Pasta anyone?

Pasta anyone? It has been a long time since we talked about pasta, so I decided it was time to revisit the world of pasta dishes. I have found through my work that many people either really love pasta or don't, and very few say they can take it or leave it. It seems to be more of a black-and-white preference issue with very little gray area.

With that being said, all of the recipes today are pasta dishes, so if you are one of those pasta haters, you are probably finished reading here today.

I have chosen several dishes for you to try and enjoy. Have fun with them and I hope you are fortunate enough to enjoy these with someone special by your side.

Linguine and Clam Pasta

This is another perfect weeknight meal ready in 30 minutes. You can use canned clams or your choice to use either clams in the shell or out of the shell.

• 16 ounces linguine pasta
• 10 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 bunch fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (or clam juice)
• 36 fresh littleneck clams (or 12-16 ounce chopped shelled clams)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water to boil for pasta, then cook linguine following package instructions. Chop garlic and parsley.

Preheat large saute pan on medium heat 2 to 3 minutes. Place oil and garlic in pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened, but not browned. Add red pepper and salt; cook 30 more seconds, then pour in the wine or clam juice.

Increase heat to high and add clams; cover and cook 5 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan periodically until all the clams are opened. (Discard any clams that haven't opened).

Drain pasta; add to pan and toss to combine. Top with parsley and Parmesan, if desired; serve immediately.

One Pot Spaghetti Dish

The easiest, most delicious spaghetti you'll ever make! It's full of cheesy flavor, and only one pan to cook in and clean.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 ounces pasta noodles, Spaetzle German Egg Noodles is the best (or spaghetti, egg, bow tie, etc.)
• 3 cups spaghetti sauce
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 (8 ounce) bag shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon seasoning

Preheat broiler on high.

Heat a large, deep-sided, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain fat and return beef to skillet.

Pour spaghetti sauce and beef broth along with Italian seasoning into a large measuring cup and stir to combine.

Take your noodles and add to the skillet. If using spaghetti noodles, you will need to break them in half.

Stir noodles into the sauce and make sure they are fully submerged in the liquid. Be sure to stir frequently so that they don't stick.

Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender.

Sprinkle on the mozzarella and Parmesan and place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for garnish, if desired.

Cacio e Pepe Lasagna

Fast, fresh individually portioned lasagna bowls that please the stomach every time. You may choose to serve this with a small garden side salad and baked asparagus, but it easily could be a meal by itself.

• Olive oil, divided
• 12 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) container fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or to taste
• 1 pinch paprika for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease four 8-ounce ramekins with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Mix together drained noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper in a bowl. Divide mixture among the ramekins. Top with 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is golden brown in spots and lasagna is heated through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and paprika, if desired.

Family Friendly Cheeseburger Pasta

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 bag extra wide egg noodles (or your noodle of choice)
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

On medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in a deep skillet. Drain the fat off the meat and put meat back in the pan/pot. Add the hot water and milk and then all of your spices, cornstarch, and pasta. Mix everything together. Bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to simmer and put the lid on. Cook for about 12 minutes. Remove the lid. Add the cheese and place the lid back on for two minutes.

Remove lid and mix everything together and then enjoy.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun cooking is a combination of French and Southern cuisine. It is robust, country style cookery, and is well represented in this dish.

• 4 ounces linguine pasta
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 4 fresh mushrooms, slice d
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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.

Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Add flour mixture until just mixed. Stir in vanilla chips, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.

Drop dough on an ungreased cookie sheet by small scoop or rounded teaspoon. Bake in preheated oven until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cookies will sink slightly.

Camp David Spaghetti with Italian Sausage

A Navy chef who served this to presidents at Camp David, Maryland, has shared this recipe many times. Once you serve this to your family, you will find it is certainly fit for a president. Best with a garden salad and crusty garlic bread.

• 2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Slice the sausages lengthwise, leaving them attached along one side. Spread them out flat in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, turning once, until the sausages are browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Place the ground beef, olive oil, onion, and garlic in the skillet, and cook and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the beef is browned and crumbly. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended. Remove the bay leaf.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, drop in the pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain the pasta, and mix it into the sauce.

Place servings of hot pasta with sauce on oven-safe plates, place a cooked, opened sausage over each serving, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place plates in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and begun to brown.

Scrumptious Shrimp Scampi Linguine

• 1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 48 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup clam juice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the linguine cooking water, and drain pasta well in a colander set in the sink.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil together in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the red and yellow bell pepper and garlic until the peppers have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shrimp, and cook and stir until the shrimp are opaque and pink, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a bowl and set aside, leaving the peppers and garlic in the skillet.

Stir the wine, lemon juice, and clam juice into the skillet, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix in 2 more tablespoons of butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, and return the shrimp to the skillet. Stir in reserved pasta cooking water, cream, red pepper flakes, parsley, and sea salt. Add the cooked linguine, and toss lightly with the shrimp and sauce in the skillet. Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat for 5 minutes to let the pasta absorb some of the sauce, and serve hot.

Artichoke Spinach Lasagna

This is a fabulous lasagna made with an artichoke and spinach mixture which has been cooked with vegetable broth, onions and garlic. The mixture is layered with lasagna noodles, pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, and topped with crumbled feta.

• Cooking spray
• 9 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 (4 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until onion is tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.

Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp

Once you make this is will become one of your family's favorites. It's also great when made with crab meat instead of the shrimp.

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup pesto
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened.

Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Tried and True Lasagna

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 12 ounces cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown. Drain. In another skillet over medium heat, cook onion until translucent. Combine beef and onion in a large saucepan with tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

While sauce is simmering, blend cottage cheese, Parmesan and egg until smooth. Set aside.

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.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover sauce with 3 noodles. Cover noodles with one-third of remaining sauce. Top with half the mozzarella.

Place another layer of noodles and one of sauce over the mozzarella; top that with the cottage cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top and bake 15 minutes more, until golden and bubbly.

Pasta with Shrimp

• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups torn fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in the spaghetti, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through, but still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain; toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the shallots and mushrooms until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the grape tomatoes and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook and stir until tomatoes are heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, and cook until the shrimp just begins to turn pink, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the white wine and lemon juice, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until shrimp are opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach; once spinach has wilted, stir in the half-and-half and Parmesan cheese. Simmer until all ingredients are heated through and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve over the cooked spaghetti.

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Cheese tortellini are served in a creamy tomato and spinach sauce; what's not to love about that combination of ingredients?

• 1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

While you get the tortellini going, combine the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the Parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes.

Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, and serve.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

No two spaghetti aglio e olio recipes are alike, but this one is pretty true to the classic method. The key is slowly toasting the garlic slices to a perfect golden-brown in the olive oil. If it's too light, you don't get the full flavor and if it's too dark it gets bitter. Do it perfectly.

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a pasta bowl.

Combine garlic and olive oil in a cold skillet. Cook over medium heat to slowly toast garlic, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low when olive oil begins to bubble. Cook and stir until garlic is golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt into the pasta. Pour in olive oil and garlic, and sprinkle on Italian parsley and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; stir until combined.

Serve pasta topped with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Turkey Manicotti

When you're looking for something completely different to use up those turkey leftovers, this could be it. A tender, egg-type, pasta-like crepe enfolds the cheesy, amazing filling. You can make the crepes and filling ahead of time.

Crepes:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Filling:

• 1 cup diced cooked turkey
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, or as needed
• 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish, or as desired
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk 2 eggs, flour, water, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil together thoroughly in a bowl to make a very smooth batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate batter for 1 hour.

Mix turkey, ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, marjoram, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup Italian parsley in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Season with salt to taste.

Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brush generously with 1 teaspoon olive oil or as needed. Swirl about 1/4 cup batter into the bottom of the pan and tilt to form a thin pancake covering the bottom of the skillet. Cook until bottom of crepe is dry, 60 to 90 seconds. Flip crepe and cook until other side has small browned spots, 60 to 90 seconds more. Repeat with remaining batter to make 6 crepes. Transfer crepes to a plate as you make them.

Spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x12-inch baking dish. Use a brush to spread about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil in a thin layer up the sides of the dish. Place a crepe, dimpled side down, onto a work surface; spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling onto crepe in a line down the middle. Roll crepe over filling and tuck in ends if desired. Lay filled crepe into the baking dish. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling to make 6 manicotti.

Spread remaining 1 cup marinara sauce onto the manicotti in a line down the middle of the crepes, covering middle 1/3 of manicotti. Sprinkle 1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese all over manicotti. Drizzle manicotti with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven until manicotti are slightly browned and puffy, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes to cool. Garnish with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or as desired and 1 tablespoon Italian parsley before serving.

BLT Pasta

If you can't decide whether to make a BLT sandwich or a pasta, now you can do both. The combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato has a proven track record of deliciousness. You can be very generous with the ingredients and add more tomatoes and lettuce as you wish.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2/3 cup crème fraîche
• 2 cups ditalini pasta
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 cups baby arugula, coarsely chopped
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste (optional)

Pour olive oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until almost crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Hold a paper towel with tongs and mop up excess bacon grease with the paper towel, leave about 2 teaspoons bacon grease in the skillet.

Stir minced garlic and lemon zest into bacon in the skillet and let cook in residual heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir crème fraiche into bacon mixture.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and stir in 2 cups of ditalini. Cook till tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add pasta to the skillet. Stir pasta thoroughly into bacon and crème fraîche mixture.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add tomatoes; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Mix in arugula, stirring until wilted, about 30 seconds, and turn off heat.

Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir again and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Lo Mein Noodles

Add your favorite meat to these delicious noodles for a main dish, or make as a side dish to your favorite homemade Chinese dinner. If you use meat, cook the meat in the pan first, and then pull out and set aside.

• 1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 large carrots, cut into large matchsticks
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Rinse spaghetti with cold water to cool; drain.

Whisk soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, and ground ginger together in a bowl.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Cook and stir celery, carrots, sweet onion, and green onion in the hot oil until slightly tender, 5 to 7 minutes; add spaghetti and sauce mixture. Continue to cook, tossing to mix, until the noodles and sauce are hot, about 5 minutes more.

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken, Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese give this simple chicken dish a delightfully different twist, served over piping hot angel hair pasta.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, undrained
• 1 (6 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into quarters
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced olives, drained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 1 (8 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil for 1 minute. Add chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir chicken broth, artichoke hearts with juice, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salt, oregano, basil, and black pepper into chicken mixture; cover skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 more minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook angel hair in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to a platter; spoon chicken mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake

• 8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta (about 2 1/3 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package (20 ounces) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can (14 ounces) small artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 box (10 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
• 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained and finely chopped (from 16-ounce jar)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package; set aside.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook chicken in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; in same skillet, add onion and garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.

In large bowl, beat mayonnaise, sour cream and milk with whisk. Stir in onion mixture, crushed red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, roasted red bell peppers and Monterey Jack cheese. Add pasta and chicken; stir until combined. Transfer mixture to baking dish.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

If making ahead to bake and serve at a later date: Line 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with 2 layers of plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to completely enclose assembled casserole. Spread mixture in large shallow pan; cool mixture completely, covered, 30 to 45 minutes in refrigerator. Spoon mixture into baking dish; cover with another layer of plastic wrap. Freeze unbaked casserole about 8 hours or until completely frozen. Transfer frozen casserole to labeled 2-gallon resealable freezer plastic bag. Remove air; seal and freeze up to three months. To bake: Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Remove plastic wrap from casserole; place in baking dish. Cover tightly with foil; thaw completely in refrigerator, 24 to 48 hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover; bake 50 to 60 minutes or until casserole is heated through (165 degrees in center).

And until next time, happy cooking.