Broccoli Pasta Salad

Today’s recipe is short and sweet! Well, not really sweet…more tangy than sweet. The beauty of this salad is that you can add virtually anything to it, and it will still taste good. This is my own recipe that I cobbled together one summer day when it was too hot to cook.

This Recipe feeds as many or as little as you want.

2 c. rotini pasta (or other pasta of your choice)
Enough water to cover pasta
Broccoli florets, chopped (I use 2-3 stalks)
Kraft Golden Italian dressing
Parmesan cheese (real grated or from shaker)
Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Add diced carrots, red onion, red pepper, cherry tomatoes cut in half, or fried bacon pieces

Cook pasta according to package instructions (usually 9-10 minutes)

In the meantime, prepare and cut up vegetables.
Pour cooked pasta into a colander; run cold water over it to stop cooking and to make it easier to handle.
Place cut vegetables into a large bowl. Add cooled pasta. Mix well.

Pour a quantity of Golden Italian dressing (I never measure) over the mixture. Add desired amount of parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Mix well. Note: you will be adjusting the seasoning as you go to your own taste.
Serve as a side dish, or main meal with a salad and  crusty bread. Enjoy!

Cathy’s Lasagne

My husband never tires of my lasagne and continually asks me to make it for him. I think it’s his most favourite of all my recipes. So today, I’m ready to share it with you. Let’s get started!

Serves 4 people

l lb. lean ground hamburger
1 small onion, chopped
Green pepper, seeded & chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
2 c. (or more) Spaghetti sauce (I use President’s Choice, available in Canada, or Prego will do)

8 lasagne noodles
Mozzarella cheese (I use lotsa mozza)

Make sauce:
Brown hamburger in large frying pan. There should be enough fat in the pan from the hamburger.  If not, add olive oil.
Add onions & garlic; cook until translucent.
Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Let cool.

Lasagne:
Add enough water to cover lasagne & boil. Follow package instructions for how long to boil the noodles (usually 9 minutes).
When noodles are done, pour into colander to drain. Immediately run cold water over the noodles to stop them cooking, & make them cool enough to handle.

While the noodles are cooking, I grate the cheese & add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of a baking dish to get a head start. I also turn on the oven to 375 F.

Assemble:
In the baking dish, over the layer of sauce, make layers of noodles, sauce & cheese. I usually do only two layers, but you can do up to four if you’re up for it. End with a thick layer of cheese.

Bake:
Place the lasagne dish, covered with foil wrap,  in the oven for 15 minutes. Then take foil wrap off & bake another 15 – 20 minutes.

Enjoy!