Even in gluten-free era, it remains vital kitchen staple
Ironically, in this era when every other person seems to be avoiding carbs or gluten, the pasta aisle at the grocery store offers more excitement than ever. Imported dried pastas, in a vast variety of shapes, sizes, flavors and brands, line huge sections of the shelves. Pasta shapes, heretofore relegated to fancy Italian restaurants, such as orecchiette, tagliatelle and pappardelle, prove relatively easy to find. Refrigerated cases boast stuffed pastas and tender sheets for lasagna. Then, there’s the ever-growing selection of whole grain pastas, gluten-free pastas and vegetables sliced to resemble pasta noodles.
It can’t be true that the average household has given up pasta in favor of low-carb options. Pasta is simply a great ingredient worthy of our time in the kitchen and a place on the dinner table.
So we happily employ pasta to solve our time-pressed weeknight dinner challenge. Spaghetti with buttered breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and hot pepper flakes never fails to comfort both the cook and the table companions. Linguine with clam sauce (made with good-quality tinned clams and dry white wine) tops our hit list for dinner in less than 30 minutes. Same for penne with bottled tomato sauce and Parmesan. Leftovers make a great lunch.
The recipe that follows is designed to be flexible — for the shopper, the cook and the eater. Change up the pasta shape as desired, and change up the protein to suit your tastes and dollars.
Canned roasted green chiles save time but tend to be softer and blander than fresh, roasted peppers. Choose the marinara sauce option for a lighter entree; use the cream for a completely different dish with more indulgence. I like the orecchiette No. 91 from the De Cecco brand. pound uncooked sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing cloves garlic, crushed cups tomato marinara sauce cup heavy whipping cream Freshly ground black pepper or crushed red peppers to taste loosely packed cups (about ⁄ of a 5-ounce bag) baby kale or spinach
1. Roast
Dinner at Home
5. Stir the pasta into the sausage mixture and put over high heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Loosen the texture by dribbling in a little of the reserved pasta water. Add the kale and chiles; toss to mix and heat through, about 1 minute. Serve right away. Pass the cheese.
Nutrition information per serving: