Pasta, simply flour, eggs, olive oil and salt in the right proportions, becomes both a thing of beauty and a blank canvas. I love the versatility of pasta – whether you are following a recipe or throwing together ingredients from your fridge or pantry – the combinations are endless.
One note, do not overcook your noodles. Your goal is al dente, you still want the past to have a bit of texture. You do not want a mouthful of something gooey and mushy. When in doubt, cook your pasta according to the shorter cook time. To test the if the pasta is finished cooking, take a bite of the noodle and look at the inside. You should see just a tiny bit of white. Drain your pasta, because the carryover cooking (the residual heat from the pasta) will take care of that final bit.
Do not rinse your pasta! And save a bit of that cooking water to give flavor and body to your sauces.
We very rarely make our own noodles. Right, wrong or indifferent, I lump this activity into the category of baking. And, truth be told, my attempts at homemade noodles is 1 for 2. My first attempt at homemade raviolis resulted in bland, tough dough. Cardboard may have tasted better. My second time, attempted under the fearless tutelage of Gma, yielded a much better result. (Regardless of the fact that we broke the flour dam … whoops.) If you’re willing to master this skill, it is absolutely worth the time and effort. After all, have you ever met anyone who is not impressed by someone who can whip up a batch of homemade pasta in a snap.
Buttery Cabbage-and-Sausage Pasta
The countdown to autumn is on. If my latest posts have represent my thinking, clearly I have fall on my mind. Buttery Cabbage-and-Sausage Pasta by Wine & Food is savory and rich.
I like the cabbage to contribute a bit of texture, so I recommend cooking it to your liking, rather than blindly following the recipe’s recommended time. The acidity contributed by the lemon nicely balances the sweetness of the cabbage. Add a little extra fresh-squeezed lemon juice if the flavor profile lacks depth.
Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
We’ve found another dish fit for the autumn season, Chicken with Marscapone Mustard Marsala Sauce by Giadzy. This is an excellent alternative to the classic comfort food, beef stroganoff. I like the tang the mustard adds and the creamy sweetness of the marscapone.
This self-described beginner recipe estimates prep time at 10 minutes and cook time at 40 minutes … perhaps due to the pre-sliced mushrooms. Even if you opt for the pre-sliced mushrooms, I recommend allocating a bit more time. (It takes me 10 minutes just to prep chicken!)
Consider using fresh pasta noodles to make the dish extra special.
This recipe, Dirty Risotto by Giada De Laurentiis for Food Network, is super simple to throw together, and the rich flavors scream fall.
Risotto is easy, but it does require your attention, because you have to slowly add the cooking liquid until you reach the desired texture. The longer you allow the liquid to absorb into the arborio rice, the creamier your risotto will become.
I highly recommend adding extra sweet bell peppers and mushrooms. If you like a bit of spice, use spicy italian sausage and add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto
This recipe was originally published by Food & Wine in Aug of 2015. It doesn’t appear to be available on F&W’s website, but I did find the recipe courtesy of New Roots Organics.
Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto is ‘Fasy & East‘ at its very best. In fact, Big and Little prepared 90% of this dish. They toasted the walnuts, pulsed the pesto, shaved the zucchini and cooked the pasta. They even seasoned the pesto with salt and pepper!
The heat of the pasta softens the zucchini, but it is otherwise raw. Both the zucchini and toasted walnuts lend a lovely texture to the pasta. I recommend doubling the amount of walnuts so you have plenty to top the pasta. If you’re looking for a bit more protein, bocconcini or rotisserie chicken would be a lovely addition.
Bolognese by Williams and Sonoma is one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes. The flavor is rich and satisfying. Plan ahead, because the recipe recommends you simmer the sauce for 3.5 hours. You can get away with 90-minutes, but your patience will be rewarded if you have the full amount of time. If the sauce becomes too thick, and starts to stick, add a bit of chicken broth to maintain the desired consistency.
I typically double the carrots and celery, and use white wine, rather than red. To add a twist to the recipe, try substituting mild italian sausage for the pork, or top the pasta with chopped celery leaves or pine nuts.
Don’t forget to allow the heavy cream to come to room temperature before adding it to the sauce. This retains the silky texture and prevents the cream from separating.
Burmese-Style Noodles with Chicken and Coconut
I come back to this warm, earthy dish by Williams and Sonoma constantly. Burmese-Style Noodles with Chicken and Coconut is a slow cooker recipe that requires minimal prep.
An extended cook time allows the flavor to develop and meld together. The lime zest lends a touch of sweetness and the lime juice brightens the entire flavor profile.
Add variety to leftovers by serving this dish over rice the next day. Top with a few peanuts or cashews and roasted broccoli or sauteed sweet peppers.
This Penne Alla Vodka recipe by Williams Sonoma sits squarely in the ‘Simple’ category, because preparing the fresh tomatoes requires a bit of effort. However, the resulting flavor is 100% worth the little bit of extra time. In a pinch, you can substitute canned tomatoes (about 2 cans drained of excess juice), but the flavor is denser, so add a bit extra of all of the other ingredients.
Don’t forget to allow the heavy cream to come to room temperature before adding it to the sauce. This retains the silky texture and prevents the cream from separating. I typically add extra basil (Can you ever have too much basil?) and fresh mozzarella bocconcini for protein. I haven’t tried it, but I do think this sauce would be delicious over vegetable spirals.
Beef Stroganoff over Buttered Noodles
I recently asked Husband for a dinner idea and he suggested beef stroganoff. I vaguely recall the last time we made this dish being in Seattle … easily 10-years ago. Challenge accepted.
This recipe featured on Food Network and courtesy of Tyler Florence caught my attention. The ingredient list is streamlined, and I categorized it as “Simple,” rather than “Fast & Easy” due to the extended simmering time (crucial for tender beef chunks).
I increased both the carrots and the mushrooms and loved the beefy flavor this recipe produced.
Interestingly, I couldn’t find this recipe by Williams Sonoma online, so I included a link to a copy cited on another blog.
Little was thumbing through our Williams-Sonoma Pasta cookbook and quickly started marking recipes he wanted to try. We are slowly working our way through his choices, and this caprese pasta recipe was at the top of our list.
I have owned this cookbook for well over 15 years, and I cannot believe this is our first time trying it. The dish was super easy and fast to throw together, and the flavors are delicious. Bonus points awarded to this dish, because it is vegetarian.
Orzo and Chickpeas with Turmeric-Ginger Broth
I love the fresh and interesting flavor profile of the broth. This Food & Wine dish comes together quickly and is perfect for an evening where you are looking for a light meal.
To give a bit of silkiness and weight to the broth, I added a can of coconut milk. We topped the soup with thinly sliced shallots and cilantro. A dollop of gochuchang sauce introduced a touch of heat.
I tossed cauliflower with a some turmeric, salt, and pepper and prepared it according to my Simple Roasted Cauliflower recipe. We realized this was also an excellent topping.
Both Big and Little adore pasta. Bolognese is one of our favorite recipes. We turn to it time and time again, but the recipe is time-consuming, primarily due to long simmer times that allow the flavors to blend.
True to its name, this bolognese recipe by Giadzy is, indeed, simple. Both the ingredient list and prep time is minimal, but the flavors are still rich.
This is your ticket if you want a hearty, comforting meal but have the energy for a PB&J.
Husband was skeptical of this recipe from Food & Wine, but it ended up being a hit for the entire family.
We do not cook with much salt, and I personally found the meatballs to be too salty. Next time I plan to reduce the salt to only 3/4 teaspoon.
I mom-ified it by adding chopped carrots and extra spinach.
I added a parmesan rind as I was adding the stock, and since I’m not a huge fan of italian parsley, I substituted celery leaves.
Red-Wine Spaghetti with Walnuts and Parsley
Looking for an unusual take on pasta?
This recipe, published by Food & Wine and adapted from New York City pastry chef Gina DePalma is easy and walnuts lend a nice richness and crunch.
I recommend using a robust wine for greater depth of flavor.
As typical, I skipped the parsley, but feel the dish could use some brightness. I’m going to experiment … maybe basil? Tarragon? Thyme?
I’m normally skeptical of anything that claims to be the world’s best … but this lasagna recipe is definitely a contender. It’s been a long time since I’ve attempted lasagna, and this one feels manageable. Be sure to start this recipe about 3.5 hours before you plan to eat, as you have to allow for 2.5 hours of cook time.
True to form, I left out the parsley. Next time, I plan to include it the juice of half a lemon. The meat sauce is rich and savory, but I think it could use a bit of brightness for balance.
Note, the meat sauce itself is terrific. You could easily throw it over pasta or a whole grain, such as quinoa.
Looking for a dinner option that is delicious, yet deceivingly simple? Try cacio e pepe by Bon Appetit, which literally translates to cheese and pepper. Big and Little have dubbed this dish “peppery pasta.”
To enhance the “pasta water,” use just enough water to adequately cover the pasta, as this concentrates the starch content in the water.
Note, pepper can be spicy, so if this is the first time trying this dish with your Littles, I recommend going easy on the pepper and adding more to taste. You can gradually increase the amount as they become acclimated to the flavor.
Lemon Spaghetti + Chicken Piccata
We generally find recipes by Giada De Laurentiis to be accessible and delicious. This is a brightly-flavored pairing that is both simple and a great go-to to impress guests.
I only have one modification … rather than split the chicken breast, I tenderize it by pounding the chicken breast with a meat mallet to about 1/2″ thick. Round out the meal with a salad.
This is one of our favorite recipes and my go-to when I need something fast. We are lucky that our Nonno has perfected his smoked gouda recipe, and this is the first dish I make whenever I am lucky enough to have a wedge of his cheese. We’ve also made this with smoked gouda brands easily found in grocery stores and the recipe remains delicious.
Gouda creates a beautiful creamy texture. To achieve that desired silky texture, be sure to temper the egg mixture. You can do this by whisking pasta water into the egg, as instructed by the recipe, but I find this makes the sauce a bit runny.
Another technique is to use tongs to gather a small bundle of the cooked spaghetti noodles and add them to the egg mixture before pouring the egg over the remaining pasta. Then add the pasta water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. For a well-rounded meal, add a vegetable such as my simple roasted asparagus or simple roasted tomatoes. Or balance the richness of the dish with a light salad.
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