Pasta Potluck Dinner
By Leslie Beal Bloom
When you want a delicious dinner on the double, pick pasta, a perennial favorite. For this featured dish, simply team egg noodles, vegetables and chopped ham with creamy mushroom and celery soups. Add shredded mozzarella to round out the dish.
It's easy to make flavorful, spur-of-the-moment meals when your pantry and refrigerator are well stocked. I always suggest keeping these items on hand:
Pasta: A variety of long shapes to pair with light or thin sauces, as well as shorter shapes to team up with chunkier sauces.
Vegetables: A selection of canned, frozen, jarred or fresh vegetables. Try to have a good mix of yellow, green, orange and red vegetables for added color and vitamins.
Meat, Fish and Cheese: A selection of deli meats, canned seafood, and ready-to-eat beef and chicken products, in addition to your family’s favorite hard and soft cheeses.
Flavorings: Start with basic Italian flavors like oregano, basil or garlic and build a selection based on your family’s preferences.
Sauces/Condiments: Broth (chicken, beef, clam or vegetable), evaporated skim milk, olive oil, pesto, salsa, soups (canned or dried) and sauces such as tomato, mushroom, or pizza.
Leslie Bloom is a cookbook author and culinary consultant.
Pasta Potluck Dinner
Serves 10
8 oz. Wide Egg Noodles
1 10-3/4 oz. can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1 10-3/4 oz. can reduced fat cream of celery soup
1 12 oz. can no fat evaporated milk
1 15 oz. can English peas, drained
1 14 oz. can baby carrots, drained
3 C. cooked extra lean ham, cubed
2 C. lite mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 large onion, thinly sliced, rings separated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. While pasta is cooking, combine the soups and milk until well blended. Stir in the peas, carrots, ham, cheese, onions, and seasonings. Mix soup mixture with drained pasta until well blended. Pour into a greased 13x9 casserole dish. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.