Spaghetti all'Cacio e Pepe / Spaghetti with Cheese and Black Pepper

Next up in my series, Great Roman Pasta recipes, Spaghetti all'Cacio e Pepe. A more simple Roman pasta dish would be hard to find. I made this for the first time and I was just blow a way, it's so so good. Anthony Bourdain in an episode of "No Reservations," is quoted saying "cacio e pepe could be the greatest thing in the history of the world." 

The key to this dish is properly incorporating the reserved hot pasta water, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheeses creating a sauce that coats all the noodles and with just the right amount of fresh black pepper.   

Ingredients:

3/4 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt for pasta water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fine grated Romano cheese

Fresh ground sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 2 cups pasta water.

Heat a 12" saute pan to medium and add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot add the spaghetti and use a pair long tongs with rubber or plastic ends to mix the pasta. Here's the part you want to get right! Add 1 cup reserved pasta water and mix using your tongs. Sprinkle on 1/4 of the cheese on to the pasta and mix. Repeat the process 3 more times until all the cheese is mixed into the noddles. At this point, add a couple tablespoons of water and mix. Next, add some salt and a generous amount of fresh black pepper. Toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and grind on some additional pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley. 

Spaghetti all'Armatriciana / Spaghetti with Bacon, Cheese and Tomato

Second in my series, Great Roman Pasta Recipes is Spaghetti all'Armatricana. This is essentially the same recipe as Pasta all'Gricia I made last week, but with the addition of tomato's. All'Armatriciana originates from the town of Armatrice in the Sabine hills not far from Rome. It is said that the shepherds of Armitrice took the recipe to Rome when on their seasonal wanderings and the Romans adopted the dish as their official Cuisine of Rome. 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt

1/3 pound gaunciale, a cured meat made from pork jowls or cheeks. Gaunciale is not generally available in the US, so pacetta is the closest substitute. However, even pacetta can be hard to find so I'm using:
1/2 pound bacon. 

2 crushed garlic cloves
pinch red pepper flakes

1 - 14 ounce can chopped tomato's, strained

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Cut the bacon into 1/3 inch pieces and add to the saute pan. Cook the bacon until crisp, but not burnt. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute and turn off the heat. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the chopped tomato's to the pan. Set a side until the pasta is ready.

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

When the pasta is done, heat the 12" saute pan to medium high and add the spaghetti and toss with the bacon, garlic, red pepper flakes and tomato's for a minute. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, toss for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the cheese on to the pasta and toss. Add some salt and pepper to taste and toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with Parmesan or Romano cheese and chopped Italian parsley. 

Pasta all'Gricia / Spaghetti with Bacon and Cheese

This month I'm going to do a series on the great Roman pasta recipes. I'll be making 4 dishes; Pasta all'Gricia, Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe and all'Amatriciana.

Tonight I'm making Pasta all'Gricia. Pasta all'Gricia is 1 of the 4 "Seriously Roman" pasta dishes you must try. The recipe comes from Grisciano, a small beautiful town in the mountains of the Lazio region, see map below. While least famous of the group, many will say that it's their favorite!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt

1/3 pound gaunciale, a cured meat made from pork jowls or cheeks. Gaunciale is not generally available in the US, so pacetta is the closest substitute. However, even pacetta can be hard to find so I'm using:
1/2 pound bacon.
2 crushed garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Cut the bacon into 1/3 inch pieces and add to the saute pan. Cook the bacon until crisp, but not burnt. When cooked add the garlic and red pepper flakes, toss and remove from the heat. Remove 1/3 of the amount of bacon from the pan and save for garnish. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

When the pasta is done, heat the 12" saute pan to medium high and add the spaghetti to the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and toss for a minute. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, toss for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the cheese on the pasta and toss. Add and some salt and pepper and to taste and toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with crumbled bacon, Parmesan or Romano cheese and chopped Italian parsley. 

Farfalle Pasta with Chicken, Red Onion, Garlic and Arugula

Here's a wonderful pasta dish that is super easy with just a few ingredients. Typically, I'll make a pasta dish like this when I have some left over chicken. I don't know about you, but I've always got left over chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Farfalle pasta 

1 - 2 tablespoon olive oil

1 cooked diced chicken breast

1 medium rough chopped red onion

1 bunch green onions

4 crushed garlic cloves

Large handful of arugula

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the Farfalle pasta according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil and red onion. Saute the onion until soft. Add the chicken, garlic and green onion and cook a couple minutes until the chicken is warmed. Add the pasta and arugula and toss to heat. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper. After a minute or two, add the reserved pasta water and toss. Cook one minute and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and diced green onions.

Spaghetti & Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

This pasta dish is simple delicious. The classic combination of pasta with garlic and red pepper flakes, but with the sweet nutty flavor of the spaghetti squash. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

1/2 pound Barilla spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 crushed garlic cloves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the spaghetti squash and carefully slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place face down on a baking pan. Cook the spaghetti squash for about 30 minutes or until you can easily pass a knife through the squash. Once cooked remove to a plate and let cool. When cool, take a fork and pull out the strands squash. 

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute. Turn up the heat to high and add the spaghetti squash and spaghetti and toss. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, salt and pepper to taste and toss for 1 minute until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil, some grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Spaghetti with Rao's Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

A couple years ago I had dinner at Rao's in Las Vegas and it was pretty awesome. Rao's which is pronounced Ray O's now sell pasta sauce by the jar which is available at Safeway, but it's fairly expensive at $8.99. I was getting some pasta for dinner and notice that Rao's pasta sauce was on sale for $7.99, so I picked out the roasted garlic and thought I'd give it a try. In short, I was blown away! My family was like "what is this, this is the best pasta sauce I've ever had" and I agree! Give this one a try even if it's not on sale. 

Ingredients:

1 pound Barilla spaghetti

1 jar Rao's roasted garlic pasta sauce

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil or chopped Italian parsley

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

Place the pasta sauce in a medium sauce pan, cover and heat to simmer.

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the spaghetti and half of the pasta sauce. Toss until the sauce has coated all the spaghetti. Add the cup of reserved starchy pasta water. Toss and you're ready to serve.

To serve, place a portion of spaghetti on a serving plate. Top the pasta with some sauce, a grind of salt and pepper and some Parmesan cheese. Garnish the dish with chopped basil or chopped Italian parsley. 

Braised Short Rib and Callezione Pasta

I wanted to do something a little different with a pack of short ribs I'd been saving in the freezer. Instead of braising and serving over mashed potato's or polenta, I decided to go with braised shredded short rib and callezione pasta. This turned out as I suspected, deliciously rich and beefy and goes really well a big red wine such as a Super Tuscan or Cabernet.

Ingredients:

1 pack 4 short ribs
1/2 pound Barilla Callezione pasta
12 ounces beef broth
1/2 yellow onion
1 carrot
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Take a 4 quart square sided saute pan and add the olive oil. Once heated add the short ribs and brown on all sides. Once browned add the beef broth, chopped yellow onion, chopped carrot and chopped garlic. Cover the saute pan and place into the oven for 2 hours turning the short ribs every half hour.

When the short ribs are done, remove from the saute pan to a plate and let cool. When cool, remove the meat from the bone and shred into small pieces. Strain the liquid from the saute pan and reserve.

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the callezione pasta according to directions, which is 12 - 14 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta.

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Add the pasta and short rib and toss until heated. Add one cup reserved beef broth and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, toss and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of braised short rib and callezione pasta on a plate. Garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley.

One pot Linguine with Tomato, Basil and Garlic

Tonight I'm making a one pot linguine pasta dish. There is a lot of controversy about this dish because, as we all know, this is not how you cook pasta. However, I've read a lot of reviews of this cooking method, people like it and I'm going to see what it's all about.

First of all, the preparation is very easy, just as advertised, place all the ingredients into a 12" square sided sauté pan. Cook the pasta at a slow boil for 30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and you're done.

The first thing I realize is that you've got to get the salt right. The reason is because you're not draining off the salty water as you normally would, all the salt you add will be absorbed into the pasta. If you add too much salt, there's no undoing it.

With the salt just right, I notice is that I taste all the flavors of the tomato, basil, garlic and onion in the pasta, I kind of like that. Secondly, the pasta has the consistency of risotto; creamy yet with an al dente mouth feel. Overall, I think it's a win!

Ingredients:
5 - 1/2 cups water
3/4 pound Barilla Linguine
2 cups sliced cherry tomato's
1 cup basil leafs
1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
4 rough chop garlic cloves
1 table spoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes

Preparation:
Take a 12" square sided sauté pan and add the linguine, cherry tomato's, basil, onion, garlic, olive oil, butter, salt and red pepper flakes. Place on the cook top and 5 - 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slow you have a very slow boil and cook stirring regularly for 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

To serve, place a portion of the pasta on a serving plate and garnish with chopped basil leafs, fresh grated parmesan cheese and a grind of salt and pepper.

Linguine with Chicken, Spinach and Walnuts in an Avocado Cream Sauce

Here's a dish that really tastes so incredible if your a fan of avocados like me. One large ripe avocado blended with some milk, flour and salt and pepper will create a sauce that tastes as rich a an alfredo sauce, but without all the fat and calories.

Ingredients:
1 pound Barilla linguini
1 poached chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 large ripe avocado
1 cup milk
1 heaping tablespoon Wondra flour
1 large handful baby spinach
Chopped walnuts
Chopped Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the linguine according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

While the pasta is cooking, take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil and crushed garlic and cook about 1 minute. Combine the avocado, milk, flour and salt and pepper in a small food processer and mix until you have a smooth sauce. Add the avocado sauce to the sauté pan and cook until heated. The flour in the mixture will thicken as the sauce heats. If you find the sauce is not as thick as you like, whisk in a little more Wondra flour. 

Add the linguine and baby spinach to the sauté pan and toss until the pasta is serving temperature and the spinach has wilted. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water toss and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of linguine on a serving plate. Top the pasta with chopped walnuts, fresh grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Caprese Pasta

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. The classic Caprese salad ingredients rolled into a pasta dish. The key to this dish is to cook the tomatoes to where they're just start breaking down creating a sauce and heating the mozzarella where it's really soft, but not melted.  

Ingredients:
1 pound Barilla spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 - 4 very rough chopped garlic
2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
2 cups fresh mini mozzarella balls sliced in half
1 cup chopped basil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

 

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil and garlic. Toss until the garlic has softened. Add the tomatoes and cook a few minutes until the tomatoes just start to wilt and break down.

 

Add the spaghetti to the sauté pan and toss. Add the basil reserving enough for garnish. Add the mozzarella and toss for a minute or two until the mozzarella softens. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water toss. Check for proper salt and pepper and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of spaghetti on a serving plate. Top the pasta with the reserved chopped basil, drizzle of olive oil and a grind of salt and pepper. 

 

 

 

Linguine with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes

Linguine Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncin also know as Linguine with Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Flakes is one of my favorite pasta's. In this dish the Linguine is the star of the meal and really needs to be properly cooked to al dente which means firm to the bite. The key to this preparation is to very lightly cook the garlic and red pepper flake in the olive. Secondly, adding some pasta water in the final toss brings an almost creamy finish to the pasta.  

 

Ingredients:

1 package Barilla Linguine

3 - 4 garlic cloves run through a garlic press

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Salt and pepper

 

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the linguine according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

 

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes and a grind of salt and pepper. Cook until the olive oil starts to bubble, about 1 minute. Add the linguine to the sauté pan and toss. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water toss and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of linguine on a serving plate. Top the pasta with fresh grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Bucatini in Light Tomato Sauce with Onion, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, Basil and Bacon

I like to try different pasta shapes and this ones called Bucatini. Bucatini is sometimes referred to as hose shaped pasta because it's like oversize spaghetti that's hollow. 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Barilla Bucatini
4 strips bacon
1/2 diced yellow onion
4 sliced garlic cloves
2 cups basic tomato sauce
Chopped basil
Red pepper flakes to taste
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take a 12" sauté pan and cook the bacon till crispy. When done, place the bacon on a plate with paper towels to drain. When cool, chop the bacon into crumbles.

 

Remove all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat from the sauté pan. On medium low heat, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes. Lastly add the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

 

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the pasta according to directions, which is usually 10 minutes to al dente which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add to the pasta to the sauté pan.

 

Reserve a little bacon and basil for garnishing your plate. Add the bacon, basil and red pepper flakes to the pasta and toss. At this point you may want to add the pasta water if you think the pasta needs a little more moisture. I find that I almost always add 1 cup of pasta water before the final toss and serve, it just makes the dish better. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate or shallow bowl. Garnish the pasta with bacon crumbles, chopped basil, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and a drizzle a olive oil   

Cheese Ravioli's with Chicken Italian Sausage and Green Pea Garlic Sauce

Here's a combination I've been working with on a few pasta dishes. In this dish, the cheese ravioli's are mild and offer a great base for the spicy ground sausage and green pea sauce. 

Ingredients:

Cheese ravioli's

1 pound ground Italian chicken sausage

1 cup frozen pea's

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

2-1/2 tablespoon's Wondra flour

2 crushed garlic cloves

Parmesan cheese

Red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Prepare the sauce by taking a 12" saute pan and heating to medium. Add the ground Italian sausage and cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until browned and fully cooked. Let cool and drain in a colander and place back into the saute pan. Set a side for final preparation. 

Take a 4 cup glass measuring cup and add the milk, butter, flour and crushed garlic cloves. Mix well so the flour is dissolved. Heat in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds. After 2-1/2 minutes you should have a thick garlic white sauce.

Add the white sauce and peas to the ground chicken sausage. Heat to medium and add salt and pepper to taste and you're done.

Cook the ravioli's according to directions, which is usually to boil in plenty of water with 1 tablespoon salt added for 10 minutes. When done, add the ravioli's to the sausage and green pea garlic sauce. 

 

To serve, place 5 or 6 ravioli's on a serving plate or shallow bowl. Top the ravioli's with the chicken Italian sausage and green pea garlic sauce. Garnish the dish with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and chopped Italian parsley. 

Pasta with Roasted Garlic Sauce, Arugula and Walnuts

I found this recipe called Pasta with 50 Garlic Clove Sauce and thought I would give it a shot. I was a little skeptical about so much garlic, but it turned out amazingly good. For a little color and texture I added some arugula and chopped walnuts.

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta, spaghetti or other
40 medium or 50 small garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Large handful arugula
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Prepare the garlic sauce by taking a 10" sauté pan and adding the olive oil and garlic cloves. Bring the temp up so the garlic cloves slowly brown. If you burn the garlic then you'll need to start over, so take it slow. After about 10 minutes the garlic cloves will be a nice brownish color and you're done. Let the garlic and oil cool before the next step.

 

Take a small food processor and add the garlic and oil. Mix until you have a smooth and creamy sauce.

 

Fill a large stock pot with water and add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir occasionally so the pasta is cooking evenly. Cook the pasta according to directions which is 7 - 10 minutes, but I find 10 minutes is where I usually end up. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups pasta water.

 

Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium high and add the pasta. Add the garlic sauce and a 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Mix well until the sauce is nicely coating the noodles. Add more pasta water if necessary. Add the arugula and chopped walnuts and cook until the arugula has wilted and you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate or shallow bowl. Drizzle on some olive oil and garnish with chopped Italian parsley, fresh ground pepper and grated parmesan cheese 

Orzo Pasta with Cherry Tomato's, Feta Cheese, Green Onions and Chopped Walnuts

This is a great pasta side dish that's so good you could eat it as a main course. Typically, this dish would be made with pine nuts, but I find chopped walnuts so much better. But what really takes this dish to the next level is the warmed Feta cheese, so good!

Ingredients:
1/2 pound Orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quartered cherry tomato's
1/2 cup diced green onions
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled Feta
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon rough chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cook the Orzo pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, a minute more of you like the texture a little less firm. Drain and set a side.

 

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium high and add 1 generous tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot add the pasta and mix well and bring up to serving temperature. Add the cherry tomato's, green onions, walnuts, garlic, parsley and Feta cheese. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes and serve.

 

To serve, place the pasta on a serving plate or large bowl. Garnish the dish with a little Feta cheese, diced green onions, chopped Italian parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.  

Grilled Chicken on Sesame Noodles with Diced Avocado and Sriracha

Any grilled meat combined with sesame noodles is usually pretty awesome. The simple combination of the Japanese Udon noodles, toasted sesame seed oil and green onions can't be beat. I like barbecued chicken thighs with my sesame noodles because you can get a nice charred flavor from the fat on the meat. I dice up some avocado for the for a decadent topper and of course a few dashes of Sriracha. 

 

Ingredients:
1 package Welpak Japanese noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
4 - 5 diced green onions
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
 1 large avocado or 2 medium avocados
1 tablespoon diced red onion
Dash of avocado oil
Sriracha

Preparation:

Take the avocado's and remove the pit. Use a large spoon to remove the avocado from the skin and  cut into a large dice. Place the avocado into a bowl and add the diced red onion and a dash of avocado oil.

 

Heat your grill to high. Use some spray canola oil to coat the chicken thighs and place on the grill. Cook the chicken thighs for about 5 minutes per side. If the grill is hot enough you should have some nice char and grill marks. Remove the chicken from the grill to a plate and cover with foil for 5 minutes.

 

Boil water in a large pot and cook the Japanese Udon noodles according to directions, about 5 minutes. When cooked, drain the noodles really well and place into a 12" sauté pan. 

 

Heat the sauté pan to medium and add the noodles, toasted sesame oil and green onions. Toss until all the noodles are well coated with the toasted sesame seed oil.

 

To serve, place a portion of sesame noodles on a plate. Take the barbecued chicken and dice into bite size pieces. Place a portion of chicken on the noodles. Lastly, place a generous scoop of avocado on the chicken and garnish with diced green onions and Sriracha.  

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is a sneaky little meal that's so much better than you think it could possibly be. The dish tastes completely authentic, but it's actual brown rice and quinoa spaghetti and turkey meatballs. So for you non gluten, non beef eaters, this is a great option.

 

The key to this dish is a couple tips in preparation; first, don't just toss the meatballs in the sauce, get them on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven. Roasting the meatballs brings out so much more flavor. Second, brown rice and quinoa pasta is kind of time sensitive on the cooking. If it's under cooked, it can be very chewy, but if it's over cooked it can become mushy. So, cook according to directions and then taste some and see if the texture is where you like it.

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe's turkey meatballs

1 Jar Marinara sauce

1 package brown rice & quinoa spaghetti
Red pepper flake
Parmesan cheese
Chopped Italian parsley
 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the frozen meatballs on a baking sheet and give a quick spray

with some canola oil. Roast the meatballs for about 15 minutes while you prepare the pasta.

Fill a large stock pot with water and add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir occasionally so the pasta is cooking evenly. Cook the pasta according to directions which is 7 - 10 minute, but I find 10 minutes is where I usually end up.
 

Take a 12" sauté pan and add the Marinara sauce and bring up to medium heat. If you heat any higher it with just start bubbling and splashing make for additional clean up.
then add the sauce. Mix in until the sauce is well incorporated and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of spaghetti with Marinara sauce on a serving plate. Remove the meatballs from the oven and place 3 or 4 on the spaghetti. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil on the meatballs and garnish with red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley.



3 Cheese Tortellini with Turkey Bolognese Sauce

Here's a lovely dish that simple to make and delicious. I've talked about the Turkey Bolognese sauce from Trader Joe's before because it's so good and one of my all time favorites. You could easily convince diner guests' you made this Bolognese sauce from scratch. 

 

The key to making this dish really stand out is that when the tortellini is done, toss with half the sauce, plate and place some additional sauce on top of the tortellini. Finish the dish with a drizzle of white truffle oil, fresh grated parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley. Wow, killer....   

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package Buitoni 3 cheese tortellini

1 package TJ's Turkey Bolognese sauce

Parmesan cheese

White truffle oil

Salt and Pepper

Chopped Italian parsley

 

 

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and add water, a tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the directions which is usually about 10 minutes. When the tortellini is done, drain really well because any water on the tortellini will dilute the Bolognese sauce and the flavor.

 

Take a large 12" sauté pan and add half the Bolognese sauce and heat to simmer. Add the tortellini, turn up the heat and toss so all the sauce is incorporated. When the tortellini is heated to serving temperature, you're done.

 

To serve, place a portion of tortellini and a plate or shallow bowl. Add some additional Bolognese sauce on top of the tortellini. Drizzle on some white truffle oil, fresh grated parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of chopped Italian parsley.    

Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta with Diced Chicken and Kale

I'm not really sure what the whole gluten free thing is all about, but I curious. I realize that there are people who are discovering that that are allergic to wheat or don't process wheat very well. For me, wheat flour, whether bread or pasta or fills me up and usually make me feel bloated, like I ate too much. So, this brings me to try this product from Trader Joe's; brown rice and quinoa pasta. Guess what? It's awesome! Why, because the combination of the brown rice flour and quinoa flour taste very much like wheat flour. The pasta comes out flavorful and will cook to a wonderful al dente and won't leave you feeling like a couch potato.

 

Ingredients:

1 package Trader Joe's brown rice  and quinoa fusilli pasta

1 poached and dices 1/2 chicken breast

1/2 dice yellow onion

4 diced green onion

2 clove minced garlic

1/4 small dice red bell pepper

2 cups chopped organic kale

1 table spoon olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper
Chopped Italian parsley

 

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the pasta according to directions which is usually 10 minutes to al dente which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and set a side.

 

While the pasta is cooking, heat a 12" sauté pan to medium and add the olive oil. Next add the yellow onion, cook for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic. When the onion is translucent, about 5 - 7 minutes add the kale and cook until the kale starts to wilt. Finally, add the dice chicken breast, green onions and bell pepper. Cook on low until you're ready for the pasta.

 

When the pasta is done, drain, reserving at least one cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauté pan and toss to incorporate all the flavors and bring up to serving temp. As you bring the pasta up to serving temp, add the pasta water as this helps with the overall consistence of the dish.

 

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, season with fresh ground salt and pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Bell Pepper Trinity Pasta Shells

I bought a packages bell peppers that had one green, one red and one yellow and all I had to do was figure out what to make with them. I had some pasta shells so I thought here's a perfect side dish. I rounded out the dish with yellow onion, garlic, salt and pepper and it was awesome.

 

Ingredients:

1 package Barilla pasta shells

1/2 bell peppers; green, red & yellow

1/2 diced yellow onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
Diced green onions
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the pasta according to directions which is usually 10 minutes to al dente which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and set a side.

 

Take a 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic and a grind of salt and pepper. Stir the mixture frequently adjusting the heat down if necessary to avoid burning the onion and garlic. 

 

Take the bell peppers and dice into small pieces about 3/8". Add the bell peppers to the sauté pan and cook until the bell peppers start to turn translucent. Add the pasta shells and toss well and you're done.  

 

To serve, place the bell pepper trinity pasta shells into a serving bowl. Garnish the dish with diced green onions, a grind of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.