During these days of “staying at home” the most important decision of the day often is, “What’s for dinner?” My husband, Skip, mentioned that if I came up with a sauce he would make some fresh pasta. I must admit that I am probably one of the few households that did not stock up on dry pasta. We have an ancient electric pasta maker that only Skip knows how to use. Well the challenge was on so I came up with this meat sauce. Since I had 1/2 pound each of ground sirloin and ground sausage, that was my starting point.
Quick Meat and Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups red onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 pound ground sirloin
- 1/2 pound ground sausage
- 1 28 oz canned fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 2 ½ Tbsp Italian seasonings
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 1 pound pasta
- parmesan cheese freshly grated for topping
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.
- Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Remove onion and garlic from pan.
- In the same pan, cook sausage and beef until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the grease.
- Add the tomatoes, seasonings, wine and onion mixture to the meat in the fry pan.
- Cook on low for approximately 5-10 minute.
- Prepare pasta according to package.
- Pour sauce over pasta and top with parmesan cheese.
Notes
This meal is very versatile. You can add or substitute ingredients you have on hand to create your own simple celebration entrée!
Linguine with Prosciutto and Arugula
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh linguine
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lime rind shredded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red chili seeded and chopped
- 2 Tbsp capers rinsed
- 8 slices prosciutto chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives sliced
- 3 ounces arugula shredded
- 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cubed, room temperature
Instructions
- Cook linguine according to package.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the lime rind, garlic, chili and capers. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the prosciutto and cook stirring for 2 minutes or until crisp.
- Add the wine and stir.
- Add the linguine to the pan and toss to coat and heat through.
- Toss the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, arugula, and lime juice through the pasta.
- Pile pasta into serving bowls and top with mozzarella cubes.
This is a quick week night dinner and was a huge hit with our grandchildren – just leave out the red pepper flakes if serving to young kids.
Hokkien Noodle with Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh hokkien noodles in the Asian section of grocery store
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 white onions thinly sliced
- 3-4 boneless chicken breasts sliced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice cooking wine
- 2 Tbsp white miso paste
- 2 cups chopped bok choy
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package, drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until well browned.
- Add the red pepper flakes, soy sauce, wine, miso, bok choy/sugar snap peas, mushrooms and hokkien noodles to pan and cook for 4 minutes or until greens and mushrooms are tender.
- Place in serving bowls and top with sesame seeds and peanuts.
If you’ve never cooked with spaghetti squash before, we are about to rock your world! Nothing could be easier – seriously. Buy it, cut it, cook it, shred it – done! A perfect pasta substitute. Believe us when we say you will not miss the taste – or calories – of pasta in this dish. Full disclosure – this recipe appears in the January, 2017, Cooking Light magazine, but we’ve changed a thing or two to make it our own. The recipe yields two large servings.
Spaghetti Squash with Shrimp & Rosemary
Ingredients
- 3 lb spaghetti squash
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 12 ounce large peeled and deveined shrimp
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cut a 3 lb. squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Place the halves, cut side down in a large baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish and bake for 45-50 minutes, until tender.
- Once cooked, let cool cut side up for at least ten minutes. Scrape the inside of the squash with a fork and presto - spaghetti strands are created! You should end up with at least 3 cups. Set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp to pan and cook until done (4-5 minutes). Remove from pan and keep warm.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to pan and over medium-high heat, sauté onion and garlic until onion is tender.
- Add squash, tomatoes, lemon juice, rosemary and dash salt. Cook for a few minutes until warmed through.
- Place mixture on a plate and top with cooked shrimp. Enjoy!
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This elegant meal is restaurant quality, but won’t break the bank! Quite often frozen shrimp go on sale at the grocery store which helps keep the cost of this meal reasonable. Be sure and stock up! To defrost shrimp, simply put them in a bowl and fill with water. In about 10 minutes, the shrimp will be defrosted and ready to go.
Shrimp Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 small jar marinated artichokes with liquid
- 2 Tbsp chives chopped
- 2 Tbsp green onion chopped
- 1 large tomato cut into chunks or 10 - 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 - 2/3 pound uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 ounce pappardelle or fettuccine noodles
- Basil chopped
- Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- In large pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add artichokes with liquid, chives, green onions, and tomato. Heat through until tomatoes start to break up.
- In separate pan, sauté shrimp until pink - add salt and pepper to taste. Add shrimp to artichoke mixture.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta to desired doneness, 8-11 minutes. Place cooked pasta on plate, top with shrimp mixture.
- Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese.
Notes
This dish has a ton of flavor and uses ingredients that are very zesty. Don’t fear the anchovy fillets! They are mashed and add a background of, to use Vicki’s words, a salty zing. The sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Pasta and Shrimp with Zesty Green Olive Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh angel hair pasta
- 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup green olives pitted and halved
- 3 Tbsp capers drained
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan finely grated (plus more for serving)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp roasted and salted sunflower seeds
- 1 lb cooked shrimp
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
- Finely chop anchovies and garlic. Using the back of a chef's knife, mash the mixture on a cutting board until you have a paste.
- Combine paste with dill, lemon zest, parsley, basil, and half the olives and capers (not chopped) in a large bowl.
- Chop remaining olives and capers and add to bowl, along with the olive oil. Mix well, season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta liquid to sauce. Toss, adding Parmesan a bit at a time, along with more pasta liquid as needed until sauce coats pasta.
- Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta topped with shrimp, sunflower seeds and more Parmesan.
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Don’t be fooled by the title, this meal is all served in one dish, but there are many more dishes to wash than just one during clean up (sorry!). Moving on … Feel free to substitute any of the herbs and vegetables in this recipe for things you already have on hand. By the way, this heats up in under two minutes in the microwave for delicious leftovers. Recipe fed two with a lunch-sized leftover:
Orzo and Salmon Dinner
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound salmon you can have the skin left on - it will come right off after cooking
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
- One package fresh asparagus usually about a pound sliced in 1" - 1 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup uncooked orzo prepared as directed on package
- 1 jar marinated baby artichoke hearts drained
- 1 green onion sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint sliced
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh chives snipped
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 410°.
- Place salmon skin side down on baking dish (using non-stick foil helps with clean-up). Drizzle salmon with olive oil, top with salt and pepper.
- Cook until desired doneness - 15-20 minutes depending on thickness.
- Meanwhile, place asparagus pieces in a shallow pan. Add enough water to almost cover and bring to a simmering boil. Cook until al-dente, drain.
- Return to pan and add ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain again and set aside.
- Prepare orzo as directed.
- Place artichoke hearts in a microwavable dish, slice in half, and heat 1 - 2 minutes.
- Chop herbs and set aside.
Assembly
- Once salmon is done, shred with a fork and put in a large serving bowl.
- Add cooked asparagus, cooked orzo, artichokes and herbs.
- Combine gently with a rubber spatula and you are ready to serve.
Notes
Maybe it was his sensitive side, his sense of humor, or perhaps it was his contagious laugh that made Vicki fall in love with Skip…but it all began with his pasta sauce. While studying at the University of California at Irvine, Skip and his roommates took turns with dinner duty. From pork chops to pasta sauce, Skip had a few recipes in his repertoire. Early in their dating relationship, Skip cooked Vicki the recipe below and there was no turning back. Six months later they were engaged, and six months after that they were married! Make this recipe for your guy or gal (ok, the kids too) and watch the sparks fly.
Basic Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef optional if you are adding meatballs or chicken
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 small onion minced
- 8 ounces fresh baby portobello mushrooms sliced
- 1 jar Rao's tomato and basil pasta sauce or your favorite jarred sauce
- 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes 28-ounce size
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil
Instructions
- If using ground beef, brown in a large pot and drain off grease.
- Heat oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic, onions and sliced mushrooms and stir. Heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Notes
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When my children were young (and even today) and they could smell the enticing aroma of onion and garlic cooking, they would come running while asking “are you making your sauce?” If the answer was yes, their immediate response was, “let us know when we can dunk!” They loved to stand by the stove with a piece of Italian bread in hand and dunk it in the hot sauce as it was simmering. A wonderful memory …
This makes a pot full of sauce, enough for over a pound of pasta. Or it makes enough for a tray of chicken parmesan and a side of spaghetti. Sometimes I double the recipe and freeze the leftovers which are great to have on-hand during busy evenings.
M-E's Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes see photo below
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- 3/4 small can tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.
- Add all tomato cans and stir.
- Add spices and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Want to impress your friends or just your “sweetie pie,” make this fresh-tasting, fast and elegant smoked salmon pasta dish. On the table in less than fifteen minutes!
Smoked Salmon and Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh linguine or angel hair pasta
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp capers rinsed
- 1 Tbsp whole grained mustard
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 10 slices smoked salmon
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 2 Tbsp Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook fresh pasta according to directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the olive oil, lemon juice, capers, mustard and onion in a small pan and heat over low heat until contents are warmed through - about 2 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and stir in the lemon mixture.
- Top with sliced salmon, dill and parsley.
- Add fresh ground pepper.
- Serve in large pasta bowls with warm bread.
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