pasta night

mushroom ravioli and cheese sauce

This was a ravioli version of the classic mac & cheese. I had limited ingredients the day I decided to make this. I had a small can of button mushrooms, a bag of grated cheese, chopped onions and parsley. I cooked the onions and parsley in a little olive oil then added the chopped mushrooms, pinch of salt and pepper. After cooling the mixture slightly, I combined it with about a cup of grated cheese. The ravioli was made with whole wheat flour and pasta flour using the Kitchenaid pasta roller attachment. We also loved how the sauce turned out. It was a cheese version of the basic white sauce. I melted some butter, whisked in about 2 tablespoons of flour then slowly added chicken broth, sour cream and grated cheese until the consistency was just right.

tuna macaroni salad

A great tasting idea that I found in the Big Oven cooking website. Canned tuna turned out to be a very good substitute for the chicken in this macaroni salad. I cooked 8 oz of ditalini pasta (small elbow macaroni and other small pasta will work just as well) then combined it with 2 cans of well drained solid albacore tuna in water, chopped red bell pepper, a tablespoon of pickle relish, sliced green olives with pimiento, olive oil mayo, salt and pepper to taste. May be made a day ahead. Keep refrigerated.