Pasta - Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also time for Double-Post Monday. Today's double post deals with one of my favories, pasta, and includes Slow-Cooker Meaty Italian Spaghetti Sauce and Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto. Enjoy!

MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE WITH FETTUCCINE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "A lighter take on the classic Italian sauce, this vegetarian bolognese is packed with mushrooms and vegetables in a rich tomato base. Served with fettuccine, you’ll have a hearty dinner for just 300 calories."

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

4 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 packages (8 oz each) baby bella mushrooms, coarsely chopped

2 packages (8 oz each) white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained

1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

12 oz uncooked fettuccine (from 16-oz box)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, if desired

Directions

In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic and salt in oil 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove vegetable mixture from Dutch oven to small bowl.

In same Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 14 to 19 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated.

Stir in vegetable mixture, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes; heat to simmering; reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is starting to thicken. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce.

Meanwhile, cook fettuccine as directed on package; drain. Serve fettuccine with sauce. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese and basil.

Expert Tips

Prefer a creamier sauce? If desired, stir in 1/3 cup half-and-half or heavy whipping cream after removing sauce from heat.

Cooked fettuccine may be stirred into the bolognese or topped with sauce, based on your preference.

CREAMY TURMERIC PASTA

This is from Sue Li in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sue wrote, "This earthy pasta is cobbled together using ingredients that you almost certainly already have in your kitchen. Its approach is fairly standard: Melt some butter, sauté some garlic and shallots, simmer with cream, then add some Parmesan and pasta cooking water to create a silky sauce. That alone would make a great meal, but what makes this recipe really special is the addition of ground turmeric, which gives this simple dish its vibrant color and sophisticated depth of flavor. This is meant to be a lazy meal — the kind of dish you throw together, then eat out of a big bowl while sitting on the couch — but if you're feeling the need for something green, serve the pasta with a simple salad dressed with vinegar and olive oil."

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020033-creamy-turmeric-pasta.

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups lightly packed freshly grated Parmesan (about 4 ounces), plus more for serving

4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or chives

Preparation

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add turmeric and stir to toast, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half then bring to a simmer.

Whisk in the 2 cups Parmesan, then add the cooked spaghetti and all of the reserved pasta cooking liquid and toss to coat. Serve with chopped parsley and more Parmesan.

GARDEN PATCH SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

This comes from FamilyTime, and begins, “Enhance a favored meal with some extra nutritional boost - veggies almost hidden from view but a delicious addition.”

Serves: 4 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 jar (25 ounces) Prego® Marinara Italian Sauce

2 cups frozen peas and carrots

1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 8 cups)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Mix thoroughly the beef, bread crumbs and egg in a medium bowl. Shape the mixture into 16 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until they're well browned. Remove the meatballs from the skillet. Pour off any fat.

Stir the sauce and vegetables in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the meatballs to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve the meatballs with the sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with the cheese.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

Is it a chicken dish? Spaghetti? Both! This yummy recipes is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman, and begins, “With spaghetti and mushroom sauce, and light and dark meat chicken with bell peppers, Ree Drummond's casserole is like two meals in one. Cooking the spaghetti in the same liquid as the chicken infuses it with flavor, and the Cheddar thickens the sauce so it coats each piece of meat.”

Total: 1 hr 40 min; Active: 20 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-spaghetti-recipe.

Ingredients

1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar

1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Two 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion, finely diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, then return the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups.

Cook the spaghetti in the same chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.

Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

SLOW-COOKER MEATY ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "If you’ve been searching for the one,' that is a reliably delicious spaghetti sauce that will please the family, freeze well and get better overnight, we humbly suggest this recipe. No hard-to-find ingredients here, just everything you’d expect to be in a basic red sauce. Before stewing to perfection in your slow cooker, this sauce does require a crucial couple minutes of skillet time. Taking the 15 minutes to brown Italian sausage and onions to golden-brown perfection doesn’t just bring out the best in these ingredients, it also leads to a sauce that’s considerably more delicious than it would be otherwise. And after you do it, it’s just a matter of tossing all the ingredients into the pot and letting them simmer together into a rich and savory red gravy!"

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes; Servings: 24

To view this on the Betty Crocker site, click here.

Ingredients

2 lb bulk Italian pork sausage or ground beef

2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (6 oz)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage, onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.

Spoon sausage mixture into cooker.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.

Expert Tips

Ladle this versatile sauce into refrigerator or freezer containers; cover and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 4 months. To thaw frozen spaghetti sauce, place container in the refrigerator about 8 hours.

Serve with penne pasta, Caesar salad and Italian bread.

Stir about 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley into the sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

A great substitute for Italian sausage is ground beef. If you’re looking to cut calories, consider experimenting with ground turkey.

Going meat free? Try our Mushroom Bolognese. It’s packed with all the umami flavors you love about meat sauce, but without the meat!

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH PESTO

This comes from Tyler Florence of The Food Network's How to Boil Water. Total Time: 20 min; Prep: 10 min; Cook: 10 min; Yield:4 to 6 as a side dish; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/angel-hair-pasta-with-pesto-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

Leaves from 2 bunch fresh basil2 tablespoons pine nuts, untoasted

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound angel hair pasta

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a blender and blend to a puree. Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and blend again.

Cook the pasta in the boiling, salted water until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss. Taste for salt and pepper, and add a drizzle of oil, if you like.