Pasta

If you love Pasta, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes, the Angel Hair Pasta, and the rest of today's recipes. Enjoy!

MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE WITH FETTUCCINE

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "A lighter take on the classic Italian sauce, this vegetarian bolognese is packed with mushrooms and vegetables in a rich tomato base. Served with fettuccine, you’ll have a hearty dinner for just 300 calories."

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

4-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 packages (8 oz each) baby bella mushrooms, coarsely chopped

2 packages (8 oz each) white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen™ organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained

1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen™ organic tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

12 oz uncooked fettuccine (from 16-oz box)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, if desired

Directions

In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic and salt in oil 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove vegetable mixture from Dutch oven to small bowl.

In same Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 14 to 19 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated.

Stir in vegetable mixture, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes; heat to simmering; reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is starting to thicken. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce.

Meanwhile, cook fettuccine as directed on package; drain. Serve fettuccine with sauce. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese and basil.

Expert Tips

Prefer a creamier sauce? If desired, stir in 1/3 cup half-and-half or heavy whipping cream after removing sauce from heat.

Cooked fettuccine may be stirred into the bolognese or topped with sauce, based on your preference.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA

I had something similar to this at a local Italian restaurant several times, and decided to try making it. A hint for making this: wait until all the veggies have been cut up, then start the water boiling for the angel hair pasta. The veggies should be cooked for 2-4 minutes, and the pasta cooked for 2 minutes before the pasta is drained and then allowed to finish cooking for another 2 minutes with the veggies. Timing is important - unless you like disgustingly soggy pasta.

Note: This recipe is from my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

Ingredients

1/2 C water

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2green pepper, diced

1 T oregano

1 lb. angel hair pasta

Directions

Cut up veggies while heating the pasta water. DO NOT PUT PASTA INTO WATER UNTIL THE VEGGIES BEGIN COOKING. (There. I said it.) In veggie pot, heat 1/2 C water & balsamic vinegar until it begins to bubble; add onion, garlic, pepper & oregano and stir once or twice. NOW ADD PASTA TO POT OF BOILING PASTA WATER. (Boy, what a bossy broad.) Simmer veggies on low-medium heat for 2-4 minutes, covered. Cook pasta for only 2 minutes, then drain in colander. As soon as pasta is drained, remove cover from veggies, dump pasta into veggie pot, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring several times. Remove from heat. DIG IN!!! (Now, isn’t that good?)

RESTAURANT-STYLE SPINACH MANICOTTI

This is from Everyday Diabetic Recipes, and begins, "Who says you need fancy restaurants for classic Italian dishes? Our Restaurant-Style Spinach Manicotti is a lighter version of your favorite baked pasta dish, so you can still enjoy this Italian dish, in moderation of course!"

Cook Time: 50 minutes; Serves: 7

To view this online, go to https://www.everydaydiabeticrecipes.com/Pastas/Restaurant-Style-Spinach-Manicotti.

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package manicotti shells (14 shells)

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, diced

1 (32-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 egg

1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1-1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups light spaghetti sauce

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook the manicotti shells according to the package directions, omitting the salt; drain, rinse, drain again, and place in a large baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a small saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until tender. Add the mushrooms and saute until brown.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, the egg, spinach, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Add the onion mixture; mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the manicotti shells (see Note), top with the spaghetti sauce, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through.

Note

To fill the shells, carefully place the cheese mixture in a large resealable plastic storage bag with a corner snipped off. Then you can just squeeze the filling into the manicotti shells, using the storage bag like a pastry bag. Simple, right?

BROCCOLI NOODLES AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

This is from allrecipes and submitted by "MessyChef", who wrote, "This is a quick and easy recipe if you are in a hurry – just noodles, broccoli, cottage cheese and Cheddar. My daughter loves it. It's always a hit."

Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20004/broccoli-noodles-and-cheese-casserole/.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package egg noodles

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

2 cups cottage cheese

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Steam broccoli until bright green and tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Combine broccoli, pasta and cottage cheese in 2 quart baking dish; mix well.

Sprinkle pasta mixture with Cheddar cheese and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

ONE-POT PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND LEMON

This is from Ali Slagle in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, Ali wrote, "This elegant, bright pasta dish comes together in about the same amount of time it takes to boil noodles and heat up a jar of store-bought marinara. The no-cook sauce is a 50-50 mix of ricotta and Parmesan, with the zest and juice of one lemon thrown in. That’s it. To make it more filling, add peas, asparagus or spinach in the last few minutes of the pasta boiling, or stir in fresh arugula or watercress with the sauce in Step 3. It’s a weeknight and for-company keeper any way you stir it."

Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

This can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020290-one-pot-pasta-with-ricotta-and-lemon. While you're there, you might also want to subscribe to The New York Times cooking enewsletter (if you haven't already). I highly recommend it. Great recipes, guides, and more.

Speaking of guides, check out Alison Roman's guide, "How to Make Mac and Cheese." Just glancing at this might just cause you to want to head for the kitchen (but really, you should read it).

And now, on to the recipe. Yum!

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1 pound short, ribbed pasta, like gemelli or penne

1 cup whole-milk ricotta (8 ounces)

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino (2 ounces), plus more for serving

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

Black pepper

Red-pepper flakes, for serving

1/4 cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.

Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.

Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that’s pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES (SPRING)

This is from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network's website, and from Everyday Italian. Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-asparagus-and-cherry-tomatoes-spring-recipe-1939598.

Note This recipe originally called for chicken stock. However, since I'm posting this in a vegetarian blog, I've exchanged the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

Ingredients

8 ounces penne pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (about 9 ounces) cherry tomatoes

1 cup shelled fresh peas

1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable stock

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.