Main Dishes

Cavatelli with Mushrooms and Ramps

Makes 5 servings For a supremely springtime dish, the mushrooms in this recipe would be chanterelles, but they can be expensive and are typically only available in the spring. A good substitution would be shiitake mushrooms. As for the ramps—wild, leafy, scallion-like vegetables—they are seasonal and you might actually find […]

Main Dishes

Cavatelli with Mussels and Potatoes

Serves 4 If you can’t find nice mussels at your local store, you can easily substitute clams. If neither are available, you can use shrimp. They cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the liquid as soon as they’re opaque all the way through. […]

Main Dishes, Pantry

Chestnut-Cocoa Rotolo Sheets

Makes 1 1/4 lb dough Use this pasta dough in our recipe for Rolled Pasta with Pumpkin and Chestnut. Ingredients 12 oz (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose or tipo 00 flour 4 oz (1 cup) chestnut flour 6 tablespoons cocoa powder 5 medium eggs Directions Combine the flour, cocoa powder, and […]

Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Classic Mac & Cheese

Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Kosher salt 2 quarts water 8 oz elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups whole milk 1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked Spanish paprika 1 bay leaf 5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 teaspoon […]

Allergen Friendly, Salads

Creamy Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

Makes 4 to 6 servings We don’t like to dumb food down for kids, but we also know that sometimes kids are picky. So this plant-forward (vegan, in fact!) pasta salad is just a good starting point. The tangy chickpea dressing is creamy like mayo, but packed with protein. Add […]

Main Dishes

Eggplant Caponata Stuffed Shells

Makes 4 to 6 servings This vegan pasta dish is creamy comfort food at its very best. Make all of the components ahead of time, or even assemble the dish a few days before you’re ready to serve it for an ultra-convenient weeknight meal. Serve it alongside prepared marinara sauce, […]

Main Dishes

Fresh Cheese Ravioli with Pesto and Pine Nuts

Robiola is a soft cheese made from cow, goat, and sheep milk, giving it more depth than the typical ricotta cheese. If you can’t find it, ricotta will do in a pinch, but will benefit from a quick drain in a strainer to dry out. Makes 6 to 8 servings […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Grill Anything (Yes, Even Pasta!)

By the end of this summer, I will be able to write a book on how to cook exclusively outside. As I’ve mentioned, probably too often, I live in Texas, where it is currently HOT. My house is small, but tragically under-cooled in the summer, so when I turn on […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Home School: Easy Tomato Sauce

Reasons Why You Might Want to Make Tomato Sauce This Week: It’s delicious, and pasta is a pretty efficient comfort food. It’s also versatile and good for more than pasta (read: pizza, stirred into broth to make a soup, smeared on bread, etc.) It’s easy. It’s endlessly customizable, meaning you […]