Go-Go-Go-Gonzola Pasta

Wake up, shower, get ready, eat breakfast, make lunch, pack the car, work, drop off dry-cleaning, drive home, do laundry, fold clothes, check e-mail, make dinner, vacuum, GO GO GO...

For nights that you need a quick homemade pasta dish for dinner, lean on a container of Gorgonzola cheese and some heavy cream to get you through. AND I promise will be on the table in less than 15 minutes!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 cup of Gorgonzola cheese
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tab of butter (optional)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• S & P
• 1 pound of whole-wheat pasta (fettuccine preferably)
• dash of dried parsley

Prepare your pasta to "al dente" (which means cooked but with a bite, not mushy).

Heat cream and Gorgonzola in a soup pot over medium heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, S & P, and butter (if using- butter will just add another layer of richness). Let the mixture thicken as it comes up to a simmer. Pour over hot pasta & sprinkle with parsley, enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• Grill a skewer of shrimp for each person, toss into the pasta before serving
• Grill a fillet of fish or a chicken breast, place over the pasta before serving
• Add in grilled or sauteed asparagus, broccoli or mushrooms

Super Easy Roasted Garlic & Herb Pasta

Tonight I'm making Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breast. When I began marinating it this morning, I noticed how small the chicken breasts were that I got from the butcher this time, so I knew we'd need something filling, yet quick to eat with it. This Roasted Garlic & Herb Pasta is an incredibly fast and tasty side to go with any main course, any day of the week, and chances are you already have everything you need to make it!

Make sure you feed this to your love-bug so when you smooch, you'll both have garlic breathe!

Ingredients & Recipe

Printable Recipe

• 1/2 box of whole-wheat pasta (your choice)
• 6 whole garlic cloves, smashed a bit
• Extra-Virgin Olive oil
• S & P
• 1/2 small white onion, diced, OR 1 shallot, diced
• a large handful of flat leaf parsley, rinsed and chopped

Begin by roasting the whole garlic cloves. Heat your oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees. Pull off a piece of foil (about the size of a salad plate), roughly fold the sides up, place garlic on foil. Drizzle garlic with a teaspoon of olive oil or so, and place in the prepared oven for 20 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, boil plenty of pasta water. Salt the water and cook pasta as directed on the box. Drain pasta at the correct time, set aside, and be sure to save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, set that aside.

When garlic almost done roasting, heat a large pan (with sides) over medium heat, drizzle with about one teaspoon of olive oil and begin to saute the diced onion, about 5 minutes. Add roasted garlic into onion pan, saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add parsley and heat through in the pan for about 1 minute, remove from heat.

Finish by tossing the cooked pasta into the pan, add in reserved pasta water, season with S & P as needed. Serve in a nice large bowl, top with a bit of chopped parsley for a nice garnish, serve right away!

You Could Also Try...

• Sprinkle the finished product with grated Parmesan cheese
• Add veggies like sliced mushrooms, halved cherry tomatoes or brocolli chunks into the pan when you saute the onions for a few more delicious flavors.
• Add skewers of grilled shrimp or scallops.
• Enjoy this pasta with a glass of Riesling or Chardonnay as described in my new favorite wine pairing website

15-Minute Pumpkin Pasta

Yup-it's no joke! You can totally make a yummy seasonal pasta dish in 15 minutes! Have it this weekend before trick-or-treating, or you could even make this for a Holiday dinner in the coming weeks. A can of pumpkin puree is pretty easy to find in the grocery store aisles this time of year, so there are no excuses to you not getting into the autumn season and pumpkin-pasta'ing it up! Get to it people!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 pound of whole-wheat pasta (try penne, bow tie or rotini)
• 1 white onion, chopped
• olive oil
• 1 (15 oz.) can of Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf/Italian parsley, chopped

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water (follow the boxes directions on timing). Once pasta is al dente, drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.

Drizzle a little olive oil into the same pot over medium-low heat, and begin to saute the onions and a little S & P. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions are tender. Stir in the pumpkin puree and heavy cream, bring to a boil and stir the pasta and reserved pasta water back into the pot. Toss in Parmesan cheese, stir, season with more S & P to taste. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

You Could Also Try...

• Add a cooked vegetable into this pasta, like steamed broccoli florets or asparagus chunks.

Lupi's "Mr. Willis" Pumpkin!