Tag: Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

This roasted red pepper pasta can be served vegetarian or you can add Italian sausage – spicy or mild. I love this because it comes together so quick but it tastes different than the classic pasta with marinara. Sometimes you want pasta but you want 

One Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini Tomato Soup

One Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini Tomato Soup

This one pot creamy chicken tortellini tomato soup is easy enough to be a weeknight dinner. I’ve been making big pots of soups and stews to eat for dinner with plenty leftovers to freeze some for when the baby gets here, and this is a 

Pesto Ricotta Pappardelle

Pesto Ricotta Pappardelle

This pesto ricotta pappardelle was one of the best dinners I have made in a long time, so I had to put it on the site as soon as possible as to remember what I did. I took a class with Meryl from Pasta Social Club today. We made herb laminated pappardelle and it was a blast. She has a recipe for it here.

I highly suggest taking one of Meryl’s classes, or at the very least checking out her recipes on her site, instagram, or Food52. This pesto ricotta pappardelle was inspired by the herb laminated pasta we made in the class, combined with having way too much filling leftover.

First, you’re going to want to make your homemade pappardelle! If you’re not doing this, then buy some from your local Italian market. You can also use whatever kind of pasta you want šŸ™‚

Pappardelle

The pesto ricotta sauce

What you’ll need:

  • 1 8oz tub of whole milk ricotta
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan reggiano
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Big pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp pasta water*

*You’ll add the pasta water after your pasta cooks, of course!

Combine everything except the pasta water in a food processor and blend until smooth and slightly whipped – give it about a minute! Place in the fridge until everything else is ready.

Chicken and asparagus

This isn’t necessary, but it really completed the dish for me.

  • 1 pound chicken thighs
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 tbsp worcestshire sauce
  • 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce or coconut aminos)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Marinate your chicken in the worcestshire and tamari. Start on the stove with an oven safe pan (I always use my cast iron). Heat it to medium-high heat and add in the marinated chicken. After a few minutes, flip the chicken and add in the asparagus.

Transfer to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads at least 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken thighs. Remove from the oven once cooked.

Putting it together

Boil your pappardelle according to the directions. If you’ve made it fresh, you’ll want to boil it for about 2 minutes in VERY salted boiling water.

Add your pesto ricotta to a large pot while the pasta is boiling. Add 2 tbsp of the pasta water to the sauce and stir it up. Once the 2 minutes is up, transfer the pasta to the sauce and toss together.

Serve with the chicken and asparagus. Top with more herbs and sourdough croutons or breadcrumbs if desired!

Pesto Ricotta Pappardelle

A pesto ricotta recipe to go with fresh pasta and chicken and asparagus!
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American
Keyword: Fresh Pasta, Pasta, Sauce
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 8oz whole milk ricotta
  • 1/3 cup parmesan reggiano freshly grated
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp pasta water

Instructions

  • Combine everything EXCEPT pasta water in a food processor and blend until smooth and whipped – give it about a minute.
  • Cook pasta according to directions (more information in blog post).
  • Add the pesto ricotta and the 2 tbsp of pasta water to a separate pot. Transfer the cooked pasta from the boiling water to the sauce and stir.
  • Serve with chicken and asparagus (more information in blog post) or with whatever else you desire!
Butternut Squash Brown Butter Sage Lasagna

Butternut Squash Brown Butter Sage Lasagna

What says fall more than roasted butternut squash, brown butter sage sauce, and cheesy noodles? This butternut squash brown butter sage lasagna is perfection. I call this lasagna because it uses lasagna noodles, but honestly this is more of a casserole. It is a little 

Baked Chicken and Broccoli Mac-n-Cheese with Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Baked Chicken and Broccoli Mac-n-Cheese with Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Servings: 6-8 Mac-n-Cheese Ingredients:-16oz noodles of choice (I used gluten free brown rice rotini)-4 tbsp quality butter-1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (or 1 tbsp olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic)-1/4 cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour blend)-2 cups whole milk-1 cup 

Roasted Squash Ricotta Ravioli for Beginners by a Beginner

Roasted Squash Ricotta Ravioli for Beginners by a Beginner

Full disclaimer: this was my very first time ever making pasta from home. I also do not have a pasta maker, so I rolled it all out by hand! I read a few different guides and explanations and sort of came up with my own plan for it, shown below. I was winging it most of the time and it was pretty time consuming to make ravioli. Next time, Iā€™m definitely going to just make spaghetti or something more simple! This isnā€™t one of my typical ā€œeasy weeknight dinnerā€ type of recipes – but it really was so so delicious that I thought it was worth posting! I hope you find this helpful, and be on the look out for more pasta recipes in the future!

RECIPE

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients

Pasta Ingredients:
-2 3/4 cup (350g) all purpose flour
-4 large eggs
-1 egg yolk
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-Pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients:
-1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
-1 cup lacinato kale, diced
-2 cups whole milk ricotta
-1/2 cup parmesan
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp sea salt

*Note: this will make WAY more than enough filling. I highly suggest making stuffed shells with the remaining filling! Or maybe even a lasagna!

Sauce Ingredients:
-1/2 cup butter
-1 tbsp dried sage
-1 pint small cherry tomatoes
-1 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Pasta Dough: (see photos below for a visual explanation!)

  1. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to a small bowl and set aside. Grab a bench scraper and keep it close – this will help in the end, or if you break the barrier of your flour mountain.
  2. Create a mountain and a crater out of your flour that will be big enough to hold all of the rest of the pasta ingredients.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the crater and use a fork to slowly and carefully break up the eggs and whisk them together.
  4. Slowly pull in some of the flour from the crater and incorporate it into the wet. Be careful not to break the barrier, but it you do, donā€™t freak out! Grab your handy bench scraper and push the flour up the walls to reform the barrier. If all hope is lost on the barrier, simply start to work everything together at this point.
  5. If you donā€™t break the barrier (I definitely did), then once the flour and wet ingredients have all come together, roll it up into a ball.
  6. Knead your dough for 10 solid minutes. This is tiring but it is worth it and necessary! After the 10 minutes your dough should be a deep yellow, smooth and soft to the tough ball of tight dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. This rest is crucial!

Filling:

  1. Roast the butternut squash cubes at 425 for about 30 minutes, until softened and browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  2. Mash the squash with a fork or a potato masher and combine with remaining filling ingredients.
  3. Fill a piping bag or a large ziplock bag with the corner cut out and set aside.

Ravioli:

  1. Cut your rested pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. On a well floured surface, roll out two of the dough hunks as thin as you possibly can in equal shapes. This is where a machine comes in handy because this was exhausting and sort of hard – but you can do it!!
  2. Pipe out about 8-9 heaping tablespoons of filling a few inches apart from another on one sheet.
  3. Take the second sheet and lay it on top. Press out any extra air around the filling.
  4. Use a mason jar lid or a biscuit cutter to stamp out the individual ravioli. Press the edges closed with a fork.
  5. Repeat with the second two hunks of dough.
  6. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and cook your ravioli for 5-7 minutes, until dough has softened. Remove with a slotted spoon. You may need to do this in 2 batches to not overcrowd the pot.

Sauce:

  1. Melt the butter on medium heat and stir constantly.
  2. As soon as you see it begin to brown some, about 3-4 minutes in, add the sage and the tomatoes. Continue to stir until the butter has browned (but not burned!) and there is a nice nutty smell coming from it.
  3. Whisk in a bit of heavy cream to give it some body. Crush the tomatoes. Pour on top of the ravioli and enjoy!
Stove top Mac-n-Cheese (GF Option)

Stove top Mac-n-Cheese (GF Option)

Who doesn’t love mac-n-cheese? Creamy, cheesy, quick and easy stove top mac-n-cheese with an easy gluten free swap option. This is a great side dish but sometimes even better as dinner. Ingredients:-12oz bag noodles of choice – gluten free or wheat works-3 tbsp grass-fed butter-3 

Spicy Low-FODMAP Tomato Sauce

Spicy Low-FODMAP Tomato Sauce

Serve as-is for a vegetarian dinner or mix it with some ground beef or meat of choice for a meat sauce. Blend with an immersion blender if you want it to be smooth instead of chunky. Ingredients:ā£-1 red bell pepper, dicedā£-1 jalapeno, minced (I used 

Stuffed Manicotti (Gluten Free Option)

Stuffed Manicotti (Gluten Free Option)

Stuffed manicotti is like if lasagna rolled itself up into a sleeping bag and nestled itself in a bed of sauce to go to sleep for the night. It’s delicious and a little more work than always desired, but the payoff is worth it.

Ingredients:ā£
-1 box manicotti or shells (I used a gluten free brown rice flour version and it worked great)ā£
-1 recipe of my roasted veggies pasta sauce, or use store bought marinara
-8oz whole milk ricottaā£
-2 cups spinach/kale mix (or just one or the other), sauteed and softened in butterā£
-1/2 cup mozzarellaā£
-1/2 cup parmesanā£
-1 eggā£
-more cheese for toppingā£

Instructions:
1. Make the pasta sauce and set aside.ā£
2. Cook the pasta according to box.ā£
3. Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, greens, and egg together well.ā£
4. Lay half the red sauce down in a casserole dish. Pipe the ricotta mixture into the pastas and place into red sauce.ā£
5. Cover in remaining sauce, top with cheese, and cover in foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil and broil for 5 or so.

Stuffed Manicotti (Gluten Free Option)

Stuffed manicotti is like if lasagna rolled itself up into a sleeping bag and nestled itself in a bed of sauce to go to sleep for the night.
Course: Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 box manicotti shells gluten free or wheat
  • 1 recipe roasted veggies pasta sauce see body of post for link to this
  • 8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups spinach/kale softened and warmed in butter
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • more cheese for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Make the pasta sauce and set aside.ā£
  • Cook the pasta according to box.ā£
  • Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, greens, and egg together well.ā£
  • Lay half the red sauce down in a casserole dish. Pipe the ricotta mixture into the pastas and place into red sauce.ā£
  • Cover in remaining sauce, top with cheese, and cover in foil. Bake for 40 minutes.
  • Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or so.
Weeknight Lasagna (GF & DF Options)

Weeknight Lasagna (GF & DF Options)

Growing up I never liked lasagna because I didn’t like ricotta cheese. Later I learned that was because I was only ever being fed “low-fat” ricotta cheese – which is far less superior! Now I always buy full fat ricotta and it makes this dish