Happy Friday everyone! Today I am sharing a recipe for one of my favorite sauces and I am pairing it with one of my favorite foods. I love adding pesto to anything from pasta to pizza, but most of the time, I use the store-bought kind {it’s a great shortcut!}. One of the biggest problems I have found with making my own pesto is the amount of basil that is needed! Typically, basil comes in that small container and you would have to buy at least two to have enough for a meal. The other issue I have is the cost of pine nuts…it’s outrageous! So I decided to create a spin on the traditional pesto and use spinach instead of basil and almonds instead of pine nuts. {Almonds can be expensive as well, but they are easier to find in bulk…and they make a great snack 😉 } 

As you may remember, I am obsessed with chicken sausage {see another favorite here}. I love adding it to dishes because it is a quick and healthy way to incorporate protein into a meal. And there are so many different flavors to pick from! I used a spinach and feta based one since there is spinach in the dish, but you can experiment with other flavors too! 

Although making homemade pesto sounds daunting for any weeknight, it’s relatively simple and it might even be worthwhile to double or triple the recipe to save some back in the freezer for when you are in need of a quick dinner!

Rigatoni with Spinach Pesto & Chicken Sausage 

16 ounces dried pasta {I used rigatoni}

4 cups fresh spinach

1 tablespoon almonds {you could use walnuts too!}

1 lemon {juice of half the lemon, zest of the entire lemon}

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 garlic clove

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes {depending on how spicy you like it!} 

12 ounces spinach & feta chicken sausage, sliced in bite-sized pieces  {I used these} 

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water; set pasta aside. Meanwhile, pulse 2 cups of the fresh spinach, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon almonds, garlic clove, the juice and zest of the lemon, salt to taste and the red pepper flakes. Blend until combined. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and finish blending until the pesto is smooth; set pesto aside. 

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add the bite-sized sausages and cook until brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Once sausage is brown, turn down the heat to low and add the pasta, pesto and about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water {to start with, you can always add more} to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the remaining 2 cups of spinach. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve! 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Today I am sharing the most delicious non-meat meatballs you’ve ever had. Granted, I haven’t had many non-meat meatballs, but these are truly amazing; you won’t even miss the meat! When cooking, I always like experimenting with different ingredients and even replacing the traditional ingredients with non-traditional ingredients for a healthier version, or at least a different taste. 

One of my favorite days of the month is when the Food Network Magazine comes. There are always fun articles and yummy recipes that I love to use as inspiration for my own cooking. Typically, there is always something I change in a recipe to make it my own. But this eggplant meatball recipe from Melissa d’Arabian just seemed too perfect and I could not think of a thing to change! I made these this past weekend and they were just too good not to share with you all! It was a simple, easy to follow recipe that most definitely could be doubled to feed enough for a party or store some in the freezer. The only two discrepancies I found were the cooking time and the amount of meatballs made. In the original recipe, she lists the cooking time for the eggplant to be 40-50 minutes. I checked mine at 40 minutes and decided it definitely needed to cook longer. I ended up taking it out at 50 minutes, but it could have probably gone an extra 3-4 minutes. All ovens are different, so just keep an eye on it 🙂 And as for the number of eggplant meatballs made, I guess I was just a little too generous with the scoop 🙂 

Overall, this was a delicious addition to the normal spaghetti and is something I can see myself incorporating into other meals as well…just think eggplant meatball sandwiches 🙂

Eggplant Meatballs from Melissa d’Arabian

1 small eggplant

1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped basil

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Non-stick cooking spray 

16 ounces of your favorite pasta

About 2 cups homemade or store bought marinara sauce

8 ounces fresh mushrooms {I used baby bella}

1 garlic clove, minced

1 red pepper, sliced

16 ounce bag frozen carrots, thawed

16 ounce bag frozen sugar snap peas, thawed

6 ounces fresh spinach

2 ounces lo mein noodles {I used this}

1/4 cup soy sauce {I used low sodium}

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms, red pepper, carrots and garlic; cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach and sugar snap peas; stir to combine and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has started wilting. Meanwhile, cook the lo mein according to package instructions. Once cooked, add the noodles to the vegetables. Reduce the heat to low and add the soy sauce, Sriracha sauce and ginger to the lo mein. Stir to combine completely. {You can add more/less of these ingredients depending on your taste. I just wanted to make sure there was enough soy sauce and Sriracha to coat the vegetables and noodles.} Serve and enjoy.

Happy Friday! Well, we finally made it to the end of the first full week of 2015! I hope everyone’s year is off to a great start and you are sticking to all those resolutions 😉 Today, I am sharing a super quick and easy weeknight meal. It’s so difficult to come up with quick weeknight meals. After a long day at work, and not getting home until almost 7, a complicated dinner is the last thing I am in the mood for!

I am not a huge fan of Chinese food {I know, I know. I just find Chinese {especially takeout} to be so salty I am literally thirsty for two days!} but it’s one of Richard’s favorites, so I try to make it every once in awhile. This was a super simple lo mein that can truly be customized to whatever you like! The one thing I love most about this dish is the heat from the Sriracha: it’s the perfect compliment to the vegetables and noodles. And by making this traditional Chinese takeout dish at home, you can not only save on calories but also watch your sodium intake with the use of low sodium soy sauce. 

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend!