Tortellini Caesar Salad
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about celebrating with a festive meal everyone will love. As corned beef and cabbage may not be a hit with the kids, or vegetarians and vegans, why not try a tasty and healthy pasta meal with green ingredients?
Below are three healthy, easy and festive pasta recipes from the National Pasta Association. Bright green veggies and yummy pesto will delight the whole family for St. Patrick’s Day!
Lasagna Verde
Ingredients:
4 ounces lasagna noodles (about 8 sheets or enough for 2 layers)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds spinach, well-washed
32 ounces part-skim ricotta
2 eggs
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups / 10 ounces frozen peas
2 cups / 8 ounces asparagus, cut in ½ inch pieces
½ cup / 2 ounces grated Parmigiano
8 ounces mozzarella, grated, divided
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with olive oil, and reserve.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place the spinach in a large pan over medium heat. If spinach is still wet, simply cover pan and wilt. If it’s dry, add ¼ cup water to the pan, cover, and wilt. Drain spinach. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop it and squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Place spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, eggs, garlic, zest, nutmeg, peas, asparagus, Parmigiano and half of the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Place half the noodles along the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan. Top with half of the ricotta mixture. Repeat with remaining noodles and ricotta mixture.
5. Strew remaining mozzarella over the top. Place in the oven and cook until heated through (about 30 minutes).
Fusilli with Lemon-Arugula Pesto
Ingredients:
4 cups / 12 ounces cauliflower florets
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces fusilli*
2 cups / 2 ounces arugula
1 tablespoon / ½ ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cloves / ¼ ounce garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup / 5 ounces frozen peas, thawed
4 teaspoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the cauliflower on a baking tray, toss to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until softened and golden, turning half way through cooking (about 30 minutes in total).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
3. To make the pesto, place the arugula, lemon juice and zest, garlic and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse and scrape down sides as needed to puree. Add a tablespoon of warm water, or more, to help bring it together, if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the fusilli with the cauliflower, arugula pesto and peas. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Divide between four bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano.
Tortellini Caesar Salad
Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen Tortellini (flavor of your choice)
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes (optional)
½ cup chopped cucumber (optional)
½ cup croutons
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup Caesar dressing
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
2. Once cooled, combine lettuce, cooked tortellini, and optional vegetables. If not eating right away, reserve.
Pour on dressing and sprinkle with cheese and croutons (to taste) and serve.