Category Archives: Pasta

Whole Wheat Ricotta Gnocchi with Rustic Tomato Sauce

Whole Wheat Ricotta Gnocchi with Rustic Tomato Sauce by Alison's AllspiceGnocchi are soft, fluffy, little pillows of Italian pasta that are surprisingly easy to make. They come in multiple varieties, including potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi.  Ricotta gnocchi come together much faster than their potato counterpart.  This whole wheat ricotta gnocchi with rustic tomato sauce is so easy that anyone can do it!

I try to eat whole foods whenever possilbe.  I wanted to have light and pillowy gnocchi, so I tried whole wheat pastry flour and it was a huge success.  You would never notice that these were whole wheat.  Continue reading

Tortellini with Cherry Tomato Basil Sauce

Tortellini with Cherry Tomato Basil Sauce by Alison's AllspiceMy cherry tomato plants really took off at the end of summer, and I still have tons of them to use.  This tortellini with cherry tomato basil sauce sauce just might be my new favorite comfort food!

I made this sauce in the oven to reduce the hands on time.  It could also be made on the stove top, but in my experience, it takes just as much time to reduce that many tomatoes into a thick and luscious sauce! Continue reading

Cherry Tomato Pasta Puttanesca

Cherry Tomato Pasta Puttanesca by Alison's AllspiceOctober is finally here, and the garden is starting to wind down.  It’s that time of year when I have more cherry tomatoes than I know what to do with!  This year I experimented with this cherry tomato pasta puttanesca.

Puttanesca is known as the poor man meal in early Italy.  It has simple ingredients that bring in big flavors. Canned tomatoes are more traditional, but I gave this simple Italian dish a fresh spin by using garden fresh cherry tomatoes. Continue reading

Cold Cucumber Crab Noodle Bowl

Cold Cucumber Crab Noodle Bowl by Alison's AllspiceThis cold dinner idea is perfect for summer.  We enjoyed this cold cucumber crab noodle bowl after mowing the lawn.  It filled us up without heating us up, and it only required 2 1/2 minutes of cooking!

The serving size on these bowls is on the large size.  I used this meal as  post-work out dinner, so lots of carbs and protein were appreciated.  However, the recipe as written could be split into 3 servings for a lighter meal. Continue reading

Arugula Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups

Arugula Pesto Lasagna Roll Ups by Alison's AllspiceHands in the air if you love lasagna!  Me too.  But do you ever have leftover sheets of lasagna noodles?  My box always seems to have just a few more than I really need for a recipe.  I created this arugula pesto lasagna roll ups recipes to use up those extra noodles!

I made this recipe with 5 lasagna noodles, because that’s how many I had to use.  It just so happens that I could not have fit more into a 9×9 inch pan as well.  Feel free to increase the recipe and make more roll ups, just plan on using a bigger pan. Continue reading

Cilantro Avocado Pesto Pasta

Cilantro Avocado Pesto Pasta by Alison's AllspiceCalling all avocado fans!!  If you’re like me, you buy avocados in the bag to the get the best deal.  This also means, that you have a lot of avocado to use.  This cilantro avocado pesto pasta recipe is so good, I ate it everyday last week to use up my bag of buttery avocado fruits!

In addition to avocados, I have totally fallen in love with chickpea pasta.  You could use any pasta in this recipe, but using chickpea pasta gives you a boost of protein, as well as fiber.  Two essentials that you need in your diet, that usually wouldn’t be high in a basic pasta dish. Continue reading

Seafood and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Seafood and Ricotta Stuffed Shells by Alison's AllspiceWhat comes to mind when you think of seafood?  For me, it means special occasions.  This week I am celebrating the end of the semester, and looking forward to summer!  Celebrate with me by trying these seafood and ricotta stuffed shells! Continue reading

Lemon Butter Asparagus Ravioli

Lemon Butter Asparagus Ravioli by Alison's AllspiceFriends, this recipe might be my favorite new fast and easy meal! I usually have time to take some prep pictures while cooking a recipe. When I was making this lemon butter asparagus ravioli recipe for the blog, I ran out of time because it cooks so quickly!

It is seriously simple, and absolutely delicious!  Boil ravioli, chop asparagus and garlic, squeeze lemon, and melt butter.  That’s it! Continue reading

Lemon Caper Spaghetti with Chickpeas

Lemon Caper Spaghetti with Chickpeas by Alison's AllspiceOn most Saturdays, I find myself at home alone for lunch.  I usually try to go through the fridge and use up leftover ingredients.  Sometimes I do something I might never have tried otherwise, and end up loving it!  That was the case for this lemon caper spaghetti with chickpeas recipe.

This meal used up leftovers from my shrimp pistachio gremolata pasta dish.  I wanted to make a vegan and nut free version, but the dish was lacking protein.  Hence, chickpeas.  I gave them a quick pan fry like I do in this gyro bowl recipe, and viola!  Lunch is served. Continue reading

Mushroom Lentil Vegetarian Lasagna

Mushroom Lentil Vegetarian Lasagna by Alison's AllspiceMy husband rolls his eyes every time I say we’re having lasagna…  He says it’s a food all women love, and maybe he’s right.  But, what’s not to love?  Mushroom lentil vegetarian lasagna is what’s for dinner!

I usually think of vegetarian lasagna being layered with shredded and chopped veggies.  I have a favorite version that is loaded with carrots, zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and onion.  You can find the small batch version of it here. Continue reading