pasta | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Tag: pasta
- Orzo Caprese Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
  
  Posted at 5:59 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 13th
  Summertime, I love to make easy, delicious salads packed with flavor and fresh ingredients. My Orzo Caprese Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is a family favorite. And the recipe is easily doubled to feed a large group.
  
  Always use the freshest ingredients and fresh basil is the best, so easy to grow.
  
  1 cup uncooked orzo
  
  1 cup chopped tricolored cherry tomatoes
  
  1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  
  1 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed
  
  Prepare orzo according to package instructions. Drain and cool.
  
  Make vinaigrette and set aside.
  
  Add tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to orzo. Combine.
  
  Toss with vinaigrette. And chill for 2 hours or over night.
  
  1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  
  2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
  1 teaspoon sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  
  1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
  
  3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
  Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, mustard and fine sea salt, whisking until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add 3 tablespoon olive oil in slow stream, whisking until the dressing is well blended.
  
  Love this gadget, a lemon zester!
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  Posted in pasta, Salad, Vegetarian | Tagged easy, Easy recipe, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, pasta, salad, tomatoes, vegetarian
- Veggie Pasta
  
  Posted at 12:49 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 23rd
  While my husband and I have been social distancing during the pandemic, running out on a whim to purchase ingredients or locating specific products has been challenging. Instead I’ve been creative using what I have on hand to make dinner. I love to cook so I usually have certain stables in the pantry and garlic, shallots, olives are a necessity in my kitchen. If you stock your pantry with canned tomatoes, artichokes, olives, olive oil, pasta, and have garlic, shallots, or onions on hand, a meal is easy to put together without running to the store.
  
  I also like to keep a few Asian ingredients for a quick easy meal but my repertoire isn’t very extensive. I realized during this time of social distancing that although I love Asian dishes we normally go out to a restaurant for Thai or Chinese food. Take out is an option, which we have tried during the pandemic. Now I want to expand my cooking and include more healthy Asian dishes. I love cooking with fresh veggies. I look forward to this new cooking adventure. Who knew that after all these years I could find more outlets for my cooking skills.
  
  My favorite weekday meal requirements are simple: flavorful, easy, and little clean-up, two dirty pan limit! And my Veggie pasta is perfect!
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  
  1 large shallot, chopped
  
  1 can(14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, no salt. I like Hunts tomatoes
  
  1/2 cup dry white wine
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 crushed red pepper
  
  1/2 can(14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained and sliced in quarters
  
  1/2 cup Castelvetrano Italian olives, I love Mezzetta olives
  
  1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  
  4 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped
  
  1/2 box thin spaghetti
  
  Heat olive oil in a medium pan. Add garlic and shallot, saute for 5 minutes until the shallot is translucent. Add diced tomatoes, and wine. Season with salt and red pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add artichokes hearts, olives, and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes
  
  While the tomato mixture is simmering, cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and put in large bowl
  
  Add mozzarella to the tomato mixture cooking just until the cheese starts to melt. Remove from heat and toss with spaghetti.
  
  Serve with fresh Parmesan Cheese.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Hearty Meal, Italian, Main Dish, Main Meal, Mediterranean diet, Tomato, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinner | Tagged cheese, Easy recipes, pasta, quick meal, Veggie Pasta
- Roasted Cauliflower with Italian Tuna and Pasta
  
  Posted at 10:15 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 11th
  When I’m cooking with canned tuna I love to use Italian canned
  
  tuna in olive oil, fabulously flavorful. Adding cauliflower and
  
  tuna to pasta makes a deliciously easy mean that is ready
  
  quickly for a weekday meal. And this is a healthy dinner for the
  
  whole family. Serve with a large fresh salad, and crisp baked
  
  bread.
  
  16 ounces Cavatappi pasta
  
  Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
  1 small cauliflower head (about 2 1/2 pounds), cored and cut into
  
  1-inch florets
  
  8 medium garlic cloves, minced
  
  2 cans (4.9 oz.) Italian Tuna in olive oil, I use Tonnino Tuna
  
  2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
  
  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
  2 tablespoons salted butter
  
  1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon
  
  juice
  
  Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
  
  In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pasta and 1tablespoon salt and cook to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and set aside. Add two tablespoon olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and heat to simmering. Add cauliflower, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until light golden brown and crisp and tender.
  
  Stir in the garlic, tuna, rosemary, pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoon butter. Cook, stirring until the garlic is softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
  
  Add the pasta cooking water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Toss in the pasta and the remaining 2 tablespoon butter.
  
  Cook, tossing until the sauce has thickened and coats pasta, about 1 minute.
  
  Remove from heat, stir in lean juice. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the lemon zest and parmesan cheese. Serve with more parmesan cheese
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Healthy, Hearty Meal, Italian, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta | Tagged Easy recipe, Healthy, Italian Food, pasta, Tonnino Tuna
- No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce with Spaghetti
  
  Posted at 5:07 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 31st
  The history behind the name of this pasta is quite interesting. As the story goes the dish Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca (“spaghetti in the style of a prostitute” in Italian”.) originated in the mid-twenty century in the seaport of Naples. The prostitutes of the city would make this dish and place on their window sill, where the aromatic scent lured sailors for their services. Whether that is true or not there is no denying this flavorful sauce has over the years attracted many devotees. My sauce is a no-cook version with the original is a simmered sauce served with pasta. I love making this easy recipe in the summer and serve with a crisp salad, fresh Italian bread, and dry white wine.
  
  No-Cook Puttanesca Sauce with Spaghetti
  
  2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 lb.), halved crosswise, seeds removed
  
  2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  
  1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  
  3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
  
  2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
  
  1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
  
  1 cup Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
  
  2 Tbsp. drained capers
  
  ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  
  12 oz. spaghetti
  
  ¼ cup finely chopped basil
  
  3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  
  Pulse beefsteak tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, anchovy fillets, and 2 tsp. salt in a food processor until smooth; transfer sauce to a large bowl and mix in cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, and ¼ cup oil.
  
  Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid.
  
  Add pasta, parsley, and butter to the sauce. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding a splash of pasta cooking liquid or more as needed to create an emulsified sauce that coats the pasta. Divide among bowls and drizzle with more oil.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, pasta, summertime recipes, vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged Easy recipes, pasta, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce
  
  Posted at 1:19 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 29th
  Cooking and good food is in my blood. Both my grandmother and mother were accomplished cooks who could combine a few ingredients into a memorable feast that you would never forget. I learned from both these exceptional women that their love of cooking for family and friends was their secret ingredient that flavored their dishes better than any expensive seasoning or ingredient. Being of Italian heritage, tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and pasta were the basis for many of the meals they cooked when I was growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. The Delaware Valley before all the housing developments was rich land with farms that went for miles. My grandmother and mother’s summer season gardens overflowed with the most beautiful fresh produce perfect for making Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce. I’ve attempted to create the flavors from one of their signature dishes. Both women never used a recipe they just added a pinch of this, a dash of that magically creating breathtaking food!
  
  Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce
  
  1-pint cherry tomatoes
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  
  2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  
  1/4 cup pesto sauce*
  
  12 oz of fresh linguine
  
  1 tablespoon butter
  
  Preheat oven 425F. Place the first six ingredients in a baking dish ad roast for 20 minutes until tomatoes are hot and bubbly. Cool. Add pesto sauce to tomatoes; stirring until combined. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup water from the pasta. Place pasta in large bowel toss with 1 tablespoon butter and reserved water. Add tomato/pesto sauce and toss again. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
  
  Pesto Sauce
  
  4 cups packed fresh basil
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 cup pine nuts
  
  2 cloves garlic
  
  1/2 parmesan cheese
  
  1/2 cup olive oil
  
  1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  
  Combine basil, oil, pine nuts, and garlic in a blender. Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil. Add both kinds of cheese and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Freeze unused pesto.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Easy recipes, family meals, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, pasta, vegan, Vegetarian, Weeknight dinner | Tagged Easy recipe, farm fresh, pasta, Pesto Sauce, sunday dinner, tomatoes
- SPRINGTIME FETTUCCINI IN LEMON CREAM SAUCE WITH ASPARAGUS
  
  Posted at 3:46 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 21st
  I use Bruitoni pasta when I want the taste of fresh pasta but don’t have time to go to a specialty store or make the pasta at home. And I love this easy cream cheese pasta sauce for a quick weekend, taste delicious dinner. Don’t you just love the bright green asparagus? Lemon and asparagus the perfect springtime combination to add to pasta, so flavorful!
  
  Ingredients
  
  9 oz. Bruitoni Fettuccini
  
  1/2 cup cream cheese
  
  2 Tbs. olive oil
  
  1 lemon, juiced and 1 Tbs. zest grated
  
  1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese
  
  1/2 – 3/4 cup steamed asparagus, lightly steamed, slice into 2-inch pieces
  
  Preparation
  
  1. Cook linguine according to package directions in the pot of boiling salted water.
  
  2. Warm cream cheese, oil, and 2 Tbs. lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat.
  
  3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into the cream cheese mixture. Add pasta, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Add asparagus and lightly toss again. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  www.buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Easy recipes, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta, Vegetarian | Tagged Bruitoni Fettuccini, cram cheese, dinner, Easy recipes, pasta
- Baked Penne with Pomodoro Sauce
  
  Posted at 9:51 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 10th
  Some days when the wind is cold and biting with no sun in sight I know making a hearty pasta dish is just perfect comfort food for dinner. All the ingredients for my Baked Penne I purchased at Trader Joe’s except I made my own Pomodoro sauce. Trader Joe’s has a tasty prepared Pomodoro sauce which will cut down the time to make an easy home-cooked meal. Put the casserole together the night before and bake for dinner the next day. Delicious, easy and a quick home-cooked meal!
  
  1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions
  
  8 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
  
  8 ounces Burrata mozzarella, two balls chopped
  
  1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  
  2 teaspoon dry oregano
  
  Pomodoro Sauce* or Trader Joe’s Rustico
  
  8 ounce cooked chicken sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  
  Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine ricotta, 1/2 burrata, parmesan cheese, oregano in a medium-size bowl. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Place 1/4 cup of Pomodoro sauce at the bottom of the baking dish(13-inch x 9-inch). Add half penne to baking dish over sauce. Top with cheese mixture, layer with 1/2 remaining sauce, penne and top with rest of sauce. Finish with remaining Burrata. Bake 35- 40 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.
  
  *Pomodoro Sauce
  
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
  1 medium onion, minced
  
  4 garlic cloves, minced
  
  1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  
  1 28 ounce can pureed Pomodoro tomatoes
  
  1/2 cup red wine
  
  Kosher salt
  
  3 large fresh basil sprigs
  
  In a saucepan over medium heat saute onion and garlic in oil for two minutes. Add red pepper flakes, tomatoes and wine. Cook for 5 minutes. Add salt, basil and sliced sausage. Simmer for ten minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  buzzchomp.com
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen@blogspot.com
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  Posted in Casserole, Easy recipes, family meals, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Hearty Meal, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta, Weeknight dinner | Tagged easy meal, family meal, pasta, quick meal, Sausage, Trader Joe's
- Fettuccine and Shrimp Pomodoro sauce
  
  Posted at 9:19 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 27th
  During the Holiday Season when busy is the norm with frantically list writing busily coming in a close second, I love to prepare perfectly delicious easy meals so inviting after a hectic day, just beckoning you breath and enjoy. Carving out a peaceful meal time is essential to keeping stress away and promoting healthy eating for me and my family. I don’t believe in eating on the run. I’m flabbergasted as I walk down the street surrounded by people eating food as they walk, my only rule breaker is ice cream. I subscribe to the motto that food is to be prepared with care and you should take time when you eat food.
  
  Sit, relax, enjoy, let your body savory the flavors as well as giving your system time to digest your food. When you relax enjoying a meal you don’t overeat either. Being present at the meal ensures that you enjoy each bite signaling that you are satisfied and full. Even during this rushed season in addition to stoping to experience the festivities, make time for a relaxing meal.
  
  Fettuccine and Shrimp Pomodoro sauce
  
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  
  2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  
  Pinch of crushed red pepper
  
  One 28-ounce can peeled San Marzano tomatoes, pureed until smooth
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  1/2 pound large uncooked shrimp, cleaned and deveined
  
  1/2 pound fettuccine
  
  1 basil sprig, plus torn leaves, for garnish
  
  Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
  
  In a large, deep skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the garlic is golden about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, season with salt and simmer the tomato sauce until thickened, 15 minutes.
  
  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until pliable but still hard in the center, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the water.
  
  Add the shrimp, spaghetti, cooking water and basil sprig to the tomato sauce and cook over moderately low heat, stirring gently, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is thickened and clings to the strands, 8 minutes longer. Discard the basil sprig. Transfer the spaghetti to bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with grated cheese.
  
  Make-Ahead
  
  The tomato sauce without shrimp can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in dinner, Easy recipes, seafood, Uncategorized | Tagged easy, pasta, pomodoro
- Roasted Cauliflower with Italian Tuna over Pasta
  
  Posted at 8:52 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 5th
  I love to create easy weekday meals that just burst with flavor. Being of Italian heritage I learned at an early age from my mother that you should only consume food that tastes delicious. Meticulous preparation was so important to my mother who enjoyed the art of cooking instilling in me that food is love that you share with family and friends. I have continued her tradition preparing meals with the focus on flavor and taste. All you need to add as my mother is fond of saying is a pinch or a dash of that, just doctor it up! Still, at ninety-five she knows how to make food sing with flavor.
  
  Roasted Cauliflower with Italian Tuna over Pasta
  
  1 head cauliflower, chopped
  
  six skin-on garlic cloves
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  1/2 salt
  
  1/4 black pepper
  
  1/4 red pepper flakes
  
  1 cup Parmesan cheese
  
  3 tablespoon butter
  
  two tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
  
  1/4 cup breadcrumbs, toasted
  
  Italian yellowfin tuna in olive oil
  
  1 tablespoon capers
  
  1 pound pasta or spaghetti
  
  On a sheet pan, drizzle a head of chopped cauliflower and six skin-on garlic cloves with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Roast at 425°, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower is caramelized and crisp, about 30 minutes. Once cool, peel the roasted garlic cloves and chop.
  
  In a large bowl, combine a cup of grated Parmesan, three tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of toasted pine nuts, and a quarter-cup of toasted breadcrumbs. (Toast stale bread until lightly golden, then use a food processor to pulse into crumbs.)
  
  Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook a pound of short pasta (like cavatelli) or thin spaghetti. Drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta with the cauliflower, garlic cloves, Parmesan butter mixture, and enough pasta water to mix it all together. Add flaked tuna and mix. Garnish with capers.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.blogspot.com
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  Posted in dinner, Easy recipes, family meals, Hearty Meal, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta, seafood | Tagged Cauliflower, pasta, Tuna
- Clams in Wine Sauce
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 28th
  Clams in Wine Sauce
  
  Love easy, tasty meals that are quick then you’ll love my Clams in White Sauce. I make these clams as a light dinner served with salad and bread or a hardier meal tossed with pasta, side salad, and bread. Either way, these clams are so good.
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  4 garlic cloves, minced
  
  2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, I like Pensey’s Tuscan Sunset
  
  pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  
  8 oz. bottled clam juice
  
  1/4 cup dry white wine
  
  2 tablespoon butter
  
  1 1/2 lbs. Count Neck Clams
  
  1. Wash clams to remove any dirt or sand.
  
  2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; saute for 1 minute, or until tender. Stir in Italian seasons and red pepper flakes. Pour in clam juice and white wine. Bring to boil then simmer for five minutes. Add clams, cover, and steam till clams start to open.
  
  3. Add butter and clams, cover, and cook till the clams open about ten minutes. Discard any that do not open. Transfer clams to plate. Serve with fresh bread and a glass of crisp white wine.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  www.gooddinnermrsmellen.com
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  Posted in dinner, dinner for two, Easy recipes, family meals, Food, light dinner, Main Dish, Main Meal, pasta, seafood | Tagged clams, Easy recipe, pasta, Pensey Tuscan Sunset, quick meal, weekday dinner
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