Pasta

If your idea of a perfect dinner involves a little spice, a lot of flavor, and a dash of elegance, then Lobster Fra Diavolo is about to be your new obsession. This dish brings the heat—literally—with a spicy tomato sauce that wraps itself around tender lobster like a fiery hug. This spicy dish has a […]

Summer squash pasta is a delightful ode to the vibrant flavors of summer, making it a perfect quick meal that celebrates the abundance of zucchini and yellow summer squash. This dish embraces simplicity without compromising on taste and captures the light and refreshing essence of the season. The addition of fresh lemon juice at the […]

This baked pasta with cauliflower is my latest and greatest easy meal and I can’t praise it enough. Baked pasta is a classic comfort food that’s been around, in some form, for centuries. Food historians can trace baked pasta dishes to the ancient Greeks, who would toss cooked pasta with eggs and cheese before baking […]

Garlic ramen noodles are a side dish that should be in your recipe rotation all year long. Fast, flavorful, and only a few simple ingredients are required. I keep instant ramen noodles in my pantry at all times for my cabbage salad, which is a family favorite. Those same noodles, minus the seasoning packets, are […]

Butternut squash mac and cheese is a social media darling that I’ve recently come around to. Truthfully, I grew up loving macaroni and cheese, but I was often confused by it. My mother, who cooked some signature dishes, but not a ton, made mac and cheese from scratch. My mom’s version of this iconic dish […]

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca and I go way back; to culinary school, to be exact. Without getting into too many details, let me just say it involved cooking for the school’s restaurant, an all-nighter (to which I blame, my now husband), and the last-minute suggestion he made for me to run this flavorful classic as a lunch […]

Pasta e fagioli is one of the most famous dishes in the entire Italian repertoire. This well-known rustic soup is a nourishing dish that falls somewhere between soup and pasta. Pasta e fagioli is a traditional meal with a rich history and is incredibly worthy of making at home if you’ve not done so before. […]

Every Jewish family has a kugel recipe as well as a strong opinion about it. Kugel is not a required Jewish holiday dish, but trust me, by not required, I mean it’s at every Jewish holiday meal. I have been asked many times over the years what my kugel recipe is…ironically, I had never really […]

There is nothing better than fresh pasta. And despite what many believe, fresh pasta dough it’s not all that difficult to make, you can even make it in a kitchen mixer. Making homemade pasta was what I call a pandemic obsession. Along with homemade sourdough, I spent many hours making home pasta as I found it […]

I love to play around with pasta.  Pasta is neutral in flavor, with limitless potential.  The best pasta I have ever had was in Italy and it was incredibly simple. The life-changing dish had only three ingredients. And it was dirt cheap. And although this trip was many moons ago with my husband, well before […]

Bolognese, known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese, ragù bolognese, or simply ragù is a meat-based sauce in Italian cuisine, commonly associated with the city of Bologna. But contrary to popular belief, Bolognese has no definitive tie to the city of Bologna, in northern Italy. Food historians typically agree that the dish originated in Imola, […]

Everyone needs another pasta recipe. And a quick meal is even better, which works here if you take shortcuts like buying tomato sauce instead of making your own. The truth is, I was never really a huge fan of this well-known Italian-American favorite. To me, stuffed shells often seem bland and textureless. But this classic baked […]

This is my beef ragù with pappardelle and it is a keeper. Hearty, comfort food that’s perfect for the dead of winter. The word “ragù” comes from the French word “ragoutier,” which means “awake your appetite“.  Ragù originated as a simple meat sauce, traditionally made with leftovers, and served as accompaniment to pasta. There is evidence that […]

One of the most common things people will ask me is what is a good, easy “quick meal”. To be honest, this question is never actually straightforward because what is typically added before I have a chance to answer is: “oh yeah, it can’t have a lot of prep work, my whole family has to […]

They say pesto sauce originated in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy.  But this simple sauce can actually be traced to the ancient Romans. Romans made a very similar dish called “moretum,” a spread made of garlic, cheese, herbs, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Another influential sauce was “agliata“, a garlic sauce, common during the […]