Tag: Pasta

Roast Chicken with Orzo and Kale

This is a great, yummy, one pot meal to make through the week- doesn’t take very long but it tastes like you have spent hours cooking it!

5 to 6 chicken thighs with skin on
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons salt

Marinate the chicken thighs in an oven-proof pan with the lemon, dill, oregano, garlic and salt. Mix well with fingers and keep aside for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat oven on 400 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil the chicken pieces until they are golden brown. Take out of the oven and keep aside. It is okay if the chicken is not cooked through.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth plus more if necessary
5 ounces baby kale
Salt

Heat a saucepan with butter and oil. Add the orzo and sauté on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer and add the chicken pieces including the lemon pieces and let simmer for about ten minutes or till the pasta is cooked and the chicken is cooked through. Add the kale slowly till all is wilted. Add more broth if necessary. Take the lemon pieces out. Mix and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce

My daughter loves baked ziti and she loves pasta with meat sauce- so I made baked ziti with meat sauce. Why not?? It is easy to make and yummy!!

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground dark meat turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
3 cups fresh tomato sauce
Salt
1 pound penne, cooked al dente
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the turkey meat and brown at a high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the thyme and rosemary and tomato sauce. Add salt and bring to a boil and simmer at a low heat covered with a lid for 20 to 25 minutes. Take the lid off and add the al dente pasta and mix well and check for seasonings.

Transfer half of the pasta mixture to an oven proof dish. Top with the fresh mozzarella and basil, distributing evenly. Top with the rest of the pasta mixture. Add the shredded cheese and top and bake, covered for 45 minutes. Take the foil off and bake to brown the top for another 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Pasta with Pancetta Mushrooms and Spinach

This one is quick and simple- you can eliminate the pancetta and add some shallots and garlic to make it vegetarian…

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup pancetta, chopped
2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces, baby spinach
Salt
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
½ pound penne pasta, cooked al dente
1 cup saved pasta water

Heat a wide frying pan with the oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach, pasta, ½ cup pasta water, salt and the cheese. Mix well till the spinach is wilted. Check for seasonings and serve warm.

Mushroom and Spinach Meatless Balls

This is a great dish for Meatless Monday or really any other day you want to eat healthy… try it for a get together.. no one will guess this is meat free

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound Cremini mushrooms, chopped
Salt
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
10 ounces spinach, chopped
½ cup quick cooking oats
½ cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
½ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 eggs, beaten

4 cups fresh or store bought pasta sauce

Heat a skillet with the olive oil and butter. Add the mushrooms and some salt and cook over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a minute or 2. Add the spinach and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or till all the spinach is wilted and cooked. Take the mixture out into a mixing bowl and let cool.

Add the oats, cheese, bread crumbs, basil and parsley. Mix well. Add the eggs and 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet.

Form mixture into balls using a small scoop. Roll the balls lightly and bake for 15 minutes. Take out and keep aside.

Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Gently add the balls and cook on a simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve with pasta.

Quick Summer Pasta

I was watching Michael Symon making a summer pasta and I decided to tweak his recipe and make my own. I have to say, one of my favorites!!

3 strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup green beans, chopped
2 ears of corn, off the cob
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 green onions, chopped
1 large jalapeno, sliced thin
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ pound pasta of choice, cooked al dente with ½ cup pasta water spared
Salt

Heat a frying pan and add bacon and oil. Cook the bacon on medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon pieces are golden brown. Add the beans, corn, garlic, green onions and jalapeno. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pasta and pasta water, mix well and add salt, dill and cilantro. Serve warm.

Pasta with Sausage with a Pea and Basil Pesto

This is delicious way to sneak vegetables into the pasta dish without anyone knowing!!! This is a simple and quick dish to make through the week!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 fresh sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
½ pound pasta, cooked with 1 cup of pasta water spared
Salt

Pea and Basil Pesto

1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive
Juice of one lemon

Transfer peas to some boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds and take out. Transfer the pine nuts and garlic to a food processor and give it a few pushes, add the peas, cheese, basil, oil and lemon juice. Process it till the mixture forms a smooth paste. Take out and check for seasonings. Keep aside.

In the meantime, heat a wide skillet with the olive oil and add the crumbled sausage. Saute on medium heat till the sausage is golden brown. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cooked pasta with the pasta water and bring to a boil. Add salt as needed and serve the pasta with a dollop of pesto on top.

Beef and Sausage Ragu

This recipe is a mix between a ragu and a bolognese. My daughter loves, loves any kind of meat sauce over pasta. I try to make them different every time- so this one is a mix. A bolognese, typically is made with just tomato paste and milk- there is no tomato sauce. I added it all in this one- it was delicious!!

2 chicken sausage links (I used spinach and fontina), casings off and crumbled
1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
½ cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups tomato sauce, preferably fresh
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
Salt

Heat a heavy saucepan with the olive oil. Add the ground beef and crumbled sausage and brown while stirring constantly on a medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, onion, carrots, rosemary and thyme. Cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paste and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer, cover with a lid. Cook for at least an hour and a half on low heat, stirring every 15 minutes. Take the lid off, taste for seasoning, and add salt if needed. Serve on top of cooked pasta.

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