Category: Pasta

A Tale of Two Pastas- Vegetarian Edition

Pasta, Vegetarian

Hey guys! It has been a while. I trust everyone had a happy Thanksgiving? It was nice and relaxing here. It was pretty much the same…1. Turkey- this year I did a breast…014
here is where you can find the recipe. Delicious! http://whatsgabycooking.com/roasted-turkey-breast/ 2. Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole http://altonbrown.com/best-ever-green-bean-casserole-recipe/ 3. Bacon and Mushroom Stuffing, cranberries,and some other ideas for next year http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/11/12/dining/essential-thanksgiving.html?_r=0

Feeling like you need a break from all that comfort food? How about some lighter comfort food? Vegetarian Comfort Food in fact. Here are a couple I have made in the last few days trying to use up pasta and some leftover ingredients in my kitchen.

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Pasta Aglio E Olio

INGREDIENTS

1/2 box bow-tie pasta (usually spaghetti, but use what you have)
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes
1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
a bit of chopped fresh parsley
as much as you want of Parmesan Cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package minus 1 minute, until it is al dente.
Strain and place in a large serving dish.
Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well. Add parsley on top and
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Antipasto Pasta

Ok, so this one is totally easy… I had some antipasto leftover from Thanksgiving… olives, artichokes, marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers, garlic, marinated mozzarella balls, and feta all in olive oil. I added this to my remaining pasta and topped with more mozzarella. Perfection!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Beef, Pasta, Pork

Hey guys! Happy Friday! Yesterday I ran to the store after work and picked up the ingredients for spaghetti and meatballs. Lizzie has been asking for this for a few days, so I figured I would honor her request. This was a pretty simple recipe. I usually just make them with just beef, but this time I spied some mild ground Italian sausage, so I thought I might change up my normal recipe and use 2 meats. Perfection! I hope you give it a try next time your family is craving meatballs. It is SO much better than those frozen ones. My family raved about them, and I got 5 sets of thumbs up for this meal!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

For the Meatballs-
1 pound ground sausage
1 pound ground beef (I used sirloin)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
about 2 teaspoons each of onion powder, garlic powder, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper
tablespoon or so of dried Italian Herbs or a good handful of fresh herbs
1 tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Mix all of the above ingredients. Do not over mix. Make into small-medium sized balls. I use a small ice cream scoop to make mine. Brown each side in a bit of oil in a large dutch oven. Take out. You will continue to let them cook in the sauce…

Easy Sauce (this makes tons of sauce…freeze the leftovers or use for a future meal)
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 container mushrooms, sliced (optional)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 glass red wine
A couple tablespoons of Worcestershire
1 tablespoon of sugar
Any fresh or dried herbs you have- I added rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram
You could even add in some chopped parsley if you have it.

Start by adding your chopped onion to the pan you cooked your meat in. Cook that for a a few minutes. Then add your garlic,mushrooms, and tomato paste. Mix until combined, about 2 minutes. Then add in your wine. Scrape off all those brown pieces on the bottom of your pan. Add in all your tomatoes, Worcestershire, sugar, and herbs. Mix well. Add your meatballs back in. Cook until meatballs have cooked through and your sauce is hot, about 20-30 more minutes depending on the size of your meatballs. Perfect over spaghetti!

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Butternut Squash Alfredo

Pasta, Vegetarian

So last night I made this amazing pasta with leftover Fettichini Alfredo. It was way too late to blog about it, but now that I have had some coffee in me, I think I am up for a quick blog post. I had a butternut squash on the counter that I barely remember buying, so I figured I should probably do something with it. I also had a few mushrooms that were on there last leg and half and onion that was begging for attention. Delicious vegetarian meal! Super easy!

Butternut Squash Alfredo

butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
mushrooms, sliced
onion, sliced
alfredo sauce
fettuccini

Directions

Add a few tablespoons of oil into a large pan. Cook down your veggies until soft, stirring every few minutes. About 15-20 minutes.
I used leftover pasta and sauce, but you can boil and cook your pasta while the veggies are cooking. You could make your sauce or buy one from the store =)
Add in your alfredo and noodles.

Told you it was easy!

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Shrimp Fettuccine Sorrentini

Date Night, Pasta, Seafood

Good evening, foodie friends! Hope you had a great weekend and did something grand! The other day, my husband requested a pasta he had at a local Italian place. He had this dish that had chicken, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and cubed mozzarella cooked in olive oil. So tonight I made this except with shrimp, since we just ate chicken last night.

Sorrentini is the name for pasta made with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and mozzarella cooked in olive oil. It was a big hit for my husband and me. This would be a perfect date night meal! The only thing that would have made it better would be a couple pinches of red pepper flakes for a bit of spice to heat things up =)

The girls don’t like tomatoes. Well, except mashed up in my sauces or in ketchup. So they ate fettuccine alfredo with shrimp. Except Becca. She just ate the noodles and sauce, because she hates shrimp. I know this because I have seen her try it over and over and still spit it out each time. I don’t even bother anymore. You could totally make this with chicken or leave out the meat and make it vegetarian.

So here is how I made my Sorrentini…

Shrimp Fettuccine Sorrentini

Ingredients

10-15 shrimp, peeled and deveined (just pay the extra money to have someone else do it, especially the deveining part)
1 package of fettuccini (use any pasta you have)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bunch basil, finely chopped or julienned
1/2 cup-1 cup of really good olive oil
1 cup fresh mozzarella

Directions

Salt heavily and bring your water to a boil. Drop your pasta. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan to med and add a good glug of olive oil. Enough to coat the bottom plus a little extra.
Add in your garlic and tomatoes. If you wanted to add some heat, a pinch or 2 of red pepper flakes would be amazing! Cook for about 4 minutes. Add your shrimp. Cook until pink, about 4 minutes. Add in your basil.
Add in your al dente pasta. Mix well. Add in a bit of starchy cooking water. Mix well. Add in your cheese. Add more olive oil in if needed.
Plate. Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. PERFECTION!!!!!

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Crockpot Pork Ragu

Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta, Pork

I have made pork ragu a few times on the blog. I have made it with different forms of pork and varied the recipe each time to what I had in the cupboard with what I thought I should buy and add in it. It is a really special meal. It is not hard, but it still takes time and love to create. I recently found a nice pork butt in the freezer and wanted to use it in a new and creative way. I had wanted to cook it yesterday, but we went to the zoo and didn’t get home until late in the afternoon. No time to cook it for dinner, so I thought maybe I could make it in the crock pot instead. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but it was a big hit at the house. Tons of leftovers, so that is a plus. Seriously, you have to try this!

Crock Pot Pork Ragu

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
large handful of mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1-2 cups beef broth
red wine-optional

Pork Butt seasoned with…
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, italian seasoning, fennel seed,

Directions

The night before, I brown the pork on all sides (seasoned with the herbs and other seasonings) in a dutch oven. I had to cut my pork in half so it would fit. I actually cooked all the veggies and sauce for just a bit so they could cook down a little to fit in the crock pot. Then I put the meat in the crock pot and covered it with the sauce. I refrigerated it over night. Then I cooked it on low all day. When I got home, my house smelled amazing! Serve over pasta, rice, polenta, mashed potatoes… Always serve with crusty bread for dipping and sopping up all the meaty sauce!

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