Stephanie's Pasta Soup

 

It's cold again!!!!!! That means I get to make soup!

 

My girlfriend, Stephanie, doesn't cook. That's an important fact.

Well last month she hosted a dinner party at her beautiful home. When I tell you she did the doggone thang in the kitchen! She did that! The lasagna, the bruschetta, the salad....everything was delicious.  One of the dishes she made was Pasta Fagioli Soup (without Fagioli). Everybody kept going back for more. I couldn't get enough of that soup. It was spicy and filling and just plain old good! Traditional fagioli soup has beans(fagioli) but she omitted them. The vegetables and beef and pasta more than made up for the missing beans! This soup was very filling...the kicker? All made in the crockpot...FTW!!!  I scaled it down because I was hoping no one in my house liked it but me! #Greedy

 

Note that this is a soup recipe so you can adjust the flavors and liquids and vegetables to your liking.

 

Stephanie's Pasta Soup

 

What you need:

• 1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• 1 small onion, rough chopped
• 3 carrots, rough chopped
• 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 4 whole garlic cloves
• 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups beef stock (or vegetable stock or chicken stock)
• Tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp pepper
• 3 tsp parsley (I used fresh)
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce (I used the green kind cause that's what I had on hand)
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 4-6 ounces uncooked pasta (elbow macaroni, shells, etc)

 What to do:

• Brown ground beef. Drain fat from beef.
• Add beef along with the other ingredients, EXCEPT the pasta, to the crock pot
• Stir the ingredients to incorporate
• Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours
• During the last 30 minutes on high or 1 hour on low, add the uncooked pasta, stir to incorporate
• Continue to cook until pasta is cooked

 

Cook.Eat.Repeat.

 

Mushroom Sauced Spaghetti

 

I am taking on the task of eating out of my pantry and freezer.  Fall is near and I want to re-up my pantry with fresh items.  I have so much dried pasta in my pantry it is ridiculous!  Every time I'm spending all of my money perusing Big Lots or Tarjay or Marshalls, I pick up a different kind; basil, spinach fettucine, tomato basil, different shapes and sizes...I got'em!  The funny thing is while I love a good pasta dish, we don't really eat a lot of it.

 

 

 

This recipe is a definite Weeknight Winner!  This dish came together in less than thirty minutes.  No special ingredients either, I had everything already in my pantry or fridge: pre-sliced mushrooms, onions and garlic, cream, etc.!

I found the recipe here (such a beautiful site!)  I only made a few small changes:

• I did not use the bouillon (it can be salty)
• I used the pasta water instead
• I ended up using a tablespoon of butter
• I used dried sage
• I garnished the pasta with a bit of Asiago cheese and pepper flakes

Mushroom Sauced Spaghetti

Adapted from:  http://www.mangiodasola.com

What you need:

• 8 oz store-bought fettuccine (I used spaghetti)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (or enough to sautee vegetables)
• 1 small onion (or shallot), chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 oz of fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp of all purpose flour
• 1-2 cups reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp dried sage 
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

What to do:

• Prepare pasta according to package directions, reserving 1-2 cups of the pasta water
• While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and cook onions and garlic until translucent, 3-5 minutes
• Stir in mushrooms, and cook until tender, another 2-3 minutes
• Add the butter, after the butter melts add the flour. This will thicken the sauce.  Stir with the vegetables for about 3-5 minutes
• Mix in the pasta water (more or less depending on the thickness of the sauce) and the heavy cream and sage. Cook and stir until thickened. If too thick, use some pasta water (i.e., the leftover water from the cooked pasta) to thin out the sauce a bit.
• Either mix the sauce with the cooked pasta (like I did) or pour sauce over pasta! 
• Serve immediately.

 Cook.Eat.Repeat.
  

Italian Sausage Risotto

When most people think of comfort food they think chicken pot pie, fried chicken, mac and cheese, etc.  All those are fab choices of course but when I think of comfort food I think Risotto.  I have yet to meet a risotto that I don't like.  Babe calls is "fancy cheese rice" lol.  It may very well be with all its variations and creaminess and yumminess.  LOVE risotto.

I found this recipe by accident actually.  My cousin tried another Giada recipe and I went over to http://www.foodnetwork.com/ to print it and found her Dirty Risotto recipe.  I was all over it!  People always make risotto seem so laborous but to me it is not in my opinion.  Just takes a little patience.

When I make risotto I use homemade stock but canned will do just fine.  I always have dry white wine to cook with but you can definitely substitute it with additional broth/stock. Additionally, I was out of Parm cheese so I used the white cheeses that I had on hand and it was great.

Italian Sausage Risotto
Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/dirty-risotto-recipe/index.html

What You Will Need:

• 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 ounces pancetta or 2 strips of bacon, chopped
• 1 link (about 6 ounces) spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or whatever color you have on hand)
• 4 ounces button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup shredded Romano
• 1/4 cup shredded Asiago
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, optional 

   
What to do:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat. Or heat in the microwave as needed
• In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and sausage and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. 
• Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
• Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth and stir until almost completely absorbed.
• Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses.
• Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.