Pages

Sunday, February 13, 2011

In A Food Mood: Valentine's Day Pasta


As I've said before, we always have spaghetti for our "red meal" for Valentine's Day. But I thought today I'd post two homemade pasta dishes in case some of you are in the mood to kick it up a notch.

Valentine's Day Penne Pasta Chicken and Tomato Toss

1 lb penne pasta
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook and drain penne pasta. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes and basil, cook for two minutes. Add chicken, simmer for five minutes. Toss with pasta and cheese. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve with 1-2 pounds of grilled chicken tossed with it.

Sausage Tomato Sauce

1/2 pound italian sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (w/herbs added is best if you can find it)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp honey

Cook italian sausage until meat is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a dutch oven until tender (2-3 minutes). Stir in Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, add sausage, and simmer 40-45 minutes or slightly thickened. Stir in salt and honey. Serve over angel hair pasta or the pasta of your choice.
Pin It!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Marybeth,

I did not see chicken as part of the ingredients. What's the portion I should use? Sounds scrumptious.

Marybeth Whalen said...

Just grill 1-2 pounds of chicken and toss with it. It's really your taste as to how much chicken you want.