My Wednesday Pantry-When Your Husband Cooks Two Pounds of Spaghetti Edition

 

     Guess what I hunted for since last Thursday? If you guess recipes that use cooked spaghetti, you are winner. If you did not previously read my Fridays post in which I shared that DH cooked a two pound box of spaghetti for the two of us, I'll fill you in that I had to large, each holding slightly more than cups of pasta, containers leftover. Now I like pasta as much, maybe even more, than the next  Giada, but I didn't want to eat it daily for a week. Belinda at Frugal Workshop mentioned in a comment that it could be frozen so, I decided I would make two meals, one to freeze for later, and one we would eat on the weekend. Well, there was even more than that so it actually became three, plus DH ate leftovers on Saturday.

     The first is just my Tuna Hotdsh, of which I've made and shared the recipe for countless times, but I had two cooked chicken tenderloins that needed to be eaten so I used chicken instead of tuna and cream of chicken instead of  mushroom. I just used spaghetti noodles and called it Tetrazzini. I pepped it up with a bit more mayo and milk, much more onion, and some olives. Sauce is just 1 can cream of something soup, 2/3 can of milk, lots of pepper and garlic powder, 1/2 Cup mayonnaise, and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Mix with 8-10 ounces cooked pasta and 1-2 cans tuna (or equivalent chicken like I did this time) depending on your preference. Add a vegetable if you want-sometimes we include peas or mixed vegetables, like the remaining bits I had for this  tetrazzini. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 35-45 minutes at 350. Another twist this time, was I put it in the crock pot on warm before I went to the office Monday, then on high for an hour when I got home. I also skipped bread crumbs. Well, I guess this was a whole different recipe with all the changes, but essentially the same pattern of pasta, protein, cheese, veg, sauce...

It was a nice hearty plate of pasta hotdish.

     Jen G commented that baked spaghetti would  take care of the leftovers, and I agreed, but wanted a twist.   The one for the freezer was found on the trusty Betty Crocker site. Here's the link to Pizza Baked Spaghetti. I was disappointed that I didn't have as much mozzarella as I would have liked, but I added a bit of cheddar and colby and didn't put any cheese on the top for the freezer. I figured we won't eat until next month and I'll buy more mozzarella cheese by the time we bake it. I think this is going to come with us next week to the lake for an easy throw in the oven meal. I'll give you the verdict once it's devoured. 

I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped and froze,
 but here is the BC Spaghetti Pizza Hotdish.

     On Sunday, I had planned on making brunch, but then DH was hungry for cinnamon rolls right away before church. I knew  even with the  dish in the freezer, and the plans for the tetrazzini, I still had more noodles to use. Lunch then was the odd bits from the fridge stirred together and baked including the last chunk of a zucchini, the remainder of a can of tomatoes, 1/2 and onion, the dozen or so pepperoni slices, three small chunks of assorted cheeses, and topped with a few slices of colby cheese. 

     If you are ever in a position of having too much pasta, I guess there should never be fear. Spread out over a few recipes and freezing portions for later, or even the whole dish for later, will help the boredom factor. It felt good not to waste, but it will be a while before I cook any more spaghetti noodles!