ZILLA'S RECIPE BOOK

Welcome to pastas!

A curated page of different pasta dishes. Some include meat others do not. I am very big on pasta and pasta based entrees. Again these are not my original recipes, a lot of these come from the cook books I have or are renditions of them. Check out the recipe book list I have back on main page

Notes

Cooking mode is off.

One Pan Gnocchi

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1lb spicy Italian sausage links (casings removed)
  • 1 med onion (halved and sliced)
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 head cauliflower (broken into small and med pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 cup red wine (or chicken broth)
  • 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 15oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 heapin tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 15oz package shelf stable gnocchi or homemade gnocchi
  • 4oz cream cheese, at room temp
  • 3 cups baby kale or spinach
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese for serving
  • Fresh basil leaves for garnish
instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or a deep skillet over med-high heat. Add chunks of sausage in a single layer and cook for 3 minutes on the first side.
  2. Then flip them over and let them finish cooking on the other side.
  3. Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside.
  4. Add the onion, garlic, and cauliflower and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes
  5. Add the tomatoe paste and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to coat the veggies. Let them cook for a minute.
  6. Then add the red wine, chicken broth, tomato sauce, and the pesto. Stir.
  7. Then add the gnocchi and the cooked sausage.
  8. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the gnocchi are tender and the sauce has thickened, 6-7 min.
  9. Add cream cheese and stir until it has melted. 2 min.
  10. Turn off the heat and add the kale.
  11. And stir it until it has wilted, about 2 min. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with parmesan cheese and basil leaves.

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cup cooking oil
  • 1 yellow onion (sliced)
  • 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
  • 3 celery stalks (thinly sliced)
  • 3 tablespoons oregano
  • 1tablespoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 6 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 15oz fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 15oz canned white beans (cannellini or great northern) drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cup uncooked ditalini
  • 3 cups roughly chopped kale (stems removed)
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 roma tomatoes (seeded and diced)
  • Grated parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
  1. Heat the cooking oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, oregano, thyme, and pepper flakes.
  2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes.
  3. Add the tomato paste and garlic, cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Pour the chicken broth, add the canned tomatoes, and stir to combine, increase the heat to med-high heat and bring it to a boil.
  5. Place half of the beans in a med bowl and mash them with a fork until they're mostly broken up into smaller pieces and have formed a paste.
  6. Add the mashed beans to the pot, along with the whole beans and pasta.
  7. Simmer, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking together, until the flavors are developed, 10-12 min
  8. Pile in the kale (dont worry it will shrink down as it cooks), stir it in. Cook until the pasta is tender and the kale is wilted, another 5 min.
  9. Add the lemon zest, juice, and the roma tomatoes. Stir and taste, adjusting salt and pepper as needed.
  10. Dish it up and sprinkle parmesan cheese!

Goat Cheese Pasta

ingredients
  • 2 pints grape tomatoes
  • 1 shallot, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 3 tablespoons oil of your choosing (olive, avocado, etc)
  • 2 tablespoons oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • Red peppers (measure with your heart)
  • One 8oz log of goat cheese
  • 8oz farfalle or other similar short pasta
  • 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425ºF
  2. Place the tomatoes in a 9x13 inch baking dish, along with shallot, garlic, oil, oregano, pinch of salt and black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Toss to mix together.
  3. Then nestle goat cheese in the center and roast until the tomatoes have blistered and cheese has softened. About 25 mins
  4. Bring a pot of water to boil, when tomatoes have about 10 mins left, add pasta to cook. Drain when it's al dente and reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water.
  5. Remove baking dish from oven, then pour pasta whilst still hot.
  6. Add pesto and remaining pasta water. Gently stir everything until tomatoes start to break apart and pasta is coated in creamy sauce.
  7. Serve and enjoy