Spaghetti with Garlic-Shrimp & Broccoli

1/2 lb. Spaghetti, uncooked (I used Quinoa)
4 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup Kraft Tuscan House Italian Dressing
1 lb. uncooked deveined, peeled large shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan as directed on the package, omitting the salt.  Add broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of cooking.  While spaghetti is cooking heat dressing in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add shrimp and garlic;  Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turns pink.  Drain spaghetti mixture (rinse with hot water if using Quinoa).  Return to the pan and add shrimp mixture and cheese.  Mix lightly.

Comment:  I found this on the KraftRecipes.com.  It not only sounded good but I actually had all of the ingredients on hand.  I do gluten free so I used the Quinoa spaghetti which I've found needs rinsing in hot water after cooking due to the starches that cook out.  Other than that I followed the recipe completely.  This dish is not only good but it's only 330 calories for a serving.  The picture above is 1 1/4 cups and that is the per serving amount.  A lot of food!

Taco Spaghetti

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg Taco seasoning, dry
3/4 cup water
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, undrained
1/2 lb. spaghetti
salsa
lettuce
cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Brown ground beef and drain.  Add Taco seasoning and water.  Cook about 5 minutes to blend well.  Add black beans.  Cook another 5 minutes on med. high to blend and heat completely.  Serves serve place a serving of spaghetti on the plate.  Top with taco mixture.  sprinkle with cheese, lettuce and salsa.

Comments:  I love spaghetti and I love tacos so why not eat them together.  I've actually had chili spaghetti but this is just a little different.  The addition of the salsa and lettuce on top were great!  You can also add sour cream if you want.  Anything you might want on your taco can be added to this dish.

Comment from Food Tester Carol:  This dish caught me by surprise.  I'd always liked tacos because of the filling but not because of the taco itself.  Why didn't I ever think to put this zingy, familiar "stuffing" into a sauce with the familiar spices, black beans, ground meat, bits of lettuce and place them on a favorite pasta and - presto! -- a winner.  I think almost any kind of pasta would be a good match.  AND top with a touch of tangy red pepper salsa and whatever other toppings you love.  When I make this I will add some chopped avocado.  The variations are endless.  Martha has given us a perfectly delicious dish that will inspire us to add our own touches.

Breakfast Spaghetti

1 lb. lean sausage
½ cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped bell peppers, red and/or green
1 cup shredded cheese
6 eggs
½ cup sour cream
½ lb. uncooked spaghetti

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain.  While spaghetti is cooking brown sausage in a large frying pan.  When done, drain and transfer from the pan into a large bowl.  Add onions and bell peppers to pan and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium high heat.   Add onions, peppers and cheese to sausage.  Toss to blend.  In a second bowl beat eggs and sour cream until smooth.    Spray an 8 x 8 x 2 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Cover bottom with spaghetti.  Spread sausage mix over spaghetti.  Pour egg mixture over sausage.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until firm in the center.

Comments:  I've made other dishes using spaghetti as the 'crust' so decided to see what I could do with sausage.  This came out a lot like a quiche with the spaghetti giving it a bit of a twist being used as the crust.  This can be done with bacon, cooked and crumbled, or ground beef.  If you used ground beef you might want to top it with sour cream and salsa.  This is a fun recipe to play with as you Think With Your Taste Buds.

Shrimp and Spaghetti

1 lb. shrimp
1 lb. dried spaghetti, broken
1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups half and half, light cream or milk
1 1/2 cups American cheese shredded 

Cook spaghetti according to package.  

In large sauce pan melt butter.  Add shrimp and cook until pink.  Remove shrimp from pan and add bell peppers, onion and garlic.  Cook about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in flour, pepper and salt, to taste until well blended.  Add half-and-half all at once.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Add cheese, stirring until melted.  Stir in shrimp.  Add spaghetti, tossing gently to coat.  Serves 6.

Comments:  The inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe I found online for crawfish.  I substituted for shrimp, used spaghetti, added the onions and used half evaporated milk/half water.  I also eliminated the baking.  This dish is perfect without putting it into the oven, which I feel would dry it out.  There are many ways to make changes to this.  For one, you can use chicken instead of shrimp.  You can add veggies like broccoli.  You can add a little extra seasonings such as Old Bay.  Just Think With Your Taste Buds to make this dish your own.