Just~One~Donna

When you think of a traditional Italian pasta Sunday dinner you probably think about a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs.  Making a traditional Italian pasta dinner from scratch makes a delicious weekend dinner for family and friends and the leftovers are easily converted into tasty weeknight meals.  It starts with an authentic Italian meat sauce. How to Make Amazing Italian Meatballs and Sauce I like to include Italian sausage with the meatballs in my spaghetti sauce for a deeper, richer flavor.  The sausage also adds more variety to the dinner; some may prefer sausages to meatballs.  You can decide what will work best for your family.  Whatever your favorite combo, make a double batch of this meat sauce recipe and freeze half for another day.  You'll be happy you did.

There’s something undeniably magical about a dish that layers flavors, textures, and pure comfort. This Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Lasagna isn’t your typical lasagna—it’s a tasty surprise where earthy mushrooms, sweet caramelized onions, and creamy béchamel come together in perfect harmony. Whether you're hosting a dinner party or simply indulging in a cozy night at home, this recipe is guaranteed to steal the spotlight.  The Ultimate Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Lasagna: Step-by-Step Recipe Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Lasagna Add this mushroom lasagna to your repertoire and standby for the raves.  You will be a lasagna hero.  It freezes well, so you can make the mushroom lasagna ahead of time to dazzle your family and friends with mushroom yumminess.

Parents and grandparents know the challenge of finding quick and easy dinner options that are both delicious and filling for their families. With busy schedules and little time to spare, it's important to have a few go-to recipes that can save us time in the kitchen without sacrificing flavor.  While taking the time to carefully simmer your special spaghetti sauce is delightful, we don't always have the time. That's where this one-pot pasta dinner comes to the rescue!  How to Cook Pasta in Minutes This one-pot pasta dinner is a perfect solution for busy families who need a quick and delicious meal on the table in no time. The unique element of cooking the pasta directly in the sauce saves time and enhances the flavor of the dish. With simple ingredients, easy preparation, and customizable options, this recipe is a winner for parents and grandparents alike. 

Winter soup season is upon us and one of my favorite soups is this version of Italian Wedding Soup, made with cheese tortellini and frozen Italian meatballs.  It can be made with absolutely minimal effort by choosing prepared ingredients from the grocery store.   Assemble the ingredients, and in approximately 40 minutes you will have a hearty, delicious soup.   This is the number one requested soup in my family, so I am confident your family will love it as well. A Quick, Hearty Soup Made with Tortellini and Meatballs When I'm in a hurry to make this soup I make it completely with store-bought prepared ingredients including frozen meatballs. It is quick and delicious. You'll love how easy this soup is to make.

Whether you call it American Chop Suey or Goulash, this dish is sure to please both the kids and adults at your dinner table. You'll be happy because this is truly a one-pot recipe that is ready to serve in about 40 minutes. How great is that? You'll also love that this recipe makes enough to feed at least eight people.  That makes it perfect for a family dinner or to eat now and freeze for later. American Chop Suey: Weeknight Dinner   When you shop using the affiliate links we receive compensation. This dish combines tender pasta with savory ground beef and a rich tomato sauce for a comforting dinner that will have everyone coming back for seconds. Let's dive into why you'll love this recipe.

The heat of summer and the increased opportunity for casual outdoor eating beg for a pasta salad. Most people I know have their go-to favorite. Mine is this Italian Pasta Salad made with tri-color pasta.  I love how colorful this pasta salad is to start. It is a feast for the eyes. Taste it and you'll realize your eyes did not deceive you. The flavors in this salad are a feast for your taste buds.  No boring salads are allowed on my table! My Italian Pasta Salad with Tri-Color Rotini This post contains affiliate links.  When you purchase through these links you help support the costs of publishing this blog. A Summer Pasta Salad Packed with Flavor I always make this Italian Pasta Salad with tri-color pasta because it adds to the visual appeal. You don't have to choose tri-color, but choose a pasta with some substance. I like rotini or bowtie pasta . You want a pasta with a surface that will absorb the flavor of the dressing. Choose colorful vegetables. ...

Pasta Puttanesca is one of those dishes that you either like or don't like. That's because the flavors are robust and in your face. I'm hoping you're a fan of big flavors.  For today's recipe, I'm making a pasta bowl with swordfish and green beans. This is a combination that is healthy and satisfying.  Swordfish Puttanesca Pasta Bowl A Robust Swordfish Puttanesca Pasta Bowl Do you love olives?  This recipe is for you. You'll want to use a mix of flavorful olives like you can get from the deli at your grocery store.  I love a mixture of robust green and kalamata olives Do you love capers? This recipe is for you. Do you love a little heat in your food?  It's in here.  If you don't like heat leave the crushed red pepper out, or add a little more if you want more heat. D o you love swordfish?   Yep, it's in here, but if not, add shrimp or chicken. Finally, I've added fresh, French green beans.  They are the skinny ones.  Just toss them into t...

Lasagna is one of those dishes that solves many menu problems and it is for this reason, I turn to lasagna when I think of easy foods.  One of the rules I live by when planning meals is to make things easy for myself. That's especially true when I'm planning dinner for a crowd. This classic lasagna recipe for a crowd with easy-to-find ingredients is my go-to recipe. My Classic Lasagna Recipe (Affiliate links are in this post for your shopping convenience. When you make a purchase I will receive compensation.) Yummy Italian Lasagna Are you feeling like you need hearty comfort food?  Comforting Italian-style lasagna with fresh herbs and spices served with a green salad, and warm garlic bread will certainly fit the bill.  Do you need to feed a group of family and friends this weekend?  Lasagna, a Caesar salad, and some flavorful focaccia bread will easily feed a large group.

The calendar says spring has sprung, but you wouldn't know it by the temperatures outside.  This ziti bake recipe is a delicious, hearty main dish perfect for a cold spring evening, or any time of year. It takes just a few minutes to assemble the ingredients and then forty-five minutes in the oven.  You can make it ahead of time, even freeze it ready for the oven. What's not to love? Quick Ziti Bake for Dinner A ziti bake is a perfect make ahead, one pan meal.  The ricotta cheese in this recipe makes the ziti bake creamy and yummy. Do you need a filling option for a family gathering or potluck dinner?  This ziti bake is the answer.  Add a colorful salad and some garlic bread and you'll be good to go.

Shrimp Pesto Alfredo is a decadent, low-carb, dinner option perfect for when you are wanting a special dinner. You don't have to be following a low-carb eating plan to love this dish. Shrimp Pesto Alfredo Shrimp Pesto Alfredo is low carb as long as you swap out the pasta for a low carb option.  Your favorite spiralized vegetables will make a smart choice. For those of you who love traditional Alfredo dishes, serve the Shrimp Pesto Alfredo over your favorite pasta.

Baked pasta is delicious.  One of my favorite baked pasta casseroles is Baked Ziti.   You can make baked ziti a hundred ways, but today I want to share my four-cheese baked ziti recipe.  The four cheeses you'll find in this recipe are ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano. Yum! Four Cheese Baked Ziti for a Crowd This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  When you choose to make a purchase through one of these links I receive a small payment that supports the costs to publish this blog. Four Cheese Ziti Bake This recipe makes a large ziti bake that will feed a crowd.  That makes this a perfect recipe for potlucks and family gatherings.  If you don't need to feed a crowd, divide the ingredients between two baking dishes.   Bake one for dinner and freeze the other for another day. This is a multiple-step recipe, so to cut down on my time in the kitchen I like to use jarred sauce.  I use two twenty-fou...

This Shrimp Pesto Alfredo recipe is a simple, delicious weeknight dinner. Weeknight dinners can be a challenge. For me, the closer I get to the weekend, the less motivated I feel about dinner planning.  Sometimes I'm tired, but not in the mood to go out for dinner but I want dinner to be yummy.  I want it to signal the end of the week and the beginning of a relaxing weekend.  I want it to be easy. That's when I turn to my freezer and pantry for simple ingredients like the ones in this recipe. Shrimp and Ravioli Pesto Alfredo Grilled Shrimp Pesto Alfredo Do you want the same?  Well, with the ingredients you have on hand or a quick trip to the grocery store, you can make it happen.  This Shrimp Pesto Alfredo with Cheese Ravioli is slap-me-delicious but easy enough to tackle on a Friday night or any night of the week.  I'm always pleasantly surprised when a yummy meal can be pulled together in a few minutes with just a few ingredients.

Frozen shrimp is always on hand in my freezer because it is the perfect protein to reach for when you want a quick and easy dinner that seems a little special. This Stovetop Shrimp and Pasta dish is just one of the quick, easy, and special dinners. For this stove-top shrimp and pasta dinner, I used frozen, uncooked, cleaned, and shelled shrimp.  All the prep I needed to do was count the number of shrimp to defrost. A Quick, Easy, Delicious Weeknight Dinner  This dish is E-A-S-Y. Really, friends, I promise.  This meal is so easy you won't believe it. It is so easy you could even cook it on a hot plate! You can use any size of shrimp you prefer. I usually buy the 16-20 or the 21-25 sizes of shrimp whenever they are on sale. If you can get them cleaned and shelled, even better.  That will cut down the amount of prep work you will need to do, making this dish even easier for a weeknight meal. As you read the recipe you'll see that you only coo...

This recipe is for a copycat pasta dish made with grilled chicken and a parmesan cream sauce. Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta and Parmesan Cream Sauce Grilled Chicken with Penne Pasta and Parmesan Cream Sauce Pin It For Later:  Cheesy Chicken Penne Pasta One of my favorite meals to order at the Macaroni Grill was the Penne Rustica.  As a result of the Macaroni Grille's closure, it has been a few years since I have been able to have my fix of Penne Rustica.  As a result, I made this Cheesy Penne Pasta and Grilled Chicken. This recipe is easy to make and oh, so delicious.  You can make it in individual servings, or in a casserole dish.  It really doesn't matter.  It tastes the same no matter what dish you make it in.  Just make it.  Really, friends, you must.  Feel free to substitute the pasta of your choice, too.  My second choice of pasta for this dish would be linguini. Cheesy Penne Pasta and Grilled Chicke...

Today's recipe is my Italian Meat Sauce recipe. Do you say sauce or gravy?  Depending on where you are from, you may have a strong preference for calling the tomato-based concoction served over spaghetti either sauce or gravy.  Some say when meat is cooked with the sauce it is called "gravy" and when there is no meat, it is called "sauce".   If that is true, then today's recipe is really "gravy", but in my neck of the woods, we refer to all tomato-based sauces as "sauce". How to Make a Flavorful Italian Meat Sauce (This post includes affiliate links.  Purchases made using these links help support the costs of operating this blog.) A Yummy Pot of Italian Meat Sauce I make tomato pasta sauce all the time.  Sometimes the sauce is quick and easy , and other times the sauce cooks for several hours to develop depth of flavor.  When you want a robustly flavored sauce you generally must let it simmer for a bit to get the richness and...

Whenever Hubby and I dine in an Italian restaurant with Chicken Marsala on the menu it is a safe bet that he will choose the Chicken Marsala for his dinner.  That's why, when I heard that one of Buitoni's new pastas being introduced in the the Northeast was Chicken Marsala Ravioli, I knew he would love it. Chicken Marsala Ravioli with Artichoke Hearts I decided to make a traditional Marsala sauce for the Buitoni Chicken Marsala raviolis, but kicked up the color and flavor of the dish with the addition of prosciutto, red pepper and artichoke hearts.  Buitoni provided coupons that allowed me to try the pasta for free, but as always, the recipe and my opinion about the pasta are all mine. Chicken Marsala Ravioli with Artichoke Hearts Serves 4 The Chicken Marsala Ravioli and Artichoke Hearts Ingredients 2 packages Buitoni Chicken Marsala Ravioli 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 2 ounces prosciutto, cut i...

This week I am posting a couple of recipes highlighting fresh packaged pastas from Buitoni .  The fine folks at Buitoni recently contacted me to let me know they were launching two new pastas in New England and to ask me if I would be interested in showcasing them in Just One Donna recipes.  I jumped at the opportunity, mainly because it would be an opportunity to demonstrate how quality prepackaged foods can help all of us to prepare knock your socks off dishes for our families and friends. Roasted Butternut Squash Agnolotti in a Pistachio Cream Sauce This post is sponsored by Buitoni.  I was given coupons with which I was able to purchase the Buitoni Roasted Butternut Squash Agnolotti pasta used in today's recipe for free from my local grocery store.  As a thank you, Buitoni also sent me a cutting board, an apron and a kitchen towel.  The recipe is mine, as is my opinion about the pasta. Butternut squash sou...

Whenever I ask my family the question, "What special dinner would you like me to prepare?" I already know the answer.  The answer will invariably be bow tie pasta.  What they are really saying when they give me that answer is, please, please, please make us Farfalle Del Mondo .   I believe the original recipe came from the Food Network many years ago and over time I have made adaptations to it. Farfalle Del Mondo You'll find this to be a very easy recipe to make and it is packed with lots and lots of wonderful flavor.  First, you'll want to be sure to have some southwest seasoning on hand.  I have a favorite southwest blend that I always keep on hand and I encourage you to do the same.  You'll also want to be sure you have 12 ounces of brie in your refrigerator.  Brie can be pricey, so watch for specials in your grocery store.  I like to buy my brie at my favorite wholesale big box store...