Monthly Archives: October 2016

One pot pasta-National Pasta day (two days day late)

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Martha Stewart has a pretty similar version of this. B*tch stole my idea….jk her recipe is a classic, but I like to add in more garlic, some lemon and butter. Adding cold butter to pasta at the very end adds in a ton of richness and makes the pasta shine a little bit. Plus, a Martha inspired recipe with a touch of Paula Deen–can’t diaBETE it. Also, my fata$s didn’t snap a pic of the finished product, but I did get pics of a cute babe trying to eat the uncooked version…UPDATE…found a pic, but it’s not pretty so it’s at the end 🙂 img_3649

This recipe will EASILY feed four, if not more!

  • ¾ package whole wheat linguine (approximately 12oz)
  • ½ white onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 10 large basil leaves, chopped
  • 3 small lemon slices, no seeds
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 4 ½ cups water
  • 2 tbs. olive oil
  • 1 tbs. COLD butter
  • Parmesan to your preference
  • Salt and pepper to your preference

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In a large saute pan (I use this all, All-Clad stainless steel pan), put pasta down first, followed by all of the ingredients besides the last three (butter, parm and seasoning). Martha Stewart’s recipe says to use a straight edged pan, but the woman spent some time in the slammer, so she might be lying. I had a large, straight edged pan, so I used it, but just use a pan that can fit the noodles flat. I like to go ahead and put in a bit of salt at this time to season the water/oil more. Bring the ingredients to a boil, and once it boils, start stirring or tossing all the ingredients together in the pan. Once the pasta mixture boils, it should take about 10 minutes to cook, and the water/oil combo will turn into its own sauce. At the end, toss in the cold butter and some parmesan and season to taste. I threw in the rest of the mozzarella pearls from the meatballs I had made, so it was super cheesy. I personally think it tastes better with white pasta, but in an attempt to be less fat, I used wheat noodles. Also, mice ate through all my boxes of white pasta last week so I only had wheat linguine. Add some fresh chopped basil if you please!

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Balls… My Favorite Pork & Chicken Meatballs

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My Favorite Pork & Chicken Meatballs

  • 1 lb. ground spicy Italian sausage
  • 1 lb. ground regular Italian sausage
  • 1 lb. ground chicken breast
  • 3 large eggs
  • Handful of fresh basil
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • ½. C. grated Parmesan
  • ½ panko breadcrumbs (Italian if they have it)

Mix together the three meats until well combined. Blend the next 4  ingredients together in a Vitamix or MagicBullet (this saves the step of having to chop the basil and garlic and whisk with the eggs and oil). You can always do it all by hand, if you’re a masochist. Add the liquid and the cheese and breadcrumbs to the meat and combine it all together. Let it chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Once the mixture has combined, roll into the ball size of your choice. Hehe. But for real, a the size of a golf ball is perfect . I like to bake at 400 degrees  for 20-25 minutes. If you’re going to add them to tomato sauce (recipe to follow in upcoming post), cook 15 minutes, then let them simmer in sauce for another 20!

If you want them to be kid friendly, sub in more mild Italian sausage or ground beef to avoid the spicy!

**Another variation is to stuff the meatballs with pearl mozzarella balls. Bake for the same amount of time!

a close up of my balls

a close up of my balls

One pot pasta recipe will be up tomorrow…here’s a sneak peek!

one pot pasta--tomorrow on the blog!

one pot pasta–tomorrow on the blog!