Twenty Minute Tuesday - Bruschetta Pasta with Balsamic Reduction

When the Hubs and I were still dating, we went out with some friends for dinner at TGI Fridays. I remember ordering a pasta dish that was tossed with bruschetta, topped with grilled chicken, and drizzled with a thick syrupy balsamic reduction. It was delicious! As I ate I kept telling myself, "I could recreate this at home, it would be so easy". Since that night we've perfected the dish and it has become a regular in our spring and summer meal rotation.

This dish is so easy that you can have it all done in the time it takes to cook the pasta, perfect for Twenty Minute Tuesday. It is also a great dish to use when teaching someone to cook. My 6 year old loves to help me make it.

Bruschetta Pasta with Balsamic Reduction
Serves 4
1/2 lb of pasta (thin spaghetti or angel hair works great for this particular dish)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/3 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

 Fill a 4 quart saucepan 1/2 to 2/3 full of water.  Generously salt the water (it should taste like the sea).  Bring the water to a boil, and add pasta.  Cook according to package directions.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and simmer until it becomes a syrupy, sweet reduction. remove from heat and set aside. 

While the pasta is cooking, open the tomatoes and drain off most of the liquid.  In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.

When pasta is al dente, drain it and toss it into the bruschetta.  Serve immediately.

When serving, drizzle each portion with the reduced balsamic vinegar, and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*This dish is also delicious topped with grilled chicken, shrimp, or portobello mushrooms.

Lemon, Tomato, and Feta Pasta - Twenty Minute Tuesday

I love having a few recipes in our menu plan that take no time at all to put together. Something that takes twenty minutes or less, it usually means it'll be pasta, but there are so many options that pasta never seems to get boring.  I also love that the ingredients are always in my pantry or refrigerator so I don't have to shop at all, it makes it great for those "just need to get to payday" days, we all know we have them, and it helps to have a plan.  Next time you find yourself in need of a quick meal give this one a try, both of my girls gave it two thumbs up.

Lemon, Tomato, and Feta Pasta
Serves 4
1 lb curly pasta, such as rotini or fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
Juice of 1 lemon
6 ozs feta cheese, crumbled


Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and stir a few times to ensure that the pasta does not stick to itself.  Cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion in the oil until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes bubble vigorously, about 4 minutes.  Season with cayenne, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice.

Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce and feta in a serving bowl.  Serve immediately.

Pasta with Ham and Ricotta

Easter dinner included a beautiful spiral sliced ham, and with it came some wonderful leftovers. When using up those leftovers we tend to always do the same recipes over and over again. Stepping out of the kitchen "comfort zone" can be a bit hard for a couple of our family members. So, when it was pasta night, I went to my "go to" recipe and realized I didn't have all of the ingredients, oops. Luckily I had everything for the second best one.

When I placed it on the table my youngest started to cry (she was extremely tired and everything triggered a meltdown).  I asked her to just give it a try and she continued to cry.  I turned my back for just a minute and she was asking for another helping.  It was a hit!

I made a few substitutions to make it a little "healthier", although how can you really make pasta healthy.  We substituted pasta water in the sauce for the cream, making it a lighter sauce that didn't coat the pasta as well, but saved us quite a few calories too.   You could substitute the peas for broccoli, or asparagus, or whatever veggie you like.  It is pretty versatile, which is great for picky eaters. 

Pasta with Ham and Ricotta
Serves 5-6

1 lb pasta of your choice
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup diced ham
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup pasta water

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water.  Mario Batali always says,"It should taste like the sea". 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the ricotta, ham, green onions, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cheese.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until the cheese melts.  Add frozen peas and continue to cook another 2 minutes.

Add the pasta water (water the pasta is being cooked in) and stir to combine.  Drain the pasta and toss it into the sauce.  Serve garnished with additional Parmesan cheese.

Smoky Almond Pesto

I'm really not even sure where to begin with this recipe.  I had a bunch of basil that needed to be used before it went bad, and my first thought was pesto.  I hadn't made pesto in a while and my girls usually eat it pretty well.  So, when I came across this recipe I knew I had to give it a try, and lucky for me I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen :)  I love when the stars align and that just works out.  

The smells that came from my food processor while making this pesto were really amazing!  I knew it would be a big hit with the family.  We simply tossed it with some cooked pasta, topped with cheese (the girls chose fresh Parmesan and I chose feta) and some oven roasted grape tomatoes.  Absolutely delicious!  My kids were a bit hesitant at first, but after one bite, each one ate 3 servings.  Everyone loved it.

 

Smoky Almond Pesto
1 lb pasta, any shape
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup Smokehouse Almonds
1 small bunch of basil leaves (about 2 cups) washed, and dried
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large post of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and stir a few times to ensure that the pasta does not stick to itself.  Boil vigorously for the time recommended on the pasta package or until the pasta is tender.
While the pasta cooks, finely chope the garlic, almonds, and basil with a knife or in a food processor or blender.  Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and stir in the oil, cheese, salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta and toss it in the bowl with the pesto.

Makes 4 servings


Oven roasted grape tomatoes
1 medium clamshell of grape tomatoes, washed and dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Toss tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper in a 9x13 pan.  Bake for 25-30 min.  Tomatoes will burst and slightly darken.  Top your pasta with tomatoes and enjoy.