This roasted butternut squash and portabella pasta is packed with flavor and comes together easily for a tasty weeknight dinner.
Now, we all know of my love of pasta. Because it’s such a huge part of my repertoire, I’m always looking for different recipes and interesting ways to switch it up. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a pasta mad scientist.
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This pasta was inspired by one of my favorite new (to me) cookbooks, Forest Feast {find these great cookbooks here } My two little ones have been especially picky with their food lately and this was a hit. Few things make me happier at dinner time than not having to make anything “extra” for my little people.
Here’s the super simple recipe. This is perfect for a weeknight, and the leftovers (if there are any, we ate it all) would probably be delish warm or cold for the next day’s lunch. This just served four with no leftovers. Double the vegetables and pasta to have more to enjoy!
Carrot and Zucchini Noodle Skillet
2 large carrots
2 zucchini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
8 oz of fettuccine (I use jovial egg noodles to keep it gluten-free)
1 tablespoon of butter
a few springs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Zest and juice of one lemon
Parmesan cheese (optional)
instructions:
Boil pasta in salted water. Peel carrots and zucchini then use peeler to create”ribbons” with both veggies. (chop and roast leftover pieces for tomorrow’s breakfast or lunch). Add these ribbons to large skillet with olive oil and salt and garlic and thyme – toss together and cook until tender about 5-ish minutes. Add in cooked pasta, butter, lemon zest and juice (use half the lemon juice, toss and taste. add more if desired) toss together, salt if needed and sprinkle with fresh parmesan if desired.
Plate, Serve, Enjoy!
~Rebekah
Hello all! This week’s recipe was inspired by three things: One, a big bunch of kale in my refrigerator. Two,a recipe I found in Bon Appetit magazine. Three, an episode of Portlandia where a man gives up pasta to lose weight and then becomes a shameful, slobbering, cracked out mess.
Now, I am not one to post video to my blog…actually I have never done it before, but this warrants it. I present what would happen to me if anyone ever took my pasta away:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9sdQS7wzxU?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]
**UPDATE: this happened folks, they took my pasta away. Since going Gluten-free I have been on a mission to find a suitable pasta replacement. Now, I am trying to perfect my own because the store bought (good) GF pasta is mad expensive, but in the meantime, I have found Jovial brand pastas to be very close to the real deal. I use their fettuccine style egg noodles in this recipe and its wonderful.
Yeah. Anywhooo, I found this recipe the other night when I was digging around on the internet for something interesting to do with kale because I had a few big bunches of it in my refrigerator. In the meantime, I happened to watch the above episode titled, “Pasta Addict”. Needless to say, these two events combined to make me absolutely have to have a pasta dish that incorporated kale.
Fettuccine with Braised kale
Inspired by Bon Appetit Magazine
This pasta dish was really delish, and it goes along with my New Year efforts to lighten things up around here. It really satisfied my addictive need for pasta, but I didn’t feel all weighed down after I ate it. So the next time you have some kale, and want some pasta, give this a shot, you won’t be sorry.
Until Next time, Viva le Starch!
P.S. See you on Monday for Coffee Break!
Welcome back everyone. I hope you survived the holiday fun (Read: madness). Personally, my Christmas dinner was a bit of a disaster. Sure, it tasted great once it got to the table, but I grew a few gray hairs during the process…and I may have a small bald spot on my head in a place that I just cannot see yet. How could I let it go down like that?! The cooking mayhem happened because I broke two of my personal holiday cooking rules:
1. Never make a new recipe on a holiday
2. Always stick to your pre-planned cooking schedule
Because I did not follow these rules, I prettttty much looked like this on Christmas.
So to ring in the New Year on a positive note, here at The Salty table, I’m going to share something really special with you. Not just regular special, but really special. What’s with all the ‘specials’ you ask? Well, let me tell you. Rather, let me introduce you to my Nona’s Meatball & Marinara recipe. Now, Nona Volpe was from Naples, and I have to say she was a little, well, ‘salty’. But she made a bangin’ sauce.
Honestly, I swore I would never share this publicly, (I even denied my poor father-in-law the recipe at one point) but the spirit of the New Year has got me in the mood to share. Now, good meatballs and marinara are all about two things: The right tomatoes and the right method. Because of this I took a lot of pictures, and I’m going to step-by-step this one so you guys can really nail the flavor and hopefully enjoy this as much as I do. And hey, if your going to share a secret recipe, go big or go home. Here we go!
For the Meatballs you will need:
2Lb Ground beef
4 slices of white bread, crusts removed
1/4 C milk
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
Place the slices of bread in a bowl and pour the milk over the bread. Press the bread with a fork to absorb the milk. If the slices a re still dry, add a bit more milk. Now in a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients, except the ground beef. Add in the ground beef and lightly mix with a fork until just combined, don’t mash it or over mix. Rolls the mixture into 2″ balls. Heat a bit of olive oil and a bit of vegetable oil (to bring the smoke point up) in a large pan to medium heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Work in batches, do not crowd the meatballs. After browning, set aside on a paper towel lined plate while you make the sauce. Drain the oil from the pan, but don’t clean it- you will use the same pan for the sauce.
For the sauce you will need:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup good red wine (something you would drink)
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes (peeled tomatoes, in juice)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of sugar
a few dashes of worstershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Using the same pan you made the meatballs in, add and heat olive oil. Add in onion, sauté until tender. Add in pinch of red pepper flakes and garlic. Stir and cook for one minute.
add in tomato paste, stir. cook this mixture until it begins to brown and get pasty. This is your flavor base.
Now add in your wine
Simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Now add in the San Marzano tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, sugar, worstershire, and balsamic.
Give it a big stir. You can either break the tomatoes up with a masher, or use an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce. (My nona used to just cook it to death until they broke down by themselves, but I have modernized the recipe and made it take less than 4 hours. The added balsamic and worstershire add a depth of flavor so it doesn’t need to simmer as long.)
Now, taste your sauce. Adjust with salt and pepper if needed. If it is to tangy, add a bit more sugar. If it needs a little zing, add a few more dashes of balsamic vinegar. When you have the flavor you like, add in the meatballs.
Continue cooking this for another 30 minutes, until the meatballs cook all the way through.
To serve:
Toss pasta of your choice with freshly grated parm cheese and some of the sauce. Place in a large pasta bowl or platter. Top with meatballs and rest of sauce. Pass additional Parmesan.
And there you have it folks! I’m so happy to share this recipe with you, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do 🙂 Don’t forget to stop by on Monday for the first Monday Coffee Break of the New Year!
So last night was one of those nights when I had to get dinner on the table fast. I had to be sure it was something the whole family could eat, which means, me, my husband, and my 14 month old son. I had a cold, and the other two had “man colds” (we all know this is a very different brand of cold.) I wanted to do soup, but I had to get this done fast as we were all ‘Gilberting.’ What’s Gilberting?” you might ask.
Well, I’ll tell you. If you are familiar with the comedian Gilbert Godfrey you know how he always seems annoyed, speaks in a shrill voice, and you can’t wait until someone sticks something in his mouth to silence him. This is the term in our family for when people need to be fed, now, because this is how we all act when we are really hungry.
Anywhooo, I decided to whip up this tortellini & spinach casserole. It had all of the flavors of tortellini soup that I love in half the time, and it was easy for lil’ man to eat with his hands.
There are some short cuts with ingredients here, but as i already explained, Gilbert Godfrey was in my kitchen, thrice.
**The recipe sheet is its own JPG. If you clicky, you can printy! Bon Appetit!
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“Seriously so good! My husband asked me to make MORE! He never does that!!” -Chylanne
