Ranch Pasta

Ingredients:
1 small package or box of bow tie pasta, cooked according to directions
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 can olives, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

Directions:
Cook the box of pasta according to the directions on the package. Rinse under cold water until pasta is cool. Add the diced cucumber, diced tomato, and sliced olives. Mix together the package of ranch mix and the mayonnaise. Add the ranch mix to the other ingredients and stir till well blended. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 25 minutes
Recipe Origin: Annette Gardner

Goolash

Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni, cooked and drained
1 lbs hamburger, browner and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 quart diced tomatoes, with the juice
1 medium green pepper, chopped
Ketchup
Chili powder

Directions:
In a large pot, cook the 2 cups of macaroni according to the directions on the package. While the macaroni is cooking, brown the hamburger in a large skillet. Drain the water from the macaroni and drain the grease off the hamburger. Add the green pepper to the hamburger and cook for a few minutes until the green pepper is tender. Add the macaroni, corn, and tomatoes. Stir until well mixed. Add enough ketchup to make the ingredients moist. Add chili powder to taste and serve hot.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Farfalle with Zucchini

Ingredients:
4 whole (to 5) Regular-sized Zucchini
1 whole Medium Onion
Grape Or Cherry Tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic
Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
⅔ cups White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
1 Tablespoon Arrowroot
½ cups (to 3/4 Cup) Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Herbs (lemon Thyme, Fresh Basil, Chives, Etc.)
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Dice 1 medium onion and the zucchini into small slices. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Next dice up the garlic.
Once the water is boiling, go ahead and cook the pasta according to directions on the package, on the al dente side so it has a nice “bite” to it.

While the pasta is boiling, heat a couple tablespoons olive oil over medium high to high heat in a saucepan. When the oil is hot, throw in half the zucchini and let it brown. Once brown, toss it onto a plate and repeat with the 2nd half of zucchini and repeat the process. Once the zucchini is cooked, throw in the onions and garlic. Next throw in the halved grape tomatoes on top and toss around a bit, keeping the heat at medium low to medium.

Pour in 1/3 cup white wine (or chicken broth) and with a whisk or spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the flavorful bits will be released. Pour another 1/3 cup wine (or chicken broth) into a dish and sprinkle the Arrowroot in and stir. Pour this into the pan with the onions and tomatoes, and now add in ½ to ¾ cup cream. Next, turn the heat off and add in the zucchini and stir gently to combine. Grab a cup or two of the cooking liquid from the pasta and pour into the saucepan if the sauce needs to be thinned out a bit. Salt and pepper to taste. Or thicken with a little cornstarch if the sauce needs to be a little thicker.

To serve, pour the drained pasta into a large serving bowl or platter. Add your choice of fresh herbs, and pour the contents of the pan over the top. Add some Parmesan and a final sprinkling of fresh basil. Eat warm. Serves 8.

Difficutly: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 30 minutes cook time
Recipe Origin: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Spinach Tortellini

Ingredients:
1 lbs fresh cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
9 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, copped OR 1 + 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
In a large pot, boil the tortellini until its tender. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook till the onion is tender. Add the spinach, tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and cook ingredients for 5 minutes. Stir in the whipping cream and parmesan cheese and then add the cooked tortellini. Stir everything together and serve warm.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni noodles
4 cups hot water
1 can drained tuna
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
crushed potato chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, boil the macaroni noodles in the 4 cups of water until it is tender. Drain the noodles. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, tuna, soup, and milk. Stir till well blended. Put mixture into a casserole dish and top with the grated cheese and crushed potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups macaroni, cooked and drained
1 cup ham, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup pickle, diced
1/4 cup pickle liquid
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard

Directions:
Cook and drain the macaroni and run under cold water until it is cooled. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir till well blended. If salad is too dry, add more mayonnaise.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: 30 minutes
Recipe Origin: Mom

Easy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups of tricolor pasta, cooked and drained

1 bottle of zesty italian dressing

Topping choices:

black Olives

pepperoni slices

cubed cheese

broccoli chunks

carrot chunks

feta crumbles

chunked tomatoes

chunked green peppers

chunked cucumbers

cubed ham, turkey, or chicken

diced red onions

Directions:

Cook and drain pasta. Run pasta under cold water till cooled, drain it, and place it in a large bowl. Add any combination of the ingredients to the pasta. Stir until the dish is evenly blended. Pour the entire bottle of italian dressing over the pasta and stir again until everything is evenly coated.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: unknown