Pasta

Pasta is one of my favorite food groups. There's just something wonderful about a bowl or plateful of steaming pasta with sauce, veggies, or any combination of yumminess. Heck, even a plateful of spaghetti with butter and pepper is yummy. (The latter was my sister's favorite way of eating spaghetti when we were kids.)

Here are six yummy pasta recipes for your enjoyment, including Fettuccine Carbonnaise and Slow-Cooker Bolognese. Enjoy!

PENNE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

This is from Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network show Everyday Italian. This has got to be one of the easiest pasta recipes I've run across in a long time (if not the easiest).

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online at the Food Network site, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-sun-dried-tomato-pesto-recipe-1942250.

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta

1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

2 garlic cloves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.

Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.

PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA

This is from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, "This wonderful pasta is made with nothing more than fresh tomato sauce and good ricotta, plus a little pecorino. It’s most delicious if you keep the pasta quite al dente; use just enough sauce, no more; give it a good pinch of crushed red pepper; and season it with enough salt of course. For the best results, use good quality imported noodles made from hard Durum wheat."

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: 30 minutes

This was featured in "The Time Is Right to Make Tomato Sauce", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017651-pasta-with-fresh-tomato-sauce-and-ricotta.

Ingredients

1 pound dried pasta, such as farfalle or penne

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Crushed red pepper (optional)

2 1/2 cups Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce, warm (see recipe)

6 ounces ultra-fresh ricotta, at room temperature

Grated pecorino

Basil leaves, for garnish

Preparation

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water, making sure to keep it quite al dente.

Put butter in a wide deep skillet over medium heat. Add drained pasta to the pan and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, if using.

Add tomato sauce gradually and stir to coat pasta, using only enough sauce for a light coating (you may not need the entire 2 1/2 cups).

Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl and dot top with spoonfuls of ricotta. Sprinkle lightly with pecorino and garnish with a few torn basil leaves.

QUICK FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

This is from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, and begins, "In August and September, when tomatoes are at their ripest, make a batch of fresh tomato sauce. At the market, look for the cracked, slightly bruised tomatoes sold at a discount. The flesh of the tomato should be dense, sweet and blood red. This makes a very fresh- and bright-tasting sauce in a manageable small batch. Take advantage of good tasty tomatoes and fill a few zip-top bags for the freezer."

Yield: About 2 1/2 cups; Time: 30 minutes

This was featured in "The Time Is Right to Make Tomato Sauce", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017650-quick-fresh-tomato-sauce.

Ingredients

5 pounds tomatoes

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 garlic clove, halved

1 basil sprig

1 bay leaf

Preparation

Cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds and discard, if you wish. Press the cut side of tomato against the large holes of a box grater and grate tomato flesh into a bowl. Discard skins. You should have about 4 cups.

Put tomato pulp in a low wide saucepan over high heat. Add salt, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, basil and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a brisk simmer.

Reduce the sauce by almost half, stirring occasionally, to produce about 2 1/2 cups medium-thick sauce, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. It will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator or may be frozen.

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.

EASY MAKE-AHEAD PASTA SAUCE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "This rich and meaty pasta sauce is a keeper for a few reasons: It’s easy enough for a Tuesday night but has cooked-all-day flavor, it can be made ahead and frozen, and it makes enough for several meals. Whip up a batch, and use it in whatever Italian dish you’re craving, from spaghetti to lasagna!"

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Servings: 16

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 can (6 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato paste

2 cans (28 oz each) Muir Glen™ organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 cup Progresso™ beef-flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

Directions

In 5-quart Dutch oven, cook beef over high heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Continue to cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes and broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Serve over pasta, if desired.

To freeze: Cover and refrigerate sauce 30 to 40 minutes. Divide sauce among four 1-quart freezer containers; freeze up to 2 months. To use: Place frozen sauce container in large bowl filled with hot water about 5 minutes or until sauce can be slid out of container into saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is heated through. Use as desired.

Expert Tips

We find that about 2 3/4 cups of sauce per pound of pasta works well.

Reheat sauce, and add cooked pasta. Cook and stir over medium-low heat 1 minute to allow pasta to absorb some of the sauce.

SLOW-COOKER BOLOGNESE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Muir Glen® tomato paste provides a simple addition to this Bolognese that’s made using sausage and ground beef. Serve this slow cooked Italian sauce over pasta for dinner."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 10

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 lb bulk Italian pork sausage

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 carrots, finely chopped (1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 can (6 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

16 oz uncooked spaghetti

3/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese (3 oz)

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage, beef, onions, carrots and garlic over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage and beef are thoroughly cooked; drain.

In slow cooker, stir together meat mixture, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and pepper flakes.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package. Serve meat mixture over spaghetti. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese and basil.