We all know and love Mac and Cheese. It’s a part of our childhood, teenagehood, and let’s face it, our adulthood too (at least mine!). However I’m always up for some changes, and this recipe is the perfect twist to the flavors we love. You’ll be able to blow your friends and family away by giving them all the taste of such an iconic dish, but with a completely different presentation and texture.

Today, we’re giving you an alternative to the classic Mac n Cheese: the deep-fried Stuffed pasta mac and cheese! As a vegetarian, cheese is my weakness so I was eager to share this recipe with you.

Eventhough adding cheese to your pasta is not always advised in Italian tradition, I cannot resist the American twist of adding cheddar to it. It actually makes this dish even more comforting and indulgent!

The ultimate comfort food for cold and cosy winter evenings

These deep-fried mac & cheese stuffed shells are both easy and fast to make. In less than an-hour of meal prep, you will get a gourmet dish for all your friends. Spoiler alert, this recipe can fall a bit on the heavy side, so if you want to balance the fattyness of the cheese you can always add some sauteed green veggies. Asparagus, Kale or green beans are amongst our favorite ones!

Wanna be healthier?

Our deep-fried mac & cheese shells are amazing, but they’re really filling! Do you want a healthier recipe? Don’t forget to check ou our spinach-ricotta stuffed shells recipe and our Thanksgiving leftovers pasta recipe.

Thanksgiving Stuffed Shells Recipe

Ingredients: Jumbo pasta shells, Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, Cubed cooked turkey, Cooked stuffing, Green onions, chopped, Mashed sweet potatoes, Chili powder, optional, Grated Parmesan cheese, Turkey gravy, warmed

Prep time 25 min.

Cook time 15 min.

Serves 8

Spinach-Ricotta stuffed shells: the perfect comfort food

Ingredients: Fresh spinach leaves, Pasta shells, Garlic cloves, Marinara sauce, Ricotta, Grated mozzarella cheese, Grated parmesan cheese, Egg, Salt, Pepper

Prep time 20 min.

Cook time 35 min.

Serves 4

We can all relate to the day after Thanksgiving. You’ve just had an amazing dinner between friends or family the night before, and even though you ate a lot, your fridge is still full of leftovers. Turkey, smashed potatoes, pumpkin pie… It was all delicious, but you’re already bored at the idea of eating that for a week! Here’s when we come to help. What about a recipe that combines delicious leftovers with pasta? Discover our turkey stuffed shells recipe!

The Thanksgiving taste in less than 30 minutes

Shells are the perfect pasta to fill with stuffed turkey.Their shell shape makes them easy to stuff, and you can top them with a sauce to make them moist and tender.

To keep the Thanksgiving spirit alive, we chose our special holiday turkey and gravy sauce for the filling of this recipe. Nevertheless, as it is still pasta we enjoy adding mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for an Italian flair.

I don’t have leftovers, can I make it from scratch?

This recipe is great to put a good use of Thanksgiving leftovers and prevent food waste. But of course, you can do it from scratch if you don’t have leftover and still want to try this delicious stuffed pasta recipe! Of course, with turkey already in your fridge, this dish will be quicker to prepare. In any case, follow these steps.

The perfect mix of Italian and American cuisine

Our Thanksgiving Stuffed Shells recipe is sure to be a hit with pasta lovers everywhere. So use your leftovers and get cooking! We cannot get enough of it. If you’re hooked on stuffing shells like we are, then you can cook your Thanksgiving leftovers in them to freeze for later. Or, if you prefer, cook your turkey specifically for these dishes. Don’t miss our two other excellent stuffed shell recipes: deep-fried mac and cheese shells, and spinach-ricotta pasta shells.

Mac and Cheese Stuffed Shells Recipe

Ingredients: Small pasta shells, Jumbo pasta shells, Butter, Velveeta cheese (cubed) or emmental cheese, Shredded cheddar cheese, Heavy whipping cream, Grated Parmesan cheese, divided , 2% milk, divided , Large eggs, Panko bread crumbs, All-purpose flour, Oil for deep-fat frying

Prep time 45 min.

Cook time 15 min.

Serves

Spinach-Ricotta stuffed shells: the perfect comfort food

Ingredients: Fresh spinach leaves, Pasta shells, Garlic cloves, Marinara sauce, Ricotta, Grated mozzarella cheese, Grated parmesan cheese, Egg, Salt, Pepper

Prep time 20 min.

Cook time 35 min.

Serves 4

Stuffed pasta is for me the best comfort food ever. Thanks to their fillings, they already come with a lot of taste, and you can play with the different fillings according to the seasons and your moods, so you’re never bored!

But making your own stuffed pasta, like ravioli or tortellini, can be quite long, so here’s the perfect option: stuffed shells! This type of dry pasta is an “out of the shelf” pasta, that you can cook quickly while stuffing with a homemade filling.

Here’s my favorite: the spinach and ricotta filling with tomato sauce.

The best easy-to-cook stuffed pasta shell recipe

Spinach Stuffed Pasta is a go-to dish when you’re in hurry. You can make it quickly for dinner and enjoy this creamy, yet light Italian cuisine without having to prepare 2 hours of meal prep! This recipe works well during winter or fall – or even during summer when inviting friends over for an Italian cuisine night.
This shell pasta recipe is also a great option for vegetarians as it is mainly prepared with vegetables and cheese!
Without further ado, here’s how to cook spinach-ricotta stuffed shells!

Looking for a delicious and unique pasta sauce recipe? Look no further than this beet pasta sauce with cashews!

This sauce is perfect for any pasta dish, and it gives your meal an intense pink color that will wow your guests. Remember we are talking about here is a pink sauce that you can use over any traditional pasta. If what you are looking is to make actual pink pasta, check out our beet pasta dough recipe.

Beets are a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different dishes, and this pasta sauce is a great way to show off their flavor an color. Cashews on the other hand are a great source of protein, and will give this sauce an excellent creamy texture.

So why not give it a try? It is also super easy to make, it will literally be ready to serve in less than 35 minutes, and only 15 of those will actually require your attention.

Let’s take a look at the shopping list first.

As you can see this sauce requires only five ingredients, two of which are water and salt, so it’s more like three. But if the shopping list is simple, wait for the preparation steps, there are only two!

That’s it! Your beet sauce is now ready to go with any pasta of your choosing. We recommend you try it with some kind of unstuffed pasta first, to get to know it’s unique flavor, and then venture into mixing it with some stuffed pasta if you feel like it.

Remember that, as long as the pasta you choose is vegan, your dish will also be 100% vegan, since this sauce has not animal-based ingredients.

Enjoy!

Looking for a fun and healthy way to enjoy your pasta? Look no further than beet pasta dough! This recipe is not only easy to follow, but it is also packed with nutrients that will help keep you energized throughout the day. Beets are a great source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and B6. Not to mention, they give the pasta a beautiful pink hue. So why not give it a try? You may be surprised at how delicious it is.

As you might have noticed all this ingredients are plant based, making this recipe is 100% vegetarian and vegan.

Tips

Just two little tips to help you master the beet pasta dough:

• Keep an eye on your beet pasta while boiling it. It will probably need a few more minutes than your usual pasta.
• The beet already adds a very nice flavor to the pasta, so even though it will go well with almost any sauce, we recommend you keep it simple and enjoy the earthy flavor of the beet. Try something as simple as a little bit of extra virgin oil, salt and pepper!

So there you have it! A simple and delicious recipe for beet pasta dough. Give it a try the next time you’re in the mood for something a little different. You won’t be disappointed.

Did you enjoy this blog post? If so, please share it with your friends! And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below!

There is nothing like a good bowl of pasta with plain tomato sauce. Sure, there are plenty of more elaborate sauces which are great, but plain pasta with fresh tomato sauce will always be unique, classic, a reminder of what makes traditional Italian pasta so good.

A lot of people do not know how to appreciate pasta with plain tomato sauce, but that’s often because they haven’t tried, or are not used to the real thing anymore. Caned tomato sauces taste nothing like a good sauce made from fresh tomatoes, and so this simple dish is often considered boring or reserved for the kids menu. But don’t let industrialized food fool you, a good plain tomato sauce can be just as exquisite as any more elaborate sauce.

There are two keys to making a great tomato sauce for pasta: using fresh, unprocessed ingredients, and taking the time to let the sauce simmer until it is thick and flavorful. With this recipe, you are sure to create a dish that is both healthy and delicious. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking!

Just by reading the list of ingredients you can already tell this is going to be good, and healthy! Just remember that, like with all simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients you put in is going to be determines how good the final result will be.

That’s it! It is true that the sauce needs to cook for a long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s complicated at all! I takes only 4 simple steps which anyone can follow.

Tips and considerations

With the steps above you can complete this recipe from beginning to end, however, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind.

• Depending on the acidity of your tomatoes you might need to add a little bit more sugar in order to compensate that acidity. 1 Tablespoon is a safe measure to begin with, but make sure to taste the sauce as you cook it and add a little bit more if needed.
• Traditional fresh tomato sauce is chunky. However most of-the-shelf tomato sauces are thinner, smoother. You can also make your sauce thinner by running it through a blender.
• Industrial tomato sauce has a deep red color, like the fresh tomatoes. However, when tomatoes are cooked they tend to oxidize, which makes their color change to a lighter shade of red, even orange. This is specially true if you run your sauce through a blender. Do not worry of your sauce looks more orangy than red, the color does not affect the taste.

Serving fresh tomato sauce

Serving this sauce is really easy. Simply boil your favorite type of pasta (really any kind of pasta goes well with fresh tomato sauce), drain it and mix it with the sauce for 30-40 seconds before serving.

If you have some handy you can add a few fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese, and voila!

Why is this tomato sauce so much better than of-the-shelf ones?

There are a few reasons why industrial tomato sauce does not taste as good as the fresh version. Canned tomatoes are often lacking in flavor, and they can also be quite mushy. Additionally, industrial tomato sauces often have added preservatives and artificial flavors, which can alter the taste an color.

Finally, these mass produces tomato sauces are, by definition, produced in large quantities, which can affect the quality and flavor. When it comes to tomato sauce, fresh is always best!

Storing fresh tomato sauce

If you want to cook your fresh tomato sauce in larger quantities and save it for later, there are a few options.

• Put it in bowl, cover it with plastic film and put it in your fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• Boil a glass jar to sterilize it. Fill it with our sauce while the sauce is still hot. Put the lid on the tap and close firmly. Turn the jar upside down and let it cool down for 3-4 hours. This will seal the jar and make your sauce last for up to 6 months when stored in a dark, cool room.
• Lastly, you can also freeze this sauce, either in bags or plastic containers. Your sauce will be good for up to 12 months when using this method.

From all the pesto recipes out there, Pesto a la Genovese is probably the most traditional, the one that comes to everyone’s mind when thinking about Italy and pasta with pesto sauce.

It is also an incredibly simple recipe which anyone can prepare. No matter how well you do in the kitchen, you can sure make pesto sauce in just a few minutes with this recipe.

As it happens with any recipe, the end results will only be as good as the ingredients you put into it. But in this case getting good ingredients is even more important, as the recipe requires no cooking, and therefore the flavors must come from the raw ingredients. Talking about ingredients, this will be your shopping list to make the traditional Genovese Pesto Sauce:

Fine Parmigiano, Pine nuts, virgin Olive oil… some of these ingredients are not cheap, but you must remember pasta doesn’t have to be an easy-to-make solution for people who don’t know how to or are lazy to cook. A good pasta dish can be as delicious as any other recipe, and trust us, this pesto is nothing like the pre-made pesto sauces you can find in the supermarket.

Actually, pesto sauce is probably one of the sauces where the difference between home-made and industrial is the biggest. Again, one of the reasons is probably the fact that all ingredients remain raw.

Moving on. Now that you have all your ingredients ready, it’s time to prepare the sauce. We promised anyone could it, and as you can see, we weren’t joking! It takes only 3 easy steps to make a delicious Pesto a la Genovese.

To serve pesto sauce simply pour the resulting mix on top of your already cooked pasta. Do not add the sauce to the pasta while it’s still cooking, or cook it in any other way. If you so it will quickly loose it’s vibrant green color and most of its flavor.

What types of pasta does Pesto go with?

Pesto is usually combined with unstuffed pasta, usually long-cut, like fettuccine or spaghetti, or ribboned, like fusilli.

The reason is to either allow the pesto to either lodge inside the folds of the pasta (in the case of fusilli) or to mix in between the elements while you roll them on you fork (like in the case of the spaguetti or fettuccine).

What else does pesto go with other than pasta?

If you’ve made pesto sauce to spare, or if you are craving the taste of fresh basil, garlic and parmesan but don’t feel like eating pasta, you can also use your pesto sauce on salads, toasts, sandwiches, replacing tomato in some pizzas, or just as the delicious sauce that it is to go with your favorite appetizers and dips.

How long will your pesto sauce be good for?

If you’ve made too much pesto sauce, don’t worry, the fact that the raw ingredients are mostly covered in olive oil plays in you favor. Jut put your sauce in a taper ware, or in a bowl covered with plastic film and put it in the fridge. The sauce will remain good for 7 to 10 days. You might notice that its green color darkens quickly, but that is only the top layer. When you are ready to use it again simply mix it all together and it will regain its bright color.

If you are not going to consume all the pesto sauce within 7-10 days, you can also freeze it and keep it in the freezer for months. Just remember NOT to put it in the microwaves to unfreeze, simply take it out of the freezer and leave it on the counter at room temperature. It will take 2-4 ours to unfreeze, depending on the size and shape of the container. If you put it in the microwaves, even on defrost mode, the ingredients will start cooking and the vibrant green color, together with a bit part of the flavors that make pesto delicious, will be gone.

Enjoy!