Food For Thought ~ Double Dinners

When dinnertime rolls around here at the Kellum house, I almost always have a meal in mind.  I like to make my dinner menu for the week on Sunday and then shop on Monday for the week.  So on those days (which fall few and far between, thank goodness!) when I don't have a plan, I feel completely at a loss!  

Recently I had a meal on the docket, but upon rounding up the ingredients for the dinner, I realized that I had used the can of diced tomatoes in a different dish that week.  That left me one ingredient shy of dinner.  Ugh.  I paced back and forth from the fridge to the pantry and back to the fridge trying to come up with Plan B ... something that didn't need canned tomatoes.  By that point, my creativity had evaporated and the kids were beginning the incessant, "What's for dinner?" chant.  Double ugh.

As I headed to the garage (not to hide from the kids, mind you) I was thrilled to find a freezer meal all ready to pop in the oven!  I actually have quite a few meals I have doubled up and slid in the freezer for this very reason.  When Mom doesn't feel like cooking!  

This is a post I did last year with a few double dinners ... and here's two more yummy ones for you to try!  (Be sure to check out this previous post for my tips on lining your freezer pan and storing your extra meal.)

Tamale Pie

(This recipe is from my dear friend, Anna Lee Walker.  I remember you making this for us ... just a few years ago.  Before we had kids.  So yeah ... it's been a little while.)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey or 1 lb of each)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cup corn meal

2 T sugar

2 T butter

In a large pot, cook the meat until no longer pink.  Drain off fat after cooking.  Add black beans, ketchup, salsa, corn and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.  Heat through until the cheese melted.  Divide equally between two 8x8 inch pans (one sprayed with cooking spray and the other lined with Press-n-Seal).

In the same large pot, melt the butter and add the remaining cheese, sugar and corn meal.  Heat until the cheese melts and the mixture looks crumbly.  Sprinkle the corn meal mixture over the meat in each dish.

Freeze one pan (or send along to a friend).  For the other pan, bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  

We like our Tamale Pie with a little dollop of sour cream and a green salad.

¡Olé!

Penne & Sausage Casserole

(This recipe is from Taste of Home, June/July 2009.  Just a few typical adjustments.)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs penne pasta

1 lb Italian sausage

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 T olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 T oregano

2 1/2 cups beef broth

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, drained

3 T tomato paste

4 cups mozzarella, shredded

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.  Set aside.

In a large pot, cook sausage.  Drain off most of the fat.  Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic and oregano and cook until veggies are soft.  Add 1 cup of beef broth.  Bring to a boil and let simmer until reduced by half.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining broth and sausage.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

This is a good time to wash the dishes ... there seems to be quite a few of them!

I prepared one 9x13 oval pan with cooking spray and then lined two 8x8 square pans to put in the freezer.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the large pan and 1/4 cup in each small pan.  Divide half of the pasta into the three pans.  Top the noodles with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce in the large pan and 1 1/4 cup in the small pans.  Top with half the cheese.  Repeat the layers:  remaining pasta, remaining sauce and remaining cheese.

Freeze the two smaller pans.  Cover the larger pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is fully melted.  Delicious with a side of veggies and garlic bread!

Delizioso!

Food For Thought ~ Green & Blue Food

I remember as a kid my mom saying, "Put a rainbow on your plate."  Green salad, red tomatoes, yellow cornbread, white chicken breast off the grill with a splash of magenta bbq sauce!  That was how she encouraged us to eat a variety of fresh foods and to have a diverse selection of nutritious eats at each meal.

Every now and then those words come back to me ... especially during my un-inspired meals when I bring to the table blah foods.  Recently when I served the family rice, chicken and french bread, I was tempted to give everybody a generous squirt of ketchup in an attempt to at least provide two colors to eat from!

Today's Food For Thought will help you add two colors to your dinner:  Green and a dash of Blue.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes
(This is my "guess and by gosh" recipe ... it turned out tasty!)

Ingredients:
2 very green tomatoes, no pink on them
1 cup Panko, Japanese-style bread crumbs
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup flour
Pinch of coarse salt
Olive oil

In the same way that you bread eggplant or chicken, prepare three dishes:  one with the beaten eggs, one with the flour and salt and one with the bread crumbs.  Eat about 1/2 inch of oil in the pan.  Cut the green tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices.

When the oil is hot, dip each slice of tomato in the flour, then the egg and finally in the bread crumbs.  Be sure to get each slice well coated.  Cook in the hot oil for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and let some of the oil whisk away.  I then stacked them in a casserole dish and slid them in to the oven at about 190 degrees to keep them hot until they were ready to be served.  The sharp taste of the green tomatoes coupled with the crispiness of the bread crumbs made this a dish worth making again!

Penne with Pesto, Blue Cheese and Walnuts

(This recipe is from The Dinner Doctor - with a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:

16 oz. box of penne pasta

1 cup walnuts, toasted*

1/2 cup pesto, from the store or homemade

1/4 blue cheese

1/2 pound broccoli or asparagus spears

* To toast the walnuts, put them in a dry skillet and cook over high heat until browned a bit, stirring constantly.  Remove them from the pan immediately to stop them from burning.

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.  During the final 5 minutes of cooking toss in the broccoli or asparagus.  (I chose broccoli this time as it was from our garden ... and it needed a delicious dish to be showcased in!  Asparagus is equally scrumptious!)

In a small bowl combine the pesto and blue cheese.  Use a fork to mash the blue cheese and incorporate it into pesto.

When the pasta and veggies are finished, drain thoroughly.  Return this to the pot and add the pesto mixture.  Toss well and serve immediately.  Top with toasted walnuts.

Those delightful fritters on the side are made from zucchini from our garden.  Here's how...

Zucchini Fritters

(This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, July/August 2010 with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini, grated

2 tsp. salt

4 scallions, chopped

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup flour

Olive oil

Place the grated zucchini in a colander in the sink and toss with the salt.  Let the zucchini drip into the sink for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a skillet.

In a medium bowl, combine the scallions, egg, cheese and flour.  Squeeze the excess water from the zucchini and add to the bowl.  Mix well.

When the oil is hot, spoon about 1/3 cup of the fritter mixture into little mounds in the oil.  Flatten with a spatula and let cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels and season with a pinch of salt.  Delish!

Apple Slaw

(This recipe was inspired by one in Food Network Magazine, October 2011 ... with a variety of tweaks!)

Ingredients:

4 apples, chopped (I chose Granny Smith)

1 large head endive, chopped

1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted

1 cup blue cheese

Vinaigrette (below)

Coarse salt and ground pepper taste

Vinaigrette:

3 T. honey

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. dijon mustard

2/3 cup olive oil

Coarse salt and ground pepper taste

Whisk together the honey, vinegar and mustard.  Add the oil slowly, whisking well.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the apples, endive, walnuts, blue cheese.  Add enough vinaigrette to coat.  The tart apples with bitter endive and rich blue cheese was a delightful mouthful!

Enjoy your rainbow plate today!

Food For Thought

My mom just returned from a whirl-wind trip to Italy, Greece and Croatia.  In just a mere 12 days, she saw such sights as Lago Maggiore in Italy, the site of the Olympic Games in Greece, and the "Pearl of the Adriatic" in Croatia ... and enjoyed a gondola ride in Venice, visited the conical, trullo homes in Bari and enjoyed 7 nights on a cruise ship.  Hence the whirl-windiness of her trip!

I am very excited to see pictures and hear about her many excursions and adventures ... and only wish that she had been able to bring back some of that authentic and delectable food.  Ah well ... I guess I need to start saving my pennies for my own Italian trip.  I figure I have about 25 years to starting planning!

In honor of my mom's world-traveling escapades, I am featuring three meals that she didn't eat while she was there.  But she might have!  I'm not claiming any ethnic authenticity here ... but they are tasty, easy, involve some sort of pasta and you can listen to the "Traditional Italian" station on Pandora and pretend you're in Milan. :)

Ravioli & Peas
(This recipe is from Food Network, March 2011 ... and modified beyond recognition.)

Ingredients:
7 slices of bacon, chopped
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 T. tomato paste
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup frozen peas, cooked
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pound frozen ravioli

Prepare the ravioli according to the package directions.  When finished, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain most of the fat off and add the garlic and tomato paste.  Cook for about 1 minute.  Add the cup of pasta cooking liquid to the skillet and let cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture is reduced by half.  Add the evaporated milk and simmer for about 3 minutes until it starts to thicken.  Add this sauce to the pot with the ravioli and add the peas.  Toss well until the noodles are well coated and then top with grated parmesan.

Little cheesy pillows of creamy goodness!

Lemon Alfredo

(This recipe is from Food Network, March 2011 ... and adjusted a bit.)

Ingredients:

1 medium shallot, minced

1 T. butter

1 1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 egg yolk

2 t. lemon zest

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt & Pepper

16 oz. fettuccine noodles

Prepare the fettuccine noodles according to the package directions.  When finished, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining.

In a skillet, cook the shallot in the butter until golden brown.  In a small bowl, whisk in the evaporated milk, egg yolk, lemon zest and parmesan cheese.  Reduce the heat of the skillet and slowly add the creamy mixture.  Whisk in the skillet until it thickens up, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the sauce to the pot of fettuccine and use tongs to mix well.  Top with more parmesan cheese.

Norah loves the creamy-lemony deliciousness!

Greek Pastitsio

(This recipe is from Taste of Home, Jan 2011.  I made a few changes.)

Ingredients:

16 oz elbo macaroni

2 lb. ground beef (or lamb)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic clove, minced

2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce

2 t. salt

1/2 t. oregano

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

6 T butter

6 T flour

3 cups milk

2 eggs, beaten (in a small bowl)

Cook the macaroni according to package instructions.  Set aside when finished.

In a large skillet, cook the meat, onion and garlic.  When no longer pink, add the tomato sauce, 1 t. salt, oregano, pepper and cinnamon.  Heat through.

Grease a 9x13 pan (or 2 9x9 if you want to freeze one).  Spread 1/2 of the macaroni in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle 1/2 the parmesan cheese over the noodles and then add the meat mixture.  Top with the remaining macaroni and set aside.

Noodles and Meat ...

And more noodles!

In the same pot you cooked the noodles, melt butter.  Stir in the flour and 1 t. salt.  Stir and cook until smooth.  Gradually add the milk and whisk well.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes until it's thickened.  Remove this from the heat and ladle out a small amount into the bowl with the eggs.  Stir this well and then add it back into the creamy mixture.  Bring to a gentle boil again and let cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

Simmering, Scrumptious Sauce :)

Pour this mixture over the macaroni.  (If making 2 9x9 pans, freeze one now and bake the other.)

A bit of a messy meal to prepare ...

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

But, oh so worth it!

Food For Thought

Being a mom of little people, we eat a lot of pasta.  A lot.  Several times a week.  Not counting lunch.

Noodles are a tried and true part of any preschooler's diet and so to make sure that at least part of our meals are consumed in a timely fashion, I frequently serve some sort of pasta dish.  Also, as the kids have grown, it has been helpful to have pasta on hand to fill their bottomless-pit bellies!  There are meals when I wonder if Aaron and Norah will ever get enough to eat!  Seconds ... thirds ... eek!  Is there anything left?!?

Around our table, we enjoy spaghetti, macaroni, rigatoni and ziti.  The kids aren't terribly big fans of tortelini or ravioli ("I don't like the yucky stuff inside."  "The yummy, cheesy good stuff? Okay ... more for Mom!") so we steer clear of that usually.  But even with a wide variety of squirly, twirly noodles ... even that gets boring.

In a quest to freshen up our pasta meals, I discovered gnocchi.  And fell in love!  Delicious little bites of pasta heaven!  Here are two very different recipes staring my new favorite pasta:  Gnummy, Gnummy Gnocchi.  Enjoy!

Gnocchi Alfredo
(This recipe is from Taste of Home, Aug/Sept. 2009 ... with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. potato gnocchi (I bought the vacuum sealed pouches in the pasta aisle.)
3 T. butter
1 T + 1 1/2 t. flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (from the green can!)
1 cups baby spinach
Ground nutmeg
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

Set a large pot of water to boil.  Gnocchi cook very quickly, so don't boil them until your sauce is ready.

For the sauce, melt 1 T. butter in a small pot.  Stir in the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Gradually add the milk and whisk well, removing any lumps.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened (stirring constantly).  Remove the creamy mixture from the heat and add a dash of nutmeg and the parmesan cheese.  Put a lid on this and set it off to the side.

Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they start to float.  Drain the gnocchi.  In the same large pot that you cooked the gnocchi, melt the remaining 2 T. butter and saute the mushrooms, spinach and pasta until they are lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.

This, alone, smelled divine!

Serve the gnocchi with a drizzle of cheese sauce.  Yum!

And tasted divine, too!

Gnocchi & Veggies
(This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, Feb/Mar 2009 ... with the usual tweaks.)

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground beef
4 T. red wine
3 shallots, chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 T. tomato paste
Salt and pepper
15 oz. can of dice tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 strips of orange peel
2/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 lb. gnocchi

Heat a medium-sized skillet and cook the bacon and garlic.  When crispy, add the beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add the red wine, shallots, carrots, celery and tomato paste.  Cook until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Waiting for the veggies to soften.

Add the tomatoes with the juices, broth, bay leaf, orange peel and olives.  Bring this mixture to a simmer, cover the pan and let cook for about 20 minutes.  Next, uncover the pan, turn the hit to medium hight and bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally until the sauce is thickened.  Remove the orange peel and bay leaf.

Waiting for the sauce to thicken.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare the gnocchi according to the package directions.  When the gnocchi is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce.  Delish!

Waiting to eat it all up!

Food For Thought

Sometimes I find myself in a bit of a rut.  Doing the same things (laundry, vacuuming, dishes).  Saying the same things ("Please turn that off."  "Please get your shoes on." "Please don't sit on the table.").  And eating the same things (hamburgers, sandwiches, tacos).  After a while, all this hum-drum-ness really gets on my nerves!  I need to shake things up a bit and breath a fresh breath into my daily routine, my conversations and my meals.  And some of that good healthy change comes when we think "outside-the-box".

I'm still working on how to freshen up my days and my words ... but I did find two new pasta dishes that certainly freshened up our meals a few times last week.  My kids love mac-n-cheese ... but Mommy can only handle that once a week for lunches.  So ... the task was to find some pasta meals that the kids liked and that didn't taste like the same ol' same ol'.  I'm happy to say that I was successful!  Thanks FoodNetwork! :)

Here are two meals that will help you think outside "the pasta box" ... and you might be surprised that the kids may ask you for seconds!

Spanish-Style Noodles with Chicken and Sausage
(This recipe is from FoodNetwork Magazine, December 2009 ... with a few tweaks.)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt & Pepper
1 t. oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 bay leaves
1 small can tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
16 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds
Parmesan cheese for garnish
(Next time I will add some red bell peppers to the list.)

First, bring your teakettle to a boil.  You will need this later.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the chicken and kielbasa.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then brown the meat on all sides.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a plate to cool.  To the same pot, add the onions, garlic, tomato puree (and red peppers).  Stir well and then add the bay leaves.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook this mixture until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add a splash of water if things start to stick.  Pull out the bay leaves.

The tomatoes and onions mingling ...

Next add the broken pasta to the mixture and stir.  This was a little challenging, but with a little work, I was able to get the pasta coated in the tomato mixture.  Stir-fry this for about 6 minutes until it has turned a nice golden color.

The noodles trying to mingle ...

Add the tomato paste and the chicken and kielbasa back into the pot with enough of the boiling water to cover the noodles completely.  Simmer this mixture until the pasta is tender and the sauce thickens ... about 15 minutes.

Everything hanging out in one big pot.

Sprinkle each serving with a little parmesan cheese.  We had toasted pita chips on the side.

Yes ... that's parmesan from the green jar ... culinary cuisine!

The kids devoured this meal and asked for more ... yeah, Mom!

Cold Curry-Peanut Noodles

(This recipe is from FoodNetwork Magazine, June 2010 ... with a few tweaks, as usual!)

Ingredients:

16 oz. spaghetti
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 1/2 T. green curry paste
3 t. vinegar
Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 green onions, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large carrot (or 8 baby carrots!), coarsely grated

All those fresh veggies waiting to be eaten by the kids!

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook it according to the label's instruction.  Ladle out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set this aside.  Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Let drain.

Meanwhile, puree the peanut butter, curry paste, vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, 3/4 cup water and 1 t. salt in the food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.

Chunky peanut butter and cilantro?!?

Green, creamy goodness!

In a large serving bowl, toss the noodles with the peanut sauce, green onions, carrots and cucumber.  I used salad tongs to mix.  Once the noodles and veggies are well coated, add some of the reserved pasta water to help loosen up the sauce.  Season with a dash of salt and top with extra cilantro.  I served this with toasted pita triangles.  Hmmm ... we appear to be in a pita-rut, too! :)

Seconds, please!

The kids asked for seconds for this meal, too!  I was bummed there wasn't more available for lunch the next day!

Spanish Style Noodles with Chicken & Sausage

Cold Curry-Peanut Noodles

Food For Thought

We're are getting back to our normal diet around here.  More fruits and veggies.  Less cookies and sweets.  More whole grains.  Less sugar.  Yeah ... kinda depressing. :)  Of course I write that while I nibble some dark chocolate Santa gave me in my stocking and sip my iced coffee ... so, not that much better, I guess!  :)

This week I thought I would share three pasta dinners that we enjoyed recently.  Three pasta dinners cooked three different ways:  crock pot, soup pot and skillet.  All tasty!

To make these recipes a tad bit healthier, I sometimes use noodles by Barilla.  They have a "Plus" product that is better for you than semolina noodles, but they don't get pasty like whole wheat noodles.  Check them out.  They cost a few cents more, but they're worth it.  Every little bit helps when we're looking to eat healthier!

Two-Step Stroganoff
(From Taste Of Home's "The Slow Cooker" cookbook, page 142 ... with a few adjustments.)


Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained (you could use ground turkey)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 T tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. flour
3/4 cup sour cream (The fat-free option works great!)
Hot cooked noodles
(egg noodles are the traditional pasta to use with stroganoff)

In your crock pot, combine everything except the flour, sour cream and noodles.  Mix it well, cover it and cook on low for 6 hours.

Ready to cook all day

Six hours later

At the end of the 6 hours, combine the flour and sour cream in a small bowl.  Mix it until it is well combined.  Add this to the beef mixture and mix well.  Cover the crock pot and let cook for 1 hour or until thickened.  Serve on top of noodles.

Perfect with a green salad.

The kids went back for seconds on this one ... even with the mushrooms and onions.  Yeah!

Pasta & Sausage Soup

(From my friend, Kim.  Thanks for sharing!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb italian sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes (with juice)

3 cups of water

3 cups of chicken broth

1 T. Worchestershire sauce

1 t. basil

1 t. thyme

1 t. salt

12 oz. uncooked pasta

In a large pot, brown up sausage.  Drain off fat.

Ready to saute

Add onion, garlic and pepper and saute until soft.  Add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered until pasta is tender - about 15-20 minutes.  A great meal for a chilly wintery day ... hint, hint! :)  Simple and scrumptious!

So savory and so simple!

It's even better the next day, but you will have to add a little extra broth as the noodles will keep absorbing the liquid.  

Pasta with Zucchini & Ham

(From Food Network Magazine, July/August 2010 ... with a few adjustments.)

Ingredients:

16 oz. pasta (I used big tube pasta ... or, mezzi rigatoni, that's authentic name.)
1 medium zucchini
3 T olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/4 lb. Black Forest Ham, cut into strips*
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

* I went to the deli and asked for 1/4 lb ham cut thick and then sliced it into strips at home.

Simple ingredients

In a big pot, boil water and cook pasta according to directions.  When the pasta is finished, drain the noodles, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.  Set this aside for later.

Trim the ends of the zucchini and then grate it with your cheese grater.  Toss the zucchini with a little salt and then toss it into a colander to sit for a bit in your sink.  The salt will draw out the moisture in the zucchini.  Drip, drip, drip.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/4 t. salt.  Cook until the garlic is golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook them until they are softened.  Squeeze the zucchini of any extra moisture and add to the skillet, along with the ham.

This, alone, smelled wonderful!

Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water and toss together.  Heat over medium heat until warmed through.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in the cheese.

All those noodles with deliciousness nestled inside!

The added cooking water and the cheese make a wonderful sauce for this pasta ... light and delicious!