What’s for Dinner? is a Saturday evening get-together where friends share recipes, talk about good food and help others answer culinary questions.
We welcome you to our virtual table every Saturday evening 4:30 PT/7:30 ET. If you would like to write a post for an upcoming date just send a message to me, ninkasi23!
Pasta is definitely one of the biggest pantry staples in our household. We always try to keep 2 types of short pastas and 2 types of long ones on hand for various uses. Short pastas like elbow macaroni, ziti, rotini, etc. are great for making big batches of macaroni & cheese or pasta salads when it’s warmer. Alongside all that pasta our cupboard groans with cans of tomatoes in various forms and beans of different types and the occasional canned vegetables, although I prefer frozen to canned for most things. But there is one canned vegetable that I often grab to make my favorite dip: Artichokes. There are lots of recipes for various dips using them but a New York Times article from a while ago gave me this lovely recipe for a big baked pasta dish using them!
Baked Artichoke Pasta with Goat Cheese
Recipe via NYTimes
INGREDIENTS
- Salt, as needed
- 1 pound fusilli, farfalle or other short pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 large bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 4 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 cup), cubed
- 6 ounces goat cheese, cubed
- 2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups canned fried onions
- 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
PREPARATION
- Heat oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli according to package directions until 3 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 3 cups pasta water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook scallion whites until softened, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in red-pepper flakes, and cook another 30 seconds.
- Whisk in 1 1/2 cups pasta water, cream cheese and goat cheese, and simmer, whisking, until smooth. Stir in artichokes, 1 cup fried onions, the mozzarella, the parsley, the dill and the reserved scallion greens, then stir in cooked pasta and black pepper. Add more pasta water if it seems too dry; you want this to be fairly liquid, because the pasta will soak up the sauce as it bakes. Taste and add some salt if needed.
- Top pasta with remaining cup of fried onions and the Parmesan. Bake until filling is bubbly and onions are browned, about 10 to 20 minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil, and with more red-pepper flakes on the side if you like.
Here is a gooey, cheese-y, meat-y pasta bake that takes it’s cue from Philly cheesesteaks:
Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Skillet
So much cheeeeeeeeese!
Recipe via TheKitchn
SERVES 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 medium red bell pepper, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces dry rotini pasta
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese, divided (we often get sliced provolone because it’s easier to find. I just chop it up into small pieces.-ninkasi23)
- 1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
INSTRUCTIONS
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Heat the oil in a 10-inch high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until beginning to brown and soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bell peppers begin to soften and garlic is fragrant. Add the ground chuck, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Stir the pasta into the beef and onion mixture. Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the broiler to high.
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Stir half of the grated provolone and pepper jack cheeses into the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Broil until cheese melts and turns golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Grab a bowl and dig in! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe.
Here is our upcoming schedule of posts:
What's For Dinner Schedule
date |
post # |
author |
04/18 |
14.41 |
esquimaux |
04/25 |
14.42 |
OPEN |
05/02 |
14.43 |
TX Scotia |
05/09 |
14.44 |
esquimaux |
05/16 |
14.45 |
OPEN |
05/23 |
14.46 |
OPEN |
05/30 |
14.47 |
esquimaux |
Let us know if you would like to write about your dinner sometime! Just send me a kos mail and I’ll get you set up!