Tag Archives: Pasta

Talk about comfort food at its finest!  Baked Ziti is a classic pasta bake that is loaded with multiple kinds of melted cheese, sizzling red sauce, and tender noodles.  You can substitute the red sauce for a meat sauce, similar to a Bolognese, but I think the dish has plenty of flavor without the added meat. Ziti is a tube-shaped pasta, very similar to penne.  The only different is how the noodles are cut, in a straight line instead of at a slant.  You can find Ziti in the pasta aisle.  If for some reason you can’t find it, penne noodles are a great substitute.  The noodles are cooked al dente and are a little firm because they soften up while baking.  The cheese and sauce fills the inside of each noodles and sticks to the outside.  This is a hearty meal! The recipe can be found here. Start by … Continue reading

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Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Pasta with Shrimp is an Italian inspired seafood pasta recipe.  It’s decadent, easy, and you’ll love it!  I’m always looking for an excuse to use sun dried tomatoes.  I love the sweet yet tart flavor and the chewy texture.  They add some incredible flavor to any dish, especially when you use some of the oil from the jar to sauté other items vs traditional olive oil.  It’s a great combination of tender shrimp, creamy sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes in every bite. The recipe can be found here. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil.  Cook the noodles according to package instructions.  I like to use fettuccini noodles, but any noodle shape will work just fine.  Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.  Then drain the noodles and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  I suggest using the … Continue reading

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Every so often I like to make a vegan dish for a few reasons.  First, the food is actually delicious (don’t knock it ‘til you try it) and second, I have friends and family members who are vegan (or follow a similar diet), so I like to have a few recipes in my back pocket in case I’m ever entertaining them.  I’d rather be accommodating so they know they can comfortably eat at my house than have them eat before coming over.  And truly, the food is quite good, in addition to being good for you! Bruschetta Pasta is one of my to-go dishes.  It is a vegan dish, but you could easily add parmesan cheese or a little shredded mozzarella if you aren’t following a special diet or don’t have dietary restrictions.  I like this pasta because it’s very light and refreshing.  Think of traditional bruschetta, but instead of … Continue reading

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Have you ever tasted gnocchi so good that it melts in your mouth?  Light, pillowy morsels that are tender and airy make the best gnocchi.  We recently had this experience at a restaurant near our house and wanted to recreate the meal.  Ultimately, our goal was to recreate the perfect Homemade Gnocchi, which is in fact what we accomplished. For those of you that aren’t familiar with gnocchi, it’s more of a dumpling than pasta.  Gnocchi is made from potatoes that have been riced and mixed with flour and eggs.  They also have these little ridges (or cavities) that are very helpful at holding sauce.  Once mixed with a homemade or store-bought sauce, you’ll have a gourmet meal! The first recipe I want to share with you is for Homemade Gnocchi.  The gnocchi really does melt in your mouth.  It’s very light and fluffy and pairs with the homemade sauces (I’ll share those recipes next) really well.  It’s less … Continue reading

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Looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal that tastes JUST like it came from a restaurant?  I have you covered!  I want to share my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo that comes together in 30 minutes or less and is something the whole family will enjoy. The recipe can be found here. In the bowl of an Instant Pot, add chicken broth, heavy cream, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Break the noodles in half and place in the Instant Pot.  Use a spoon to gently push down the noodles to cover with the liquid.  You don’t want to press too hard or you’ll break the noodles and you also don’t need to stir the ingredients at this point. You want to use pre-cooked chicken for this recipe.  If you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken breasts, make sure to either bake them or fry them before starting … Continue reading

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Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni is a sweet yet savory pasta dish with a lovely roasted red pepper sauce that is ready in about 20 minutes.  The sauce is creamy, the roasted red peppers add a bold flavor, and the noodles are perfectly cooked, al dente.  It’s easy to make and creates and explosion of flavor with every bite. The recipe can be found here. Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil.  Make sure to salt the water!  Add the noodles and cook according to package instructions.  Stir once you’ve added the noodles and again every few minutes to ensure the noodles aren’t sticking together.  Once the noodles are cooked al dente, then are done.  Drain the noodles and return to the pot.   While the pasta is cooking, add butter to a large skillet and melt over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook until translucent, … Continue reading

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Do you ever struggle to find a weeknight meal option that’s not only quick and easy to make but also something your whole family will enjoy?  I think that’s something we all go through but even more so now with spending more time at home.  How do you keep the meals exciting?  How do you add variety to your weekly menu?  It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and eat the same old meals week after week, and COVID hasn’t helped! The occasional takeout meal is fine, but I’ve definitely been getting good use out of my kitchen appliances.  Some of which I rarely use, but it’s been fun to find recipes to make in them and familiarize myself with the appliance so I can use it more often. My most recent recipe is for Simple Instant Pot Mac & Cheese.  Like the recipe name says, it’s simple 🙂 … Continue reading

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Vegan Buffalo Mac & Cheese will make your dreams come true one bite at a time.  It’s the ultimate comfort food!  Each bite is creamy, loaded with buffalo spice, and has the slightest crunch from toasted breadcrumbs.  It’s the perfect recipe to take your dinner game to the next level.   The recipe can be found here. The first step is to bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package instruction.  Drain and set aside.  I like to use chickpea noodles because they are packed with protein and fiber but use any noodle you prefer.  I think the texture of chickpea noodles is very similar to regular noodles, as well as the taste. Next, bring a small pot of water to a boil (you can also do this while the noodles are cooking).  Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and … Continue reading

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In the midst of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home order, meals can be a little harder to plan.  Grocery stores are working hard to keep the shelves stocked but that doesn’t mean you will find every item on your list.  I think that creates a great opportunity to clean out the pantry and make some meal using existing items on home.  Maybe you have a lot of canned goods or items that are nearing expiration…use them! I created 5 different pantry meals last week that I’m going to share with you today.  I didn’t use a recipe for any of them.  They all resulted from items found in our pantry, fridge, or freezer.  It was a great way to use the food, especially from the fridge, before it spoiled and a fun way to create some new meals.  I highly suggest doing this at home.  Who knows, you might create something … Continue reading

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Spicy Chicken Rigatoni is hands down one of my top 5 favorite pasta dishes!  It has large pieces of tender chicken, perfectly cooked noodles, and a lot of heat (in a good way).  Should I go on?  There is as little or as much garlic as you would like, alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, and butter…. yes, butter…. for a wonderfully creamy sauce. This dish is so simple to make and tastes amazing.  You’ll think you’re eating at a fancy Italian restaurant.  Perfetto! The recipe can be found here. In a large skillet or deep pot, heat oil over medium heat.  You want the skillet or pot to be large enough to fit the sauce and noodles so you can toss everything together at the end. Add the crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic.  Sauté just long enough for the garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor … Continue reading

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