Pasta Recipes

[Zana]

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Tomatoes

Baked ziti in a hearty meat sauce is a great dish for a hungry family; use either pork or turkey sausages.

Recipe courtesy of "The Illustrated Kitchen Bible: 1,000 Family Recipes from Around the World" by Victoria Blashford-Snell, copyright 2008. Used by permission of Dorling Kindersley Limited. All rights reserved.

Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) sweet or hot Italian sausages (pork or turkey)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped x
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
4 cups Fresh Tomatoes, chopped, or One 28 oz (794 g) can chopped tomatoes with their juices
2 tbsp chopped basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Yield: Serves 6 Serving

Directions

Prep: 20 min Total:
1
Fill a deep skillet with water and bring to a boil. Poke holes in the sausages with a fork, add them to the pan, and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the casings turn pale. Drain the sausages and let cool. Remove the casings and break up the meat.

2
Return the skillet to the heat, add the sausage and oil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, or until softened.

3
Stir in the tomatoes with their juices and the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has thickened, stirring occasionally.

4
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the ziti, and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes before the time indicated on the package. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.

5
Stir most of the sausage and tomato sauce into the ziti. Spread in a large casserole (or 6 individual casserole dishes), then spoon the reserved sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella.

6
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted and golden.

[Zana]

Creamy Rigatoni with Chicken and Portabellas

If pasta and chicken are your go-to recipes for a weeknight dinner, look no further than this easy pasta dish that combines the best of both worlds. Rigatoni is topped with creamy tomato sauce, sauteed chicken and portobello mushrooms for a filling one-dish dinner that's ready in about 45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Lorena Garcia's New Latin Classics by Lorena Garcia, published by Ballantine Books



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)
1 shallot, very finely minced 1/4 cup chicken stock or chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1- inch cubes 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 portabella mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1- inch cubes 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced 1 pound rigatoni
1 cup tomato puree (preferably bottled Italian tomato puree), strained through a fine- mesh sieve 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
2 cups heavy cream

Yield: 6 Servings

Directions
Total:
1
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium to high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and chicken and cook until the chicken is browned, about 6 minutes. Use tongs to turn over the chicken pieces, and cook the other side until browned, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, cream, white wine, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium- low, and cook until the sauce is thick and reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
2
Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick, about 10 minutes.
3
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook following the package instructions until the pasta is al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.
4
Divide the pasta among six bowls, divide the remaining sauce evenly over each bowl of pasta, sprinkle with some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley, and serve.




Read More http://www.ivillage.com/creamy-rigat...#ixzz1btg4v1Yy

[Zana]

Rigatoni with Hearty Lamb Sauce

1 lb Rigatoni, Medium Shells or other medium pasta shape, uncooked
12 oz lamb stew meat or 2 pounds shoulder lamb chops
1 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes, or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 Tbs olive or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary*
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 pinch each ground nutmeg and ground cloves
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Ask the grocery butcher to remove fat from the meat and coarsely grind the lamb for you. Or, remove the fat and bone and coarsely chop the meat in a food processor. Place the plum tomatoes in a bowl and break up with a fork until coarsely crushed.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and garlic and cook until the meat begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, rosemary and thyme; cook 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, nutmeg, cloves and salt and pepper to taste.
Heat to a boil and reduce the heat to simmering. Cook, uncovered, until the lamb is very tender, about 45 minutes. Check the lamb occasionally. There should always be enough liquid to cover the meat. If not, add a small amount of water.
Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Return the pasta to the pot.
Add the lamb sauce to the pot and cook over low heat until heated through, stirring constantly. Stir in half the Parmesan cheese. Divide pasta among serving bowls. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.


Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 serving
Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information provided by the recipe author.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 469.00
% Daily Value
Total Fat 13.00g 20%
Cholesterol 0.00mg 0%
Sodium 181.00mg 8%
Carbohydrates 47.00g 16%
Net Carbohydrates 47.00g
Protein 27.00g 54%

[TightenUp]

sausage, penne, broccoli rabe, sun dried tomatoes

read entire recipe before making so you have all ingredients ready to go

remove main stems and trim big stems off broccoli rabe
blanch broccoli rabe by boiling in salted water for 3-4 minutes then cooling with ice water and draining.

cook pasta to al dente in salted water then drain and rinse with cool water to stop cooking

i used a spiral itailian sausage. dice sausage into 1 inch chunks. add to heated pan with a small drizzle of oil

brown sausage until just cooked through and remove to plate

add 5 cloves of finely minced garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot) into the sausage drippings. cook for 30 seconds and add 1/4 cup of dry white wine. use a wooden spoon to scrape all sausage bits into liquid. let wine reduce by half and add in broccoli rabe and a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. saute until broccoli rabe is fully heated stirring often.

add sausage, sliced sun dried tomatoes and pasta and stir. add a few more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil(DONT SKIMP!!!) also a pinch of kosher salt

cook everything together for a few minutes stirring often and serve immediately.

serving suggestions- fresh grated parm cheese, extra virgin olive oil(yes, the more the better) and crusty loaf of bread

i used 2 bunches of broccoli rabe, 1 package of sausage, a pound of pasta and as many sliced sun dried tomatoes as you'd like. also really good olive oil.

if this doesnt make sense of anyone has a question please dont hesitate to ask

[Dewayne mater]

The wife fixed this dish last night and my family loves it. All amounts are optional for the amounts you want. The amounts shown serve 6.

In a medium skillet toast sliced almonds with a TBLS of olive oil until brown, don't burn. Use enough almonds to cover the skillet.

Cook a package of pasta of choice in well salted water. We like whole wheat shells for this one as the shells will collect the chopped tomatoes and whole wheat has more flavor.

Chop tomatoes into quarter inch cubes. (approx size of cherry tomato's sliced 4 times) We used about 12 sungolds, 12 black cherry and 2 red tomatoes, but go crazy with however many you like and whatever types you like.

Chiffonade about 20 basil leaves that are medium in size.

Mix tomatoes, basil and a couple of cloves of minced garlic with a TBLS of olive oil

Drain pasta, reserving the last cup of pasta water.

Put tomato mixture on pasta, mix with reserved water to make a "sauce" and blench the tomato flavors into the pasta. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

As you plate, add some fresh basil leaves, ground pepper and grated parmigiana reggiano.

Simple, fresh, light and shows off those amazing heirloom flavors. Hope you like it.

Dewayne Mater

[rhoder551]

I eat this one a lot when tomatoes are in season, and I mean a lot...

Cook your pasta ( I use fettuccine or linguine)
while it is cooking prepare goat cheese-Chevre-which is a soft cheese normally in a log shape. The texture is rather like cream cheese but slightly firmer. Anyway, cut a round of Chevre for each portion flatten slightly. You can use as is or coat with mixture of bread crumbs and fresh cracked pepper.
5 minutes or so before the pasta is ready fry the Chevre med/high heat, in a little olive or corn oil, I prefer olive, a couple of minutes per side. This makes a delicious crust
When pasta is ready, add to bowls or plate along with fried cheese, chopped fresh tomato and roughly chopped or torn fresh basil leaves. Tomato and basil amounts up to you but I use about 1/2 a medium size tomato and about 4 basil leaves per portion. Top with a little flavorful olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss all together...enjoy.