Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

One-Pot Pasta Recipes

From Huffington Post.

Weekdays are busy. They're also really long. And even though we all have to eat, making dinner at the end of a workday is the last thing we want to do. Right? If you're nodding your head in agreement, we have good news: We have found a simple dinner option. Let us introduce you to our new favorite super-easy, one pot pasta recipes.
No, "one pot" does NOT mean that you boil your pasta in a pot, drain it, and cook your sauce in the same pot. It means you literally throw all the ingredients in one pot-- pasta, sauce and all -- and cook it all at once. Do you know what that means? Fewer steps, and so little clean up. Consider your weeknights saved.

One-Pot Chorizo Pasta (from Damn Delicious)
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cups halved grape tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
  • In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
  • Serve immediately.

Eggplant and mushroom vegan pasta (from Minimalist baker)
Healthy, one pot vegan pasta with sauteed mushrooms and eggplant. Easy, customizable and super delicious.
Author: 
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
  • 12 ounces dry pasta*
  • 1/2 small eggplant, cubed
  • 2 cups cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
  • 1.5 cups vegan marinara sauce
  • 2 cup water
  • 2 tsp sea salt + more for eggplant
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Optional: Fresh parsley or basil for finishing
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Rinse and dice eggplant into small, bite-sized cubes. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle generously with salt to draw out some of the moisture. Wait 20-30 minutes, then rinse and pat thoroughly dry with a towel. Set aside. If you’re short on time, skip the eggplant and double the mushrooms.
  2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, the eggplant and 1 clove of minced garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir. Sautee for 3-5 minutes or until a golden brown color is achieved, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more or until all of the veggies have color. Set aside and cover – you will top the pasta with it.
  3. To the same saucepan, add the pasta, water, marinara sauce, the remaining cloves of garlic. Start with 1.5 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper (you will likely add more later depending on the saltiness of your marinara/your personal taste).
  4. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer until the pasta is cooked to al dente – will vary depending on kind of pasta – but typically an average of 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
  5. Once cooked, stir and taste to adjust seasonings. I added more salt and fresh herbs at this point.
  6. Remove from heat and top with eggplant-mushroom mixture and more fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately. Serves 3-4.
NOTES
For the pasta, I used 3/4 of a 16-ounce bag of orecchiette, but would recommend a spaghetti or penne as it’s not as likely to clump together.
* Use gluten free pasta to keep gluten free.
*Adapted from Martha Stewart.
* Inspired by Vegan Miam.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Friday, June 05, 2015

One-Pot Pasta Bolognese

Another recipe from Betty Crocker's.

I like that I can cook the pasta with the other ingredients.

This flavorful one-pot pasta is rich, meaty and filling--perfect for a fast weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

2
tablespoons olive oil
2
onions, diced (about 3 cups)
2
carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1
teaspoon salt
1
lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4
cup canned Muir Glen™ organic tomato paste
1
can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1
carton (32 oz) Progresso™ beef broth
1/2
teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2
teaspoons Italian seasoning
1
lb uncooked spaghetti
1/2
cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4
cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves


Directions

  • 1 In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook onions, carrots and salt in oil 5 to 8 minutes or until softened. Add beef; cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.
  • 2 Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir in broth, pepper flakes and Italian seasoning; heat to simmering. Break pasta in half, then thoroughly rinse under cold water. Tuck pasta into simmering liquid, covering completely. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 13 to 15 minutes or until pasta is soft and sauce is reduced slightly.
  • 3 Top with Parmesan cheese and basil.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Pasta with Chickpeas, Sweet Peppers, and Rosemary


While the exact recipe changes with the region, this classic dish of chickpeas, pasta, and rosemary is served throughout central and southern Italy; a drizzle of aromatic rosemary-chile oil finishes the dish to delicious effect. If you don’t have a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind for making the sauce, shave some cheese over the pasta before serving.
  • 6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into small dice (3/4 cup)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into small dice (3/4 cup)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2-1/2 cups Chickpeas with Bay Leaves and Herbs, plus 1-1/4 cups reserved cooking liquid
  • 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 3- to 4-inch piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)
  • 1 lb. dried tubetti lisci, tubetti rigati, or pennette
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings (optional)
Heat 3 Tbs. of the oil with the rosemary and red pepper flakes in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Heat the remaining 3 Tbs. oil and the garlic in a 6-quart pot over medium heat, turning the garlic occasionally, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes; discard the garlic. Add the peppers and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and, using the back of a spoon, gently mash some of them against the side of the pot. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, the tomatoes, cheese rind, if using, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should be thin but have body. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cooking liquid as needed.)
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Add the pasta to the chickpea sauce and cook, tossing gently, until the flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Add pasta water as needed to keep the consistency loose. Season to taste with salt. Discard the cheese rind, if used. Serve drizzled with the rosemary oil and topped with Parmigiano shavings, if you like.
nutrition information (per serving): 
Calories (kcal): 530; Fat (g): fat g 17; Fat Calories (kcal): 150; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 2.5; Protein (g): protein g 17; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 10; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 78; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 500; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 0; Fiber (g): fiber g 9;

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Pasta Mista



Yes, you can mix pasta shapes! So says Cathy Whims, the chef of Nostrana and Oven & Shaker in Portland, Oregon, and a six-time James Beard Foundation nominee for Best Chef Northwest. Before we impulsively emptied all our 7/8ths-empty boxes of pasta into one big pot of boiling water upon hearing this news, Whims came to the Bon Appétit test kitchen to demo precisely how it’s done.
Whims discovered the technique behind pasta mista on a recent trip to Italy. “I was blown away by how simple and rustic and amazing it was,” the chef recalls. Traditionally, the dish is made up of broken bits that have been collected from the bottom of bins of dried pasta. ”That’s my favorite thing about Italian food,” says Whims, “the elevation of something an American might throw away.” In Whims’s version, you take whatever small amounts of pasta you have lying around, boil them, and add them to mashed chickpeas to form a soupy, comforting meal—made up primarily of ingredients that are already in your pantry.
But wait: Doesn’t conventional wisdom say that different pasta shapes cook at different times? How can you just throw them all in the same pot?
“That’s what makes it interesting,” says Whims. “Some parts are more al dente, and some less.” We like the way this woman thinks. (In fact, after spending a few hours in the kitchen with Whims, we love pretty much everything about her.)
There is, however, a method to the madness. (And yes, it’s madness.) Here’s how Whims does it:
1. Cook chickpeas. Whims would normally begin with dried chickpeas, but for expediency in the test kitchen, she used canned. She covered them with salted water (by an inch) and simmered them for 20–30 minutes with cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, celery (all chopped roughly enough so that they’d be easy to remove from the water). Once the chickpeas were tender, she strained out the vegetables, saving the liquid.
2. Choose your pasta shapes wisely. Per Whims, you want at least five types. (You can also purchase “pasta mista” in a premixed bag at stores like Eataly, which, as Whims put it, “is kind of cool but also kind of takes the soul out of it.”) Whims’s recommendations: campanelle, casarecce, cavatappi, conchiglie, elbow macaroni, farfalle, fusilli, radiatori, rigatoni, rotini, rotelle, or tortiglioni. (Wow, pasta names are the greatest.) If you use a longer shape, like bucatini, reginette, or spaghetti, simply break it into pieces so it fits in with the other pastas. Avoid especially thick shapes, like gnochetti; by the time they’re done cooking, the rest of the pastas will be too mushy. Whims cooked the pasta in a pot of boiling water until 2/3 of the shapes were cooked through, then drained it.
(Interesting side note: Whims counters conventional wisdom on always saving some of the pasta water for sauce. “I studied with Marcella Hazan,” the chef explains, “and she hates the fact that chefs use pasta water. If it’s not high-quality pasta made from high-quality wheat [which will make the water really milky, helping to bind a sauce with its starches], you’re just adding cooked, boiled water. Wouldn’t it have a more fresh taste just to add clean water?”)
3. Bring it all together. In a skillet, Whims heated a few tablespoons of olive oil, imbuing it with flavor by adding crushed red pepper (a whole dried chile would also work) and garlic cloves (which were browned and then removed from the oil). She transferred the cooked chickpeas to the oil, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid to create a soupy consistency. She mashed the chickpeas with a potato masher, making sure the chickpeas retained some texture. Then she added the cooked pasta and some colatura (essentially Italian fish sauce, made with anchovies) to taste. She allowed the chickpeas and pasta to cook together, adding more of the chickpea liquid until it looked “slurpy and thick,” which was about 5 minutes. She finished the dish with torn fresh basil leaves and a very generous drizzle of olive oil.
Despite its very humble ingredients, the final dish was absolutely delicious. While pasta mista is a great solution for home cooks, Whims doesn’t want to undersell it. “I wouldn’t think twice about serving it at the restaurant,” she said. “It’s rustic, but it’s elegant.”
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)