Pasta Recipes - Cookie and Kate

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Kathryne Taylor — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 20:01:37 +0000

Ever tried artichoke in lasagna? If not, you’ve been missing out. This vegetarian recipe is freshly flavored, hearty and cheesy, but not too heavy. It’s a marvelous option for date night at home or a special Sunday dinner.

This spinach and artichoke lasagna recipe has been one of my personal favorites for nearly a decade, and it has raving reviews. Today, I’m sharing it again with new photos and a step-by-step video. You’ll also find plenty of serving suggestions below to round out your meal.

I originally created this recipe for our friend Scott. He came to the blog looking for a lasagna recipe to cook for his wife, Sara, and I had nothing to offer! This recipe formed the backbone for my Best Vegetable Lasagna and Vegan Lasagna, so if you have enjoyed those, you’ll certainly love this one.

This recipe taught me the beauty of no-boil lasagna noodles, which are so much easier and quicker to work with. It also features a simple, no-cook, diced tomato sauce with basil and garlic that tastes so fresh. Try it, and you’ll see!

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Notes & Tips

You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips and options to be aware of before you get started.

This recipe is designed for no-boil lasagna noodles, which saves a few steps and makes for easier layering.
I used cottage cheese in this recipe instead of the classic ricotta. It’s a little trick I learned from America’s Test Kitchen (they are full of tricks!). Cottage cheese has a better flavor and texture than ricotta when it comes to lasagna. I am not a fan of cottage cheese on its own, but it’s perfect in this recipe!
If you are in a pinch for time, you could substitute store-bought sauce for the homemade sauce below.
You could also get by with frozen spinach instead of fresh, but the fresh spinach flavor really plays nicely with the fresh-tasting tomato sauce.
If you don’t love artichokes or can’t find any, you can skip them altogether for a classic and delicious spinach lasagna recipe.
The recipe below makes heavy use of a food processor, but if you don’t have one, you can use a blender.
If you don’t have a food processor or blender, buy crushed tomatoes instead of diced, skip the blended cottage cheese step and chop the spinach mixture after it’s done cooking.

Watch How to Make Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Serving Suggestions

While this lasagna already offers a serving of hearty greens, I always love a salad with lasagna. The most simple side salad options include this Lemony Kale Salad or Super Simple Arugula Salad. Or, improvise your own with my Italian Dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette. For an American Italian restaurant-style dinner, make my Homemade Caesar Salad or Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad. This Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw is an unconventional option.

Other side dish options include green beans—try these Best Ever Green Beans, Perfect Roasted Green Beans, or perhaps your best bet is this stovetop recipe for Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds and Feta (I think the Mediterranean flavors would complement the spinach and artichoke).

If you’re not in the mood for green beans, try Perfect Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli with Balsamic Drizzle or Perfect Roasted Asparagus when asparagus is in season (springtime).

For date night at home, you could end the meal with a special dessert. I love Betty’s Pots de Crème for the small portion and rich flavor. Foolproof Basque Cheesecake tastes amazing, and it’s best made in advance. For just two people, try these chocolatey Mini Lava Cakes for Two!

More Hearty Italian Recipes to Try

Here’s a short collection of cheesy baked Italian dishes. Browse more Italian recipes here.

Please let me know how your lasagna turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 to 12 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 216 reviews

This healthy vegetarian spinach lasagna includes lots of fresh spinach, jarred artichokes and the simplest homemade tomato sauce. This lasagna tastes even better the next day! Recipe yields one 9-inch square lasagna, which is enough for 8 to 9 servings.

Ingredients

Tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce)

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Spinach artichoke mixture

2 cups (16 ounces) low fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 smallish red onion)
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup jarred or defrosted frozen artichokes, drained (simply omit for a classic spinach lasagna), quartered if necessary
12 ounces baby spinach, preferably organic
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Remaining lasagna ingredients

9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups (5 ounces) shredded fontina cheese or low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella
Garnish: sprinkling of additional chopped fresh basil

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare the tomato sauce, first pour the tomatoes into a mesh sieve or fine colander and let them drain off excess juice for a minute. Transfer drained tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper flakes. Pulse the mixture about 10 times, until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency. Pour the mixture into a bowl for later (you should have about 2 cups sauce).
Rinse out the food processor and return it to the machine. Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl. No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you’ll need it later.
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the artichoke to the skillet, then add a few large handfuls of spinach. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until the spinach has wilted. Repeat with remaining spinach. Continue cooking for about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spinach has dramatically reduced in volume and very little moisture remains in the bottom of the pan.
Transfer the spinach artichoke mixture to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the contents are finely chopped (but not puréed!), about 12 to 15 times. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese. Top with remaining cottage cheese and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Now it’s lasagna assembly time!
Spread ½ cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9-inch square baker. Layer three lasagna noodles on top, overlapping their edges as necessary. Spread half of the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with ½ cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top.
Top with three more noodles, followed by the remaining spinach mixture. Sprinkle ½ cup shredded cheese on top. (We’re skipping the tomato sauce in this layer.) Top with three more noodles, then spread the remaining tomato sauce over the top so the noodles are evenly covered. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.
Wrap the lasagna with a layer of parchment paper over the top (or cover tightly with aluminum foil, but don’t let the foil touch the cheese). Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180 degrees and continue cooking for about 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown. Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before sprinkling with chopped basil and slicing.

Notes

Recipe roughly adapted from several lasagnas in The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook, with reference to Serious Eats and Gimme Some Oven.

Make it gluten free: Substitute gluten-free no-bake lasagna noodles, such as Jovial brand.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

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Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Kathryne Taylor — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 18:18:51 +0000

This creamy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe comes together in one pot. It’s really quite easy to make. You don’t even drain the pasta cooking water.

Thanks to the pumpkin, this dish is extra creamy, golden and flavorful. Naturally, it’s lighter than your typical homemade mac and cheese. On cool fall evenings, this mac and cheese will warm you up without putting you to sleep.

This easy autumnal pasta recipe will delight the whole family. Leftovers reheat well for the next few days, and even freeze well enough for our toddler’s future meals.

This recipe is a derivative of my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe, which has been a big hit. While that recipe relies on roasted butternut squash for depth of flavor, this recipe calls for canned pumpkin purée.

To make up for the roasted flavor, this recipe benefits from deeply toasting spices in butter—pumpkin spice blend, garlic powder and onion powder. Then, we cook a can of pumpkin purée in the flavored butter for a minute before adding pasta and water. Later on, we’ll stir in some cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese and Parmesan. The end result is magical.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Ingredients

You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s what you should know about the key ingredients before you head to the store.

Canned Pumpkin Puree

This recipe conveniently uses up one entire can of pumpkin purée. Be sure to buy plain pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and spices.

Not all canned pumpkin purée is created equal. I’ve enjoyed this recipe with Whole Foods 365 brand, and Libby’s is reliably good as well.

Short-Cut Pasta

You have quite a few options here. For best results, choose a noodle that cooks in about 8 minutes or less, according to the package directions. We used casarecce for these photos, or you could use macaroni noodles for a more traditional mac and cheese look. Other options include cavatelli, fusilli, pipe rigate, etc. To make this recipe gluten free, we successfully used Jovial brand’s brown rice-based fusilli.

Tip: “Short-cut” pasta refers to compact noodle shapes, as opposed to long strands like spaghetti or fettuccine.

Cream Cheese

We’ll stir cream cheese directly into the pot. The cream cheese makes this pasta ultra creamy, lightly tangy, and luxurious. You’ll use half of a standard block of cream cheese for this recipe. Spread the extra on tomorrow morning’s toast!

Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan

Use a high quality, sharp cheddar cheese so you can really taste the cheddar in the end result. Parmesan cheese further amps up the flavor. Dust your individual servings with a little more Parmesan, if you’d like.

Tip: Grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in powder that can cause the cheese to clump when it melts (plus it’s more expensive, per ounce).

Butter and Spices

You’ll also need butter, pumpkin spice blend, garlic and onion powder, water and salt. Pumpkin spice blend is absolutely key in this recipe because pumpkin alone doesn’t offer much flavor.

Tip: See the note below the recipe to make your own pumpkin spice blend from ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove or allspice. You can make exactly as much as you need for this recipe by following the note, or follow my pumpkin spice blend recipe to make extra spice blend for your pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins.

Watch How to Make Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Serving Suggestions

Serve a green salad on the side. Try my Super Simple Arugula Salad, Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas, or any improvised salad with a classic vinaigrette.

This recipe yields a lot of pasta (eight servings). It reheats well for packed lunches and leftover dinners. I’ve even frozen the leftovers in this large silicone ice cube tray—once reheated in the microwave, the texture isn’t quite the same, but it’s still nice enough for our toddler to enjoy.

Love this pumpkin mac and cheese?

Here are more savory squash recipes to try. For pumpkin treats, check out my pumpkin recipe roundup.

Please let me know how your pumpkin mac and cheese turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 21 reviews

Creamy pumpkin mac and cheese will warm you up on cool fall evenings. This easy autumnal pasta recipe comes together in one pot and tastes incredible. Recipe yields 8 servings (quite a lot!) and leftovers are great.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend*
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 pound short-cut pasta (pipe regate, macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

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Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pumpkin spice, garlic and onion powders and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the butter is very fragrant and you see many little brown flecks in the pan. Stir in the pumpkin and let it cook for a minute, while stirring.
Pour in the pasta, water and salt. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid and set the timer for 8 minutes.
Cook, stirring often (more often as the time goes on), until the timer goes off. Turn down the heat as necessary to avoid scorching but maintain a steady simmer. When the time goes off, do not drain the water. Stir in the cream cheese. Continue simmering until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente (careful when you taste, it’s quite hot), about 4 to 5 more minutes.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheddar and Parmesan, and stir until the mixture is melted and creamy. Remove the pot from the heat.
Season with salt, to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon or more). Serve the pasta in bowls with extra Parmesan grated on top, if desired. Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days (or freezes relatively well for up to 3 months).

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese.

*Pumpkin spice amounts: To make just enough pumpkin spice for this recipe, use ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and a little pinch of allspice or cloves.

Make it gluten free: Gluten-free pastas vary widely. Choose a spiral-shaped gluten-free brown rice pasta, such as fusilli, over other pasta types (my tester was pleased with Jovial brand). Stir gently and don’t cook the pasta any longer than necessary or it may start to lose its shape.

Nutrition

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Tomato & Chickpea Pasta with Goat Cheese

Kathryne Taylor — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 19:02:48 +0000

This wholesome tomato pasta recipe makes a wonderful weeknight dinner! This feel-good recipe is warm, comforting, and lightly creamy, but not heavy.

It’s bursting with Mediterranean flavors—roasted cherry tomatoes, hearty chickpeas, creamy goat cheese, pops of briny olives, and garlic. Each one benefits from the heat of the oven, and the end result is just fantastic.

I love how this recipe comes together and I think you will, too. Basically, we’ll cook the pasta on the stovetop and roast the remaining ingredients in one baking dish. Stir it all together, add fresh basil, and you’re ready to eat. You’ll have plenty of time in between steps to tidy the kitchen or chat.

This recipe is a variation on last summer’s Baked Feta Dip with Cherry Tomatoes, which was inspired by the viral TikTok roasted cherry tomato and feta pasta and Deb’s version of it.

It’s always fun to see how recipes morph over time, and this one is a real winner. Please give it a try and let me know what you think!

Tomato & Chickpea Pasta Tips

This recipe comes together beautifully! You’ll find the full recipe below, but here are a few tips before you get started.

Choose small cherry tomatoes at the store, if possible. Grape tomatoes will work if that’s what they have. Bigger cherry/grape tomatoes have tougher skin that can be distracting in the final dish.

Be sure to salt your pasta cooking water. The water should taste a little salty, but doesn’t need to taste “like the sea” (if you’re taking that phrase literally, you’d have to use an incredible amount of salt). Use at least 1 teaspoon of salt here, or more. In my experience, if pasta water is insufficiently salted, it’s impossible to get that flavor back by adding salt later. Most of it gets poured out, anyway.

Arrange the garlic cloves (peeled but left whole) in one corner of the dish. That way, they’re easy to find later. They develop irresistible caramelize flavor as they roast, and we’ll simply smash them against the side of the baking dish when we’re done.

Leftovers keep well for up to four days. That’s my standard time frame for all recipes of this nature. Leftovers make a great lunch, warmed in the microwave or even served cold like pasta salad.

Watch How to Make This Pasta

What to Serve with this Pasta

This pasta dish is rather hearty and doesn’t need complex accompaniments. The easiest option is my Super Simple Arugula Salad, which goes with just about anything. This Chopped Greek Salad or Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad would complement these flavors, and you can simplify the additions if you’d like.

Outside of salads, green beans are in season along with tomatoes. Try my Perfect Roasted Green Beans for a simple side that can roast in the oven with the tomato mixture, or my Green Beans Amandine for a special occasion.

More Tomato Pasta Recipes to Make

All of these fresh pasta recipes make use of ripe summer tomatoes. Make them while you still can!

As always, please let me know how the recipe turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you.

Tomato & Chickpea Pasta with Goat Cheese

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 22 reviews

This easy pasta recipe features cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, goat cheese, olives and basil! It’s bursting with fresh Mediterranean flavors. Recipe yields 6 medium servings.

Ingredients

8 ounces short-cut pasta noodles
One 4 to 5 ounce log of goat cheese
4 medium cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
2 pints (4 cups) cherry tomatoes – smaller tomatoes are better!
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped (optional)
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
⅓ cup thinly sliced fresh basil

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until tender according to package directions, then drain and rinse the noodles well with cool water.
Place the goat cheese in the center of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Arrange the garlic cloves in one corner so they’re easier to find later. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and optional olives around the goat cheese, in that order. Then drizzle the olive oil all over the mixture. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, several twists of pepper, and the red pepper flakes, if using.
Bake for 20 minutes on the upper third rack, then place the dish on a heat-safe surface. Gently stir the goat cheese into the tomatoes and tuck the garlic cloves back down to the bottom of the dish.
Return the dish to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until the tomatoes are juicy and shriveling and the goat cheese is starting to turn golden on top.
Remove the dish from the oven. Carefully, using a fork, find each of the four garlic cloves and smash each one against the side of the pan. Gently swirl the cheese and tomatoes together.
Carefully transfer all of the tomato mixture to the pot of rinsed and drained pasta. Taste, and add a pinch or two of salt if desired (if you omitted the olives, you may want even more).
Sprinkle all over with fresh basil. Serve warm, or let the pasta cool to room temperature before refrigerating it for later. Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Baked Feta Dip with Cherry Tomatoes.

Make it gluten free: Substitute sturdy short-cut gluten-free pasta noodles.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the goat cheese. Top the finished dip with a dollop of vegan sour cream, if you wish, and/or a heavy sprinkle of vegan Parmesan.

Nutrition

The post Tomato & Chickpea Pasta with Goat Cheese appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Gaby’s Pasta with Peas and Pesto

Kathryne Taylor — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:28:27 +0000

Bookmark this simple pasta dish with peas and pesto! It is perfect for busy weeknights and you’ll be glad to have it. I’m so glad to have found this recipe in Gaby Dalkin’s latest book, Take It Easy. She sent me the book when it came out last fall and this recipe has saved us from ordering take-out several nights since then.

This pasta with peas and pesto comes together in under 30 minutes with basic ingredients and minimal fuss. It’s designed for frozen peas and it’s great with store-bought pesto. I can make this recipe with a toddler running around the kitchen, which really says something, if you know what I mean. Grace enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today.

I love how this recipe comes together with just one pot and one bowl. To make it, you’ll bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the noodles. In the meantime, you can quickly defrost frozen peas in a colander by running cool water over them in the sink.

The peas taste so fresh and nice because they are not cooked. Gaby simply instructs us to whisk together a sauce of olive oil, lemon, garlic and Pecorino Romano cheese. Then we mash up about half of the peas into the sauce, leaving the rest whole. Add the warm pasta to temper the garlic, stir in some pesto, and your dinner is almost ready to go. Thank you for this one, Gaby!

A Few Recipe Tips and Notes

You’ll find the full recipe below and it’s gloriously simple. Here are a few tips that might come in helpful:

Many pasta shapes will work. Ideally, choose a shorter pasta noodle with little nooks and crannies that can catch the peas. Options include reginetti or mafaldine (shown), fusilli, farfalle or papillon, shells, trumpets, or orecchiette. Whole wheat noodles and sturdy gluten-free noodles work well in this recipe. I used whole grain reginetti by Sfoglini, which I purchase at Whole Foods.

This recipe is designed for frozen peas. Once defrosted, they are already tender and mash easily. Defrost the frozen peas in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, or simply place them in a colander and run cool water over them for 3 to 6 minutes. Gaby’s original recipe specified two cups of frozen peas (one 10-ounce bag), but if you love to maximize your vegetable intake like I do, you can use up to three cups (one 16-ounce bag).

Store-bought pesto is fine, or make your own pesto if you have the time. You’ll need up to 1/2 cup for this recipe. I like the Artisola organic refrigerated brand.

This recipe yields a lot (six generous servings). Bring the extra to your friends or cut the recipe in half, if desired. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To make this dish more substantial, add a few dollops of ricotta to individual serving bowls or top them with fried eggs. You’ll find salad and side dish suggestions below.

Watch How to Make Pasta with Peas

What to Serve with this Pea Pasta

Colorful Roasted Vegetables: Roast these vibrant vegetables while you cook your pasta. The more veggies, the better!
Easy Tomato Salad: This tomato salad is simple to prepare and will liven up your plate of green pasta.
Italian Dressing or Classic Vinaigrette: Improvise a green salad with either of these oil-based dressings.
Super Simple Arugula Salad: Or make my go-to arugula salad, which is truly so simple that it’s ready in under two minutes.

More Fresh Green Pasta Dishes

If you love this simple pasta dish, try one of these next:

Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Pasta with Peas and Pesto

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 13 reviews

This easy pasta recipe features peas and pesto. It’s made with basic ingredients (frozen peas and store-bought pesto) and tastes fantastic! Keep this recipe in your back pocket for busy weeknights. Recipes serves 6.

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
⅓ cup (1 ounce) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 thinly sliced into rounds
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
10 to 16 ounces (2 to 3 cups) frozen peas, completely thawed*
16 ounces short-cut pasta**
⅓ cup to ½ cup pesto, homemade or jarred
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

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Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, cheese, oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes (if using), a couple pinches of salt, and plenty of black pepper.
Add the thawed peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Use the back of a fork to roughly mash just half of the peas, and leave the other half whole.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and toss the pasta with the smashed peas and a few large spoonfuls of pesto. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Top with the basil, lemon slices, and a light grating of cheese before serving.

Notes

Recipe lightly adapted from Take It Easy by Gaby Dalkin.

*How to thaw frozen peas: Defrost the frozen peas in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, or simply place them in a colander and run cool water over them for 3 to 6 minutes.

**Pasta suggestions: Ideally, choose a shorter pasta noodle that has little nooks and crannies that can catch the peas. Options include reginetti (shown), mafaldine, fusilli, farfalle or papillon, shells, trumpets, or orecchiette.

Change it up: Dollops of ricotta cheese are a nice addition. This recipe is easily halved.

Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodle.

Make it vegan: Substitute vegan pesto (or make your own with this recipe but omit the cheese), omit the cheese and top with a generous sprinkle of my Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

Nutrition

The post Gaby’s Pasta with Peas and Pesto appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Kathryne Taylor — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:29:27 +0000

This pesto pasta salad is destined for your next gathering. Or at least, that’s what I hope! This recipe is light and so fresh. It’s perfect for parties, picnics and weeknight dinners, from spring through fall. Leftovers keep well for lunch, too.

Pesto and pasta are the stars of this show, naturally. To make it a pasta salad, I added a pint of cherry tomatoes, a few handfuls of fresh arugula, and some cheese. I love salty feta in this recipe, though mozzarella and Parmesan are also great.

This pasta salad recipe includes homemade pesto made with a few little twists. Instead of pine nuts, I opted for more affordable pepitas (green pumpkin seeds). You can use pine nuts if you’d rather—or even walnuts or pecans.

I like to use half fresh basil and half fresh parsley, which tastes even more interesting and also cuts down on costs (buying lots of fresh basil can be expensive). You could certainly use all basil if you have an abundance growing in your garden. I also add some fresh lemon juice to brighten up the dish. Give it a try!

Pesto Pasta Salad Tips

The recipe below is simple and straightforward, but here are some notes before you get started.

Reserve some pasta cooking water. We’ll need up to 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to help bring this sauce together. To help me remember, I always place a heat-proof glass liquid measuring cup in the sink next to the colander.
Rinse the pasta under cool water immediately after cooking. Rinsing the pasta reduces the amount of starch on the surface of the noodles, so they don’t clump together before you have a chance to toss them in pesto sauce.
To make this dish gluten free, simply substitute your favorite gluten-free noodles. A sturdy corn-and-quinoa blend usually works well in this type of dish.
To make it vegan, simply don’t add cheese. To make up for the substance and salty flavor that cheese provides, try adding olives and/or chickpeas to the dish.
Serve promptly. This pasta salad is best served within a few hours, but leftovers will keep relatively well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to four days. The only downside is that the arugula will wilt a bit with time.

Watch How to Make Pesto Pasta Salad

More Fresh Pasta Dishes

If you enjoy this pesto pasta salad, try these recipes next:

Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 40 reviews

This pesto pasta salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavor. It’s light, healthy and easy to make. Perfect for picnics and potlucks! Recipe yields 6 to 8 side servings.

Ingredients

1 pound whole grain pasta (fusilli, rotini, penne or farfalle)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
3 handfuls baby arugula or spinach
Optional cheese: ½ cup or more crumbled feta cheese, little mozzarella balls or grated Parmesan
Optional additions: ½ cup thinly sliced Kalamata olives and/or 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas)
Freshly ground black pepper

Pesto

½ cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)*
½ cup packed fresh basil
½ cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley or additional basil
¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon fine salt
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Before draining, reserve about ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain and immediately rinse the pasta under cool water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl.
Meanwhile, to prepare the pesto: In a small skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring often, until they are fragrant and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour half of the pepitas into a bowl for later (we will use them as garnish).
Pour the remaining pepitas into a food processor. Add the basil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the pepitas have broken down to create a pretty smooth sauce.
To assemble the pasta salad, pour all of the pesto over the pasta and toss until the pasta is lightly and evenly coated, adding a tiny splash of reserved pasta cooking water if necessary to thin it out. Then add the cherry tomatoes, arugula, remaining toasted pepitas, and any optional add-ins (cheese, olives and/or chickpeas).
Toss again to combine, then season to taste with pepper. If the pasta needs more flavor, add salt, to taste, or a splash of lemon juice. If the flavors are too bold, let it rest for a few minutes, and add a little splash of olive oil if necessary to tone down the rest. This recipe will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Vegan Goodness by Jessica Prescott.
*Change it up: You can use pine nuts, walnuts or almonds in the pesto instead of pepitas (although the dish will no longer be nut-free, if that is relevant to you).
Make it gluten free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Just don’t add any cheese!

Nutrition

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Green Goddess Tortellini Salad

Kathryne Taylor — Wed, 24 May 2023 21:33:28 +0000

Add this fresh tortellini salad recipe to your weekend menu, stat! It features cheesy spinach tortellini tossed in my all-time favorite green goddess dressing, layered with lemony fresh greens and seasoned spring or summer vegetables.

This pasta dish manages to be light yet hearty at the same time, which is a real feat. It’s quick to make, but looks impressive. It’s versatile, too—you’ll see quite a few vegetable options below. Choose raw vegetables for the simplest preparation, as I did for these photos, or incorporate some quickly blanched vegetables, like asparagus, to expand your options.

My healthy homemade green goddess dressing comes together quickly in the blender or food processor. I suggest doubling the ingredients so you can serve the extra as a veggie dip or refrigerate it for upcoming green salads. It’s really delightful to have on hand.

Choose spinach tortellini over basic cheese tortellini to incorporate even more greens. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. This vegetarian pasta salad is a real crowd pleaser!

Tortellini Salad Vegetable Options

This tortellini salad is lovely with fresh spring and summer vegetables in any combination. The asterisks below denote vegetables that need to be briefly cooked (blanched) in the leftover pasta cooking water before using. The recipe includes instructions on how to blanch those veggies. You can use a combination of fresh and blanched vegetables if you’d like, such as fresh fennel and blanched asparagus.

Asparagus* (cut into 2-inch segments; for thick spears, cut them in half or quarter first)
Bell pepper (cut into short strips)
Broccoli* (florets thinly sliced)
Cherry tomatoes (halved)
Cucumber (quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced)
Fennel (thinly sliced)
Green beans*
Peas* (fresh or frozen)
Sugar-snap peas (thinly sliced)
Yellow squash (quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced)
Zucchini (quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced)

Watch How to Make This Pasta

More Fresh Pastas to Try

Below are a few more pasta recipes featuring fresh spring produce, or browse all pasta recipes here.

Please let me know how your tortellini salad turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Green Goddess Tortellini Salad

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 16 reviews

This vegetarian tortellini salad recipe features cheesy spinach tortellini tossed in healthy homemade green goddess dressing, layered across a platter with lemony fresh greens and seasoned vegetables. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 batch Green Goddess Dressing
2 packages (8 to 10 ounces each) spinach or cheese tortellini
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
3 cups tender vegetables*
2 handfuls of baby arugula
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Lemon zest
Flaky sea salt, to taste (optional)

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Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat. (If you will be blanching any vegetables, fill a large bowl with ice and water, and set it aside.)
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing, and set it aside.
Once the water is boiling, cook the tortellini according to package directions. If you’re using fresh vegetables, you can go ahead and strain the tortellini as usual.
If you will be blanching any vegetables, reuse the boiling water—just use a slotted spoon to transfer the tortellini to a strainer and set them aside. Add the veggies to the boiling water and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until they are easy to pierce through with a fork. Strain the vegetables, then immediately dunk them into the ice bath to cool. After about 5 minutes, remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and drain them well.
Rinse the warm tortellini well under cool running water and set them aside.
In a bowl, combine the prepared vegetables (blanched or fresh), arugula, olive oil, and lemon juice. Stir to combine, and season with salt liberally, to taste. Set aside.
In the cooking pot, combine the cooked tortellini and all of the dressing. Gently stir until evenly coated.
To assemble, pour half of the dressed tortellini off-center onto a large serving platter. Gently pile about half of the arugula mixture on top and to the side of the noodles. Repeat with the remaining tortellini, followed by the remaining arugula mixture. Finely grate some fresh lemon zest over the dish (about ¼th of a medium lemon’s worth). Finish it with a light sprinkle of flaky salt, if you have it.
Serve promptly, or refrigerate for later. This dish is best consumed within 2 hours, though it will keep well for up to 4 days.

Notes

Recipe inspired by Melissa Clark’s Green Goddess Pasta Salad.

*Vegetable options: Fresh vegetable options include thinly sliced fennel, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, sugar-snap peas, halved cherry tomatoes, and short strips of bell pepper. Vegetables that should be blanched include asparagus (cut into 2-inch segments; for thick spears, cut them in half or quarter first), peas (fresh or frozen), green beans, or broccoli (florets thinly sliced).

Nutrition

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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Kathryne Taylor — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 20:48:49 +0000

This butternut squash mac and cheese recipe strikes the perfect weeknight balance. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s comforting and completely delicious. This mac and cheese is not so rich that you’ll get a belly ache or fall asleep immediately after dinner.

This recipe is redeeming, too—it’s full of luscious roasted butternut squash, which amps up the golden hue without overwhelming the flavor. This mac and cheese is a real crowd pleaser. Our toddler loves it and so do we.

The cooking method is a thrill. This pasta comes together in one pot. You don’t ever strain the pasta. You don’t have to fuss with a béchamel sauce. You don’t have to get out the blender for the butternut.

If you roast your squash in advance, this recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. This is a unicorn of a pasta dish and I’m so excited to hear how it turns out in your kitchen.

Butternut Mac and Cheese Ingredients

You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s what you should know about the key ingredients before you head to the store.

Butternut Squash

Roast your squash in advance and this recipe comes together quickly. You can roast it a day before or earlier in the day—simply let it cool, then cover and refrigerate it for later.

Roast a large squash, and you’ll have twice as much squash as you need for this recipe. Freeze the other half for a future batch of mac and cheese! This recipe is flexible—use anywhere from one to two cups of mashed butternut squash per batch. (The recipe specifies two cups for max veggie power, but you certainly can use less.)

We’ll simply cut the squash in half and roast it until tender. Then peel off the skin, mash up the squash that you need, and drop it into the boiling water. Any little lumps will work themselves out while the pasta cooks. It’s like magic.

In a hurry? You can use one 15-ounce can of puréed butternut squash in place of the roasted squash. Or use one can of pumpkin purée (not pie filling) and follow my Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe instead.

Short-Cut Pasta

Again, this recipe is flexible and I’ve used a variety of pasta noodle shapes with success. My favorite, which you’ll see in the photos, is pipe rigate. Other options include macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli, and the like. To make this recipe gluten free, we successfully used Jovial brand’s brown rice-based fusilli.

Tip: “Short-cut” pasta refers to compact noodle shapes, as opposed to long strands like spaghetti.

Cream Cheese

No béchamel required for this mac and cheese. Cream cheese stirs right into the pot and makes this pasta creamy, lightly tangy, and luxurious. You’ll use half of a standard block of cream cheese for this recipe, and I don’t know about you, but I’m always glad to have some extra cream cheese on hand for my toast.

Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan

Use a flavorful cheddar cheese for this mac and cheese. My favorite is Kerrygold, which annoyingly comes in a 7-ounce package rather than an even 8-ounce, but 7 ounces will do!

Parmesan cheese further amps up the flavor. Dust your individual servings with a little more Parmesan, if you’d like.

Tip: Grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in powder that can cause the cheese to clump when it melts.

A Few More Basic Ingredients

You’ll also need olive oil (for roasting the squash), butter, garlic and onion powder, water and salt. Easy enough.

Watch How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

How to Safely Slice Your Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is large and dense, so it can be difficult to manage. Here are some tips on how to prepare it safely:

Start with a sharp chef’s knife and a stable cutting board. You can place a lightly damp tea towel beneath your cutting board to keep it from moving around.
Use the knife to cut off the tip-top and very bottom ends of the squash.
Stand the squash upright with the thickest flat side as the base.
Carefully slice through the squash from top to bottom to divide it in half. Your fingers should never be in the blade’s way.
Lastly, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them (we won’t need them for this recipe).

Serving Suggestions

Serve green salad on the side—perhaps my Super Simple Arugula Salad, Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas, or any improvised salad with a simple vinaigrette.

This recipe yields quite a lot of pasta (eight servings). It reheats well for packed lunches and leftover dinners. I’ve even frozen the leftovers in this large silicone ice cube tray—once reheated in the microwave, the texture isn’t quite the same, but it’s still nice enough for our toddler to enjoy. While I haven’t tried, I believe you could cut the recipe in half and cook it in a medium-sized pot.

Love this butternut mac and cheese?

You’ll also enjoy these recipes on Cookie and Kate:

Please let me know how your butternut mac and cheese turns out in the comments! This is the first one-pot pasta dish of this nature on the blog, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 102 reviews

This butternut squash mac and cheese is a delight! It’s just right—cheesy and creamy but not too rich, with subtle roasted butternut squash flavor. To help this recipe come together quickly for a weeknight dinner, roast the squash in advance. If you choose a large squash, you’ll have about twice as much as you need—freeze it for future use. Recipe yields 8 servings (quite a lot!) and leftovers are great.

Ingredients

1 medium to large butternut squash (1.5 pounds or larger), halved
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound short-cut pasta (pipe regate, macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

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Instructions

To roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Scoop out the squash seeds with a spoon (we won’t need them for this recipe). Rub the olive oil over the cut sides of butternut, then place them on the prepared pan, flat sides down.
Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through with a fork, about 40 to 60 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard it. Use a potato masher to mash up the squash—don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. You’ll need about 2 cups mashed squash for this recipe (you’ll likely have plenty extra, which you can freeze for future mac and cheese). Set aside, refrigerate and/or freeze the squash until ready to use.
To prepare the mac and cheese: Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion powder and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the butter is fragrant and you see little brown flecks forming in the pan. Add the dry pasta and gently toss to coat it in butter.
Pour in the water and salt. Add 2 cups of the mashed butternut squash. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid and set the timer for 8 minutes.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the timer goes off. Do not drain the water. Stir in the cream cheese. Cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente (careful when you taste, it’s quite hot), about 4 to 5 more minutes. Turn down the heat as necessary to avoid scorching but maintain a steady simmer.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheddar and Parmesan, and stir until the mixture is melted and creamy. Remove the pot from the heat.
Season with salt, to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more). Serve the pasta in bowls with extra Parmesan grated on top, if desired. Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition

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Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Green Olives

Kathryne Taylor — Tue, 11 May 2021 21:00:41 +0000

Broccoli, pesto, and green olives—believe it! This pasta recipe tastes so fresh. It’s perfectly suited for springtime dinners, though I think you’ll want to keep it in your repertoire for the rest of the year.

I wouldn’t have come up with this pasta combination myself, so I’m glad I found the recipe in my friend Kelly Senyei’s new cookbook, The Secret Ingredient Cookbook. You might know Kelly from her blog, Just a Taste. Kelly is a delightful person, a professionally trained chef and a hard-working mom to three boys, all under the age of five.

Kelly’s new cookbook offers 125 family-friendly recipes with fun secret ingredient twists. I don’t want to spoil all the surprises, but I’m looking forward to trying the Caesar pasta salad (with avocado), Greek chopped salad (with halloumi cheese), 30-minute mac and cheese (with pumpkin) and mushroom ravioli with brown butter sauce (with goat cheese, and made entirely from scratch). And good gracious, wait until you see the desserts.

This broccoli pesto pasta recipe includes green olives as the secret ingredient. They offer a delicious briny olive flavor and cover up the flavor of the broccoli. She says her boys absolutely love this dish, so this dish is designed for the whole family. I found some ricotta in my fridge and really enjoyed a few dollops over my bowl. Serve it as you please!

Broccoli Pesto Pasta Notes & Tips

This pasta comes together quickly for weeknight dinners. It’s ready in just over 30 minutes.
Kelly says this pasta can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled, so it’s perfect for all seasons.
This pasta could easily be made dairy free/vegan. Just omit the cheese, and see the recipe notes for suggested alternatives.
Use as much of the pesto as you’d like, and freeze any leftover pesto for later (see recipe note for details). I love saucy pastas, so I used all of it.
I love to serve this pasta with a few dollops of ricotta, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a light drizzle of olive oil. If you (or your kids) prefer more mellow flavors, serve it as written instead!

How to Make Broccoli Pesto Pasta

You’ll love how this recipe comes together. Find the full recipe below or in Kelly’s book on page 129. Here’s the gist:

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the broccoli for a few minutes. Then, transfer the broccoli to a blender and use the boiling water to cook the pasta.
In the meantime, toast the pine nuts in a skillet for a few minutes to bring out their best, most nutty flavor. Transfer the pine nuts to the blender.
Add the remaining pesto ingredients to the blender (drained olives, basil, garlic, Parmesan and black pepper). Reserve some of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta, and add 1/2 cup to the blender.
Pulse the pesto to combine. While running the blender, drizzle in olive oil and blend until puréed.
Pour as much pesto into the pasta as you’d like, toss, and serve.

Watch How to Make Broccoli Pesto Pasta

More Veggie Pasta Dishes to Enjoy

Here are a few more of my favorite pasta recipes:

Be sure to check out The Secret Ingredient Cookbook for more delicious, family-friendly recipes! Please let us know how the recipe turns out in the comments.

Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Green Olives

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 31 reviews

Make this broccoli pesto pasta for a fresh and veggie-packed dinner! This recipe features broccoli, toasted pine nuts, green olives and Parmesan. The green olives disguise the broccoli flavor and bring this dish to life. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients

2 cups broccoli florets
1 pound uncooked pasta, such as rigatoni or penne
1 cup green olives, drained and pitted
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves (about 1 ⅓ ounce, or 2 small containers)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Several twists of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Optional, for serving (my additions): Dollops of ricotta and/or red pepper flakes, drizzle of olive oil

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli to a blender.
Bring the water back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Cook the pine nuts in a small saucepan set over medium heat, moving the nuts around, until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes.
Add the pine nuts to the broccoli in the blender, along with the olives, basil, garlic, Parmesan, pepper, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Pulse until combined, stopping to stir as necessary.
With the blender running, stream in the olive oil, stopping the blender and scraping down the sides as needed, until the pesto is pureed. Taste and season with salt and additional pepper.
In a large bowl, toss together the pasta with your desired amount of pesto (I used all of it), thinning it with additional reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time if needed. Sprinkle with some additional grated Parmesan, if you’d like.
Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled. Serve in individual bowls, as-is or with dollops of ricotta, sprinkle of red pepper flakes or a light drizzle of olive oil. Leftover pesto pasta keeps well in the fridge, covered, for 4 days.

Notes

This recipe comes from The Secret Ingredient Cookbook by Kelly Senyei.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the Parmesan and don’t add ricotta. You might like a sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan or Vegan Sour Cream in their place, but I bet it’s lovely with just an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free noodles, such as a corn and quinoa blend.

Kelly’s leftover pesto tip: Pour it into ice cube trays, then cover securely with plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to serve, pop out a pesto cube or two and defrost in the microwave or on the stovetop with your pasta of choice.

Nutrition

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Pasta alla Norma

Kathryne Taylor — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 17:19:10 +0000

We’re going back to Sicily! Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, marinara and basil. I’m excited to introduce you to this dish because it is a completely satisfying vegetarian dinner. If you enjoy eggplant Parmesan, you’re going to love pasta alla Norma. I’m craving a bowl as I type.

Most pasta alla Norma recipes are made with fried eggplant, but this recipe features roasted eggplant. Eggplant really absorbs oil like a sponge, so this lightens up the dish. Another plus? Roasting eggplant is easier and less messy.

I further lightened this classic recipe by using more eggplant and less pasta, so this dish won’t put you to sleep. It’s nice and saucy, just the way I like it.

I don’t speak Italian, so I first assumed that “norma” meant eggplant. Not the case! Norma is capitalized because she’s a lady. Or an opera, depending on how you look at it.

Here’s the backstory: Pasta alla Norma comes from Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily. Catania is the hometown of Vincenzo Bellini, an Italian opera composer who lived in the early 1800s. One of Bellini’s most famous operas, Norma, is named after its lead character.

Folklore has it that playwright Nino Martoglio, after his first bite of this pasta dish, exclaimed, “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!” (“This is a true Norma!”) That’s quite a compliment.

Watch How to Make Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma Ingredients

Pasta alla Norma is proof that simple ingredients can yield spectacular results. This classic Italian dish is especially appropriate in late summer or early fall when eggplant is in season. It’s so hearty that I’ll be enjoying it through the winter.

Marinara Sauce

You really can’t beat my Super Simple Marinara Sauce, which comes together with minimal fuss. It’ll be ready around the time the eggplant is done roasting, and yields exactly the amount of sauce you’ll need for this dish (two cups). If you’d like to simplify the recipe, you could use a good store-bought marinara. My favorite is Rao’s.

Eggplant

Look for two medium eggplants with firm, shiny skin and no bruises. They should feel heavy for their size. We won’t bother salting the eggplant before roasting—it’s truly unnecessary with modern eggplants.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Any quality extra-virgin olive oil will do. Use an Italian variety if you want to be as authentic as possible.

Pasta

Use rigatoni, ziti, spaghetti, or any pasta along those lines. You’ll see rigatoni in these photos, but I’ve also really enjoyed spaghetti.

Fresh Basil

Basil livens up this saucy meal. We’ll use a pretty generous amount, about 1/2 cup or an entire small store-bought container. It’s worth it.

A Few Basic Spices

Freshly ground black pepper, dried oregano and red pepper flakes round out the flavors in this dish. If you’re sensitive to spice, go light on the red pepper flakes or omit them entirely.

Cheese

True pasta alla Norma is made with aged ricotta salata, which is difficult to find in the United States. For something fairly similar, try equal parts store-bought ricotta salata and Parmesan. Other suggestions I’ve found online include Grana Padano or mature Pecorino Romano (with or without some crumbled feta). All that said, I don’t think you could go wrong with mozzarella. Some recipes also include dollops of ricotta, which would surely be tasty.

If you’re following a dairy-free or vegan diet, I believe you’ll still love this dish without cheese. Or, you could finish your bowls with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan and perhaps even a dollop of vegan sour cream in place of ricotta.

How to Make Pasta alla Norma

This recipe is simple enough to pull off on a weeknight if you start an hour before dinnertime. It calls for a few simple components and you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Pour yourself a glass of Italian red wine, perhaps a Sangiovese, and make the most of it!

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s the gist:

1) Start the marinara sauce.

That is, assuming you’re going the homemade route. You really won’t believe how quickly my marinara comes together!

2) Prepare and roast the eggplant.

We’re going to follow Ottolenghi’s lead here and use a vegetable peeler to shave off strips of eggplant peel to make it look rather zebra-like. This way, you still get some of the nice texture of the eggplant skin, but you don’t end up with distracting long strips of it in your finished dish (the eggplant tends to fall apart in the sauce, in a good way). Then, we’ll slice the eggplant into rounds, brush them with oil, and roast them until deeply golden.

3) Cook the pasta in salted water.

Salting the water infuses your pasta with more flavor. Try to remember to reserve some of the pasta cooking water before draining it—the starch in the water helps unite the sauce with the pasta. I typically scoop some into a Pyrex glass measuring cup just before draining. (If you forget, as I often do, no worries.)

4) Stir it all together.

This is when we add the fresh basil, most of the cheese (reserve some for garnish), and some spices. Add salt to taste, and your meal is ready to serve. Buon appetito.

More Eggplant Recipes to Enjoy

Baba Ganoush
Caponata (also from Sicily)
Eggplant Parmesan
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables
Ratatouille
Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Orzo Pasta

As always, please let me know how your pasta alla Norma turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you. If you’re hungry for more pasta dishes, I’ve got you covered.

Pasta alla Norma

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 121 reviews

Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, marinara and basil. This amazing recipe features roasted eggplant, not fried! Recipe yields 4 entrée servings.

Ingredients

1 batch Super Simple Marinara Sauce, or 2 cups (16 ounces) store-bought marinara
2 medium eggplants (about 2 ¼ pounds total)
¼ cup + 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine salt, more to taste
8 ounces rigatoni, ziti or spaghetti
½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus a handful more small basil leaves or torn leaves for garnish
½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ cup (1.5 ounces) finely grated ricotta salata and/or Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

If making your own marinara: Cook the sauce per instructions. If it’s done cooking before you’re ready to assemble, cover the pot and keep it warm over very low heat. If you’re using store-bought marinara, warm it in a pot over medium-low heat while you cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave off long alternating strips of eggplant peel. The eggplants will look striped like zebras when you’re done. Then slice the eggplants into ½-inch thick rounds, discarding the end pieces.
Place the eggplant on the lined baking sheets. Brush the rounds with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle the eggplant with the salt and plenty of pepper. Roast until deeply golden and tender, about 35 to 45 minutes, flipping after 20 minutes. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve some pasta cooking water before draining (about ½ cup should be plenty), then return the pasta to the pot.
When the eggplant is done and the marinara is finished cooking (or warmed through, if using store-bought), gently stir the roasted eggplant into the sauce. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, fresh basil, red pepper flakes (skip if you don’t like spice, or load it up if you do). Crush the dried oregano between your fingers as you drop it in.
Add the pasta to the sauce with a couple tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water, and gently stir it in. Add about two-thirds of the cheese, reserving the rest for garnish. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more) and black pepper. You can add a bit more of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen up the sauce, if desired.
Divide the pasta between four bowls. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the individual servings, followed by some extra fresh basil. For added richness, drizzle the servings lightly with olive oil. Enjoy! Leftover pasta will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for 4 to 5 days.

Notes

Recipe roughly adapted from Ottolenghi Simple (a cookbook, affiliate link) and my eggplant Parmesan.

Make it gluten free: This dish would likely be nice with sturdy gluten-free noodles, such as a corn and quinoa blend.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese (this pasta is still very nice without it). You could sprinkle individual servings with vegan Parmesan. You might enjoy a dollop of vegan sour cream for some creaminess, too.

Parmesan note: Whole Foods 365 and BelGioioso brands offer vegetarian Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

The post Pasta alla Norma appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Colorful Veggie Sesame Noodles

Kathryne Taylor — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:58:01 +0000

These sesame noodles are colorful and completely irresistible! I’m always excited when I find sesame noodles amongst a plethora of dishes at a gathering. As a solo dish, I crave noodles with a little more color, perhaps, and more texture and flavor. Must be the “maximalist vegetarian” in me. Always more veggies!

This riff on sesame noodles is exactly what I’ve wished for. This recipe features tender noodles and green onions, of course. I replaced some of the noodles with tons of crisp raw veggies, plus I added tiny sesame seeds, toasted to bring out their best.

The bold but simple seasonings include soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, and a generous sprinkling of fresh cilantro (omit it if you don’t like it). I added some chili flakes for extra heat, which you can scale up or down to suit your preferences.

From what I’ve read, sesame noodles likely originated in the Sichuan province of China (please let me know if you know more). These noodles are not authentic, but they are tasty. I can’t stop going back for more.

Bring these noodles to a gathering or serve them as a side dish. They are nice at room temperature or chilled. Or, turn this recipe into a light meal by adding shelled edamame, crispy baked tofu or a fried egg or two. This recipe keeps well for several days in the fridge, and packs well for lunch.

Watch How to Make Colorful Veggie Sesame Noodles

This recipe is an updated and improved version of a very old recipe on my blog called “Soba Noodles with Vegetables.” Way back in 2011, I wasn’t quite satisfied with the seasonings, but I wasn’t sure how to fix them. I’ve revisited the recipe and tweaked it to yield exactly the flavor I’ve been craving all this time.

If you’re a fan of the old recipe, view the original recipe as a PDF here.

Craving more noodles?

Try these related recipes:

You might also enjoy my Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce, Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad, and the Fresh Sesame Soba Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce in Love Real Food (page 98).

Please let me know how your sesame noodles turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Veggie Sesame Noodles

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6
Diet: Vegan

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 104 reviews

This riff on sesame noodles features tons of colorful vegetables. This recipe is healthy and easy to prepare—perfect for bringing to get-togethers! It’s vegetarian/vegan and easily gluten free. Recipe yields 6 side servings.

Ingredients

8 ounces soba noodles or spaghetti noodles of choice*
¼ cup raw sesame seeds
⅓ cup reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce, just be sure it’s reduced sodium or it will taste too salty)
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (scale back or omit if sensitive to spice)
2 ½ cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 10 ounces or ¼th medium cabbage)
3 whole carrots, peeled and then sliced into ribbons with vegetable peeler (about 1 ½ cups)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips
1 bunch green onions, chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
Optional: 2 cups shelled edamame, steamed

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Instructions

Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions. Once they’re done cooking, drain them in a colander and rinse them well under cool water. Transfer the drained noodles to a large serving bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring often (keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly). Once they’re fragrant and turning golden, transfer them to a small bowl so they don’t burn. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the tamari, sesame oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
To assemble, add the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, cilantro and optional edamame to your bowl with the noodles. Drizzle in the dressing. Add all of the sesame seeds, and use tongs to toss until the mixture is fully combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later. This salad is best consumed within a couple of days, but it will keep for up to 5 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Last Minute Sesame Noodles on Aggie’s Kitchen, originally from Eatingwell.com

*Make it gluten free: If you are sensitive to gluten, seek out 100% buckwheat soba noodles (I like Eden Foods’ brand) or substitute your favorite sturdy gluten-free spaghetti.

Change it up: Try adding a tablespoon or two of peanut butter to the dressing. Or, play around with the vegetables used here—you’ll just need about 5 cups total. For additional protein, include the optional edamame or serve with crispy baked tofu on top, or add a fried egg or scrambled eggs.

Nutrition

The post Colorful Veggie Sesame Noodles appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

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