Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Ricotta Cheese

Pasta con Salsa e Ricotta

This dish is tasty and so easy to make. I learned this recipe from my lovely grandma Graziella, who always enjoyed cooking healthy and funny meals for her little grandchildren. My kids love it.

Preparation time: about 5 minutes

Cooking time: about 35 minutes
Class: economy, healthy

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 can Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 14 ounces (400 grams)
Salt, about ½ teaspoon + 1 tablespoon
Pepper to taste
8 cups (2 liters) water
½ pound (approximately 250 grams) penne rigate pasta
½ pound (220 grams) ricotta cheese
2 ounces (50 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté. Add the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomato sauce. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
2.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the tomato sauce. Let cook together for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese and mix well.
3.        Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each serving of pasta and serve immediately.

Notes:

·         You can use other kinds of Italian pasta in place of the penne rigate.

 

Pasta with Carrots and Cheese cream

                           Pasta con crema di Carote e Formaggio
Hello! After a short break here I am!
Did you know there are dozens of different pasta shapes in Italy? Well, for this recipe I use Casarecce because this kind of pasta shape retains the sauce and the dish that comes out is amazing good! Although for us it represents a first course, you can serve it as a main dish because it is complete, it has a bit of everything— carbohydrates, protein, vegetables. Buon appetito!

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: about 15 minutes
Class: economy, healthy

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
5-6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
A bunch of sage leaves
3 oz. (80 g) cream cheese
½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
Salt, about  ½ tsp. + 1 tbsp.
8 cups (2 L) water
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) Casarecce pasta
 
Method:
1.     Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallot and sauté. Add the carrots and sage, cover and let cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
2.     Then remove from the pan about 3 tbsp. of carrots to use as garnish and set aside. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream and ½ tsp. of salt to the pan; mix well and let cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cream cheese melts. At this point, with an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients, reducing them to a thick puree. Then, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.     Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. of salt. Add the pasta and boil, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the carrots and cheese cream. Let cook together another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, add the reserved carrots and mix well. Serve immediately.

 

 

Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin cream

Pasta con Funghi e Crema di Zucca

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 40 minutes

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb. (250g) champignon mushrooms, sliced
½ lb. (250g) finely chopped pumpkin
Salt, about 1 tsp. + 1 tbsp.
1 cup (250 ml) white wine
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
Water, about 8 cups (2 L)
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) sedani rigati pasta
Black pepper to taste

Method:

1.        In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and slightly sauté. Add the mushrooms, pumpkin, 1 tsp. salt and white wine. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the liquid has reduced. Stir occasionally.
2.        Add the heavy cream and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese to the sauce, and mix well. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the mushrooms and pumpkin cream. Mix well and let cook together another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Notes:
·         You can use scialatielli, penne, or cortecce pasta in place of the sedani rigati.
·         You can use other kinds of fresh and tasty mushrooms in place of the champignon.

 

Pasta with Amatriciana Sauce

Pasta all’Amatriciana

This is one of our most popular dish. Although it takes its name from Amatrice, a small town of Lazio region, today it is commonly associated with the city of Rome. But it’s also on the menu of all Italian restaurants. Bucatini is the traditional pasta for Amatriciana sauce, but sometimes I prefer to use penne or thick spaghetti, which is easier to eat. ....by the way...it is a recipe of my book Perfectly Pasta!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 40–50 minutes

Serves 4–5

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
¼ pound (110 grams) bacon, diced
3 cans Italian peeled tomatoes, approximately 14 ounces (400 grams) each, mashed with a fork
Salt, about 1½ teaspoons + 1½ tablespoons
Pepper to taste
Water, about 10 cups (2½ liters)
1 pound (450 grams) bucatini pasta
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about ½ cup (120 milliliters)

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently. Add the bacon and let cook until crisp.
2.        Add the tomatoes, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring often, and add a little bit of water if the sauce starts to stick to the pan. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.        When the sauce is cooked, bring 10 cups (2½ liters) water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1½ tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add most (about ¾) of the sauce and mix well.
4.        Spoon the remaining sauce on top of each serving of pasta. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese.

Notes:

·         You can use other kinds of Italian pasta, like penne or rigatoni, in place of the bucatini.
·         Some people like to use Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese instead of the Pecorino Romano.