italian – kbaked

Pasta with Charred Cherry Tomatoes, Broccolini and Vegan Parmesan

Pastaaaaa. I have been craving pasta for quite some time now. I don’t know why. Probably because carbs = love.

Pasta has always been one of my favorite foods. I grew up with an Italian grandma and her penne arrabiata with charred peppers was the best.thing.ever. It has ruined almost all other pastas I’ve had since. Nothing like what Oma cooked up. Somewhere I have her recipe for her sauce. I can never make it quite like she did though…must be that Italian grandma magic.

I decided to make some pasta with some leftover veggies I got to take home from an event. I roasted up some cauliflower, broccolini, and tomatoes on Friday, and while I was eating them, the deliciousness of the roasted tomatoes just called for pasta.

I was too lazy and hungry to make it at the time, but today I cooked up some whole wheat noodles, paired it with steamed broccoli, a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, salt & pepper, a bunch of Vegan Hemp Parmesan, and the real MVP, the charred tomatoes.

Super simple, very flavorful, and far from over-complicated. The way Italian-inspired food should be, as far as I’m concerned.

Let’s talk pasta for a minute, shall we? At some point society demonized the glorious stuff. The thing is, there is nothing inherently significantly worse about pasta than many other forms of carbohydrates, especially when it’s whole grain.

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this is a modified recipe from one of my favorite television chefs, Giada DeLaurentiis. its fairly simple, does not require many ingredients, and is always a huge hit at parties.

traditionally, as giada does, it is served on crostini (bread toasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic), but personally i think it makes a great addition to sandwiches, store-bought ravioli, or in place of hummus as a veggie/cracker/bread dip.

it doesn’t matter how you want to eat it, but do eat it. the peas are sweet and flavorful (not to mention high in fiber), and when pungent garlic and parmesan temper the sweetness, you get a complex, addictive, blissful dip that you’ll want to eat with a spoon.

pictured above on oven toasted baguette that was brushed with extra virgin olive oil and rubbed with a garlic clove. halved cherry tomatoes were added to compliment the sweetness of the peas, and leftover shredded parmesan added a decorative and delicious finishing touch.

for the pea pesto:

one thawed 10-ounce package frozen peas
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

directions:

thaw frozen peas by leaving them at room temperature or on low heat in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl
peel and mince the garlic clove
in a food processor, pulse together the peas, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper
with machine running, drizzle in olive oil slowly and keep the processor running until the mixture is even and smooth
serve on crotini, or in place of hummus with crudités, crackers, and bread

for crostini:

preheat oven to 300 degrees
slice baguette style bread diagonally or cut sliced loaf bread in half or into triangles
brush bread lightly with olive oil using a pastry brush or with an olive-oil moistened folded paper towel square
cut a garlic clove in half and rub the freshly cut surface of the garlic onto the oiled bread
bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly toasted

there you have it! happy eating 🙂

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