Crockpot Brown Butter Marinara Sauce

I went to LA a couple weeks ago as a surprise gift for my Mom's 60th birthday (Nov 7th) which my brother secretly planned. I flew in the Sunday before and the only people who knew I was in California was my Dad and Jenny. And of course my Facebook and Instagram friends. My brother is extremely busy working 2 jobs, so eating at home is pretty rare. His roommate Kevin also work long hours and homecooked meals are rare, so I thought since I'll be in town for a week, I might as well make dinner for the boys to freeze and reheat for those busy lazy long nights.

My brother is a huge foodie and has an incredible and memorable palate. My cooking skills isn't that advanced and I was looking for simple meals so we didn't have to spend a fortune buying tools and ingredients to make one meal. A crockpot was purchased and honestly, it's the best purchase he's ever made! Truthfully, I have never browned butter, so thankfully my brother was home to do that :) What a huge difference it made! The sauce was delicious as is, but wow! Definitely can't wait to make this for the hubby :)



Crockpot Brown Butter Marinara Sauce
original recipe from half baked harvest

2 (28 ounce) cans whole, peeled, san marzano tomatoes
1 sweet onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, skin removed and crushed
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2-4 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
fresh basil, sliced

Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoon butter to the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (or 3-4 hours on high).

Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to break down the tomatoes. If you like a smooth sauce use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer to a blender or food processor and then return the sauce to the crockpot, leaving the lid off.

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan add 6 tbsp of butter, melt butter over medium heat until just browned. Butter will melt, foam, and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan and stir into the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Top with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Garlic Butter Spaghetti

I have a bad habit of skipping brunch and end having dunch at an awkward hour which leads me eat dinner/snack at another weird hour of the night. I was craving for pasta and after browsing on my Pinterest, I decided to just make garlic butter spaghetti from Pinch of Yum.

I love garlic as much as the next person, but I think I might of added a little way too much. Same with the butter. It was delicious, quick and I used the same pot that cooked the pasta to save myself extra dishes.



Garlic Butter Spaghetti
Original recipe from Pinch of Yum

leftover box of spaghetti
6 tablespoons butter + more for serving
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bunch basil, chopped
1 large bunch baby spinach, chopped
Sprinkle of crushed red peppers
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the butter over medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.

Chop the spinach and basil into small bite-sized pieces and add to the pot, stirring for just a minute or two to get the greens softened slightly. Season with salt.

Add the spaghetti and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and let it all rest for a few minutes to stick together a bit.

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Gorgeous week here in the Northwest and I'm definitely not complaining. With the days definitely being longer.... I can see light in the horizon around 4am and it doesn't get pitch black til almost 10pm here. With the warmer weather, I've been craving for simple dishes... lots of salads and light food, nothing heavy, no greasy foods. Plus with the longer days, when it's really 9pm it feels like 7pm so I'm getting hungry later which is really bad. Also, I'm going away in a couple weeks for a week so I don't need to stock up and made sure I ate what I have instead.

Pasta salad sounded delicious! Perfect for lunch and dinner or take it to cook outs. I made mine meatless, but you're more then welcome to improvise and add in whatever you and your family enjoy. I also tried out Barilla's veggie rotini that is made from spinach and zucchini so that also added extra veggies to my dish. Very simple recipe, healthy dish and what's awesome is that I used whatever I already had at home to avoid running to the market.



Vegetable Pasta Salad

1 box Barilla veggie rotini (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1/2 red onion, diced
3 crowns of fresh broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
8oz "Cherry Size" Fresh Mozzarella, cut in half
1 1/2 cup Wishbone Robusto Italian salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

While pasta is cooking, cut up all your vegetables and cheese and place in large bowl.

Add 1 cup of dressing to your veggies and mix to coat.

Once your pasta is done cooking and cooled down, add pasta to bowl.

Add in another 1/2 cup of salad dressing.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let it sit in the fridge for at least a hour before serving.

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon and Zucchini

I went to Trader Joes last week and picked up some mini zucchinis. One, they were so tiny and so cute! Two, it's just a lot easier buying these then the bigger ones because I don't eat that much zucchini and I don't want to end up tossing it. Dinner selections have been incredibly boring here and I'm sorry for the lack of posts! Hopefully this upcoming week I'll have more posts. My friend is coming into town and I do plan to take a ton of photos and I'm having her cook me up some tacos!



So. I decided to make pasta carbonara which you know, seems like a fairly simple dish. Cook pasta, mix with egg cheese "sauce" and add bacon and veggies right? Apparently not. Seems like I made it a lot more complicated and used a lot more dishes and utensils then I originally wanted. I'm telling you guys, I feel like I do waaay more dishes living by myself then when my husband is home. It's ridiculous.

Grating my fresh parmesan, done. Chopped up my veggies, done. Cooked my bacon, drained, made a mess, used a new pan, done. Cooked veggies in bacon grease, done. Cooked pasta, which took foreverrrrr. My dual burner using as a single literally took forever to boil and cook the pasta. At that point I was getting pretty impatient and famished, so I scooped out a bit of the pasta water and whisked it in my egg cheese sauce. I didn't even drain the pasta fully, I just scooped out the noodles and quickly tossed it in my sauce.

Through all that, it was a great meal because I ate 2 small bowls of it. Well, more like I wolfed it down. I liked that I had added zucchini so I get my fill of greens for the day. I also added some mushrooms because I needed to use them. I promise you, this recipe isn't complicated whatsoever, I just happened to make it extra difficult on myself.



Pasta Carbonara with Bacon and Zucchini
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1/2 a box of pasta, any kind (i used spaghetti)
4-6 pieces thick cut bacon, chopped in bite size pieces
5 mini zucchinis (or 1 large zucchini), diced
4 mushrooms, diced
1/2 whole medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole eggs
3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cups heavy cream (optional)
salt & black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, fry up the bacon. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the bacon grease, but don't clean the pan. Return the pan to the stove over medium-low heat and throw in the onions and garlic. Add in zucchini and mushrooms. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, Parmesan, cream, and salt and pepper until smooth.

When the pasta is done, reserve a cup or two of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl. While the pasta is still really hot, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring the pasta the whole time. The sauce will become thick and should coat the pasta. Splash in a little hot pasta water if needed for consistency.

Add in your vegetables and serve immediately with extra cheese and black pepper!

Bow Tie Alfredo with Broccoli

I have been slacking a lot in cleaning, cooking, baking, doing dishes. Then I saw Jessica post her chicken bow tie alfredo on Instagram and I wanted to teleport to Hawaii and have a plate myself.

I already had the ingredients on hand which made things easier. Simple and quick recipes are my favorite and this was no exception! One pot used and I only had to mince some garlic. You can use whatever pasta you want, add in chicken if you want and I always love me some broccoli, which you can omit or add in spinach instead.

I actually texted my husband and told him I went to Olive Garden. I asked him, doesn't it look so good? Of course he said yes. Then I told him it actually came from our kitchen... I made this! Not someone else. He got a little mad that I tricked him. I can't wait til he comes home to make this for him. So much better and healthier than Olive Garden's version.



Bow Tie Alfredo with Broccoli

1/4 cup Unsalted butter
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1 TBsp Garlic, minced
1 cup Heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese,fresh grated
Bow Tie Pasta, cooked according to package
1 Steam Fresh Broccoli Florets

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, sauté onion in butter until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Microwave broccoli florets according to package instructions.

Add cream and heat until it simmers slightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, let melt completely then repeat until cheese is gone.

Toss pasta, broccoli and sauce together.

Lemon Pesto Shrimp Pasta Salad

Lemon Pepper Grilled Shrimp
Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 TBsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare a grill. Toss the shrimp with the oil, add the salt, pepper and lemon zest. Grill until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and drizzle with the lemon juice. Enjoy hot or at room temperature.
Pesto recipe from Elise.

Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Italian Sausage Sauce

This use to be my go to dinner recipe. Simple and quick, perfect for the every day week night meal.


Fettuccine with Creamy tomato italian sausage sauce
Recipe from Simply Recipes

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 pound spicy or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup whipping cream
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 Tbsp dried sage
3/4 pound fettuccine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add sausages and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up the sausages a bit, about 5 minutes. Add cream; simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices. Add sage. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Return pasta to same pot; add sauce. Toss over medium heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Simple Tortellini Antipasto Salad

I never eat breakfast. Actually, I'm never awake early enough to enjoy breakfast. Sometimes I skip lunch which is a huge nono, I know. I came across this simple tortellini antipasto salad which is really delicious and semi-healthy. The recipe doesn't call for the pasta to be cooled, which I think is a must considering how all my cheese melted and it turned into a bit of a mess. I omitted the artichokes and olives, but I think next time I'm going to add some broccoli or more vegetables. Very simple lunch or dinner.

Simple Tortellini Antipasto Salad
Original recipe from BHG

1 9 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red sweet peppers
1 ounce Genoa salami, cut into thin strips
1 ounce provolone cheese, cubed
1/4 cup bottled vinaigrette salad dressing

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain; place in large bowl. Stir in sweet peppers, salami, and cheese. Add dressing; toss to coat.

Linguine with Tuna and Broccoli

I'm not a huge tuna fan, except that once in a blue moon tuna sandwich, but with a new diet comes new foods. I'm not huge of fish alone. Something to do with this lady I knew as a kid and she got a fish bone stuck in her throat and she had to go to the ER to get it removed. I think that alone scarred me for life!

This is a really great busy week night meal. A can or two of tuna cooked with garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and linguine (or your pasta of choice) cooked with broccoli. Perfect. Only one pot and one skillet, now I definitely like that! Linguine with Tuna and Broccoli Recipe from Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two 3 oz uncooked whole grain linguine (or any pasta of your choice) 4 oz broccoli florets, broken into bite-sized pieces 2 tsp olive oil 2 medium garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 2 (3oz) pouches chunk light tuna in water, flaked (i used canned tuna which was a little mushy but still good) 2 tsp shredded or grated Parmesan cheese 1 medium lemon, halved 1) Prepare linguine using package directions omitting salt or oil. Three minutes before the end of cooking, add broccoli florets. Cook 3 minutes. Drain well. Return linguine and broccoli to the pot (heat should be off). Cover to keep warm. 2) In a small nonstick skillet, stir together the oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tuna. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently but being careful not to break the tuna into small pieces. 3) Spoon the linguine and broccoli onto plates. Spoon tuna sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan and squeeze generously with lemon.