pasta | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Tag: pasta
- 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 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 cheeses and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl. Freeze unused pesto.
  
  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 speciality 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 pot of boiling salted water.
  
  2. Warm cream cheese, oil, and 2 Tbs. lemon juice in saucepan over low heat.
  
  3. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir reserved cooking water into 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 bitting 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, slice 1/4 inch thick
  
  Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine ricotta, 1/2 burrata, parmesan cheese, oregano in medium size bowl. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside. Place 1/4 cup of Pomodoro sauce in bottom of 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 sauce pan 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 slice sausage. Simmer for ten minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
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  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 busy 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 over eat either. Being present at the meal insures 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
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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 taste delicious. Meticulous preparation was so important to my mother who enjoyed the art of cooking instilling in me that food is love that your 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 this, 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 yellow fin 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 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
- Springtime Lemon Pasta with Prosciutto and Asparagus
  
  Posted at 6:59 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 11th
  Springtime cooking for me always includes foods with asparagus and lemons. Add pasta, prosciutto and cream for an easy deliciously simple meal. My passion for good food leads me to create easy meals that are fresh and flavorful with simple ingredients. Eating food for nourishment doesn’t mean that we need to sacrifice on taste. Food is meant to be savored, enjoyed with family and friends not to be rushed eating standing up or walking down the street. Make an easy beautiful meal, invite family and friends to relax while you all create lasting memories to cherish.
  
  Ingredients
  
  1 pound spaghetti or linguine
  
  Kosher salt
  
  3 tablespoons olive oil
  
  1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 2 large)
  
  4 ounces Prosciutto, cut into thin strips
  
  1 cup asparagus, lightly steamed
  
  1 cup heavy cream
  
  1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon)
  
  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
  
  Freshly ground black pepper
  
  Freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)
  
  1/2 lemon thinly slice for garnish
  
  Preparation
  
  Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain, reserving 2 Tbsp. pasta cooking liquid.
  
  Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add shallots and 1/2 tsp. salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes (do not brown). Add Prosciutto , asparagus, and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. parsley, and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
  
  Return pasta to pot. Toss with sauce and reserved pasta cooking liquid; season with salt and pepper. Place pasta on plate then top with parsley, Parmesan seasoning with more pepper. Garnish with lemon slices.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in cooking, Food, Main Dish, peaches | Tagged asparagus, lemon, pasta, prosciutto
- Beef Bourguignon over Pasta
  
  Posted at 5:04 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jan 23rd
  Beef Bourguignon over Pasta
  
  2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  2.5 lb boneless beef chuck, cut in 1.5 inch cubes
  
  3 tablespoons brandy
  
  1/2 lb. small white onions, peeled (about 12)
  
  12 whole cloves
  
  8 ounces whole or sliced mushrooms
  
  2.5 tablespoons flour
  
  2.5 teaspoons meat-extract paste (not liquid)
  
  2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
  1 1/2 cups red wine
  
  3/4 cup dry sherry
  
  3/4 cup ruby port
  
  1 1/2 cup beef stock
  
  1/8 teaspoon pepper
  
  1 bay leaf
  
  1 pound of pasta
  
  Recipe Instructions
  
  Slowly heat 4 quart Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid. olive oil; heat, but do not burn.
  
  In hot oil, over high heat, brown beef cubes well, using a fourth at a time, or just enough to cover bottom of Dutch oven.
  
  Remove beef as it browns. Continue until beef is browned, adding more oil as needed. Return beef to Dutch oven.
  
  In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons brandy just until vapor rises. Ignite, pour over beef. As flame dies, remove beef.
  
  Add 2 olive oil to Dutch Oven; heat slightly. Stud each onion with a clove. Add onions; cook over low heat, covered, until onions brown slightly. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  
  Stir in flour, meat-extract paste and tomato paste until well blended. Stir in wine, sherry, port and stock.
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
  Bring wine mixture just to boiling, stirring. Remove from heat. Add beef, pepper, and bay leaf; mix well.
  
  Bake, covered, stirring occasionally, 1.5 hours, or until beef is tender, adding remaining brandy, remove bay leaf. Can be served along, over rice or pasta.
  
  Serves 6
  
  Taste better if made day ahead. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  
  Can be reheated microwave or on stove top.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in family meals, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Main Meal, pasta | Tagged Beef, family meal, frech food, hearty dinner, pasta
- Seafood Pasta for Two
  
  Posted at 5:14 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Jun 14th
  Seafood Pasta for two
  
  2 tablespoons olive oil
  2 cloves chopped garlic
  1 shallot chopped
  1 can chopped tomatoes
  1 bottle clam juice
  2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, I like Penzy’s Tuscan Sunset
  pinch saffron
  pinch sea salt
  1 teaspoon black pepper
  1 teaspoon crushed hot red peppers
  1/2 pound clams, cleaned
  1 pound mussels, cleaned
  1/4 sea scallops
  1/2 pound spaghetti
  
  Heat oil in pan adding garlic and shallots cooking until translucent just releasing the flavors. Add tomatoes, clam juice, Italian seasonings, saffron, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add clams, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add mussels continuing to simmer for another 10 minutes until clams and mussels are open. Add scallops combining with sauce, simmer for 3 minutes. While the seafood is simmering cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain pasta and put in a large bowl. Add seafood lightly toss. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in cooking, Easy recipes, family meals, Uncategorized | Tagged clams, mussles, pasta, Penzy Spices, scallops, Seafood
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