Pasta is one of the easiest weeknight meals! Follow these basic steps for a fast and delicious meal that can be completely customized to your taste:
- Pick your pasta and boil it. Fresh pasta cooks more quickly than dried pasta. Or you can buy “noodles” made from veggies (like “zoodles” – spiral cut zucchini noodles) for a healthy option that doesn’t require cooking.
- Choose a sauce. Sauces made with tomatoes are often the quickest and healthiest (both fresh and canned tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and Vitamins A and C, and are fabulous for your health).
- And then, if you want, add additional toppings.
I love serving pasta and sauce with a simple green salad, either home-made or a pre-made bagged salad, and slices of baguette spread with butter, sprinkled with garlic salt, and quickly broiled until golden-brown.
Here are some quick tips for cooking pasta:
- When cooking pasta, make sure that the water is boiling before adding the dried pasta.
- It’s not necessary to add oil to the cooking water, but do add a few teaspoons of salt; it adds little sodium but makes a world of flavor difference in the pasta. Stir regularly while cooking to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- You do not need to keep the water at a rolling boil the whole time; medium heat will cook the pasta just as well as high heat.
- Cook only until al dente (tender, but still firm to the bite). You determine this by tasting it at various points while it cooks.
- When it’s ready, drain the pasta in a colander (do not rinse it), transfer it to a bowl, and add a small amount of oil, tossing it with tongs or a fork to coat.
- Keep the pasta warm in an oven set to low until it’s ready to serve, or for chilled pasta dishes, put it in the refrigerator after it cools to room temperature.
Choose your favorite pasta shape
- Spaghetti (strings)
- Spaghettini (thinner strings)
- Angel hair or cappellini (extra-thin strings)
- Linguine (ribbons)
- Fettuccine (wider ribbons)
- Rice noodles
- Glass (or cellophane) noodles
- Rotini (corkscrews)
- Radiatore (“little radiators”)
- Conchiglie (shells)
- Ruote (wagon wheels)
- Fusilli (squiggles)
- Macaroni (small tubes)
- Penne (tubes)
- Ziti (tubes)
- Rigatoni (tubes)
- Farfalle (bow ties)
- Orzo (rice-shaped)
- Stelline (tiny stars)
Then add a sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- Arushi’s Gorgonzola Alfredo Sauce
- Marinara sauce
- Garlic Mushroom Red Sauce
- Doc’s Meat Sauce
- Butter and garlic
- Olive oil and garlic
- Basil pesto
- Hoisin sauce
- Vinaigrette dressing
Add any toppings you like
All meats should be fully cooked before going on the pizza.
- Cheese (parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella, jack, fontina, smoked gouda, goat cheese, etc.)
- Vegan cheese
- Thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- Dried oregano
- Crushed dried red pepper flakes
- Vegan meat (pepperoni, chorizo, soy hamburger crumbles, etc.)
- Meatballs
- Pepperoni
- Crumbled Italian sausage
- Shrimp
- Sliced chicken
- Sliced mushrooms
- Steamed spinach
- Chopped bell peppers
- Diced zucchini or yellow squash
- Steamed broccoli
- Steamed carrots
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sliced green onion
- Artichoke hearts
- Steamed asparagus
- Kalamata or green olives
Quick mix & match pasta ideas
Chicken Garlic Pasta
Angel hair pasta, sliced cooked chicken, butter, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper.
Alfredo Primavera
Fettuccine, Arushi’s Gorgonzola Alfredo Sauce, steamed broccoli, steamed asparagus, steamed carrots, peas.
Baked Rigatoni
Cooked rigatoni, Doc’s Meat Sauce, sliced mushrooms, grated mozzarella cheese. Bake in a casserole dish at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Basic Pasta Salad
Chilled rotini pasta, Zesty Greek Vinaigrette or Chimichurri, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, black olives, diced red or yellow bell pepper.