feel food club

Cuisine

The BEST 15-minute Pasta with Rosé Cherry Tomato Honey-Lemon Sauce

by Kommentar verfassen

Summer can be tough for cooking. When having the choice between sitting in the sun and standing in the kitchen , who (except for me) would choose the kitchen? Probably most people wouldn’t. But still, have something delicious and nourishing to eat also is something we do not want to miss out on. Is that impossible? Definitely not!

It may seem a bit tricky to create something delicious in little time but it really isn’t. And given the amazing fruits and veggies that summer brings us, it is as easy as pie to add a whole bunch of nutrients to anything we make. So, we know it is possible to make something delicious and healthy, but what is more, we can even make something fancy. This pasta dish is perfect as a nice lunch that makes you feel as if you were in Italy or as a dinner for two on one of summer‘s long evenings.

Sounds complicated but is easy!

The name of this dish is pretty long and therefore may make the impression that this dish is complicated when it actually isn’t. Making this pasta actually requires very few ingredients, and pretty much all (maybe except for the olive oil and burrata) are available from a local source. It essentially only comes down to cooking the pasta and making the sauce by letting some fresh tomatoes, rosé, garlic, honey, lemon & some olive oil simmer until the tomatoes have bursted and flavours have been able to emerge.

What is special about this dish?

What is special is that it is really simple and yet pretty fancy. We‘re not making a classic tomato sauce here but one that is next level, while not taking much time. The tomatoes are sautéed in hot olive oil with some garlic to on the one hand soften, and on the other hand gain a nice roasted flavour. The honey intensifies the naturally sweet flavour of the tomatoes, while the lemon adds a nice refreshing contrast to them. And since the honey is added to balance it out, the sauce does not have a sour flavour. To make everything merge into a sauce, the rosé wine is used. Why rosé? In my opinion, rosé is just a summer wine. And since, as my dad likes to say, the wine that is used for cooking, also needs be drunken with the meal, there is no way around rosé. The sauce itself already is packed with so much flavour and can totally be eaten as is with the pasta. This way, you would actually have a vegan version of this dish. Nevertheless, in case you want to take everything next level, you can still top this dish off with some fresh, creamy burrata. Because nothing, really nothing, beats some burrata. The creaminess works in such perfect harmony with the sweet and fresh tomato sauce – pure heaven.

Is this dish healthy?

Definitely! Pasta has a reputation of not being healthy but it actually does have a bunch of health benefits. It is loaded with carbs, which make sure you stay full of energy for the rest of the day. Besides, it also comes with a decent amount of protein and fibre. When you chose to go for whole grain pasta, the amount of fibre is increased even more. Personally, I do not like the taste of whole grain pasta in this dish too much, but if you do, it would be a great choice! 

The real star of the show though are the tomatoes. Since this fruit (yes – it‘s a fruit!) is currently in season, they are full of goodies for you. Loaded with sweetness they provide a lot of fibre, Vitamin C & K, potassium and folate. Also, they are high in antioxidants, which have been linked to several health benefits. And the biggest benefit probably: they are delicious. Also garlic has a nutritional value that can be shown. It does not contain an excessive amount of one thing, but it has a bit of anything you need. Garlic has also been linked to help as medicine when catching a cold and to a reduction of blood pressure.

Also, the olive oil in this dish provided a decent amount of unsaturated fats, which are essential – especially for the brain. Yes, we are adding wine into this dish, but the alcohol cooks down, and what stays is the flavour. Last but definitely not least is the burrata on top. This heavenly creaminess is full of protein and deliciousness. It needs to be said that it also comes with a bunch of saturated fats but you know what? A little cheese never hurt nobody! 

Meal Prep? Yes! But not necessary! 

When I made this pasta for the first time, I did meal prep it because I took it to work (where we did not have a kitchen). It worked out perfectly when I heated it up in the microwave, although it would be even better to heat it up on the stove with a splash of water and tomato sauce if you have the possibility to do so. 

Please, still keep in mind that this dish only takes 15 minutes to make – only 10 minutes more than when heating it up. So if you do have a stove I can only recommend you to make it freshly! If you really are that crunched on time, you can also pre chop the tomatoes or throw them into the sauce as a whole. 

Pasta is always a great idea. Still, this dish is an extra level of great. The sweetness of the tomatoes in combination with the sour-tanginess of the lemons and the comfort from the pasta, plus the creaminess of the burrata = HEAVEN. Writing this only makes me want to have it again. You should really do yourself a favour and try this out and spoil yourself and a loved one with this! Easy as pie and tastes like heaven! 

I genuinely hope that you‘ll enjoy it and make it on repeat – at least for as long as tomatoes are in season! 
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

Print

15 minute Pasta with Rosé Cherry Tomato Honey-Lemon Sauce

This pasta dish is easy to make, packed with flavor and nutrients and just tastes like heaven. And all ready in 15 minutes. Don’t wait any longer and treat yourself to this! 

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

  • 250 g pasta (i like to use rigattoni, paccheri or something similar)
  • 500 g tomatoes (best is a mix of cherry tomatoes and large ones)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • a splash rosé wine
  • 100 ml tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 lemon (we need the peel)
  • sea salt
  • 1 burrata
  • fresh basil to serve

How to

  1. Start by preparing the pasta. To do so, add the pasta to a pot with boiling, salted water and cook according to package instructions.

  2. In the meantime, half the cherry tomatoes and cut the larger ones into bite sized (about 1-2cm large) pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic clove.

  3. Heat up the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and tomatoes. Generously add some sea salt and let fry on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Turn down to medium heat, add the rosé and tomato sauce and honey.

  4. Wash the lemon and with a potato peeler, peel the lemon off into stripes. Add them to the pan and let everything simmer for 3-4 more minutes.

  5. Before the pasta is done, remove half a cup of the water they are cooking in, then drain them and add them to the sauce along with the preserved water. You may need some olive oil or tomato sauce to help combine.

  6. Divide onto bowls and serve with fresh burrata and basil! Enjoy!

A Family Favorite Pesto & Ricotta Pasta Bake

by Kommentar verfassen

Pesto Pasta is a next level dish itself. But mixed with some ricotta and mozzarella cheese and baked until both has molten and the pasta has turned crispy on the top, it is even better. Plus, it really is super super easy to make, a family favorit and healthy(ish)! 

What is special about this dish?

It is not pesto pasta, but similar, just taken next level. Maybe you could say that it is kind of a crossover of pesto pasta and lasagne. The ricotta-egg mixture makes kt all really creamy and adds a nice texture to it, while the mozarella adds the cheesy goodness. So yep, like pesto pasta just with more textures and flavours.

Is this dish healthy?

It definitely is healthyish. And it is green – so it‘s got to be healthy right? Pesto actually is pretty dense in nutrients. There are healthy, unsaturated fats from the olive oil and pine nuts, a bunch if protein from the parmesan cheese and the nuts and a fair amount if vitamins and fibre from the basil. Pesto definitely is healthy.

When using pesto, you really need to make sure to use a good one. One with high quality ingredients!! I either use my Super Easy 10-Minute Homemade Pesto, or the one from Pastafani. This also is made from organic ingredients and tastes soso good! You can get it with a 10% discount when using UNEPETITE10 on their website – it definitely is worth a try!

Then we have the ricotta and mozzarella cheese. They both contain some saturated fat, but they also are packed with protein and calcium. Plus, they add a whole bunch of deliciousness 🙂 then, there also is the pasta. Pasta is a great source of carbohydrates and also protein. If you want to go for a version that is even more nutrient-dense, you could just long for whole grain pasta.

How to make this dish?

As easy as pie (although I think this is easier than pie). What we need to do, is boil the pasta according to package instructions and lix it with the pesto. In the meantime we also need to prepare the ricotta mixture, for which we need to combine the ricotta, egg, salt and pepper. The ricotta mix really adds some depth into the dish and makes it really, really creamy! 

Once the pasta is mixed with the pesto, we‘re adding it to an oven-safe dish. Here, we are then topping it with the dollops of the ricotta mixture and about half of the mozzarella. Now, we need to give it all a good mix, so it gets kind of marble-ish and the ricotta and mozzarella are distributed evenly. What now is left to do is top it with the remaining mozzarella and breadcrumbs and drizzle it with some olive oil. Into the oven it goes and now we need to wait for 25-30 minutes until it‘s crispy on the top. 

While dish dish may look rather fancy or complicated, it really is everything else but this. It is soso simple to prepare and packed with so incredibly much flavor. All in all, it simply is an amazing dinner to feed a hungry fam or some hungry friends. 

I hope you‘ll enjoy this as much as we always do and that you‘ll have an amazing time cooking & eating it! 

Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

Print

A Family Favorite Pesto & Ricotta Pasta Bake

Regular pesto pasta is great yeah, but baked with molten cheesy goodness and indulgence, just damn. Next level. This pesto-ricotta and mozzarella pasta bake is just another level of tastiness and still soso easy to make! A family favorite and a must try!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 30 Minuten
Total Time 45 Minuten
Servings 4 servings

What you will need

  • 400 g penne pasta
  • 200 g basil pesto
  • 100 g ricotta cheese
  • 200 g buffalo mozzarella
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • olive oil, salt & pepper

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

  2. Start by preparing the pasta according to package instructions, but cook 1 minute less.

  3. In the meantime mix the ricotta with the egg, salt and pepper until creamy. Cut the mozzarella into bite sized pieces.

  4. Once the pasta is done cooking, preserve 1/2 a cup of the water they were cooked in and drain the rest. Mix them with the pesto, and some of the pasta water until well combined.

  5. Add them to an oven safe dish and top it all with some dollops of the ricotta mixture and half of the mozzarella. Mix it all through gently, so the ricotta and mozzarella are evenly distributed, then top with the remaining mozzarella and breadcrumbs. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy on the top.

  6. Serve with some basil and enjoy!!

Better than Store-Bought, 10 Minute Homemade Basil Pesto

by Kommentar verfassen

There only is one green sauce that actually everyone likes – pesto. Contrary to all other green sauces, pesto somehow manages to convince, despite its very healthy looking color. And if you buy it at the store, it’s so easy, right? It is. But let me tell you, once you have made your homemade one, you‘ll never go back to store bought. This salty goodness just won‘t compete with the one from the store. Plus, it really just takes 10 minutes to make.

What’s special about this dish? 

To be honest, this is not too fancy or has a special twist. This is one of the few classic recipes. Because really, pesto is so heavenly as is. Actually making pesto yourself already is kinda really special. 

Traditional pesto

What even is pesto? What is it made of? And what differentiates traditional pesto from most store bought ones. So, pesto is a green sauce from Liguria, Italy. It is eaten with pasta, burrata, as a topping or a dip. It is made of fresh basil, grated parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, salt and olive oil. For a really good pesto, it is essential to use high quality ingredients, especially a good olive oil and some good parmesan cheese. And that already is the difference to most store bought ones. In order to make them cheaper, the quality is compromised. Often, there is water added to it or olive oil is partially substituted with some cheeper oil. This way it does not taste as intense and as good.

Also, when it comes to making pesto, it is really important which ingredients you blend, any which you stir in by hand. The basil, garlic and pine nuts need to be blended. The parmesan needs to be grated and then stirred in by hand along with the olive oil. You must not blend the parmesan and olive oil!!!!!! This needs to be stirred in by hand.

The only store bought pesto I buy is either the one from our local delicatessen store or the one from pastafani. They both have the right texture and high quality and taste like real, authentic pesto. So I can highly recommend this.

Is this dish healthy? 

Definitely healthy-ish. It is packed with lots and lots of healthy fats and vitamins. The basil accounts for a bunch of fibre and different vitamins. The nuts on the other hand are a great source of protein and also unsaturated fats. The olive oil, if high quality, also is an excellent source of omega-3 and other unsaturated fats. The parmesan cheese is packed with a bunch of protein but also saturated fat. So overall, a quite balanced meal. 

How to make this dish?

As the title says, this really takes 10 minutes only. All we need to do is blend the basil with the garlic cloves, roasted pine nuts and a pinch of salt. This should be blended really finely and make a thick paste. Then we need to grate the parmesan cheese and stir in a little parmesan cheese and a little oil a bit at a time until we get a creamy consistency. And yup, that already is it.

When and how to best have it and meal prep friendly? 

Pesto definitely is one of the most meal-prep friendly dishes. When you make it and have something left, you can just store it in a jar and cover it with oil. It‘ll last up to 2 weeks, if covered completely with oil, because then it is not in contact with fresh air. 

In terms of what to vest have it with, I‘d definitely say pasta!! Either Trofie (that‘s what you would typically get with pesto in Italy) or definitely on top of burrata or mozzarella, on top of salads, or, one of the best combos, which I have recently discovered is Pesto and Hummus. A MUST try! On bread, rice crackers or whatever – it is life changing.

Homemade Pesto is a must try and a real game changer. It is SO easy and honestly one of the most delicious things you could make. I know I have told you a bunch of times here, but there is no way you dl not try this! 

Print

Better than Store-Bought, 10 Minute Homemade Basil Pesto

There only is one green sauce that actually everyone likes – pesto.  It is SO easy and honestly one of the most delicious things you could make. Ready in 10 minutes (and gone in 5 probs)

Course basics, dinner, lunch
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 4 servings

What you will need

  • 50 g basil
  • 30 g pine nuts
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 100 g parmesan cheese
  • 125 ml olive oil

How to

  1. Roast the pine nuts in a nonstick pan on high heat until golden. Add to a food processor along with the basil, the garlic and some salt. Blend until having reached a creamy paste.

  2. Finely grate the parmesan cheese.

  3. Add the basil mix to a bowl and about 2 tbsp at a time, add in the cheese and the olive oil. Then repeat until having nothing left.

  4. Serve with pasta, bread, salads, or just enjoy as is!

I am wishing you a whole bunch of fun and deliciousness when cooking! 
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière 

20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

by Kommentar verfassen

Sushiwhat? Sushi + Burrito = Sushirrito! Still no idea what this is supposed to be? Well, basically a sushi roll (like maki) just so giant that you roll it up like a burrito and can eat it holding in your hands. Pretty genius invention right? Sushi to-go basically.

Biting into this is like biting into soft (and sushi flavoured) rice, fried & salty peanut tofu, crunchy cucumber & aspragus, soft avocado and creamy sriracha sauce. An explosion of flavours in your mouth and it really is ultra delicious! Plus, it actually is not too difficult to make.

What is special about this dish?

First of all, it is vegan. Vegan sushi with tofu is not very traditional in Japan. Usually it is prepared with raw fish like salmon or tuna or with fresh veggies or fruits like avocado (yep, avocado is a fruit) and cucumber. Or sometimes tempura (vegan) vegetables or prawns. You see, nl tofu in here. Nevertheless this is not a reason for us not to add tofu into this dish.

And secondly, well a gigantic sushi wrap is not quite normal. Yeah, it kinda is like an ultra thick maki, just one you can take bites from. This shape is very untypical because you (obv) cannot eat this with chopsticks, at least it is a challenge. It is more like street-style, meal prep, on the go sushi. Still, is tastes at least as good!

Is this healthy?

Damn yep. The amazing thing about this is that you can add any veggies you like into these rolls. Whatever you think would taste good in combination with the tofu & rice. I love cucumber, asparagus, avocado and spring onions but you could also add sweet potato or carrots or whatever you love. Adding all these kinds of different veggies makes this really incredibly nutritious. And obviously, depending on which veggies you choose, you‘ll have different nutrients! 

Besides the veggies we also have the tofu. Tofu is a great source of plant based protein and fibre. Together with the peanut sauce is also serves as a source of healthy and essential, unsaturated fat. Not to forget about the rice. This itself is not too nutrient dense, yet it provides many carbohydrates to keep you energized. If you also wanted some fibre and minerals, you could swap it for brown rice instead.

How to make this dish?

If you are a professional sushi-chef, you probably have got this ready in 5 minutes. If you are not (just like most people including myself) it‘ll probably take you 20 minutes – if even. And what takes the longest is cooking the rice. Therefore that‘s also what we‘re starting with. Here we‘re using sushi rice just because it has this special sushi flavor and texture. You can either find that at the supermarket or an asian store. This we just boil with twice the amount of water and then we mix it with a mix of vinegar and maple. This combination really adds the flavor we want.

Then we also need to marinate the tofu. This essentially is done by combining a few ingredients including peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice. The longer this can marinate, the better. While the rice is cooking, the tofu is frying in hot oil until crispy. In the meantime we can also finely chop or slice the veggies. 

Then comes the fun and challenging part; rolling (or more like folding) it up. For this we need to divide the rice into the amount of sandwiches we make. If we make two sandwiches we divide it into two. And then we need to half it again (so we have rice for the top and the bottom). We start by adding one half of it into the middle of a nori sheet and pressing this into a square or rectangle. Then we add the veggies, whichever you like, and tofu, then the sauce, more veggies and the other half of the rice. We need to make sure to keep everything in this square or rectangular form. Then we take a second nori sheet and lay it on top. Now we take a small bwol with water and dip our fingers into it to wetten the sides of the nori and then fold the sides in and roll the rest like a burrito. It is important to really keep everything very tight here so the burrito does not fall apart when eating. And that’s it!

Meal prep friendly?

Yes! Definitely! That is the great thing here – it is not only great to be eaten the next day, it also is amazing to be eaten on the go, or in the park because you do not need cutlery or chopsticks or anything. It probably lasts 2-3 days in the fridge, so you’ll have a delicious meal for several days!

Print

20-minute (vegan) Peanut Tofu & Greens Spring Sushirrito

Like Sushi, just with Tofu and rolled up like a Burrito, so you can easilyyy eat it! An explosion of flavours and not difficult to make.

Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 25 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the tofu:

  • 200 g tofu
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp garlic & ginger (dried or fresh)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the rest:

  • 120 g Sushi Rice (you can find that either at your super market or asian store – alternatively you could go for basmati rice)
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • 2 tso vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 100 g green asparagus

For the sriracha sauce

  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp mayo
  • 2 tbsp greek yoghurt
  • 4 nori sheets

How to

  1. First mix all the ingredients for the tofu marinade. Then cut the tofu into two equally sized (about 1cm thick) blocks and let them marinate for as long as possible.

  2. Add the sushi rice, along with twice the amount of water and some salt, to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer until all water is absorbed. Then turn down to very low heat and let sit until fluffy and soft.

  3. In the meantime mix all the ingredients for the sriracha sauce. Finely slice the cucumber, avocado and asparagus. Fry the asparagus in some oil for about 3-4 minutes until soft.

  4. When the sushi rice is done, combine the vinegar and maple and mix it with the rice. Then divide the rice into however many burritos you are making.

    Then add half of each portion into the middle of a nori sheet and press it into a flat and tight rectangle or square. Now layer some veggies and the tofu on top. To with the sriracha mayo and the remaining rice. Press everything together so it sticks well and does not fall apart. Top with another Nori sheet. Then fold in the edges and drizzle a bit of water on the sides, so they'll stick. Then tightly roll in the burrito and fold in the remaining edges.

  5. That's it! Serve with some soy saue and enjoy!

I really, genuinely hope that you’ll enjoy this as much as we do and that you’ll have a great time cooking this!

All the best,
Love,
Katie