Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound cottage cheese, whole milk or low-fat (I used 1%.)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Parmesan cheese grated
Salt
1 pound ziti
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 zucchini, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
³⁄₄ teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup half and half
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut into ¹⁄₄-inch pieces (This is the mozzarella you find in blocks, not the fresh mozzarella that comes packed in water.)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350*F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander (do not wash Dutch oven).

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini and cook, stirring, until starting to soften.  Add garlic and continue cooking until garlic is fragrant, but not brown, about 2 minutes.  Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in ¹⁄₂ cup basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir cornstarch into half and half in small bowl; transfer mixture to now-empty Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce, and ³⁄₄ cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.

4. Spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining ³⁄₄ cup mozzarella and remaining ¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil or lid and bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. 

Comments
I love baked ziti and thought this recipe from the 2009 Cook’s Illustrated Annual looked tasty.  Lance was sad that it was meatfree, but we both found it to be full of flavor.  Next time, to satisfy the carnivores, I might add some cooked sausage or ground beef to the sauce.  I really loved the abundance of basil in this recipe, it was nice and spicy.

Sadly Baked Ziti is one of those things that never looks very pretty in pictures.  I assure you, the picture does not do it justice at all.

Cook’s Illustrated 2009

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (I used a mix of penne and some other short pasta since I had two partial boxes.)
12 ounces center-cut bacon, chopped
1 pound frozen Brussels sprouts
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions
1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook and drain pasta as instructed.

2. Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil if necessary to prevent from sticking. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. 

3. While bacon is cooking, microwave Brussels sprouts for 3-4 minutes until thawed, but not fully cooked. Cut Brussels sprouts in half, quarters, or slice in a food processor.

4. When bacon is crisp, leaving fat and bacon in skillet, add garlic and Brussels sprouts. Continue cooking until Brussels sprouts are heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Add pasta to skillet, stir well to combine, check for seasonings and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Comments
Thanks to a very positive Brussels sprouts experience in college, I love them.  However, not everyone else I live with does.  Everyone in the house does, however, love bacon!  So I devised this recipe based on many similar recipes that I read.  It’s super simple and pork fat really does make everything better.  I use frozen Brussels sprouts because the fresh ones here are very unreliable.  If you have access to fresh ones, feel free to use them! 

Shown here with Maple-Ginger Glazed Chicken.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti (I used Barilla Thin Spaghetti.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
³⁄₄ cup half and half
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, minced
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook spaghetti 2 minutes less than directed by packaging. 

2. In a large skillet over low heat, sauté oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. 

3. When pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes, add lemon juice and a ¹⁄₂ cup of cooking water from the pasta to the garlic mixture.  Add half and half to garlic mixture, increase heat to high, and simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes. 

4. Drain pasta.  Add lemon zest, Parmesan, parsley and basil to garlic mixture in skillet.  Stir well and remove from heat.  Add pasta and toss for 2 minutes to coat and allow pasta to absorb some sauce. 

Comments
I’m not sure where this recipe is from, it’s been in my files for quite some time.  The pasta has a great, strong lemon flavor and the red pepper flakes add just enough heat.  Lance and Art both had seconds, so this was quite a hit!

Shown here with Lemon-Garlic Chicken.

Unknown

Ingredients
8 no-boil flat lasagna noodles (I use Barilla.)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475*F. Place noodles and hot tap water to cover in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole dish. Microwave until noodles are softened, 3 to 6 minutes. Discard water and dry dish. Dry noodles on clean kitchen towel.  (My microwave is weak, so I used the longest times for everything.)

2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, ¹⁄₄ cup basil, and salt in bowl. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, and remaining basil in medium bowl. Spread half of tomato mixture in casserole. With short side facing you, dollop ¹⁄₄ cup cheese mixture on each noodle, roll, and arrange seam-side down in casserole. Pour remaining tomato mixture over roll-ups.

3. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap, poke holes in plastic, and microwave on high until roll-ups are tender and heated through, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove plastic and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over roll-ups. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
I’ll admit, I picked this recipe out of the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual based solely on the picture.  Then I read the recipe, saw the microwave stuff, and almost unpicked it.  But I decided to have faith in the ATK folks and give it a go anyway, knowing that there were lots of leftovers in the fridge in case the dish should fail. 

I dished up our plates when the roll-ups were finished cooking and passed them out to the guys.  It looked pretty soupy and I wasn’t at all sure that it would taste good.  I warned them that dinner probably wouldn’t be very good. 

And, much to my surprise, we all enjoyed it!  The pasta was al dente!  The sauce was flavorful, the filling was great, it all came together nicely.  I was shocked!  The only complaint was Lance’s and that was due to the meat content which was severely lacking.  And which would be easy to rectify by adding meat to the sauce. 

So thanks, ATK, for proving my fears unfounded!  Even if it does look like a soupy mess.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta, and cook as directed on the packaging.  Return to pot. 

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.  Add tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. 

3. Add tomato sauce, bacon and parsley to the pasta and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and I thought it would be like Amatriciana.  While it was tasty, it wasn’t really like Amatriciana at all.  The pasta was flavorful and very simple.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
4-6 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine (I used a red onion, any type you like would work.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
³⁄₄ pound penne or other short pasta, about 4 cups
Salt
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup frozen peas
Pepper
1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 500*F. Cook bacon, onion, and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cream, pasta, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, cover, and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Serve. 

Note: You can also make this in an oven safe skillet and skip the whole “transfer to a casserole dish” part. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and was very reminiscent of carbonara.  I found it very tasty and the bacon added a lovely smokiness to the entire dish.  I also liked that the cooking method seasoned the pasta itself, not just the sauce that was on top of the pasta. 

Shown here with Herbed Pork Loin with White Wine Reduction.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
12 ounces ground beef
4 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon red pepper flakes (Only use half if using hot sausage.)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
8 ounces spaghetti, broken into rough 2-inch pieces
2 cups water
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ cup half and half
6 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler. Cook beef and sausage in large oven safe nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Drain meat on paper towel-lined plate and pour off fat from skillet. Return meat to skillet. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in tomatoes, spaghetti, water, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until spaghetti begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, covered, until spaghetti is al dente, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Stir in cream, basil, and ¹⁄₃ cup cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until surface is spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
While this doesn’t look very pretty, it was pretty delicious!  The original recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and I tweaked it a little to suit my tastes.  We all enjoyed the dish, especially on a cold and rainy winter day.  The recipe doubles very well assuming your skillet is large enough.  If your skillet doesn’t have high sides stick with the recipe above and don’t double anything.  It serves four quite comfortably.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
4 pints small tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ¹⁄₂ teaspoon table salt
1 pound penne pasta, or other short pasta
1 large shallot, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil (I used garlic olive oil.)
¹⁄₄ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¹⁄₂-inch cubes and frozen for 10-15 minutes

Instructions
1. Toss tomatoes, sugar, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes and any accumulated liquid to salad spinner and spin to remove seeds and liquid. Return tomatoes to bowl. Reserve tomato liquid. 

2.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta as instructed on packaging.  Drain well. 

3. Add reserved tomato liquid, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, basil, and black pepper to a small saucepan.  Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

4. Add vinegar mixture to tomatoes and stir to coat.  Add pasta and stir.  Add frozen mozzarella and stir well.  Check for seasoning and add extra salt and pepper if desired.  Serve warm, room temperature, or cool. 

Comments
It’s safe to say that I love pasta, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and balsamic vinegar.  I’ve been dreaming about some sort of pasta Caprese recipe and thinking about how I could make it better with the grape tomatoes that I’m willing to buy in the winter.  There are some aspects of Cherry Tomato Pasta Caprese that seemed great and then some aspects of Pasta Caprese that were good, so I ended up combining the parts I liked most and coming up with this recipe.  It was delicious.  I could have eaten the entire bowl and been quite content.  (Although I would have regretted it later, I’m sure!)

Shown here with Mom’s Chicken.

Person - Gwen

Ingredients
3 slices hearty white sandwich, bread torn into pieces
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 of it melted
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 (12 ounces each) cans evaporated milk (I used the fat free kind.)
2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Sriracha.)
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ¹⁄₄ cups American cheese, shredded (I used 7 slices of Kraft singles.)
³⁄₄ cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350*F. Pulse bread, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese in food processor until ground to coarse crumbs. Transfer to bowl.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni to boiling water and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve ¹⁄₂ cup macaroni cooking water, then drain and rinse macaroni in colander under cold running water. Set aside.

3. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in now-empty pot over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns lightly brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in evaporated milk, hot sauce, nutmeg, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until mixture begins to simmer and is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and reserved cooking water until cheese melts. Stir in macaroni until completely coated.

4. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and top evenly with bread crumb mixture. Bake until cheese is bubbling around edges and top is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and it yet another attempt at finding the best macaroni and cheese recipe out there.  This definitely won on the creaminess factor!  The cheeses blended together well and the flavors were very nice.  While the topping was nice it wasn’t quite as crunchy as I would have liked.  I think I should have processed the bread crumbs a bit less and that would have given me a bit crunchier of a topping?  Something to try next time.  The hot sauce added just a tidge of heat. 

Shown here with Pepper-Crusted Pork Loin.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
¹⁄₂ pound short pasta like gemelli or penne
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
3-4 cups chicken broth
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
¹⁄₂ cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften and begin to brown on edges, about 10 minutes. Set timer for 10 minutes.  Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, then wine. Stir until liquid evaporates.  

2. Ladle stock into skillet ¹⁄₂ to 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When liquid is just about evaporated, add more. Keep heat at medium-high and stir frequently.

3. 10 minutes after adding the pasta to the skillet add the chicken.  Continue stirring until the chicken is cooked through and the pasta is cooked to your desired doneness, adding more broth if necessary.  (I used 3 cups of broth total.)  

4. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.  Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and serve.   

Comments
This recipe came to me from a dear childhood friend.  He found it in the [NY Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/dining/021mrex.html&OQ=_rQ3D3&OP=c239410Q2FUQ7EQ23JUQ5BjrKBjjQ60PUPmm(U9PUmPUQ5Ba8a8nUmP&OQ=_rQ3D1&OP=6d11bb68Q2FQ3D6cyQ3Dx3gQ7B433AQ26Q3DQ26qqhQ3DGQ26Q3DqQ26Q3DxeQ51eQ51oQ3DqQ26GP4caQ3BmAPf(Q2BrpQ224rQ27bQ27(Q2B-pgQ26Q27htGqrQ26Q7C1rQ5EQ5CrQ26Q27Q3C1rjuQ2A4Q20uQ2AQ2Arwq-1-PPQ251h-1P-1rjuYKYKQ511P-hfurQ26Q27l!rQ26Q5ErwqfO).  I love trying recipes that friends send me so I was happy to be able to fit this into the meal plan so soon.  It’s an easy one-skillet meal that doesn’t require much preparation, the flavors are great, and we all loved it.

Internet - NY Times