Tag: basil

Tomato and Asparagus ?Carbonara?

Tomato and Asparagus “Carbonara”

by Pam on September 30, 2012

I found this recipe in the September 2012 issue of Cooking Light and I couldn’t wait to make it. It took very little prep or time to make and it ended up being creamy, cheesy, and totally delicious. I loved that, even though it didn’t have bacon like a traditional carbonara has, it was still flavorful and satisfying. My husband, son, and I all loved it. My daughter, on the other hand, thought it was too cheesy and she didn’t like the texture. It’s no surprise since she doesn’t like cheese. Oh well… her loss.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water per instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes; add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Mix the egg, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, to taste until well combined. Drain the pasta and immediately add the cheese/egg mixture to the pasta and stir until well combined and the cheese has melted. Add the tomato and asparagus mixture to the pan and mix until evenly coated. Place pasta into the serving bowl and sprinkle the top with the torn basil leaves. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Print^[1]

Tomato and Asparagus “Carbonara”

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cook Time: 12 min.

Total Time: 17 min.

Ingredients:

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta, cooked per instructions
2 tsp olive oil
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 lb asparagus, ends removed and cut into thirds
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of Parmesan, Asiago, Romano cheese mixture
1 large egg
Several fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions:

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water per instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes; add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Mix the egg, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, to taste, until well combined. Drain the pasta then place back into the cooking pot and immediately add the cheese/egg mixture to the pasta and stir until well combined and the cheese has melted. Add the tomato and asparagus mixture to the pasta and mix until evenly coated. Place pasta into the serving bowl and sprinkle the top with the torn basil leaves. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cooking Light – September 2012

References

^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Incoming search terms:

Slow Simmered Meat Sauce with Ground Turkey and Italian Sausage

by Pam on March 2, 2014

We’ve had a lot of rainy days lately and I have been in the mood to make slow simmered soups, stews, and sauces. I decided to make some pasta for dinner one night so I grabbed some ground turkey from the store and the rest of the ingredients out of my fridge and pantry to make this sauce. It smelled unbelievably good while it simmered in the oven all afternoon. I loved the flavor and texture of this sauce and it tasted fantastic on whole wheat spaghetti. My son and I gobbled it right up. My husband also liked it but thought it would be even better if it was spicier. My daughter doesn’t care fpr pasta so she wasn’t a huge fan. I had plenty of sauce leftover so I put it in a zip lock freezer bag and froze it for another rainy day.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, turkey Italian sausage removed from casings, and the onion. Cook, stirring often to crumble the beef and sausage, for 4-5 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, dried basil, crushed fennel seeds, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and the tomato sauce to the turkey mixture as well as the sugar. Stir until well combined. Cover with a lid and place into the oven for 3-4 hours.

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Skim the surface for any fat. Add the chopped basil then taste and re-season if needed. Cook the spaghetti noodles per instructions, drain. Serve the sauce on top of the spaghetti then top with Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.

Print^[1]

Save^[2]

Slow Simmered Meat Sauce with Ground Turkey and Italian Sausage

Yield: 10-12

Total Time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb of ground turkey
2 turkey Italian sausages, removed from casing
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
3 small carrots, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you want it extra spicy)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 cup of chicken broth
1 6oz can of tomato paste
2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
29 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
Spaghetti, cooked per instructions (I used whole wheat)
Parmesan Cheese
Parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, turkey Italian sausage removed from casings, and the onion. Cook, stirring often to crumble the beef and sausage, for 4-5 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic, dried basil, crushed fennel seeds, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and the tomato sauce to the turkey mixture as well as the sugar. Stir until well combined. Cover with a lid and place into the oven for 3-4 hours.

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Skim the surface for any fat. Add the chopped basil then taste and re-season if needed. Cook the spaghetti noodles per instructions, drain. Serve the sauce on top of the spaghetti then top with Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

Store cupboard ingredients under Â£1

A well-stocked store cupboard is essential for any home-cook. Keep stocked up on the basics and it’s easy to cook a meal for the whole family even when you think you’ve not got any food in. Here are 10 of the most useful store cupboard ingredients you need and they all cost well under £1 each!

Pasta
Tesco Everyday Value Spaghetti 500g 24p
Pasta is cheap, filling and a favourite for all the family. It’s also incredibly versatile. Tomato and basil sauce, pesto, carbonara, bacon and cheese – the toppings for pasta are endless so you’ll be able to find something to please even the fussiest of eaters. Pasta’s also a great vehicle for disguising veg if you’ve got kids who aren’t keen on their greens. Chop it up small and mix it in, and they’ll be well on the way to their 5-a-day.
TIP: Always season the water with salt when you’re cooking pasta. Most of the salt will be thrown out with the water, but it will make sure your pasta isn’t bland.

Rice
Tesco Everyday Value Long Grain Rice 1kg 40p
Quick to cook, healthy and cheap, rice is a store cupboard must-have for every family. Chicken in white wine sauce, chilli con carne and ratatouille are just some of the easy dishes you can make to go with rice.
TIP: Rinse thoroughly before cooking and use the absorption method to get perfect, fluffy rice. This means using the same amount of water (cup for cup) as rice. Bring to the boil and then simmer until all the water has gone.

Mixed herbs
Tesco Everyday Value Mixed Herbs 18g 19p
Mixed herbs can be added to loads of different dishes including spaghetti bolognese, chicken casserole, vegetable soup – they also work well sprinkled on cheese on toast.
TIP: Mixed herbs include thyme, oregano and basil so tend to work well with Italian dishes.

Curry powder
Tesco Everyday Value Medium Curry Powder 50g 52p
If you can’t be bothered grinding spices with a pestle and mortar every time you want to add a curry kick to a dish, then ready-made curry powder could be the answer.
TIP: When using curry powder, make sure you add it while you’re frying off the onion. This will make sure all the flavours are fully released.

Chopped tomatoes
Tesco Everyday Value Chopped Tomatoes 400g 31p
Tomatoes count towards your 5-a-day and are a great base for loads of dishes including bolognese, chilli con carne and some curries (generally the healthier ones!).
TIP: To make a delicious homemade tomato pasta sauce, simple fry off an onion, a bit of garlic and tip in a tin of chopped tomatoes. Add a big pinch mixed herbs and simmer until it reduces to a sauce-like consistency. Easy peasy!

Tinned tuna
Tesco Everyday Value Tuna Chunks In Brine
Tuna makes a great sandwich filling for lunch or picnics, but it also works well in pasta bakes or served with jacket potatoes – a sure hit with the kids. It’s a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids which reduce the chance of heart disease.
TIP: Add fat-free tzatziki to your tuna rather than mayonnaise for a healthier alternative.

Flour
Everyday Value Plain or Self-Raising Flour 1.5kg – 52p
Baking with the kids and great fun and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Butter, self-raising flour, sugar and eggs are all you need to knock up a batch of fairy cakes. Plain flour is really useful in the kitchen for thickening sauces.
TIP: Stir in a spoonful of plain flour while you’re browning meat. It will help thicken the sauce without producing lumps.

Baked beans
Tesco Everyday Value Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 420g 26p
There’s nothing quite like beans on toast when you want a quick dinner for the kids or you’re after a snack for yourself. But there’s so much more you can do with beans. Add them into shepherd’s pie next time you make one. It’ll make a whole extra portion for next to nothing, and will make the meal even more filling for growing kids.
TIP: Add a spoonful of curry powder to your beans to give them an extra kick.

Sweetcorn
Tesco Everyday Value Sweetcorn 325g – 35p
Tinned vegetables are really useful to have in your store cupboard. Fresh vegetables are a great source of vitamins for the whole family, but how often have you ended up throwing away a soft carrot or a yellowing bit of broccoli? Canned vegetables count towards your 5-a-day too, and have a shelf-life of months, rather than days.
TIP: Add sweetcorn or peas to rice when you serve it to the kids. It’ll become a firm favourite in no time.

Oats
Tesco Everyday Value Oats 1kg – 75p
Porridge is a fabulous, cheap and easy breakfast for the whole family. And it needn’t get boring, just add different toppings to keep the kids interested. Honey, fresh fruit, raisins, cinnamon, the list goes on. Plus, oats are a slow-release carbohydrate, so they’ll stay fuller for longer.
TIP: Mix oats with sugar, butter and flour and you’ve got yourself a delicious crumble topping.

Where to next?

How to make the most of your freezer

How to have a bargain BBQ

Easy and healthy after school snacks