Quick Pesto Fettuccini

Due to my work schedule, It tend to come home late in the evening.  I haven’t been getting home till past 9pm lately and instead of purchasing take-out food, I try to save money by whipping up something I find in my fridge.  I love grocery shopping, much more than clothes shopping.  I can spend hours in a grocery store, no, I DO spend hours in  a grocery store.  I enjoy going through each aisle and looking at all the different ingredients there.  I do have a grocery list I follow, but there are always other enticing foods I check out. 

This night I saw that I had 1 Zucchini, some mushrooms, onions, thyme (I had a lot of thyme leftover from my braised ribs dish)  half a tub of sour cream and an opened jar of pesto sauce.  There I also remembered I had some remaining fresh fettuccini pastas from a few days earlier, I decided to make a quick pasta.  I didn’t have any meat except for Chorizo but I thought it would add good bite to the dish.  

  

I cut the Chorizos and  zucchini in thin long strips so that they resemble the fettuccini not to mention it will be easy to twirl with the pasta.  

I put all the vegetables and thyme in a pan and cooked it till slightly tender 

I then added sour cream and pesto sauce and combined everything all together 

I then added the cooked pasta and VOILA! Dinner. 

This was creamy, and slightly tangy and from the sour cream.  My roommate enjoyed it very much.  I also added a few tablespoon of pasta water to thin the sauce a bit cause it was a bit too thick.  I like being creative and not always follow a recipe.  I guess this is the excitement in my life. 

Mini Lasagna!

I have never made Lasagna before.  I've seen it done numerous of time on the Food Network but never attempted it, even though I looove to eat it.  Why haven't I made this before? Don't really know... but may be because it looks like A LOT of work.  However, one day as I was watching an episode of Chef At Home by Chef Michael Smith he made a Lasagna which he called Speedy Lasagna that inspired me!
Okay, I lied, I guess another reason why I never made Lasagne is because I am scared of the leftovers..... I would be eating Lasagne for days!  BUT I came up with a solution!  BY USING RAMEKINS! Yes individual Lasagnas, so cute and personable.

The best part is that I made a few extra and plastic wrapped it, and put it in the freezer for a later date. So when I do feel for Lasagna, I just pull it out of the freezer and bake it in the oven!

The following recipe was inspired by Michael Smith but I tweaked it. IF you want the original recipe click SPEEDY LASAGNA

Utensils:

Small ramekins

Ingredients:

Quick Tomato Sauce:

700ml (1 Jar) of tomato sauce (your brand of choice)

1 lb Ground Beef

1 Onion- peeled and chopped

3 table spoon of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

Optional- I like to add vegetables into my tomato cause for the extra health factor!

   ½ zucchini, cut into small cubes

   1 carrot, cut into small cubes

   2 stalks of celery cut into small cubes

   7 white mushroom- slice

Cheese sauce:

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoon cream

½ cup of ricotta cheese

½ cup of Parmesan cheese

2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper

Pasta:

Lasagna noodles

Directions

     1. Cook Pasta

Follow the directions on the box but make sure that the noodles are not completely cooked through. The noodles will continue to cook when you bake it in the oven. Remove noodles and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and drain the water. Set noodles aside flat.

Tomato sauce:

1. In a hot pan, medium heat, add olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped onions and cook for 3 mins.

2. Add ground beef and sauté till cooked.

3.(If you choose to add vegetables.) Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, and cook for 5 mins.

4. Add tomato sauce, stir until simmer

5. Salt and pepper

6. Turn off stove

Cheese sauce:

1. In a bowl, combine egg and cream together

2. Add ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella, salt and pepper and mix well

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven 375 F

2. Take the sheet of pasta and cut it into square so it fits into the ramekins

3. Put one table spoon of tomato sauce into the bottom of the ramekin

4. Put one square sheet of noodle into the bottom of the ramekin

5. Add 2 tablespoon of tomato sauce on top of the pasta

6. Add another square sheet of pasta on top

7. Add 1 tablespoon of cheese sauce on top

8. Add pasta

9. Add tomato sauce

10. Add pasta

11. Finish with another spoon of sauce

12. Finished with Parmesan or Mozzarella or both cheese

Repeat steps with other ramekins
 **Only bake the Lasagna that you will be serving and put the rest in the freezer. 

Bake for 15-20 mins

Serve hot and enjoy!!