Archive for the ‘Pasta’ Category

We have very, very different ideas when it comes to pasta for dinner. I’m mostly all about fresh, lightly-sauced pasta spiked with lemon. Lots and lots of lemon. Except when it’s cold and then I want heavy cream, butter, and unhealthy amounts of gooey, melty cheese.

The Foodie Groom, on the other hand, prefers his pasta smothered in “meat sauce,” a meaty concoction where ingredients other than meat are optional. It’s an entire bowl of Y chromosomes. Total man food. It was one of the few things he cooked before we met: a little marinara sauce + 1 lb ground beef + pasta = dinner. We would have it so often that I’d gotten to the point where I absolutely cringed at the words “meat sauce.” And since I do all the cooking, we stopped eating it.

I kept our menu peppered with other pasta dishes in hopes that maybe – just maybe – I’d never hear those two words again. But as I was flipping through one of my cookbooks, he walked by just in time: “Oh, let’s make that!” “That” was Pasta with Hearty Beef Ragu. Meat sauce by any other name is still meat sauce. Yay.

I will admit that I was a big, pouty baby about the idea of making meat sauce for dinner, all the way up until the veggies hit the hot oil. And then my house kinda smelled like Thanksgiving. I was even pretty excited by the time I was plating dinner – one of the things that drove me crazy about meat sauce, besides the meat, was that no matter what I did or how long I simmered it, there was always a pool of watery sauce at the bottom of the bowl. This sauce had no such problems.

We both happily devoured our bowls of manly pasta. No one complained about watery sauce. No one whined about eating ground beef. No one batted an eye at the sauce containing celery and carrots. Everyone agreed that it would go on the menu again.

Penne with Hearty Beef Ragu
Printer-friendly recipe
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
12 oz ground beef, extra lean
2/3 cup red wine (I used a Barolo)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 2-3 inch section of Parmesan rind (optional)
1 lb whole wheat penne

Add the olive oil to a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and rosemary and cook until the vegetables are softened, 8-10 minutes. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp water, if needed, to keep the pan from drying out and the vegetables from browning.

Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and aromatic, about 40 minutes. Add the Parmesan rind and cook an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Before the sauce is finished, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta. Remove the rind and add the pasta to the sauce, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Adapted from: The Weeknight Cook (Williams-Sonoma)
Yields: 4 generous main servings

Nutritional Information
Calories: 550.1 | Fat: 22.7 | Fiber 10.5
WW Points: 12

Make it with ground turkey:
Calories: 471.1 | Fat: 14.2 | Fiber 10.5
WW Points: 10

The produce bowl on the counter sits in comically sad shape: half a bulb of garlic and 9 lemons. 9 starting-to-look-sad lemons.

I love lemon. Like love-love lemon. The Foodie Groom? Not so crazy about lemons if they don’t come in the form of lemonade. He’s somewhat forgiving if they’re in dessert form but in savory dishes? No way. I had to dial the lemon in Baked Shrimp Scampi way back to keep it on the menu. But with 9 about-to-go-south lemons, I wasn’t dialing anything back for anyone

I chose a light, lemony cream sauce and served it with pasta and chicken. It probably would have been prettier with some chopped tomatoes tossed in at the end but that’s just me sulking over eating late and having to shoot with crappy lighting. But the good news is that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. And even better news? I still have enough lemons to make it 8 more times

Chicken and Spaghetti with Lemon Cream Sauce
Printer-friendly recipe

1/2 lb Thin Spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
1/8 tsp white pepper
Handful of parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining. Return pasta to the pot.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Pound chicken breasts to even thickness. Season with salt and pepper and cook through, 5-6 minutes each side. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or shred chicken, as desired. Add to the pasta.

Add butter to the pan and melt. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add lemon zest, cream, milk and heat through. Stir in Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and white pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes, until very hot and slightly thickened.

Pour sauce over pasta and toss. Let sit 5 minutes, add parsley, and toss again, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce has thickened too much. Divide between bowls and serve topped with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Yields 4 servings
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Nutritional Information
Calories: 501.7 | Fat: 24.8 | Fiber 6.3
WW Points: 11

Penne [knock knock knock]
Penne [knock knock knock]

Yep, I thought it was *so* clever when I did that at dinner

I love Sheldon. His geeky, humorous, and often mind-boggling habits remind me of… well, um, someone I know. [whispers] and married (Have no idea what I’m talking about?)

When I serve pasta as a one-bowl dinner, I try to hit the major food groups, protein and veggie, before hitting up the most important one: cheese. Working veggies into a red sauce isn’t hard to do at all. The Foodie Groom’s favorite red sauce actually includes a carrot and a stalk of celery. No lie! He won’t touch those two raw… or cooked into most other things… or smothered in ranch dressing like a “normal” person… but put it in a pasta sauce and he’s good to go. But working veggies into “naked pasta” can be a little tricky.

I love lemon and pasta together – I also like arugula so this dish was great. The Foodie Groom’s verdict? I had to broker a deal just to get the dish on the menu: I’d make chicken tenders if he’d humor me just one more lemony pasta dish. Predictably, he left most of the arugula in his bowl, not a fan of the flavor… or with me putting salad in his pasta.

Lemony Penne with Chicken and Arugula
Printer-friendly recipe

3/4 lb penne
2 chicken breasts (12 oz)
Salt
Pepper
3 oz arugula (3 cups)
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. Cook 2 chicken breasts as desired (grilled, broiled, poached). Let sit for ~10 minutes and slice or shred.

While the pasta is cooking, place arugula, lemon juice, zest, and olive oil, tossing to combine. Place cooked pasta into the bowl immediately after draining, add chicken, and toss. Add half of the parmesan, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Add a splash of pasta water if desired.

Divide the pasta between 4 bowls and garnish with remaining cheese.

Serves 4
Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2010

Nutritional Information
Calories: 461.7 | Fat: 11.7 | Fiber 9.6
WW Points: 9