Tortellini Salad

So even though the title of this blog is "Best Served Hot" here is another salad! This is perfect for summer bbq's and to add a fun change to your run of the mill pasta dinner. Thanks to Aunt Cindy for this one, it's so delish!!!

What you'll need:

• One finely chopped medium sized red onion
• Three or four  chopped carrots
• Three or four chopped stalks of celery
• One finely chopped red pepper
• One finely chopped green pepper
• One finely chopped yellow onion
• Two pounds of tortellini cooked al dente.

Chop and mix all veggies with lite Italian dressing while tortellini cools. Mix in tortellini cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving

Caprese Pasta Salad

Questo è molto delizioso...or whatever. This is very delicious. So eat it.

Aww Pastina!! love it!

What you'll need:

• 1/2lb Pastina Pasta
• 1/2 Clove Garlic
• 3tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2lb Fresh Mozzarella
• 10 Grape Tomatoes
• 1tsp White Wine
• 2tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 9 Leave Fresh Basil
• 1/4tsp Oregano
• 1 pinch salt/pepper

Make it:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt and a 1/2 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you're going to use Pastina, add it to the boiling water and continue to stir. This will cook quickly, in about 3 minutes. Keep an eye it. The water should reduce to nothing and your little stars should be fully grown. Take off the heat while still slight al dente. (Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian so there should be a bit of a bite to the pasta before removing from heat. It will continue to cook after removing from the heat) Refrigerate with a cover while we work on the rest.

In a bowl, add the grape tomatoes, sliced in half with the shredded basil, minced garlic clove, and the rest of the ingredients. Let chill.  Once cold, add the pasta and continue to keep cold. While cooling, stir the cold pasta salad and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Served chilled!

Optional: Use whole wheat pasta such as Rigatoni

Zuke and Mac

I have relatives who live in Italy...here is their masterpiece. It's pasta with a zucchini marinara. Thanks Aunt Janie and Uncle Michael!

What you'll need:

• 1/4 Large Yellow Onion
• 4 Zucchini
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomato
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1 Egg
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Make It:
Chop and Sautee onion with a dash of salt and pepper in a medium pan with extra virgin olive oil.
Chop and cube zucchini after deseeding it. I made that mistake once and it sucked. Add de-seeded Zukes to onions.
Continue to sautee until the zucchini is tender.
Add the diced tomato to the zucchini and let it cook on low for about 30 minutes. Add seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boil your pasta while your zucchini and onion are finishing up. I like using whole wheat thin spaghetti, but this also works well with farfalle (bow ties), and angel hair.

While the pasta is cooking...

In a mixing bowl add that 1/2 stick of butter, cubed. Oh yes, the whole thing. (Where's my healthy agenda you ask? Well, the answer is simple...somtimes a sacrifice needs to be made. This is one of those times. But honestly, you can get away with only using a quarter stick and be okay.) Next, add the raw, beaten egg.

Before draining the pasta when finished, set aside a cup of the used pasta water.

In the mixing bowl containing the butter and egg, add the HOT pasta and mix very well. The pasta will cook the egg and melt the butter.

Then, add the zucchini sauce! If is slightly dry, pour some of that used pasta water in there and mix it up until it reached your desired looseness. If you want to add the cheese, sprinkle it over the top.

Pasta Dinner in a Dash!

Don't have much time to cook a meal? In a hurry, on your way out? Or is it just getting too late and want food now?? Well here's a simple recipe that you can make in roughly 20 minutes!

 Here's what you'll need:

• 1 lb of your favorite pasta. (any type works great!)
• 1 jar of your favorite sauce (or pre-prepared sauce.. remember, under 20 minutes!)
• 1 pkg of a ground meat. (I like turkey and chicken because it's healthier.)
• 1 large pot of water
• 1/2 Tbls Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tbls Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tbl Basil
• 1/2 Tbs Oregano
• Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
• And a Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Directions:
First thing is first, fill the pot with water, and put it on the burner. This WILL take the longest. Now once the pot of water is waiting to boil put a medium sized pan on high heat and let it get hot. Once its relatively hot, chuck in the ground meat, this time I used chicken. I threw onion powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper on it - feel free to add whatever flavors you like! Once you throw the meat in, get your spatula and start breaking apart the meat while mixing in the spices at the same time. Allow meat to cook fully then throw in the jar of sauce in the same hot pan and allow to simmer until the pasta is completely finished. Once your pasta is finished, throw that into a strainer create a bed of pasta on a plate. Turn off the sauce, and place in the middle of your pasta bed.

Enjoy!




The entire meal takes as long as it takes to basically boil water!!
(P.s. That bread, butter and garlic will return at a later post.. So make sure you check back for something awesome!!)


Have picky eaters mom? Use fun animal shaped pasta!