Million Dollar Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
• 3 cups marinara sauce, homemade or store-bought
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, parsley and Parmesan. Drain the spaghetti, and add it right back to the hot pot. Add the butter and the egg mixture to the spaghetti, and quickly toss until evenly coated and the eggs have formed a sauce. Add the cottage cheese and cream cheese and toss until combined. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the marinara sauce. Spread mixture over the spaghetti. Add the mozzarella cheese in an even layer over top.

Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 30 to 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with parmesan and basil, if desired.

Notes:

I substituted ricotta cheese for the cottage cheese, jimmy dean sage sausage for the Italian sausage, and garlic pasta sauce for the marinara...because Grenada.

Post Cred: Kylie Combs via Half Baked Harvest.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

So this is a regular on our menu. Sometimes when IGA is out of chicken, or if I'm just feeling extra poor, I replace the chicken with potatoes! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry medium egg noodles
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

• Prepare noodles according to directions listed on package (note that you want the noodles to finish about the same time the soup is nearly finished cooking) and drain.
• In a large pot, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 3 - 4 minutes, then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Add chicken broth, parsley, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts and bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow soup to cook until chicken has cooked through, about 10 - 15 minutes longer (cook time will vary depending on thickness of chicken breasts). Remove chicken and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then shred into small bite size pieces.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking slowly add in milk and whisk vigorously to smooth lumps (it will take a lot of whisking to smooth since this is a lighter roux - lesser ratio of butter to flour). Whisk in cream and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour milk mixture into soup mixture and return chicken to soup along with cooked noodles and stir. Serve warm with fresh bread or crackers if desired.
• *If using thicker breasts, slice in half through thickness of breasts so they cook faster and more evenly.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy