An easy, one pot chicken pasta recipe that feels a little bit rustic-fancy thanks to a swirl of whipped ricotta and smattering of sun dried tomato. Pro tip: use the oil from the sun dried tomato to sauté the chicken. Free flavour!

A one pot chicken pasta that’s a little bit (rustic) fancy

Whipped ricotta is a recent revelation for me. I’d seen it around for years, but assumed “whipped” meant dragging out the stand mixer – aka, too much effort for a Tuesday night.

Until my brother rolled his eyes and said, “It’s just ricotta, milk, and parmesan whisked by hand.” And just like that, in 10 seconds, lumpy ricotta turns into something creamy and dreamy – like savoury whipped cream, which then melts when dolloped on hot pasta.

Think of it as a lower fat version of cream. Swirl it through your midweek pasta and all of a sudden, it goes from “yum” to “are we in a trendy trattoria??!”. Definitely moves a quick one-pot pasta recipe into guest-worthy territory!

Actually, whipped ricotta had a starring role in my second cookbook, Tonight, as an easy way to elevate virtually any roasted vegetable to event-worthy (see the handy How to Roast Any Vegetable chart on page 218). I boldly said it would be your “new favourite sauce to create a statement veg side”. I stand by that! 🙂

Here it is with blistered cherry tomatoes in Tonight. Exceptional with roasted carrots, asparagus, broccoli, broccolini, mushrooms – pretty much any roasted vegetable!

Ingredients for Whipped Ricotta One Pot Chicken Pasta

While I’m providing commentary and substitution tips, there’s no need to get too pedantic about the ingredients for this recipe because it’s a reliable, fairly flexible midweeker. If the exactness of ingredients matter for a recipe, you will know! I will harp on and on about it!!

The whipped ricotta

Just ricotta, milk and parmesan for a savoury flavour boost (though I would absolutely make this without).

• Ricotta – The ones sold in tubs at grocery stores aren’t great, then tend to be a little powdery. For better quality, buy it over the deli counter or get the vacuum-sealed ricotta sold in baskets. My go-to is Paesanella brand which is a widely available these days, even over the deli counter at grocery stores.

• Milk – Any fat % is fine here.

• Parmesan – For a flavour boost. Also, because the whipped ricotta is used here in place of the obligatory parmesan sprinkle that is typically used for pastas, so I like to build it in.

FOR THE ONE POT CHICKEN PASTA

Here’s what you need for the pasta. The sun dried tomato adds fabulous flavour pops, plus we use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. Free flavour – and free oil!

• Chicken – I like to use boneless thighs as they stay juicier than breast in this form of cooking, where the chicken pieces are cooked with the pasta. But breast or tenderloin will work just fine in this recipe.

• Sun dried tomato – Get the strips in oil. As noted above, we use the oil to cook the chicken – honestly, it adds lovely tomatoey flavour! If you accidentally got whole or tomato halves, have fun chopping….oily…slimy! Been there, done that! I’d still make this recipe if I didn’t have sun dried tomato but I’d add something to compensate. Something briny like chopped olives, capers, chargrilled capsicum or any anti-pasto type thing.

• Canned tomato – I use crushed as it’s already semi broken down so it makes a nicer sauce. Though diced is fine too.

• Tomato paste – For extra tomato flavour boost. I’d still make this if I was out.

• Pasta – I used fusilli (spirals) but anything short and not too big will work. Think, penne, ziti, macaroni, small shells, farfalle (bow ties), casarecce, orecchiette. But not as small as risoni/orzo or as large as rigatoni.

• Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base! Goes a long way with these one-pot pasta recipes.

• Wine – Adds extra depth of flavour into an otherwise simple, quick-cook sauce. Preferably a dry white wine though I don’t hesitate to use leftover flat champagne, rose, red wine. Non alcoholic is an acceptable substitute though don’t go out of your way to get it.

• Chicken stock/broth – The cooking liquid. Better than water. Though, water is actually pretty good too (we tried), just add a tad more salt. I always use low sodium stocks because I like to control the amount of salt myself.

How to make Whipped Ricotta One Pot Chicken Pasta

Is it technically a one pot recipe if I ask you to use a separate bowl to make the whipped ricotta?? Forgive me! (But it’s worth it, I promise).

1. Make whipped ricotta – Just mix the ricotta, parmesan and milk together using a hand whisk. At first, it will seem lumpy and thoroughly unimpressive, but after about 10 seconds of vigorous whisking it will loosen and transform into a soft creamy mixture almost like softly whipped cream. Adjustment note: Different brands of ricotta have different consistencies, so add a touch of extra milk if needed.

2. Sun dried tomato oil – Pour oil straight out of the jar into the pot and heat over high.

3. Seal chicken – Put the chicken into the pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the surface is sealed, but the inside is still raw, then take it out. It won’t brown, that’s ok. It’s still got flavour on it and it will absorb a stack more flavour in the next steps.

4. Saute – Leave the residual fat in the pan (some from the chicken, some sun dried tomato oil). Then sauté the onion and garlic first until the onion is translucent (about 3 minutes). Then cook the sun dried tomato and tomato paste for 1 minute. This will cook out the raw sour flavour in the tomato paste and bring out the flavours in the sun dried tomatoes.

5. Liquids and raw pasta – Add the wine and let it simmer for 1 – 2 minutes until mostly evaporated, stirring the base of the pot. This will cook out the alcohol (making it kid friendly) and loosen the gold bits stuck on the base of the pot (it’s called fond) which is free flavour that will make your sauce taster.

   Then stir in the cooked chicken (plus any juices accumulated in the bowl) and raw pasta – get it nicely coated in all that flavour – before adding the stock, canned tomato, salt and pepper.

6. Cook – Bring the liquid to a boil then lower the heat to about medium high so it’s simmering energetically but not wildly boiling. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes at first then every minute for the last 5 minutes to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pot. You might find you need to lower the heat towards the end if it is getting stuck to the pot.

7. How to tell it’s ready – When the liquid has been mostly absorbed by the pasta – but it will still seem a little too soupy – the pasta should be just done, ie al dente. This means it’s not overly soft but there is no hard raw uncooked pasta inside.

   A little too soupy is good. Pasta absorbs liquid at a shockingly high rate. So a little too liquidy when it comes off the stove is good because it means the pasta will be perfectly slippery and saucy rather than dry and stodgy by the time you take the first bite.

8. Swirl with whipped ricotta – Just before serving, stir the basil through the pasta, then either transfer all the pasta into a large serving bowl or indvidual bowls. Then dollop large scoops of the ricotta across the surface of the pasta and randomly smear it (or let people do that part themselves). There are no rules here! You could just put one big dollop in the middle of the pasta. Then it’s time to dig in!

Sneaking in extra vegetables

My mother did an excellent job brain washing me as a kid so I have it drilled in my head that it’s not a proper meal without a sufficient amount of vegetables.

I feel like this recipe is a wee bit short. The canned tomatoes and onion count, but it’s not very much per person.

If you want a quick addition of extra vegetables, feel free to stir in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach or add a grated zucchini and carrot at the same time you sauté the onion.

Else, make up a quick leafy side salad or steam some broccoli and toss with a simple salad dressing. It’s all you need – the pasta is juicy and bold on flavour, so you can keep the side dish simple.

Love to know what you think if you give this a go! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Whipped ricotta one pot chicken pasta

Recipe video above. Meet your new favourite one-pot recipe! I'm sharing this as a guest-worthy dish based on a simple mid-week recipe. It's quite amazing how just a little dollop of creamy ricotta can transform a regular bowl of pasta into something you'd expect to get at a rustic trattoria! Love how it melts into a flood of creamy goodness on your hot bowl of pasta – thicker than cream, and much lower fat.

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword Chicken Pasta Bake, One Pot Pasta, whipped ricotta

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 647cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 500g/1 lb chicken thigh fillets , cut into small bite size pieces (or breast or tenderloin)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Pasta:

• 220g/ 7 oz jar sun-dried tomato stripes in oil , drained (RESERVE OIL) (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp oil from the sun dried tomato jar
• 1 small onion , finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (ok if you don’t have)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine , optional (Note 2)
• 400g/14 oz canned crushed tomato
• 350g / 12oz fusilli pasta (spirals) , penne, ziti, macaroni, small shells or similar, uncooked
• 1 litre / 4 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (sub water plus 1/2 tsp salt)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves , roughly chopped (can survive without), plus extra for garnish

Whipped ricotta:

• 1/2 cup ricotta (Paesanella is my preferred brand), full fat
• 4 tbsp milk , preferably full fat
• 1/4 cup (packed) finely grated parmesan , sub pinch of salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Whipped ricotta – Put the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds until it becomes the texture of softly whipped cream. Add milk to loosen, if needed.
• Seal chicken – Heat sun dried tomato oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the chicken. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes until the outside is sealed but the inside is still raw. Remove with slotted spoon into a bowl.
• Sauté – In the same pot, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste and oil drained sun dried tomatoes (reserve any remaining oil for another use). Cook for 1 minute.
• Deglaze – Add white wine and let it simmer rapidly for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until mostly evaporated.
• Cooking liquid – Add pasta and cooked chicken along with any juices accumulated in the bowl. Stir to coat in all the tasty flavours. Add the stock, canned tomato, salt and pepper.
• Cook 15 minutes – Give it a good stir, let it come to a boil then lower the heat to medium high so it's simmering rapidly but not boiling like crazy. Cook for 15 minutes (no lid), stirring every 2 minutes or so at first then more regularly towards the end, so the base doesn't catch. Lower the heat a touch towards the end, if needed.
• How to tell it's done – Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the pasta should be just cooked (al dente), though still a little soupy (that's good, it gets absorbed quickly while serving). Stir in the basil.
• Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl or divide between bowls. Dollop the whipped ricotta on top then randomly smear (or let everyone do that themselves), it will get all melty. Dig in!

Notes

Serves 4 hearty appetites or 5 regular people.

1. Sun dried tomatoes – Adds a great pop of flavour into the sauce plus the chicken gets free flavour by using the oil from the jar to cook it. Recommend getting strips to save yourself from chopping. Substitute – compensate with olives, capers or something similar that’s a bit briny.

Jar size – I use all the sun dried tomatoes in a 220g/7oz jar which is actually 120g/4oz sun dried tomatoes and 100g/3 oz oil (we use 45ml/3 tbsp for cooking). If you have a larger jar or sun dried tomatoes not in oil, use 120g /4 oz of sun dried tomatoes which is 1 cup tightly packed.

2. Wine – I use Chardonnay, though anything not too woody or sweet will work find here, else leftover champagne (flat is fine!), red wine or rose. Non alcoholic – just leave it out.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Loosen with a touch of water. Pasta will freeze ok, but not the whipped ricotta.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 647cal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 1624mg | Potassium: 1059mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 4mg

Some of my favourite one pot pasta recipes

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Really Quick Broccoli Pasta

One pot chicken risoni with crispy salami

One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg

One-Pot Sausage Meatball Pasta

One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo)

One pot pasta recipes

Life of Dozer

Dozer’s first day back at the beach following 6 weeks out of action with a hip injury!

A little bit wonky on his feet and restricted to just 10 minutes of swim time (it took 15 minutes to waddle from the car to his friends!😅), but it was still worth the 40 minute drive each way just to see him so happy. ❤️

I don’t even know how he hurt himself – could’ve been a midnight possum chase, slipping trying to get up off wooden floors (the one little naked patch remaining, 98% of the floor is covered in rugs for him!).

He’s a fragile old boy these days. 😔 But I will do whatever it takes to protect him and keep him happy – even if it means covering the entire house in yoga mats!!

Honestly, I credit the trip to Newcastle last weekend for the leap forward in his recovery. I thought it was going to be too much for him because he was moving around 10x more than he has in a single day for the past 6 weeks.

But actually, it seems like it was good for him because the improvement in his mobility has been phenomenal in just the past week. He can get up by himself again and is happy going for walks. Yay Dozer! And thank you Newcastle, for the positive energy that gave Dozer a recovery boost! ❤️

PS I suspect seeing his girlfriend also helped. This is Jarrah (below, left). She’s owned by a good friend of mine. We got our fur balls around the same time so they have grown up together. Though somehow, Jarrah grew up to be a very well behaved, charming girl whereas mine ended up a little entitled and bratty…..🤔

The post Whipped ricotta one pot chicken pasta – with sun dried tomatoes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The name’s a tongue twister, but this dish is a breeze to make! Goat cheese and roasted red peppers are the shortcuts for this creamy, smoky risoni recipe. Under $20 for 4 servings, ready in 20 minutes. Serve as a meal or side — it’s like a Mediterranean risotto!

Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo)

Today’s recipe is a quick risoni dish that’s simple to make but a little bit special thanks to a bit of goat cheese stirred through which gives it a creamy edge. The distinctive, mild flavour of goat cheese with a touch of tang works perfectly with the Mediterranean flavours here, especially in this oozy risotto-like risoni recipe.

It’s one of those dishes that’s fast to make – yet company worthy. Especially if you keep harping on and on about how good goat’s cheese is. Wait, is that just me?? 😂

Ingredients in this risoni recipe

Here’s all you need to make this. If you don’t have goat’s cheese, you can substitute in a pinch with Danish feta which has a similar flavour and also melts. Else, sour cream, yogurt or even cream plus a squeeze of lemon will have a similar flavour.

• Risoni / orzo – Called risoni here in Australia and Italy but orzo in most of the rest of the world, I have a big soft spot for these little rice-shaped pastas. I love that it cooks quickly and that it tastes like risotto (minus all the patient-stirring work!).

  Find risoni in the pasta aisle at regular grocery stores. Substitute with other small pasta like ditalini, star shaped pasta or those tiny novelty pasta shapes (imagine this with dinosaur pasta!).

• Goat’s cheese (closer up photo above) – Cheese made from goat rather than cow’s milk and has a distinct tang to it. This recipe uses the goat’s cheese that has a texture like Danish feta (ie the soft creamy type of feta), picture above. When you crumble it, it smears on your fingers and when heated, it melts.

  Find it at regular grocery stores, usually sold in log form. Even my corner store sells it!

  Substitute with (in order of priority) Danish feta, sour cream, full fat Greek yogurt or regular cream plus a squeeze of lemon.

• Roasted red peppers / capsicum (aka bell peppers) – These are store bought jars with strips of red capsicum that have been charred and blistered so it has a wonderful smokey flavour and the flesh is super soft and sweet so it melds beautifully into the sauce. *Also see info box below for different names for roasted peppers*

  Find them in the pickle section of regular grocery stores though you can find them for considerably better values (especially in large jars) at continental and European delis and produce shops.

  Substitute – Sauté fresh strips of capsicum, zucchini half moons, asparagus, mushrooms or any vegetable you’d like, though you won’t get the same smoky flavour. Or use other jarred/canned vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes.

• Tomato passata – Smooth pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces and costs around the same as canned tomato. Passata is excellent for making thick, smooth tomato based sauces, like we are doing in today’s risoni recipe. More on tomato passata here.

  Substitute: For those of you in the US, substituted with the what you call tomato puree (like Hunts). Otherwise, use canned crushed tomato (though the sauce colour won’t be such a vibrant red colour).

• Kalamata olives – Adds fabulous little briny pops into this dish, and flavours the sauce.

• Red onion and garlic – The aromatic flavour bases for this recipe.

Finishing: basil or parsley – or nothing

Finding myself with an abundance of extra basil from stress-testing the basil storing method I shared last week, I decided on a whim to finish the dish with basil and it made it even better! Though until this week, I’ve always been finishing it with just a small amount of parsley.

But in all honesty, there is so much going on here already with the olives and goat’s cheese and roasted peppers, it is still 100% delicious without any fresh herbs. I’d probably add a teaspoon of dried oregano into the sauce though!

How to make this risoni recipe

It takes around 20 minutes to make from start to finish, including preparation. There’s little chopping to be done!

Workflow – Get the risoni boiling then start on the sauce. The cooked risoni can sit in the colander until you’re ready to stir it in.

1. Cook risoni until a tiny bit under done ie. very al dente. The centre shouldn’t be raw-pasta hard but just a bit firmer than you’d like to eat. Reason: the risoni will keep cooking in the sauce so we don’t want it fully cooked at this stage.

2. Reserve pasta water – Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of the pasta cooking water. We will be using this to loosen the olive pasta sauce later. It’s good practice to use the pasta cooking cooking water because it’s got starch from the pasta in it which helps the sauce cling to the little bits of risoni (I preach this for every single pasta recipe I share!).

3. Drain and rinse – Drain the risoni then give it a quick rinse under cold tap water to rinse off excess starch. If you skip this step, the sauce can get a little too “gluey” from excess starch, and also prevents the risoni from sticking together as it’s sitting in the colander waiting to be used.

4. Sauté – Using a large deep skillet (the one I use is 30cm/12″) on high heat, cook the onion first for around 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Then add the strips of capsicum/peppers and garlic. Cook for another 1 minute until the garlic is light golden, and the onion is pretty floppy.

5. Sauce – Add the passata and olives, then stir.

6. Simmer – Bring to a simmer then lower the head and simmer for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring every now and then. During this step, the briny, salty flavour from the olives and the smoky flavour from the capsicum/peppers releases into the sauce which adds flavour. YUM!

5. Risoni – Add the cooked risoni, salt and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir through until the risoni is coated in the sauce.

6. Basil and melty goat’s cheese – Add most of the goat’s cheese (reserve a bit for garnish) and stir it through until it melts and becomes creamy (it melts quickly). Then stir through the basil (if using), just before serving.

Then you’re done! Ladle into bowls or into a large serving bowl, sprinkle with goat’s cheese (or just add a clump if it’s soft and sticky – more impactful!) and little basil leaves or chopped basil. Then dig in!

How to serve this risoni dish

This is substantial enough and certainly interesting enough to be a meal by itself. Essentially, this is a vegetarian pasta dish (despite the repetitive comparisons I make to risotto!) which incorporates a decent amount of vegetables (tomato, onion, capsicum/bell peppers) so you don’t need to add a side dish to round out your meal.

However, it’d also be terrific served as a side dish with a simple piece of protein. I actually meant to photograph it with a piece of pan fried fish or prawns/shrimp plonked on top, cooked with just salt and pepper. Then the idea would be to eat the protein with the oozy risoni playing multiple roles here – like the sauce as well as a starch and vegetable side.

Try it with my everyday marinated chicken breast (named as such because it’s made with pantry staples), Italian marinated chicken, Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops or pile over some Greek Lamb Meatballs (imagine that!).

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

SUGGESTED SIMPLE PROTEINS TO SERVE WITH THIS RISONI

Crispy Pan Fried Fish

Just a great Chicken Marinade

Lemon Garlic Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Italian Dressing Chicken Marinade

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Mediterranean Recipes

Watch how to make it

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Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (Orzo)

Recipe video above. Goat's cheese and jarred fire-roasted red peppers (capsicum) makes this dish special even though it's quick and simple! The sauce is a little bit smoky and a little bit creamy, while olives add briny freshness. Tastes like a Mediterranean risotto!

Get the risoni boiling first then start on the sauce. Serve as a meal or as a side with a simple piece of cooked fish, prawns/shrimp, chicken or pork chops.

Course Mains

Cuisine Mediterranean vibes, Western

Keyword orzo recipe, risoni recipe

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 452cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 250g/ 8oz risoni pasta (orzo) , or other very small pasta (tiny stars, novelty shapes like dinosaurs, ditalini)
• 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt , for cooking the pasta
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion , halved then cut into 5mm / 0.2″ slices (sub regular onion)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 310g/ 10oz jar chargrilled / fire-roasted sliced red capsicum/peppers (~ 1 cup), drained, roughly chopped into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces (Note 1)
• 2 cups tomato passata or puree (Note 2)
• 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives or other briny/pickly thing (like pickles, chopped)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 120g/4 oz goat's cheese , the creamy feta type (Note 3)

Finishing – CHOOSE (Note 4)

• 1 tightly packed cup basil leaves
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley , plus extra for garnish

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Boil risoni – Bring a small pot or large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt and cook risoni until just under al dente (ie still a bit firm inside) as it will cook more in the sauce. 8 minutes for me.
• Drain & rinse – Just before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain, rinse briefly under the tap then leave the risoni in the colander while you finish the sauce.
• Sauté – Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet (30cm/12") over high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic and capsicum strips. Cook for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
• Simmer – Add tomato and olives. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
• Melt goat cheese – Add cooked risoni, salt, pepper and the pasta cooking water. Stir to combine. Add most of the goat's cheese (reserve some for garnish), stir so it melts.
• Basil & serve – Stir through basil or parsley just before serving. Divide between bowls. Crumble over reserved goat's cheese, sprinkle with extra basil. Dig in with a spoon!

Notes

1. Fire roasted red peppers / capsicum – Find it alongside olives, it’s smoky, soft, slippery and a terrific shortcut here. Substitution ideas – sauté your own capsicum strips or other vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus), or use other fire roasted vegetables you find (asparagus is one I’ve seen).

PS It’s not spicy, despite the name “pepper” 🙂

2. Tomato passata – Sold in bottles in the pasta aisle (sometimes canned tomato section). US: substitute what what you call “tomato puree” (eg Hunts). More on passata in post or here. Substitute with 600g/21 oz (1 1/2 cans) canned crushed tomato and simmer for a few extra minutes.

3. Goat cheese is cheese made from goat milk which has a distinctive creamy texture with a mild flavour that is a bit tangy. You need the soft feta sort for this dish, usually sold in log form – melts beautifully into sauces. Sold at regular grocery stores. Substitute with Danish feta (ie the creamy sort) or sour cream (1/2 to 3/4 cup). Else, yogurt or 1/3 – 1/2 cup cream plus a squeeze of lemon juice will deliver a similar flavour.

4. Herb finishes – Basil is my first preference, the freshness really elevates the dish. If I don’t have it, I use parsley or add 1 tsp dried oregano when I add the garlic.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave and loosen as needed with splash of water to make it oozy again.

Nutrition per serving. Calorie savings from using heavy on low-cal vegetables – tomato passata, fire roasted red peppers (it’s not packed in oil) and onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 452cal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 1531mg | Potassium: 869mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1427IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 4mg

Use the leftover risoni for one of these recipes!

Risoni/Orzo Salad with Crispy Salami Bits

One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo)

Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo)

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal)

One pot chicken risoni with crispy salami

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

Life of Dozer

We celebrated Christmas last weekend as it was the first weekend everybody was back in Sydney! As you might imagine, there was a fair number of food gifts (our entire extended family is very into food!) so Dozer spent a fair amount of time snuffling around the pile of presents.

The expression on his face when I was coaxing him to get out of there… “are you talking to me?” “I don’t understand what you’re saying” 😇

In the end, I gave up and joined him. 😂

The post Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is a big, bubbly pasta made with beef and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables in a Cajun flavoured tomato pasta sauce, topped with oozy cheese. Serves 7 to 8 and makes for excellent leftovers!

A complete one-pot meal with lots of hidden vegetables

Here today with a sparkling new recipe I created with mid-week cooking in mind: a big, bubbling Cajun pasta made with beef and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables, so you can serve this as a complete meal. It’s really economical (500g/1lb beef -> 7 to 8 servings), with bold beefy Cajun flavours and smothered with oozy cheese.

The good amount of Cajun spices used in this recipe lets us pack in vegetables without disappointingly diluting the flavour of the dish. You know exactly where I’m coming from, I know you do!!

In this recipe, we’ve got a carrot, zucchini, and capsicum (bell pepper) with 500g/1 lb of beef, plus there’s also 800g/28 oz canned tomato and an onion (these count as vegetables too!) All these vegetables not only boosts nutrition but also stretches the dish to serve 7-8 people instead of the usual 4-5.

So much veg. But try to tell me you don’t want to eat this!! ⬇️

Cajun pasta – not authentic, and that’s ok!

In case you are wondering, no, Cajun pasta isn’t authentically Cajun. In fact, Cajuns typically use rice. However, combining Cajun spices with pasta is popular in America and makes for a super tasty dish. So I’m totally on board with it!

Ingredients in this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta

I’ve chosen to use grated carrot and zucchini which blends in seamlessly into the pasta sauce, plus a chopped capsicum (bell pepper) which is on theme for the Cajun flavours in this dish.

The pasta add-ins

• Beef – I’ve designed this recipe around beef and I did find I had the tweak the volume of the Cajun spice blend to get the right balance of flavour. So while you could substitute with chicken, turkey or pork, you might find the seasoning a little on the light side so I’d increase the Cajun seasoning a bit. And probably add a bit more fat too, else the mince might seem a little dried out.

  Lamb doesn’t get a mention here because I feel like the combination with Cajun spices in a pasta sounds a bit odd? I could be wrong.

• Vegetables – Zucchini and carrot, grated with a box grater so it disappears into the pasta sauce. Plus a red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped rather than grating because it would turn into watery mush.

• Onion – This absolutely counts towards your vegetable quota! Plus it forms an important part of the flavour base for this pasta.

• Garlic – Where there is onion, there is almost always garlic. Actually, there is almost always garlic even when onion is not present!

• Kidney beans – This bulks out the recipe with more nutritional value than using more pasta, as well as adding a different texture to the dish. It’s also on theme as kidney beans are used in Cajun dishes – like red beans and rice. 🙂

cajun pasta sauce

The key to success with this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta for perfectly cooked pasta and enough sauce so it’s bubbly and saucy rather than dry and stodgy is to use enough liquid (stock, canned tomato and water). You will be surprised how much the pasta absorbs!

• Crushed canned tomato – For the pasta sauce. We use 800g/28 oz which makes this pasta nice and saucy!

• Chicken stock/broth and water – The liquid for cooking the pasta. We need a fair amount (1 litre / 1 quart) because pasta absorbs a surprising amount of liquid! I use a combination because using just water makes the sauce a little bland, but using all chicken stock rather than equal parts water and stock didn’t improve the flavour. So why incur the extra cost of using all chicken stock when water is free? 🙂

• Tomato paste – Just 2 tablespoons gives the sauce a tomato flavour boost, and thickens it slightly. Without, the sauce is just a little on the light side of tomato-flavour, but I’d still make this if I was out.

• Homemade Cajun Spice blend – I like to use a homemade Cajun spice blend because the quality of Cajun spice blends varies so much from brand to brand. Though if you have a good one, like Slap Ya Mama, feel free to substitute with that.

  Here are the spices you need for the homemade Cajun spice blend:
  

  • Dried thyme – substitute with fresh leaves, chopped

  • Paprika – sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy

  • Garlic powder – has an earthier flavour than fresh garlic. Substitute with more onion powder, or 2 extra garlic cloves.

  • Onion powder – has an earthier flavour than fresh onion, Substitute with more garlic powder.

  • Cayenne pepper – optional, for subtle warmth. Feel free to leave it out, or substitute with chilli powder (ie pure chilli, not the US non-spicy chili blend) or a dash of your favourite hot sauce.

  • Salt and pepper

• Cheese – For melting on the surface. I like to use Colby because it melts easily (useful for recipes where we use residual heat to melt the cheese) and doesn’t go greasy. But any melting cheese will be fine here. Personally I don’t use mozzarella because it doesn’t have quite enough flavour. Or, if I did, I’d add a good sprinkle of parmesan on top.

How to make this One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta

Using the one-pot method of cooking pasta where uncooked pasta is cooked in the pasta sauce does not work for all recipes. But it works extremely well for some – like this one!

The bonus, other than less washing up, is that the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce. Extra yum factor!

1. Shred the carrot and zucchini using a standard box grater. I like to grate them so the strands are shorter rather than longer (they hide better!). I don’t peel the carrot (free nutrition).

2. Cook – Use a large heavy based pot with a lid. I use a 24cm / 9.45″ cast iron pot which gets very full!

   Heat the oil over high heat, and cook the onion and garlic first to flavour the oil. Then cook the beef, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.

3. Vegetables and spices – Next, cook the carrot and zucchini. They will release water at first, but then the water will evaporate. After 2 minutes when they are partially cooked, add the capsicum and cook for another 2 minutes until the carrot and zucchinis wilted.

   Then add the tomato paste and all the Cajun spices. Cook for another 1 minute to take the sour raw edge off the tomato paste and get the spices all through the vegetables and beef.

4. Sauce and pasta – Add the canned tomato, water (I use the water to swill out the tomato cans), chicken stock and beans. Give it a good stir and bring it up to the simmer before adding the pasta.

5. Cook 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes back up to the simmer, cover with the lid and then lower the heat to medium. We want the liquid simmering, but not bubbling madly (too strong, base will catch) nor still which means it isn’t hot enough (the pasta will just be sitting there bloating in hot liquid rather than cooking).

6. Stir every few minutes to ensure the base doesn’t catch. As it cooks, the liquid will get absorbed by the pasta.

   The pasta is ready when it’s just about cooked (ie centre is still a bit firmer than you want). It will be rather watery still which is what we want. The pasta will finish cooking and the excess liquid will be absorbed in the next step! **Stop here if making ahead, see box below for tips.**

7. Cheese it! Working quickly (so we don’t lose heat), give the pasta one big stir, smooth the surface, then sprinkle the surface with cheese.

8. 3 minutes – Cover with the lid and turn the stove off. Leave the pot on the stove for 3 minutes to let the residual heat melt the cheese. Then lift the lid and be greeted with THIS DELERIOUSLY DELICIOUS SIGHT! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Serve immediately, while the pasta is at its peak, hot and oozy. Because as with all pastas, the longer this sits around, the less saucy it becomes as the pasta will continue to absorb liquid.

Though truthfully, it doesn’t bother me even when it’s not as saucy as freshly made. I was happily warming up leftovers and eating this for breakfast four days later, then I made another couple of batches “just to check it one more time” and froze them to donate through RecipeTin Meals (my food bank).

I think this is One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is another recipe ideal to add to our RTM rotation – nutritious, economical, easy to scale up, keeps well and damn tasty! – Nagi x

PS The token green onion sprinkle is not at all mandatory, just my attempt to add a splash of green to the molten blanket of yellow.

PPS For those interested, I did a post on the Top 10 meals we make at RTM -> Top 10 recipes we make at RecipeTin Meals. It’s a useful list for recipes that are ideal for making ahead, freezing, wholesome, economical and the sort of food everybody loves. We tend to stay away from things like bold-flavoured spicy Vindaloo curry at RTM! 🙂

Watch how to make it

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One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg

Recipe video above. A big bubbly beefy pasta in a Cajun flavoured tomato sauce, filled with lots of hidden vegetables, all made in one pot! Love that it's a complete meal, and a great way to stretch 500g/1lb beef to serve more people with the bonus of a stack of "hidden" vegetables (carrot, zucchini ,zucchini, canned tomato and onion – yes, onion counts towards daily veg intake!).

Leftovers are excellent! Fridge or freeze.

Course Main, One Pot Meals

Cuisine Western

Keyword beef pasta, cajun beef pasta, cajun pasta, One Pot Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 7 – 8

Calories 507cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

One-pot pasta:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 onion , chopped
• 500g/ 1 lb beef mince (ground beef) (Note 1)
• 1 carrot , medium, shredded using box grater (I keep skin on)
• 1 zucchini , medium, shredded using box grater (Note 2)
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 800g/ 28 oz canned crushed tomato
• 400g/ 14 oz kidney beans , drained (or other beans of choice, can omit)
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium (sub beef stock)
• 2 cups water (just regular tap water!)
• 350g / 12 oz (3 cups) elbow pasta (macaroni) , spirals, penne, ziti, small shells, rigatoni or similar size, uncooked (Note 3)
• 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) colby cheese or other melting cheese of choice, preferably freshly shredded (melts better)
• 1 green onion stem , finely sliced (optional garnish)

Cajun spices:

• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 1/2 tbsp paprika (sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , optional (faintly spicy)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large heavy based pot with a lid over high heat.
• Cook vegetables – Cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red meat. Add the carrot and zucchini, cook for 2 minutes until the water they release mostly evaporates. Add the capsicum and cook for 2 minutes.
• Spices – Add the tomato paste and Cajun Spices. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pasta sauce – Add the canned tomato, water (I swill the cans clean), stock and beans. Mix and bring to a simmer.
• Add the pasta, stir, let it come back up to the simmer. Put the lid on and lower the heat slightly to medium so the liquid is simmering (not bubbling madly).
• Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the base doesn't catch. The pasta should be a bit firmer than you want in the middle, and still a bit soupy which is good! Liquid gets absorbed in the next step.
• Melt cheese – Give it a stir, smooth the surface, sprinkle with cheese. Put the lid on then turn the stove off (leave the pot on the stove). Leave for 3 minutes so the residual heat melts the cheese and the pasta finishes cooking.
• Serve – Remove from the stove, sprinkle with green onion if desired, then serve immediately while saucy and the cheese is gooey!

Notes

1. Protein – This recipe works best with beef, I feel. Chicken and turkey gets a little dry for my taste, though you could use them (I’d increase the spices a bit, same for pork). I think lamb and cajun spices in a pasta is a little odd? But I could be wrong!

A reader also made this with kangaroo and reported delicious results!

2. Vegetables – You can switch the carrot, zucchini capsicum for other vegetables, just chop them in a way that makes sense. A huge handful of baby spinach stirred in just before topping with cheese comes to mind. I like shredding the carrot and zucchini because it disappears. 

3. Pasta – the 3 cup measure for 350g/12 oz is for elbow pasta/macaroni only. The cup quantity for other pasta shapes will differ.

Leftovers – So delicious! Keeps better than many pastas because it’s so nice and saucy so it doesn’t get too stodgy and dry. Fridge 4 days, freezer 3 months! Making ahead – If making the whole dish ahead intentionally, stop after step 6, take it off the stove and let it cool (you could even transfer into an ovenproof dish at this stage). Sprinkle with cheese then fridge or freeze! 

Nutrition per serving assuming 8 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 507cal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 995mg | Potassium: 1091mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3063IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

My new cookbook TONIGHT hits shelves around the world next month! 15 October in Australia, 17 October in the UK and 29 October in the US. I CAN’T WAIT!!

Dozer features prominently in this one. I insisted. No Dozer, no cookbook! He’s in every single Chapter opener. Here’s one of my favourites – no setting up required, 100% Dozer/Nagi situation!

And some photos I found on my camera from the shoot day:

Actually, I haven’t been looking at these photos from the early cookbook shoot days because it makes me a little sad. It was just before he was diagnosed with his condition and had his surgery, and all I can think is how I dragged him along to all those shoot days and he made such an effort to co-operate like the good boy he is. But he must’ve been suffering so terribly, unable to breathe properly. 😭

I remember on the last day of shooting, he struggled so much to walk just 50 meters from the building to the car at the end of the day. Breaks my heart knowing I pushed him too hard, not knowing he was not well. 💔

Anyway! He’s so much better now, and I’m so grateful.

And the best reward for all that hard work I put into the cookbook? That he is here with me to celebrate the launch next month.

I have the best dog in the world. – Nagi x

Our new cookbook TONIGHT is now available for pre-order so you can secure a copy and get it straight away when it releases in October! It’s not all Dozer. There’s a recipe or two in there as well. 😉

The post One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta with lots-of-veg appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The big-batch easy pasta salad I make when I’m short on time. People always ask why it tastes so good. I’ll let you in on my secrets! (No bottled dressing involved.)

My big, easy pasta salad

Newsflash! You don’t need a gazillion add-ins to make a great pasta salad. You don’t need pricey ingredients like baby bocconcini, you don’t need to buy multiple bunches of herbs (and just use a teeny amount of each) and you don’t need much time.

All you need to do is toss hot, freshly cooked pasta in a simple, tangy, Dijon cider vinegar dressing then set it aside while the pasta cools. You will be shocked how much flavour the pasta soaks up! Which means, before we’ve even added anything, your pasta salad is already great. So whatever you toss in will make it even better!

Pasta salad tips galore!

Also today – more pasta salad tips. I feel it says a lot about me that I have so many thoughts about a simple pasta salad! 😂

1. Overly soft pasta – Cook the pasta until it’s well beyond al dente and is overly-soft. Because pasta goes hard when it cools down, and even harder when fridge cold. Nobody likes rock hard pasta salad!

2. Smidge of honey – To take the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can get away with using less oil in the dressing. I just don’t think pasta salads should be excessively oily. Even with my macaroni salad, I lighten the mayo dressing with a good amount of yogurt.

3. Streamlined ingredient combination – A selection of add-ins chosen to get all the flavour and texture I seek in a pasta salad using the minimum number of ingredients I can get away with. Keeping well overnight also essential! My picks: juicy pops (tomato), subtle crunch from finely sliced cucumber, briney spark (olives), a treat (feta) and a finishing touch (basil, or any of the numerous suggestions in the recipe notes).

Of course, feel free to wing-it, use what you’ve got and what you love. Such is the beauty of pasta salads – the versatility!

Here’s what you need for this pasta salad

1. the pasta

Any shortish and medium pasta will work here, though pasta shapes with nooks and crannies for the little chopped up bits of olives and feta to get caught in are especially ideal. Think – shells, orecchiette, twirls and bow ties (farfalle). I chose bow ties because – fun!

2. PASTA SALAD ADD-INS

And here’s what I put into the pasta salad (see above for the why).

• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – Or chop large tomatoes

• Kalamata olives roughly chopped. Brings pops of briny goodness into this pasta salad. Excellent shortcut as it adds salt, tang and sharp freshness which means I don’t feel the need to add anything onion-y in this recipe ie. one less ingredient to chop. For this salad I like to roughly chop the olives so it disperses better all throughout the pasta salad. Higher impact using less olives!

  💡 TIP: Kalamata olives really are so much tastier and have a more pleasant soft tender than black olives which are cheaper for a reason!

• Cucumbers – I like to finely slice them so they flop a bit and meld to become one with the pasta, rather than using larger chunks that release bursts of water and dilutes the flavour in your mouth when you bite into them. Yes, these are the sort of things that I care about -> Cooking Nerd Alert! 🫣

• Feta – It’s a general rule in my life that every salad (other than basic plain side salads) should have some sort of “treat” in it, whether it be nuts or croutons, a mountain of crisped panko or finely grated parmesan. Feta plays that role in today’s pasta salad.

  💡 TIP: Not all feta is created equal! Feta made in Greece and labelled “PDO” (“Protected Designation of Origin”) are a step up from the more economic options offered at grocery stores. Try it once and forever be converted.

• Basil or another finishing touch – I like to finish off this pasta salad with a finishing touch which puts it in “take to gatherings” territory. Here in Australia, we’re pretty lucky, basil is available and reasonably priced most of the year around. However, if I can’t get it (or won’t pay the price for it), here are other things I use instead which plays the same role:

  – Another fresh herb: dill (first choice), or parsley or parsley + mint (second choice);
  – Toasted pine nuts: I like to roughly chop half to really get the bits well dispersed throughout;
  – Dried oregano: I add this into my dressing to give it an extra hit of flavour to compensate. This is my last resort fall-back, because dried oregano is a pantry staple. Then I tell people it’s a Greek Pasta Salad, and totally get away with it!

3. THE dijon-cider vinegar DRESSING

I specifically make this dressing using pantry staples so I can make this pasta salad anytime without going to the store. It gets a great hit of flavour from Italian herbs (customisable), two plump garlic cloves and a smidge of Dijon mustard.

Heads up: the dressing is quite sharp and intense by itself. But it has to be because it gets tossed through a LOT of stuff so it gets really diluted and we end up with the perfect amount of flavour in every bite!

• Extra virgin olive oil – You don’t need to use a really high quality one for this pasta salad, like I sometimes recommend for salad dressings. But just be sure to use extra virgin olive oil which has more flavour than regular olive oil.

• Apple cider vinegar – My go-to vinegar for dressings. Not too sharp, mild flavour and very economical.

• Dijon mustard – This thickens the dressing a touch so it coats the pasta and vegetables better as well as adding a little flavour. It’s not a dominant flavour, it’s a background flavour.

• Honey – Just 2 teaspoons takes the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can make a far less oily dressing. This recipe uses 1/3 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup oil (2: 3 ratio), which has the right amount of oil for my taste. However, it was a little sharp and an easy way to dial that down without adding more oil is to add a touch of something sweet (honey, in this case).

  In contrast, for typical western salad dressings, 1/3 cup vinegar would usually call for 1 cup of oil (1 : 3 ratio) which makes this pasta salad far too oily for my taste.

• Italian herb mix – A standard spice mix at grocery stores, a pre made mix of herbs and spices that saves me reaching for 7 different jars. You could easily switch to another herb mix like Herbs de Provence, or use just dried oregano or finely chopped fresh herbs (dill immediately comes to mind).

• 2 garlic cloves – You’ll love the smell of the garlic when it gets tossed through the hot pasta!

• Salt and pepper – We don’t need much salt, just 3/4 teaspoon for this entire big batch because we get salt from the feta and olives too.

How to make this Big, Easy Pasta Salad

If you’ve got decent chopping skills, you’ll be able to get the add-ins chopped while the pasta is cooking. Which basically means your active cooking / prep time is barely 15 minutes which is highly efficient for this amount of food! (It will easily serve 5 to 6 as a meal, many more as part of a buffet spread at a gathering).

1. Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a jar.

2. Overcook the pasta – There’s a reason for this strange sounding instruction!!! We want to cook the pasta until it’s beyond al dente so it is very soft because pasta gets firmer when it cools down, and even harder when refrigerated. Nobody wants rock-hard pasta in their pasta salad!!

   So cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 to 3 minutes beyond the time directed on the packet, which would be unpleasantly soft for a pasta dish served hot. But once your pasta salad is dressed and cooled to room temperature or refrigerated overnight, the pasta that was overly soft when hot is the perfect texture when cold!

3. Flavour absorption – Pour the hot pasta into a big bowl (big enough to toss the pasta salad with all the vegetables added). Pour over half the Dressing then toss well.

   Then leave the pasta to soak up the flavour of the Dressing until it cools down to room temperature, around 40 minutes. Toss once or twice, it you remember.

4. Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over remaining Dressing and toss well. Expect some feta crumbling – some chunks, some crumbled is good!

5. Basil last – Tear the basil leaves roughly with your hands then toss through.

6. Serve! Pour the pasta salad into a large serving bowl. Then dig in!

Matters of storage and make ahead

As all good pasta salads should be, this is excellent served freshly made, just as good (some say even better) the next day, and still very, very good for another 2 days.

If I’m making ahead intentionally to take to a gathering, I will keep the basil leaves separate and throw them in at the least minute so they are nice and green. But for leftovers, it really doesn’t bother me in the slightest that the basil becomes discoloured.

Whether you serve it freshly made or tomorrow, I recommend serving it at room temperature! As with most foods, you just can’t taste the flavours as well when it’s fridge cold. Though when I need to eat right now, it certainly doesn’t deter me from eating it straight from the fridge! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad

Recipe video above. This is the big-batch pasta salad I make when I'm short on time. The trick that puts this into guest-serving territory is to toss the hot, freshly cooked pasta in the dressing. You will be shocked how much flavour it absorbs!

Do this, and it's delicious no matter what you add in. My combination is the bare minimum that delivers everything I seek in a pasta salad. There's no need to add a gazillion ingredients!

Workflow – Chop the veg and make the dressing while the pasta is cooking. This will cut down active cook/prep time to 15 minutes.

Course cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad, Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword cold pasta salad, easy pasta salad, pasta salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 12

Calories 617cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 500g/ 1 lb bow tie pasta (farfalle) , or other short/medium pasta (Note 1)

Add-ins (7 cups "anything" – Note 2)

• 2 cucumbers , halved lengthways and finely sliced (~17cm/7" long, sliced 2mm / 1/16", I use a mandolin)
• 3 cups (500g) cherry or grape tomatoes , halved (or chop 4 regular tomatoes)
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped Kalamata olives (3/4 cup whole pitted or 1/2 cup sliced, then chop)
• 200g/ 7oz Greek feta , cut into 6mm / 1/4" batons (they will crumble a bit, this is good)
• 1 packed cup basil leaves , torn by hand (Note 2 for alternatives)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using a knife
• 2 tsp dijon mustard (can omit)
• 2 tsp honey (sub maple syrup or 1 tsp sugar, Note 4)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs mix (Note 5)
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Summary directions

• Cook pasta until soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss with everything else except basil, then add basil. Serve!

Full directions

• Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a large jar. It should be sharp, the flavour mellows once tossed.
• Cook pasta until soft – Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 – 3 minutes longer than the time on the packet but taste to check because packet directions have been known to lie! Pasta firms up when it's cold (nobody likes hard, cold pasta!), so cook the pasta until extra soft.
• Flavour soak – Drain the pasta very well, shaking off excess water. Transfer into a large bowl. Give the Dressing a good shake then pour over about two-thirds. Toss well, then leave the pasta to soak up the dressing as it cools (~40 minutes).
• Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over the remaining Dressing. Toss well. Add basil, toss again.
• Serve – Tumble into big serving bowl. Dig in!

Notes

Servings – Makes enough for 5 to 6 as a meal, or 12+ as part of a buffet table at a gathering.

---

1. Pasta shape – Shells, twirls, orecchiette are ideal. See in post for thoughts. I encourage you to use a shape that has nooks and crannies for little bits of olives and feta to get caught in!

2. Alternative add-ins: Feel free to use your favourites! Other fresh veg, antipasto-ey things. Here are specific “best sub” suggestions to keep the flavour profile similar to my recipe:

• Cucumber – celery
• Tomato – Grilled or baked red capsicum/red peppers and zucchini hunks
• Olives – capers, finely sliced red onion
• Basil alternatives I use:
  • Equal first choice: 1/2 cup roughly chopped dill or 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (half roughly chopped)
  • Second choice: 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley leaves or 1/4 cup each parsley and mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • Fall back: Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano into the Dressing.

•  

3. Other vinegars – white or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar.

4. Smidge of honey – Takes edge off sharpness of vinegar so we can get away with using way less oil than the typical 1:3 vinegar to oil ratio. Good trick for cutting down on oil in dressings! 🙂

5. Italian herb mix – Just the regular mix from any grocery store. Sub with another mix like Herbs de Provence, or dried oregano.

Storage – Keeps well for 3 days! At its prime on the day of making and next day, still every good on day for 2 more days. If intentionally making ahead to take somewhere, take the basil separately and add it in just before serving. Best served at room temp rather than fridge cold, toss well just before serving.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 617cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 692IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Did you jump down here to check out what Dozer is up to before checking out the recipe?? Busted! But – you know I secretly whole heartedly approve. What recipe?? 😂

When you hear a pathetic wail from the front of the house and open the door to see this:

The door closed on him when he waddled outside without my knowledge to do something extraordinary (no doubt), and he was fretting.

At least I know I don’t have to worry about him running away these days!!! Too old, too slow, too much of a home boy. 🥰

And later that day, back at our old stomping ground Bayview dog beach in the Northern Beaches, saying hi to Jeff the friendly local who lives at the dog park. Jeff is well! Still regaling everyone with terrible jokes (he takes sooo long to get to the punchline! 😂) and looking after the park like it’s his own backyard. We are so lucky to have him as part of our community. 🙂

The post Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.