pasta


Beer Cheese Fondue and Mac and Cheese

Are you looking for a fabulous cheese dip for your next party? Or maybe the perfect fondue for a fun dinner night. Or, maybe you want to spice up your macaroni and cheese? This is the Beer Cheese Fondue recipe for you!

I originally made this Beer Cheese Fondue as an appetizer for my family while watching a movie on TV. They loved dipping cheese bread and pita chips into it. (Don’t worry, the alcohol cooks out, so it’s non-alcoholic, only slight flavor from the beer is left.) My kids enjoyed having fondue; something I don’t fix very often. I really should make it more, after all, fondue is super fun!

We only ate a small amount of the Beer Cheese Fondue. So the next day, I cooked a package of spiral pasta, and used the remaining Beer Cheese Fondue as a sauce. It was absolutely delicious; Beer Macaroni and Cheese!

Here is the recipe:

  • 1 cup of an amber ale.
  • 1 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce
  • 2 pounds of Velveeta. (Velveeta comes in a meltable, 2 pound cheese block. Super easy!)

Cut the cheese block to fit inside your fondue pot. Put the tabasco and beer inside the pot too. You don’t have to mix it right away. Cook on simmer until the cheese starts to melt, then using a wooden spoon, mix everything together. Let the mixture simmer on high, stirring occasional, for forty-five minutes.

If serving as a dip or fondue, keep warm in a fondue pot and stir occasionally as a film will form over the top if it sits a few minutes without being dipped into. If using as the cheese mix in macaroni and cheese, pour over 1 pound of your favorite cooked pasta, mix together, and enjoy!

My kids absolutely love this dip/fondue as Beer macaroni and cheese. The alcohol cooks out, so don’t worry about getting your kiddos drunk, or anyone on the wagon getting tipsy. This is a non-alcoholic food. Love that!

Things you may need in your kitchen to make this recipe:

I hope you enjoy this simple cheese fondue recipe. I would love to know if you serve it as fondue, or macaroni and cheese!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy


Fast and easy Pasta Alfredo with bacon

fast easy pasta alfredo

From left: Italian soda (recipe in this post) / white dish (similar here) / recipe below- /

Are you pressed for time? Or are you like me, and still sheltering-in-place due to local regulations? Either way, you might be trying to put meals together with what you have sitting in your pantry, versus fresh food you just picked up from the market this morning. If you are looking for something you can make from your pantry, which happens to be fast and easy, this is the pasta recipe for you!

This is super easy, and requires absolutely zero cooking skills. Love that! Here is what you need to make this delicious pasta dish:

Ingredients for my fast and easy Pasta Alfredo with bacon:

  1. 1 lb spinach pasta.
  2. 1 jar of Alfredo Sauce (that’s right, a jar! Super easy right? I prefer Rao’s Alfredo)
  3. Bacon bits (you can keep a Costco size package in your refrigerator for months-great pantry staple!)
  4. 1/3 of a bag of frozen peas (everyone has this in their freezer right?)
  5. Parmesan cheese

OK, I am sure you can tell from the ingredients, this is super easy. No chopping involved! First, you want to cook the pasta and the frozen peas. Once they are done cooking, drain and return them to the pot. Easy!

Then, you will add the Alfredo Sauce from the jar, and warm it up while mixing it in with the pasta and peas.

Once cooked, place your desired serving size on a plate, and then sprinkle the bacon bits on top. So easy!

Lastly, let everyone put the Parmesan cheese on top of their own serving to taste.

Bon Appetit! You may eat!

Wasn’t that the easiest recipe you have seen on the Internet? It’s really simple, and uses pantry staples most of us have on hand. Plus, it feels fancy, not sure why-but it does! My kids and my husband really enjoy this dish. I hope you love it too!

Things you might need to cook my fast and easy Pasta Alfredo with bacon:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Pasta with bolognese sauce

pasta bolognese sauce

Raise your hand if you love pasta. I see your hand way up there! I love pasta too!

OK, a family favorite recipe of ours is pasta with bolognese sauce. Normally I would make it with fresh tomatoes, but as you can see in these photos, I made it with tomato paste. The reason I made it with tomato paste is because during the lock-down we are trying to limit our trips outside of the house to the grocery store. We eat our fresh vegetables rights away, and then we rely on cans and frozen vegetables until our next trip to the store. The wonderful thing about Pasta with bolognese sauce is that you can freeze the ground beef when you buy it, and save it for a later date while substituting fresh tomatoes for tomato paste. This makes a meal which is delicious, and a treat, for days when supplies start to run low. This is a versatile dish!

We are a family of five who loves to eat pasta, so at some point I doubled the recipe to make loads of pasta. My kids always want leftovers of my pasta with bolognese sauce, so this recipe will serve a hungry family of five for both dinner, and lunch the next day. You may even get lucky with a few servings of leftovers after that. it warms up well in the microwave as a leftover, so indulge!

The ingredients are listed with both fresh and pantry options depending on what you have stored during the lock-down. Also, after the lock-down lifts, the pantry items are great in case you are missing a fresh ingredient, or were so busy you didn’t make it to the store. I am always switching it up depending on my schedule!

Pasta with bolognese sauce ingredients:

  • 2 boxes of Barilla Mezzi Rigatoni pasta, equivalent to 2 lbs. of pasta. (This is our favorite shape for bolognese, but you can use your favorite if you have one)
  • 1.5 pounds ground beef
  • 1 can of tomato paste or  six fresh tomatoes chopped.
  • 2 cups chicken broth or one can of chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup olive oil.
  • 2 chopped garlic cloves or 2 teaspoons chopped garlic from a jar such as Christopher Ranch
  • 1 tablespoon of chopped basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon paprika from your spice rack
  • 1 tablespoon chopped oregano from your spice rack
  • 1/4 cup chopped onions or 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions from the spice rack
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese for use when serving

Now onto directions! Without further ado, here are the simple steps to making a yummy meal of pasta with bolognese sauce! Oh, and just in case you were wondering about my pasta credentials, I have 100% Italian heritage as my ancestors came to the United States from Genoa and Udine starting in the 1800’s. So I had plenty of pasta cooking education, and I have eaten my share of pasta throughout my life.

How to cook pasta with bolognese sauce

  1. Fry the ground beef until it is well done
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix together beef, tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, garlic, onions, oregano, paprika, and olive oil
  3. Place sauce mixture in a large pot or saucepan and simmer on medium, covered.
  4. Using a large pot, fill with water and bring water to a boil
  5. Place pasta in boiling water, add a dab of olive oil to help keep pasta from sticking
  6. When pasta is al dente, drain water and return to the post
  7. Throw a dab of olive oil in the pot and stir to make sure pasta doesn’t stick.
  8. Turn off your cook-top and throw the sauce in the pot with the pasta
  9. Stir sauce and pasta together until all the pasta is covered
  10. The sauce should stick to the pasta
  11. Serve on dishes
  12. Garnish with Parmesan cheese to taste
  13. Eat and enjoy!

Want to enhance this meal? Serve with garlic bread, crustini, or sliced french bread. Yum!

When everyone is done getting seconds and thirds, store leftover pasta with bolognese sauce in the refrigerator to enjoy later.

Things you might need to make this recipe at home:

There you have it! My easy pasta with bolognese sauce recipe, you can make at home. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

pasta bolognese sauce easy at home recipe