Miso Mushroom Pasta

 Bit of an Asian fusion recipe from here:

Recipe

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 lb (!) mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 c soy milk*
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp miso paste
• 1 c warm water*
• 1 c green onion, sliced

Heat a bit of olive oil in a big pan, and saute the onion and garlic a couple minutes. Then add your mushrooms (and a little salt & pepper) and cook about 10 minutes to get most of the liquid out.

Probaby put your pasta in while that cooks. Also mix the miso into the water.

Next add the flour to the mushroom pan, and stir up to coat. Then mix in the soy milk, nutritional yeast, and a bit more salt & pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and fold in the pasta and get it all coated. Turn off heat and add the miso water and green onions. Serve!

Notes

This one has a really interesting flavor, and process! It would be a shame to ruin anything with that many mushrooms in it... I was worried the soy milk would be sweet - it's hard to picture in pasta! And it's so much liquid between that and the water, with limited time to cook out. 

But it all comes together! We've played with reducing the liquid (thus the *s above) so there's less broth at the bottom of the pot - although it's tasty broth ;)

Vegan Creamy Sausage Pasta

Credit to Anne for finding this one!

Recipe
8 oz pasta

6 oz spinach

14 oz vegan sausage - sliced or crumbled

2 garlic cloves

1/2 vegan cream cheese

1/4 c pesto (see below)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 c veggie broth

1/4 vegan parmesan cheese

• Start cooking the pasta. 
• In the meantime, start cooking the sausage in a little oil over medium high. When it's close to done, add the sausage and wilt. Set aside.
• Add a little more oil to the pan and sizzle the garlic. Add the cream cheese and veggie broth, and stir until melted. Then add the pesto and nutritional yeast.
• Combine everything and serve!

Pesto

2 c basil leaves

3 tbsp pine nuts (or walnuts)

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp lemon juice

3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp olive oil

3-6+ tbsp water

Blend the dry ingredients into a paste, then add the olive oil a little at a time, then the water to get to the right consistency.

Notes

I was a little skeptical, since this favorite recipe of mine is pretty simple, good, and easy to veganize, while this takes extra steps for pesto and stuff. But I was happy to be proved wrong! The extra effort is well worth it whether for a casual night in or serious carb loading before a 25 (or 50) K...

Cauliflower Walnut Bolognese

As if this Cannibal Stew classic wasn't proof enough you can do an awesomely hearty vegan pasta sauce, here's another one, swapping in cauliflower & walnuts for chickpeas.

Recipe

• ~1 lb cauliflower (most of a head?) chopped into florets
• ~1/2 c walnuts (was doing some metric conversions here...)
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt & pepper
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 c water
• 1 tsp sugar

Get your food processor out, and chop up your cauliflower, then add walnuts, then seasoning (nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper). Lay out on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and roast at 400 for at least 20 minutes, mixing up partway through.

Heat some oil in a big saucepan and add onions. Once they're looking good, add the other veggies, and cook 10 minutes or more.

Prob start your pasta in here.

Add the other seasonings to the saucepan along with the cauliflower mixture, and stir up. Mash in the tomatoes, along with the water and sugar. Simmer ~20 minutes.

OK maybe start the pasta now instead. Combine and serve!

Notes

This one came out really well! Despite a healthy appetizer of whiskey that may have resulted in some struggles with said metric conversions, and forgotten ingredients like water and sugar... Main note is, it seemed way less tomato-ey than expected, so we added an extra can of diced tomatoes and prob could have done more. Worth playing around with!

Vegan Swedish Meatballs

What caught my attention about this recipe - aside from vegan Swedish meatballs - was the "One Pot" promise. More on that below...

Recipe

Meatballs

• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 c panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 c parsley, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp vegan worcestershire
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• salt & pepper

Gravy

• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 3 c vegetable broth
• 1 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire
• 1/4 c flour
• salt & pepper

Pasta

• Recommended 4 c bowties

Combine the "meat" ingredients together, mashing the beans up. Heat up the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Roll the meatballs - they recommend about golf ball size. Cook in the pot a minute or so per side to brown. Add the gravy ingredients, stir together, and bring to a boil.

Here, they recommend adding the pasta and letting it cook in the gravy. Our experience, backed up by internet stranger comments, was that doesn't work great. The pasta took forever to get to an edible level, and in the meantime the rest of the recipe becomes a bit of a goop with no clear dividing lines between meat and gravy. The flavors killed! But I'd likely start the pasta separately, and just finish it in the pot. Will test that out soon, hopefully resulting in a more photogenic end product!

White Bean Pasta

Gave this one a try from Budget Bytes via social media...

Recipe

• 8 oz pasta (a long type like spaghetti or linguine)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pint grape / cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt & pepper
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 4 oz baby spinach
• parmesan

Start your pasta. Heat the olive oil & butter in a skillet, on the medium-lower heat side. Add the garlic, then tomatoes, salt & pepper, and basil. Saute until the tomatoes pop - fun! Then add the spinach and wilt it a bit, then add the beans. Heat through and get a nice thick sauce going. Then toss in the pasta! 

Vegan Avocado Mac & Cheese

In these vegan-y days, still figuring out how to find some old favorites.  Pizza's a struggle; mac & cheese does give a bit more in terms of options though.  After trying this one out, wanted to give another one a shot!

Recipe

1 large ripe avocado (or 2 small ones)
1 lemon, juiced
1 c basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/4 c cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
4-6 tbsp nutritional yeast (so, 6)
1/2 c + 1 1/4 c almond or other non-dairy milk
10-12 oz pasta
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp flour

• Get the pasta cooking
• Blend together the avocado, lemon juice, basil, cilantro, spices, nutritional yeast, and 1/2 c almond milk, plus a little salt
• Saute the garlic in some olive oil, then whisk in the flour, then slowly add the 1 1/4 c almond milk.
• Once the sauce thickens, remove from heat and mix in the avocado sauce.
• Pour over the pasta (cooked and drained) and eat!
• Top with more avocado, tomatoes, vegan cheese, etc.

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Found another recipe looking to use up some nearly-over-ripe avocados for an easy, hearty dinner...

Recipe

12 oz pasta
1 large avocado
1 c fresh basil
1/3 c walnuts
1 small lemon, juiced
1/2 c olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt & pepper
optional topping: cherry tomatoes, halved

Cook the pasta.  In the meantime, blend or process everything else together into a creamy sauce.  Mix in with cherry tomatoes and serve!

Notes

Another really easy one - basically just takes you as long as it does to make a pot of pasta.  One thing - we usually get aggressive with garlic, but since it's not cooked, you can be a little lighter on that ingredient here ;)

Vegan Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

I love mac & cheese, one of the things I miss with a more vegan diet these days... Found this one and figured given all the ingredients it was worth a shot...

Recipe

1 sweet potato, roasted
1/2 yellow onion
1 head garlic
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/2 c almond or non-dairy milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 c tahini
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp lemon juice
12 oz pasta
bread crumbs

Roast the sweet potato until tender. In the meantime, cut the head off the garlic. Drizzle the garlic & onion with olive oil and wrap in foil; bake 25-30 minutes.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender: sweet potato, onion, garlic (peeled), etc. Blend, and if it's too thick, add more milk.

Mix the sauce with the (cooked) pasta. You can top with breadcrumbs or any other favorite toppings!

Notes

I really liked this recipe, but I wasn't convinced I was eating mac & cheese - more of a sweet, somewhat cheesy pasta sauce. Overall pretty easy and tasty!

Pasta Autunno

Pasta Autunno

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta *substitute gluten free pasta if need be
Bacon (½ pack cooked crisply and crumbled)
Sweet potatoes (2 small, cubed)
Small head of cauliflower
Brussels sprouts (½ - ¾ lb, cut in halves)
garlic cloves (whole)
pesto (from a jar or homemade in a food processor with greens, lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper etc)Halloumi *substitute tofu to make vegan

DIRECTIONS:

*This is basically an excellent odds-and-ends or using-leftovers pasta. You can mix and match based on what you have on hand in the fridge.

1.) Cut sweet potato into small cubes, halve brussels sprouts, chop cauliflower into small pieces, and skin at least 4 cloves of garlic

2.) Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet until golden brown and soft.

3.) While the veggies roast, cut the halloumi into cubes (I prefer 1/2 inch). Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the halloumi until you get some good color on those lil babies. *It will need to sit a lot initially! Be patient before you toss it around.

4.) Make pasta of your choice. *Spirals are best, though

5.) Toss all ingredients together and add some pesto sauce of your choosing.

Meatless Mushroom & Chickpea Pasta Sauce

Alright, here's another faux-meat sauce, this one courtesy of the America's Test Kitchen IG:

Recipe

10 oz cremini mushrooms*
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced*
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes*
1/4 c tomato paste
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 c vegetable broth
15 oz chickpeas, rinsed
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
*feel free to add more as desired!

• Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until in little (1/8-1/4 in) pieces.  Heat 5 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven over medium high and cook mushrooms (and a little salt) until browned.
• In the meantime, pulse the onion similarly (don't need to clean out the processor between all these ingredients).  Add to the dutch oven until soft.
• Mix the extra tbsp of oil plus the garlic, oregano, and red pepper in a bowl.
• Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook a minute or 2.  Reduce heat to medium and clear space in the middle for the garlic mixture; add it and cook and mix in until fragrant.
• Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer about 5 minutes.
• Pulse the chickpeas similarly, and rinse in a strainer until the water runs through clear.  Add to the pot and simmer about 15 minutes.
• Stir in basil and salt & pepper, and serve over pasta!

Notes

This is a bit more complicated, but comes out really, really good!  Great to make a big batch and get a few meals out of it.  Might even be jefe-friendly?

Tofu Bolognese

Alright, now getting into the vegan phase - thanks Anne ;)  First up...

Recipe

2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 block extra firm tofu
3 c tomato sauce
1 lb spaghetti or other pasta

Preheat oven to 350, and oil or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Mix the seasonings and stuff into a brown paste, and crumble in the tofu.  Mix it in real good, spread on the baking sheet, and cook for 35-45 minutes.  Toward the end, cook up the tomato sauce, then add the tofu, and serve over pasta (cook that in there toward the end too).

Skillet Sausage Pasta

Stuck at home recovering from losing soccer finals / a foot injury; unclear which one hurt more :( but the second thing made it tricky to get to the store.  A little Google homework and turned up this recipe.

Recipe

1 lb sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c broth
8 oz pasta (~2 1/2 c)
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 c half and half or cream
Monterey jack cheese
green onion, sliced
olive oil, salt & pepper, crushed red pepper

Start the sausage and onion in some olive oil in a skillet.  Once that's lightly browned, add in the garlic for a minute or so, then the broth, pasta, tomatoes, some crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the pasta is cooked.  Once that's done, stir in the cream and simmer for a minute or two.  Remove from heat and springkle with grated cheese and green onion.

Notes

This one actually worked out with most of the ingredients already on hand, with some minor tweaks (water instead of broth, milk instead of cream, chopped up old cherry tomatoes instead of canned diced, gouda instead of jack).  All worked pretty well for an easy, more southwestern pasta!

Tofu Pesto Pasta

Getting back into Veggie Monday and finding new recipes to try out.  This one looked promising...

Recipe

1 lb pasta (tricolor spiral recommended)
1 lb tofu, drained and cubed
1 lb mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 c black olives, sliced
1 tbsp capers
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1 sprig basil

Pesto (if not using pre-made)
1/4 c olive oil
2 c milk
1 oz pesto paste

Start your pasta water (and blend the pesto if you're doing it).  Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil at medium.  Add the tofu, season with salt & pepper, and brown evenly.  Remove the tofu, and add the mushrooms for about 5 minutes.  Then stir in the olives, capers, some of the Parmesan, then the pesto and tofu.  Serve over the pasta with basil.

Notes

This was actually a lot easier to prepare than I thought - took (much) longer to boil the water for a big batch of pasta than it did to chop everything.  Lots of good flavors between the pesto, 'shrooms, olives, and capers - no problem eating enough to fill up!

Cavatappi with Chorizo & Black Beans

Southwest twist on pasta, with a couple solid ingredients.  Source.

Recipe

1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 lb cured chorizo, sliced thin
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 c broth/stock
1 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb cavatappi
oil, salt & pepper, lime juice, parsley

Heat some oil medium low, and saute the onion until it starts to soften, then add the garlic and spices.  Next add the chorizo, tomato paste, and broth.  Let it thicken for a few more minutes, then add the beans and lime juice.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta, and toss with the sauce and parsley.

Notes

I looked up cavatappi, I think from somewhere online claiming it was a superior pasta shape or whatever.  Turns out it's hard to find though, so I used the standard penne I had on hand.  One cup of black beans is a bit of a tricky amount - using a full can overwhelmed the dish a bit.  So maybe use this one when you're scaling up!

One-Pot Pasta Primavera

That one pot is pulling its weight these days...  Here's the next episode of one-pot preparations, plus the latest Meatless Monday.  Original recipe here.

Recipe

4 c vegetable broth
1/2 lb linguine
1 onion, sliced
1 lb broccoli florets
1 1/2 lbs asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into 1-2" pieces
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c frozen peas
1/4 c heavy cream
parsley, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest
olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper

Add the broth, pasta, onion, broccoli, asparagus, shrooms, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to your (one) pot, and drizzle over some olive oil.  Bring to a boil; once it's there, cook 7 or so minutes, tossing with tongs.  Add the peas, cream, parsley, Parm, and lemon zest, and cook another couple minutes, until everything is basically done.  Let cool and thicken, then serve!

Notes

That's a long list of ingredients, but it probably works as a choose-your-own-vegetarian-adventure - however much you feel like chopping and tossing in a pot of whatever plants and fungi you have lying around.  Really good!  I about two-thirded things, which left me with more liquid than I expected.  The broth was delicious, though!  I didn't bother with cream, just added a splash of milk (and tons of cheese) for that dairy goodness.  Almost as good as porky ramen broth...

Lentil Bolognese

A cheap, healthy, and plentiful Meatless Monday (plus a few extra days) recipe courtesy of reddit...

Recipe

1 onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (15 oz each) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 c red lentils
2 c water
olive oil, salt & pepper

Chop everything.  Start some oil in a large skillet and cook the vegetables until tender.  Next stir in the garlic, then the tomato paste, then the rest of the tomatoes and the herbs, baking soda, and some salt and pepper.  Then add the lentils and water, and simmer 20-30 minutes.  Serve over pasta.

Notes

I've struggled with this in a few recent recipes, and realized that you need plenty of liquid to cook through things like lentils (or sweet potatoes).  I let everything simmer longer than a half hour, and the lentils were still a bit underdone.

Overall, though, a tasty recipe to make in a big batch and have for leftovers (good with some sausage for non-veggie days)!

Italian Meat Sauce

I may not have had an Italian grandmother, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a thick, hearty, meaty pasta sauce.  It may not be just like my imaginary nonna made, but it's got America's Test Kitchen's best time-saving and flavor-enhancing tips:

Recipe

4 oz white mushrooms, halved or quartered
1 onion, finely chopped
1 slice white bread, torn into quarters
2 tbsp whole milk
1 lb ground beef (85% lean)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 medium can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, drained reserving 1/4 c of juice
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1/4 c-plus grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper

Process the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl.  Next pop the bread, milk, and some salt and pepper into the processor and combine into a paste.  Add the beef and mix well.

Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium high, and brown the mushroom and onion.  Add in the garlic, tomato paste, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a minute or so, then add the tomato juice and oregano, scraping/deglazing the pan.  The meat mixture is next; cook until the pink is gone but don't let it brown.  Stir in your cans of tomatoes and simmer about a half hour.

Prepare some pasta toward the end.  Stir in the cheese, and serve with more sprinkled on top!

Notes

This is pretty good.  I'm sure it could be simplified, but altogether kind of a fun cooking project.  In true grandma-fashion, its a ton of food, so be prepared to refrigerate or freeze leftovers!

Fried Zucchini Spaghetti

Guess which two of the following three things Gwyneth Paltrow counts among her "favorite things on earth": fried zucchini, spaghetti, and caring for orphans?  According to her cookbook, the answer is fried zucchini and spaghetti - no mention of the poor orphans :(

Recipe

3/4 lb (1 box) spaghetti
2-3 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 c Parmesan cheese, grated
handful basil leaves, roughly torn
olive oil, salt & pepper

Cook the spaghetti.  Meanwhile, toss the zucchini with the flour and some salt and pepper.  Heat a quarter cup of olive oil high, and cook single layers of zucchini, turning until golden brown on both sides.  Meanwhile x2, whisk the cheese with 2 tbsp olive oil, adding about a quarter cup of pasta water to make it creamy.  Toss in the pasta, basil, salt and pepper, and most of the zucchini, saving some slices and extra cheese for the top.

Notes

This was pretty easy!  However, I thought it lacked some protein/meat elements, so why not sizzle up some bacon first and use the grease to fry the zucchini?  Done.  The cheese mixture got a little melty and clumpy, but with a little extra effort I got it mostly mixed in with the pasta.  How's this look, orphans?

Hot Sauce Pasta Salad

No idea how I happened across this recipe, but it stood out for (1) a hearty, healthy-looking dish that would keep for multiple meals, and (2) hot sauce!

Recipe

Pasta
1 lb cooked pasta: e.g., shells, ziti, penne, rotini
2 c tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c artichoke hearts, quartered
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 c black olives, sliced
2/3 c red onion, chopped
2/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
olive oil

Cook the pasta, drain, drizzle with olive oil, and mix in the other ingredients.

Dressing
1 c red bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 c olive oil
1 1/2 c tomato sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 c basil, chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
salt

Heat the olive oil and garlic, then add the red pepper and cook a couple minutes.  Remove the garlic, then add the tomato sauce and hot sauce.  Simmer for five minutes.  Add basil, lemon juice, and salt, and pour over the salad.

Top with Parmesan.

Notes

There's a good bit of chopping and other prep involved here.  I took most of the measurements as whatever was convenient with what I had.  I aimed for about a half portion overall, but I also reduced the olive oil - a whole cup?!  I also upped the hot sauce considerably.  I felt a little bad for not using Cholula brand, but somewhat better about supporting Hot Sauce 4 Good.

Here's my finished product, topped with some popcorn shrimp(!) - they also suggest regular shrimp or chicken if you want more protein.  Didn't really need it though.  Pretty good, tangy, and hopefully the rest will keep for a bit.

One-Pan Pasta

Cannibal Stew is apparently late to the viral sensation on this one...  Supposedly it came from Martha Stewart originally:

Recipe

12 oz linguine
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
2 sprigs basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 c water
red pepper
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Start with most of the ingredients in one large straight-sided skillet - pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil, some red pepper, salt & pepper, and the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring pasta frequently.  Cook about 9 minutes, until the pasta is ready and most of the water absorbed/evaporated.

Serve with Parmesan and more salt & pepper, olive oil, and basil.

Notes 

Twelve ounces is a strange quantity of pasta - since boxes are usually a pound, you either leave yourself an inconveniently small uncooked portion or you round up or down.  I went up and increased the water to 5 cups, which may not have been necessary.  In any case, it's a pretty quick, not too difficult pasta recipe, a good alternative to carbonara.