Veggie Pasta Primavera

This is a recipe Andy came up with on the fly to make for friends who just had a baby. We had some summer squash and chard from our CSA that we thought would be great with pasta. I might be able to get Andy to be a little more specific on ingredient amounts, but this is just kind of the way he cooks!

• 1/2 - 3/4 lb mini penne pasta
• 2 small zucchini
• 2 medium yellow neck squash
• oregano
• garlic, minced
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• swiss chard, chopped finely
• 1/2 pint light whipping cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup parmesan, plus more to top if desired
• 1/4 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 cups frozen peas

Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside. Cube zucchini and squash, toss in pan with oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, saute 10-15 min or until soft. Allow to cool, chop more finely if desired. In the same pan, cook the swiss chard until it wilts, set aside. Mix cream, butter, parmesan, and sour cream in a small sauce pan, bring to a light simmer for 5 minutes. Mix pasta, veggies, cream, and peas in a large bowl until pasta is coated. Add more salt, pepper, oregano, or garlic powder if desired. Pour into a casserole dish and top with parmesan. Bake 30 min at 350.

Cheesy Shell Bake

This is a recipe that was posted on the mama board I used to be a part of, so I've seen it for 4 years, and tonight was the first time I actually tried it. They all raved about it, but I thought it just sounded "eh." I was wrong! It's a fairly classic baked pasta dish, with a layer of sour cream (or yogurt), shredded cheddar, and parsley in the middle. Evan loved this, too. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of medium shells, cooked al dente - any pasta will work, we used mini penne
• 1lb of ground beef, could also use ground sausage or other meat
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• 2-3Tbls of dried parsley
• 8oz sour cream or plain yogurt
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper
• garlic and onions for ground beef if desired
• Optional - veggies! Corn, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, chiles, etc.*

Start the water for the noodles and while they are cooking, brown your beef. Add salt and pepper to taste and diced garlic and onions if you have them and like that. Once the beef is cooked, add the entire jar of tomato sauce. When the shells are ready, drain and add to the sauce beef mixture.

In a separate bowl, add the sour cream, parsley and about a third of the block of cheese. Mix all the ingredients.

Take half of the shell-beef-sauce mixture and put it into a 13x9 baking pan. Then take the sour cream mixture and layer it over the shells in the pan. If you find that you don't have enough sour cream mixture make a little bit more. Put the rest of the shell-sauce-beef on top and cover with the rest of the grated cheese. Cook at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until all the cheese is melted.

*We actually used leftover corn dip (made from sour cream, shredded cheese, corn, jalapeno, and green chiles) instead of the sour cream mixture, it was excellent! You might want to saute raw veggies a bit or cook with the ground beef to soften before adding.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lemons and Capers

• 1 package of angel hair pasta
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 - 6 oz bacon, cut into thin slices
• 2 T butter
• 2 T capers
• 2 T parsley finely diced

1) Cook pasta. Drain, and set aside

2) Fry bacon to your desired doneness and drain, reserving 1 T in the pan
3) Add lemon juice and capers
4) Cook over low to medium heat until liquid begins to thicken
5) Add butter, stir in parsley, cook for 2 minutes over low heat.
6) Add angel hair to pan and twist and stir pasta until no sauce remains at the bottom of the pan

Penne Pizza Pan-fry

Andy made up this recipe a few weeks ago when I got sweet italian sausage for a crazy good price and bought a lot of it. We really liked it, and made it again this week to bring to a friend. The second time I made it, I boiled the sausages for about 8 minutes (prick with a knife first) then cut into slices and pan fried.

• 3 Italian Sausages cut into thin slices (best done when cold, or partially frozen)
• 1/2 c diced bell pepper
• 1/2 c diced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, finely diced, or pressed
• 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (petite)
• 7 oz of penne pasta
• 30 slices of turkey pepperoni (approximately 1 oz), cut into thin ribbons
• 1/2 T dried oregano
• 1/2 T dried basil
• 1/3 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2/3 c plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
• shredded parmesan (optional)

1) Place pasta in boiling water.
2) Pan fry sausage in a large, deep sided skillet. Drain most of the oil from the pan, and set aside.
3) Saute onions, peppers, garlic, and pepperoni in remaining oil over medium heat until the onions and peppers are soft.
4) Add chickpeas, oregano, and basil, and continue cooking until onions begin to turn golden brown (about 3 minutes).
5) Drain liquid from tomatoes, add to onion mixture along with yogurt and spaghetti sauce, stir to combine. More yogurt or spaghetti sauce can be added to achieve your desired consistency.
6) Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then stir in drained pasta.
7) Serve with shredded parmesan

Tortellini Alla Carbonara

• 1/4 lb bacon or pancetta
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pkg (20 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• chopped parsley to taste
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3/4 cup light cream
• 1 1/2 cups white wine (we use chicken broth with a little vinegar)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• sliced grape tomatoes (optional)

Fill a large stock pot with water and begin heating. Meanwhile, dice the bacon and place in a skillet heated to medium high. Add red onion and saute until cooked through, adding garlic at the end of the cooking time.

When bacon is cooked through, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Pasta will float to the surface when done.

While pasta is cooking, add parsley, basil, wine, and a little cream to bacon mixture. Simmer to reduce slightly, stirring constantly. Add 1 lightly beaten egg, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese and drained pasta. Toss until the egg is set. Serve hot, garnish with sliced grape tomatoes if desired, along with additional parmesan cheese.

Pasta Primavera

• 8 oz rotini, cooked and drained
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 2 cups broccoli
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup peas
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 pint light whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• salt and pepper

Over medium heat, spray wok or pan with Pam. Saute broccoli 2 min, add other veggies and garlic, saute until tender. Remove from pan.

Melt butter in pan, whisk in cream and cheese until smooth. Add pasta to pan, stir until coated with sauce. Add veggies back in along with parsley, turn off heat, stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Linguine with Peanut Sauce

• 12 oz linguine or spaghetti
• 2 carrots, diagonally sliced
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice or cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp chopped peanuts
  

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine for 5 minutes. Add carrots; cook for 3 minutes or until linguine is tender but firm. Drain and return to pot, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, cut chicken crosswise into thin slices. In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook chicken for 5 minutes or until golden and no longer pink inside. Add to pasta mixture.

Whisk together peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oil and hot pepper sauce; add to pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta water if desired to moisten. Serve sprinkled with onions, coriander and peanuts.