Tag: pasta

Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens

On this chilly day, we craved a healthy, warming soup. We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015767-chickpea-stew-with-orzo-and-mustard-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It was very tasty and satisfying. Our modifications: first, for the aromatics, we used 1 small fennel bulb, 1 stalk celery, 1 large leek (white part only and in lieu of onion), and two medium carrots. Second, along with the…… Continue reading Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens

Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce

We made these Italian-style turkey meatballs from NYT Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018723-turkey-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Our modifications: first, we doubled the recipe. In the doubled recipe, we also reduced the salt in the meatball mixture to 2 tsp (from 1 Tbsp). Second, to manage sodium in the marinara sauce, we combined 32 oz (4 cups) Rao’s marinara sauce with 16…… Continue reading Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce

Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti

My husband had a craving for stuffed shells, and we settled on spinach and ricotta manicotti. We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/. Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb uncooked manicotti shells, which were the right amount for the spinach ricotta filling. The stuffed shells also fit in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Second, instead…… Continue reading Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti

Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I always imagined it was too complicated to make at home, but we decided to try this recipe from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe. It ingeniously calls for 6 oz each uncooked elbow macaroni, evaporated milk, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Our modifications: first, we doubled…… Continue reading Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese

Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables and smoked tofu (pancit)

I first had pancit during college, when a Filipina-American friend made a huge batch for a potluck. Today we had a craving for a plant-forward version, so we decided to try this recipe: https://www.lifesambrosia.com/grandmas-pancit-recipe/ Unfortunately, we found the seasoning (1 Tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper) too one-note, so we also took some seasoning tips…… Continue reading Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables and smoked tofu (pancit)

Simple baked ziti

We had a craving for baked ziti, but we had limited ingredients in our pantry – 1 lb uncooked ziti, Rao’s marinara sauce, and some cheese. We tried this simple recipe that doesn’t use ricotta cheese or heavy cream: https://asimplepalate.com/blog/easy-baked-ziti/ Our modifications: first, to manage sodium for the 3 cups of tomato sauce, we combined…… Continue reading Simple baked ziti

Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables (sotanghon guisado)

We were in search of a vegetable-heavy Filipino dish, so we tried this wonderful, healthy recipe for sotanghon guisado by Filipino-American food blogger Liza Agbanlog. Although her recipe calls for 2 chicken thighs, we used 6 oz smoked pressed tofu (specifically, Kong Kee brand in a red and white label), patted bone dry, and cut…… Continue reading Filipino sauteed bean thread noodles with vegetables (sotanghon guisado)

Sicilian-style pasta with canned tuna

We craved a quick pasta dish, and we tried this: https://www.recipetineats.com/canned-tuna-pasta/ The capers, anchovies, and garlic remind us of Sicilian cuisine. Our modifications: first, based on our pantry, we used 7 oz mafaldine pasta, two 5-oz cans of no-salt tuna in water (which we drained, saving the tuna liquid separately), 1 tsp anchovy paste instead…… Continue reading Sicilian-style pasta with canned tuna

SkinnyTaste’s Hamburger Helper with minced turkey

My husband and I had a craving for Hamburger Helper from our childhood, but we wanted to make a healthier, scratch version. We tried this SkinnyTaste recipe: https://www.skinnytaste.com/homemade-hamburger-helper/. Our modifications: first, instead of beef, we used 3/4 lb of minced turkey and 1/4 tsp Kashmiri low-heat ground pepper (instead of paprika). We also sopped up…… Continue reading SkinnyTaste’s Hamburger Helper with minced turkey

Sichuan chili sauce for wontons

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At the end of the dumpling potluck, our wonderful hosts sent us home with their own homemade pork and shrimp wontons. Later that evening, we prepared Sichuan chili sauce according to this recipe: https://redhousespice.com/sichuan-spicy-wonton-in-chili-oil/ We used store-bought chili oil, but we supplemented with toasted sesame oil (about a 2:1 ratio of chili oil to sesame).… Continue reading Sichuan chili sauce for wontons