Pizza Pasta Salad with pepperoni, peppers, tomatoes, and mozzarella balls is super easy–and perfect for tailgates. Minimal chopping is required and you can mix and match ingredients. If we’re tailgating then you can bet I’m bringing along this Pizza Pasta Salad. It’s one of the simplest recipes I have, yet everyone devours it! Teenagers especially …

This colorful Pesto Pasta Salad features a zippy lemon basil pesto salad dressing, along with bowtie pasta, sundried tomatoes, asparagus, artichoke hearts, and more lemon zest…it’s overflowing with flavor and color and pizazz! Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta Salad…you know you can’t resist a pasta salad with a name like that. It’s superb and has a …

Lasagna without Ricotta is made with an Asiago cheese sauce instead of ricotta cheese. This lasagna is full of robust Italian flavor and will leave your guests asking for leftovers!  Note — this post is full of tips and suggestions to help you make the best lasagna ever. I suggest you read through everything before …

The best baked macaroni and cheese — this one is a classic family favorite! No eggs, just a creamy sauce with LOTS of cheese! It’s the cheesiest and the best! Cold, rainy, winter days…or hot, steamy, summer weekend cookouts with barbecue—both are perfect for a warm, comforting, cheesy plate of creamy macaroni and cheese. It’s a …

Mac and cheese muffins are super easy to make with leftover macaroni and cheese. Add some diced ham and you’ll have a great snack! Kids love these mac and cheese muffins after school or even for a quick dinner. You can freeze them and pull one out when you need to feed hungry ones fast! …

Stovetop Mac and Cheese—The water and milk that cooks the noodles also makes the sauce for the creamiest, cheesiest, EASIEST ONE-POT mac and cheese ever! I’ve talked on this blog before about feeding my children the blue box of macaroni and cheese when they were growing up and you know what? I’m not ashamed of …

Chili Mac and Cheese is a flavorful blend of two beloved comfort foods—chili and macaroni and cheese. Best of all, it’s made in one pot so it’s easy! Fall may be my favorite cooking season. I endure August and September, longing for the cooler days of October and November when we can begin braising meats, …

Easy skillet lasagna without ricotta cheese—just sausage and ground beef, tomatoes, noodles, and three cheeses! This recipe is quick, easy, and kid-friendly! I’m always trying to come up with recipes that can be made in one pot and are quick and easy. This easy skillet lasagna fits both criteria! I’m sure you’ve seen skillet lasagna …

A great potluck or party dish, this Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is filled with chicken, spaghetti, pimentos, peppers, and cheese. It has lots of flavor without being too spicy so it’s kid-friendly and adults love it. Remember church potlucks or even funeral gatherings where casseroles abounded? There’s a reason for that, of course. Casseroles are typically …

Baked ziti made with four cheese and Italian sausage is a great make ahead dish for a party. This recipe does not use ricotta cheese! Do you ever invite yourself over to your friend’s house and then say, “But I’ll bring dinner!” Well, we do! Not quite like that, but sort of. When you have …

We love anything Italian around here…pizza, pasta, bread…those things can get consumed in mass quantities. Of course, we probably don’t eat authentic Italian food, but the Americanized version is just fine. It’s so easy to throw together a dinner party with a pot of spaghetti sauce and your favorite pasta, or take a little more …

I’m not a fan of chain restaurants. We are blessed with many good, local places to eat where we know the chef and can interact with them and enjoy the food and the atmosphere. However, with that said, if I have to eat at a chain restaurant one of my preferences is Carrabba’s Italian Grill. …