Ragu: A little spice... and something nice! Ends 9/16/11

I must tell you how inspired I am by Ragu's amazing new program called Mom's the Word on Dinner!

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about The One-Bite Rule and how Mike and I used it (and still use it) to get our daughter and ourselves to try new foods.

Watching the video's of other Moms describing their meal plans, offering tips and suggestions, offering support, sharing recipes... it's an incredible source of invaluable information and knowledge. After all, who knows what a Mom needs more than another Mom?

There are many issues facing Mom (or Dad) when it's time to plan dinner: What to cook, how to make it appealing, how much to cook, and what to do with left-overs.

You and I know that pasta on it's own is fairly bland. It must be paired with other ingredients to really shine.

Spicy foods are always popular as long as the heat is manageable. Too hot and it's too much. Especially for the younger kids.

Recently, Mom's The Word on Dinner asked this question:
How do YOU spice up dinner?



Tonight, I'd like to tell you how we not only spice up our pasta dishes but how we get two great meals out of one quick and easy prep session!

Recipe #1: Shrimp fra Diavolo

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of shrimp: heads off, peeled, deveined
1 large jar Ragu Traditional Sauce
1 small jar of hot (or medium for a milder heat) salsa
1/2 cup fresh pico de gallo
1 box linguine
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Butter (real butter is best)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup finely diced red onion

DIRECTIONS:

Place Ragu and salsa in a pot and stir together. Allow to simmer on low while preparing the shrimp.

Rinse the peeled, deveined shrimp to ensure all the shell is off.

In a skillet,  saute the butter and onion and simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes until onions begin to soften, add the shrimp and garlic and toss occassionally until all of the shrimp is bright pink. Make sure each shrimp is nicely coated with sauce.

Add the shrimp mixture to the Ragu / salsa pot and stir together. Continue to simmer on low as you prepare the linguine. Resist the urge to simmer on a higher temp as you don't want to over cook the shrimp!

Prepare the linguine as directed. Drain and plate. Pour 1/2 of the Sauce over the pasta. (Don't add the pasta to the sauce pan!)

***Be sure to reserve 1/2 of the sauce / shrimp mixture for tomorrow's meal!***

Sprinkle the top of the plate with pico de gallo and parmesan cheese and enjoy!

A gourmet pasta dish in under than 30 minutes!

Recipe #2: Shrimp Po-Boys

This is my take on the New Orleans version of the Po-Boy. Simple, quick, and oh-so-delicious!

Ingredients:

Provolone Cheese -- sliced
Mozzarella Cheese -- sliced
Hoagie Rolls
Left-over Ragu / Shrimp mixture

DIRECTIONS:

Re-heat the Ragu / Shrimp mixture on low. (About 15 minutes).
Slice open Hoagie rolls and place a slice of mozzarella on one side and provolone on the other. Toast until the cheese is bubbly. Pour some of the shrimp mixture over the Hoagie roll and serve with a side of veggies or a salad.

It's a spicy, delicious meal that you and your kids will love!

Your prep time for this dish? About 15 minutes!

Two meals -- easy prep. More time spent with the kids!

Left-overs don't have to be boring and bland. They can always be spiced up and eagerly anticipated -- you just have to think outside the... recipe box! ;0

The fabulous folks at Ragu want to know what you think about dinner, too! You can connect with them at Mom's the Word on Dinner, @ragusauce on Twitter, and on their YouTube Channel.

They have also very generously offered *FIVE* of my readers a chance to win a Jar of Ragu Sauce PLUS a $10 GC to help you prepare a fabulous meal for your family!

Just follow the instructions below for your chance to enter to win!

DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation for this post. The opinions expressed herein are my own and based on my own use of and experience with the item(s).