Tag Archives: italian

Quick and Easy Orecchiette with Chickpeas

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orecchiette with chickpeas and olives
Nothing is easier or more convenient than making a one-pan dish for dinner! I found this recipe last year in a Martha Stewart Living Magazine. By changing a few ingredients to my personal liking, I made a delicious and easy pasta dish that was ready in 30 minutes. Best of all, I only had one pan to clean afterwards!

I love this pasta dish because it’s light, healthy and bright with the fresh arugula and lemon zest. The chickpeas add a nice nutty flavor and give you that protein boost to keep you full longer. Although this is a vegetarian dish, you could always add your favorite meat, such as Italian sausage or ground beef. Sliced mushrooms also add a great umami flavor to the dish! The original recipe includes olives which would give a salty flavor; however, I chose to omit them because I’m not a huge fan of olives.

Be sure to give this recipe a try for your next lunch or dinner! Continue reading →

Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

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baked ziti
Who doesn’t love baked ziti? Pasta, fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese bubbling on top…yum! I found this amazing recipe on the Food Network and made a few tweaks of my own. What I love about this dish is that it’s perfect for a large group because everything is baked in one dish AND you can prepare it ahead of time. I recently made this for a dinner party and the ability to prepare ahead of time was a definite plus. I made the sauce the day beforehand and stored in the refrigerator. I boiled the pasta and mixed with the sauce and cheese a few hours before serving.  Then transferred everything to a baking dish and covered with foil. All I had to do was pop the dish into the oven 30 minutes before serving. I ended up having more time to mingle with my guests and have a few cocktails myself. 😉 Continue reading →

Squash ‘Carbonara’ with Pancetta and Sage

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squash carbonara

I absolutely love this recipe from bonappetit. What a healthy, delicious and clever twist on a classic pasta dish! This ‘carbonara’ recipe is much lower in calories and fat than the traditional recipe because it does not have any heavy cream, eggs or butter. But don’t fret – it does not lack in flavor either! The sauce has a natural creaminess from using pureed butternut squash – so clever, right?! Obviously, nothing can ever replace the taste of heavy cream and butter, but this squash substitute will certainly satisfy your taste buds. I made this dish for Michael, a carbonara connoisseur ;-), and he loved it. The crispy pancetta and light sprinkle of Parmesan go a longgggg way! Continue reading →

Burrata and Tomato Salad

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burrata tomato
Ladies and Gents, this is NOT your typical Caprese salad. Sure, who doesn’t love fresh mozzarella cheese sandwiched between sweet tomatoes and basil? But once you replace the mozzarella with fresh burrata cheese, you will never want to have Caprese salad any other way! Trust me.

Burrata is cheese made from mozzarella and cream. As you bite into burrata cheese, your initial reaction will be “oh, mozzarella.” But as you continue eating, your taste buds will get an unexpected burst of creamy goodness oozing out! This creamy goodness takes the Caprese salad to a whole new level.

Flavoring each layer of the salad is also very important, so that you get intense flavors with every bite. I like to sprinkle sea salt on the tomatoes because it’s not as salty as regular table salt, and it adds a nice crunchy texture to the dish. Freshly ground black pepper and good extra virgin olive oil are also a must.

My Burrata and Tomato Salad is the perfect dish to serve on a hot summer day. It takes no time to prepare and you and your guests will LOVE it!   Continue reading →

Easy Rigatoni Bolognese

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rigatoni bolognese
Nothings says comfort food better than a big bowl of pasta bolognese topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Sure, you can go to your local Italian restaurant and order this dish, but who knows what quality of ingredients are used? Or how much oil or calories are in the dish? We all want a delicious, homemade meal where we can control the quality of ingredients and fat content, but not everyone has hours before dinnertime to simmer a pot of this meat sauce. That’s why I came up with this quick and healthy recipe that takes no time to prepare. You’ll have all the delicious flavors of a bolognese sauce in 45 minutes!

This is my take on the classic – I hope you enjoy! :) Continue reading →

Penne with Steak and Spinach

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penne with steak and spinach
This is my new favorite pasta dish! Not only is it quick and easy to make, but the flavors of the steak and dressing are so good! It’s also a great dish to make for dinner parties or larger groups because it can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. You also get your protein, carbs and veggies all in one convenient dish. It doesn’t get better than that!

I stumbled upon this recipe one day while watching Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network. Giada used arugula in her recipe, but I used spinach because the store was out of arugula the day I went shopping. I think either one works very well with the dish. Arugula adds a nice spicy flavor while spinach is much milder. You can choose either one based on your own preference.   Continue reading →