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Cooking Is Easy's
"Idea Starters" for Pasta

The "Cooking Is Easy" quick tomato pasta:

• 1 lb pasta (any shape)
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil (just enough for the garlic)
• 1/2 C red wine or chicken stock (optional)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, plus the stuff you like)

Cooking:
heat oil in a saute pan (the kind with sides) add garlic. Just about the time the garlic sizzles but before it turns brown, add tomato and wine or stock. Lower heat to simmer. Add salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Some good combinations are parsley and basil, or parsley and oregano. (we hate to measure around here but about 2-3 Tbsp of herbs total. Note: If using fresh herbs wait until until the end, about 2 minutes before you add the pasta.

Start heating the water for the pasta.
The time it takes to boil water, and cook pasta should be plenty of time to cook the flavors into the sauce. Keep on low simmer and stir frequently. 20-30 minutes.
When the pasta is done, drain and add directly to the sauce. Turn off heat and add parmesan cheese and serve. (See "Cooking Basics" page for boiling pasta techinque)

The recipe above is the basis for creating an unlimited number of quick tomato based pasta dishes. There are so many additional ingredients you can add. Most will be added at the beginning stage soon after the garlic is added. Things like onions, other vegetables, mushrooms, and meats all require some cooking before adding the tomato. A few things like shrimp, canned tuna, or clams you can add near the end.

Past alla Puttanesca:

• 1 lb pasta (any shape)
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 C red wine or chicken stock (optional)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil (just enough for the garlic)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, plus the stuff you like)
• grated cheese is optional (see note below)

Add these ingredients to the oil along with the garlic and cook according to basic method.

• 3 anchovies
• crushed red pepper flakes (to your taste, they are hot!)
• 2 Tbsp capers
• 1/4 C black olives (pitted, and sliced or halved)
• Seasonings
  • 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp black pepper
    1 Tbsp chopped parsley
    
    
    

Just as in the basic recipe (top of page) heat olive oil and saute garlic. Add the anchovies, red pepper flakes, capers, and olives. When the anchovies dissolve add the tomato and cook according to the basic method. Easy huh?

 

tomato pasta ideas:

Starting with the basic formula, here are some ingredients to add before adding tomato:

First the Basics:

• 1 lb pasta (any shape)
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 C red wine or chicken stock (optional)*
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil (just enough for the garlic)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, plus the stuff you like)

Additional ingredients to add with garlic, before the tomatoes:

• 1/4-1/2 C diced onions
• diced bell peppers
• 1/2 italian sausage out of casing
• parsley and tyme

Saute onions in skillet with olive oil until they become soft, about 3 min. Add bell peppers and sausage. Brown sausage thoroughly then add tomatoes and finish the dish as you would the basic recipe.

*Adding the liquid like wine or stock is optional. When adding a larger bulk of ingredients like sausage or mushrooms you can use as much as a full cup of wine, stock, or a combination. It will help stretch the tomato sauce because these ingedients will absorb some liquid. It also adds flavor.

Now that we've given you some specific ways to make this dish, here are just a list of ingredients that will also work with this technique. Try the ones that sound good you. Create your own combinations. Experiment. If a combination doesn't work don't make that one again!
Note: meats get thoughly cooked before adding tomato, vegetables saute a few minutes to soften.

• 1/4-1/2 C diced onions
• diced bell peppers
• 1/2 italian sausage out of casing
• Any other ground meat, beef, pork, turkey
• mushrooms (portabello work very well, but any kind is OK)
• boneless chicken (cook through, about 6 minutes, cook in sauce or remove and slice then return to skillet
• eggplant
• Baby Clams (from a can, drained)

Add these intems to the tomato just a few minutes before serving:

• Fresh shrimp (season with salt and pepper, or cayenne pepper)
  cook until they become opaque (about 5 min. in tomato sauce)
• Can tuna ( add and cook in tomato just a couple of minutes)
  (works great with corkscrew pasta)
• frozen mixed seafood (thawed, cook until warmed through)
• crawfish tails (thawed, just need to be warmed)
• fresh mussels (cover pan to steam, about 6-10 min. Cook until they all open up (discard ones that don't open)
  prior to cooking, remove beards from mussels and discard any that are open before cooking.

 

No tomato pasta

• 2 Tbsp each olive oil and butter
• garlic and shallots
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shrimp (seasoned with salt and pepper)
• 1/2 C white wine
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 lb pasta (string type such as linguini)

Cooking:
Melt butter with garlic, add garlic and shallot, pepper flakes, saute about 2 min.
Add seasoned shrimp and cook until opaque white, 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp
add wine and lemon juice, reduce about 3-5 minutes
Return shrimp to pan, add cooked pasta. Top with fresh parsley, Toss and Serve.

Varations on the No Tomato Pasta

Using the basic formula above you can add these ingredients combinations to make some interesting variations on the theme.

Cook these the same way as the shrimp

• scallops alone or with shrimp
• mixed seafood (frozen, thaw first)
• crawfish tails
• calamari, cut into rings
• can whole or baby clams (no need to remove, cook with sauce)