I needed a fast dinner recently, so I turned to the classic: pasta. As the water boiled, I rummaged through the refrigerator. I thought about topping the pasta with the simple beauty of butter and Parmesan; but I took a quick peek around, just to see what else might strike my fancy.
And then I saw the Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball I'd bought on Manager's Special, with a bright orange sticker stating that it was half-price because it was nearing its expiration date.
I love Manager's Specials! I am the queen of Manager's Specials! I buy them, then figure out later what to do with them, much the way folks buy shares of farm produce during the summer and then pick up their goodies each week and determine menus based upon the contents.
So I chopped up some of the cheese ball, which would normally be served with crackers as an appetizer, and stirred it into the hot pasta so that it could melt into a rich, creamy sauce. Some peas for color and nutrition, and dinner was served!
Penne and Peas in Swiss-Almond Cream Sauce
- 1 pound penne
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 ounces Parmesan-Ranch cheese ball coated with almonds
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- pinch of freshly ground pepper
- grated Parmesan, for serving
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain, toss with butter.
Cut cheese ball into 1/2" pieces and stir into pasta; thin with milk. Place onto a serving platter and sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan.
Serves 2-4.
4 comments:
Parmesan-Ranch cheese is decadent by itself.... put it in pasta... and, well, it's pure genius!!!
Sometimes just making something of what we have on hand comes out to be the best. Love the idea.
Ohmygoodness, Mary! That looks delicious. I love the idea of a Parmesan Ranch Cheese ball and as a pasta topping? Even better!
My goodness, that sure looks good to me! I love peas, but hardly ever make them because Kevin hates them. What a treat this would be!
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