Christmas Pasta

You are going to love this pasta dish! It is perfect for the holidays because it is so colorful, plus it’s made in one pot, and is ready in 30 minutes. It’s meatless, so can be served to your vegetarian friends, and works as either a starter course or a main dish. Honestly, I felt festive just eating it. It’s not often that you can have a dish that is so easy to prepare, doesn’t require a lot of cooking equipment, is tasty, and colorful.Christmas Pasta

 1 T. olive oil
4 oz. thinly sliced mushrooms
1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic
8 oz. linguine
2 T. butter
2 c. homemade chicken stock
1 c. whole milk
¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ c. chopped Melissa’s roasted red bell peppers

½ 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in mushrooms, stirring until softened, then add garlic, and stir for one minute more. Add pasta, butter, chicken stock, milk, pepper, red peppers, and spinach. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, put the lid on the pan, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes are up, remove the lid, sprinkle Parmesan on top of the pasta and toss until the cheese is melted. Serve.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Linguine in Broccoli Cream Sauce

Sometimes it’s not easy to get a serving of vegetables into a vegetable hating family, particularly if children are involved.  This dish is rather simple to prepare and makes eating vegetables painless and tasty.  It’s very forgiving, so you can alter the seasonings to suit your tastes, or add some of your own.  Eliminating the nutmeg and tossing fresh basil leaves into the processor when making the purée gives it a very fresh summery taste.  For fall and winter, nutmeg gives it an earthier one.  Experiment, have fun, and eat your veggies!

Linguine in Broccoli Cream Sauce

1 lb. fresh broccoli
1 teaspoon Melissa’s minced garlic (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 package linguine

Cook broccoli in boiling salted water until tender.  Remove broccoli to cool in ice water, reserving cooking water.  Replace cooking water on heat and let it return to a boil. Cook pasta until tender; drain.  Meanwhile, in food processor with steel blade, combine broccoli, garlic, butter, hot sauce, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Pulse to purée.  (This mixture can be made ahead if need be.)

In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat just until simmering and stir in the broccoli sauce.  Add ½ cup Parmesan and bring back to a simmer.  In a warmed serving dish, toss the warm pasta with the remaining ½ cup of Parmesan, and pour on the cream sauce, tossing well.  Garnish with broccoli flowerets and gratings of Parmesan and serve immediately.

Serves 8 as a side dish.

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday