spaghetti sauce

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here are a couple of my other go-to lunch dishes

spicy vegetable barley soup

vegetable minestrone

orzo with roasted vegetables

pasta and vegetables with warm lemon vinaigrette

tortellini pasta salad with tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and carrots

1 lb of your favorite tortellini (i used tri-colored cheese filled)
1 cup grape tomatoes - halved
5 carrots - sliced thin
1/4 cup your favorite olives
8 oz  fresh mozzarella balls
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 lemons, zested
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan for the top



cook the pasta per directions on box
toss pasta, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and carrots in large bowl.





heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. pour the hot vinaigrette over the pasta.

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced 
1 zucchini, 1 -inch diced
3 carrots, 1 -inch diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon - grated
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts) (i omitted these)
pint of grape tomatoes - halved
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted (i forgot these - would have been so good!)
feta - or sprinkling on top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis,  and feta. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

roasted vegetable ragu
adapted from  Bon Appétit | November 2003



10 ounces fresh crimini mushrooms, quartered
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 medium bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
olive oil

2 medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups (or more) canned vegetable broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread mushrooms, carrots, onion and bell peppers in single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.

transfer vegetables to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Add zucchini, red pepper flakes, 2 cups broth, and tomatoes with juices to vegetables; stir to blend well.

Continue to roast until zucchini are tender and juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if liquid evaporates too quickly, about 30 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper if it is needed.

Serve over favorite pasta (I used fettucini) and sprinkle with parmesan. Alex and I both agreed - it was even better the next day.

1 lb of your favorite pasta (i used fusilli)
2-3 cups of chopped assorted cold veggies (i used bell peppers, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes)
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon whole fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 lemons, zested
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
grated parmesan for the top
slices of lemon to toss with pasta and vegetables





cook the pasta per directions on box
toss pasta, lemon slices and vegetables in large bowl

heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. cook over low heat for 1 minute. Off the heat, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. pour the hot vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables.

this pasta dish of Ina's is to die for. it is a creamy and cheesy adult style macaroni and cheese with the volume turned up. the combination of all the cheeses give it an incredible flavor - and whatever you do - DO NOT skip the smoked mozzarella. i made it without it once and i missed it the whole time i was eating it. recently i decided to add some sundried tomatoes to it and it was a welcome addition. the nice part is i can make it early in the day, keep it in the fridge and right before people arrive i throw it in the oven - it is a perfect entertaining dish.

penne with 5 cheeses
adapted from the great one (Ina Garten) from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Kosher salt and pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup marinara
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded imported Italian fontina (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella (1 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded provolone (1 1/2 ounces)
1/4 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
4 - 5 sundried tomato halves chopped small
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp essence (optional to make it spicy)
pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound imported penne rigate pasta (i used Cavatappi)
1/2 cup panko or regular breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stockpot.

Combine all the ingredients except the penne and butter in a large mixing bowl. reserve a 1/2 c of cheese mix minus fresh mozzarella for the top. Mix well.

Drop the penne into the boiling water and parboil for 4 minutes. Drain well in a colander and add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, tossing to combine.

Divide the pasta mixture among 6 shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2-cup capacity) or large baking dish. Sprinkle reserved cheese and panko on top of pasta. Dot with the butter and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes for small gratin 10 - 15 for large baking dish.

preheat oven to 350
saute garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil. add marinara, essence, italian seasoning and salt and pepper. simmer 15 - 20 to reduce a bit.

cook pasta 8 minutes. drain

in large bowl toss pasta, marinara, ricotta, and fresh mozzarella.

grease a large baking dish or individual gratin dishes. spoon pasta in and sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella. combine the parmesan and breadcrumbs. sprinkle over the mozzarella. dot the tops with butter.

bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the topping is browned and the pasta is heated through. cool a bit and then serve.

cook ravioli per instructions on package.

make a white sauce
melt the butter in saucepan. once melted add flour and whisk to combine. cook for 3 minutes. add milk and heat until thickened.

stir in gouda, sundried tomatoes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. whisk until creamy. add a little more milk if sauce is too thick. this should take about 5 - 8 minutes to fully come together.

pour over the top of ravioli and garnish with chopped tomatoes.

1 package of pasta shells
2 pints of crimini mushrooms...chopped small
1 bag morning star farms crumbles
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. parsley chopped
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs essence
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

filling*
heat 2 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter in pan. add 1 pint chopped mushrooms and saute until softened (about 5 minutes). remove from pan and put in large bowl. repeat with second pint of mushrooms. during last 2 minutes add garlic and finish cooking.

mix the crumbles (its fine that they are frozen) with the mushroom mix. add parley, essence, salt, pepper and parsley. mix. let sit so that the flavors combine while you cook the noodles to just under al dente.

cool shells and then stuff with mixture.

place in baking dish and cover with tomato sauce (recipe follows). bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through.

tomato sauce
28 oz. crushed tomato
12 oz. tomato puree
5 cloves minced garlic
1 tbs essence
1 tsp italian seasoning
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 c red wine
extra virgin olive oil

in the pan you sauted the mushrooms in, add extra virgin olive oil and saute garlic. add red wine and reduce by half. stir in tomatoes, essence, italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.

ladle over shells before baking.