Tortellini Soup

 Arrived home after a late meeting and was sure glad I had planned this quick and easy soup.  What could be more satisfying on a cold rainy night than a bowl of hot soup with bread?  This one is so easy that I may have to teach Mark to make it....you know how easy that is Rob!  I used these brie stuffed purses they had at Safeway, they were tasty and fun.

Printable Recipe

Yield: 3-4 servings
 
Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen)
3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.

From Annie's Eats

Farfalle with Tomatoes and Cream

Browsing for ideas for the weeks menus I came across a recipe listed as one of the “best” pasta recipes on Epicurious.  It sounded easy and delicious, but made a lot more than we would have eaten in a week without never wanting to eat it again.  After reading all the comments I adapted the recipe to fit our tastes, cut it in half and lightened it.  When I took the last of the leftovers to work for lunch Mark complained that I’d taken his leftovers, the whole recipe might not have been a bad idea!     

Farfalle with Sausage Tomatoes and Cream

Ingredients:

              1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 pound hot Turkey Italian Sausages, casings removed

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes mashed with a potato masher.   

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)

1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot. Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately. 

Serves 3

 

Adapted by Carol from Epicurious

Here's to a New Year and a New Blog!  Inspired by Annie's Eats I've decided to try blogging about the recipes we love and the new ones I try.  What better time to start than the first day of 2011!

After a week of eating left overs from Christmas, dinners in restaurants and a +500 mile drive home today, I decided take-out food was out! I stopped at the market and purchased a can of oil packed tuna to make one of our new,  easy favorites from last year,  Angel Hair Pasta with Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes and Tuna, forgetting all about the needed 4 cups of cherry tomatoes. I decided to try it with canned from the pantry, only to find I only had a can of Muir Glen Stewed Tomatoes, so stewed tomatoes it was.  Oh well, anything with pepperocini and capers has to be good!

I find pasta to be my favorite fast food when I can assemble the sauce while waiting for the water to boil.  This fills that bill!

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes, Lemon and Tuna

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

2 TBS. EVOO ( I used one with stewed tomatoes)

1 can of tomatoes, or 4 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 large clove of garlic, minced

One 6-oz can light tuna in oil, drained and separated into chunks (I use Spanish, or albacore in water in a pinch)

2 TBS.  minced jarred pepperocini (about 4 medium, seeded and stemmed)

1 TBS.  lightly chopped capers

1 tsp.  fresh lemon juice

1 tsp.  cold unsalted butter

1/2 tsp.  packed, finely grated lemon zest

8 oz.  dried angel hair pasta

3 TBS.  coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat.  Meanwhile, in and 11- to 12 inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add the tomatoes, until the juices start to thicken, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove pan from heat and stir in the tuna, pepperoncini, capers, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and keep it warm while you cook the pasta.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions.  Drain well, arrange in large pasta bowl, toss with sauce and parsley.

Source:  adapted from  fine Cooking