Kristyn's Kitchen

I love to cook.  But, during the summer I love to do other things and therefore I don't have lots of time to spend cooking and preparing meals.  My dear sister in law Stephanie was the inspiration behind some quick, delicious, and EASY pasta dinners.

I decided to stock my pantry/freezer with a variety of ingredients that I could have on hand to whip up some easy pasta dishes.  Here's my list of pasta staples:

• Different varieties of pasta ( I purchased a bulk package of organic pasta from Costco which contained several different varieties.
• Different varieties of sauce: marinara, Alfredo, pesto, etc.
• A large jar of marinated artichoke hearts (Costco)
• Roasted red peppers, olives, sun dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes (if fresh aren't available)
• Variety of meats that you can freeze: ground beef, sausage, chicken, bacon, prosciutto, etc.
• Variety of cheeses - bags of shredded cheese make things simple.  I usually stock up when they go on sale and freeze them.

Now you have a stockpile of the basics.  I recommend purchasing your favorite fresh/frozen veggies: onions, broccoli, spinach, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.  Or use whatever veggies you have on hand from your garden.  The beauty of this is you just throw together whatever sounds good or whatever you have on hand.

1. Here's another trick I learned from Steph.  Use your crock pot to defrost/cook your meat.  If I'm using hamburger or sausage- I usually toss it in my crock pot about 2 hrs before we want to eat.  You can stir/crumble whenever you walk by or just wait until its completely cooked and then take a fork and crumble. 
2. While meat is cooking/defrosting, cook your choice of pasta, drain, and set aside. 
3. After my meat is cooked- I throw in whatever veggies I want.  You can cook them in your crock pot, or steam them on the side- whichever you prefer.
4. Add your pasta to the crock pot or add your meat and veggies to your pasta pot.  Then I take about 1/2 of jar of sauce and combine to my pasta concoction.  I don't like too much sauce, but add however much you like. 
5. Stir in any extra flavors/seasoning-such as garlic, Italian seasoning, etc.
6. Depending on your method of cooking, you can: add your choice of cheese and finish baking it in the crock pot or transfer your pasta to a 9x13 pan and top it off with your choice of cheese and bake it off for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 
7. Serve with salad and bread and voila you have dinner plus leftovers if you have a small family. 

Here are a few of my concoctions:

1. Sausage, bacon, artichokes, red pepper, red onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, marinara sauce, penne pasta, and blend of Italian cheeses.
2. Chicken, broccoli, zucchini, red onion( veggies steamed with sea salt, butter, and garlic), gemelli pasta, Alfredo sauce, and blend of Italian cheese.
3. Sausage, artichokes, red onion, tomato, garlic, penne pasta, Alfredo sauce, and Italian cheese.
4. So many possibilities- my hubby likes to see what I will come up with next.