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Category Archives: Pasta

Turkey and Mushroom Meatballs

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 5 ounces Cremini mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 pound ground turkey meat
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs soaked in 1/3 cup of milk
  • ½ cup burrata cheese, torn into chunks
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Salt
  • 4 cups store bought or homemade marinara sauce

Heat a medium frying pan with the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté on a medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and a sprinkle of salt. Continue to sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. Turn heat off and cool completely.

Add the turkey meat to a medium bowl, add the cooled mushroom mixture, both the cheeses, egg, 1 to 2 teaspoons salt and the soaked breadcrumbs. Mix well and keep the mixture aside for about an hour in the fridge for the flavors to marinate.

Heat the marinara sauce in a large saucepan. Form medium sized balls from the turkey meat and gently drop into the simmering tomato sauce. Once all the meat used up, bring the sauce and meatballs to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with spaghetti!

Pork Ragu with Penne

Pork Ragu with Penne

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • ½ cup white onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • ½ cup half and half
  • Salt
  • ½ pound penne, al dente- ½ cup spare pasta water
  • 2 tablespoons truffle paste or 1 tablespoon truffle oil

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the pancetta and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add the carrots, onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the pork and separate with the back of a wooden spatula while sautéing the meat on medium high heat about 2-3 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook on medium low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, till a thick sauce is formed. Add salt and half and half. Add the truffle paste or oil. Mix well and add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Check for seasonings and serve.

Herbed Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi

  • 1 one pound russet potato
  • ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ cup freshly ground Pecorino Romano
  • 1 cup plus more flour

Cook the potato till soft to the fork. Take the skin off and put the potato through a potato ricer into a bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, chives, egg and cheese. Mix well. Gradually add the flour, one tablespoon at a time till the dough comes together and not sticky- try not to over knead the dough. Separate into four sections and roll each into ½ inch thick logs on a floured surface. With a knife, cut bite-sized gnocchis. Place on a floured cookie sheet and let sit for an hour. Make the sauce in the meantime.

Gnocchi1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marinara Sauce

  • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes (chopped or whole, if whole, crush them with fingers)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi for 2 to 3 minutes or till they float to the surface. Serve with marinara sauce and freshly grated cheese

Cauliflower and Sausage Pasta with Pesto

  • 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • 2 to 3 sausage, crumbled
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • ½ pound cooked pasta with 1 cup pasta water spared

Transfer the cauliflower florets to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle salt and olive oil. Roast under a hot broiler till all sides are golden brown- about 10 minutes on each side. Take out and keep aside.

Pesto

  • 1 full cup fresh basil
  • 1 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup pistachios
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt

Add the garlic and pistachios to a food processor. Pulse till chopped. Add the basil, anchovy fillets, start pulsing and drizzle the olive oil and proxess till a smooth sauce is formed. Take out of the processor, add the cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Keep aside.

Heat a wide frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and ½ cup of the pasta water. Add the pesto, mix well and check for seasonings. Add more pasta water if necessary. Serve warm.

 

 

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Asparagus & Broccolini with Toasted Breadcrumbs

Another pasta dish but completely different from yesterday… this has spring vegetables and is topped with the most delicious toasted breadcrumbs…

  • 1 lb plum tomatoes, cut in half and seeds scooped out
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes face down on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast them for 3 hours until soft. Let cool and scrape off any lose skin. Chop the tomatoes and set aside.

  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
  • 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed and sliced in half
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Transfer the vegetables to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper and roast for about 30 minutes. Take out and keep aside.

  • ½ pound cooked pasta plus 1 cup of pasta water, penne or any kind
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated

Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil and butter. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and pasta water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute. Add the pasta and the vegetables. Mix well and season accordingly.

Toasted Breadcrumbs

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat a medium frying pan with the olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs and garlic with the salt. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly, making sure the breadcrumbs don’t burn. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes and keep aside and let cool. Once cool, add the parsley and cheese. Mix well and top the pasta before serving.

Parsley Pesto Pasta with Roasted Asparagus

When I think of spring, I think of asparagus and I think fresh green pesto. This pasta dish is a combination of both. I made a delicious parsley pesto which is very easy to make. I paired it with delicious roasted or grilled asparagus. It is a great side dish or a meal!

  • 2 cups fresh parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup pistachios
  • Juice of half lemon
  • ¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano

Transfer the parsley, garlic, pistachios and lemon juice to a food processor. Process till a smooth paste begins to form. With the top open, drizzle the oil till the pesto begins to form. Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt and cheese. Check for seasonings.

  • 2 bunches asparagus
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the ends off the asparagus and cut the tops into 2 inch pieces. Transfer to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt. Mix well and roast in oven for 30 minutes for till golden brown. Take out and keep aside.

  • ½ pound pasta, cooked al dente with 1 cup pasta water saved

Transfer pasta to a large frying pan. Add the pesto and the saved pasta water and stir over low heat till all the ingredients have come together. Fold in the roasted asparagus and check for seasonings. Serve with grated cheese.

Bucatini with Salted Pork and Shrimp

 

½ cup salted pork, cut into chunks less than ½- inch

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped

28 ounces can of San Marzano tomatoes

½ pound medium shrimp, deveined and cleaned

Salt

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

½ pound cooked bucatini, cooked al dente with 1 cup spare pasta water

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Heat a wide skillet with the olive oil and salted pork and fry over low heat for 15 minutes or till the fat is rendered out and the meat is crisp. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the onion and garic and sauté over medium heat for five minutes. Crush the tomatoes with hand in the can and add to the onion mixture. Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat with the lid on. Check for seasonings and add salt and the red pepper flakes.

Add the raw shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the al dente pasta and cook on medium for another 2 to 3 minutes, till the shrimp is cooked through- careful not to over cook. Check for seasonings and garnish with parsley.