noodles | Finding delight.

It may not look like much but if you’re looking for a ridiculously easy dinner recipe that will allow you to tastily use up some leftovers, this one is for you. How easy? You don’t even have to BOIL the pasta. Just chuck a baking dish in the oven and you’ll be gobbling up some tasty noodles in less than an hour. Now I mentioned using leftovers….this bake can be customized based on what’s been hanging out in your fridge for too long. Got any cooked or roasted veggies from earlier in the week? Toss ’em in! I added in some leftover roasted sweet potatoes (delicious!) but I would love to try it with broccoli. You can also mix in fresh greens that may be soon to go off. Think: those big bags of spinach and kale that you always promise yourself you’ll go through before they go bad but never do. The finished product reminded me of the made-to-order pasta we used to get in the “Pasta Line” at Western Kentucky University. They would always have the most random vegetable additions on deck and once your dish was complete the ladies working the station would bark “Which cheese?” All of them. Give me allll of the cheese.

What you’ll need…

– 1 jar (24 oz) of pasta sauce

– 1 box (12 oz) of medium sized noodles (like rigatoni, penne, or rotini)

– 24 oz water

– 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

– Basil and oregano, to taste

– Any roasted veggies or fresh greens you have on hand, 1-2 cups

and how it all comes together…

– Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

– Combine uncooked pasta, tomato sauce, water, seasonings, and leftover veggies in a large bowl.

– Grease a large casserole dish (9 x 13) or 2 small baking dishes (6 x 6). Note: I know those 2 dimensions don’t seem to add up but I’ve found they both work for these ingredient amounts so I’m goin’ with it. If you’re cooking for 1 or 2, I recommend using the 2 smaller dishes as you can eat one and save one for later. Feed that freezer!

– Pour your pasta mixture into greased baking pans.

– Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

– Uncover and give everything a good stir. Top with the mozzarella cheese and throw it back in the oven (uncovered) for another 10 minutes or until the cheese looks ooey-gooey!

– Add Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to serve.

BRB, off to heat up some leftovers! Do you have a favorite way of re-purposing veggies from earlier in the week? Would you add them to pasta? It’s so cheap and easy!

Chicken noodle soup is sometimes referred to as “Jewish Penicillin” because of it’s efficacy in combating cold and flu. Good old fashioned comfort food at it’s best. While this Asian take on the medicinal classic may not conjure up images of an old Bubbe doling out the good stuff as a centuries old #lifehack to get rid of sniffles, it’s certainly not lacking in healing properties. The chicken will give you energy and the spinach will provide iron, potassium and zinc. There’s ginger to soothe a tummy and sriracha to clear out your sinuses. Not to mention noodles, which, when slurped loudly and with bravado can put the pep back into anyone’s step. Oh and cranberries for anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories…did I lose you there? I TOLD you this wasn’t your Jewish grandmother’s soup!

What you’ll need:

Asian noodles of your choice (ramen, udon, soba, etc.)

Toasted sesame oil

3 cups of broth (I used Miso Ginger broth from Trader Joe’s because I had it on hand but you can use vegetable or chicken and add fresh ginger)

Olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 handful of spinach

1 Tbsp dried cranberries

1-2 chicken breasts

Sriracha to taste

And how it all comes together:

– Cook your noodles according to their package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Separate the noodles into 2 bowls and add a 1/4 Tbsp of toasted sesame oil to each. This will keep the noodles from getting sticky.

– Put your chicken on to boil while you prepare your broth. Once the chicken is done, pull from the boiling water and set on a plate to cool.

– As the chicken is boiling, coat the bottom of another pot with olive oil and heat to Med-High. Add in garlic and onion and cook until fragrant and onions are start to get a bit brown.

– Pour in broth and turn heat up to come to a boil for 5 minutes.

– Reduce heat back down to Med-High and add in spinach and dried cranberries.

– While that’s cooking for another 2-3 minutes, shred your chicken.

– Divide the broth between your 2 bowls of noodles and top with shredded chicken. Finish with a drizzle of sriracha.

And if the idea of cranberries in your soup is just to crazy for ya, you can certainly leave them out. But trust and believe this is the happiest marriage of flavors in a bowl EVER. So slurp some soup down for good health and fight your flu, combat your cold, take comfort in something hot after a long day out in the snow! It may not be “Jewish Penicillin” but you may want to tuck this one away in your medicine cabinet all the same.

Do you have any go-to comfort foods? What do you fix when you’re not feeling so hot? I’d love to hear! And if you have any winter ookies, FEEL BETTER!

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