Meg's Meal Planning

cherry tomatoes

Week of April 30th 

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Monday – Pesto pasta with fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. This recipe is so easy and is a perfect dinner for busy nights! Pesto is a great sauce to keep on hand. You can either buy it from the store or make ahead of time and freeze it! Click here for my pesto recipe] I use almonds instead of pine nuts because they are more affordable! 


Tuesday – T-bone steak with roasted vegetables and beans. This is why I don’t let me husband do the food shopping. T-bone steaks, despite not being on the grocery list, somehow made it into the shopping cart! But I have to give him credit, they tasted great!


Wednesday – Acini de Pepe with spicy sausage, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. A one pot dinner…Woohoo!

Acini de Pepe with spicy sausage, cherry tomatoes, and spinach


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup acini de Pepe
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 1/2 sausage links, casings removed
  • Handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps

  1. Heat olive oil over large cast iron skillet. Add sausage and cook until brown, about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
  2. Add tomatoes and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, and set aside
  3. Add 1/2 cup acini de Pepe and 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and cook until all water has absorbed, about 10 minutes, sitting constantly. 
  4. Add spinach and another 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer until spinach is wilted and water has absorbed
 

Thursday – Cheeseburgers with coleslaw and tator tots! You don’t always need a fancy dinner, and sometimes tator tots just call your name!


Friday – Pork enchilada skillet dinner. Happy Cinco de Mayo! Celebrate with this one pot meal! 

Pasta with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Cherry Tomatoes 

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Pesto, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes are the perfect trio. Mixed together and served over pasta is the perfect summer dinner! 

Last year I shared my love for simple and easy dinners. In case you missed it, click here to read about my 12 easy dinner ideas.  Having quick meals, meaning easy prep and easy clean up, leaves you with more time to enjoy your summer!

This dish is perfect because all it calls for is one knife, one cutting board, and one pot! I made my pesto ahead of time. To read my pesto recipe, click here.



Pasta with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Cherry Tomatoes
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Italian
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ box of pasta, your choice
  • 1 carton of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly
  • 8 oz fresh Mozzarella
  • ½ cup fresh pesto
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to box
  2. Meanwhile, add cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella, and basil leaves to a large serving bowl
  3. Drain pasta and add to the serving bowl
  4. Stir in pesto. If need can thin pesto with water first

 

 

Pasta bake with chicken sausage, mozzerella, spinach, and cherry tomatoes 

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I said my New Year’s Resolution was to post more, so far that has been a big fail!  I’m about 6 weeks away from the baby’s due date, so instead of a weekly meal planning post, I’m offering a single meal dish of my dinner tonight.  

As I sat down to eat, I had this sudden urge to take a picture of this dish and share it with my blog!  This pasta dish is on the lighter side; it’s creamy, but has no heavy cream in it. Instead the creamy consistency comes from greek yogurt!  The inspiration for this recipe can be found here.

  

Pasta bake with chicken sausage, mozzerlla, spinach, and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 1 box veggie or whole wheat pasta
  • 1 lb spicy or mild Italian chicken sausage
  • 1 bag of spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 and 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Before draining, place spinach at the bottom of the strainer and drain pasta over spinach, allowing it to wilt.
  3. Cook chicken sausage in 1 tbsp butter or olive oil over medium heat for 12-14 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and place cooked sausage onto cutting board. Slice into bite size pieces.
  4. Add garlic pieces to a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, sausage, spinach, and tomatoes. Then add tomato sauce, yogurt, milk, 1 cup of cheese, and spices. Mix very well. Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil.
  5. Cook for 30 minutes covered. Remove foil, and cook for another 10 minutes
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