Comments

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  Bob

  i've always made a whiskey cream sauce that we all like. my wife just found it on pioneer woman. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/whiskey-maple-cream-sauce/

  over 2 years ago
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  Bob

  I don't add the maple, but will try.

  over 2 years ago
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  Jessica

  I think you'd be well-served to think of pasta less as pasta+sauce and more as a complete dish. So many fresh, quick, easy pastas -- most, actually, in my experience -- never involve sauce in the sense that it exists as a separate entity to be added to pasta. If you open up this way, there are countless quick, fresh easy pastas that you can toss together in moments.

  I hope this is helpful!
  Saute some fresh Italian sausage and raisins in olive oil and a little butter, add some turmeric and a touch of cream.

  Saute minced onion and pancetta in some olive oil, add a splash of white wine and toss the resulting pasta with grated pecorino.

  Cook a few cloves of sliced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they just barely start to turn golden, remove from the heat, add a few anchovy fillets, stir to break up the fillets, toss with pasta and top with toasted breadcrumbs.

  Saute shrimp in olive oil, add a splash of cognac and a cup of shredded radicchio, cook for a minute so that the radicchio softens, and toss with your pasta.

  Add the zest and juice of a couple lemons to a little olive oil over medium head, let them reduce a bit, whisk in a bunch of butter and add your pasta.

  These are just a few ideas. The point being that thinking about pasta less as being a matter as separate pasta and sauce entities that are combined and more as a complete dish opens up all kinds of possibilities.

  over 2 years ago
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  Latisha

  Thank you, Jessica! Those sound divine.

  over 2 years ago
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  Julianna

  How about making egg noodles and adding a curry sauce with chicken chunks. It is still the "pasta" style but with an international flare! I've made this recipe:
  http://www.joegrossberg.com/archives/002047.html

  over 2 years ago
• 

  Kathleen

  I've made Mango curry Sauce. Mix with noodles and shrimp:
  Mango Curry Sauce
  1 1/2 Tbl Olive Oil
  1/2 Tbl Fresh Garlic minced
  1 tsp Curry Powder
  1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  1/2 cup Sour Cream
  1 Tbl frozen OJ concentrate
  1 Tbl sugar
  1 fresh lemon juice only
  1 Tbl Mango Puree

  Procedure:
  Sauté garlic in olive oil. Do Not Burn!
  Add 1 tsp curry powder
  Put garlic, oil, and curry mixture into food processor and puree.
  Blend until smooth
  Add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth

  over 2 years ago
• 

  Philip

  Try this one Pasta Sauce with Italian Sausage. Made it last night and it was AWESOME.... I added a little extra basil and oregano to it but other than that used the recipe. Served over Spaghetti and the wife LOVED it!

  over 2 years ago
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  Chef Heather (Food on the Table)

  Everyone's suggestions all look extremely tasty!

  about 1 year ago
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  Chef Heather (Food on the Table)

  Here are a few recommendations that I have: Jar pasta sauces are a great base for a variety of recipes because they can be easily ‘doctored’ or ‘spruced up’ by adding different ingredients. Mix jarred marinara with pesto for a nice change of pace. Also try heating jarred pasta sauce over medium heat and stirring in 4 ounces of cream cheese or 2/3 cup heavy cream for a rich and creamy tomato cream sauce. If you want to for go the jarred sauce all together then try some of these recipes for simple homemade sauces. Want to make your own cream sauce try this: http://www.foodonthetable.com/recipes/661-mange-tout-sugar-snap-peas-pasta Or you can even use prepared salad dressing if you want a sauce other than the jarred stuff in a pinch. http://www.foodonthetable.com/recipes/1096-pasta-salad Looking to impress your significant other on date night? Make a homemade pasta dish with vodka! http://www.foodonthetable.com/recipes/2435-pasta-in-vodka-sauce And some of the best pasta dishes out there only use a little bit of olive oil and the natural juices of the tomatoes to make a great light and flavorful sauce! http://www.foodonthetable.com/recipes/40101-penne-with-spinach-and-chicken-sausage

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  Chef Heather, I second your suggestions on the salad dressing and olive oil ideas. One of my all-time favorites is nothing but olive oil with some sage leaves fried in it and a little garlic just grated in at the last minute. I also still remember years ago when my mom surprised us one night by frying some ravioli just until they got a bit of color on them, and then added in an Alfredo sauce and some sliced, stuffed green olives. (Of course, she didn't go heavy on the olives so the dish didn't get too salty.) It was really good, though, and I could also see that with strips of roasted red pepper thrown in. And of course, my kids still love plain old butter with freshly-grated cheese...

  about 1 year ago
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  Dennis

  Love your ideas here, Donna! To me, pasta sauce is best when it's applied sparingly, but fresh and full of flavor. Nothing wrong with garlic and olive oil...

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  I hope you don't mind my saying, but you sound like a Molto Mario kind of guy, where the sauce is more of a condiment. (That's a good thing!)

  about 1 year ago
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  Sandy (Community Guide)

  Pesto! Olive oil, garlic, parm cheese, pine (almond) nuts, lemon, basil!

  about 1 year ago
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  val

  I will use a base of olive oil w/ a few cloves of chopped garlic as a base and add whatever veg's I have on hand to make a pasta primavera, then sprinkle some parm-reggiano cheese on top. It's pretty healthy, and always a hit.

  about 1 year ago
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  Lyn

  Fresh basil from my garden always makes my pasta sauce sing.
  Sometimes I just take my leftovers, chop them, then add them to my pasta.

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  @val and Lyn, I agree 100%! val's idea makes a perfect primavera sauce (and you could add some cream or not), and Lyn's suggestion is a perfect way to stretch the sauce and make a totally new dish.

  about 1 year ago
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  Doreen

  We like to cook bowtie pasta but before it is aldente, add a package of washed spinach. Throw in about a tea. minced garlic, a handful ofsundried tomatoes, and some olives if you like. Drain the water leaving the ingredients in the pot. Throw on shredded parmeson or asiago or both, and drizzle the whole thing with olive oil to taste. Quick, healthy, easy, and easy clean up.

  about 1 year ago
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  Melanie

  How about just pasta and some beautifully browned mushrooms and Olive Oil? Also sauteed vegetables, lightly sauteed in olive oil again -- fresh, light and delicious

  about 1 year ago
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  Donna (Food on the Table)

  Great ideas!

  about 1 year ago
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  Chef Leslie (Food on the Table)

  Here's a colorful and delicious pasta accompaniment: julienned (cut into strips) bell peppers (I use 1 each green, yellow and red). Saute in a large skillet with one medium chopped onion until just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Meantime, simmer a large can of crushed tomatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and Italian seasoning; about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce to peppers and toss with pasta. It's easy, meatless (for you veggie lovers out there) and delish!

  about 1 year ago
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  Amy Lou

  Thank you all for you ideas. I love to make cooked pasta (any type) add chopped fresh garlic, lemon zest & juice, fresh chopped basil (or any fresh herbs on hand), olive oil, little butter, salt, pepper & a generous amount of parmesan or a blend of cheeses! Yummy, fresh & easy :)

  about 1 year ago
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  Chef Leslie (Food on the Table)

  You're welcome, Amy Lou. Your recipe sounds good!

  about 1 year ago
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  Kim

  I like to make a couple of easy pasta dishes. One is with garlic, crushed red pepper flakes heated in olive oil then tossed with cooked pasta and topped with parmesan cheese. Another is old fashioned alfredo sauce -- melt butter in a skillet and add heavy cream or half and half and heat till thick then add parmesan cheese. So very simple and tasty.

  about 1 year ago
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  Chef Leslie (Food on the Table)

  Sometimes the best sauces for pasta are the simplest!

  about 1 year ago
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  Andrea

  Pasta is one of my daughter's favorites, and it's so simple & affordable, so I'm always looking for ways to vary it as well. A lot of comments are already here & I haven't read through them all, so I'm not sure if these ideas have already been mentioned... 1. Garlic sauteed in a mix of melted butter & olive oil, & topped with grated parmesan (one of my daughter's favorites). 2. Pesto made in a food processor with spinach and/or fresh basil, olive oil, pine nuts (optional), & parmesan cheese. 3. Add some lightly steamed or sauteed veggies to your favorite tomato sauce, such as zucchini, onions, yellow summer squash, & red bell pepper.

  about 1 year ago