Recipe: Sea Scallops With Lime & White Wine Sauce

This quick, easy, delicious dish makes a great "date night" or special occasion meal on a warm summer evening. Lime juice, garlic, and white wine make a delicate and tasty sauce for the mild sweetness of sea scallops, which go great with summer. You and your honey will be enjoying your special dinner in no time!

Scallops With Lime & Savory White Wine Sauce
(Serves 2.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 Tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
2 limes; one juiced, one halved and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 lb. sea scallops
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cooked linguine or rice

Directions:

• Put butter in a saucepan along with garlic and cook over low heat until garlic is just fragrant and softened.
• Add white wine and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer, allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the juice of 1 lime to the saucepan, then add the cilantro, stir, remove from heat, cover and set aside.
• Prepare the scallops by putting them in a large bowl with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. 
• Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add scallops, cooking very quickly, stirring until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 3 or 4 minutes at the most.
• Add the lime slices and continue cooking, stirring, for 30 seconds longer, then turn this mixture into a large serving bowl and pour the sauce from the saucepan over the scallops, cover and let sit for a couple minutes.
• Serve over linguine or rice with the sauce poured over.

Recipe: Rotini Pasta With Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

This one-pot pasta recipe is the epitome of simple and fresh. With only a few fresh ingredients, you can put together a delicious gourmet-tasting dish in just a few minutes. This simple recipe will satisfy even the pickiest eaters, as well as those with a more refined palate. To bulk it up and add some protein, you can also add diced grilled chicken or grilled shrimp.

Rotini Pasta Tossed With Garlic Parmesan Broccoli
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

1 box (12 oz) uncooked tri-color rotini pasta
6 to 7 cups fresh broccoli florets, bite size
2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced fine or grated
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with water, add salt, and bring it to a boil, then add pasta and cook half the time recommended on package, then add the broccoli to the pasta water and continue cooking until the pasta is just al dente.
• Ladle out at least 1 cup of cooking liquid into a bowl to reserve, then drain pasta-broccoli through a colander; set aside, keeping warm.
• Put the pot you cooked the pasta in back on the stove over medium-high heat and add 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and the garlic, stirring until garlic is fragrant.
• Turn heat down to low and add the pasta-broccoli into the pot with the garlic.
• Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil to the pot and toss to coat the pasta-broccoli well, then add the grated Parmesan cheese and toss again.
• While stirring, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and keep tossing until a little sauce forms. Add more reserved pasta water if you want the dish to be saucier.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot with a fresh green salad on the side.

Recipe: Easy Spinach & Feta Mostaccioli

This super-simple recipe tastes like a fancy restaurant dish; all you need for a fabulous dinner is just 5 ingredients, and a few minutes to put it together! Serves about 4 people as a main dish, or more with salad and bread or other side dishes.  You can also stretch this further by adding meat or other protein.

Easy Spinach & Feta Mostaccioli

Ingredients:

Mostaccioli pasta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

16 oz mostaccioli or penne pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (15 oz size) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and liquid squeezed out
1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Put a big pot of salted water on the stove on high to boil.
• Put another pot on the stove on medium, add the oil, and when it gets hot, add the diced tomatoes and the spinach, stir and let simmer on low, stirring occasionally.  The mixture should bubble slowly - not boil.
• When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, drop in the pasta and cook according to package directions, but be sure to not let it get soft, just al dente.
• Drain pasta well, then add to tomato-spinach mixture in pot, stir to combine, and let simmer together until heated through, 1 or 2 minutes, then add feta, stir, and remove from heat.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
• Serve hot.

3 Fast & Delicious Pasta Dishes With 5 Ingredients Or Less

When you think of pasta do you think of meat sauce bubbling away on the stove top all day? That's how my Italian grandfather made it; I remember visiting when I was a kid - you'd walk in the front door and the whole house would be filled with the mouthwatering scent of his family recipe for Sicilian spaghetti sauce....

I'd love to make it that way every time I make spaghetti, but sometimes we just don't have all day to simmer a sauce. The question is, can you create a tasty pasta dish without spending all day in the kitchen?

Luckily, the answer is: Yes!  Making a good pasta dish does not have to be difficult.  The wonderful thing about pasta is that you can use very few ingredients and make a ton of different dishes that the whole family will enjoy - and it doesn't have to take you all day.  Here are a few quick, delicious pasta dishes to try.

1. Pasta Bake

Baked rotini with tomato sauce, grated cheese (Parmesan and Romano), and dried parsley. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a super simple pasta dish that can be created in thirty minutes or less. "Pasta Bake" is a generic term I'm using here for any type of pasta, meat, sauce and cheese combination made exceptionally gooey and delicious by placing it in the oven to bake rather than cooking it all in a pot. The idea is that once you have your pasta cooked, pick a sauce, some cheese, maybe some veggies, and rather than just stir it all together, turn it out into a casserole dish and bake it.  Baking it just makes the dish look more appealing and taste better.  Let's just say it's more like dinner and less like something thrown together on a hotplate in a college dorm room. :-)

How easy is this dish? Just put any pasta you cook, ziti, rigatoni, spaghetti or whatever, in a buttered or oiled casserole dish, then add whatever sauce ingredients you have on hand. Grab some tomato sauce and even a little tomato juice and mix it in, along with some dried oregano. Stir in that last bit of muenster cheese and add a little yellow mustard for tangy goodness. Maybe a spoonful of sour cream, too. See what kind of sausage links you have left from breakfast. Top with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan. Experimenting with different ingredients is key, but what takes this dish from being just a mixed-up bunch of noodles to a delicious pasta dinner is that you baked it. Pulling a casserole out of the oven is so much nicer than just scooping noodles out of a pot.

2. Tortellini Soup

Most people don't automatically think of soup when thinking about how to make a simple dinner using pasta as the key ingredient.  But, tortellini soup is definitely one meal to keep in mind.  This soup is filling and light at the same time. Tortellini soup consists of chicken cut into chunks, chicken broth, a couple of carrots cut into rounds, either Swiss chard or kale depending on your taste for greens, and a package of tortellini.

Bring the broth and carrots to a rolling boil and let them cook for about seven minutes, just until the carrots are softened. Then add the chicken and simmer for just a minute, since it's already cooked.  Cut your greens up into small strips and add to the soup, then add in the tortellini and cook following directions on the package of tortellini. This is such a simple soup, but it tastes amazing, and is actually rather elegant. You can omit the chicken if you want and choose a meat stuffed tortellini. You could also choose cheese-stuffed tortellini and add a handful of diced tomatoes or some tomato juice to the broth. No matter what you add to this soup, it's never going to take very long to make, so you can have a delicious pasta dinner on the table in no time.

Tagliatelle carbonara with basil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Pasta Carbonara

For a meal with only five ingredients, pasta carbonara is one of the most delicious dishes you will make.  And, the best part is you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now. You will need a box of spaghetti, about six strips of bacon, diced and fried crisp, four egg yolks, a cup of Parmesan cheese, and some frozen peas. Add some chopped parsley or basil on top and you have a pretty pasta dish that tastes better than many you will find in a restaurant.

When making this simple dish, it is important to have the egg yolks and Parmesan mixture ready before the pasta is done cooking. The heat from the pasta, after you drain it, is what cooks the egg yolks.  Just whisk together your egg yolks and Parmesan cheese in a big bowl. Then dump in your drained pasta and stir.  Add the peas and the bacon, and that's it. You have a pasta dish that is ready to serve in practically no time at all, and one that tastes as good as it looks.

A great pasta meal is only five ingredients away... or less.  All it takes to create simple pasta dishes is a bit of creativity and the willingness to experiment. Dig around in your kitchen right now and I'll bet you find the inspiration you need to throw together a fabulous pasta dinner with very little fuss at all.

And for more great recipes that are super simple and use just a few fresh ingredients for an amazingly delicious meal, be sure to pick up a copy of our FREE Recipe Book: Cooking with 3 Ingredients or Less!

Pasta & Wine Pairing Explained At Last

Being half-Italian, I'm a huge pasta fan - and any Italian knows that wine goes with pasta like the Leaning Tower of Pisa goes with Italy.  Of course, there are about as many varieties of pasta dishes as there are wines to choose from. Matching them up might seem a little overwhelming at first, but with a little deductive reasoning (and the fun part - tasting!), you can figure it out.

All you need to do in order to put together a great pasta dish with a fantastic wine is to think of the type of sauce you're using on the pasta. The sauce, for the most part, will determine the profile of wine you choose. Let's take a look at a few different types of sauce you would typically use on pasta, and which wines would pair well with each type.

1. Tomato-Based Sauce

Pasta with red sauce. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tomato sauces are acidic and generally have a bold flavor that commands attention. While no two tomato sauces are the same, there are a few basic ingredients in common that help us choose a wine that will pair well. With the strong flavor of a tomato-based sauce (also called a "red sauce"), one thing to keep in mind is that you want a wine to stand up under the intensity of the dish without fizzling out.  In other words, you want to taste the wine as well as the dish.

With a bold tomato sauce, you want a wine that is lush and slightly thick on 'mouthfeel' but not overly acidic. These wines can include Chianti, Cabernet, and Sangiovese. Cherry is a prominent flavor in each of these wines which helps to balance out the acid of the tomato sauce.

2. Alfredo Sauce

Where the heavy acidic tomato sauce requires a bold wine, alfredo style sauces, also called white-sauce, are lighter in flavor and more elegant and smooth. Some are very light, while others are rich with cheesy goodness and can stand up to a slightly bolder wine. But, for any white-sauce, you don't want a brash wine, but something light and refreshing. White wines are typically the best to pair with these sauces.

Wines like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Riesling are great choices when it comes to alfredo sauce. These wines are crisp and usually have a citrus note to them to help cut through the richness of the alfredo sauce. If your pasta is on the lighter side, try a dry Riesling.  But if you like your white-sauce richer or more cheesy, go with a Pinot Grigio.

White wine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Pesto Sauce

Pesto is made mostly with basil, garlic, and some type of nut, either pine nuts or walnuts, then blended with olive oil, and sometimes with added Parmesan cheese. It seems like that would be too much flavor to stand up to a white wine, but pesto actually is considered to have a rather delicate flavor palate. Basil has a very distinct flavor that is on the earthier side, yes, but it is also a very fragile flavor which can be overtaken with a heavy, dark wine. A good wine pairing is a crisp white wine with mineral notes, such as a Cinque Terre or Sauvignon Blanc. This type of white wine will help cut through the earthy tones of the basil and nuts. Neither the pesto nor the wine will get drowned out with this pairing.

4. Alternative Sauces

There are some types of pasta that don't quite fall under these three categories, but also deserve a great wine to go with them. For instance, a fantastic wine to pair with a strong cheesy pasta, such as cheese ravioli with butter and Parmesan, is a Viognier (one of my new favorite whites!). This wine, with its honeysuckle and vanilla nose and peach and honey flavors goes great with seafood sauces, too. For the incredible gnocchi dishes, more like potato dumplings than pasta, a Nebbiolo with earthy truffle flavors makes a great combination.

We could go on and on, but really it's all about experimenting... of course with these few tips in the back of your mind. Picking a wine to go with your pasta dish is as easy as thinking about what sauce will go on the pasta. If you are still unsure or your head starts spinning when you're looking at all those bottles in the store, ask the person in charge.  Most good wine shops only hire people who know their business.  Get to know them and they will be more than happy to make a few suggestions. Then, before you know it, you'll be on your way home to enjoy the perfect wine with your delicious pasta dinner!  Yum - I'm hungry already! :-)

Recipe: Creamy Salmon And Sweet Pea Pasta Salad

This fresh summer pasta salad combines sweet peas with salmon for a delicious, cool and creamy summery dish great for a quick lunch or a potluck side dish. It's a great way to use up leftover grilled salmon from last night's dinner. Use fresh peas from the garden if you have them, but frozen will also work just fine.

Creamy Salmon And Sweet Pea Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

16 ounces seashell shaped pasta
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup cooked flaked salmon
10 ounces frozen petite sweet peas, thawed

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
• In a blender, add the mayonnaise, yogurt, onion, parsley, garlic and lemon juice; blend for 1 or 2 minutes or until smooth. 
• In a large serving bowl, add the cooked pasta, fish, and peas, then pour the creamy mixture from the blender over the top, toss to combine, and serve.

Recipe: Savory Vinaigrette Dressed Tubetti Veggie Salad

This fresh, zesty pasta salad is great for any spring or summer barbecue or potluck. Lots of fresh veggies, herbs, and pasta, mixed with a fresh, simple homemade dressing equals lots of flavor and color on your plate!

Savory Vinaigrette Dressed Tubetti Veggie Salad
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) pkg tubetti (or ziti, penne, or other tube-shaped pasta)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 head broccoli, cut into bite size florettes
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 regular carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced into strips
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Put tubetti pasta in a large pot of boiling water, add the 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until just short of being al dente, then add broccoli and cook for a minute or two longer, just until pasta is al dente.  Drain pasta and broccoli very well through a colander and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
• In a food processor combine the garlic, oregano, mustard, and vinegar, pulsing until just combined.
• With motor running, start gradually drizzling in oil, processing until a smooth vinaigrette dressing is formed.
• Pour this vinaigrette dressing over the drained tubetti and broccoli in the bowl and toss to coat well.
• Add the carrots, red bell pepper, and parsley, tossing gently until blended.  Taste and salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve immediately.

Related Resource:

Well Dressed: Salad Dressings
By Jeff Keys

Salads are naked without tasty dressings. This book is filled with recipes for viniagrettes and creamy dressings to enjoy on a variety of salads, including light, summer pasta salads. This collection of 75 different dressing combinations combines, not only the usual dressing ingredients, but you'll find mangos, sweet onions, green olives, capers, and many other exciting ingredients. You'll also find plenty of warm dressings, too. Create pasta salads for picnics, or any meal.

Recipe: Italian Sausage And Bean Soup With Pasta

Quick, easy, simple, and delicious, this recipe is the essence of Italian cooking! It's great for a cold winter night, and easy to tailor to your own tastes - try different pasta shapes, different kinds of beans, add different herbs, etc. to make it your own. Use fresh (or frozen) ripe tomatoes for a fresher, lighter taste. 

Sausage And Bean Soup With Pasta
Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
28 ounces diced tomatoes (or 4 large fresh tomatoes, diced)
1 cup pasta (shells, penne, ziti, or other sturdy pasta)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 cups fresh or frozen chicken broth or stock)
3 1/2 cups water, hot
18 ounces kidney beans or white beans, cooked (or canned) & drained
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Brown the sausage and onion in the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes. 
• Once the sausage and onion have been browned, add the tomatoes with their juice, the pasta, bouillon cubes or broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then add the beans. 
• Make sure soup is just simmering, then cover pot, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or just until the pasta is al dente.
• Serve hot in bowls sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe: Classic Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

This is probably the simplest Italian recipe in existence!  Stripped down to the basics of classic Italian food - spaghetti, garlic, and olive oil - this recipe also can serve as the basis for dozens of variations and other delicious Italian recipes.

If you want a bit more substance, try adding grated Italian cheeses, fresh herbs of your choice, or fresh diced ripe tomatoes. If you have more time, or want more variety, add diced cooked chicken, sundried tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, onions, and/or green or red peppers, or sliced olives - or top with a variety of sauces - your creativity is the only limit to this dish!

Classic Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

Spaghetti all' aglio, olio e peperoncino.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 lb spaghetti
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup good olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated
*other ingredients optional

Directions:

• Fill a very large pot (an 8 quart pot works best) with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil. (Hint: cover the pot so the water boils sooner.)
• Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti (leave lid off the pot now), turn heat down to medium-low, and gently cook the spaghetti until just al dente. Read the package directions for guideline. Drain well and put back in pot, cover and keep hot.
• Put the olive oil and garlic in a very large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, just until garlic gets golden and fragrant, but not brown or burned - 30-60 seconds should be plenty. 
• Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the skillet and, using a pair of tongs, toss the spaghetti so it gets coated with the aglio e olio (garlic and oil) sauce.
• *You may add other ingredients as you wish, such as herbs, peppers, olives, and/or Parmesan cheese, etc. (Also see suggestions above.)

Recipe: Quick & Easy Spaghetti Dinner In A Pot

Check out this one-pot version of an old-fashioned favorite. It's super simple and easy, and the kids will love it! It's nothing fancy, but it's perfect for a quick dinner when you are pressed for time - and with everything in one pot, cleanup will be a snap too. (To fancy it up a bit and add some veggies, add one diced green, red, or yellow bell pepper with other ingredients after the beef is browned.)

Spaghetti And Meat Sauce Dinner In A Pot
 (Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp grated onion
1 Tbsp grated garlic clove
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 cup tomato juice
5 cups water
8 oz spaghetti pasta, uncooked
Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:

• In large pot over medium-high heat, put the oil and ground beef, browning the beef until no pink remains.
• Add next 6 ingredients, stir to combine, then cover the pot, turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the uncooked spaghetti pasta, stir to combine, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until spaghetti pasta is cooked tender, stirring occasionally.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

The Trick to Successful One Pot Meals: Preparation

When you're looking for ways to save time in the kitchen, making a whole meal in one pot has to top the list.  You just have to grab a big pot, grab your ingredients, and go, right? But wait. This is where the idea and the implementation collide.

You've got your pot sitting on the stove, alright, but then you're looking at a pile of ingredients that seem to have taken over the kitchen. Suddenly, you realize that your one pot meal is going to be a lot more work than you planned.

There's the chicken that needs to be cut up and the vegetables that need to be cleaned, peeled, and chopped. The recipe calls for cooked rice and there sits the box of rice, uncooked. You think about searching for another one pot recipe, but by the time you interrupt what you're doing to dig through recipes, you are going to find yourself frustrated as the clock ticks away, resulting in yet another call to the pizza delivery place.

How do we stop this madness? It's really not with magic at all; it's all about planning and preparation. Here are a few simple ways to plan ahead so your easy one pot meals actually end up being as easy as they should be.

Protein

Cooked chicken torn into strips in preparation for a dish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter what protein you're using in your one pot meal, get the basic preparation done well before hauling out the pot. If the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken, get the bones and skin pulled off the chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. If the recipe calls for cubed chicken or beef, cut it up ahead of time. Another tip to remember is slightly frozen meat cuts up easier than fresh meat. Put the chicken or meat in the freezer for a half hour and then cube it if you wish. You may want to freeze it after you cut it up to keep it fresher longer. Another bonus is that frozen cubed meat thaws faster than frozen whole meat.
If you really want to speed up your protein prep work, check the recipe to see if it calls for browning the chicken, beef, or ground meat. You may wish to do this step beforehand and store the cooled meat in the refrigerator or freezer to be used when you're ready to put the meal together. In this case, remember, the pan drippings (the brown bits on the bottom of the pot) may be a part of the flavor element for the recipe, so keep this in mind. But, if speed is most important, this step may be the best choice.

Beans are another protein we use a lot in one pot meals. As simple as it sounds, if you use canned beans, open the cans you're going to use that week, drain and rinse them, and store the beans in containers in the refrigerator. Now when you're mixing your one pot meal together, you just open and dump out the beans, removing the need to even grab the colander during your mealtime preparations.

Produce

One of the most time consuming parts of preparation for any meal, whether it's a one pot meal or not, is getting the vegetables cleaned and cut up. In restaurants, the chefs can concentrate on getting the dish cooked to perfection because all the ingredients are sitting there nicely prepared and waiting. Most of us don't have the luxury of having a sous chef busy in our kitchen working to make our life easier! So, we have to plan ahead.

The best way to make sure we can put our meals together quickly is to have all the produce prepared ahead of time. And, the best way to do that is to do the prep work when we bring home the produce - or pick it from the garden! If you wait until dinnertime, chances are time will get short and you'll find yourself chopping celery when you should already have it in the pot.

Take a look at the recipes you plan to make this week. Do the dishes call for things like onions, celery, green pepper, spinach, carrots, parsley, lemon juice and zest, or other produce? Get ahead of the game by washing, peeling, slicing, dicing, squeezing, or otherwise preparing these fresh ingredients. Then, when a recipe calls for a diced onion, you can reach for a Tupperware container of diced onion and throw it in. No cutting boards, no knives, and no clean up to worry about. Planning ahead is the key.

Pasta, Etc.

Many one pot recipes call for some sort of grain or seed ingredient, whether it's pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, or another fiber. Even these food items can be included in your preparation planning. If the recipe calls for cooked rice or quinoa, for instance, you can stock your refrigerator or freezer with plenty so you are ready to grab it and go.

Cover of One-Pot Meals (Great Taste, Low Fat)

If the recipe calls for raw pasta to be added in the pot with the other ingredients, this makes it easy. But if it needs to be cooked first, you can make the pasta ahead of time according to package directions, but be sure to leave it slightly under-cooked so your don't end up with mushy pasta after it cooks in the dish. Put the drained, cooled cooked pasta in a food storage container and drizzle olive oil over it to prevent it from sticking to itself, then keep it in the refrigerator. You can even use cooked pasta in a recipe that calls for uncooked pasta - just reduce the liquid in the recipe and throw the cooked pasta in during the last minutes of cooking time, just enough to heat it up.

Some favorite one pot meals call for dumplings or biscuits dropped on top. It is easy to whip together a simple dumpling or biscuit dough, but do it in advance. Divide the dough into pieces the size you need for your recipe and wrap them up in plastic and put them in the freezer. They will keep for quite some time and be ready to grab to plop on top of your delicious soup or stew when you need them.

Putting meals together quick and easy calls for more than a simple recipe; you need to know how to work smarter in the kitchen. Planning and preparation go a long way to getting meals on the table in a hurry. Use your time wisely to make cooking from scratch more simple, efficient, and delicious!

Gluten-Free Recipe: Bacon Parmesan Spaghetti Carbonara

With gluten appearing in so many foods, as we discussed on Monday, it can sometimes be hard to figure out what is safe to eat if you are gluten-sensitive or intolerant. Not to worry - we've got lots of tasty gluten-free recipes for you to try out! This week we're sharing a couple of hearty winter favorites, in a gluten-free version. Today's recipe is very simple, and delicious!

Bacon Parmesan Spaghetti Carbonara - Gluten Free
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 box (16 oz) gluten-free brown rice spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup light cream or half & half
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated Parmesan
8 strips bacon, diced and fried crisp

Directions:

• Cook the spaghetti according to package directions; drain and set aside.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, and when hot add the garlic, stirring and cooking for just 1 minute.
• Turn burner down to low, then add the cooked spaghetti.
• Add the cream and bring to a low simmer.
• Slowly add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly until eggs set up and are cooked through.
• Add the Parmesan, stirring until melted slightly, then sprinkle the bacon pieces in, stir to combine. 
• Serve immediately.

Recipe: Pesto Rigatoni with Mushroom Medley

This deliciously flavorful dish includes the earthy flavors of mixed mushrooms, along with pine nuts, pesto, and Parmesan cheese for a real taste treat! Substitute other pasta shapes for a slightly different dish, or try different types of pesto to make it your own.

Pesto Rigatoni with Mushroom Medley
(Serves 4-6.)
 
Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) uncooked rigatoni
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
8 ounces mixed-variety fresh mushrooms (button, shiitake, oyster, portebello, or others of your choosing)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1/2 cup prepared tomato basil pesto sauce
1/2 cup freshly diced tomatoes
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Put a big pot of salted water on stove over high heat.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, set a large heavy skillet on a burner over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pine nuts, and saute, shaking the pan, until pine nuts are slightly golden brown and fragrant; remove the pine nuts to a bowl and set aside.
3. Turn heat up under large skillet to medium-high, add remaining olive oil and add mushrooms to start cooking them.
4. If water is boiling for pasta, drop the pasta in and cook until just al dente; drain and set aside, keeping warm.
5. Stir mushrooms and when they have browned slightly, add the garlic, stirring until garlic is just fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add the vegetable stock, stir, and bring back up to a simmer, stirring occasionally, cooking for about 1 minute longer.
7. Add the tomato basil pesto sauce and stir to combine, then add the pasta and the tomatoes to the skillet, stirring to combine, and turn heat to low and cook just until heated through.
8. Turn out to large pasta bowl, sprinkle pine nuts on top, and serve hot.  Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on individual servings. 

Recipe: Linguine With Feta Creamed Spinach Sauce

This simple yet delicious pasta recipe incorporates heart-healthy spinach and tangy feta in a creamy and delicious sauce that is really simple and easy to make. You can also use fresh spinach - just wilt slightly in the pasta water, drain, and use as directed below. The beautiful green color of the spinach makes this a real eye-catcher too!

Linguine With Feta Creamed Spinach Sauce(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

Linguine (Pasta) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 pkg (16 oz) linguine, regular or spinach pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 pkg (10 oz size) frozen chopped spinach, thawed in colander and liquid squeezed out
1/4 cup real sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash garlic powder
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

• Bring a pot of water with salt to a boil, add linguine, and cook until just al dente; drain through a colander and put linguine back in pot, add olive oil and toss together, then cover and keep warm.
• In a saucepan, put the spinach, sour cream, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and feta cheese.  Put over low heat, stir and cook until creamy and incorporated well.
• Pour the spinach mixture over the linguine, toss to coat, taste and season if necessary, and serve hot.

Cooking Tip: How To Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Time

Do you struggle with under-cooking your pasta so it is still crunchy, or over-cooking it so it becomes mush when you try to stir in the sauce?

Perfectly cooked pasta is easy to achieve and it doesn't require any special or unique gadgets from a high-end cooking store or “as seen on TV” products.  All you need is a good sized pot, fresh water, and a big strainer or colander.  Chances are you have everything already.  Aside from those few items, it all boils down to technique when it comes to cooking perfect pasta. Let's review the basics.

Preparation

 (Photo credit: Guy Renard 25)

If you are working with boxed pasta, an important thing to remember is to make sure to salt your water before cooking your pasta. This is the only time you have a chance to flavor prepackaged pasta while you cook it. If you want even more flavor to infuse your pasta, add herbs along with the salt, or cook the pasta in chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. You can also throw in vegetables if you like to add more color and nutrition. The point is, you can something with store bought pasta other than just throw it in some water if you want to get the most flavor impact with the pasta.

When cooking homemade pasta, be sure that it is fairly dry. The reason it needs to be dry is to keep it from falling apart in the water. It also helps the pasta cook evenly. When you made your pasta you probably added salt, so adding salt to the water is optional for homemade pasta.  However, you certainly may add salt if you desire, as well as other seasonings.

Cooking

Choose the largest pot you can for the amount of pasta you're cooking. The reason is you want your pasta to cook in as much water as possible. Pasta needs room to move around. Fill your pot with cold, fresh water and set it on the stove on high heat and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down a bit until it calms down slightly. Pasta consists of a lot of starch, which gets extremely sticky when it is put into rapidly boiling water quickly. Make sure the water has calmed down from a rapid boil, then slowly and carefully add your pasta. Adding the pasta slowly allows the pasta to soften and begin to move around so the starch doesn't keep the pasta pieces stuck together, as they will if the pasta is added all at once.

Some cooks like to add a little oil to the water to keep the pasta separated. Other cooks don't like to do this because they say sauce doesn't stick to the pasta as well. Just experiment and see what you prefer.

This pasta is boiling too hard. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't let your water come to a rapid boil again after the pasta is added. If the water starts splashing over the sides or you see foam rise up, the water is too hot. Pasta, even though it feels hard and brittle, is actually quite fragile. If it boils, it will start to break down and all those wonderful strands will become a big ball of starch. Let the water gently bubble away, caressing each piece of pasta until they are all relaxed. That's the image you want to keep in mind so your pasta comes out the best.

When you are cooking the pasta, be sure to stir gently several times and test for doneness often. Follow the instructions on the box if you're using packaged pasta and start testing before the recommended time is up. Just remove a piece from the pot while it's still cooking, cool it off, and bite it.  You'll know the pasta's ready when you feel a bit of resistance when you bite down with your teeth. You don't want it to go 'crunch' but you do want a nice feel to it.  And remember, it will still cook slightly after you drain it, so less cooked is better.

Draining

Here's where there is some debate. Some cooks swear by rinsing their cooked pasta under hot tap water after it drains in order to remove any starchy residue left. Other cooks say if you cook your pasta correctly there won't be any starchy residue left. 

If you added oil to the water, rinsing it will remove most of the oil which defeats the purpose of the oil.  Rinsing also will remove all that salt and other flavorings you added.  However, if your pasta seems to be sticking together in the colander, you may want to rinse it.  And, if you are using your pasta in a cold salad, there are some cooks who recommend running the pasta under cold water to stop it from cooking, keeping it more al dente, and to cool it down for the recipe.

You'll have to experiment on this one.  If you follow the first tips about having a lot of water in your pot for the pasta to move around in, salting the water, and keeping the water at a slow roll instead of a rapid boil, your pasta should come out perfectly.  Try draining it without rinsing and see what happens.  Your pasta could be perfect at that.  Or, rinse it if you like and give it a taste and see if that works for you. Perfecting the pasta really takes place in the pot, and not in the strainer or colander.

Cooking pasta perfectly is simple if you know the basics. The fun part after you've mastered this skill is playing around with different flavors and all the varieties of pasta available.  Now you'll have perfect pasta, perfectly delicious, every time!

And be sure to check back later this week for some healthy and tasty pasta recipes!

Getting Creative With Fresh Pasta Ideas For Summer

There is something in the air when the first days of summer roll around. Everyone is excited to plan some fun, and some good eating!  The same standard pasta dishes we make all winter just won't do when the days are hot and the nights are balmy. It's time to get the creative juices flowing.  We need to think fresh, both in ideas and ingredients.

Let's take a look at how three simple ideas can help freshen up your time honored pasta traditions this summer.

Be Creative

Pasta salad with shrimp, chicken and vegetables (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If any food can be thought of as 'fun,' pasta would fit the bill. There is so much versatility with pasta that there is no reason to be stuck in the “same old, same old” mode.  For example, add some food coloring to the cooking water with the pasta. Experiment with this and have fun.  Boil several pots with different colors and create your own rainbow palate of pasta. Try different shaped pasta, but remember that the larger heavier pastas won't color as well as the smaller lighter styles.

For kids you might like to try this fun meal idea. Make a batch of green 'wagon wheel' pasta and toss together with diced fresh carrots to create a two color cold pasta dish kids will love. You might want to do a batch of red 'wagon wheel' pasta and toss with green sweet peas, flip-flopping the other color combination. Serve both cold pasta dishes and create an 'opposite day' meal. You might even get your kids to eat their vegetables when they're in a salad surrounded by colorful pasta. Of course you can buy tri-color pasta, but making it at home is a great way to provide a little entertainment for the kids, as well as provide a healthy meal.

Colors are certainly fun, but what about flavors?  We're not talking about buying pasta in different flavors.  We're talking about imparting flavor into the pasta from the liquid they're cooked in. Use good rich stock or broth, either chicken, or vegetable, or even beef. This is a great way to give pasta an extra flavor punch, but why stop there? Thin out some tomato juice with a little water and try that. How about lemon juice?

And don't forget that just by adding vegetables or fruit to the cooking water you will impart those flavors into the pasta. Spinach is the first one that comes to many people's mind, but don't stop there. Consider the entire produce section and have fun!  And why even stop there? What about wine or beer?  Who knows, maybe Guinness Spaghetti will be the next big hit with your friends.

Be Fresh

The rest of the year may be all about rushing around trying to keep our schedules straight, but during the summer, time just seems to slow down. We move a little slower, take time to enjoy the splendor of a beautiful day, consider our health and well being as top priority for a change.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Summertime is a great time to reconsider what we put into our pasta dishes. Sure, it may be super easy to buy a jar of pasta sauce, but why not take the extra time and create our own with fresh produce? After all, the ingredients are right there, hanging from the vine or fresh at the market.

Using fresh ingredients in our pasta dishes gives us a whole new outlook on our healthy eating habits.  Not only does it brighten up the dish, but cooking with fresh ingredients makes us feel strong and in control. We know we are eating right, and feeding our family right.

Be Safe

Food safety is a concern, always, but especially during the summer. The main culprit causing the concern is the food served at picnics and cookouts.  Pasta salads are a favorite, but since many of these dishes are made with mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt, they are naturally suspect in warm weather conditions.

Spoilage happens when these types of salads get warm sitting out on the picnic table. The best and simplest solution is to skip the creamy salads entirely. During the summer, opt for vinaigrette style dressings. These are the oil and vinegar type of dressing which are normally whisked together with other seasonings and ingredients that do not need constant refrigeration.  When creating your pasta salad to serve at a picnic, just keep this simple tip in mind:  if you wouldn't leave a particular ingredient on your kitchen counter, don't put it in your salad.

Even salads made with all spoil-resistant foods still need to be kept as cold as possible.  When transporting the salad, keep it in an insulated cooler with ice.  When you put the salad on the table, set it in a larger bowl or tray filled with ice, and keep the entire set-up covered with aluminum foil to hold in the cold.  With these few safety precautions, your salad will be safe to eat.  And with all your creativity, your salad will also be fun to eat.

During the warm summer months, as you are trying to think of something to bring to the picnic, consider a delicious pasta salad. Have fun with creative ideas, use fresh ingredients, and keep safety in  mind. With these three tips, you'll be able to enjoy a different fun pasta salad at every picnic!

Recipe - Balsamic Avocado Dressed Rotini Salad

This delicious pasta salad recipe combines the creamy rich taste of avocados with sweet balsamic vinegar and fresh tomatoes and herbs for a summery side dish that will have your picnickers coming back for more! Great for potlucks, barbecues, or picnics at the beach. Add grilled chicken for a light supper or main dish lunch.

Balsamic Avocado Dressed Rotini Salad
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 avocados, ripe
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp mixed dried herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, any combination)
12 grape tomatoes, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
more balsamic vinegar to taste (optional)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta in a big pot of boiling, salted water until just al dente; drain well through a colander, put back in pan, add olive oil and stir to coat, cover to keep warm.
2. In a large serving bowl, put the flesh from 1 avocado, add the balsamic vinegar, and mash well until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the warm cooked pasta to the bowl with creamy avocado-balsamic mixture and toss until pasta is coated. Add the herbs to the pasta bowl and stir.
4. Cut the other avocado into bite size pieces and add to bowl.
5. Add the grape tomato halves to the bowl. Toss gently together, then taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
6. You may wish to drizzle in more balsamic vinegar, then toss, and taste again and adjust seasonings.
7. Serve immediately or you may chill this and eat later. If you chill it in the refrigerator, remove and let sit out for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Avocados taste best at room temperature or just a touch cooler.

Recipe: Linguine With Fresh Tomatoes And Avocado Cream Sauce

This delicious dish combines fresh flavors of tomato and lemon with the creamy indulgence of heart-healthy avocados for a taste treat that will fill you up and leave you satisfied, without having to over-eat.

Linguine With Fresh Tomatoes And Avocado Cream Sauce
(Serves 3-4.)

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instructions:
1 (8 oz) pkg uncooked pasta
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 avocados (must be very ripe)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

• Fill a large pot with salted water, bring to a boil, add pasta and cook until just al dente. Ladle out at least 1 cup of cooking water into a saucepan and keep warm, then drain the pasta through a colander, return pasta to pot, pour in olive oil, toss to coat, and cover to keep warm; set aside.
• Clean and pit the avocados, scooping the flesh into a food processor.
• Add the lemon zest, lemon peel, garlic, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the food processor. 
• Process until smooth, then taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and pulse until blended well.Add more reserved pasta cooking water if the consistency is too thick, blending until smooth. You want a thick sauce consistency, not watery.
• Uncover the pot with the pasta in it, add the cut up tomatoes and the avocado sauce, toss to combine, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  You may also like a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for a bit of heat.
• Serve warm in pasta bowls or plates.

Recipe: Saucy Puttanesca Bow Tie Dinner

This spicy and flavor-packed classic is so tasty you won't need to fill up - just a small serving will be enough to satisfy!  And it's super fast and easy to make. (Feel free to omit the anchovy paste if you like - I've never used it, and it's delicious without it.)

Saucy Puttanesca Bow Tie Dinner
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8 oz) bow tie pasta (farfalle)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp anchovy paste
1 can (35 oz) diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp capers
1/4 cup sliced black olives
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of water with salt according to package directions, making sure you don't overcook; drain well, return to pot to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, put the olive oil over medium heat, add onion and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring, until onion begins to get soft and transparent.
• Into the skillet, add garlic, cayenne pepper, and anchovy paste, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the diced tomatoes, capers, and olives to the skillet, stir and cook just until heated through.
• Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste. Anchovy paste is quite salty, so you may not need to salt.  Be sure to taste first.
• To serve, pile pasta on plates or in bowls and spoon hot sauce over the top. Grate Parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Pasta Classics Pack Big Flavor In Small Portions

Being 1/2 Italian, pasta is one of my favorite things ever - and I'm not alone. Problem is, carbs, carbs, carbs. With so many people trying to eat healthier, even the thought of enjoying a pasta meal may seem to be literally off the table. A big plate of pasta smothered in rich sauce conjures up thoughts of an expanding belly, unbuttoned pants, and practically rolling out of the dining room to settle onto the couch and sink into a carbohydrate induced snooze.

Balsamic parmesan pasta (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But, pasta doesn't have to be a fat saturated, carbo-loaded meal. Actually, many of the more popular pasta dishes passed down from generation to generation weren't originally so extreme. Pasta dishes were meant to be rich in flavor, and not in bulk. Those healthy recipes have, through the years, been diluted down in flavor and heaped up into huge portions and fatty sauces - far from the light and flavorful Italian cuisine they originated from. 

What do we do to eat healthier pasta dishes?  Go back to the original recipes which were packed with flavor, keeping in mind quality more than quantity. Here are three pasta classics that are made to please your taste buds and your appetite without eating huge portions.

Vodka Penne

This is a ridiculously simple meal that has intense flavors so even a small portion will make a big impression on your taste buds without overwhelming your stomach.  To make this dish, choose a good quality marinara sauce (keep an eye on this blog for recipes), a cup of vodka, half a cup of room temperature heavy cream, a half cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and a pound of your favorite penne pasta, even whole wheat.  This recipe makes a lot of servings, so each portion only has a very little cream in it, translating to less than fifty calories from the cream.  But, the creaminess adds to the satisfaction, which again means smaller portions.

The marinara and vodka simmer in a skillet over low heat to cook out the alcohol but leave the flavor. About twenty minutes into the cooking process, the cream is added to give the sauce a rich creamy texture, which also cuts some of the acid from the tomatoes. Once the skillet comes back up to temperature, the Parmesan is stirred in until it melts. Meanwhile, the penne is cooked until al dente, then drained, dumped into the sauce and stirred to coat. A small plate is all you will need to satisfy your hunger due to the super flavor and creamy taste. And the leftovers are divine! 

Parmesan Prosciutto Cavatappi

This is  a nice light pasta dish that will become a go-to meal for your family because it's so easy to make and so tasty. All you need is cavatappi, which is a spiral shaped hollow pasta (my favorite pasta shape!), minced garlic, some fresh parsley, olive oil, thinly sliced prosciutto, and freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Cook the cavatappi according to directions, reserving about three tablespoons of the pasta water after cooking, then drain the pasta well. In a big skillet, add a little olive oil and cook the garlic for about a minute. Then add the reserved liquid, prosciutto and parsley, stir together, then add the cavatappi. Taste and add salt and pepper, then top with the shaved cheese and stir immediately to melt the cheese.  Serve hot with more shaved cheese on top if desired. This simple pasta dish is perfect for anyone who wants to do minimal work preparing a meal but enjoy maximum flavor.  And, again, this dish has such depth of flavor that you need only a small portion size to satisfy your appetite.

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the true "parmesan" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lemon Basil Parmesan Pasta

How can you go wrong with two powerhouses of flavor like lemon and basil?  With the refreshingly light taste of lemon and the earthier taste of basil, the flavors play off each other perfectly.  Add to that the saltiness of Parmesan cheese and you won't leave the table wanting.  For this simple dish all you'll need is 1 pound of spaghetti, 2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan, 3/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest, and 2 cups of basil leaves cut chiffonade style.

Cook the spaghetti until just al dente. While the pasta is cooking, put the Parmesan and lemon juice in a big serving bowl and start whisking, adding the olive oil in while you whisk until it becomes creamy and frothy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the lemon zest, and stir to combine. Then add the cooked, drained spaghetti along with the basil, tossing all to coat well with the dressing. This light and lemony dish boasts such powerful flavors that you'll naturally eat a dainty portion, keeping the calories, carbs, and fat at a very respectable level.

When you cook pasta dishes using powerful, multi-layer flavors, you don't have to heap a big dinner plate full to satisfy your appetite.  Start with healthier ingredients, like olive oil, lemon, herbs, and whole wheat pasta, then you can add in the foods and flavors that change an ordinary plate of noodles to a fantastic gourmet pasta dish that any restaurant would be proud to serve.  And with flavors that pack a punch, you won't pack on the pounds. Enjoy smaller portions, healthier ingredients, and bigger flavor when you cook these delicious pasta dishes on the lighter side.