Perfect Pasta

Food prepared and photography by Brooke Echols

Cook of the Month Anne Ward, Dixie EC

Anne Ward says her recipe for Greek Spaghetti “isn’t what I’d call typical Greek spaghetti,” because “every time I make it it’s a little different.” She created her recipe based on a dish she had several years ago at a small Greek restaurant in Clearwater, Fla. “I was an insurance examiner for the state of Alabama,” she recalls, and while there working on a case her aunt and uncle took her to eat at the restaurant. The spaghetti was a side dish to an entrée. She liked it so much she wanted to make it for herself and her family, and “I’m always willing to try something new.” The result was her prize-winning recipe  that uses sausage for the meat, and what she calls “stoplight” bell peppers to add color and taste. Those ingredients aren’t typical, she admits, “but you know I’ve always got to mess with recipes!”  She says her children like it and her neighbors like it, and now she’s glad Alabama Living readers will get a chance to taste it as well. Anne won Cook of the Month honors in 2024 for her recipe for “Butter Buckle Ice Cream Dessert.” “I’m just tickled I won for the second time,” she says. “Wow!”  — Lenore Vickrey

Greek Spaghetti

1 14-16-ounce package smoked sausage (Polish kielbasa, Conecuh, Kelley’s, etc.) cut into rounds or bite-sized medallions

1-11/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken, vegetable broth)

1 pound fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thick

2 large or 3 medium sweet onions, sliced thick

Fresh or refrigerated garlic, minced

3 bell peppers (1 each green, red and yellow),
sliced thick

2 celery stalks, pared (destringed), sliced thick

Greek seasoning, to taste

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 8-ounce bag baby spinach or baby kale and spinach blend (or 1-10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained)

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 

1 16-ounce package long noodles (spaghetti, fettuccini, linguini)

Grape tomatoes, halved, optional for garnish

Capers, optional for garnish

Feta cheese, optional for garnish

   Brown sausage medallions in large Dutch oven. Remove from pan and set aside. Deglaze pan with white wine or broth. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook down until soft but not mushy. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Cook celery and peppers in microwave, 6-9 minutes on high, stirring after each 3 minutes. Drain any moisture that cooks out. Add Greek seasoning to taste and lemon zest. Add spinach/kale and cook only until wilted. Add back the browned sausage. Cook an additional few minutes. Add olives. Turn off heat. 

   Cook noodles in salted water in accordance with package directions to al dente. Drain, reserving about a cup of the salted water. Add 1 stick butter to the hot noodle pan and stir until melted. Add lemon juice. Cook about 1 minute on low. Turn off heat. Stir in noodles to coat with the lemon butter sauce. Add lemon buttered noodles and any remaining sauce to the sausage and vegetables. Mix well. Add a little of the reserved salted pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce.

   Garnish with halved grape tomatoes (uncooked) at the end, if desired. Garnish with capers and/or feta cheese (optional). Serve alone or with Greek salad and garlic bread.

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Spaghetti Pie

1 pound box angel hair spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1 medium white onion, chopped finely

4 ounces mozzarella cheese

1 5-ounce can tomato paste

8 ounces Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

1 16-ounce jar marinara sauce

1 medium tomato, diced and crushed

4 ounces ricotta cheese

¼ teaspoon each: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder

Cook spaghetti per directions on package. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet until no red is present. Move beef to one side of the skillet and then saute the chopped onion in the beef fat. Add a couple ounces olive oil, if skillet is too dry. Add tomato paste and cream cheese. Stir ingredients together until cheese is melted. Leave on low heat, stirring as necessary. 

   Pour the marinara sauce into a two-quart pot and put on medium heat. Add the diced tomatoes and ricotta cheese until cheese is melted. Add the marinara mix to the skillet and mix thoroughly. Season with garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Grease a large 15-inch deep dish pizza pan. Mix half the Parmesan cheese into the cooked spaghetti. Press the bottom of the pan with the cheese and spaghetti mixture. Cover the spaghetti completely with the sauce and meat mixture. 

   Cook spaghetti pie in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and cover top of pie with the other half of the Parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Return pie to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cook for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

Lonnie S. Meaders, Baldwin EMC

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Valarie’s Creamy Southern-Style Mac and Cheese

16 ounces elbow macaroni

2 boxes chicken broth

1 stick butter

16 ounces block-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 can white cheddar cheese soup

1 large can evaporated milk

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon creole seasoning

Boil noodles in chicken broth. Drain, but do not rinse. Pour in a 9×13-inch pan and cut up butter and place on top. In a saucepan, mix all remaining ingredients and stir on low until melted. Pour over macaroni noodles. Top with more shredded cheese and place in oven on broil just long enough to create a nice cheesy crust.

Valarie Walker, Joe Wheeler EMC

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The Best Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni

4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded

½ red onion, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen English peas

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup vinegar

½ cup fresh dill

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons sweet pickles, chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Cook macaroni, rinse in cold water. Mix noodles, cheese, onion, celery, bell pepper and peas. Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, dill, sugar, pickles, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over noodles. Coat well and chill.

Charlotte Megginson, Black Warrior EMC

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Chicken Vermicelli

1 3-pound whole chicken

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1 12-ounce package vermicelli

½ stick butter or margarine

1 10.5-ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 10.5-ounce can cream of celery soup

2 cups cheese, shredded, divided

Salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, to taste

Place whole chicken in a large stock pot and cover with water, add seasoning and boil until fully cooked. Remove to cool (reserving broth in pot), then debone and cut or shred the meat. Add vermicelli to reserved broth, simmering gently. Meanwhile, sauté onion and bell pepper in butter or margarine. Mix together chicken, vegetables and soups; add to vermicelli. Mix gently. Divide into two casserole dishes, top each with one cup of cheese. Bake one of the casseroles at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Freeze the other.

Johnette Brown, Baldwin EMC

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Pierogi Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles, divided

6 cups mashed potatoes, divided

2 sweet onions, thinly sliced and divided

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions and set aside. In a large skillet, add onions, butter, salt and pepper. Sauté on medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Place 4 lasagna noodles in an even layer on bottom of baking dish. Next layer is 1/2 of the mashed potatoes (3 cups) followed by 1/2 of the sautéed onions, then 1/2 cup cheese.

   Repeat another layer of noodles, remaining mashed potatoes, sautéed onions and 1/2 cup cheese. Top with the remaining 4 noodles and 1 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  

Paula Langhurst, Marshall-DeKalb EC

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The Buttered Home

Pasta is my love language. In a perfect world, pasta is calorie-free. But sometimes we just have to splurge a little and I have a tasty way to do it. We take one of the best food products of the great state of Alabama and make a delicious and easy One-Pan Conecuh Pasta dish. It is southern comfort food done easy with minimal clean up. Now that is what I call a beautiful thing! Find more recipes like this at thebutteredhome.com.

One-Pan Conecuh Pasta

1 pound smoked Conecuh sausage

2 cups rotini pasta, cooked al dente

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

11/2 cup Half & Half

1 tablespoon plain flour

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pinch red pepper flakes

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and drain; set aside. Slice sausage and brown in a large skillet. Remove and drain. Place butter in the same skillet over medium to low heat. Once melted, add flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add in Half & Half and whisk until thickened. Lower heat and add sausage, tomatoes, both cheeses and seasonings. Add cooked and drained pasta back to pan. Heat through for a minute and remove from heat. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.