Summer Vegetable Pasta with Creamy Ricotta Sauce

My parents are overflowing with green summer vegetables and they look so pretty in this summer pasta dish, covered in a creamy cheese sauce. Green beans, peas, zucchini and onions are cooked quickly with a little white wine and then tossed in an herby, ricotta and parmesan sauce that coats everything just beautifully. Serve over whole grain pasta and your whole family will be eating a fulfilling and healthy homemade meal in just minutes! You can use any combination of vegetables that your family loves, I just went and picked whatever was ready in my parent's garden so this combination cost me very little and was so delicious together. The peas are creamy, the green beans are crunchy and the zucchini adds a subtle sweetness, what more could you want!

I used to subscribe to Everyday Living and this recipe was inspired by a pasta recipe that I found in one of the monthly subscriptions. The ricotta sauce in that recipe was a little bland and lacked something. This recipe I feel has a lot more flavor and personality that the original, I hope you agree!

This pasta serves 6.
Adapted from Everyday Living, Herbed ricotta pasta with corn and zucchini.

Ingredients

1 lb whole grain pasta, I used Barilla ziti.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Pasture raised butter

1 Medium organic zucchini, chopped.

1 Small organic onion, chopped.

Organic green beans, chopped in half, I just used a large handful, about 2 cups when cut.

1 Cup fresh, organic peas

1/4 Cup dry white wine, I used Pinot Grigio.

14 oz Ricotta cheese, I used Maplebrook Farm hand-dipped ricotta.

1/3 Cup parmesan cheese, grated, more for serving (optional).

10 Fresh, organic basil leaves, chopped finely.

1 Sprig fresh, organic oregano, leaves only, chopped finely.

1 Bunch organic chives, chopped finely.

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste.


Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the green beans and peas (quick cooking them) for 2 minutes, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring the water back to a boil and cook pasta based on the package directions, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain.

In a saute pan heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat add in the onion and zucchini, season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook till soft and slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the peas and green beans and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the white wine and cook till the wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta, parmesan, herbs and the vegetables. Add in the pasta water and the pasta and stir everything to combine well. Taste for seasoning and salt and pepper as needed. Serve with an additional sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Couscous & Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers with Quick Summer Tomato Sauce

I picked up a whole bunch of rainbow colored peppers at the farmers market and knew exactly where they would end up...stuffed and in my belly! I just love stuffed peppers, they are so easy and you can fill them with whatever you have on hand, grains, cheeses and even other veggies. I like to do a combination of all three; I usually clean out my fridge and call it a meal! These particular peppers are super sweet and filled with equally sweet zucchini, onions and lots of oven roasted tomatoes...oh good gosh! I added in some whole wheat couscous to hold everything together, plus it happens to be one of my favorite fillers (I am terrible at cooking rice). Then I mixed in some cheese, a little bit of pasture raised ground beef and I had every single food group covered! I like to make up a whole bunch of these babies because they freeze so beautifully and they can go with a salad, soup or a piece of crusty bread anytime of the week for a quick and incredibly healthy, home cooked meal.

This recipe makes 6 half peppers, which are 1 serving each. (you can easily double the recipe and freeze the remaining)

Ingredients

3 Large organic bell peppers, any color.

2 Cups whole grain couscous, cooked.

2 Cups quick summer tomato sauce (see recipe at the end), if it is not summer I recommend using a favorite jarred sauce.

1/2 Cup parmesan cheese, grated.

1 1/2 Cups pasture raised mozzarella cheese, grated.

1/2 lb pasture raised ground beef

1 Small, organic zucchini, diced.

1 Small organic onion, diced.

2 Cloves organic garlic, minced or grated.

1/3 Cup mixed, fresh, organic Italian herbs, chopped. My mixture had thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil, leaves only and all chopped finely.

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste.

Fresh organic chives, finely chopped to serve, optional.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs carefully, I use my hands. Cut the peppers in half and set them aside.

In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil and cook the ground beef with some pepper and salt till browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and turn the heat down to medium and add in another tbsp of olive oil. Saute the onion, zucchini and garlic till browned and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef back in and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.

In a large bowl combine the veggies, meat, couscous, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs and 1/2 cup of the oven roasted tomato sauce. Stir well to combine everything.

Fill the peppers with the mixture, they may overflow this is fine, just use up all the mixture. Spread 1/2 cup of the oven roasted tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and place the peppers in the dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly, browned and the peppers are easy to pierce with a knife. Remove from the oven to cool slightly before serving.

To serve, heat up the remaining sauce and serve over top of the warm peppers with a bit of the pan drippings and a snip of chives. Enjoy!

Quick Summer Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

6-8 Organic roma tomatoes, boiled a few minutes to remove the skin and squished with your hands to break up.
1 Small organic onion, diced.
4 Cloves, organic garlic, minced or grated.
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 Cup fresh, organic basil, leaves only, chopped.
1 Tbsp fair trade, raw cane sugar.
Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste.

Directions

Heat a sauce pan over medium low heat, with the olive oil. Add in the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes till soft. Add in the tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste for additional seasoning. This sauce only tastes amazing when you are able to use summer tomatoes. 

Cabbage & Sausage Stuffed Bread

There is an empanada stand at my local farmers market that sells the most amazing Peruvian food, the Empanada Llama. The last time I was there I got the chorizo and cabbage rice and was instantly in love, the combination couldn't have been more delicious! We always get a whole bunch of goodies when we stop there for brunch. We find a picnic table among the stalls after and eat outside watching everyone buy the freshest produce around. This is what inspired me to create this homemade stuffed bread. Sweet caramelized cabbage and onions paired with luscious, fatty sausage and ooey, gooey mozzarella...can you say ahhhhmazing! The hot bread was so perfect dipped in a simple homemade pizza sauce and served with some cold beer, mmmmm!! I could have eaten a whole loaf to myself.

Its almost fall here in upstate New York and this bread is going to be on my recipe rotation for sure, alongside a hearty vegetable soup...what more could you want! Cabbage is such a humble and incredibly healthy vegetable and its very underutilized, I wanted to highlight it here because I feel that, if treated with some respect, it can be the most delicious vegetable you will ever eat...I promise even professed haters will love it! Now don't let me scare you off with the mention of homemade bread dough. My recipe is really just pizza dough so if you want go to a local pizza shop and buy some it will still be amazing; the stars of the dish are the "stuffins" anyway!

This recipe makes 2 loaves, it freezes beautifully. One loaf will serve 4.

Ingredients

1/2 my pizza dough recipe, local bought dough is also fine I would get a large to make two loaves.

1 lb pasture raised breakfast sausage, mine was bulk. If you buy links just remove the casing.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Large organic onion, diced.

3 Cloves organic garlic, minced or grated.

1 Small head organic cabbage, stem removed and sliced like you would for cole slaw.

1 Sprig fresh organic thyme, leaves only, chopped.

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, for seasoning while cooking.

1/4 Cup water

1/2 Cup bench flour, for rolling out the dough.

2 Cups mozzarella cheese, shredded.

1 Egg beaten with a tiny splash of water, for an egg wash.

3 Tbsp sesame seeds

Pizza sauce for dipping, optional. (I would purchase some from a local pizza shop while getting your dough if you aren't inclined to make your own.)

Directions

Make sure your pizza dough is room temperature, leave it out for at least 2 hours prior to cooking. If it is not the dough will be very difficult to work with and won't roll out, it will keep springing back.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the sausage with a tiny bit of salt and pepper, till it is browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add the olive oil and saute the cabbage, onions and garlic with the thyme and some salt and pepper till they are caramelized and browned, adding water as needed if the pan gets too dry, about 15-18 minutes. Cover the pan while cooking, but remove when you add water to let it cook off. Add the sausage back into the pan and cook for 2 more minutes just to combine the flavors. Remove from heat and set aside.

Flour a work surface and roll out half your dough into a large rectangle, I don't measure, its homemade it doesn't have to be perfect. Sprinkle your dough with some salt and pepper evenly, about 1 tsp each (I like salt so use less or none if you want).

Spread out half of your meat and cabbage mixture onto the dough leaving a border all around on all 4 sides. Spread out one cup of the mozzarella cheese over top of this.

Brush the border with the egg wash. Starting with the long side, roll up the dough like a jelly roll using your fingers to hold in the stuffing and roll as tightly as possible. Tuck the ends under and place, seam side down on a pizza stone or oiled cookie sheet.

Brush the whole thing with egg wash and sprinkle with half the sesame seeds. Repeat the whole process with the other dough and bake both in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before cutting, if you cut right away your stuffing will just fall out all over the place, it needs time to cool and set.

Slice thickly, about 1 1/2 inches each and serve with any dipping sauce you like: spicy marinara, tomato soup or a homemade garlic butter would be wonderful!