And if you're an Atkins-person you now have a white pasta available (for a bit more $$$) that offers 3 to 6 grams of fiber and only around 5 net grams of carbohydrate. And this stuff, one is "Dreamfields", another, "Ronzini Smart Pasta", tastes and "feels" just like the traditional. Of course, there's still whole-wheat pasta which is fine if you like the taste of whole-wheat bread on a fork.
For a terrific one dish meal do some exciting things with ingredients like seafood or chicken and veggies.
As a side dish just serve it up with a little olive or canola oil - the healthful oils. Or add a prepared or home-made creamy alfredo or any other favorite sauce while you put together a quick & easy entree.
Cook dry pasta to al dente, rinse in cold water when done.
If using fresh pasta just boil it for a minute or two You'll have to heat it up before serving so set a pot of water to the stove with a colander in it and bring water to a boil.
Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat and sauté mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, until they brown and soften. Add shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic; continue cooking for another 2 minutes then add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes.
Dip the cooked fresh pasta in boiling water for 1 minute to reheat, drain and add to the pan with the rock shrimp and sauce.
Of course, if you used dry pasta it would be just about ready at this point for the final assembly.
Spinach and Ricotta with Shells
Serves 4-6
If there’s an upscale supermarket (like Whole Foods) nearby you can probably buy fresh ricotta which would make this terrific dish even terrific-er. Same goes for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over ordinary Parmesan.
1 lb small pasta shells
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb baby spinach
1 lb whole-milk ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the spinach by the handful and cook, stirring, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the spinach mixture, ricotta and the cheese to the pasta and toss. Serve immediately with more Parmesan, preferably Parmigiana-Reggiano.
Linguine with Walnut-Parsley Pesto
Serves 4
This features a quick, inexpensive and very satisfying substitute for traditional pesto sauce. Instead of pine nuts, you use walnuts and rather than 2 full cups of basil leaves, you just use half a cup plus Italian parsley. When your result is as tasty as this it doesn’t hurt to cheapen up a bit, or should I say, “to cook more economically”.
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup walnut pieces, chopped & toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 lb linguine
Cook the linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
Meanwhle, in your food processor, pulse the parsley with the basil and garlic until well-chopped. Add the walnuts, Parmesan and olive oil; process to a loose paste.
When pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the pasta with the pesto and the reserved cooking water, season with salt and pepper and serve up.
Pasta Arrabbiata
Serves 4I know you’ve always wondered what “arrabbiata” means, so to save you the time to look it up in your Italian-English dictionary, I’ll tell you: it means, “angry”. Now that you know, go ahead and make this p’d-off pasta.
3/4 lb pasta
1 tsp e.v. olive oil
4 thick-cut slices of bacon
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
pinch of sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep-sided medium skillet, add the bacon and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until the garlic is golden and the bacon is lightly crisp, about 4 minutes.
Add the crushed red pepper and stir for 30 seconds; add the tomatoes and their liquid, the sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick, about 10 or 12 minutes, then stir in the basil.
When the pasta is ready, drain it – don’t rinse - transfer it to a warmed serving bowl, toss with the sauce and sprinkle on the Parmesan. Done.
Click here to go to Italy or, at least, a page of real Italian recipes
Orange Fettucine with Roasted Pecans
Serves 4
You could use any pasta (or even rice!) with a sauce of orange zest and crunchy pecans and you’d have a winner. Don’t forget that you don’t rinse your pasta when you drain it so this, or whatever sauce you create, will stick to the noodles.
1 lb fettuccine or linguine
2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente, in salted water. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté pecans in butter, stirring often, for about 5 minutes; add orange peel and juice. Toss this tasty mixture with the noodles, salt, and pepper. Done.
Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce
Serves 4It’s summer as this recipe is added and that means you can buy real tomatoes at really low prices. And if you have a basil plant or two outside your kitchen it’s probably producing so many aromatic leaves you don’t know what to do with them all. Well, that’s my situation, and I’m gonna make this very simple sauce and freeze a bunch of it. Care to join me?
12 oz linguine
1 & 1/2 lb beefsteak tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp each Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (not the powdery stuff) (1 oz)
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, and when it’s al dente, drain and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, in your food processor, puree the tomatoes, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce and half the basil. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and the remaining basil before serving, but don't add basil to what you're freezing; do that when you thaw and use it.
Click here for lots of other sauce recipes you can freeze
Pasta with Anchovies
Serves 4If you already love anchovies I’m sure you’ll love this easy way to use them; if you’re still afraid of the little fellas this would be a delicious way to get over it.
4 qts water
1 tsp salt
1 lb uncooked linguine
1 & 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
2 (3.5-oz) cans anchovies, drained and choppe
d1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a stockpot. Add pasta; cook 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add anchovies and stir for another minute or so. Remove from heat.
Combine this anchovy mixture, the pasta, and the reserved liquid; and toss well to coat. Stir in walnuts; plate and sprinkle with parsley. Beautiful!
