Y'all, I have had this recipe in the stack for almost seven years.  It was way past time to try this one out, and now that I did, I know I'll be going back again and again.  This baked ziti is easy, quick, and tasty, and has a big bonus: the leftovers stay moist and well sauced, which as you may know, is a hazard with baked pasta dishes.  Both Drew and I really enjoyed this.  Drew even said it may be the best he's had, which is saying a lot, because he used to live in Upstate New York, where there's a lot of Italian influence.

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Decided to use the grill pan instead of the grill- just for convenience reasons

Salt and pepper
3/4 pound short pasta, such as campanelle
1 3/4 cups corn kernels (from 2 ears)
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
3 medium zucchini
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Prepare zucchini:  using a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the zucchini lengthwise into long, thin slices.  Grill on outdoor grill or grill pan over med-high heat, lightly oiling the zucchini and sprinkling with salt and pepper prior to grilling.  Flip when the bottom side has nice grill marks.  Remove from heat when zucchini are softened and both sides are lightly charred.  Set aside to cool, and then chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than package instructions; add corn and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup pasta water, ricotta, and Parmesan. Add pasta mixture, zucchini, basil, and dill and toss to combine. Add more pasta water if necessary to create a light sauce that coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper and top with more basil and Parmesan.

Notes

• I used a mixture of cellentani and rigatoni pastas to use up what I had in my pantry.  Any shorter pasta will do.  
• I had fresh basil from my garden and didn't use dill at all.  
• I had some boiled corn left over from another meal, so instead of boiling it, I just sliced it off the cob and used it that way.  You could also use frozen corn.

I ran across this recipe in the digital edition of the April issue of Bon Appetit and knew I wanted to make it just based off the picture.  It just looked so good, so appealing; warm and comforting, and a departure from your normal meatball and marinara experience.  I had 2 pounds of ground turkey in the freezer, so it seemed like fate.  I made the recipe mostly as-is, but that I made the meatballs smaller than the recipe indicated, and ended up with a lot, which was perfect for multiple meals and turning leftovers into a whole new meal.

We used baguettes and turned them into meatball subs.  I used rigatoni and turned them into a pasta dish.  There are just two of us, but we probably got 4-6 meals total out of these meatballs.

This post will actually be a two-parter, since I will first share with you the primary recipe and a recipe for homemade amaretti cookies.

I made this recipe a few years ago for the first time and again this year, earlier this winter.  I currently have at least 2-3 meals' worth of tortellini in the freezer, and have already enjoyed them 1-2 times.  This is the recipe that keeps on giving.



There are a few steps involved in this recipe, and it is time intensive, but if you like butternut squash, and the idea of making your own tortellini intrigues and excites you rather than makes you roll your eyes and wonder whoever would want to make their own pasta when it's so readily available in stores, then try this recipe.  It's delicious.  It's so good, even my non-pasta loving husband looks forward it it.  It's also a recipe that will make you feel like you have kitchen cred.  Go on, invite some friends over.  Tell them you made the pasta.  I'd be impressed.  Feel free to invite me over if you make this.  I'll eat it and swoon.



Another note on the steps- they can be broken up over a period of days, which makes for decently quick work each day.

I am posting the recipe below as you can find it on Food Network's website, and at the bottom, in the notes section, I posted my slight variations.



Butternut Squash Tortellini 
from Giada de Laurentiis
4-6 servings

Tortellini:

1 butternut squash, approximately 2 pounds, cubed (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 large shallots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
4 small amaretti cookies, crushed (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package small wonton wrappers

Brown Butter Sauce:

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 tablespoons torn fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, or chopped dried cherries, or mixture of both
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese


To make the tortellini, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a foil-lined baking sheet toss together the butternut squash, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven until soft and golden, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots and garlic until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the butternut squash mixture, the shallot mixture, and the ricotta cheese and pulse a few times to blend. Add the crushed amaretti cookies, the nutmeg, and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pulse until smooth. The tortellini filling can be made one day ahead.

To make the tortellini, lay out 6 wonton skins, keeping the remaining skins inside the package or under a very lightly dampened paper towel. Place 1 tablespoon of squash mixture in the middle of each skin. Dip a pastry brush in a little water and wet the edges of the skin. Gently fold the square wrapper into a triangle, making sure the edges are securely closed and there are no air pockets inside. Dampen the two bottom corners of the longest side of the triangle and gently bring them together, pressing lightly to secure. Place the formed tortellini on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Before laying out another 6 wonton sheets, be careful to dry the work surface. This will help keep tortellini from sticking to the baking sheet. Continue until all the butternut squash mixture is used. There should be approximately 36 tortellini. (The tortellini can be formed, frozen on the baking sheet, transferred to a tightly sealed plastic bag or container and stored for up to six months. To cook, simply toss the frozen ravioli into the salted boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.)

To make the sauce and serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the sage, walnuts and cranberries and let cook until the butter starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and season with salt, and pepper.

Stir to combine. Then, gently place the tortellini in the boiling water and gently stir. When they begin to float they are done, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently spoon the tortellini onto a serving platter, Top with the brown butter sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.



Notes

• I have found I have to use about 1 teaspoon or so of filling in the wonton wrappers.  This means I end up using about a pack and a half of wrappers, and get around 60 tortellini.  Any more filled, and they end up squirting out of the edges.
• Since I often make only a fraction of the tortellini at any given time, I just eyeball the sauce ingredients.  I have never used the dried fruit.  Instead, I use the butter, nuts, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and sage leaves.
• As an alternative to walnuts, hazelnuts are great.  That's what I have been using.  I am sure pecans or almonds would be good here too.
• Because my small town doesn't have amaretti cookies, I used a recipe I found off Martha Stewart's website, which will be shared later in the week.  

I came across this recipe a few years ago and tried it then, and loved it.  The big problem is that Drew didn't love it, but that's likely due to the fact that he doesn't love most pasta dishes.  He does love lasagna, but the rest he tolerates.  So it's for that reason that I rarely make pastas, but this past week I had some cream cheese and a few evenings alone and decided to make this alfredo sauce that remained such a nice memory. 

It really didn't disappoint this time, so I decided to share it with you.  If you make it, I hope you do enjoy it!  It's tasty, easy, and easy on the wallet.  It's also a great recipe for additions, such as chicken and broccoli.  I simply pan grilled a chicken breast and steamed some frozen broccoli to add in. 



MY ONE SUGGESTION is that you mix your flour and a little broth in a separate bowl to form a slurry or paste rather than dumping in the flour into the pan- it'll just lump up that way. 

Fettuccine "Alfredo"
serves 4

I would have sworn I had more pictures, such as ones of the roasted garlic or the mixing, but I can't find them.  Oh, well.  Continuing on the Pinterest kick, I found made this recipe, which lasted about 6-8 meals.  Drew didn't eat any of it, which is why I'm sure it stretched a little further.  I would and did tweak it for future use, and that'll be discussed in the notes section. 

I do recommend this recipe for anyone who likes pasta salads and pre-made lunch items.  With a little preparation can come a big payoff, and this recipe proves that.  It's also budget conscious.  It's easy and relatively quick, so why not? 

I'm posting this recipe as I made it.  Click on the recipe title for the original recipe. 

Roasted Garlic Pasta Salad
from Budget Bytes

1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1- 5 oz container of spinach or arugula (or a mix)
12 oz. seashell or oricchette pasta
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1- 15 oz container ricotta cheese
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 head garlic, roasted
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Tb. basil, shredded. 

Roast the garlic in the oven if you haven't already done so.  The link "garlic, roasted" above will show you how to do that.  While the garlic is roasting, it's a good time to cook and cool/cube your chicken.

As the garlic cools and the chicken is now prepped, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Generously salt it and add the pasta, cooking until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

While pasta cooks, pop the garlic cloves out of their papery shells and mince them.  Place the garlic, along with the ricotta cheese, pepper, and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water and stir until smooth. 

Turn off the burner, drain pasta and return it to the pot.  Add the chicken, spinach, ricotta, and tomatoes and stir to combine.  Now add your parmesan cheese and basil and stir well. 

Serve warm or cool.


Cook's Notes

• I would likely decrease the pasta to 1/2 lb.  I just felt that the ratio of other ingredients to pasta was a bit off.  That does, however, stretch it.  You decide!
• To beef it up, I'd add another chicken breast. 

For two years I watched Food Network chef Giada de Laurentis make pasta from wonton wrappers, and one appealed to me so much I even copied off the recipe.  It'd be another two or three years before I'd make my first filled pasta dish, butternut squash tortellini.  It's funny how it can take a while to try a new technique or type of food in the kitchen.  Today I'm posting on what I think would be a little easier, more mainstream pasta dish: swiss chard ravioli.  It's your standard ricotta based ravioli, but with swiss chard mixed in rather than just cheese or even spinach, and since last year we had a bumper crop of swiss chard, I tried several chard recipes, and I really liked this one.  I also like to dress it simply, with a drizzle of olive oil, but a good marinara would be an excellent topping as well. 



Years ago when I had Food Network, I thought making your own pasta was extraneous, but now that I've become a little more adventurous and have actually tried it, it's fun and it's easy.  Don't get me wrong, it can be laborious, but it'd be a good activity for kids or friends alike, and wonton wrappers (found near produce in most grocery stores) are the perfect "pasta" sheets to fill.  There's also something to be said for making your own pasta- those are some nice culinary bragging rights. 



This recipe is a variation of one from Lidia Bastianich's Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy.  Her recipe is for tortelli, which is like ravioli, but bigger.  In my case I didn't make her dough and instead used wonton wrappers. 



Ravioli With Swiss Chard Filling
adapted from Lidia Bastianich

3 lbs. swiss or rainbow chard, stemmed and sliced crosswise into narrow ribbons, about 1/2 inch wide
1 lg egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt, to taste
8 oz. fresh ricotta, drained
1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or parmesan)
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 package wonton wrappers or squares



In a large pot, bring 5-6 quarts of water to a boil.  Heap all the chard into the pot and stir, gradually submerging the strips.  Return the water to a boil and adjust the heat to keep it gently bubbling.  Simmer until the chard is tender, about 10 minutes.  Pour the strips into a colander to drain and cool off and then squeeze out as much water as you can.  Pile the chard into a large bowl.

When the chard is completely cool, add a pinch of salt to the beaten egg and pour it over the chard.  Toss to incorporate.  Scatter the cheeses and nutmeg on top and toss until thoroughly blended. 

Lay out individual wonton wrappers onto a sheet pan.  Keep any wonton wrappers not on the sheet pan covered so as not to dry out.  Drop tablespoonfuls of ricotta and chard filling into the center of each wonton wrapper.  Using your finger or a small pastry brush, brush two sides of one wrapper at a time and fold over to seal.  You can make these raviolis into triangles or rectangles.  You can even make big raviolis by placing one wonton square over the other.  Repeat until all squares are used up or filling is gone.  At this point, freeze the ravioli on the sheet pan and then place into a freezer bag or container or prepare them for eating. 

To prepare the ravioli, place ravioli in boiling water and boil until they float to the top.  Serve with olive oil, chopped nuts, and parmesan cheese or marinara sauce. 

Is there anything better than a good helping of macaroni and cheese?  So simple, yet so satisfying.  It doesn't matter how haute my cuisine may become, mac and cheese will always be near the top of my "all time favorites" list.  I smile to think about it, but as a kid I felt like we were really reaching into the richness of the food world when my mom would make Velveeta Shells and Cheese.  I loved that package of viscous Velveeta cheese, which would be squeezed out and mixed in with pasta shells.  Its ochre color and sharp taste mixed with creaminess made my eyes roll back in my head.  I could have eaten it every day. 



Now that I am a little more concerned about what I eat, the Velveeta box is nowhere to be found in the house, but thankfully, mac and cheese is still welcome.  This recipe is my go-to recipe when I want mac and cheese, and it is one of the first recipes I started making on a somewhat regular basis when I became a functioning member of society and lived in my apartment. 



A word on the mac and cheese: there are two schools of thought with mac and cheese.  One school likes the mac and cheese baked like a casserole, with a crunchy topping.  The other school (the better one, in my opinion), likes the mac and cheese creamy and uniform throughout.  This recipe is a stove top version, and is that creamy, uniform cheesy goodness dish. 



Stove Top Mac and Cheese
from Alton Brown's Good Eats

I often find myself eating alone for dinner, which would be kind of sad except that it allows me to experiment with foods that Drew's not such a big fan of eating.  Pasta would be one of those.  He loves lasagna and likes spaghetti with a red sauce and meat, but the various other he sort of shrugs and says "eh."  Don't get me wrong; he will eat whatever I put in front of him, but I don't want to make something for both of us that only one of us is really enjoying, so I put those off for the nights that he's not around. 

I have seen a number of recipes lately that incorporate some sort of green and either just pasta water and parmesan or ricotta cheese, and tried one from Cooking Light a while back.  Last week I tried this recipe from marthastewart.com and loved it.  The one challenge I have yet to conquer is to keep the pasta from getting cold before I finish it. 



This recipe is so easy that it's almost wrong to call it a recipe, and it's so quick that dinner is finished in the time it takes to boil your pasta water and cook your pasta.  It's good for a crowd in that it would take no more time to prepare this for 10 people as it does for one.  It's also adaptable; if you  don't want to use pine nuts, substitute walnuts or almonds. 

So, if you enjoy playing with pastas and eating outside the red sauce zone, try this one.  It's healthy, light, and spring-y. 

Penne With Ricotta and Pine Nuts
from marthastewart.com

1/3 cup pine nuts

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound penne pasta
1 1/2 pounds baby spinach, well washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Add spinach during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return pasta and spinach to pot. Add oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well.


Serve immediately, topped with ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan.

Hi and welcome!  I am sure you're probably looking at the title for today and wondering if I've lost it a little bit for taking time to write about a recipe that I found a bit disappointing.  Well, the reason is that, while I wasn't head over heels for this recipe, you may love it, so here goes.  I also will post something I did like the next time.  Not all new recipes are the holy grail of whatever dish it is.

I was first attracted to the Roasted Chicken Pasta Salad recipe during a search I made to find pasta salads that I could bring to work for lunch.  When you work far enough away from your home that it makes it difficult or impossible to go home for lunch, your options are usually one of two things; go out to eat in a restaurant near your place of work or bring your lunch.  If you know me or have read this blog, so many of the recipes I make are budget friendly.  I am on a budget, and eating out every day is NOT budget friendly.  It's also really fattening.  I'd gain 10 pounds a month if I had to eat out every day!  It is, however, difficult to make your lunch every morning- figure out what leftovers or sandwich toppings should go into lunch.  Is that just me?  It's difficult for me.  I am always getting places late- it's a trait I hate about myself- so thinking about lunch in the morning is something I like to simplify and streamline.

So, beginning to think about what I could have that is pre-made, healthy, and GOOD, I thought- ooh!  Pasta Salads!  I love pasta salads!  So, I began searching on Cooking Light's website (cookinglight.com) and Southern Living's website (southernliving.com), and found the Roasted Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta Salad.  It seemed perfect- rotisserie chicken for protein and convenience, walnuts, grapes, onion, celery.  Here's a warning for people who don't like unconventional flavors, though- the dressing includes lemon and orange juice. 

Now, The Fresh Market has a lemon pasta salad that I LOVE and thought that this one might be like that one, only with chicken and grapes. 

So, all that to say that this pasta salad is easy to throw together, and it makes a lot of food, but it's not my favorite.  I probably won't make it again because its flavors are just too much a departure from what I'd expect pasta salad to taste like.  What I do like about it is that its flavors were better two days after I made it than the day after- meaning that today when I eat my lunch it may be even better.  We'll see.  I'm holding my breath in anticipation and turning blue. 

I also like that it tastes fresh and that the dressing has no mayo.  If you left out the chicken, you could leave this dish out of a fridge for hours and not worry about violent illness later.  I'm for that.  I am not crazy about all the flavors that the dressing has going on- I mean, you have the mustard and the orange, which to me don't complement the grapes. 

So, all that long explanation to tell you that I have not found a lunch food that will be my BFF lunch, but if you like trying different things, you might like it.  I would suggest that you make a half batch, though.  Enjoy the rest of the rotisserie chicken as itself or in chicken salad, pasta, quiche, etc. 

I am not going to actually post the recipe, but here is a link:  Roasted Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Notes

• To increase the health quotient of the pasta salad, I substituted whole wheat rotini for the white bowites. 
• I didn't put in celery because I didn't feel like it.  I want to like celery, but we're still in that "I only like you when you're covered in peanut butter or pimento cheese" phase. 

The prep work- it helps to have a great knife!








Mixing of the dressing- no mayo here= no spoiling IF you leave out the chicken, too.