[INSPIRED BY] LA MADELEINE'S TOMATO BASIL PASTA SALAD + DAY 3

There's a casual French cafe that we often go to called La Madeleine.  My husband's a huge fan of their tomato basil soup, while E's a huge fan of their tomato basil pasta salad. And when you're a mommy, finding something that your child will eat lots of is super exciting and often motivates me to replicate it at home.  

This recipe turned out to be the quickest and tastiest dish I've ever made in under 15 minutes! There's absolutely no cooking involved, unless you count boiling the pasta.  Toast up a few slices of french baguette and you're all set!

Ingredients

1/2 box Farfalle (Bow Tie) pasta

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 T sun dried tomatoes (finely chopped)

1 T basil pesto
salt 

2 T creamy caesar dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Cook pasta according to package instructions in a pot of salted water.  Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil pesto.  Add in the cooked pasta and toss well.  Mix in the caesar dressing and shredded parmesan before serving.  Salt to desired taste. 

Here's photo #3 of "Something I Wore Today." I found this necklace a few months ago from J.CREW.  It's become one of my favorite pieces that I wear almost daily! 

Linking up to: Peas and Crayons

[INSPIRED BY] CHEESECAKE FACTORY'S PASTA DA VINCI

The Pasta Da Vinci is one of my husband's favorites at the Cheesecake Factory. It's a simple dish but packed with tons of flavor. I use to make a very similar version for him often but somehow forgotten about it until recently. I decided to add it back into our meal plan this week and was reminded tonight just HOW good it is.

I like to add spinach in my version though for some extra nutritional value. :)



Ingredients
Chicken
1/4 tsp salt
1 T white wine or rice wine

1 T grapeseed oil
5 chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)

Sauce
1 T grapeseed oil
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms (quartered)
1 C beef broth

1/2 C marsala wine
1/2 C whipping cream
1/4 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
3 T unsalted butter
1 T flour
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 lb. of penne
2 C baby spinach 

shredded parmesan
dried basil

Directions
Marinate the chicken pieces with salt and white wine for about an hour in the fridge.

Cook the penne "al dente" according to package instructions and drain. Use the leftover pasta water to blanch the spinach. Set both aside.

Heat 1 T of oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add in the marinated chicken pieces and lay them evenly on the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. To help develop a nice golden crust, do not disturb the chicken until it's ready to be flipped over. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add in another T of oil into the pan and pour in the mushrooms. Cook until they're softened.

Lower the heat to medium. Push the mushrooms to one side and melt the butter on the other side. Slowly add in the flour while whisking to make a roux. Stir the mushrooms back into the roux. Pour in the broth and wine and let the sauce simmer for about 10-15 minutes minutes to cook off the alcohol.

Right before it's ready, pour in the heavy cream and then the chicken. Stir together well and then remove from heat. Toss in the spinach and penne to thoroughly coat with the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and dried basil.

Serve and enjoy! :)

BBQ SPAGHETTI

Another family favorite in our house is the simple and delicious spaghetti. In this recipe I add bbq sauce as my secret ingredient! It adds just the right amount of tang and sweetness to the sauce.  We cooked a huge pot of it for lunch today and served it with a side of warm challah bread.  Yum!  

Ingredients
1-2 lbs. Italian sausage (ground beef would work fine as well)
2 T of oil
2 cloves of garlic (grated)
1 tsp. Lawry's seasoning salt
10 baby bella mushrooms (quartered)

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
5 T bbq sauce (Dickey's bbq sauce)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 T brown sugar
salt 

thin spaghetti
baby spinach
shredded parmesan
red pepper flakes

Directions
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir until lightly browned. Next, add the sausage, breaking it apart as you brown it.  Add the mushrooms and sprinkle on the seasoning salt. 

Pour the crushed tomatoes and stewed tomatoes into the pot and stir.  Add the bbq sauce, dried oregano, dried basil, and sugar.  

Stir well and bring to a slight boil.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for at least half an hour; the longer the better.  Stir frequently.  Salt to desired taste before serving.

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  Use the leftover pasta water to blanch the spinach.

Spoon sauce over the noodles and top with spinach, shredded parmesan, and red pepper flakes.