When cooking Pasta for spaghetti or any other dish. I recommend leaving the sauce and pasta in separate pans. That way you can add as much sauce as you want and the pasta that is left over can be made over into a new quick meal or snack. It does not matter what type of pasta is used they all can be used for these quick meal ideas. These are ideal for lunch or a quick snack. I always prepare all of my ingredients before hand and make sure to have ample Tupperware containers too. You can also freeze the pasta in microwave safe bags. Then later on you can boil or microwave for a convenient meal.
ingredients: shredded cheese about 1/4 cup ( any flavor will do)
small white onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
1 small bell pepper chopped
4 black olives pitted and chopped
1/2 cup Italian dressing
12 ounces cold pasta
Take out a medium sized Tupperware container that holds approximately 24 ounces, then add your pasta. On top of pasta we are going to add layers start with cheese then add celery, bell pepper, black olives, onion and then finally pour in the Italian dressing. Place lid on container and you can refrigerate until ready to eat or you can serve right away. Do not mix until ready to serve. This is a favorite in my family and My husband takes it to work with him. I always make extra pasta just so that I can make this with the leftovers. These ingredients are on a per container basis you can tailor it to meet your own needs.
Pasta salad with Tuna or Chicken
Ingredients: One can Tuna or Chunk Chicken drained
1/2 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peas
1 small onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
salt and pepper to taste ( optional)
12 ounces pasta
Take your 24 ounce Tupperware container and add 12 ounces of pasta. Then begin the layer process again starting with the celery, and then add onion, peas and salt and pepper ( optional). Then in a separate container take the sugar and mix with the salad dressing/mayonnaise until properly dissolved. Add the mixture to the top of the peas and spread evenly. Add lid to container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Do not mix until ready to serve.
Oil and Vinegar pasta salad
Ingredients: 1/2 cup of oil ( virgin olive oil is best)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup bacon bits
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup cucumber chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper chopped
3 tbsp Italian seasoning
Take your 24 ounce Tupperware container ( again). Add your pasta then we will start layering again. Start with cucumber, and then add bell pepper, onion, bacon bits, sunflower seeds. Then in a separate container mix oil, vinegar, and Italian seasoning after mixing together add to the pasta container. You can refrigerate until ready to eat. Do not mix until ready to serve.
These meals are fast and convenient, and you will have some use for that left over pasta. My family loves these and you can send them to work with yourself or your husband. These also make a great healthy lunch for your child. You can alter these recipes to meet your individual needs. These on average take me 5 minutes to prepare a lot of the same ingredients are used in each dish so I just prepare all the ingredients first, and then I put them together.
