Frankies Spuntino Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs is a staple in our home. It's one of our favorites and a true comfort food for us. This recipe is from the Frankies Spuntino cookbook which is apparently a super yummy Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, I haven't been there (yet) so I get to enjoy this whenever I'm craving pasta and it makes it more bearable :)
The recipe is huge so I cut in half. The tomato sauce is simple and yummy and I'll never make a different one ever again. The meatballs are tender and juicy. David's cousin made this recipe for us a few years ago and I was hesitant about the meatballs because they had pine nuts and raisins in them. They ended up being my favorite ever. The raisins plump up when you cook the meatballs and provide a sweet little bite that goes so great with the rest of the ingredients. This is a true winner!

Here's the ingredients for the meatballs. I mix all of this together and form balls, and then either bake them on a baking sheet until mostly cooked through or in a pan with a little oil until just browned on all sides. Then, either way I've cooked them, I put them in the sauce to finish cooking for an hour or so.

• 2 slices plain white bread, torn into large pieces (about 2 packed cups)
• 1 pound ground beef (90 percent lean, no fattier)
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 Tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
•  2 Tablespoonscup pine nuts
• 2 Tablespoons raisins
• 1  teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup dried plain breadcrumbs

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 6 medium garlic cloves,chopped
• 2 (28-ounce) cans high-quality whole tomatoes, I prefer CENTO brand, with juices 
• 2 teaspoons salt

 Heat the oil in a high sided skillet. Open cans of tomatoes and have them ready. Add garlic and pepper flakes to the warm oil and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and stir. I usually grab some scissors and cut the tomatoes up a little bit (they'll break down because the sauce cooks so long). Add salt. Cover and simmer on low for a few hours. 4 hours is ideal, but 2 should work fine. And the meatballs cook with the sauce for the last hour or so.
I always serve this with spaghetti, but it would work with any pasta, really.

 

Broccoli Pasta Salad

Hey everyone, it's Kari! 

I've posted on this blog before but that was pre-baby and now that I'm just barely getting back into blogging (my baby may or may not be almost 14 months old - oops!) Natalie asked me to post this recipe for a salad I made the last time she and her husband (and her bump) came to dinner!

Photo

I first saw this recipe on Pinterest and posted it to my board in hopes to someday make it and I'm glad I finally did!

If you like the broccoli salad from Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes you'll like this too!

The original recipe was a little different from what I ended up making because I tried to use mostly what I already had on hand,

This is the original recipe:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 1 pound fresh broccoli
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled 

This is what mine ended up being:

• 10 oz. bow-tie pasta (Instead of 8 oz. - I kinda wanted it to be more hearty)
• 1 lb. fresh broccoli
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (didn't have red wine vinegar)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
• 6 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (Instead of 8 slices - we ended up using some of the chewy bacon pieces for the burgers)
• 1/2 cup cashews (didn't have pecans - also didn't roast them)

Cook bow-tie pasta until it is al dente, let cool. While pasta is cooking cut broccoli into bite size florets.

Combine mayo, sugar, onion, vinegar and salt in a small bowl.
Toss pasta and broccoli and grapes in large bowl, pour mayo mixture over. (In the original recipe it says to refrigerate at this point for 3 hours - I didn't have time for this at first, but I do think the pasta was better second day, so if you have time to make it ahead you can stop at this point!)
Before serving toss in bacon and cashews.

It makes for a perfect summer salad and was delicious with burgers and corn on the cob!

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I made this recipe awhile back and forgot how much I liked it. We had it this week again and it was even better than the last. I still don't have a camera...

so I'm using the picture from the original recipe (kinda blurry).

picture source and original recipe

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Serves 2-4

1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cubed

2 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 smallish red pepper, diced

4 oz. can of green chilies, diced (I only used about 1/2 of the can)

1 can of green enchilada sauce

1/3 c. red enchilada sauce

1 c. sour cream

1 c. grated cheese (I used colby jack)

2 c. penne pasta (more or less depending on how saucy you like it)

Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 mins then add garlic and red pepper. Let that cook for another 2-3 mins til red pepper is barely tender. Add cooked chicken, green chilies and enchilada sauces, let the sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add sour cream and cheese, heat through but do not boil. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta, garnish with anything such as tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.

The original recipe had about 4-5 more ingredients...I used them all the first time I made it and didn't think they were necessary. I have modified the recipe to feed less people, if you want the full recipe click here.

menu, menu, read all about it!

Hey everyone! How was your Monday? Ready for another week? I'll tell you what, I am not. I was out of the office all last week at a show in Chicago so it's a little hard being back at work. But I still managed to go grocery shopping and come up with a menu.

I hope this helps you with your menu!

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Pasta (click for new recipe!)

Actually made this on Sunday and we really enjoyed it-if you like enchiladas and you like pasta then I highly recommend it.

Tuesday: BBQ Pulled Pork

(we are huge fans of Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, just toss that and a pork roast in a crock all day and you're good to go!)

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas (a mean staple in our house and so easy)

Thursday: Steak & Mashed Potatoes with veggies

Friday: Chicken Wraps (click for recipe)


Have a great week!

I'm starting P90X tonight...yikes! Wish me luck!

Dinner this week

Monday: David's making us homemade ravioli! Using this pasta recipe

Tuesday: Penne with spicy sausage and tomatoes

Wednesday: Corn chowder with bacon

Thursday: Shrimp in white wine + garlic

We eat out on Friday nights a lot, and we'll probably make homemade pizza on saturdays.

I'm also planning on making this garlic vinegar dressing this week. It looks amazing.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Hey everyone, this is Dresden, hopefully I'll be posting a recipe every week or so to add to Natalie's delicious recipes! Want to know more about me? Visit my blog and feel free to visit often. Today I'm sharing a recipe that happens to be one of my very favorite. I cook this as often as my husband will let me, especially because it's really easy and quick. I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients:
3 cups Rotini, cooked & drained (or any other pasta works, I use penne a lot)
2 Tbl. butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in strips about 1/2" thick
3 glove of garlic (minced)
1 bunch green onion chopped
2 Tbl. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
8 ounce heavy cream
1 green bell pepper (cut up)
1 red bell pepper (cut up)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms quartered (optional)
½ cup parmesan cheese grated (fresh really makes a huge difference)


Directions:

Cook rotini (or similar pasta) according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook stirring frequently done (10-15 mins). Add garlic, onions, Cajun seasoning, ground black and red pepper. Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Cover for 5 minutes.

Uncover stir in cream and let it simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Side notes: Cajun seasoning can be a little spicy,
I would start with a little less if you do not like spice.
This makes quite a bit, for two people I usually only do 1 large chicken breast and 2 cups of pasta. This recipe can be stretched really far by adding more pasta and whipping cream.



garnish with more parmesan cheese

Toasted Ravioli

I was craving pasta last night and found some frozen ravioli from Costco in my freezer. (the chicken, mozzarella, rosemary flavor). I was going to boil them and serve them with marinara when I remembered a little dish I made more than 3 years ago inspired by this Rachael Ray recipe. This is what I did last night, though, since I was in a rush and only had a few ingredients:

Box of frozen ravioli
Store bought breadcrumbs
1 egg
olive oil
jarred marinara sauce

Boil water
Put in ravioli (I cooked what I had, but it was probably about 15 pieces)
Heat olive oil in a different skillet(enough to cover bottom of pan)
Put a cup of store bought bread crumbs in a bowl
Break an egg into another bowl and beat it with a fork
Once ravioli floats and looks puffy, take them out to drain on a plate
Let the ravioli cool a little
Shake off excess water from a ravioli, dip it in the egg and dip it in the crumbs
Put the breaded ravioli into the oil
Cook on each side at like medium heat for 2-3 minutes
I like them really brown so I left them in a little longer
Heat jarred marinara sauce in a bowl in the microwave (i put a paper towel on the top of the bowl to prevent a sauce explosion from getting everywhere)

Serve with the sauce and dip with your hands. It's a nice little change from normal pasta, and it took...MAYBE 15 minutes. Don't worry, I served it with a salad so it wasn't completely unhealthy!

Pasta Fagioli

It's about time for another post! I feel like we've been eating the same things for the past few weeks, but I realized last night that my favorite soup recipe isn't on my blog. Here it is!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

This is a hearty vegetable, ground beef, pasta and bean soup. It's easy and really good.


2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped (any color. I like yellow because I think it's sweeter)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 pound ground beef or turkey or italian sausage
1 small zuchinni, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (cannelini or white northern)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup small pasta (ditalini, macaroni)
1 can stewed tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt (salt as you go, and taste at the end)
1 teaspoon pepper


In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions + celery and a little bit of salt (this helps the onions sweat and release their juice). Cook 3 minutes. Add chopped garlic. Cook 2 minutes. Add in ground meat. Break it up and brown. Once there is no more pink in the meat, add the grated veggies.

Stir in the chicken broth (I like to use bullion cubes or canned broth. either one is fine) canned tomatoes, herbs, salt + pepper, + beans. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the pasta and cook for 15 more minutes, or until the pasta is soft.

Serve in bowls with some parmesan over the top, or more pepper- thats how I prefer it :)

homemade pasta

I've been making a lot of homemade pasta lately since I got the pasta making attachments for my kitchen aid. You can also just buy a hand crank machine or even roll out the dough by hand and cut it into strips with a knife. We like to use the linguine attachment. The best part about making pasta from scratch (besides the fact that it is so tender and delicious) is the cost. For the two of us I use 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs, and then about a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix it up with a fork and then finish with your hand. Keep surfaces and your hands really floured. The pasta goes directly into salted boiling water and takes about 3 minutes to cook- literally! Here we made the pasta with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. We put it into marinara sauce with meatballs. It was amazing!

Chicken and Pasta in Cream Sauce

From Hot off the garlic press

This is Kristine's sister's blog, and she posts really yummy stuff on there. I tried this pasta recipe last summer, and the first time I made it I fell in love. It is one of my favorite meals now and it takes MINUTES. The first week I tried it, I made it 4 times. The recipe calls for basil and parmesan, and I didn't add either of those things...I just do the cream, salt, pepper, garlic, chicken, bowties and broccoli.

It would also be delicious with spinach added into the sauce at the end, or even asparagus and chopped tomatoes. You can't go wrong with heavy cream :) The best part is that the chicken and broccoli and pasta all cook in the same pot, so you don't need 10 different pans to make dinner with. TRY IT. It's the best! Here's the link: Pasta

Yes, we eat a lot of pasta at my house!

Shrimp Scampi Verde

The won tons turned out great- so good, in fact, that there were none left over for me to photograph. I think we will have them again this weekend and I'll shoot 'em then. Tonight I'm making one of our all time favorite pasta dishes:

Spicy Shrimp Scampi Verde

It's a Rachael Ray recipe and it is so easy and delicious. I love the combination of the basil and lemon, and shrimp in anything is really a good thing, to me :) If I can't find arugula for the recipe, I'll just use spinach. I also don't have any chives so I'm going to use leftover scallions that I already have in the fridge. YUM