I didn't get a chance to go grocery shopping yet this week so we are running on bare minimum in the food department. I mean super bare bones. Groceries are first on the list for today, but I didn't want to break down and order pizza last night, so I used up some fridge and pantry staples to make cheesy tomato pasta. It actually turned out quite delicious!
I started by cooking rigatoni in water and canned tomatoes.
Then I sauteed some mushrooms and added those in.
While that was cooking, I made a quick cheese sauce. I started with a roux with some olive oil, flour and salt.
Then I added in shredded cheddar cheese til it was nice and thick. Finally I mixed the pasta, mushrooms and cheese sauce together, and voila, cheesy tomato pasta. It was a play on my Nana's mac & cheese, but super creamy. Mmm.
I have a busy day ahead of me today. I'm going out for a girls night tonight, and tomorrow I refuse to do anything but watch football from the hours of 1-8 (Pats are playing!), so I gotta power through my to-do list today - gym, food shopping, finally taking down the holiday decorations, cleaning, running errands and starting my giant packing list for a ski weekend in Vermont next week. Woo!
P.S. Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers is hosting a Crock Pot Challenge on her blog, and I'm definitely game. I love crock pot meals and don't do enough of them. She's challenging readers to try 10 new crock pot recipes by the end of February; I have a few weekend trips planned in the next two months so 10 will be a challenge for me, but I'll do my best. I'm thinking crock pot meals will actually be great for the days I work from home - I can throw them together in the morning before I start work, and then dinner will be ready by the time the day is done!
I'm digging into some of my old slow cooker cookbooks for inspiration as I meal plan this morning. Get ready to see some crock-potting around here!
i made something so similar to this last night! but it was more of taco mac. i cooked my macs in water, but afterwards i thought cooking them in tomatoes would have been better. sauteed up some peppers, added canned diced tomatoes (with some liquid) and black beans. seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, s&p. threw in the cooked macs and stirred in some shredded cheese. i had to add a splash of milk to get the cheese to melt in. super easy and very delish!
ReplyDeleteps...perfect timing for the crock pot challenge! i'm in the process of coming up a menu for freezer meals for after the baby comes so I'll def be stealing some crock pot recipes to freeze!
I love the idea of taco mac! I'll definitely have to try that. :) And great idea on the freezer meals - I did the same thing before Riker came and we didn't have to cook for a month! Lasagna, zucchini parmesan and chili were a few of the favorites :)
Delete