Beef and Mushroom Lasagna

Beef and mushrooms are a great combination, especially in the form of the family favorite lasagna!

Art Smiths Macaroni and Cheese

 There is something special about a nice big bowl of mac and cheese, and this one is my new favorite!

Pesto Fettuccine Alfredo

Change up your regular Fettuccine Alfredo simply by making it more "green" with basil and spinach!

Ricotta Meatball Pasta Bake

Love pasta bakes? Love meatballs? Why not combine the two in this easy, family-friendly Ricotta Meatball Pasta Bake!

Creamy Chicken and White Wine Ravioli

This homemade ravioli dish combines few simple ingredients into one meal that's sure to impress.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a classic, comforting dish. It's so easy to make this delicious meal at home, too.

Pizza Casserole

This Pizza casserole combines the delicious comfort of a casserole with the flavors of a pepperoni pizza.

Spiced Beef Risoni Soup

This spiced beef and risoni soup is a perfect bowl of hearty comfort food.

Steak and Cheese Macaroni

Macaroni cheese has always been one of my absolute most favorite dishes. It's easy to make, quick, and tastes great. I also love how easily adaptable it is.

This recipe take a simple stove top mac and cheese with the addition of delicious sliced medium rare steak.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Soup is just one of those things that I can't get enough of. I love coming up with new ways to enjoy soup. All year 'round too! I really don't stick to the "soup is for winter" rule.

Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those dishes that everyone loves. I find it can also be one of those dishes that people tend to assume takes so much time and so much effort - it's really not like that at all!

This PicNic-style lasagna uses ground chicken (or turkey!) as an alternative to beef.

Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

Comfort food. There's nothing else like it. Macaroni and Cheese has always been my favorite, and using potato gnocchi instead of macaroni elbows makes this classic dish even more delicious. 

Beef, Bean, and Macaroni Casserole

Beef, Bean, and Macaroni Casserole makes for a healthy 30 minute meal that the whole family will enjoy.

This dish is easily adapted to suit your families tastes - be it more or less spice, extra veges, or different ground meats.

Beef Cannelloni

Cannelloni is an Italian dish of a pasta cylinders filled with meat and sauce and baked in the oven. They are not only a fun dish to make but also super taste and packed full of vegetables. This makes it a great way to sneak extra veges to the kids dinner.

Using fresh lasagna sheets as opposed to dried cannelloni tubes makes this easier to make, and much more delicious (if you're like me and greatly prefer fresh pasta to dried).

Smoked Chicken and Prosciutto Fettuccine Alfredo

By now you all know that I absolutely love homemade pasta, in fact, I'm always raving about it. The taste and texture are like nothing you'll find in a store. Homemade pasta makes any ordinary pasta dish seem like something you would order and enjoy in your favorite Italian restaurant.

Homemade pasta plus a super simple Alfredo sauce makes this dish rich, creamy, and a delight on the taste buds.

Smoked Chicken and Prosciutto Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 4

1 Recipe Homemade egg pasta, cut into fettuccine (store brought is fine too!)
300 g (10 oz) smoked chicken breast, cut into cubes
50 g (2 oz) Prosciutto, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
350 mL light cream
3/4 Cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 Cup grated Edam cheese
1 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Make the pasta according to the recipe instructions.

2.  Place a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the cream, garlic, cheese, and nutmeg, stir well to combine and melt the cheese through. Continue to stir until just starting to bubble. Season to taste.

3. Pour the sauce over cooked and drained fettuccine and toss to coat the pasta. Serve immediately.

Chili Macaroni Cheese

Macaroni cheese is my favorite comfort meal. I especially love that it's one of those delightful dishes that is even better reheated the next day.

I wanted to give my regular old mac and cheese recipe a bit of a make over, of course the first thing that sprang to mind was "add a bit of heat." Red chili, sriracha, and chorizo gave this simple recipe the zing I was after!

If you have a young family, the chili in this as it stands with the measures below just gives a hint of heat, but adds lots of great flavor, I still believe this one to be child friendly, but if you're worried de-seed your chili and add a bit less sriracha.

Chilli Chicken Macaroni 

Serves 4

400 g (14 oz) macaroni elbows
300 g (10.5 oz) cooked and shredded chicken
50 g (2 oz) Chorizo, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp plain flour
2 1/4 Cups skim milk
1 Cup grated Edam cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan
1 Onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 red chili, finely diced
2 Tbsp sriracha sauce
Salt and pepper to season

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.

2. While the pasta is cooking make the cheese sauce. Add half of the oil to a medium saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the chili and chorizo and cook for a further minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil along with the butter. Whisk in the flour and gradually whisk in the milk, a little bit at a time to ensure a lump free sauce. Once all of the milk has been added, switch to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.

4. Stir in the grated cheese and onion mixture. TASTE THE SAUCE and season to taste.

5. Stir through the sriracha sauce and drained cooked pasta. Tip into a heatproof dish, sprinkle over the extra grated cheese and bake at 200°C (400F) for 20 minutes, or until golden. 

Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Chicken mince is so versatile and can be used in so many ways. It's a lot leaner than beef mince so it makes a good alternative to beef in a number of dishes. Here I used chicken mince to create a meatball pasta.

Chicken Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

Meatballs:

500 g chicken mince
1/3 Cup breadcrumbs
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated
1 tsp dried chilli flakes

Tomato Sauce:

400 g can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 onion, chopped (roughly)
1 red chilli, chopped and seeds either kept or removed to suit taste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta of choice to serve

1. Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl, separate into four equal portions, then roll each portion into 4 meatballs.

2. Heat a dash of oil in a large fry pan over a medium-high heat, add meatballs and brown all over.

3. While the meatballs are browning, place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Pour over the browned meatballs. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Season to taste.

4. While the meatballs and sauce are cooking, cook pasta following package instructions. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the pasta.

Three Cheese Baked Macaroni

I absolutely love macaroni cheese, it's the ultimate comfort food and definitely a favorite of mine. This little gem was absolutely beautiful. I was so happy with the taste and texture, and like most baked pasta dishes, it tasted even better reheated the next day.

Three Cheese Baked Macaroni

Serves 4

400 g small pasta (macaroni or penne)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
75 g bacon rashers, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp plain flour
650 mL skim milk
70 g grated Edam (or Cheddar)
50 g grated mozzarella
30 g grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
a pinch of nutmeg

1.  Preheat oven to 200°C (390ºF). Cook pasta following the package instructions. If you time it right, take the pasta off a few minutes early (so that it is almost cooked, but not quite. That way it will finish cooking in the oven and soak up some of the cheese sauce).

2. Make the sauce by heating oil in a large sauce pan, add bacon, onion, and garlic and fry for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon mixture from the sauce pan and set aside. Return the pan to the heat.

3. Melt the butter in the sauce pan. Whisk in the flour and then gradually add the milk, about half a cup at a time, whisking very well between each addition to ensure a lump free sauce. Once all the milk is added, stir with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (but not boiling).

4. Add the cheeses and nutmeg and stir until the cheese is melted in. TASTE the sauce and adjust with salt and pepper to suit your taste. This is ESSENTIAL as an unseasoned cheese sauce can be bland.

5. Mix cooked, drained pasta into the sauce, turn out into an oven proof dish, top with extra cheese and bake until the top is golden, about 20 minutes. 

Lamb Fettuccine

Lamb is my favorite meat. Here, I made a lamb ragu in the slow cooker to end up with a beautiful tender meat sauce. I paired this with homemade egg fettuccine and it made for a lovely meal.

I love coming home in the evening to the smell of food that has been in the slow cooker all day. It's also nice to know that dinner is almost cooked already!

If you don't have time to make your own pasta then I would go for the fresh pastas in the chilled section of the supermarket, rather than dried pasta. 

Lamb Fettuccine with fresh egg pasta

Serves 4

Basic egg pasta
500 - 600 g lamb steaks, sliced
1 Onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 Red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 Red chilli, roughly chopped (seeds removed to suit your preferred spiciness)
1 1/2 Cups spinach leaves
1 400 g tin of tomatoes
Dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper

1. Place all of the vegetables (including tinned tomatoes) in a food processor and process until neat smooth

2. Place the sauce, lamb, and mixed herbs in a slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours. If the sauce seems thin after 8 hours, switch the cooker to high, remove the lid and leave it for about half an hour and the sauce will thicken.

3. Cut homemade pasta into strips, cook in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes, drain, and serve lamb mixture over pasta.

Chorizo and Mozzarella Ravioli

On Saturday I spent a lot of my afternoon preparing and cooking a special meal for my boyfriend, no particular reason for it, just wanted to treat him to something extra special. This is what I made as our main. Although it takes a while it is absolutely worth the time and effort as homemade pasta is just fantastic, not to mention fun to make!

I made my pasta using a heart shaped cookie cutter, since I was making it to say "I love you" to my boyfriend.

This would be a lovely dish to make on a special occasion, with Valentines Day coming up next month perhaps?  Also stay tuned for my dessert recipe, I'll post it tomorrow!

Chorizo and Mozzarella Ravioli

Serves 2 - 3

Pasta Dough

Half a recipe of Basic Egg Pasta (Or make the whole thing and keep half for something else)


Ravioli Filling

100 g Chorizo, chopped
1 Cup fresh spinach
1 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 Cup finely grated mozzarella

Pasta Sauce

1 Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves garlic, crushed, finely chopped, or finely grated
400 g tomatoes (fresh or canned, whatever is most readily available)
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar  
Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg + 1 tsp water, whisked together (to seal pasta edges)

1. Make the pasta dough following the directions on the recipe. You can use either a pasta machine or a rolling pin.

2. Make the filling by frying the chorizo with chilli flakes, salt, and pepper for about 4-5 minutes. Add the spinach and allow to wilt. Process to a fine mixture in a food processor or with a stick blender. Set aside.


3. Once the pasta is rested and rolled out into thin sheets make your pasta into shapes (use your imagination!), then cut out pieces using a cookie cutter, alternatively just use a pasta cutter (or pizza cutter) to divide into sections.

5. Fill the pasta by adding approximately teaspoon amounts of the filling mixture to the centre of a piece of pasta, top with a pinch of mozzarella. Take another piece of pasta, brush the edges with egg + water and seal over top of the filled piece, use a fork to press the edges of the two pieces together. Repeat this until all the pasta is filled. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for about 4 minutes, stirring so that it doesn't stick. Removing from the pot using a slotted spoon. 

6. Make the sauce by frying the onion and garlic in a fry pan, add the tomatoes (if fresh, diced) balsamic, salt, and vinegar. Once nice and hot, blend in a food processor and using a stick blender.