Hearty Sunday Night Pasta Food

30 COMFORT FOOD RECIPES FOR FALL!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425F
• Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch slices. You'll need 16-18 good slices. See notes. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spray or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the hot oven, for 20-ish minutes, or until fork-tender. Set aside. Alternatively, you can grill zucchini over medium-high until tender for even more flavor.
• In a large saucepan or skillet, saute the onion, garlic and optional fennel seeds in a little oil, for 1-2 minutes, over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat (or vegan meat) lower heat to medium, and break it apart with a metal spatula, until completely crumbled and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes (vegan meat will take much less time). Drain any of the fat. Return meat to the pan and add salt, pepper, oregano, and 2 cups marinara sauce. Give a good stir, cover and bring to a gentle simmer until heated all the way through. Stir in torn basil leaves. See notes.
• Mix the ricotta cheese in a medium bowl with the egg and nutmeg.
• Grease a 9 x13 inch pan. Pour 1/2 cup of marinara to coat the bottom lightly. Place 8-9 slices of zucchini ( save the prettiest, most uniform ones for the top.) to cover the bottom. Pour the meat sauce over top. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the meat sauce and spread it around. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the grated pecorino cheese, Add the top layer of zucchini. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara over top and spread evenly into a thin layer. Dust with the remaining pecorino.
• Wipe off the edges of the pan, cover with foil and bake at 425F for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking, until golden and bubbling, 5-10 more minutes.

EASY CROCKPOT TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Grate the onion using the large holes of a box grater over a large bowl. You should end up with about ¼ cup.
• Chop the spinach and basil into very small pieces. Alternatively you can add the onion, basil, and spinach to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed.
• To the same bowl, add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt, stirring to combine. Add the turkey and stir again, until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Add the olive oil to the base of a 6-quart slow cooker, spreading it around until the bottom is well coated.
• Using a small, 1.6-inch cookie scoop, scoop the turkey mixture into a single layer into the base of the slow cooker. Gentle scoop any remaining mixture on top, creating a second layer. If you don't have a cookie scoop, you can use a large soup spoon instead. Ground turkey is very sticky, so trying to roll them into balls by hand will likely result in a mess, so use the scoop or spoon method for best results.
• Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs. Do not stir.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8. Uncover and gently stir to separate the meatballs.
• Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, or with crusty bread, topped with fresh basil, parmesan (traditional or dairy-free), and red pepper flakes if desired.

BILL'S SUNDAY NIGHT PASTA

Steps:

• First, dice the tomato and sprinkle with the salt.
• Start 2 quarts of salted water to boil, and when it is a rolling boil, add the pasta.
• Cook until desired doneness (about 8 minutes for me) Dice the garlic and put in the bottom of a pasta dish with one tablespoon of olive, while the pasta is cooking.
• Add the hot cooked pasta to the dish, and toss until the the olive oil and garlic coats the pasta.
• Add pepperoini and tomato and toss again.
• Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top, and add parmesan cheese.

HEARTY SUNDAY NIGHT PASTA

Steps:

• 1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Slice onions, mushrooms, and olives. Chop garlic and set aside.
• 2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add oil and butter. When butter bubbles, add onions and a bit of salt to help them soften. Stir well to coat. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover partially and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes until onions are caramelized. You can add a bit of sugar to help the process along.
• 3. When water boils, cook pasta 1 minute less than al dente according to box directions. Reserve 1/2 cup or so of pasta water. Drain and keep warm.
• 4. Add garlic to caramelized onions, then mushrooms and fennel seeds. Saute for about two minutes till mushrooms are softened. Add olives, basil, and 1/3 to 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, then add all the cooked pasta to the pot. Stir well, turn up heat, cover and bring quickly to a gentle boil.
• 5. Remove from heat and gently fold in feta cheese taking care not to break up chunks if possible. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• 6. Serve with a hearty Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon wine and crusty Italian bread.

PASTITSADA FROM CORFU: BEEF STEW WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pot. Brown the beef in a few batches for 3-4 minutes. Set aside in a plate/bowl. Add the onions to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and warm through for a few seconds. Add the beef cubes back to the pot with the remaining ingredients except for the parsley and cheese. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot and cook until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. About 1 and 1/2-2 hours. Stir the stew often and add more water if it thickens too much before the beef is ready. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and drain. Toss with butter. Garnish with parsley and serve over pasta. Top with plenty of grated cheese. Enjoy!

OUR 30+ BEST SUNDAY DINNER IDEAS (+FALL OFF THE BONE BBQ RIBS)

Steps:

• Combine dry ingredients, using them to coat ribs.
• Cook 3-4 hours in a 275°F oven.
• Serve with BBQ sauce.