Summer Squash Alfredo Pasta

With the abundance of garden produce every summer always comes lots of squash--although not too much this time, because we didn't overplant. :) But I had several summer squash that needed using at once, so I decided to try something new. It was a success!


Summer Squash Alfredo Pasta

I just threw together the following:

Cooked whole wheat pasta (about 26 oz. uncooked)
5 or 6 medium-sized summer squash, diced and cooked
Homemade Alfredo Sauce--my favorite homemade Alfredo sauce can be found here, but I included it below for convenience:

Light Alfredo Sauce

2 c. milk
1/3 c. (3 oz) cream cheese
2 Tb. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tb. butter
3 garlic cloves
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese (I used the real kind)

Toss milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in blender (I love how easy this part is!)

Process until smooth and set aside.

In non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic.

Let garlic saute for about 30 seconds, being careful not to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.

Add milk mixture to pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When nice and thickened remove pan from heat. Add cheese, stir it up, then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in fridge, sauce will thicken almost into a solid; just re-heat and add a little milk.

Creamy Tomato Soup

A couple weeks ago we had garden tomatoes coming out our ears! I didn't have time to can and didn't want to put any more diced tomatoes in the freezer either, so I decided to make a huge pot of tomato soup. I've done this before but never found a recipe we just loved. So I asked my friends on Facebook and was referred to the recipe on Our Best Bites. I tried it and it was a big hit! So this has instantly become our family's default recipe for homemade tomato soup. 

Note: This time I modified it as indicated in italics, but I may try it other ways when we have other ingredients.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 Tb reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil (I used the latter)
1 c. chopped onion
¾ c. shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar (I used raw sugar)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 c. sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (I would love to try this some time but didn't have it.)
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (This is where the fresh, homegrown tomatoes came in for me--not canned this time of year.)
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese

optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

Place oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

Add sun-dried tomatoes (if using), canned tomatoes, chicken broth, (raw) sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. (If adding red pepper flakes, add now.)

Bring soup to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place soup in blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary)--or I highly recommend using an immersion blender. Add cream cheese. Process until smooth.

Add additional salt and pepper to taste and then divide soup among bowls. Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaf, if desired.