Pantry Recipe: Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

I'm not like the majority of Americans who can easily cook out of their pantries. We don't buy a lot of dry goods, canned goods, or much of anything good that is stored in the pantry (except chocolate, mmm). Cooking magazines and shows always seem to come up with these "quick and easy" recipes using all sorts of things found in the average pantry - I would have to stock up to make such dishes. Hence my surprise, when I had everything on hand for the following recipe...PLUS (big plus) it is pasta, which I like to incorporate into the weekly menu!

Here are the details, adapted slightly from the original here:

Ingredients:
8 oz thin spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (I used sweet yellow)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed saffron threads
1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used sirloin)
1/2 cup sliced green olives (we bought them from a local olive bar, but jarred will do0
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 heaping tbsp capers
1 2/3 cups marinara sauce (we bought the most basic WF brand)
1/4 cup parsley, divided and to taste

Start by putting your water on to boil.

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium high heat - adding the onions and cooking for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the spices and add the beef to the pan. Brown the beef, approximately 5 minutes, stir to crumble as it browns.

Stir in the marinara sauce, sherry, olives, capers and about 1/2 of the parsley. Let the sauce come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once your pasta is al dente, strain and add to the sauce mixture. If the pasta is done first, add to the sauce at the very end and let the pasta warm up, approximately 2-3 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley and a touch of cheese (the cheese adds a nice saltiness).

Technically, this is for 4 servings, however ours was more like 3 1/4. My suggestion would be to serve alongside a salad or another vegetable if you need/want to feed four. Calories are minimal for this dish at 445 per serving (based on 4) so I think - eat up!

Brown Butter, Pine Nuts, & Spinach Sauce

Made this Sunday and failed to take a picture (I'm horrible with locating the camera in times of need) BUT, it was absolutely easy and delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
Garlic to taste (I used a heaping tbsp and I like garlic)
1 bunch of spinach, torn

1. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat
2. Add 2 tbsps butter to the pan, lower heat to medium
3. Brown the butter, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Toss 1/4 cup pine nuts and brown in the butter.
4. Remove the pan from heat, add 1 tbsp minced garlic. Stir into butter/pine nut mixture. Put the pan back on the burner and continue cooking for 1 minute.
5. Add torn spinach and cooked pasta. When spinach is wilted and sauce is distributed, remove from heat and serve!

This makes enough sauce for a pound of bite-size pasta (anything not twirly). We used fresh gnocchi, but would be delicious with ravioli, penne, or tortellini!

Orzo Pasta Salad

Last night I really wanted a fresh, light pasta salad...though I can't stand the traditional fusilli and Italian dressing version (like you are surprised). A friend of mine reminded me of the fabulous and oft-overlooked orzo pasta and I immediately thought of feta, pine nuts, parsley (oh, my).


I used/made up the following recipe and thought it turned out deliciously...exactly what I wanted it to be...sorry, no pictures, totally forgot.


1 cup Orzo pasta
2/3 cup diced grape tomatoes
1/3 of a red onion (diced)
1 handful of toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup cubed/crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon (for juice)


Make the orzo according to the package (boil) w/o fat. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss w/ the olive oil to coat. Add the next 4 ingredients, topping w/ the feta cheese. Optional: add a handful of arugula to your plate and put the pasta salad on top. I did this because I love arugula and it adds that peppery punch to the pasta.

We served this alongside salt and pepper roast chicken and it was a great complement. Also great for lunch today.


Buon appetito!

Another great pasta night, that's RIGHT!

So, armed with my Cooking Light, I was determined to make a delicious, healthy meal for C and I. We both were sorta undecided, having had Mexican and Latin cuisine all weekend, so we opted for this very spring-y, Italian dish and were glad we did...it was delicious:

Ingredients
3/4 pound broccoli rabe or broccolini, cut into 4-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
8 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound turkey Italian sausage (we used chicken sausage from Whole Foods - 1 sweet, 2 spicy)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Steam broccoli rabe/broccolini 3 minutes or until wilted. Remove broccoli rabe, rinse under cold water; drain and reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep to the side (I did this part last so that it was still warm when I added it)

Heat oil in a large (and deep) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek to pan; cook 2 minutes or until wilted, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; saute 4 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid; cook 5 minutes or until sausage is done. Add remaining 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, broccoli rabe, pasta, and rind to pan; toss to combine. Cook 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly heated and mixed. Remove from heat; stir in cheeses and salt.

Makes 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups) and is perfect for dinner parties or weekday lunches. The sauce is somehow creamy and light, salty but not overwhelming...the ratio of cheese was perfect. We served ours with a crusty baguette and butter...followed by a Thin Mint.

With the suggested serving size, the dish is only 285 calories and tastes like 500...mmmm.

My friend Penne is back in town

Thank the heavens, I am finally allowed to eat pasta again. I thought we'd celebrate with some vodka cream sauce and crispy, parmesan chicken. The recipe for the sauce is below, thanks to Cookinglight.com. C and I threw in some peppers and grated cheeses at the end:

Ingredients
1/2 pound uncooked penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

We started the water for the pasta, then dove into the sauce preparations:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a blender or Cuisinart - whatever you've got. Be careful though, it's super hot.
Process until smooth. Return tomato mixture to pan; stir in cream. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and basil. Serve immediately.

This made us PLENTY of pasta, enough for C to eat dinner the next day. It's supposed to be 4 servings, with each serving being 1 cup. We split a 1/2 lb chicken breast and added some sauteed red and yellow peppers. Delicious. Definitely going to be part of our rotation.

AND, the kicker is that each serving of pasta and sauce is only 350 calories. Woohoo!

P.S. Sorry to my dad for being utterly distracted while chatting with him Tuesday...I was amid the more complex part of the recipe!