baked Italian Ziti

Yum! I found this recipe in one of my Woman's Day magazines and attempted it last Thursday. I changed it a little by using the ground sweet Italian sausage instead of the links.



INGREDIENTS
8 oz uncooked ziti rigati pasta
2 tsp oil
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
12 oz spicy or sweet Italian sausage (4 links)
1 cup part-skim ricotta
11⁄2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan
1⁄4 cup chopped parsley
2 cups marinara sauce (from a 24- or 26-oz jar)
PREPARATION
1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Cook pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water as package directs for al dente or firm texture.2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, onion and sausage; cook 6 minutes or until sausage is browned. Remove from heat; cut sausage into 1⁄4-in. slices.3. Mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 3 Tbsp Parmesan and the parsley in large bowl. Drain pasta; toss with cheese mixture, sausage mixture and 1 cup marinara sauce.4. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-qt shallow baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until bubbly.