Easy Cheesy Ravioli

Easy Cheesy Ravioli (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

2 pkg.  (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli or tortellini

1  red pepper, chopped

1 tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup  frozen peas

1 cup  shredded Italian cheese

Directions

1.)    Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2.)    Cook and stir peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved water, cream cheese spread and peas; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and peas are heated through.

3.)    Add pasta; stir to evenly coat. If sauce is too thick, thin with remaining reserved cooking water. Top with shredded cheese.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but wanted to include the basic information here.  First, I used tortellini instead of ravioli because it was lower in calories and sodium!  I could not find the low fat version of the cream cheese spread, but if your local store has it, go for it.  I used fresh instead of frozen peas because we had them in our CSA bag.  I followed the directions as above, but should have thrown in the fresh peas with the red pepper.  As is, they are quite crunchy (a little too much).  I also did not use the shredded cheese, I don’t feel that the dish really needed it.

Now, on to the taste of the dish.  I thought it was OK, but I didn’t love it.  I did add in some chopped garlic greens in the leftovers and that has really helped the flavor!  My husband liked it as is, so I guess it all depends on your preference for cream cheese (by the way, he also did not add extra cheese, which is a big deal!).  I recommend adding some pepper or garlic if you make this recipe.  If I make it again, I might try one of the other flavored cream cheese, just to see if that works a bit better.

Easy Cheesy Ravioli

Easy Cheesy Ravioli (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

2 pkg.  (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli or tortellini

1  red pepper, chopped

1 tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup  frozen peas

1 cup  shredded Italian cheese

Directions

1.)    Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2.)    Cook and stir peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved water, cream cheese spread and peas; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and peas are heated through.

3.)    Add pasta; stir to evenly coat. If sauce is too thick, thin with remaining reserved cooking water. Top with shredded cheese.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but wanted to include the basic information here.  First, I used tortellini instead of ravioli because it was lower in calories and sodium!  I could not find the low fat version of the cream cheese spread, but if your local store has it, go for it.  I used fresh instead of frozen peas because we had them in our CSA bag.  I followed the directions as above, but should have thrown in the fresh peas with the red pepper.  As is, they are quite crunchy (a little too much).  I also did not use the shredded cheese, I don’t feel that the dish really needed it.

Now, on to the taste of the dish.  I thought it was OK, but I didn’t love it.  I did add in some chopped garlic greens in the leftovers and that has really helped the flavor!  My husband liked it as is, so I guess it all depends on your preference for cream cheese (by the way, he also did not add extra cheese, which is a big deal!).  I recommend adding some pepper or garlic if you make this recipe.  If I make it again, I might try one of the other flavored cream cheese, just to see if that works a bit better.

Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Ravioli

Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach Ravioli (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 6-8)

Ingredients

·         ¼ tsp. ground cumin

·         ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

·         2 Tbsp. margarine

·         1 cup chopped onions

·         ¾ cup sliced leeks

·         2 ½ cups peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash

·         ½ cup dry white wine

·         5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

·         1 pinch ground cinnamon

·         1 pinch ground ginger

·         1 pound cheese-filled spinach ravioli

·         ¾ cup half-and-half

·         salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.      Cook cumin and nutmeg in a large saucepan over medium heat until lightly browned. Stir in the margarine and sauté the onions and leeks until tender.

2.      Mix in squash, wine, and vegetable broth. Season with cinnamon and ginger. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

3.      Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ravioli, and cook according to package directions for al dente.  Drain.

4.      With a hand mixer, puree the soup mixture. Blend in half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

5.      Mix in the cooked ravioli just before serving.

I used two packages of tortellini (about 9 oz. each): one cheese and one spinach.  Since there was more pasta, I also increased the spices, broth, and wine to help keep the texture more soup-like.  Even though, I made these changes, I found that it was more of a pasta sauce than soup – the consistency is quite thick.  That being said, this is a pretty delicious recipe and quite creamy.  The sauce does not have an overwhelming taste of butternut squash and you cannot taste the onions (the cooked down so much that I couldn’t even find them!).  I do find that this needs a little bit more heat for me, so I have added red chili pepper flakes and cayenne pepper to leftovers to help amp up the spiciness.  This dish also reheats quite well.  I definitely plan on making it again!