Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

We had some homemade gnocchi in the freezer, and I found this recipe for gnocchi with zucchini, yellow summer squash, and tomatoes in one of my old Everyday Food magazines.  It looked just right for this week.

I had read somewhere that you could freeze uncooked gnocchi.  At first I thought it wasn't turning out well, some of them seemed to be falling apart.  But in the end I think they turned out well and it is worth making a large batch of gnocchi to freeze half for another time. 

Gnocchi can be found frozen and sometimes even dried I think, but these vegetables would be good just tossed with some pasta as well. 

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables Recipe

adapted from Martha Stewart

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 summer squash, quartered and sliced (or 2 of either squash)
1 garlic clove, minced

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
gnocchi (I had about 3 cups frozen)
fresh basil, chopped chiffonade
grated Pecorino Romano, or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper 

 In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add squash and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

 Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi. Reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi with vegetables.  Remove from heat and stir in basil, butter, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper if needed (my gnocchi was salty enough from the boiling water).  If you want it to be more saucy add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Grate some fresh cheese on top. Serve

Sweet Potato Stuffed Shells

I saw a recipe for butternut squash stuffed pasts shells.  I had sweet potatoes in the house and since the recipe referenced an original version with sweet potato instead, that's what I made.  But I'm sure I'll make it again with butternut squash, because it was very good. I also swapped out the frozen spinach for fresh chard from my garden. 


Sweet Potato Stuffed Shells
1 large sweet potato, (about 2 cups cubed)
6 oz (18-20) jumbo pasta shells
15 oz of ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
5 large leaves of Swiss chard, about 3-4 cups chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
5-10 sage leaves
olive oil

Peel sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.  Toss in olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Roast in 425F oven for 15-20 minutes--until easily pierced with a fork. 

Cook jumbo pasta shells according to directions.

Chop Swiss chard into 1/2 inch pieces. Saute in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, until wilted.

In a bowl add ricotta and egg, stir together until smooth.  Add grated cheeses, chard and roasted squash, stir to combine.

Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a saucepan heat 1/2 cup butter.  Add sage leaves until crisp.  remove leaves and crumble over shells.  Stir butter gently until it begins to brown.  Remove from heat, pour over shells in baking dish.   

Place dish in a 400F oven around 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Homemade Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Kids love that blue box. My kids too. And they do get it once in a while --but not too often. We've been using a great recipe for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese that has a smooth and creamy texture that will remind kids of their favorite version--but is made with real ingredients.

It doesn't take much longer to make either.  For both versions you are only waiting for the pasta to cook through.

Over Thanksgiving my sister requested this recipe.  She tried making a homestyle baked version of Mac and Cheese and her kids did not take the bait.  I promised her they would love this one.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Alton Brown

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (if you like that kick)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded


In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. (While it's cooking shred the cheddar.)  Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese.

Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms and Asparagus

One of my favorite things about this time of year is delicious fall food! After getting married and feeling more responsible for making healthful nutritious food than I had during singledom, I decided I needed to pay more attention to seasonal produce. Now the point is, nowadays you can get most produce year-round, but it make sense to me that produce would be at it's peak of flavor, and perhaps nutrition, at the time of year that it naturally grows as opposed to when it's growth is forced out of season. Whether or not that is true, here is what definitely is true: Produce is cheapest when it is in season. So I began to explore, and butternut squash jumped out at me!

There's something about butternut squash that makes me want to eat it. Maybe it's the nice shape and pink color of it's skin. Maybe it's the bright orange color of it's flesh. The flavor of butternut is mild, yet sweeter than pumpkin, and it is creamier than pumpkin--not so stringy. The following is a recipe I found that first fall. We loved it and have returned to it every fall since.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Asparagus

3 C sliced shiitake or chanterelle mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T snipped fresh rosemary
1 T olive oil
1/3 C dry white wine
1/3 C broth
1/3 C heavy cream
¼ t. salt
8 ounces bow tie pasta
1 pound butternut squash, cut into ½- inch pieces (about 2 C.)
8 ounces asparagus, cut in 2-inch pieces (about 1 ½ C.)
1/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet cook and stir mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary in olive oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in wine, broth, cream and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, about 4 minutes, or until sauce is the consistency of light cream and is reduced to 1 ½ C.

Meanwhile, in a large pot cook pasta according to package directions, adding the squash during the last 7 minutes of cooking, and adding the asparagus during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain, and return to warm pot. Add sauce and Parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Serves: 8

*You can see in my picture--we were a little low on "bow ties," so I mixed in some "spirals." If you want to substitute the white wine you may use broth. Look at how good this dish is to look at! Great color. By the way, this was also the first recipe that really helped me start enjoying mushrooms, another yummy fall treat.