Pasta - Double-Post Monday

Besdies being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's double post deals with one of my favories, pasta.

I've loved pasta since I can remember. If you love pasta, too, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes, the Chicken Alfredo Pasta Skillet, or any of the other yummy pasta recipes. Enjoy!

ROAST VEGGIE PASTA

This comes from Bob McDonald at AllRecipes, and begins, "Wonderful rustic Italian style pasta dish! Meal can be dressed up or down with accompaniments to this tasty pasta."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes: Servings: 3

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/45644/roasted-veggie-pasta/.

Ingredients

1/4 pound fresh asparagus

2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced

10 cloves roasted garlic, chopped

1/2 tomato, quartered

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces dry fettuccini noodles

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons tapenade

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare asparagus by trimming woody base and cutting diagonally into 4 inch pieces.

In a roasting pan, combine asparagus, bell pepper, mushrooms, roasted garlic and tomato. Sprinkle with rosemary and oregano, then drizzle with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss with Parmesan cheese, tapenade and roasted vegetables.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES (SPRING)

This is from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network's website, and from Everyday Italian. Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-asparagus-and-cherry-tomatoes-spring-recipe-1939598.

Ingredients

8 ounces penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes

1 cup shelled fresh peas

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

CHICKEN ALFREDO PASTA SKILLET

Here's a simple, yet yummy, meal from Betty Crocker that begins, "A scratch dinner done in 40 minutes using just one pan? It’s not too good to be true—but it is so very good! A classic homemade Alfredo sauce gets tossed with cooked chicken, peas and ziti pasta for an impressive meal that you can make on the fly."

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 6

To view this online at the Betty Crocker site, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

3 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

8 oz uncooked ziti pasta (2 1/2 cups)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken

3/4 cup frozen sweet peas

Chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, if desired

Directions

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted; add garlic. Cook and stir constantly about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add broth, pasta, salt and pepper; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and most of liquid is absorbed.

Stir in whipping cream and Parmesan cheese; cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until bubbly. Stir in chicken and frozen sweet peas; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated through.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley.

Expert Tips

Leftover shredded cooked chicken may be used in place of deli rotisserie chicken.

Penne pasta may be substituted for the ziti pasta.

ELAINE'S FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

This is from Alex Witchel in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Alex wrote, "This recipe came to The Times in a 2004 article about Elaine Kaufman, the founder and proprietress of the famed New York restaurant and celebrity hot spot that bore her name and where this dish was served. There is nothing fancy or complicated about it – it's glorified macaroni and cheese, really – but it is delicious and deeply satisfying. (Fun fact: Jackie O was a fan.)"

Yield: 6 servings; Time: 15 minutes

This was featured in "The Salon Keeper", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9025-elaines-fettuccine-alfredo.

Ingredients

Salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 large egg yolk

1 pound fresh fettuccine

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Bring 6 quarts generously salted water to a boil.

While the water heats, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute until fragrant and sizzling, about 2 minutes. Whisk the cream with the egg yolk in a bowl until blended; pour into the garlic butter. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir until hot but not boiling. Keep warm over low heat.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta, partially covered, until al dente. (The pasta will float when it's done.) Drain in a colander, shaking out excess water, but reserve a little cooking water. Pour hot pasta into the cream mixture and toss to coat (still over low heat). Add the cheese and keep tossing gently until cream is mostly absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. If sauce is absorbed too much, toss with a little pasta water. Serve in warm bowls.

RIGATONI WITH SUMMER BOLOGNESE

This is from the Food Network, and begins, "The sauce for this dish is full of fresh tomatoes, which are high in skin-benefiting antioxidants."

Active Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/rigatoni-with-summer-bolognese-7119146.

Ingredients

Kosher salt

10 ounces rigatoni (about 3 cups)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 small carrots, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ground beef, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until evenly combined, 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost completely dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the tomatoes and half the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the mixture is saucy, 4 to 7 minutes.

Add the cheese to the sauce, then add the rigatoni; season with salt and pepper and toss, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining basil and more parmesan.

FETTUCCINE CARBONNAISE

This is from Linda Larsen, a contributor to The Spruce Eats. She wrote, " We wanted to make spaghetti carbonara but was out of spaghetti and cream. Then we started casting around for some substitutions that might work. We know that you can make carbonara without cream, but we love the added richness and smoothness that cream adds to the recipe.

"Fettuccine was my first idea to use instead of the spaghetti; we love the substantial strands. This long pasta combines well with creamy sauces and really holds onto them, which is what we had in mind."

She goes on to write about this recipe, all of which you can read at https://www.thespruceeats.com/fettuccine-carbonnaise-recipe-481964 (along with viewing the recipe online).

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

8 slices bacon

2 clove garlic (minced)

1 pound fettuccine

4 large eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the bacon until crisp and browned in a large pan over medium heat. Remove bacon from pan, place on paper towels to drain, then crumble. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds.

Scrape the garlic and bacon fat remaining in the pan into a small bowl.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt to flavor, then add the pasta. Stir. Cook until the pasta is just al dente, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, add the eggs, mayonnaise, milk, salt, and pepper to the bacon in the small bowl and beat well with a wire whisk until blended and smooth.

When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot immediately.

Off the heat, add the mayonnaise mixture. Toss with tongs until the mixture coats the pasta, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce.

Add the Parmesan cheese and toss again and serve immediately.