Category Archives: Pasta

Pistachio Pesto

Pasta, Recipes

pistachio pesto

I have mentioned many times how much I love pasta.  Pesto is just another excuse to eat pasta (not that I need to work hard to find an excuse to eat pasta!~).  Once you get the hang of making pesto, you can easily create your own recipe anytime.  The basic premise is herbs, a little garlic, some type of toasted nuts, olive oil and a little cheese.  I have also found that a tiny drizzle (I do mean tiny!) of very good sherry vinegar adds a nice touch. Continue reading Pistachio Pesto →

Fusilli with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Chicken

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

fusilli with sundried tomatoes and chicken

I have a secret……..I have a new love in my life….De Cecco pasta.  Any kind.  OMG.  Yes, it’s that good.  I tried it last week for the first time, spaghetti.  It was life changing.  Serious.  If you had told me before a brand of dried pasta could totally make the difference I would believe you..to a point.  However, this De Cecco cooks absolutely perfect, the texture is amazing.  It is imported from Italy and just amazing.  I used to be a Barilla fan, but no more, De Cecco all the way for me now!!

This is a great recipe, if you like sun dried tomatoes, I highly encourage you to make this! Continue reading Fusilli with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Chicken →

Fresh Tomato Pasta with Chicken

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , ,

fresh tomato pastaThis is one of my top 3 favorite pasta dishes.  Very simple and sooooooo good!!!  I call it fresh tomato pasta because you are cooking the tomatoes very briefly, 10 minutes so they still have that fresh taste.  They cook long enough to break down some of the juices and the fresh tomato juices make the sauce.  Adding a little pasta water at the end holds the sauce together.

You can skip the chicken, or substitute shrimp instead.   This is also really good with grape or cherry tomatoes.  Enjoy! Continue reading Fresh Tomato Pasta with Chicken →

Orecchiette with Sausage & Zucchini

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

pasta with sausage and zucchini First, I have to say, this tastes better than the picture shows. The colors look a little bland here once the zucchini and squash cook, don’t be fooled.  This is a delicious healthy pasta dish!  It is inspired by a dish I had in Rome.  Mama mia it was good!  In Rome I am sure it wasn’t chicken sausage, but I like to use the chicken sausage as I think it has great flavor.  Feel free to use whatever sausage you like.

The key to this dish is to undercook the pasta, so that  you finish it in the pan with the sauce (or “condimento” as Mario Batali always says!).  This allows the orrechiette to soak up all the flavors, oh yeah! Continue reading Orecchiette with Sausage & Zucchini →

Chicken Cacciatore

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Chicken Cacciatore

I love just about anything braised in my dutch oven.  Especially on a cold winter night, it’s just so comforting.  I’ve always loved Chicken Cacciatore.  Braising the chicken makes it super moist, fall off the bone.  Most recipes call for peppers but I don’t use that in this one, I prefer chicken cacciatore without the peppers.  This recipe is very forgiving.  For the chicken you can use a cut up whole chicken, or just split breast, or just thighs, whatever you have on hand or whatever your favorite.  You could  make this with boneless chicken but the bones add a richness to the sauce that will be missing.

If I am serving this on pasta, I like to shred the chicken (I have spoiled my family!) but you can serve the chicken by itself with pasta on the side (or just skip the pasta if it’s January and you are trying to lose a few pounds!  boo) Continue reading Chicken Cacciatore →

Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Chicken

Chicken, Pasta, Recipes

Butternut Squash Risotto I love Risotto and I love Roasted Butternut Squash, so of course I love Butternut Squash Risotto!  I have seen recipes where they just add the roasted butternut chunks to the risotto, but that doesn’t give you the great butternut flavor in every bite, so I decided to puree the butternut.  Perfect!  You need to be a little patient making risotto.  You can cheat a little and throw a couple ladles in at a time to give you a few minutes between stirring but this is a dish you need to be standing by on.  Get your family  to help stir!  Continue reading Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Chicken →

Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes

Chicken, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes

I love pesto!  We have an herb garden in the summer and I use the basil all summer long for caprese salads but when the summer is over, I pick all the basil and make huge batches of pesto.  It stores great in the freezer.  I like to freeze it in an ice tray and then put the pesto cubes in a zip lock bag in the freezer.  Then you can easily grab as much pesto as you need.  Continue reading Pasta Pesto with Chicken & Grape Tomatoes →