pasta

OMG its the holidays and family are arriving! Here’s a quick and easy lasagna to feed the masses!

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Got family coming and going during the holiday season?  Here’s a quick and easy lasagna to help feed the masses.

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RECIPE: Quick Meat Lasagna 

Serves 12

2 jars spaghetti sauce — I prefer Paul Newman’s Tomato Basil

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

16 oz ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

no boil

salt & pepper

oregano & basil

  1. mix together ground pork and ground beef, salt & pepper to taste, cook till all meat is done. stir in jars of sauce.
  2.  in a bowl mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, salt & pepper.
  3. coat a lasagna pan with spray pan.  place cup and a half of meat sauce on the bottom. layer lasagna noodles across length of pan.
  4. add cup and 1/2 of ricotta cheese mix on top of noodles, spreading evenly. Layer lasagna noodles on top of ricotta.
  5. repeat layers. last layer top with remaining meat sauce and cover with shredded Italian cheese blend. Sprinkle top with a mixture of dried oregano & basil seasoning.
  6. bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Allow to set 5-8 minutes before cutting.

 

 

 

I’m Getting the Hang of This

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I’ve got about 40 pasta recipes under my belt as I work my way through the Pasta Bible.   Making one recipe out of each chapter before starting back at the beginning again.  When I hit the stuffed pasta section I have the same thought every time…….”wait what was it that worked really well last time”  Ravioli, man, if you don’t do it all the time you forget the little tricks that really helped stuff, hold together, cook them, etc from the last time.  But I must be remembering a thing or 2 that’s working.

This last go around were spinach-ricotta ravioli in a butter cream sauce.  To me the ravs were too big, sloppy looking and I was praying they would hold together as they boiled.  However I got a huge complement which made me realize I have been over obsessing with making super perfect ravioli every other month. Friends were over to dine on these guys, when one friend looked in her bowl and exclaimed “wow look at how consistent these are in shape!”  Bo-ya consistent shaped ravioli…its the little things y’all.

Pasta of the Week —- Another Cookbook Challenge

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Because I completed 95 bread recipes, I figured why not work my way through another cookbook.  This time its the Pasta Bible!  I’m picking one recipe from one chapter each week.  So far 18 down!  Discoveries so far?  Shocking use of thyme.  Have loved the minestrones and well still perfecting my ravioli technique.  Here are a few highlights from my journey so far!

 

 

Cacio e Pepe: The Cozy Pasta

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I’ve fallen in love with a pasta recipe.

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Cheese and Pepper Pasta

Motherland Mac and Cheese

Cacio e Pepe is such a simple pasta dish. I made it for the first time two years ago and it’s becoming one of my heart and soul comfort foods. The name literally means “cheese and pasta” and it’s as easy as that.

Cacio e Pepe Recipe Review

I love Bon Appetit’s recipe and highly recommend it. Whenever you’re needing a little pasta comfort, grab a fork and get ready to twirl up some cozy.

Bon Appetit’s Cacio e Pepe Recipe

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • 6 oz. pasta (such as egg tagliolini, bucatini, or spaghetti)
  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, divided
  • 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3/4 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Pecorino

Preparation

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot.

Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender.

Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add pepper and cook, swirling pan, until toasted, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to skillet and bring to a simmer.

Add pasta and remaining butter.

Reduce heat to low and add Grana Padano, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted.

Remove pan from heat; add Pecorino, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.)

Transfer pasta to warm bowls and serve.

 

 

Meatless Monday–extra garlicky spinach-artichoke vegan Alfredo 

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more garlic please

this week is leftover week…..aka time for a bit of creativity on something you’ve already eaten 2 times before.  Last week I did a dip night for dinner, vegan spinach-artichoke heart deep, for tonight’s meatless Monday take that dip add loads more garlic some Oregon olive oil and I’ve got myself some yummy pasta. Hello 3 buck chuck of wine, you make Mondays worth it!

meatless moday —- homemade pasta please

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why don't i do this every time i make pasta?!

why don’t i do this every time i make pasta?!

when i started dishing up the meal for friends to eat the list got pretty long of homemade goodness….bread was homemade, noodles made that afternoon, grew the basil myself, veggies in salad came from family garden and for dessert homemade pie including my own crust. what i created for meatless monday is no doubt one of my favorite at home meals/treats to myself of all time……pasta with tomato sauce, garlic-basil cheese bread, salad and french silk pie for dessert. i love this meal. its my date with myself meal. its comfort on a plate meal. its put in moonstruck and eat italian food meal. and of course drink loads of wine. the question though i caught myself asking over and over….why don’t i make fresh pasta noodles all the time? seriously it is so easy and its sssssooooo good. i think perhaps i’ve found my next cookbook challenge the pasta bible!

meatless monday: vegan pumpkin ravioli

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pasta please!

pasta please!

for christmas presents this year i made up a batch of homemade vegan pumpkin ravioli, the beauty of making ravioli you get all the leftovers and funky looking ravs for yourself. belated merry christmas to me on this meatless monday. to top those ravs i made up a little dairy-free garlic cream sauce, some olive oil, flour and garlic. i know, i just made you hungry didn’t i?

meatless monday: baked portobello mushroom ravioli

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dairy free cheesie yumminess

dairy free cheesie yumminess

needless to say both steph and i love making and devouring something we refer to as the “nest of pasta” inspired by a dish at Zio’s italian restaurant. plan and simple its a bowl of pasta topped with ravioli yum yum and more yum. this time i added a twist i decided to bake it. my nest of pasta started with a bed of fettucine noodles then i added some pre-made mushroom ravioli i topped it with a jarred vegan red pepper alfredo sauce and some dairy-free smoked provolone cheese baked it in the oven and i was in pasta bliss!

Meatless Monday: roasted tomato & garlic pasta in a creamy lemon-goat cheese sauce

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With the summer harvest hitting full blast I’ve been trying to figure out how to use all these homegrown tomatoes up and of late roasting them has been my favorite. Tonight I tossed them in a pasta I love to make a quick cream sauce out of olive oil, goat cheese and a little lemon zest. Dining on my balcony to enjoy the cool breeze and John Denver playing in the background is the perfect way to end this first day of the week!

RECIPE: roasted tomatoes and garlic

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
4-6 whole cloves of fresh garlic
Olive oil to drizzle

Heat oven to 350, place garlic and tomatoes in a terra cotta baking dish, such as a garlic roaster or I prefer a flower pot, drizzle with olive oil and cover either with a lid or foil, bake for 1 hour, tomatoes should be slightly bursting when done

Foodie Adventure: Blue Food?

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In this picture it looks a little more green than blue, but trust me, this pasta was brighter than a robin’s egg. Did I make this? No, but I did try it at a graduation party (blue was one of the school colors- fyi, so it was for a celebratory cause).

It tasted good, so I guess just like peace, we should always give blue food a chance.
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You can kind of see a peek of the true color behind my veggie burger to the right of the deviled egg…

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