Recipe: Green Pesto Pasta with Whipped Ricotta

Green Pesto Pasta with Whipped Ricotta

Food & Wine Magazine, Jun 2026, p.91

5 stars with modifications

This was delicious -- but we would make it differently next time as we didn't like their pesto recipe nor steps. The addition of the ricotta mixture was a nice addition.

Ingredients for next time: pesto, pasta (bucatini), ricotta, heavy cream, sugar, butter, salt; top with pine nuts and Parmesan

Tips/Notes:

• Basically, we're not going to follow the recipe's pesto instructions using mixed greens and will make our own homemade pesto
• Didn't mix in the ricotta mixture with the pasta but will next time, 
• Served with salad and Beyond Sausage

Recipe: Creamy Tomato Pasta

Creamy Tomato Pasta

Food & Wine Magazine, Aug 2025, p. 87

4.8 stars

This was delicious -- almost restaurant worthy! Great flavor; burrata is a must for the creaminess.

Ingredients: spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, shallot, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, red pepper, kosher salt, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, burrata cheese, fresh oregano

Tips/Notes:

• Used gluten-free pasta
• Served with plant-based sausage
• Didn't garnish with fresh oregano

Recipe: Bucatini with Shiitake Cream Sauce

Bucatini with Shiitake Cream Sauce

Food & Wine Magazine, Oct 2025, p. 50

4.9 stars

Super delicious and flavorful -- restaurant worthy! It's very mushroom-y because of the mushrooms in the sauce AND chopped up. We made it plant-based by using plant-based sausage. The leftovers have been so good.

Shiitake Cream Sauce: oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, shallot, dry white wine, heavy cream, olive oil, red pepper

Pasta: bucatini, spicy Italian sausage, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, shallot, dry white wine, chicken stock, olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, lemon zest and juice

Tips/Notes:

• Use plant-based sausage
• Used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
• Next time add 50% more mushrooms to the pasta

Recipe: Creamy Pistachio Pasta with Crispy Guanciale

Creamy Pistachio Pasta with Crispy Guanciale

Inside the Rustic Kitchen

5 stars

Delicious!!! A bit on the heavy side but this is definitely restaurant worthy even though it's a pretty basic pasta. We used some dry pistachio pasta that I had picked up in Hico, TX in a small cafe.

Pistachio pesto ingredients: unroasted pistachios, basil, garlic, Pecorino Romano, EVOO, salt, pepper

Ingredients: pasta, guanciale, heavy cream, Parmigiano Reggiano

Tips/Notes:

• Had made our own pesto prior to making this dish so it wasn't pistachio pesto
• Use bacon next time instead of guanciale as the latter is SO fatty

Recipe: Pasta with Greens and Beans

Pasta with Greens and Beans

Food & Wine Magazine, Mar 2025, p. 101
4.7 stars

The ingredient list looked a bit plain, but I thought we might as well give this a whirl. It turned out to be great! Definitely need the Parmesan on top, and with the Calabrian chiles, this dish had good flavor (and protein for a vegetarian dish)! As the intro to this recipe says, "Ready in about half an hour, this weeknight pasta dinner demonstrates how just a few basic ingredients can become a complex and flavorful meal." True!

Ingredients: pappardelle or tagliatelle, mustard greens, cannellini beans, Calabrian chiles, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, EVOO, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Used kale instead of mustard greens
• Added some lemon zest

Recipe: Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup

Food & Wine Magazine, Jan 2025, p. 45

4.9 stars

We will definitely make this again! It really is what it says ~ it's a lasagna soup! I thought it was interesting that harissa is an ingredient -- it gives SPICE to it, but you wouldn't guess it was in the dish.

Ingredients: lasagna noodles, Italian sausage, yellow onion, harissa, marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, dry white wine, chicken broth, basil, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• It was SPICY! Use 2 Tbsp instead of 3 Tbsp of the harissa
• Did not add any salt, and it was fine
• Used Beyond Sausage
• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth

Recipe: Lemon Ricotta-Stuffed Shells

Lemon Ricotta-Stuffed Shells

Food & Wine Magazine, Dec 2024/Jan 2025, p.38
4.7 stars

This was good, not amazing -- but then we forgot to add the hot honey which would probably take it to another level, so we need to make this again! The grocery store also ran out of large pasta shells, so we used manicotti shells instead.

Ingredients: jumbo pasta shells, marinara sauce, frozen chopped spinach, whole milk ricotta cheese, garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin), egg, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, hot honey, Kosher salt

Tips/Notes:

• Use just a little bit of lemon zest like 1 tsp, not 2 Tbsp. Even with 1 tsp, it was very lemony.
• Added crumbled Impossible meatballs

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

savorysimple.net/tiramisu

5 stars

I'd never made Tiramisu before -- and it was surprisingly very easy! Authentic Tiramisu uses raw eggs, but this recipe has directions for cooking the yolks over a double boiler (note that it took almost 25 min to get the eggs up to temp vs. 10-15 min noted in the recipe) -- this was the "hardest" part.

For our guests, we eliminated the alcohol and used decaf coffee.

DELICIOUS!!!!

Ingredients: ladyfingers, strong coffee or espresso, rum or brandy or amaretto, egg yolks, mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, granulated sugar, Kosher salt, bittersweet chocolate, Dutch-processes cocoa powder for dusting

Recipe: Quinoa Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and Tuscan Kale

Quinoa Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and Tuscan Kale

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2017, p. 91

4.8 stars

Super healthy and tasty -- you don't even really miss the "meat" in these meatless meatballs. Note: This did take a bit of time to make so it's not a quick weekday dinner meal

Pilaf Ingredients: quinoa, onion, basil, parsley, scallion, dill, dry white wine, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Quinoa Meatball Ingredients: eggs, semolina, whole milk, fine dried breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, baking spray, Kosher salt, pepper

Tomato Sauce Ingredients: canned whole tomatoes, kale, onion, garlic, dry white wine, oregano, red pepper, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips

• Left out scallion and dill
• Used cornmeal instead of semolina

Recipe: Butternut Squash Rigatoni Pasta Pie

Butternut Squash Rigatoni Pasta Pie

HalfBakedHarvest.com

5 stars

This is now one of my FAVORITE pasta dishes we've made. There is a salty-sweetness to this dish with the sweetness coming from the butternut squash, and the fresh sage and gouda add nice layers of flavor. Can't wait to make this one again!

Ingredients: rigatoni, butternut squash, gouda cheese, mozzarella cheese, prosciutto, salted butter, shallot, garlic, milk, honey, sage, oregano, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips

• Add enough chili flakes to make it spicy
• Used 10 slices of prosciutto -- the prosciutto shrinks in the oven!

Recipe: Italian Wedding Risotto

Italian Wedding Risotto

Food & Wine Magazine, Feb 2022, p. 42

4.7 stars

This potentially can be a 5 star recipe when I remake it. As we are eating more plant-based, I tried Beyond Meat's Italian Meatballs. Not great. So, next time I'm going to try making the meatballs using Impossible ground beef and then will update this blog.

Overall, the risotto was really nice; I would make it again.

Ingredients: pork, panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley, egg, chicken stock or broth, extra-virgin olive oil, butter, yellow onion, celery, arborio rice, dry white wine, baby spinach, garlic, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips:

• Used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• Used a LOT (3-4 big handfuls) of spinach
• As noted above, will try to make the meatballs using Impossible beef next time

Recipe: Super-Speedy Ziti

Super-Speedy Ziti

Martha Stewart Living, Jan/Feb 2022, p.52

4.8 stars

There is another recipe on this page in the magazine "Baked Ziti with Sausage and Bechamel" that I actually intended to make and wanted to note here as the recipe looks delicious -- however, because of a lack of time, I tried this Super-Speedy Ziti. It was great!

Ingredients: ziti or rigatoni, marinara sauce, sweet or spicy Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, heavy cream, fresh basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Used a jarred Calabrian marinara sauce (could've still used some red pepper)
• Didn't want to over salt the dish; it needed a little Maldon at the table

Recipe: Mama Rosa's Lasagna de Carne

Mama Rosa's Lasagna de Carne

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2021/Jan 2022, p.47

5 stars

This is one of the most interesting lasagnas we've made as the sauce calls for red bell pepper, cilantro and cumin (plus black olives and capers - but we didn't add these ingredients). It also was one of the best lasagnas we've ever made because hubby made the lasagna noodles from scratch. Great for a dinner party; will definitely be making it again.

Meat Sauce Ingredients: ground beef chuck, red bell pepper, onion, plum tomato, cilantro, parsley, black olives, capers, jar of marinara sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, garlic, Italian seasoning, ground cumin, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper, Kosher salt

Assembly Ingredients: dried lasagna noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, Italian seasoning, extra-virgin olive oil, black pepper,  Kosher salt

Tips:

• Made red sauce from scratch instead of using a jar of marinara
• Made fresh lasagna noodles
• Used Impossible plant-based meat instead of ground chuck (also cut the amount in half from 2 lbs to 1 lb)
• Used 3 garlic cloves instead of 5 so it wouldn't be too garlicky
• Left out the black olives and capers

Recipe: Creamy Baked Tortellini with Spinach

Creamy Baked Tortellini with Spinach

Martha Stewart Living, Dec 2021

4.8 stars

Really easy to make for a nice, flavorful weekday dinner. We made this vegetarian by not adding the ground turkey.

Ingredients: cheese tortellini, marinara, ground turkey, cream cheese, spinach, panko, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest, all-purpose adobo seasoning, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt

Tips:

• Had to go to a couple of places to find adobo seasoning (not canned chipotle in adobo) which I found in the spice aisle at Kroger
• Used double the spinach (about half of a large box of spinach)

Recipe: Cheesy Stove-Top Barley and Swiss Chard

Cheesy Stove-Top Barley and Swiss Chard
MarthaStewart.com, Nov 2021

4.8 stars

I forgot to take a photo of this one! Easy hearty weeknight dish that goes well with a small side salad and bread.

Ingredients: barley, diced tomatoes, shiitake, Swiss chard, Gruyere or white cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• The sauce was a little acidic for me so would recommend trying lemon zest instead of the lemon juice or red-wine vinegar next time
• Top it with melty cheese!

Recipe: Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan

Broccoli-and-Chickpea Parmesan

marthastewart.com, Oct 2021

5 stars

I loved this dish! We've made many tomato-bean-cheese type of dishes that go with toast, and this is one of the best as it was incredibly flavorful. The Parmigiano-Reggiano (umami/salt) and the melted slices of mozzarella along with the crunch from the panko and all of the herbs = one of my top easy weekday dishes.

Ingredients: broccoli, marinara sauce, mozzarella ball, chickpeas, Parmigiano-Reggiano, panko breadcrumbs, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas
• Served with toast

Recipe: Summer Tomato Pizza Beans

Summer Tomato Pizza Beans or "Margherita Pizza Beans"

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sep 2021, p.18

5 Stars

This was a SURPRISINGLY delicious dish considering the simple ingredients! It beats the other cannellini bean or tomato-based type of recipes we've made in the past that go with toast. One reason I love this dish is because of the fresh mozzarella slices on top! YUM.

Ingredients: ripe tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans (or other white beans), fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, ground pepper, serve with toasted bread

Tips:

• Add tomato paste
• Add more basil

Recipe: One-Pan Spring Tuscan Quinoa Bake

One-Pan Spring Tuscan Quinoa Bake

HalfBakedHarvest.com

4.7 stars

For a vegetarian quinoa dish, this was pretty good. We had this along with Sausage-Spiced Cauliflower Steaks (also vegetarian). Lots of flavor but we amped up the flavor a little bit even while leaving out some ingredients.

Ingredients: quinoa, red bell pepper, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, roasted marinated artichokes, sundried tomato pesto, pickled pepperoncinis, kalamata olives, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried dill, red pepper, pecorino cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper; cherry tomatoes, fresh basil

Tips:

• Use much less oil than the 1/3 cup to cover the bottom of the baking dish
• We bought a small jar of pesto that was a little more than the 1/4 cup it called for. Use all the pesto!
• Use only 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
• Use more ricotta than it calls for
• Didn't add olives or dill to the dish
• Didn't add tomatoes and basil on top

Recipe: Sheet-Pan Gnocchi

Sheet-Pan Gnocchi

Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2021

Gnocchi Prep: 5 stars. Overall Dish: 4.3 stars

As noted in my star rating above, the gnocchi prep was so good -- roasted instead of boiled. As the recipe indicated, the gnocchi was crisp on the outside while remaining tender within, but overall, the dish was almost too simple tasting. I would add Calabrian chiles or another layer of flavor to this next time. The recipe, however, was great because I had arugula that we needed to finish up.

Ingredients: shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi, arugula, cherry tomatoes, red onion, basil, Parmesan, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Kosher salt, ground pepper

Recipe: Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2011, p. 132

5+ stars

I honestly wasn't sure if this was going to be a good dish or not but decided to give it a chance. It looked easy (almost too easy and simple), and from reading the recipe, it looked like it would be too soupy or liquidy. It wasn't. This was an AMAZING pasta dish. I kept saying during dinner that it was restaurant-worthy (this would be $22 per person in a restaurant) and there was no reason for us to go to an Italian restaurant again because it was so good.

The key is to make homemade pasta.

We served this with a Soft Lettuces with Prosciutto, Peas and Poppy Seeds salad (see in the background of the photo). Definitely will be serving this at a dinner party.

Ingredients: 12 oz egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh), prosciutto, heavy whipping cream, orange juice and zest, Parmesan, butter, Kosher salt, pepper

Tips:

• Make only 1/2 the zest (the recipe doesn't say where to use the other half?!)