Cuisine: Pasta
Pasta with Eggplant, Tomatoes & Mozzarella
Pasta with eggplant, tomatoes, and mozzarella is a classic Italian dish that is both simple to make and delicious. I always add a pinch of chili flakes to mine. The eggplant in this vegetarian pasta dish has a meaty texture. Buon appetito!
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Mushroom Scampi
Mushroom scampi is a delicious and easy-to-make pasta dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. The dish is made with mushrooms, garlic, butter, white wine, and lemon juice, and it is served over pasta. It is a great vegetarian alternative to the classic shrimp scampi.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Artichoke, Garlic, and Leek Pasta
It can't get any simpler than this Artichoke, Garlic, and Leek Pasta. I always have cans of artichoke hearts on hand which makes it great for a busy workweek meal. It takes about 10 minutes to throw this together. You can also personalize it, by adding sun-dried tomatoes, capers, etc...
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Creamy Chilli, Bacon and Tomato Spaghetti
Spaghetti, four strips of bacon, a can of diced tomatoes, a bit of cream, spices, and viola, you've got a satisfying meal. This Creamy Chilli, Bacon and Tomato Spaghetti is of course topped off with parmesan cheese. These are all ingredients that I always have on hand. Made this last night when our kids came for a spontaneous dinner. We even made garlic bread out of some leftover hot dog buns! Talk about haute cuisine!
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Gordon Ramsay’s 10-minute Turkey Pasta
Gordon Ramsay's 10-minute Turkey Pasta is obviously quick to make, though it took me slightly longer because I used dried pasta instead of fresh. It has leeks, shallots, and sage, which gives it a wonderful aromatic depth of flavor. It's then topped with buttery, sage-infused breadcrumbs.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 5 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Stir-Fried Udon With Bacon, Parmesan & Gochujang
If three chefs, one Korean, one Japanese, and one Italian walked into a kitchen (bar)... This Stir-Fried Udon With Bacon, Parmesan & Gochujang is sort of a carbonara using Asian ingredients. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it totally works. The key to making this is to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go because this dish is very quick to make. You should use frozen Japanese udon, which has a completely different texture than the dried version.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 2 Servings
Sheetpan Layerless Lasagna
Giada De Laurentiis came up with this easy Sheetpan Layerless Lasagna. If you like crispy edges, this is it. By putting it on a sheetpan, it creates more crispiness. I love the fact that you don't have the tedious task of layering. You can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until it's time to serve - pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 50 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Spaghetti all’Assassina (Assassin’s Spaghetti)
After watching this CNN episode of Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy, I was intrigued by this recipe, which uses an alarming amount of red pepper flakes. I happened to be rather fond of red pepper flakes and always carry some in my purse and my car. This recipe is courtesy of chef Celso Laforgia, chef and owner of Urban Bistrot in Bari, capital of Puglia in southeast Italy. He says that the two things you need are a powerful fire and a big pan that will fit the spaghetti. The trick to the dish is to burn it enough to make it crunchy, but not burn it so much that it's bitter. When the pasta makes a crackling noise, you know it's ready. If you want to make it, you should watch the episode which explains it all. By the way, we loved it.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel
There is nothing more satisfying than rummaging through the fridge and finding all the ingredients for dinner. This Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel is absolutely delicious. I know many people that do not like fennel. Fennel can be eaten raw in salads, where there is a strong anise flavor, but when it's cooked it becomes sweeter and mellower and nearly all that licorice flavor melts away.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Chile Crisp Fettuccini Alfredo with Spinach
The creamy and subtly spicy Chile Crisp Fettuccini Alfredo with Spinach is outstandingly good. The chili crisp gets sizzled in butter before adding cream and parmesan cheese. Chili crisp is a condiment of oil infused with peppers, onions, and garlic, and is satisfyingly crispy, and crunchy. This recipe will be on repeat.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings