Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini

Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini is a delightful Italian pasta that is delicious to eat and fun to make too!
If you happen to have lots of zucchini on your hands this summer, invite family and friends over to help you make this recipe and enjoy this fabulous summer pasta made for sharing.

This recipe starts out with a quick saute of onion and then the zucchini, but what makes it fun is the addition of the tomatoes. You'll empty a 28oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes into a large bowl, then stick your hand in (or invite the kids's to use their hands) and start squishing them! Yes it sounds weird and maybe creepy...but it's really fun! Crush up the whole can of tomatoes with your bare hand. Somehow this makes me feel like a kid again. Playing in the mud and getting messy...with no care in the world...except catching the ice cream truck...oh summertime fun...

You'll need a fair amount of fresh large leaf basil for this recipe, about a cup. If you read my last post you'll know how much I love fresh herbs, and I won't get on my soap box this time. Most grocery stores will carry a carton of fresh basil~ use this if you don't grow your own or have a handy dandy farmers market nearby. Oh how I love fresh basil! I love the way my fingers smell after picking off a few leaves. Mmmmm!

I found the use of Fontina and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses were a nice change from the usual Parmesan or Mozzarella cheese most think of when cooking Italian fare. They can be a bit difficult to find~ check the specialty cheese isle. If you can't find one or the other, substitute another Italian hard cheese. Just make sure you use two different kinds, it really helps to add depth of flavors to this dish.
I hope you enjoy it along with the special people in your life. That's true Italian cooking!

Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 35 mins

Cook Time: 20

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Ingredients (6 servings)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 2 tablespoons for the pot of water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb medium zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 8 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Set your oven to heat to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding the salt. In a 12" inch skillet with deep sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened and just starting to brown. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or it begins to soften. in the meantime, pour the can of tomatoes into a mixing bowl and crush by hand. Save the can.

2. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir for about 30 seconds then add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet, filling the empty can with water and pour into the skillet as well. Bring the sauce to boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Don't let the zucchini over cook and fall apart.

3. While the sauce is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. The sauce should be about done at this point. It's okay if it needs to cook for one to two minutes more with the pasta in it to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.

4. Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Ladle one half of the contents of the skillet into the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheeses onto the top. Ladle the second half of the pasta and sauce into the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

5. Serve. Sprinkle individual servings with additional cheese if any is left over.

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Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon

Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic, and Lemon is a deliciously beautiful and simple Italian supper that only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, it's a great recipe to treat yourself after a long and stressful day.

The key to moist, tender shrimp is to be careful not to overcook them. Seafood is notorious for cooking up very quickly, especially little critters like scallops and shrimp, which you can take advantage of if looking for a quick meal. In this recipe, follow the visual cues and the shrimp will finish cooking off heat, giving you shrimp perfection.

If you can only find whole shrimp that is not peeled or de-veined at your grocery store, you will need to add

about 15 or so extra minutes to the prep time as you'll need to de-vein and peel the shrimp at home. I find the easiest way to do this is to use a sharp paring knife. Cut a shallow slit down the back of each shrimp. Pull the shell off and discard it. You should see a little black 'line'; that's the vein. With the tip of the blade, lift up and loosen the vein and pull it out. Touch it to the paper towel. It should stick, then you can easily move on to the next shrimp. Most grocery stores carry de-veined, easy peel shrimp, so hopefully you won't have to worry about this step anyway ;0)

If you love shrimp, you'll love this recipe. Shrimp scampi is definitely my favorite way to enjoy shrimp, and this recipe is a play on the scampi flavors with the addition of  pasta and  a light sauce to make it a great weeknight meal. Enjoy!

A few time saving tips: Mince the onion and press the garlic before you begin the recipe. The lemon can be squeezed (for fresh lemon juice) and parsley minced in step 4 while the pasta is cooking.


This recipe adapted from

Linguine with Shrimp, Garlic and Lemon

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 to 6 servings)

• 1 and 1/4 pounds large shrimp (about 31 to 40) peeled and deveined
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 6 separate tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, minced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved into 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 pound of linguine
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (or regular parsley if flat leaf is not available)

Instructions

1. Set a large dutch oven or stockpot with 4 quarts of water over high heat on the stove for the pasta.

2. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt, a pinch of fresh ground pepper and the sugar to season it. In a 12 inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat until it's just beginning to turn brown. Add the shrimp, and arrange them quickly so they are in a single layer in the pan. Cook for 1 minute without moving them. Stir and continue to cook until they are spotty brown and just pink at the edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and cover tightly with foil. Set aside.

3. Now add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet until melted. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, and add the garlic and red pepper flakes, stir and cook for about 30 seconds, and add in 1/2 cup of broth. It will sizzle quite a bit, that's normal. As it boils, scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. When it's nearly evaporated (about 2 minutes) add in the rest of the broth and the dissolved cornstarch mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, another 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside.

4. The pot of water for the pasta should be boiling at this point. Add the linguine and 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al-dente. (There should be directions on the package for this.) You can take this time to squeeze the juice from the lemon and mince the parsley, stopping occasionally to stir the pasta. When the pasta is done, scoop out about 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

5. Add in the remaining two tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, parsley, sauce and reserved shrimp (including any shrimp juice that may have accumulated) into the linguine. Toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, adding the pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Easy Baked Risotto

This Easy Baked Risotto recipe takes all the guesswork and stirring out and puts the quick and easy in; while still keeping all the delicious creamy flavors. And it will still turn out just as good as if a seasoned chef prepared it the traditional way.

Traditional Risotto is a delicious, but labor intensive dish. I learned my lesson when I made some myself over the stove top. Whew! Thankfully I could employ my husband to help me stir so my arm wouldn't fall off. Was it delicious? Absolutely. But their has to be an easier way. Well, here it is!

Science comes to our aid, along with the wonderful invention of Aluminum foil. Uncooked Arborio rice is sauteed with melted butter in a large dutch oven for a couple minutes, and then all the broth is added in at once. Placing a large sheet of foil directly to the entire surface of the liquid and folding the edges over the pot keeps the steam from rising above the rice and drying it out. The foil prevents the liquid from evaporating and instead is absorbed by the rice. So you just pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes and it's basically done. Just stir in some cheese and parsley... and... voila! It's like magic.

I will tell you that I have altered this recipe and left out the onion. After cooking up several batches, the onion always tasted off. Like it didn't belong. I know a lot of Risotto recipes will tell you to use it, but I think the onion way over powers all the other delicious, creamy flavors. My whole family likes it much better when I leave out the onion. I have also left out the white wine, and replaced it with my substitute~ 1/2 cup of chicken broth with a tablespoon of the aforementioned liquor's vinegar (white wine vinegar). I like this substitution because it still provides a bit of that bitterness the wine would give, and also gives a broader spectrum of flavors.

I also love this recipe because baking in the oven allows me to cook another dish (such as a protein) on the stove top while the risotto is baking. You can serve a simple, yet fancy meal without the hassle.

Creamy Baked Risotto

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake saute side Italian

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Ingredients (Serves 6 to 8)

• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 and 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Instructions

1. With the oven rack in the middle position, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring broth, water and bay leaves to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and keep warm over the lowest possible heat.

2. When broth is hot, melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the rice for about 2 minutes, or until the ends of the rice become translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Combine the vinegar with 1/2 cup of broth and add to the rice and cook, stirring until completely absorbed, about 1 minute.

3. Pour the rest of the broth over the rice. Cover the dutch oven with a large sheet of aluminum foil, pressing down so that it rests on top of the surface of the broth. (Careful, it will be very warm. I would suggest wearing oven mittens.) The aluminum foil should overlap all sides of the dutch oven. Crimp foil around the edges and cover with the lid for a tight seal. Bake until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in Parmesan cheese and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

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Baked Gnocchi with Basil Tomato Sauce

Here it is, my favorite recipe for gnocchi!

The gnocchi is baked in a tomato and fresh basil sauce made from scratch, topped with a heaping portion of shredded Mozzarella (the good kind, not that low-moisture skim stuff). If you've never heard of gnocchi, see my last post on Easy Fresh Gnocchi.

This is so fast and easy to make, you'll love that it can be cooked up any week night you feel like comfort food. It goes from the cupboard to the dinner plate in less than 30 minutes!

You can use store bought or your own home made gnocchi. If using my recipe for gnocchi and you've frozen it, boil it first before making this recipe. Keep in mind this will add about 10 extra minutes of prep time to your schedule. If you are using store bought, you can proceed immediately with the recipe. Partially cooked packaged gnocchi can be found in most supermarkets in the pasta isle.

For this recipe, the gnocchi is sauteed in olive oil in a NON STICK SKILLET (please make sure you use a nonstick skillet, ask me how I know) until lightly browned and crunchy on the exterior, (Which is absolutely fabulous on it's own; think fried potatoes.) A simple fresh tomato sauce is then made with minced onion, garlic, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, a can of crushed tomato and lots of freshly chopped basil. The fried gnocchi are tossed in this sauce, and topped off with shredded mozzarella. The the whole shebang is popped into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

If you have a large oven safe nonstick skillet, you can pop the whole thing into the oven. If not, simply transfer the tossed gnocchi and sauce into a dish that is oven safe. The cheese is melted into bubbly gooiness in the oven, really putting this dish over the top! Italian cooking at it's finest. A meal you'd probably spend $18 bucks on at some fancy restaurant, and you can enjoy it at home for about $2 a serving! Great cooking at home comes with practice, but a great recipe will give you a tremendous head start :0)

Baked Gnocchi with Basil Tomato Sauce

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound vacuum packed gnocchi or homemade
• 1/2 onion minced
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle and set oven to heat to 475 degrees.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet (If you have one that is oven safe, use it.) over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the gnocchi and saute until golden brown and crispy on the outside, transfer to a dish.

3. Increase the heat to medium high and add the remaining olive oil and the onion. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. stir in the crushed tomato and water and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the basil and browned gnocchi to pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, until the gnocchi is heated through about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to an oven safe dish and sprinkle with the mozzarella, or if using an oven safe dish, sprinkle the cheese over the pan, and slide into the oven. Bake the gnocchi for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in some spots. Serve.

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Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

A plate of Quick Italian Sausage Dinner. Look at that color!

I love the intense color and flavor of this recipe. You'll love that it's done in less that 30 minutes. It's a win win combination for any weeknight meal.

No these are not beats. They are purple potatoes :0)

One of the perks of living in Idaho is that we can enjoy an amazing diversity of potatoes.Yes, those really are purple potatoes! Were you as surprised to see purple potatoes as I was? I was very skeptical at first, until I cut into one. I was shocked as deep purple juice dripped onto my cutting board and even more delighted when I opened the potato to reveal an intensely colored flesh. Let me be the first to say they taste great, just like any other potato. I was told to avoid making them into mashed potatoes (the color was unappealing because adding milk, butter, etc. just makes them look grey). Once I knew what to avoid, I decided exactly which dish I would prepare them in.  Quick Italian Sausage Dinner!

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner is one of our new favorite weeknight meals.
It's a savory meat and potatoes dish that is very

quick and easy to prepare. I choose one red bell pepper and an orange or yellow one for a mix of bright colors. The recipe calls for red potatoes, but I wanted to try the purple ones we brought home from the farmer's market. This recipe makes a lot of delicious sauce too, and I love dipping a thick slice of crusty bread in to sop it up from my dish.

When preparing this recipe, I personally prefer to remove the sausage casings before I cut the meat into chunks. I just take my knife and gently run it down the full length of each sausage and pull it off. If you don't have an extra minute to do this that's totally fine. The casing shrinks a bit when cooked and makes the sausages have a bit of an hour glass shape :0)

This is definitely a recipe in which you should prepare all ingredients (chopping, measuring out etc.) before you begin cooking! It goes very fast; but that's the point right? And of course if you don't happen to find purple potatoes at your local supermarket, red potatoes will do just fine :0)

Equipment needed: 12-inch frying or saute pan with a well fitting lid, and a microwave safe mixing bowl.

Quick Italian Sausage Dinner

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 bell peppers, cored and sliced thin (any combination of red, orange or yellow)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon of sherry or balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's just smoking. Add the sausage pieces and brown lightly on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

2. While the sausage is browning, place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and add a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and ground pepper (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each). Toss to coat, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the bowl (without removing the plastic wrap) half way through to help the potatoes mix and cook evenly.

3. Once the sausages have been removed from the skillet, drain off all but one tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the bell peppers and onions and saute over medium high heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the broth, and oregano, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. (If you are using a nonstick pan there won't be any.) Bring to a simmer. Nestle sausages and potatoes into the vegetables and cover, reducing the heat to medium low. Cook until the sausages are no longer pink in the middle and the potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the vinegar and season the entire dish with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with slices of baguette or other crusty bread to soak up the savory sauce.

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Italian roast chicken

This recipe is a perfect example of how beautiful and simple Italian cooking can be. You will be able to work with fresh rosemary, personally my favorite herb. I love the beautiful, clean, vibrant fragrance. If you've never cooked with fresh herbs, this is a great beginner's recipe. If you don't have a rosemary bush growing in your yard, no worries! Most supermarkets now sell prepackaged fresh herbs in the produce section. Cooking with fresh herbs really takes your food to the next level. I now always try to use fresh herbs instead of dried, unless dried is specified in the recipe. One teaspoon of dried herbs = one tablespoon of fresh. Simple and easy enough to remember, right?!

I love black olives, don't you? If you're my dad, don't answer that question :0) My dad hates olives. Only person I know. However, my mom loves them and she would bring home the occasional can. I was the kid who put the pitted olives over the end of all five fingers, happily waving them around and eating them off one at a time. Is it just me or did everyone do this as a kid? Whenever I see veggie trays with olives, I load up. If there is a bowl of olives passed around the Thanksgiving table, I load up. When I serve myself a helping of this recipe I pick out a few extra olives for my plate. Terrible, I know. Well, it's out there now so don't judge me :0)
A few words about the recipe:
Did you know that fruit sometimes is given a thin wax coating? I always wash my lemons in hot water to melt away any wax, and to make sure the zest is clean for eating.
I don't know how I managed to get through life without an instant-read food thermometer! I feel it's an essential piece of equipment for any home chef. While practiced chefs can often judge the doneness of meats by sight and touch, I think it's so much safer (and easier!) to use a thermometer. No guesswork!
Also don't skimp on the extra-virgin olive oil and buy cheap stuff. Some generic brands can taste downright awful. I use Colavita brand. It's a great taste and doesn't break the pocket book. Plus it's been a proven favorite of taste testers :0)

Italian Roast Chicken

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients (10 servings)

• 10 to 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large lemon
• 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of fresh rosemary
• 2 and 1/2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1 inch pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can large pitted black olives

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Trim the fat off the chicken thighs and place them in a shallow dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Zest the lemon and sprinkle half the zest over the chicken. Save the rest. Cut the lemon and squeeze the juice over the chicken, toss to coat well and let it marinate for 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a large roasting pan. Add the rest of the lemon zest, the sliced onion and garlic, and half the rosemary sprigs. Drizzle the olive oil over and toss gently. Now let it marinate for about 20 minutes.

In the mean time, place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with water; 1 inch above the top of the potatoes. Lightly sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then drain well and add to the chicken. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, turning frequently or basting, or until the chicken is cooked. (175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.) Just before the end of cooking time, discard the cooked rosemary, and replace with fresh sprigs. Add the olives and stir. Serve immediately with steamed vegetables. (I recommend carrots and zucchini.)

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