This pasta dish is my latest obsession. I love roasted red peppers, and this recipe features a creamy red pepper sauce that is super simple to make. It takes roughly 30 minutes to make, so it is perfect for a busy weeknight.

What you need:
1 pound of pasta
2 sweet Italian sausage links, with the casings removed
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
one 16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
1 cup heavy cream
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:
1. In a large pot, boil some salted water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

2. While the pasta is cooking, make your sauce.

3. Cook the sausages and onion in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat up with a spatula as it cooks.

4. When the onions are tender, add in the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for roughly 3 minutes.

5. In a blender or food processor, blend the heavy cream and drained red peppers for about 20 seconds.

6. Pour the red pepper mixture into the skillet with the meat, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well, and return it to the pot. Pour in the sauce, and add the basil leaves and Parmesan. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan if you like.

 I'm not at all a vegetarian as I dearly love meat, but every now and then I want a dish that's light and not as heavy as a traditional meat dish. This is where ratatouille comes in! This dish contains a handful of flavorful vegetables paired with a tomato sauce which is just fine as a meal all by itself, or it can be served alongside your favorite meat dish.

The secret to a good ratatouille (in my opinion) is the evenness of the sliced vegetables. If they aren't sliced evenly, they won't cook evenly. Make sense? A mandoline slicer makes this task a breeze.

Let's get started.

What You Need:
1 large eggplant
1 large yellow squash
1 large zucchini
1 large red pepper (or a mix of red, yellow, and orange)
1 1/2 cups good tomato sauce (I prefer homemade)
a couple sprigs of thyme
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste

How To Make It:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice all of the vegetables into even slices with a knife or mandoline slicer.

3. Coat your casserole dish/cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and spread the pasta sauce in the bottom.

4. Arrange the sliced vegetables in the dish/skillet in a circular pattern on top of the sauce.

5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the vegetables, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay the thyme sprigs on top.

6. Loosely cover with foil and bake until the vegetables are tender (45 minutes to an hour, depending on how thin they are.)

Serve with crusty bread!

I absolutely adore Mexican food, and this dish really satisfies my cravings for it. It is perfect alongside some Spanish rice or black beans and corn.

What you need:

Filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup diced pepper jack cheese

Chicken:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 Tablespoons olive oil

Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and guacamole for garnish

How to make it:
1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

2. Add in the peppers, onion, salt,  and pepper. Cook until soft.

3. Put the peppers mixture into a medium-sized bowl, and stir in the cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, and cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined.

4. Place the chicken and all of the seasonings (except olive oil) in a separate bowl and toss until the chicken is well covered.

5. Using a very sharp knife, slice a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff each one with 1/3 of the cheese mixture.

6. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken for roughly 5 minutes on each side, or until it is done.

7. Place the cooked chicken on a plate and serve with Pico de Gallo, guacamole and sour cream.