Pasta

It's Wednesday (also known as hump day). If we made it to the half-way point of the week, we can make it to the weekend.

In the meatime, here are six pasta recipes to help you through the day. Today's offerings include Manicotti and Cherry Tomato Spaghetti. Enjoy!

VEGGIE-LOADED PASTA

This is from The Mayo Clinic Diet. Serving size: 1-1/2 cups. Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup onions, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

12 ounces soy crumbles, ground

2 cans tomatoes, diced, no salt added (14.5 ounces each)

2 cups small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground

6 ounces whole wheat bow-tie pasta

3 tablespoon basil, fresh (or 3 teaspoons dried basil)

Instructions

Place a large saucepan over medium to high heat.

Add the oil, onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender.

Add soy crumbles, tomatoes, zucchini, Italian seasoning and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

While the mixture is simmering, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain well and gently mix into the vegetable sauce. Garnish with basil.

Nutritional Information: Amount per serving: Calories: 260; Total fat: 6 g; Saturated fat: 1 g; Sodium: 300 mg; Total carbohydrate: 33 g; Dietary fiber: 8 g; Protein: 17 g

PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE AND RICOTTA

This comes from David Tanis in The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. David wrote, “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.” Time: 30 minutes; makes 4 to 6 servings.

This, along with the Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce, was featured in “The Time Is Right to Make Tomato Sauce”, and can be viewed online here.

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, which follows)

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 also comes from David Tanis in The New York Times Cooking e-newsletter. David wrote, “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.” Time: 30 minutes; makes about 2 1/ 2 cups.

To view this online, click here.

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.

CHERRY TOMATO SPAGHETTI

This comes from Giada De Laurentiis, and begins, “Quick-and-easy spaghetti topped with a sauce of cherry tomatoes, basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.”

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 35 minutes; Serving Size: Serves 4-6

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound dried spaghetti pasta

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 pints red cherry tomatoes

1 pint small yellow tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup thinly sliced basil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the spaghetti to al dente and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the shallot and garlic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer the mixture until the tomatoes are slightly popped, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the pasta, Parmesan, pasta water, and basil and toss thoroughly with tongs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MANICOTTI

This is from Kay Chun in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Kay wrote, "Manicotti are very large ridged pasta tubes that are stuffed and baked. The filling is a tasty combination of cheeses, often with the addition of ground meat or vegetables. In this simple weeknight version, the pasta is stuffed with a three-cheese filling flavored with garlic and nutmeg. Ricotta adds creaminess, mozzarella melts and binds, and Parmigiano-Reggiano adds nutty flavor and salinity. For ease and speed, this recipe suggests the use of store-bought marinara sauce. If you’d like to add some greens to the dish, thaw a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach, squeeze out all the water, then finely chop the spinach and add it to the filling before stuffing the manicotti."

Time: 1-1/4 hours; Yield: 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023360-manicotti.

Ingredients

Olive oil, for greasing the dish

Salt and pepper

1 (8-ounce) box manicotti shells (about 14)

1-1/2 pounds/3 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese

8 ounces/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

3 cups store-bought or homemade marinara sauce

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, cook the manicotti shells according to package directions until al dente. Rinse them under cold water until cool enough to handle; drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, garlic and nutmeg; mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add egg and mix until smooth. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag or a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip.If using a resealable plastic bag, use scissors to snip off a corner tip of the bag. Pipe the cheese filling into the cooked and cooled manicotti.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the prepared baking dish. Arrange the manicotti in a single layer in the dish. Top evenly with the remaining 2 cups marinara sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until filling is heated through and cheese is melted and golden, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

CLASSIC MARINARA SAUCE

This recipe is from Lidia Bastianich and adapted by Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Julia wrote, "Homemade marinara is almost as fast and tastes immeasurably better than even the best supermarket sauce — and it's made with basic pantry ingredients. All the tricks to a bright red, lively-tasting sauce, made just as it is in the south of Italy (no butter, no onions) are in this recipe. Use a skillet instead of the usual saucepan: the water evaporates quickly, so the tomatoes are just cooked through as the sauce becomes thick. (Our colleagues over at Wirecutter have spent a lot of time testing skillets to find the best on the market. If you're looking to purchase one, check out their skillet guide.)"

Time: 25 minutes; Yield: 3-1/2 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta

This was featured in "Marinara Worth Mastering," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce.

Note: Take time to read the article ("Marinara Worth Mastering"). It's an interesting read.

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, certified D.O.P. if possible

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

7 garlic cloves, peeled and slivered

Small dried whole chile, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large fresh basil sprig, or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, more to taste

Preparation

Pour tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. Reserve.

In a large skillet (do not use a deep pot) over medium heat, heat the oil. When it is hot, add garlic.

As soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. Add whole chile or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using) and salt. Stir.

Place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (like a flower). Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (If using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, adding more salt and oregano as needed.) Discard basil and chile (if using).