Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta
Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta is a more approachable take on this classic Italian dish. Replacing the bechamel or balsamella sauce with whole milk ricotta saves time and effort on one of the trickier elements of the classic recipe. As our Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce is made with heavy cream, it is very rich and silky, further adding to the creaminess of Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta and complementing the ricotta. Using a mix of six shredded cheeses (Asiago, Fontina, Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan and Romano) enriches and enhances the melted cheese component and greatly adds to the overall enjoyment of our Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta. Don’t forget to serve Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce on the side with Lasagna all Bolognese with Ricotta, accompanied by a Sangiovese for an authentic Italian dinner and perfect for a holiday meal.
Prep Time: 30 minutes including assembly, Baking and Resting Time: 1 hour, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce
Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce is rich, with a depth of flavors to savor, whether it is served over pasta, as in Fettuccine alla Bolognese, or as the critical component in our Lasagna alla Bolognese with Ricotta. The long, slow cooking really allows the various elements of this Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce to come together for beautiful results, your efforts will be well-rewarded. While many recipes use milk, we opted for heavy cream to add a silkier finish to our Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce; “gilding the lily”, you might say. Start out with Sicilian Orange Salad, then pair whichever pasta you choose with Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce, and enjoy your meal with a Sangiovese for an authentic Italian dinner.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cooking Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes, Total Time: 3 hours. Yields 6 cups.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Classic Bolognese Pasta Sauce recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Castelvetrano Olives Marinara Sauce
Bright, colorful Castelvetrano Olives Marinara Sauce brings together a few ingredients for a super flavorful, eye-catching pasta sauce. A ubiquitous snack in Italy, sweet Castelvetrano olives, with their bright green, some say Kermit green, color, come from Castelvetrano, Sicily, and are made from the nocerella del belice olive variety. Their meaty yet buttery flesh and mild, nut-like flavor make these olives the star in our Castelvetrano Olives Marinara Sauce. With just six ingredients, Castelvetrano Olives Marinara Sauce is easy and quick to prepare and serve over a long, strand-type pasta, like fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti or bucatini; perfect for a weeknight dinner with our Wilted Arugula Salad for a starter and accompanied by a medium-bodied, dry red wine.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 35 minutes. Serves: 2
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Castelvetrano Olives Marinara Sauce recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Chili Crab Pasta Sauce
Chili Crab Pasta Sauce is inspired by Chili Crab, the zesty Singapore favorite and one of the signature dishes of Singaporean cuisine. Our Chili Crab Pasta Sauce is just moderately hot; add an extra chili or two to turn up the heat. Chili Crab Pasta Sauce is best served over fettuccine, spaghetti or other long, strand type of either fresh or dried pasta or rice noodles. Start out with a cool Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad, then move on to Chili Crab Pasta Sauce as the main course; better have some Sambal Oelek or Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp at the table because some like it hot!
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 35 minutes. Serves: 4
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Chili Crab Pasta Sauce recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Steak and Mushroom Pasta
Steak and Mushroom Pasta prominently features sirloin and mushrooms in a rich, thick sauce which coats every bite of pasta. The idea for this sauce originated in the practice of basic, neighborhood Italian restaurants routinely serving steak with sauteed mushrooms accompanied by pasta with marinara sauce. We thought “Why not combine the steak, mushrooms, marinara sauce and pasta into one dish?” Browning the sirloin steak and mushrooms first, then preparing the sauce and incorporating the steak and mushrooms back into the sauce allows these elements to remain distinct yet blending in perfectly into the sauce. Steak and Mushroom Pasta takes a bit of time to prepare, making it perfect for a Sunday night dinner; start out with a Sicilian Orange Salad then enjoy Steak and Mushroom Pasta accompanied by a robust, dry red wine.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cooking Time: 90 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours. Serves 6 as a main course.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Steak and Mushroom Pasta recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
Sausage and Broccoli Pasta brings together wonderful flavors and textures to create a colorful and very tasty dish. Sausage removed from its casings, crumbled and browned, juicy, bright green broccoli florets, fun-shaped pasta and melted cheeses make Sausage and Broccoli Pasta a treat. Easy to prepare, this family-favorite recipe makes use of a few easily obtained ingredients to create a satisfying weeknight dinner. Use a cut dried pasta when preparing Sausage and Broccoli Pasta: cavatappi, mezze rigatoni, rotelle (wagon wheels), gemelli or rotini; their fun shapes really add to the textural element of this dish. Start out with an appetizer of Cream Cheese Celery Sticks, then enjoy Sausage and Broccoli Pasta with a medium-bodied, dry red wine like a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or a Pinot Noir.
Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 50 minutes. Serves 2 as a main course.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Sausage and Broccoli Pasta recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta
Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta is a shout-out to our South African friends. Peppadews are sweet-hot pickled peppers from South Africa; deliciously addictive and now available worldwide. Lightly-seasoned chicken breasts are grilled, then sliced down and incorporated into a creamy Peppadew-rich sauce with pasta. Use fanciful-cut dry pasta like cavatappi, radiatore, or rotelle/ruote (wagon wheels), as shown, when preparing Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta; the pasta will not only catch and hold the rich sauce but provide a great, fun, textural element to the dish. Prepared with a few, easy to follow steps, Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta is a colorful and tasty main course. Start with a Grilled Radicchio and Arugula Salad appetizer, then move on to Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta; accompany your meal with a well-chilled, dry crisp white wine.
Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour. Serves 2 as a main course.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Creamy Peppadew Chicken Pasta recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Hearty Puttanesca Pasta Sauce
Hearty Puttanesca Pasta Sauce is our take on a Neapolitan classic. While staying mostly true to the classic version, Hearty Puttanesca Pasta Sauce replaces canned tomatoes with tomato paste, yielding a thicker, heartier sauce which really clings to the pasta. The addition of toasted pine nuts, a subtle and rich nuance, brings unexpected yet wonderful flavor and texture to the sauce and we substitute fish sauce for mashed anchovy fillet. Serve Hearty Puttanesca Pasta Sauce over a fancifully-shaped pasta; we recommend radiatore, cavatappi or gemelli, for yet another level of interest. Start with a simple Wilted Arugula Salad before moving on to the main course accompanied by a Nero d’Avolo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or Sangiovese. Mangia e Buon Appétito!
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 45 minutes. Serves 4 as a main course.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Hearty Puttanesca Pasta Sauce recipe for $1.00.
(more…)
Tuna Marinara Pasta Sauce
Tuna Marinara Pasta Sauce combines rich tuna with a marinara sauce enhanced with earthy cured black olives and briny capers. Use good quality canned Italian-style yellowfin tuna or feel free to grill or sauté an ahi tuna steak; either will work very well in this sauce. Tuna Marinara Pasta Sauce is a long-time family favorite at our house which we discovered to have an unknown family history connection; the first time we served this at dinner with Vito’s parents, Vito’s Mom told us that this was his great uncle Louis’ favorite pasta sauce and it tasted just like his recipe! Great uncle Louis had been the chef at the family restaurant in Vasto, Italy before he, his sister and her husband, who were Vito’s maternal grandparents, emigrated to the United States. Imagine that! Tuna Marinara Pasta Sauce from Italy to New Jersey to California, and now, to you! Enjoy a Wilted Arugula Salad appetizer prior this main course, and accompany both with a very dry white wine.
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Tuna Marinara Pasta Sauce recipe for $1.00
(more…)
Il Mezzaluna Pasta Sauce
Il Mezzaluna Pasta Sauce is inspired by a pasta dish at a restaurant in Dublin. We had the fortunate opportunity to visit Dublin several times for business and enjoy Dublin’s lively restaurant scene for dinners. The majority of the restaurants featured very good Irish cuisine and very social pub cuisine; there were also the usual inexpensive Chinese restaurants and pizza joints. We were surprised to find a few Italian restaurants and one stood out to us due to its ungrammatical name: Il Mezzaluna. In Italian, mezzaluna (half-moon) is a feminine noun and its article should be La not Il, which is used for masculine nouns. We also found an unusual pasta sauce on its menu which was tomato-based but featured salami; we’d never encountered this combination before. Being adventurous diners, we tried it and enjoyed it too! So, we present our recreation, from memory, of this sauce, which we call Il Mezzaluna Pasta Sauce. Zesty and robust, enjoy it over your favorite pasta, accompanied by an equally robust dry red wine. Serve our Peaches in Red Wine for dessert and make it an all red wine dinner.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour. Serves 4.
Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Il Mezzaluna Pasta Sauce recipe for $1.00
