Ziti with Broccolini and Spinach in Roasted Garlic Marinara

Quick and easy to put together, combining some store bought ingredients with fresh veggies, this makes an ideal weeknight meal. This was my dinner tonight. With broccolini and spinach in my pantry, I added tangy olives and garlicky marinara sauce to make a warm and comforting dinner.

1 pound ziti
2 bunches, broccolini (around 4 cups) ends trimmed
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large potato, peeled and sliced thin lengthwise
1 pound baby spinach, washed
1/4 cup marinated green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
6 cups roasted garlic marinara
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp crushed red peppers (optional)
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta in and cook 7-8 minutes until al dente (refer to your package instructions for exact cooking time). Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and just when it starts roasting, add the chopped onions. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are slightly browned. Add olives, spinach and 1 tsp salt. Cook until the spinach wilts. Add potatoes and saute for 5 minutes until the potatoes just start cooking.

Add the broccolini and another tsp of salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the marinara sauce, crushed red pepper and basil. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta into the sauce, toss together to make sure the pasta is coated well with the sauce. Serve warm with your favorite bread.

Asparagus in an Egg Blanket

This lazy cold sunday morning brought out the inspiration for this recipe.  Much like pigs have blankets and a dish named after them, I decided asparagus need blankets as well! And why not an egg one, because we all know asparagus and eggs are a fantastic combination. What makes this better? Parmesan cheese of course!

8 asparagus spears (trim off the woody ends)
4 eggs
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
4 indian green chillies (substitute 1/2 jalapeno or 1 serrano) , finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp unsalted butter

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a grilling pan over medium-high heat. Grill the asparagus for 3-4 minutes and set aside on paper towels. In the remaining butter on the pan, add the marinara sauce and warm through for 2 minutes.

Crack 2 eggs into a large bowl, add 1/4 tsp salt, 2 green chillies, 1 tbsp cilantro and 1 tbsp milk. Whisk the eggs for 30 seconds-1 minute until it’s light yellow. Heat a non-stick pan and melt 1 tbsp butter over low heat. Add the egg mixture and swirl the pan around so it evenly spreads in the pan. Cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes until the eggs are completely cooked and set.

Slide gently over a plate and while it’s hot sprinkle 1 tbsp parmesan cheese over it. Place 4 of the asparagus spears inside and roll the omelet gently.

Make the remaining 2 eggs into an omelet similarly and roll with the last 4 asparagus spears. Place both on oven proof plate, spoon the marinara sauce over it and the remaining parmesan cheese.

Put the plate under a broiler until the cheese is melted, around 30 seconds to a minute. Keep a watch so you don’t burn the cheese. Serve hot.

Fusili with Roasted red peppers in Tomato-Basil sauce

Here’s another one of my easy weeknight dinners. I call this my kitchen sink pasta. I threw in a few things that I had in my pantry and it turned out quite well! The only comment I have is that the next I try it, I will probably use fresh jalapenos instead of pickled. I personally felt the lime juice and pickled jalapenos made it too tangy. I would go for one or the other.

1 pound fusili pasta
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (I used store bought)
3 tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely chopped (I used store bought)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and washed
1 tbsp basil pesto (I used store bought pesto)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce (I used store bought marinara with onions and herbs)
1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusili pasta and cook until al dente(around 8-9 minutes). Drain and pour into a large serving bowl.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and garlic, fry for a couple of seconds and add in the washed and drained black beans. Sautee for another minute. Pour in the tomato sauce, add the jalapenos and heat it through for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil pesto, lime juice, roasted red peppers and sautee for 5-7 more minutes.

 Remove from heat and pour it over the pasta. Mix the pasta and top with mint and serve.

I have sent this recipe to Culinarty’s Original Recipes.