Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil)

Does anyone else feel like they blinked and now it's almost March? Between the crazy weather changes we have been experiencing and the non-stop activity I'm not entirely sure where February went. The weather changes (77 one day, snow the next) are really throwing me off when I'm meal planning. I try to plan the hearty winter soups and casseroles for those cold days, and take advantage of the warm ones to use the grill or make something light.

On the other hand, I've been digging through my old meal planning notes and rediscovering some gems. This pasta dish from the Barefoot Contessa is one of them. It's done in the time it takes the pasta to boil which makes it a perfect weeknight meal. The kids and grownups alike devour it. It could even work as a dinner party dish…as long as no one minds a little garlic on your breath :)

I swapped the parsley out for spinach to add an extra veggie, but if you aren't a spinach lover add the parsley back in, or switch it out for your favorite fresh herb. I've used cilantro as well with good luck. Different olive oils will impart different flavors in the dish as well, and it can be fun to experiment to see how the taste changes. We were much more adventurous in olive oils when we lived in California, now I'm resigned to the best of whatever I can find in the commissary.

What's your favorite rediscovered recipe?

 Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
adapted from Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to garnish
1 tsp salt

Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and cook as usual. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the water used to cook the pasta before draining.

In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat and then add garlic. Cook for about 1 minute when the garlic begins to be fragrant. Add in the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Pour the reserved water from the pasta into the saucepan and stir together. Bring to a boil, add in the salt and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes.

When the sauce is reduced by about 1/3, add the drained pasta and toss until it is all coated in the sauce. Take the pan off the heat and add the spinach and parmesan. After thoroughly mixing, let rest for a minute or two so the sauce can absorb and then serve warm with extra parmesan as a garnish.

Pasta Bolognese

It's never felt more like the dog days of summer here than it does this week. We're seeing 107 and 108 on the thermometer and I find myself wishing for just one 95 degree day. The craziest thing about this weather? The boys start school in one week! It just doesn't feel right to go back to school when there isn't even a hope of wearing jeans for at least two months.

No getting around it though. School supplies are purchased and the final countdown is on. We're making our last weekday trips to the pool and the wildlife refuge. I'm waffling between giddy excitement at having some time to myself again and abject terror at the idea of my babies in full-time school, away from me all day. The boys are sort of excited, but mostly nonchalant. We will have a morning to go meet the teachers and see the classroom later this week and I think it will suddenly become real for them then.

I'm hoping that I have at least as much courage as they do next Tuesday and make it through the morning without sobbing.

At least in front of them.

All that to get to the point...which is this bolognese. It's adapted from Ina Garten's book The Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? and she calls it a weeknight bolognese. This is one of those lovely meals that will impress company but is quick and easy enough to squeeze in before a weeknight soccer practice. We make this so much during the school year I know the recipe by heart.

A few notes on the ingredients. The wine and the tomatoes matter in this dish. Don't be tempted to use cheap red wine that you wouldn't drink otherwise. It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy, but you should like the taste of it! As for the tomatoes, Ina recommends San Marzano tomatoes and having tried  it both ways I agree with her. The have much more flavor than the regular old can of crushed tomatoes. I made this with speghetti the night I took the picture, but I like it just as well with shells or penne. I switched out the ground beef for turkey, but it tastes fabulous with both.

Enjoy!

Pasta Bolognese
adapted from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (they don't add much heat-don't worry!)
1 1/2 cup red wine
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp milk (I like to use almond milk in this) or heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan

1 box pasta of your choice


Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Cook the ground turkey over medium/high heat until it's brown and crumbled. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes until combined. Pour the wine in and deglaze the pan (scraping up anything stuck to the bottom). Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta per the directions on the box.

Go back to the sauce. Add in the chopped basil and the milk or cream and cook for another 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Take off the heat and stir in the parmesan. Serve immediately over the pasta. If you'd like, sprinkle a little more parmesan over each serving.

Spaghetti Pie

I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday. All in all, it's going better than I thought, but the liquid and soft food diet is old ALREADY, and it's only been a day. 

Since I knew that I would be headed into several days of blah eating (and several days of leftovers and/or takeout for the boys with me out of commission), I made one of our favorites the night before I had surgery. 

I've been making this dish since I saw it on The Naptime Chef's blog several years ago. It quickly became a favorite, and over time, I've tweaked it slightly to our preference. It's become one of my standby's when I'm bringing food to a family that's had a baby, especially if they have young children already. It freezes beautifully, and makes a ton of leftovers. It is made of mostly pantry items, and is very easy to change up based on what you have around. 

There is a good chance that this is going to be very first thing I eat when I am finally allowed to chew again. Assuming the boys have left me any, that is...

In the meantime, it's back to smoothies.

Sausage Spaghetti Pie

adapted from The Naptime Chef

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti

2 tsp olive oil

1 package sweet italian sausage link removed from their casings

2 cups marinara sauce 

1 pinch red pepper flakes

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (or parmesan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the olive oil into a pot and add the sausage once the oil is warm. Cook the sausage, making sure it's no longer pink, and has crumbled into smaller pieces. Add in the marinara sauce and the red pepper flakes and heat until warmed through. 

Boil the pasta until cooked, and then add to the sauce. Mix together and pour in an 11 x 13 baking pan. 

Beat the eggs quickly, and add in the milk. Pour over pasta mixture and then top with the cheese.

Bake for 25-30 min until heated through.