Tag: san marzano tomatoes

Back To School! Turkey Kale Orecchiette!

Another quick back to school meal is a 20 minute pan sauce! Throw in some veggies and superfoods and you have a healthy, easy dinner!

We enjoy superfood kale in a pan sauce, in our pizza, and even baked into kale chips!
We enjoy superfood kale in a pan sauce, on our pizza, and even baked into kale chips!

Kale chip recipe:
http://www.parmesanprincess.com/2014/04/10/super-chips-garlic-parmesan-baked-kale-chips/

My kids love to pick out pastas when we are at the store. One of their favorites is orecchiette, Italian meaning ears, or spaceships, or planets, so they say.

The names the kids come up with are so funny! Big springs, little springs, little seashells, tubes, strings!
The names the kids come up with are so funny! Big springs, little springs, little seashells, tubes, strings!

When kids get involved in the dinner process, they are more likely to eat the meal, even if it is full of healthy vegetables!

Tomato Kale Orecchiette!
Tomato Kale Orecchiette!

Turkey Kale Orecchiette

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. lean white meat ground turkey
1 35oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
1 -1/2 cup kale, washed and chopped
1 tbsp. Chopped basil
1 tbsp. Chopped rosemary
1 tbsp. Chopped thyme
Salt/pepper
1 lb. orecchiette pasta
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oil on medium heat in a your deepest frying pan.

Press garlic and cook until softened, 5 minutes.

Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink. Drain any fat.

Add onion, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until

Separate the curly kale leaves from the middle stem and chop.
Separate the curly kale leaves from the middle stem and chop.

heated trough.

Add the kale last and mix well.

Chop up the tomatoes while stirring.
Chop up the tomatoes while stirring.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water to cook the pasta according to the package instructions and drain.

Add the orecchiette to the pan and mix.

Always top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!
Always top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

Ciao!

 

Summer San Marzano Veggie Pasta!

Sometimes I only have 20 minutes to cook dinner! A quick San Marzano tomato pan sauce mixed with cooked pasta is quick, light, and delicious! In the summertime, I include fresh vegetables and fresh herbs! Here is one of my favorite summertime dishes!

The key to a great tasting quick pan sauce is getting the acidity out of the veggies by tossing them with olive oil and garlic before adding them to the tomatoes.

Simply adding squash and zucchini to the tomatoes creates a sour taste. Follow these simple steps and your simple pan sauce will be transformed into a gourmet dinner!

Super easy and so flavorful, a summer vegetable pasta can be dressed up or down! Serve it with a salad and fresh ciabatta or by itself!
Super easy and so flavorful, a summer vegetable pasta can be dressed up or down! Serve it with a salad and fresh ciabatta or by itself!

Summer San Marzano Veggie Pasta

Ingredients:
1 yellow squash, chopped into quartered rounds
1 zucchini, chopped into quartered rounds
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped kale
2 35 oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary
Salt/pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lb. of your favorite pasta

Directions:
Heat olive oil in your largest, deepest frying pan on low to medium heat, and add pressed garlic.

Cook on low/medium heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic! No brown just a golden glow!
Cook on low/medium heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic! No brown just a golden glow!

Add squash and zucchini, cook until slightly softened but still firm.

Add kale, basil and rosemary and coat with liquid.

Mix in tomatoes and heat through.

My favorite brand is Ciao tomatoes! Break up the whole tomatoes while mixing.
My favorite brand is Ciao tomatoes! Break up the whole tomatoes while mixing.

Cook pasta according to package in a separate pot of boiling water until al dente.

Add pasta to sauce and mix well.

Always top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Dinner tonight! Summer Veggie Pasta!
Dinner tonight! Summer Veggie Pasta!

Want to add meat?

The addition of chopped bacon, italian sausage, or ham adds another layer of flavor! Experiment!

Enjoy this summer dish!
Ciao!

You down with D.O.P ? Yeah, you know me!

D.O.P… How can I explain it…

Yes, I am a wife, mom, nanny, cook, maid, journalist, fashionista, and old school rap sponge!!! Do you get started and just can’t stop? (I hope it is not just me! Well, I know Kevin does it, too! Ha!)

Of course I pair it with the perfect shoulder bounce or hammer dance ; )
Of course I pair it with pursed lips, the perfect shoulder bounce maybe even a hammer dance ; )

I forgot to add tomato snob to the mix. The distinction between San Marzano tomatoes versus a can of whole peeled tomatoes is one of taste. The San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter, picked only when ripe, and grown in the richest of soil in Campania, Italy. Once you start cooking with San Marzano tomatoes and taste the difference you will NEVER use plain, old, sour whole peeled tomatoes in a can ever again. Pay the extra buck! So what is DOP?

DOP Approved!
DOP Approved!

DOP is a further designation that stands for Denominazione d’Origine Protetta from the European Union for the processed product. These tomatoes are grown at the base of Mount Vesuvious in rich soil blended with volcanic ash. This soil produces DOP certified tomatoes that have few seeds and cook down perfectly! DOP is written on the label and means completely legit by the European powers that be. So now you know what DOP means on your San Marzano can AND you know what to look for next time! My faves right now are Ciao brand! You can crush them with a potato masher and use them for pizza sauce…naked!!! Just add your toppings and seasonings!

Easiest pizza sauce ever!  Try it!  San  Marzano DOP!
Easiest pizza sauce ever! Spinach, tomato, mozzarella, salt and pepper! Try it!
San Marzano DOP!

Ciao!

A New Twist On An Old Fave Beans and Greens! Garlic Garbanzo Kale Pasta!

Garlic Garbanzo Kale Pasta!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic,pressed
1 15.5 oz. can of garbanzo beans
1 35oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. rosemary(chopped fresh or flakes)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 cup curly kale, washed and chopped off stems
1 lb. of your favorite pasta

Directions:

Warm olive oil in a frying pan on low/medium heat.
Add pressed garlic. (Be careful not to burn!)

If the garlic burns, throw it away!
If the garlic burns, throw it away!

Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, all spices and simmer.

Want a little more spice? Add extra red pepper flakes!
Want a little more spice? Add extra red pepper flakes!

Boil 6 quarters of water and cook pasta.
When pasta is strained, turn heat off and add kale to frying pan. It will wilt but you don’t want it to cook.
Mix well.
Pour over pasta serving.
Always top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

If you like greens and beans, you will love this dish! Enjoy!
If you like greens and beans, you will love this dish! Enjoy!

Ciao!

Just Another Mexican Monday, Oooooh, Oooh… Super Easy Crockpot Pork Tacos!!

Sometimes we need a great all day crockpot recipe, especially on Mondays!! Throw all of the ingredients in and leave for the day! This one is more delicious the longer you cook it and adds a mouthwatering edge to the traditional beef taco!

Add your own twist! Not beans people? Add corn!
Add your own twist! Not beans people? Add corn!

Crockpot Pork Tacos

Ingredients:

2.5 lb. pork shoulder butt roast, fat trimmed and cut into 3 chunks

Cut off the big hunk of white fat. Don't worry about swirls of white! A marbleized pork butt roast gives nice flavors!
Cut off the big hunk of white fat. Don’t worry about swirls of white! A marbleized pork butt roast gives nice flavors!

1 35 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell peppers, choppd
1/4 cup taco seasoning
1/2 cup medium salsa
1 can black beans

Directions:
Add all ingredients to the crockpot.

The meat falls apart! Mmmmm
The meat falls apart! Mmmmm

Cook 6-8 hours.

Have you seen these cute New Ortega fiesta flats?  So fun for apps and margaritas night!
Have you seen these cute New Ortega fiesta flats? So fun for apps and margaritas night!

Mix well.
Serve in your tortilla shells with your favorite toppings or on top of a salad!

So easy!! On the table in 5 minutes! Voila!
So easy!! On the table in 5 minutes! Voila!

Enjoy!
Ciao!