Tasty Thursday

This roasted red pepper pasta looks beyond amazing!  I love the Pioneer Woman's pasta recipes (if you haven't tried her Cajun Chicken Pasta, trust me you're missing out).  And how fun are these ditalini pasta rings, I need to start venturing out from angel hair and fettuccine pastas.

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces, weight Pasta Of Your Choice (I Prefer Short Ones Like Rigatoni, Penne, Etc.)

4 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 jar (15.5 Ounces) Roasted Red Peppers, Drained And Roughly Chopped

1 cup Vegetable Or Chicken Broth

1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup Heavy Cream (more To Taste)

1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)

Finely Minced Parsley

Chopped Fresh Basil (if You Have It!)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender. Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)

Heat the other 2 tablespoon butter back to the skillet over medium heat. Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet. Add the broth, salt, and pepper, and stir until heated. Splash in the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add Parmesan and parsley/basil, then stir it together to coat the pasta.

Serve in bowls with extra Parmesan and a sprinkling of parsley on top.

Tasty Thursday

Had an OB appointment today, B's doing great, only four and a half more weeks till he's here.  Mommy on the other had has lost a pound since her last appointment, so bring on the carbs.  This sauteed shrimp in white wine over pasta looks amazingly delicious.  I would however, ditch the parsley for cilantro and add crushed red pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (1-pound) package whole wheat linguine

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons white wine

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt water and add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, sauté olive oil and garlic until garlic becomes golden, about 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook for about 2 minutes until the wine has reduced.
3. Add halved cherry tomatoes to saucepan. Once tomatoes appear soft, about 5 minutes, add shrimp and saute until they turn pink, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water for finishing sauce. Add linguine, parsley and a splash of reserved pasta water in saucepan, tossing together for 2 minutes on medium heat to combine.  Use more pasta water if needed to moisten the sauce.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tasty Thursday: Pasta Edition

 For me, nothing quite satisfies like a bowl of pasta.  Love this rich Cajun Chicken Pasta from Pioneer Woman.  Seriously look how pretty it looks, and all those rich flavors melding together, it's delicious!  Trust me I've made it before.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
• 3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
• 1 pound Fettuccine
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• 1/2 whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Cayenne Pepper To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!

Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.

Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.

With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!

Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.

Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Last night's pasta dinner

Delicious creamy, tomatoey goodness! Love this recipe from Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-2 cups Mushrooms
• Italian sausage
• 2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
• Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1-½ pound Fettuccine

Start with a whole onion chopped add that to a warm skillet of 3 tablespoons of butter and olive oil.  Add 4 chopped garlic cloves sautee for 3 minutes, add the Italian sausage, cook for 8 minutes.  Optional- at this point go ahead and add chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add cream, Parmesan cheese, chopped basil.