Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook pasta al dente. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water for sauce, if needed.
Meanwhile in a blender, combine cottage cheese through salt, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large skillet and bring to a light simmer, stirring occasionally.
Once pasta is al dente, drain, reserving 1/2 c. pasta water, and add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water to thin, a few Tablespoons at a time, as necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 TBSP unsalted butter
8 oz. (or more to taste) brown mushrooms (mini portabellas, cremini), halved
2 large shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves , minced
4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 TBSP flour
3 c. chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. orzo pasta
3-4 c. (or more to taste) baby spinach
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
Add mushrooms and shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Stir in chicken stock and Dijon, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in orzo; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in spinach, Parmesan and heavy cream until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered, optional
2 TBSP capers
3/4 c. Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 lb. angel hair pasta
Salt and sugar, to taste
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Cook pasta al dente according to package.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep sauté pan. When the oil is hot, saute the onions until they’re soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, stir in the chopped anchovies along with some of the oil from the can; then add the finely chopped garlic and cook another minute.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, chili pepper flakes, artichoke hearts, olives, and capers. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then lower the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and sugar, if desired.
Stir the parsley into the pasta sauce. Add some pasta water into the sauce to thin it if it has become too thick.
Israeli couscous has become a family favorite, so I subbed the quinoa for the Israeli couscous. You could also use bulgar, farro, couscous, etc.
Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.
Ingredients:
CouscousSalad
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. Israeli couscous
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 English cucumber, diced
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/2 c. packed fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c. loosely-packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 c. roasted salted pistachios, chopped
1/2 c. (2oz) crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mixed lettuce
Lemon Dressing
1/2 c. lemon juice (about 2-4 lemons)
1/2 c. olive oil
1 TBSP honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Lemon Dressing: Add ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid, or small bowl, then shake or whisk to combine.
Couscous: Add water, salt, and olive oil to sauce pan and over medium high heat bring to a boil; once boiling, add the couscous and stir; then cover the sauce pan and lower the heat to simmer; simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer cooked couscous to a bowl.
Add dressing: Add about 1/8 c. of dressing to the slightly warm couscous and toss well to combine. Set aside (or refrigerate) to cool completely.
Salad: Add couscous to a large mixing bowl then add chickpeas through mint, and toss to combine. Add about 1/3 of the dressing and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve: Add mixed lettuce greens to a plate, top with a generous scoop of the couscous salad; sprinkle the pistachios and feta on top and drizzle with dressing.
If you want a more hearty couscous side (pictured above), double the couscous (olive oil, shallots, lemons, couscous, and water/stock) and the dressing.
Recipe adapted from No Spoon Necessary.
Ingredients:
Couscous
2 ½ TBSP olive oil
2 medium shallots – finely diced (about 1/3 heaping cup)
2 large lemons, zested & juiced (1/4 cup juice) (1 TBSP & ½ tsp zest – DIVIDED)
½ c. fresh herbs, chopped (basil, parsley, cilantro, and/or mint)
3 TBSP toasted pine nuts
Salt & pepper
Dressing
¼ c. olive oil
1 garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
Directions:
Prepare Dressing: Add the oil, garlic, Dijon and honey to a small bowl or a mason jar. Add in ¼ c. fresh lemon juice, a scant ½ tsp. zest, ¼ tsp salt and generous pinch of pepper. Whisk until well combined. If using a mason jar, add the lid and seal. Shake the jar until well combined.
Infuse Oil: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and 1 heaping TBSP of lemon zest. Let the flavors infuse and sweat the vegetables, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
Prepare Couscous: Stir in the couscous and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the couscous is lightly toasted and fragrant. Add in the stock and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid simmer, then immediately reduce heat to a low. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the couscous is tender, and liquid is almost all absorbed. Remove from heat.
Stir in sundried tomato oil & cover: Remove cover from couscous. Add the 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil and stir to combine. Replace cover and set aside (off heat), for about 3-5 minutes, until liquid is completely evaporated. The couscous should be tender, and the mixture should be fluffy, not soupy. Season couscous to taste with salt and pepper; fluff with a fork. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl.
Add dressing: Add half the dressing (about ¼ c.) to the slightly warm couscous and toss well to combine. Set aside to cool completely.
Toss couscous: Once the couscous is cooled, add the chickpeas, arugula, green onions, herbs and half the feta. Toss to combine. Add the remaining dressing. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. (Optional: Cover and refrigerate.)
Serve: Sprinkle couscous with remaining feta and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with lemon wedges if using.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain.
In bowl, toss together the olive oil, chicken, Cajun seasoning, 2 TBSP parmesan, and a big pinch of pepper.
Melt 2TBSP butter in a large pan set over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sear until deeply golden on both sides, 5 minutes per side. Turn the heat off and pour over the lemon juice. Transfer to a plate.
To the same pan, add 2 TBSP butter, the garlic, and chili flakes. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant, then pour in the cream and milk. Whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 1/2 c. parmesan cheese and taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Then toss in the pasta.
Serve immediately topped with sliced chicken and parsley.
4 chicken breasts cooked & shredded or all the breast meat of one large rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 pack sliced almonds toasted
1 bag lettuce of choice
1 small bag snap peas
1 small can mandarin oranges drained
Crunchy wonton strips
Dressing
2/3 c. red wine vinegar
2/3 c. vegetable oil *or sesame oil is great here too
2/3 c. soy sauce
6 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP ginger paste
1 tsp. salt and pepper
Directions:
Shred the chicken breast meat from a rotisserie chicken.
Mix up the dressing – half will be used to marinade the chicken and pasta and remaining as a salad dressing.
Cook the pasta until al dente, remove the pasta from the water.
In a large bowl while the pasta and chicken are still warm, add the dressing and toss. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until chilled.
Marinate chicken & pasta in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours until chilled.
Toast the sliced almonds in a dry pan, remove from pan.
In a large bowl add the marinaded pasta and chicken, green onions, almonds, snap peas, mandarin oranges. Toss with salad dressing.
In a separate bowl add the salad greens and toss with dressing.
On individual plates, add the salad greens and top with the pasta salad. Top with Crunchy wonton strips.
You can make this salad with chicken or keep it vegetarian by adding chickpeas.
Ingredients:
1 lb. orzo
Salt
4 mini cucumbers, chopped
2 c. grape tomatoes, sliced
6 oz. feta
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
1/2 c. mint, chopped
Chopped cooked chicken or 1 can of chickpeas, drained
Mixed lettuce greens
Dressing:
2 lemons, zest and juice (about 1/3 c.)
2/3 c. olive oil
2 TBSP honey
6 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil, add salt and orzo and cook until al dente. Once it’s done, rinse it with cool water and let it drain thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, prep all the salad ingredients.
Add the dressing ingredients to a jar or small bowl, and whisk/shake until well combined.
To the bowl with the orzo, add cucumbers through chicken/chickpeas.
Toss the salad with the dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
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