Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in South Florida Family Events and Recipes

Carb lovers, unite! National Pasta Day is October 17 and was made for you. Embrace it with our weekend recipe picks!

Pesto Pasta (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup chopped onion

• 2 ½ tablespoons pesto

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

• 1 (16 ounce) package pasta 

• salt to taste

• ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.

• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. Add pesto, onion, and salt and pepper. Cook about five minutes, or until onions are soft.

• In a large bowl, mix pesto mixture into pasta. Stir in grated cheese. Serve.

Habanero Pepper Cream Pasta (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cavatappi pasta

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon butter 

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, diced

• 1 dried habanero pepper, chopped

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

• Melt butter with olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and habanero pepper, and cook until lightly browned. Pour cream into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the ingredients from the skillet, along with the tomato. Mix in the flour and black pepper, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat. Allow sauce to cool for a few minutes before serving over pasta.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 3 breast half, bone and skin removed (blank)s skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

• 6 noodles uncooked lasagna noodles

• 1 cube chicken bouillon

• ¼ cup hot water

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce 

Preparation

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

• Meanwhile, place the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from saucepan, and shred.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the bouillon, cream cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

• Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with the chicken mixture, and top with 3 lasagna noodles; repeat. Top with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Enjoy your weekend!