Family Pasta Night
Looking for an easy, fast and inexpensive way to get dinner on the table fast? Why not designate one night a week as Pasta Night? Pasta is the consummate comfort food ' rich, warm and satisfying. It's easy to get into the food rut of only fixing macaroni and cheese or spaghetti with tomato sauce, but pasta is so versatile that you could make a different pasta recipe every week for a year without repeating one. And all of the variations can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. Just serve with a green salad and a hunk of crusty bread and you've got dinner made.
Pasta is wonderful because it makes it easy to pull together a meal when you feel like there is nothing in the house to eat. If you have some long noodles, a chunk of parmesan cheese, some olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, you can create a great meal. Add in some steamed vegetables or browned meat and you have a whole other dish. Pasta is also a great way to use up leftovers. Noodles can be a nice side dish next to Tuesday's baked chicken or you can pull the chicken off the bone and toss it into your noodles for a completely different taste. Let your imagination and the contents of your fridge guide you.
Here are 2 pasta recipes that are easy, delicious and a breeze to adapt to whatever you have in the cupboard.
Linguine with Cheese and Pepper
½ cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano cheese
½ pound dried linguine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water. Return the linguine to the pot. Add butter, olive oil and ½ tablespoon pepper, stirring to combine. Add ¼ cup reserved pasta water. Place pot over medium high heat. Cook for a minute to emulsify the butter and oil, adding the remaining water if necessary. Remove from heat and toss in half of the cheese. Serve in bowls with remaining cheese and pepper.
Tortellini in Broth
1 12 oz. package dried or frozen tortellini
32 oz. broth
1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini until tender. Meanwhile, heat the broth and the parsley in a medium saucepan. When the tortellini is done, drain and add to the broth. Serve.
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