If I’m being honest, I’ve never been a big fan of zucchini. So when I saw this dish on Stanley Tucci‘s special, Searching for Italy, I wasn’t initially that interested.

But when he said, it was his favorite pasta of all time and that he made it at least once a week, I thought to myself I have to give this a try.

And frankly it blew my mind. It was a totally different flavor than any zucchini I had ever had before, and mixing it with pasta, and the fresh basil was a revelation.

What is the number one tip to make this zucchini dish incredible?

The number one thing you can do to make this dish sing is to let the fried zucchini rest in the fridge overnight. Trust me.

Ingredients

2 cups Sunflower Oil, infused with one lightly crushed clove of garlic. Removed before frying.

6- 8 medium Zucchini 

Extra-virgin Olive Oil

1 pound Spaghetti

Large bunch of fresh Basil, torn. Avoid the stems. 

3 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and aged Provolone mixed or pure Provolone del Monaco if you can find it.

Sea Salt to taste

2-3 Tbsp Butter

Preparation:

Put the sunflower oil in a large pot and bring to 375F over medium-high heat. Infuse the oil with the lightly crushed clove of garlic, but remove before frying.

Slice the zucchini into thin rounds and fry in batches until golden brown.

Remove and set aside on paper towels to drain. 

Add the basil, olive oil and put in the fridge overnight. Get it back to room temperature before using. You can skip the overnight rest if you’re in a hurry, but the overnight rest is a big improvement. 

Boil the pasta until al dente and drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Place the cooked pasta back into the pot over low/medium heat along with the zucchini mixture and combine gently. 

Add the pasta water, a little at a time, to create a creamy texture. You may not use all of the pasta water. 

Add some of the Parmigiano a bit at a time to the mixture and continue to combine by stirring gently and tossing. Finish with the butter, if using. Serve immediately.

Stanley Tucci’s Favorite Zucchini Pasta

If I’m being honest, I’ve never been a big fan of zucchini. So when I saw this dish on Stanley Tucci‘s special Searching for Italy, I wasn’t initially that interested. But when he said, it was his favorite pasta of all time and that he made it at least once a week, I thought to myself I have to get this a try.

And, it blew my mind. It was a totally different flavor than any zucchini I had ever had before, and mixing it with pasta, and the fresh basil was a revelation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups Sunflower Oil
• 6- 8 medium Zucchini
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound Spaghetti
• Large bunch of fresh Basil torn. Avoid the stems.
• 3 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Sea salt to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp Butter Optional
• 1 clove Garlic lightly crushed. Optional

Equipment

• Heavy Pan
• Stainless Pot
• Glass Bowl with Lid

Method

 

1. Put the sunflower oil in a large pot and bring to 375F over medium-high heat.

   Slice the zucchini into thin rounds and fry in batches until golden brown. Remove and set aside on paper towels to drain.

   Add the basil, olive oil and put in the fridge overnight. Get it back to room temperature before using. You can skip the overnight rest if you’re in a hurry, but the overnight rest is a big improvement. 

   Boil the pasta until al dente and drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.

   Place the cooked pasta back into the pot over low/medium heat along with the zucchini mixture and combine gently. 

   Add the pasta water, a little at a time, to create a creamy texture. You may not use all of the pasta water. 

   Add some of the Parmigiano a bit at a time to the mixture and continue to combine by stirring gently and tossing. Finish with the butter, if using. Serve immediately.

Sometimes you just want comfort food. Warm, filling and simple to prepare. This Tex Mex Chili Mac dish is a great one pot meal, which just happens to be vegetarian. Feel free to add meat if you want. Chicken thighs or beef are fine. It’s a very forgiving recipe.

What makes this particular version of Chili Mac so great is the way it cooks all in one pot. Instead of boiling the pasta separately, the elbows go straight into the seasoned tomato and vegetable sauce mixture. As the pasta cooks down, it releases its natural starches directly into the pot, thickening the liquid into a rich sauce that clings to every single elbow. Best of all instead of just absorbing water, the elbows absorb the sauce and the flavor is wonderful. It is an efficient technique that maximizes flavor while sparing you scrubbing a mountain of extra dishes at the end of the night.

When it comes to the spices, don’t be afraid to make it your own. The blend of smoked paprika and a touch of cayenne pepper gives it an underlying warmth without being too spicy.

If you prefer a smoky, deeper flavor profile, a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce works wonders here. Top it generously with shredded cheese just before it goes into the oven, let it bake until bubbling and golden brown.

Why This One Pot Chili Mac Works

When you are rushing to get dinner on the table, the last thing you want is to deal with a bunch of pots. This recipe streamlines the process by letting everything simmering together. The result is a deeply concentrated flavor that you just don’t get when cooking the pasta separately.

Scroll to the bottom to get a printable recipe card. If you like what you see, click on “Join the Kitchen” and sign up to get new recipes and techniques. Join the Kitchen

You can also access the recipe index, and it is searchable by keyword. So if you want a chicken dish, just type in chicken and it will pull up all the dishes including chicken. Recipe Index

Ingredients:

1 24 oz jar Marinara Sauce or a 28oz can of Tomatoes 

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

3-4 cloves Garlic minced

1 Red Pepper, chopped. 

1- Onion, minced

1 tsp Smoked Paprika 

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper 

2 cups shredded Cheese 

1 lb Pasta, elbows are perfect. 

2 cups of Vegetable Broth 

1 cup Corn, frozen is fine.

1 can of Pinto or Black beans, drained and rinsed. 

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 325F

Sauté your garlic, onion, peppers, corn and beans. Add the tomatoes and broth to the pot, add your chili powder, spices and bring it up to a simmer. 

Add your pasta, stir in your cheese and sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and then bake covered until the pasta is done. It’s normally about 30 minutes. The reason it needs to be covered is to help the elbows absorb the sauce.

Stir and recover and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with additional cheese and any toppings you desire.

Chili Mac – A Tex Mex Favorite

Sometimes you just want comfort food. Warm, filling and simple to prepare. This Tex Mex dish is a great one pot meal, which just happens to be vegetarian. Feel free to add meat if you want. Chicken thighs or beef are fine. It’s a very forgiving recipe.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Tex Mex

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 24 oz jar Marinara Sauce or a 28oz can of Tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 3-4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 Red Pepper chopped.
• 1- Onion minced
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 cups shredded Cheese
• 1 lb Pasta elbows are perfect.
• 2 cups of Vegetable Broth
• 1 cup Corn frozen is fine.
• 1 can of Pinto or Black beans drained and rinsed.

Equipment

• 1 Pot

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 325F
2. Sauté your garlic, onion, peppers, corn and beans. Add the tomatoes and broth to the pot, add your chili powder, spices and bring it up to a simmer.
3. Add your pasta, stir in your cheese and then bake covered until the pasta is done. It’s normally about 30 minutes. The reason you need to cover the pot is so the elbows will absorb the sauce.
4. Stir and recover and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with additional cheese and any toppings you desire.

This is a wonderful comfort food dish. It is hearty, has lovely flavor and is easy to bring together. It’s sort of a fusion between Swedish meatballs and a Stroganoff mushroom cream sauce and then you add the noodles for a perfect finish.

Ingredients:

 24 Meatballs, rolled to 1 inch in diameter.

To prepare the meatballs, use 1-1 ½ lb of ground Beef. Season the beef with Black Pepper, Celery salt, ½ tsp Sugar, a bit of freshly ground Nutmeg, Worcestershire Sauce and one beaten Egg and a Tbsp of Breadcrumbs. Mix gently and then form into meatballs.

1 Onion, sliced

1 lb Mushrooms, sliced in two

2 Tbsp Butter

¼ cup dry Sherry or Marsala

1 pint/two cups of heavy Cream or Crème Fraiche

Green onions, just the green or chopped fresh chives

Egg Noodles

Preparation:

Prepare the meatballs and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a sauté pan and brown off the meatballs and drain away the fat and set meatballs aside.

In the same pan, add the butter, then sauté the onions until caramelized, add the mushrooms and sauté for one or two minutes then add the sherry and flame it (light it) to remove the alcohol. If it does not light, don’t be concerned, just cook for another 3-4 mintues until the alcohol aroma is gone.

Start your water for the noodles, and when boiling add the noodles in and cook until just al dente and then drain.

While the noodles are cooking, add the meatballs back into the pan, add the cream into the meatballs and gently bring it all back to a simmer. Finish by pouring the meatballs and sauce over the noodles and sprinkle the chives or green onions on top and serve.

Easy Creamy Meatballs and Noodles

This is a wonderful comfort food dish. It is hearty, has lovely flavor and is easy to bring together. It’s sort of a fusion between Swedish meatballs and a Stroganoff mushroom cream sauce and then you add the noodles for a perfect finish.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 24 Meatballs rolled to 1 inch in diameter.
• To prepare the meatballs use 1-1 ½ lb of ground Beef. Season the beef with Black Pepper, Celery Salt, ½ tsp Sugar, a bit of freshly ground Nutmeg, Worcestershire Sauce and one beaten Egg and a Tbsp of Breadcrumbs. Mix gently and then form into meatballs.
• 1 Onion sliced
• 1 lb Mushrooms sliced in two
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• ¼ cup dry Sherry or Marsala
• 1 pint/two cups of heavy Cream or Crème Fraiche
• Green onions just the green or chopped fresh chives
• Egg Noodles

Equipment

• Saute Pan
• Stainless Pot

Method

 

1. Prepare the meatballs and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a sauté pan and brown off the meatballs and drain away the fat and set meatballs aside.
2. In the same pan, add the butter, then sauté the onions until caramelized, add the mushrooms and sauté for one or two minutes then add the sherry and flame it (light it) to remove the alcohol. If it does not light, don’t be concerned, just cook for another 3-4 mintues until the alcohol aroma is gone.
3. Start your water for the noodles, and when boiling add the noodles in and cook until just al dente and then drain.
4. While the noodles are cooking, add the meatballs back into the pan, add the cream into the meatballs and gently bring it all back to a simmer. Finish by pouring the meatballs and sauce over the noodles and sprinkle the chives or green onions on top and serve.