I don't know where I've been recently... but I just realized tonight that I haven't made a nice complete dinner in a long time. This pasta dish completely hit the spot. I was inspired by this recipe, made a few alterations, and added the sausage when I walked by it in the store and thought, that'll do. The pasta was nice and creamy but not heavy like mac and cheese, the lemon and asparagus taste like spring, and the sausage rounded this dish out to be a complete meal. Yum!
Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Sausage
1 lb spiral pasta
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb sausage (whatever you like, I found an artichoke and garlic blend which was very tasty)
3 spoonfuls mascarpone cheese
3 spoonfuls ricotta cheese
a few generous glugs of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut your asparagus and sausage while your salted pasta water is coming to a boil. Cook the pasta to package directions. Meanwhile sauté the sausage in a skillet. About three minutes before the pasta is to be done, add the asparagus to the boiling pasta and finish cooking. Reserve a few ladlefuls of the pasta water, and drain the pasta. Dry out the pot and combine the oil, cheeses, and lemon juice in the pot. The residual heat will help loosen the cheeses. Add the pasta/asparagus back into the pot and toss until well coated. Spoon in some of the reserved pasta water as needed to get a nice creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with the cooked sausage.
Did you know there's an entire website of solely macaroni and cheese recipes? There is. Check it out here. Normally I don't endorse recipes requiring a specific brand (in this case Wisconsin cheese products), but cheese is cheese and you can use any brand. Plus macaroni and cheese is awesome and worthy of making exceptions to rules (like dinner not consisting solely of dairy?).
Spinach and Muenster Macaroni and Cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 C green onions, minced
2 tbsp flour
2 C milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C muenster cheese, chopped
1/3 C parmesan cheese, grated
2 C fresh spinach
4 C cooked small pasta (elbow, shells, etc.) - this is about 2 C uncooked
1/2 C breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 inch pan. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. After one minute, add flour and stir constantly. Whisk in milk (pour slowly, cold milk doesn't like hot pan!), salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the cheese, stir until all melted. Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stir until wilted. Stir in the cooked pasta. Turn into your prepared pan and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes.
FYI: I'm eyeing this recipe next, but have decided to justify purchasing truffle butter I need an occasion. If you would like to be that occasion, let me know.
A couple of years ago I was in NYC with Amanda and Kate having a girls-night-out dinner at Henry's. I told the waitress my pasta was some of the best I'd ever had, and she brought over the chef who explained his whole process to me! (he was kind of cute too...) My version isn't quite as good as the original, but it's not bad either. Really easy and takes about 20 minutes!
Jamie's Recreation of Pasta From Henry's
(feeds 3-4)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of mushrooms (I used crimini and shitake)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
1 package of fresh fettucini (I use Bertolli's, unless I get a chance to go to the market and get home made)
3-4 handfuls of spinach
Salt and pepper
Salt a pot of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until it starts to get fragrant. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, cook about 5 minutes, until they're soft.
Add butter and let melt. Add enough broth to cover the mushrooms and let simmer. Cook the pasta (if you're not using fresh pasta, you'll want to boil the water before starting, and do the rest while the pasta's cooking).
Cook according to directions, usually 2-3 minutes. Drain pasta. Turn off heat on the mushrooms, and add pasta and spinach to the skillet. Toss everything together with tongs, the heat of the pasta and sauce will cook the spinach.
