Pasta night can get boring pretty quickly when you make the same recipe each week. Take advantage of pasta’s quick cooking time and try to spruce up your dinners by adding seasonal veggies, shrimp, crab meat, and all types of cheese. Meat-lovers and vegetarians are all going to love these recipes. Also, no ingredient is off-limits and we promise that you won’t regret it. You’ll also learn to make your own sauce so keep on reading to try out these various pasta recipes and get set cooking!
- Shrimp Pasta
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. linguine or Pasta of your choice
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
- 1 red chilli, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
- 12 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- 1 lb. medium peeled and deveined shrimp
- 2 anchovies, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp.olive oil
- 1/4 c. green pitted olives, roughly chopped (about 8)
- 1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley, hopped
- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
Instructions:
- Cook pasta as per package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta stock and drain the remainder
- Return to pot and toss with lemon zest, juice, and chilli
- Heat broiler. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes, shrimp, and anchovies with 1 tablespoon oil
- Now, broil for up to 5 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes burst and shrimp are opaque throughout
- Transfer to pasta pot (along with with with with any pan juices) olives, parsley, parmesan, and remaining tablespoons of oil
- Toss to combine (adding some reserved cooking liquid if the pasta seems dry)
2. Lemon Chicken Pea Gemelli
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ pieces
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
- 4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 12 oz. Gemelli or other short pasta
- 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 c. peas, thawed if frozen
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped tarragon
Instructions:
- Warm oil in a large deep skillet on medium-high heat
- Season chicken with 1⁄4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a large bowl
- Add lemon juice to the pan, scraping up the brown bits, then pour over chicken in the bowl
- Add the broth and pasta to the skillet and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes
- Return chicken (and any juices) to the skillet and continue to cook for up to about 3 minutes until pasta is just tender
- Add the cream cheese, stirring to melt, then fold in the peas, lemon zest, parmesan and tarragon
Your pasta is now ready!
3. Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 16 oz. spaghetti
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. ground meat
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup basil, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Chopped freshparsley, for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, drain and set aside
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil
- Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes
- Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more
- Add ground meat, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, and cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes
- Drain fat in a bowl lined with paper towels and return to pan
- Pour in crushed tomatoes and basil and simmer until slightly reduced about 10 minutes
- Season with more salt and pepper to taste
- Toss with spaghetti, then transfer to a baking dish and top with mozzarella and parmesan
- Bake until cheese is melted and pasta is warmed through, about 20 minutes
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Make these delicious pasta recipes at the comfort of your home and buy all the ingredients at Nature’s Basket store now!
