Italian Food

Spaghetti With Sun Dried Tomatoes

February 16, 2018 by Marisa 56 Comments

A simple yet delicious dish, Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes comes together in just under 30 minutes. It makes an ideal meal that’s perfect for busy week nights. But, also elegant enough for those special occasions.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

I turn to this sun dried tomato pasta dish over and over again to satisfy a quick carbohydrate fix.

All you’ll need are a few simple pantry ingredients to transform into a last minute meal that you can prepare in less time than it takes to cook the spaghetti.

You’ll want to start by bringing a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Once the pasta water has come to a boil, add in the salt followed by your pasta into the salted water.

While the pasta cooks, it’s time to start the quick sun dried tomato sauce!

And this pasta sauce simply consists of a quick sauté of some minced garlic, dried chilli peppers, chopped sun dried tomatoes. Then it’s tossed with the cooked and drained pasta.

A generous sprinkle of Parmesan love and parsley is all that’s needed to finish the pasta dish.

You’ll find it super easy to put together and packs a load of flavour!

It’s simple and yet elegant enough that you can present it as a gourmet meal!

Paired with a salad, you’ll have a complete meal in just under 30 minutes making it ideal for those hectic weeknights when your juggling chores and the kids homework.

Other use for sun dried tomatoes

Sun dried tomatoes are one of my all time favourite pantry condiment because of their sweet concentrated flavours and I always keep a jar around to enjoy all year round.

There are endless possibilities for oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Here are some of mine!

Spread some goat cheese over crostini and top each with a sun dried tomato to serve as appetizers
They’re also wonderful to use as a topping for focaccia bread
Or simply layer them in your panini for extra flavour

Of course it goes without saying and I probably am starting to sound like a broken record but with so few ingredients in this pasta dish, a good quality extra-virgin olive oil is always essential!

Go ahead and make some Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes tonight, I’m sure you’ll love it!

Buon Appetito !

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Spaghetti With Sun Dried Tomatoes

A simple yet delicious dish, Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes comes together in under 30 minutes making it an ideal meal that is perfect for busy week nights but also elegant enough for special occasions.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: supper

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 30 minute meal, pasta, Spaghetti, sundried tomatoes

Servings: to 6

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

454 grams of spaghetti
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper to your taste
1 ½ cups oil packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Fill a large sauce pan with cold water, bring to a boil and then add in the salt and spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions or until al dente.
A few minutes before the spaghetti is ready, add the oil in a large pan and heat on low.
Add the minced garlic, the chili flakes, salt and pepper to your taste and cook on low heat for about 3 minutes while stirring frequently taking care not to burn the garlic.
Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes just until heated through and then remove from the heat.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sun-dried tomatoes.
Toss the pasta to coat all over with the sauce.
Add the parsley and then transfer to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve while still warm.

Nutrition

Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti

September 1, 2017 by Marisa 18 Comments

Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti is a typical Roman style dish and literally translates to cheese and pepper.

It is Italy’s equivalence to our mac and cheese without the addition of cream. A rather humble dish with a small supporting cast and which Romans have been making for quite some time. This dish dates way back to the Roman Empire.

Much as the name implies, this dish consists of very few ingredients. Cheese…as in lots of cheese, pepper and of course spaghetti.

Although not overly complicated to prepare, the cheese sauce does require some practice so as it doesn’t coagulate into soft clumpy strands. Mind you, even if it does it is still quite yummy!

How to make perfect Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti

In order to achieve a creamy smooth consistency and have each strand of pasta delicately coated with cheesy goodness, work with good quality room temperature cheese and not one straight from the freezer or fridge.

You’ll also want to have both cheeses finely grated in a heat proof bowl.

Then, simply toss together with some freshly cracked black pepper. Have this ready and waiting for its first ladle of slightly cooled starchy pasta water.

You’ll have a delicate and creamy sauce ready to be tossed with spaghetti in no time at all.

I served up this spaghetti dish with oven roasted cherry tomatoes and some crusty bread with a crispy side salad. It’s absolutely delicious!

Also, it makes a quick and easy just about anytime meal that is ready in under 30 minutes!

Buon Appetito!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti

A quick and easy yet flavorful pasta dish utilizing a few good quality ingredients. Italy's version of an ever popular mac and cheese.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
freshly cracked black pepper to your taste
454 grams Spaghetti

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Salt the boiling water and add in the spaghetti. (use less salt then you would normally because we are adding the pasta water to the cheeses which are salty on their own)
Cook while stirring occasionally so that the spaghetti does not stick together and remove 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time.
Reserve 2 cups of pasta water and set aside to cool slightly. (You'll probable not need all 2 cups)
Meanwhile heat up a large skillet over medium heat and toast a generous amount of freshly cracked coarse black pepper for about 30 seconds, stirring often.
Add in a ladle of pasta water and let this simmer to infuse the pasta water with the freshly ground pepper for another 30 seconds then remove the pan from the heat.
Toss in the drained spaghetti.
Place both cheeses in a medium sized bowl and whisk in a ladle of reserved and slightly cooled pasta water to form a sauce.
Quickly pour the cheese mixture over the spaghetti while stirring vigorously and add in an additional ladle of pasta water.
Stir well and if the spaghetti seem a little dry, add more pasta water, continuing to stir just until the cheeses have melted and a creamy sauce is obtained while generously coating the pasta.
Plate and serve with additional cracked black pepper, grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Check out these other quick and easy spaghetti dishes for busy weeknights.

Quinoa Gnocchi Alla Romana

May 23, 2017 by Marisa 26 Comments

Quinoa Gnocchi alla Romana is a Roman style dish with a little twist and a truly satisfying ultimate comfort food. One of those easy to prepare meals with few ingredients that requires minimum fuss and packs lots of flavor. Served as either an entreé or a first course meal, it is sure to impress.

These roman style gnocchi are made with semolina, a durum wheat flour and very much different from the more popular potato gnocchi but equally delicious.

Simmered in milk till a porridge like consistency and flavored with a few simple ingredients such as butter and Parmesan cheese with an egg yolk for some added richness and of course…that little twist I mentioned being quinoa!

Quinoa, better known as the mother of all grains and a nutritional powerhouse has a chewy texture once cooked and is nutty in taste. There is much to love about this protein packed super food!

These cutesy little grains of white, red and black hues add a visual appeal and elevates this rather simple dish and I could not resist adding them to one of my favorite dishes.

The cooked quinoa is stirred into the semolina mixture along with the butter, cheese, egg yolk and then spread out to a half inch thick layer.

Although I used a 2 inch cookie cutter to shape the disks, alternately a drinking glass would also work. Or simply get creative with any shape you prefer.

You can really go to town here using lots of cheese and if I may say so, the more… the better it is!

A bit of time under the broiler and these delicious gnocchi develop crispy golden brown edges with pillowy soft centers.

Serve with a light drizzle of your finest extra virgin olive oil and garnished with some parsley sprigs for extra love.

Simple, satisfying and so delicious!!

Buon appetito!

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Quinoa Gnocchi Alla Romana

Quinoa Gnocchi alla Romana is a Roman style dish with a little twist and a truly satisfying ultimate comfort food.

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: -6

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

1/4 cup quinoa I used a tri-color mix of white, red and black
3 cups whole milk
1 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 melted tablespoon for topping
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for topping
1 egg yolk beaten

Instructions

Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
Rinse the quinoa with cold water.
Place the quinoa in a small pot filled with 2/3 cup of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and let simmer uncovered until all the water is absorbed and set aside til ready to use.
Whisk together the milk, semolina flour and the salt in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and bubbles over for about 6 to 8 minutes while stirring constantly.
Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and the beaten egg yolk.
Transfer the gnocchi mixture to your prepared baking sheet, spreading it out to about a 1/2 inch thick layer.
Chill uncovered for 1 hour or until very firm.
Butter a 10 inch round or oval shaped baking dish.
Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter or the top of a drinking glass, cut out round shaped circles from the firm gnocchi mixture.
Arrange the slices in the baking dish while slightly overlapping them.
Brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the gnocchi and sprinkle with a 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
Place the prepared gnocchi dish in the oven, on the middle rack and broil for about 8 minutes just until they have heated through and have a golden brown crust.

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

May 6, 2017 by Marisa 22 Comments

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives, a quick and tasty dish utilizing a few pantry staples such as canned sardines and dried pasta. Fresh bread crumbs are toasted til golden brown and then tossed with some snipped chives lending a delicate and subtle onion taste which doesn’t overpower but rather enhances this simple pasta dish.

Pasta con le sardine or rather Pasta with sardines is a classic Sicilian pasta dish. Most notably made with wild fennel, raisins and also anchovies. Sometimes pine nuts are also thrown in the mix.

My version here is a little spin-off from the more traditional one and inspired from Food Bloggers of Canada recipe round-up featuring chives.

I put this rather delicate herb to work by snipping off a few strands and tossing it with my homemade toasted breadcrumbs which I then used in my Sardine Spaghetti with Chives recipe.

It imparted such freshness and flavour to this simple pasta dish and was devoured in no time at all!

Being a convenient source of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin D are really great reasons to include canned sardines in our diet. And, also not to mention how fairly inexpensive the canned variety really is and so versatile!

Although they aren’t extremely bony, you may want to remove the fish bones if you’re squeamish about them. Parting the underside of the sardines to open them up and gently removing the fish bones with a small fork or knife will quickly do the trick.

Under 30 Minute Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Coupled with the fact that sardines are so nutritious, they’re readily available year round making mealtime a breeze.

Start with a large stock pot filled with cold water. While the water comes to a roaring boil prep your ingredients both for the bread crumbs and quick sauce with sardines.

With this in mind you should basically have your meal ready in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta.

Then simply plate and serve with a light drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil, topped with the reserved bread crumbs and garnished with fresh chives.

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives is an exceptionally easy dish with minimum preparation!

If you love this recipe you may also enjoy my Penne Rigate With Tomato Tuna Sauce featuring canned tuna.

Buon Appetito!

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Sardine Spaghetti with Chives, a quick and tasty dish utilizing a few pantry staples such as canned sardines and dried pasta.

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Sardine Spaghetti with Chives

Servings: to 6

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

FRESH BREAD CRUMBS
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
PASTA
454 grams spaghetti
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
2 generous pinches of red chili flakes
3 cans of sardines packed in oil 120 grams each I cut the under side to open them and removed the fish bones
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil,
Salt the water and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
Meanwhile prepare the bread crumbs by heating 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.
Add in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper and toast the crumbs, while stirring often, til they have browned.
Once browned, remove from heat and stir in the chopped fresh chives.
Transfer the toasted bread crumbs to a plate and set aside.
Using the same skillet (wiped clean), heat the 1/3 cup of oil over medium low heat.
Add in the minced garlic with the chili flakes, salt and pepper and heat till fragrant for 1 minute.
Stir in the sardines and sautè for 2 minutes, taking care not to break up the sardines over much.
Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Add the cooked pasta to the sardine mixture with a little of the pasta water and toss well.
If pasta seems a little dry, go ahead and add a little more pasta water.
Toss with 1 cup of the toasted bread crumb and chive mixture.
Plate the pasta and garnish with remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumb and chive mixture.

Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce

August 23, 2016 by Marisa 34 Comments

These Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce are truly remarkable! If you are a seafood lover then you will certainly adore this recipe!

For one, it’s really rather simple to put together and can easily be made on any week night. Yet, so impressive and elegant enough to serve on weekends for that special person in your life. They do say that mussels are an aphrodisiac after all!

My hubby is not a finicky eater except when it comes to mussels and linguine with this spicy tomato fennel sauce. Then he can get quite specific as he prefers the sauce thick and chunky allowing the mussels to cradle all that delicious goodness in its’ shell.

Tomatoes and fennel pair wonderfully together in this dish. Also, the crushed pepper flakes lends a lovely contrast to the sweet fennel and might I add, a splash of white wine makes the whole dish livelier.

Being more affordable then other shellfish, mussels are very rich in protein and contain a lot of mineral nutrients. They also have far less fat and a 1/4 of the calories of beef making them a healthier choice.

Mussels prepared this way are really quite tasty on their own, especially when served with fresh crusty bread to mop up all the juices. I love to compliment them by serving them up with Linguine. They are so delicious and I know you will love them too!

Buon Appetito Amici!

*Tips on Buying and Cleaning Mussels:

When buying mussels, look for bright undamaged and closed shells. Stay clear of mussels that have dry shells as that is an indication of a dying mussel.

Mussels are fairly easy to clean. Simply place mussels in a bowl and fill with cold water.
Let them soak for 20 minutes. Soaking them helps the mussels to release the nitty gritty sand stuck inside the shell.
Clean the outer shell by scrubbing with a firm brush.
Pull out the beards by holding the mussel in one hand while using the other (with a small cloth) to pull the beard down towards the hinge part of the shell. Alternately, you may also use scissors to cut off the beards.

When cleaning mussels discard any that have broken or cracked shells or any mussels that do not close when tapped on a hard surface.

Also as a general rule, if any mussels do not open once cooked, I discard those as well.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce

Mussels Linguine with Tomato Fennel Sauce.The mussels are smothered in a spicy, chunky tomato fennel sauce. Easy and delicious for any day of the week.

Course: Pasta, Seafood

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: fennel sauce, linguine, mussels, tomatoe sauce

Servings:

Author: Marisa

Ingredients

2 pounds mussels scrubbed clean *(see tips)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced fennel 1/2 half medium sized fennel bulb
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced carrots 1 medium sized carrot
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed chili pepper
1/2 cup white wine
24 ounce jar Passata strained, crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large sprigs of fresh basil or a handful of chopped basil
454 grams Linguine

Instructions

Tomato Fennel Sauce
In a sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat.
Add in the fennel, onions, carrots, minced garlic and crushed chili pepper.
Sauté for about 6 minutes or just until the fennel and onions are translucent and soft.
Stir often taking care not to burn the garlic.
Add the white wine and passata (strained, crushed tomato) with 2 cups of cold water to the vegetable mixture. Stir well.
Add in the salt, pepper and basil. stirring well.
Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let the sauce simmer till thickened for about 40 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.
When the water has reached a roaring boil, salt the water and toss in the linguine, stirring well.
Cook according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, add the cleaned mussels to the tomato fennel sauce. Cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes. By this time your pasta should be ready. (Time it so that the linguine and sauce are ready at the same time.)
When the pasta is cooked, drain well and transfer to a serving bowl.
Top the linguine with the mussel, tomato fennel sauce.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Serve while still warm.

« Previous Page