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quick and easy

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

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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 

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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!

Easy Peasy Rainbow Quinoa Salad with the Best Peanut Sauce

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Basically spring in a bowl. You have all the vibrant and colourful fruits and veggies you could wish for, plus some fluffy and tangy quinoa to fill you up and some fresh greens for even more vitamins. Oh, yeah, and not to forget about that sauce, which tastes like straight from heaven. What’s more, this is so incredibly easy to make and SO quick – you’ll want to make it every day!

Originally I shared the recipe in the Vegan What I Eat in a Day IGTV on Instagram. And you guys went nuts about it and wanted the recipe so you also are able to make it – so here you go, voilà. Tbh, I can very well understand you – this recipe IS really good. Sine then I think I have made this at least 4 or 5 times, it has become a staple that we make on repeat.

What is special about this dish?

What makes this so special is that you cannot really label it. It is no special cuisine, has no geographic origin or is typical for the food in a certain area or country. It is just a wild mix of flavours, colours and ingredients. It may seem a bit odd that we are throwing so many different things into a bowl, but don’t judge before you try. They all work together in perfect harmony and there’ll be an explosion of flavour in your mouth.

Besides, as already mentioned, this is like spring in a bowl. One the one hand side because of the way it looks. So many different colours and so many greens, just like nature is starting to bloom all the colours start to pop up at the side of the street. And on the other hand because it is so refreshing, so light, so easy – kind of just as spring is. If there is any time you should try this recipe, it is now.

Is this dish healthy?

Definitely!! I mean, if you think of a healthy meal isn’t something exactly like this what you’re thinking of? Probably. And yes, it really is very nutritious. Where should we start? Quinoa – it is a nutrient bomb. Super high fibre, super high protein and all the carbs you need to stay full and full of energy for the rest of the day. Plus, it is extremely high in minerals and vitamins and it’s super tasty.

Besides quinoa, our bowl is loaded with fruits and veggies. We have got corn, high in fibre, magnesium, vitamin B. Then we have tomatoes, which are loaded with antioxidants, vitamin C and K. Bell pepper; vitamin A, C, potassium, fibre. Cucumber and broccoli – much water, many antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, E, K and folid acid. Edamame, protein and fibre king. Mango, not only tastes like heaven but also great for your immune system. The peanut butter; a great source of healthy fats and protein. The list goes on and on, and I think you get the point. Yep, this dish is incredibly healthy and still soso delicious!

How to make this dish?

As the name already suggests, it’s easy peasy. Really, it only comes down to preparing the quinoa, which is not greatly different from preparing rice, cutting the veggies and making the sauce. As for the veggies, we need to chop some into bite sized pieces, and some need to be steamed for a few minutes, such as the broccoli and edamame. The sauce also is incredibly simple, as it just requires you to mix a few ingredients – which you probably all have at home already.

And then comes the fun part – the plating. If you are patient enough and not too hungry, you can style it prettily. Or if you are just normal – you can just throw everything into a bowl and mix mix mix. In the end, we just top it off with some fresh herbs and spring onions and that’s it! Voilà!

When and how to best have it?

Whenever you want! It works perfectly as a quick lunch on busy days, when you don’t want to spend much time on preparing your lunch. Otherwise, it also works great as a meal prep. You can just prepare everything, store it in the fridge and toss is with the sauce when you are ready to eat. Since it is a salad, it is just as delicious when served cold! And, not to forget, it also is perfect for picnics. Just prepare, pack and enjoy in the sun!

I genuinely hope that you’ll enjoy this recipe at least as much as we do and that you’ll have an amazing time cooking & enjoying it! Have a wonderful spring!

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Easy Peasy Rainbow Quinoa Salad with the Best Peanut Sauce

easy, healthy and SOSO addictively good. I promise, you'll want to make this on repeat. A bowl of spring, loaded with all the fresh and vibrant veggies, along with some light and fluffy quinoa, and the best, creamy peanut sauce. All in all, heaven!

Course bowl, lunch, Main Course, Salad
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

For the salad:

  • 100 g quinoa
  • 100 g broccoli
  • 100 g edamame
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1/2 cucumber
  • 100 g canned corn
  • 1 handful radishes & tomatoes
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 mango
  • 2 handful greens such as salad, baby spinach, kale (whatever you like and have on hand)
  • 100 g pomegranate seeds

For the dressing:

  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk

How to

  1. Add the quinoa to a pot along with twice the amount of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and let it simmer with the lid on until all water in absorbed. Then close the lid and let it stand on low heat until fluffy.

  2. In the meantime cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and steam it in some hot water, along with the edamame, for about 3-4 minutes.

  3. Finely dice the bell pepper, radishes and cucumber, half the tomatoes, peel and cut the mango, wash the greens, drain the corn, slice the avocado and add it all to a bowl.

  4. Mix all ingredients for the peanut sauce, then add the broccoli, edamame and quinoa to the bowl and toss everything.

    Serve and enjoy!

Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Super Easy 20-Minute Sticky Orange Tofu

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Put all our prejudices aside and make this recipe. If you used to think tofu is boring, you will be proven differently. We have got the sweet and slightly spicy flavours of orange and chilli combined in a sticky sauce that covers the tofu. Definitely not your average tofu.

Orange Tofu is a dish that originally is made with chicken instead of tofu and therefore also called orange chicken. Orange Chicken originated in China, where it is rarely found in traditional restaurants today. It got really popular in the US through Panda Express. There the chicken is battered, then fried and then tossed in a orange sauce, which thickens and caramelizes. 

What’s special about this dish?

It is a vegan version if the orange chicken and a mich healthier one too. It is not battered and deep fried and also not tossed in a sauce loaded with white refined sugar. It is a much healthier, easier and quicket version of the original and still tastes really intense and good! So you could say that it rather is a Chinese inspired dish and less the original one.

Is this dish healthy? 

Yep yep. What is it made of? Well our main ingredient is tofu. Tofu is really high in protein and also comes with some fiber. Then our main „ingredient“ is the orange sauce. This is mainly made from freshly squeezed orange juice, which is a vitamin C bomb. Then we have some soy sauce, vinegar, fresh ginger and garlic and some honey, plus some cornstarch in which the tofu is tossed and then fried in a little hot oil.

Contrary to regular orange chicken, we have rather little fat here because instead of deep frying it, it is simply stir fried in a pan. Also, we are using honey instead of white refined sugar. Honey still contains sugar but less per 100g in comparison to regular sugar and it actually comes with antioxidants. 

How to make this dish:

This is super simple. So, we start by pressing the tofu. To do so we just lay some kitchen paper beneath and on top of a block of tofu and them let something heavy press it down for a few minutes. This will make the liquid drain from the tofu so it gets crispier in the pan later on.

Next we just chop it up into about 1 cm sized cubes. These are then tossed in some cornstarch. The cornstarch binds the remaining liquid and kind of forms a crust when frying. After that, the tofu is fried in some hot oil from each side for about 1-2 minutes till crispy. 

In the meantime we combine the orange juice & zest, soy sauce, honey or maple, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and vinegar in a bowl and then pour it over the tofu and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes. Because of the cornstarch the sauce will thicken and the honey makes it caramelise. That already pretty much is it, we now only have to divide it onto plates or bowls and garnish with some greens!

Meal prep friendly

You can easily make this dish in advance and reheat it. If you have a stove I would prepare everything in advance and store the tofu and sauce separately and heat it up together whenever you want to have it. If you do not have a stove when eating it, you can simply heat it up in the microwave all together. Maybe you’ll then need to add a little water.

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Super Easy 20-Minute Sticky Orange Tofu

Easy, delicious and healthy. A vegan and lighter version of the american-chinese classic and let me tell you, it at least is as delicious!

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Chinese
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 servings

What you will need

  • 300 g tofu
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch
  • some rice or quinoa to serve with

For the sauce:

  • 1 orange zest & juice
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cm ginger
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 60 g honey or maple
  • 1 tbsp vinegar

How to

  1. Lay the tofu onto some kitchen paper and cover it iwth some more. Lay something heavy on top and let it press for abou 5-10 minutes, so as much liquid as possible goes out in order for the tofu to become crispy when frying. Then cut into 1 cm sized cubes and toss it in the cornstarch

  2. In the meantime grate the orange, then press it. Combine it with the remaining ingredients for the sauce.

  3. Heat up the oil in a pan and fry the tofu on each side for about 1-2 minutes until crispy and golden. Turn the heat down to medium heat and pour in the orange sauce. Give everything a good mix and let simmer for about 3-4 minutes until it has thickend a bit.

  4. Serve with some rice or quinoa and garnish with some cilantro! Serve and enjoy!

Honestly, this dish is so quick, so easy to make and so good! You’ll really, really love it and it is so so simple! I hope you’ll like it as much as we do and have a great time cooking it!

Enjoy!
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière