Pasta/6 recipes

Baked manicotti stuffed with spinach, shiitake and white mushrooms, cottage cheese, garlic, and red wine-sauteed peppers. Lightened-up Italian comfort food in one dish.

Broiled chicken over fettuccine in a brandy cream sauce with fresh and sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, and basil. A spicy, restaurant-style dinner for two.

Minestrone bake transforms pantry staples into a cheesy, one-dish casserole packed with elbow macaroni, pork and beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and a double hit of cheddar and parmesan. Weeknight comfort food at its easiest.

Vegetable lasagna made the easy way with uncooked no-boil noodles, layered with sauteed zucchini, peppers, and onion in a creamy three-cheese ricotta filling. No giant pot of boiling water required.

A creamy, relatively low-fat recipe using yogurt and peanut butter. Serve it with whole grain pasta or cut the carbs and use just veggies for the base.

Italian vegetable ragout simmers potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Swiss chard, zucchini, and chickpeas in a marjoram-scented tomato base. A hearty meatless main over whole wheat pasta or brown rice.

This is really a tasty recipe, I have introduced it to many friends, because once they tasted it, they always ask me for this recipe!

Authentic pad thai with rice noodles, dried shrimp, fried tofu, tamarind sauce and crushed peanuts. Real Thai street food, not the gloppy Westernized version.

Hearty vegetable soup with pot barley, macaroni, cabbage, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and your choice of chicken, beef, or ham. One pot, serves 8, uses up the fridge.

Italian style ingredients prepared in a wok. This makes an easy healthy dinner.

Moroccan vegetable soup simmers lamb (or beef) stew meat with turnips, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and saffron, finished with zucchini, angel hair pasta, and fresh herbs.

A fettuccine crust holds layers of cottage cheese, broccoli, and seasoned ground turkey in tomato sauce, all baked under a Parmesan top. Part pasta, part pie, fully irresistible.

Manhattan clam linguine in a creamy white wine sauce with garlic, basil, thyme, and Parmesan. Pasta cooked in clam liquor for extra briny depth in every strand.

Cincinnati-style chili with ground beef, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and tomato paste simmered 2 to 4 hours, served over vermicelli with cheddar and raw onion.

Hearty pasta e fagioli with ground beef, red and white kidney beans, and tender vegetables simmered in a rich tomato-beef broth with shell pasta.

Manicotti Florentine stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and spinach, baked in marinara sauce. A vegetarian Italian pasta bake with a three-cheese filling and fresh basil.