Tortellini Alfredo with Spinach & Sundried Tomatoes

I swear I should have been born Italian… I just can’t get enough pasta. I try to eat other things, I really do, but I always come back to pasta.

My favorites always end up being simple with 4 or 5 ingredients and they always come together super fast. 

This Tortellini Alfredo with Spinach and Sundried Tomatoes fits the bill. It took less than 15 minutes and it is beyond delicious.

I love the salty sundried tomatoes with the creamy sauce… So very good.

What you need,

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1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini

1 tbsp. butter

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. flour

1 ¼ cup heavy cream

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving

5 oz. baby spinach, thinly sliced

7oz jar of sundried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced

½ - ¾ cup of the pasta cooking water

In a large pot of boiling water cook the tortellini according to package directions. When you drain the pasta be sure to reserve about a cup of the cooking water.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.

Whisk in the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture simmer for a minute or 2 until it starts to thicken.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

If the sauce looks a little too thick, whisk in some of the reserved pasta water. I probably ended up using just over half a cup. I like my sauce on the thinner side, but if you like it thicker that is ok too.

Add in the spinach and sundried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.

Serve right away with a little added Parmesan cheese.

This pasta was beyond delish! I ate it for supper and then had 2 lunches for the week.  It warmed over well, which isn't always the case with creamy pasta.

I will be making this again for sure. A little cooked chicken in there would be good too, if you like that sort of thing…

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe from the amazing Brown Eyed Baker

Overnight Oatmeal

I know I am like 4 years late to this overnight oatmeal party, but hey better late than never!

I never ate oatmeal growing up, something about it being all warm and squishy never really floated my boat. But as I have gotten older my tastes have matured and I decided to give them a try.

I really like the concept of being able to prep the oats the night before. I do not have much time in the morning so cooking oats wasn’t going to be an option. Plus, I tend to like colder things early in the morning, not warm. Is that weird?

Anyway, I have tried a few varieties over the last couple weeks and so far, I have loved them all! Took me a few tries to get my milk ratio right, I figured out I like them a little on the wet side not too thick.

But now that I have my base recipe down, the add ins are the fun part!

What you need,

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For the Basic Overnight Oat recipe,

½ cup old fashioned oats (don’t use the quick oats here, they get too soggy!)

½ cup milk (I always use 1% because it is what we have in the house.)

1 heaping tablespoon of vanilla Greek yogurt (optional but I really like the added creaminess!)

1 tbsp. honey

Combine all the ingredients in a medium mason jar and stir to combine.

Now you could stop there and just eat them like that… or you can add in all the fun things!

Today I had what I think is my favorite,

Peanut Butter Banana,

Just add in one small banana sliced, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (whatever kind you like, mine happens to be Jif!), and 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips, cause why not!

Stir into the base recipe and stash in the fridge!

SO SO good!

I have also tried,

Apple Raisin,

½ and apple diced, 2 tablespoons of raisins and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

Pumpkin Pie,

1 heaping tablespoon of pumpkin puree, ½ teaspoon raisins, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ tablespoon of brown sugar.

Blueberry Banana,

1 small banana, sliced, ¼ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), ½ teaspoon of vanilla.

All these variations have been very delicious! I have quite a few more recipes pinned to try, like Carrot Cake, Coconut Pineapple, Mixed Berry, and Cinnamon Roll…. Don’t those all sound amazing!

I find that one jar will last me for 2 breakfasts. I tend not to be a big eater in the morning, so half the jar is usually plenty. I have found that they are very filling, and they have been keeping me fuller longer in the day, which is great!

Are you guys eating Overnight Oats? If you are shout out your favorites flavors! I am dying to try many more!

Oh, and if you are wondering they keep perfectly well in the fridge for 3-4 days easily. I make mine up on Sunday and they are still totally perfect Thursday or Friday!

If you are like me and slow to the overnight oatmeal train, get on it today! You won’t regret it!

Enjoy!

Jen

Fried Ravioli

I hear there is some BIG football game on today??? I have no interest in that kind of thing, but I do like the food that goes along with big games like these.

Wings, Pizza, Chips & Dip… and these Fried Ravioli!

They are super easy and really tasty.  A little marinara sauce for dipping and you have the perfect big game food!

What you need,

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1 pkg. fresh cheese ravioli (or whatever flavor you like)

1½ cup bread crumbs

1½ tbsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

2 large eggs beaten + 1 tbsp. water

Vegetable oil for frying

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 cup Marinara sauce

Heat the oil to 375 degrees over medium high heat.

Dip each of the ravioli’s in the egg mixture then into the bread crumbs to coat.

Cook the ravioli in batches in the oil for 1½ minutes per side, until brown and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack. Sprinkle the ravioli with the parmesan cheese.

Heat the marinara sauce and use it as a dip for the hot crispy ravioli’s.

I love how crispy these raviolis get and the cheese gets all melty inside! Loved them.

Hope you all have a great game day! May the team you are rooting for win. (I don’t even know who is playing??)

Enjoy!

Jen