Recipes From Louise
By Louise McClain Special to The True Citizen

March is National Noodle Month. Noodles are a versatile food as well as a comfort food. They can play a major role in your meal planning, because they are used in main dishes, salads, soups, appetizers, and desserts. Whether they're fine, medium, wide or extra-wide, they are a feel-good food. With so many sizes, shapes, and colors available, you can serve them every day for a year and never make them the same way twice. So serve your family noodles today. They are sure to make your meals delightful.

Eight-Layer Salad

1½ cups uncooked small pasta shells
1 TBSP vegetable oil
3 cups shredded lettuce
3 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper
1 cup julienned fully cooked ham
1 cup julienned hard salami
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen peas, thawed
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Colby or
Monterey Jack cheese
2 TBSP minced fresh parsley

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Place the lettuce in a 2-1/2-qt. glass serving bowl; top with macaroni and eggs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer with ham, salami and peas. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions and mustard. Spread over the top. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Yield: 10 servings.

Cheesy Pasta & Broccoli

½ lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, broken in half,
uncooked
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen broccoli cuts
1 cup Cheez Whiz Cheese Dip

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 6 minutes of the spaghetti cooking time. Meanwhile, microwave Cheez Whiz as directed on label. Drain spaghetti; place in large bowl. Add Cheez Whiz; toss until spaghetti is evenly coated. Makes 8 servings.

Lighter Macaroni & Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (7
oz.)
2 TBSP margarine
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. ground mustard
¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups fat-free (skim) milk
1½ cups reduced-fat shredded or
cubed sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz.)

Heat oven to 350ºF. Cook macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, melt margarine in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6.

Spaghetti Frittata

6 eggs
1½ cups cut-up cooked spaghetti
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach or
broccoli
½ cup finely chopped ham, any variety
1 cup shredded cheddar and Monterey
Jack cheese, divided
¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in spaghetti, spinach, ham, ½ cup of the cheese and the salt. Spread into greased 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until center is set. Makes 4 servings.