Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas

Recently, I was in the mood for pasta. Particularly the flat and wide variety such as reginette. I found some at the store, so all I had to find next was a recipe for a tasty sauce. I was planning to serve this to my family for lunch, so plain old tomato sauce was not going to cut it, especially for Mariano.
I scanned my usual food blogs and food sites and I came across this recipe which seemed like the perfect way to sneak in some greens. Plus, I had never tasted pesto made out of spinach before so it was the perfect opportunity to taste something new.

I didn’t have all the ingredients at home, so I was quite liberal about substituting ingredients, and also adding some. In fact, I just used the recipe as an idea. (You can click the link below to see the original recipe.) If you get left over pesto, you can use on sandwiches!

Helga

Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas

Adapted from The Kitchn

Spinach Pesto:
makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
3 ounces of cream cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled with root end trimmed off
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup almonds
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
10-12 ounces of spinach, washed and spun dry
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Add the cheese, garlic, olive oil, almonds and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor and mix until combined. Add the spinach and run the food processor until the mixture has formed a thick paste. If the spinach won’t fit all at once, add it in batches. Taste for seasonings, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed.

Pasta with Spinach Pesto & Peas
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound reginette pasta (or your pasta shape of choice!)
1/2 cup pasta water (don’t skip this!)
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peas (cooked)
1/2 cup spinach pesto (more as needed)
grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top

Bring a large amount of water to a rapid boil, add a palm-full of salt, and cook the pasta to al dente. (follow the package’s instructions.) Before draining the pasta, scoop out about a half cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the peas and toss until warmed through–about 30 seconds.
Add the pasta to the skillet and pour the pesto on top. Toss to combine everything. If the sauce is looking a little “loose” or you’d like it a bit creamier, add a splash (just a splash!) of the pasta water. Stir and add more pasta water if desired.
Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Note: You may add shredded bits of chicken breast.

10:37 AM
No Comments
- Pasta, Peas, pesto, Spinach, vegetable, vegetarian
0

Capellini with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Goat Cheese

This pasta dish has few ingredients, and it is not smothered in thick tomato sauce or any cream based sauce. This is a light pasta with sauteed cherry tomatoes, fresh basil a few spices and a lot of flavor. I recommend you have this with toasted baguette slices and a nice glass of wine. It’s a perfect meal to treat yourself with at the end of the day.

I used capellini, but you can substitute for regular spaghetti or any other pasta you prefer. I happen to love goat cheese, and its creamy texture in this pasta blends perfectly with the tartness of the cherry tomatoes and the kick of the pepper flakes, but you can substitute for Parmesan cheese, if you don’t like goat cheese.

If you do use capellini, be careful to follow the package’s instructions. It should take no more than 3 minutes. I didn’t like the brand of capellini I used for my recipe, I cooked it for exactly 3 minutes and it turned out mushy. But I have made this recipe before using another brand and it works out perfectly.

And one last thing, we’re spreading the word about The Foodies’ Kitchen and making it easy for you, our readers to subscribe to its contents. Because of that, we’re adding our blog to Bloglovin, so feel free to add us if you’re there!

Capellini with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Goat Cheese

Recipe adapted from BBC Food
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 package dried capellini (1 lb)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil, for frying
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or less! depending on your preference. They are hot!)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 large clove garlic, crushed
handful basil leaves, torn
goat cheese, crumbled.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes as well.

Preparation:

Boil capellini in salted water until al dente. Follow your package’s instructions for cooking time. It should take 3 min
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the chilli, salt and freshly ground black pepper, turn the heat up and stir. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a further three minutes.
Add the spaghetti to the sauce and add the torn basil leaves. Toss until the pasta is coated in the sauce. If necessary add a little more olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
Serve garnished with goat cheese.

12:10 PM
1 Comment
- al dente, Basil, capellini, cherry tomatoes, Pasta
0

Guest Foodie: Jake Van Ness & Lasagna Cups

Here are a few lines from Jake introducing you to the recipe:

You may remember my Spinach and Chicken Lasagna Rolls from a while back and when I saw this latest recipe on Kitty’s Pintrest Foodies board I knew I had to give it a try. I decided to scale down the original recipe as it was only being made for myself. There are also a few ingredients I left out and I added mushrooms.

We hope you enjoy it!

Lasagna Cups

Adapted from Lauren’s Latest
Yield: Makes 6 Cups

Ingredients for Sauce:
6 oz of tomato paste
8 oz of tomato sauce
7 oz of diced tomatoes
1/2 lb of ground beef
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp of minced onion
1/2 tsp of basil
1/2 tsp of oregano

Ingredients for Cheese Filling:
5 oz of cooking creme
1/4 cup of Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup of mozzarella (1/4 for toping)
1/4 cup of parm cheese
1 small egg

Directions:

Place the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and start browning the meat. Add a pinch of each of the spices (garlic powder, minced onion, basil and oregano). A few minutes before the meat is done add the mushrooms and continue to brown.
On another burner add the tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes to a pot. Bring to a simmer and add the rest of the spices you have left. Stir from time to time. Once meat is done add to the sauce and continue on low heat for about 30 mins.
During this time prepare your pot of water for your lasagna noodles. Cook as per the directions on the box. You will need one noodle for each cup. So in this case 6. I did throw in an extra one just in case one broke or something. A really good tip I got from Lauren’s Latest is to use a greased cookie sheet to lay them out once they are cooked and waiting to be used.
Now for the cheese filling. Stir all of those ingredients except ¼ cup of the mozzarella for adding at the very end. This filling includes a the new product called Philadelphia Italian Herb & Cheese Cooking Cream (http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/Pages/default.aspx).
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using parchment line each section of a jumbo muffin tin. They are a little tricky to get to stay in but you can work them in with your fingers. Plus the pasta will push them down when added. Take each noodle and cut 2-3 inches off of one end and set that aside. You will need them. Line each section of the tin with 1 lasagna noodle. Make sure to over lap it slightly so it will hold the sauce and filling well. Push one of the 2-3 inch cut offs into the bottom of each tin. Now take a table spoon and add some of the sauce, meat and mushrooms. Then add some of the cheese filling. Repeat this until your tins are just about full, ending with the cheese filling. Add a bit of the ¼ of mozzarella, we set aside, to eat of the tins to finish it off.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until all the cheese is melted and the edges of the noodle start to brown a little. To serve, pull out by the parchment paper and remove the paper when plating. Enjoy!