Val's Version
(Denver, CO)
Sometimes I wish I was born Italian or lived in Italy. They have the best foods. Not to mention, they eat dessert BEFORE dinner. I may have fair skin and blonde hair, but my dad could pass for an Italian Mafia bossman. Oh - and Italian men are also pretty easy on the eyes ;)
Have I mentioned that I am a huge pasta lover! I could care less what the noodle is or the flavor of the sauce. I love it all. Well, almost. Please keep mushrooms and olives at bay. Unless they're big enough to pick out. Then I'll reconsider. So, obviously I pinned this recipe when it popped up in my feed. Goat cheese is also an acquired taste, but it has the word cheese in it. And I love cheese! Eh - but not cottage cheese. Just unappealing to me.
I had purchased the ingredients for this dish last week and waited until JennyBear was ready to put this on the docket. I probably should have waited to have it Friday - since I won't be eating meat for Lent - but I didn't. And, I added sausage. Sausage is rarely an insignificant addition.
I'm going to go ahead and put this out there. Making this should have been simple, but I turned it into something out of a Johnson & Whales beginners course. It was a hot mess. I should've pulled out all of my kitchen aids in advance and been better prepared. The 2 littles were not cooperative and were extra needy during my cooking time block. Fortunately, my oldest was home to help get things under control when I about burned the garlic and overcooked the sausage. Aaaaand, I may have struggled with the food processor. Being that I am new to cooking it up with onions, peppers, etc., I haven't had to use it much (excuses - I'm aware). And to be honest, my husband always did that part. So, we may have had to whip out the good 'ol fashion blender to get the right consistency. Lesson learned. Dad gave me a proper tutorial when he got home ;)
The combination of these flavors was ridiculous. Too perfect! And you'll notice that I cheated. I went ahead and got the jarred roasted red peppers and thanked the culinary Gods that I didn't have to slave over that process. I just didn't have the time.
(picture taken prior to mayhem)
I used about 1/3 of a sweet onion and opted out of dicing an entire one. Was enough flavor,
just the same.
Once the garlic, onion, artichokes and cheese had blended, I dumped in the jarred peppers (drained) and put on low for a few minutes to simmer.
I had precooked some Italian sausage and dumped it into the sauce blend after I ran it
through the processor.
(this was when I had to use the blender - shhhh)
I went with tricolor Penne pasta and topped with fresh parsley. Accompanied by garlic bread and Lemon Chive Salad with Roma tomatoes (those are my new "go to"). It was perfecto!
Another great pin on Pinterest, adapted by Lauren's Latest.
This is the face of a Diva who is super glad Mom's done in the kitchen so she can pay her some highly anticipated attention! :)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
1 jar of roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 small sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fat free half & half
4 oz. garlic &herb goat cheese
2/3 cup grated parigiano reggiano cheese
1/2 cup artichoke hearts (optional)
Italian sausage, cooked and drained (optional)
1 lb penne pasta, cooked to al dente
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender. Pour in half & half, goat cheese, artichokes, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
Chop peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat. Pour sauce into food processor (or blender - wink) and puree. Place back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta and sausage. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with more parmesan cheese, pepper, salt and parsley, if desired.
1 lb penne pasta, cooked to al dente
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender. Pour in half & half, goat cheese, artichokes, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
Chop peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat. Pour sauce into food processor (or blender - wink) and puree. Place back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta and sausage. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with more parmesan cheese, pepper, salt and parsley, if desired.
Jen's Version
(Acworth, GA)
I have to reserve meals like this for when my husband is out of town. Ingredients like "roasted red pepper" and "goat cheese" are not his thing. My husband is a particular fellow. He likes his meats and potatoes. Don't try and sneak fancy meat like lamb in or fingerling potatoes. He despises all things "trendy". And in case you're ever quizzed, he can't stand TV shows where the characters speak really fast and background music accompanies every scene. That's off topic - but when I start thinking about goat cheese it reminds me off all the things Chris doesn't like. What a stick in the mud...
This meal was divine. It was just what I needed after a long day. Just from reading through the ingredients, I knew this would have bold flavor. I too cheated and bought jarred roasted red peppers. I would have never told the truth had Val not also cheated. I even took a picture that looked like a striking fresh roasted red pepper...
1 jar of roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half & half
4 oz. goat cheese
2/3 cup grated parigiano reggiano cheese
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
I have to reserve meals like this for when my husband is out of town. Ingredients like "roasted red pepper" and "goat cheese" are not his thing. My husband is a particular fellow. He likes his meats and potatoes. Don't try and sneak fancy meat like lamb in or fingerling potatoes. He despises all things "trendy". And in case you're ever quizzed, he can't stand TV shows where the characters speak really fast and background music accompanies every scene. That's off topic - but when I start thinking about goat cheese it reminds me off all the things Chris doesn't like. What a stick in the mud...
This meal was divine. It was just what I needed after a long day. Just from reading through the ingredients, I knew this would have bold flavor. I too cheated and bought jarred roasted red peppers. I would have never told the truth had Val not also cheated. I even took a picture that looked like a striking fresh roasted red pepper...
I used a whole onion, because I'm a big girl.
I added my garlic, half and half (and NOT fat free. half and half, is half cream. cream is fat. it doesn't make sense if you have fat free fat sooooo makes you wonder what it is...) and goat cheese. I used the plain goat cheese and added some herbs. They were green ones....
Mmmh, things are smelling good.
Now time for the roasted red peppers I worked all evening on...
I also added my artichokes and parmesan at this point.
Who needs a food processor or blender when you have a NINJA. This thing is awesome. Granted, I've never had a food processor or blender that didn't smell like burning metal, but I bet this thing is way better.
Birds eye view.
When I was waiting to cook the linguini, I kept saying in my head "a watched pot never boils". I decided to share with you all so now you will have it stuck in your head. You're welcome.
Ready for the final product???
A super trendy meal that was super delicious!
Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Alfredo
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
1 jar of roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half & half
4 oz. goat cheese
2/3 cup grated parigiano reggiano cheese
1/2 cup artichoke hearts
1 lb linguini, cooked to al dente
salt & pepper, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender. Pour in half & half, goat cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
Chop peppers into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat. Pour sauce into food processor (or blender - wink) and puree. Place back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta. Taste and adjust seasonings.
No comments:
Post a Comment