Quickie Italian – Part 3

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Quickie Italian

Quickie Italian

Ingredients:

Creamy Basil Alfredo Sauce

Jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained

Leftover Roasted Garlic Cloves, smooshed, and use as many as you like

Sun Dried Tomatoes, as many as you like

A Good Bread, Butter, and Cheese

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Just place the contents of the jar into a sauce pan on a medium heat, add the drained jar of marinated artichoke hearts, and as many of the roasted garlic cloves you desire, and then just let it come to a nice simmering boil. Turn the heat down a few notches once it starts to boil. I Julie, love a nice thick sauce so I will allow it to simmer away until it becomes as thick as I like. Keep stirring the pot regularly so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom. And just keep turning it down to lower settings. When done to your liking, just keep it on low, or warm until you are ready to eat.

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In the Meantime…..

Bread and Butter

The Bread is a Tribeca Oven Asiago Cheese Loaf

The Butter is a Garlic Parmesan Basil, that I bought from Sprouts

All I did was to turn the oven on 350F.

On a foil lined sheet pan I placed the two halves of the bread, that I sliced into. Then buttered both sides.

I then grated some Romano Cheese on each slice. I also did a sprinkling of Paprika.

Into the oven they go. 8-10 minutes on 350F.

Then turn off the oven and broil until a bit brown.

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When ready you can place this great sauce onto some pasta, with some of the great bread from above. You can also add a salad to make it the perfect meal.

Don’t forget, you can also make a sandwich of it!

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Peachy, Beigey Pasta

I Julie, am known for mixing different pastas together to create a meal. I just started pulling out ingredients from the pantry one day and that’s when I noticed that it’s all got this great peachy/red/beigey color to everything. So….

..I decided to throw it all together, and here we are!

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Ingredients:

Red Lintel Penne Pasta

Chickpea Spaghetti Noodles

Rosa Alfredo Sauce

Various Italian Spices

A Good Bread, and Lots of Herbs

Garnish: Crispy Harvest Snaps

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Just Heating Up The Sauce..

If you like you can grind some Black Pepper, or add a few dashes of your favorite Hot Sauce. Perhaps even add some Chili Powder or Cayenne. Make it as hot or as mild as you like!

To thicken the sauce simply allow it to simmer away on a medium-low heat, while stirring occasionally. When it is as thick as you like, then it is done.

Cooking The Pastas….

Draining the Pastas…

Plating The Pastas….

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My Herb Bread

This is a favorite bread of mine that we buy often. I place it on a foil lined sheet pan, slice the bread without cutting through to the bottom, smear it with a butter or margarine all over it. Place into a 350F oven for about 8 minutes. Then turn off the heat and broil until a nice brown color. That’s when I inserted fresh herbs all between the slices. Then serve with your delicious pasta dinner.

Topped With Some Fresh Herbs and Some Harvest Snaps

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My “V” Pasta

(And I’m not going to tell you why I am calling it that.) 🙂

This was so delicious! I loved it!

However at 2:00 a.m. it decided to emerge from my body via my mouth.

O.K.! I threw it up which is why I am calling this my V Pasta. V is for Vomit!

I believe that the cheese that I used was bad and that is why I got sick. BUT, it was sooooo good until that happened, which is why I am so happy to give you the recipe. (I know how excited you are now.) 🙂

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I basically took a Vodka Sauce and added some Sundried Tomatoes packed in Olive Oil.

I also made sure that I added some of the Olive Oil to the sauce. I allowed it to simmer until it got a bit thick.

In the meantime I cooked some Shell Pasta until Ad Dente…

..then scooped it out of the boiling water and added it to the sauce.

Grate some cheese, add some toasted bread….. Superb!

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Julie’s Mystery Pasta

(Because I can’t remember what I did here.) 🙂

But, It Does Look Good, Doesn’t It?

Actually, I do believe I know what I did. I used a Creamy Basil Sauce and added some of my favorite Marinated Artichoke Hearts. Also, the marinade from the jar. I’m sure that I added some Freshly Ground Black Pepper, and some Garlic Salt. I allowed the sauce to simmer away until it got a bit thick. In the meantime, I cooked some Spaghetti Pasta until Al Dente. And then combine! Add some fresh Basil and enjoy!

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Easy Basil Pesto/Sun Dried Tomato Penne Pasta Dinner

I admit it needs some color here, as in a salad or fresh herbs. But, this recipe was about using what is already in your pantry, also most people always have loaf bread at the ready.

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Turning Loaf Bread Into Great Bread

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But First:

I was shopping at Sprouts when I saw this Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto packet. Needless to say, I bought a few. It looked like an easy way to make weeknight Italian on a busy schedule. I also bought some of Sprouts Organic Penne Rigate Durum Wheat Pasta.

I simply followed the package instructions….

Boiled the Pasta….

Drained the Pasta….

Added the Sweet Basil Pesto Sauce to the Cooked Pasta….

I then decided to add this great Cucina and Amore Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta as well…

Mixing Together..

Now Let’s Grate Plenty of Cheeses Over Top

I’m using Parmesan and Romano, as much as I like!

I Then Sprinkled Some Italian Bread Crumbs In

And, some more Cheese…

Leftovers going into the refrigerator for lunches.

If you need to freshen the pasta up because it is a bit dry, just add a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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I do write above about how I grew up eating regular loaf bread as an accompaniment to our weekly spaghetti dinners.

I am featuring it here because it is something that most people have on hand in every kitchen. Therefore, when in need of a nice bread for any Italian of your choice, here is a substitute.