Pasta recipes

Fresh spinach puree with garlic, blended silky smooth with just water and seasoning. A vegan, no-cream sauce for pasta or baked potatoes ready in under 10 minutes.

Chicken livers browned in bacon drippings, simmered in dry sherry and tomato sauce with mushrooms, onions, and herbs. Served over rice, polenta, or pasta with grated Parmesan. Ready in 20 minutes.

Triple cheese poppy seed noodles toss wide egg noodles with ricotta, cottage cheese, and cheddar plus poppy seeds and pimentos. A creamy, quick pasta bake.

Stale bread simmers with Roma tomatoes, garlic, white wine, and marjoram in this hearty Italian peasant stew. Tiny pastina added at the end gives it body. Ready in 45 minutes.

Vegetarian ratatouille lasagna layers Provencal vegetables with ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, and bechamel between tender noodles. Meatless, hearty, feeds six.

Egg noodles with pork, eggplant, and oyster sauce is a wok stir-fry layering pork strips, potato, carrot, eggplant, and straw mushrooms over noodles in a honey-sweetened oyster sauce glaze.

Cincinnati 5-way chili: cinnamon and allspice-spiced beef chili ladled over vermicelli, then crowned with beans, onions, and cheddar. Greek-influenced Midwestern original.

During the fall and winter I make homemade soup once a week. I’ve got dozens of delicious soup recipes, but the Pizza Soup was the favorite of our sons, Keith and Mark. It’s really easy to make. I apologize for the inexact quantities, but this is another recipe that I’ve never written down…and haven’t made it since last winter! I’ve given the basic recipe, but don’t be afraid to add other items you enjoy on your pizza…including a dash of red pepper sauce!

This is great spread across the top of broiled salmon or halibut fillets. You can also toss it with pasta as a simple side dish, or add broiled or steamed slices of chicken, seafood, or vegetables to make a main dish.

Primavera tortellini salad blanches snow peas, asparagus, and carrots, then tosses them with feta and a warm lemon-garlic-olive oil dressing. A vegetarian pasta salad that eats like a main.

Vegetarian mushroom and spinach lasagna with ricotta, Swiss, Parmesan, and a roasted red pepper sauce with balsamic vinegar. Lighter than traditional lasagna.

A hearty vegetarian version of my favorite soup. It's easy to make it vegetarian by using roasted vegetable stock instead of beef stock. By adding a leftover parmesan rind (I save them in the freezer for this soup) it adds extra flavor. (optional)

Meat spagetti sauce that uses whisky. The best pasta sauce I have ever had. With a bushel of fresh in-season plum tomatoes I made enough for the winter. It was worth it! This is a reguler large size version.

Chinese cold noodles tossed with shredded steamed chicken, slivered egg crepes, and scallions in a soy-chili oil dressing with Chinkiang vinegar and ginger. A refreshing, spicy summer noodle dish.

Ravioli soup simmers cheese ravioli in a beefy tomato-marinara broth with garlic, basil, and oregano, then finishes with parmesan and melty mozzarella. It tastes like lasagna in a bowl and comes together in about 30 minutes.

Pad Thai with chicken, shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts in a fish sauce and lime dressing. A classic Thai stir-fry made at home.