Thursday, January 19, 2012

Ravioli - Quick Thursday Night Dinner...Watch out Olive Garden & Macaroni Grill...

Tonight I worked late and got stuck in traffic on the way home -- it took me over 30 minutes to travel the 4-mile commute home....errrrrrr!  While sitting in traffic I began to contemplate what I could make for dinner that was quick and easy and tasty too and that used items I already had on hand at home.  In my fridge, I had a partially used jar of pasta sauce -- Bertolli's Fire Roasted Tomato w/ Cabernet Sauvignon that needed to be used up as well as a few small fresh zucchinis in my veggie bin.  In my freezer was a bag of cheese ravioli that I like to keep in there for nights like tonight.  When I got home I put a pot of water on the stove to boil while I washed and sliced my zucchini and then quickly sauteed them in a pan along with a splash of olive oil.  I tossed the ravioli into my pot of boiling water - they only take 3-4 minutes to cook.  By the time my raviolis were done, my zucchinis were cooked.  I poured the leftover pasta sauce over the cooked zucchini, along with a generous sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to give it some zing and tossed it all together....and VOILA!  I hit it with some shredded Parmesan cheese and it was ready to eat.  My dinner took a total of 15-20 minutes from start to sitting down and actually eating.  I served it along with a salad and we had a great meal.  Watch out Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill....in less than 20 minutes (and for only a few dollars) I can put together a meal that would make you guys blush with embarrassment!  A good meal doesn't have to be difficult or expensive or time consuming and it sure beats eating out all the time.  We have enough leftover for another meal too, making it less than $6.00 for 4 servings....how awesome is that???  P.S. - If you like meat with your meal, you could substitute meat filled ravioli for the cheese filled.  We like to eat several meatless meals per week...so you could go either way you want, depending on your preference.

Check this out...(zucchini, sauce & cheese ravioli)...

Zucchinis cooking away...

Sauce and cheese ravioli...

 Makes this...(a delicious and quick meal)...


Voila!
BOOM!
It really is possible to eat "fast food" in your own home that is healthy and delicious too!  No magic wand required.  Enjoy!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should try that recipe using Raos sauce,ever hear of it?

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Actually, yes I have -- I've got a couple of jars in my pantry now!