Zesty Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 16oz. bottle zesty italian dressing (I only used about 8oz.)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 purple onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup pepperoni slices, halved
1 can ripe olives, well drained and sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 Tbsp. salad seasoning spice
Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Before cooking, break spaghetti in small pieces. Drain and rinse with cold water, drain well.

Mix spaghetti and all veggie ingredients. Add pepperoni if desired. Add salad seasoning, italian dressing and sprinkle with parmesan. Marinate in refrigerator at lesat 2 hours, the longer the better. Stir cheese in when ready to serve.

Italian Vegetable Salad

Source: Kraft foods
6 servings, 1 cup each

Ingredients:
1 pkg. italian dressing mix (such as Good Seasons)
1/4 cup plus 3 TBL. water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated three cheese tortellini, cooked, rinsed and drained
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, diagonally sliced

Directions:
Place dressing mix, water and vinegar in cruet or other container with tight fitting lid. Add oil; cover. Shake until well blended.

Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing; toss lightly. Cover.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir before serving.

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

Source: Kraft Foods

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 26oz. jar spaghetti sauce (It has more flavor if you use something spicy)
1 2/3 cup water
1/4 cup zesty italian dressing
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Brown meat in large saucepan; drain.
Add peppers, garlic, spaghetti sauce, water and dressing; bring to a boil. Stir in noodles; cover.
Cook on medium-low heat 10-15 minutes or until noodles are tender; stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss

Source: Adapted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb. hot or mild turkey sausage, casing removed
1 6oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
1 14.5 oz. can italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, crumble meat into large, deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain.
Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture and cheese; mix lightly.

Orzo Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
15oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes (halved)
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette (see below)
salt and pepper

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
3/5 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in the orzo, cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm, stirring frequently (about 7 minutes). Drain the orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Toss until slightly cool.

When cooled completely, toss the orzo with the beans, tomtoes, onion, basil and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Oriental Pasta Salad

2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti (about 3 ounces uncooked)
3/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Steam broccoli, covered, 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse under cold water. Combine broccoli and remaining ingredients; toss gently. Cover and chill.

Gnocchi with Canadian Bacon-Tomato Sauce

Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup diced lean Canadian Bacon -- (about 4 oz)
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon bottles minced roast garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (14-1/2 oz each) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 box (16 oz) vacuum-packed gnocchi with potato (such as Bellino)
4 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onions,
bacon, sage, garlic, and oregano; saute 4 min. Add sugar, pepper and
diced tomatoes, and reduce heat to med. Cook sauce 10 min., stirring
occasionally.
2. Cook gnocchi according to pkg. directions, omitting salt. Divide
gnocchi evenly among 4 shallow bowls; top each with 3/4 cup sauce and 1
tsp. cheese.