This is a simple tomato based sauce.
Add in some fresh pasta,
and some cheese...
voila!!
You have dinner ready.
Change it up a bit.
Add the same sauce,
top it with some cheese
and bake it in the oven.
And voila!
A different dish
for dinner.
You can do so many different
variations.
Toss in some vegetables,
and you'll have something different.
This is what I did
for 2 consecutive weeks.
I have leftover ricotta cheese
from the first time I did this dish,
so for the next week,
I did the same sauce
but change it up a bit.
Enjoy!
For the first dish, I made Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Recipe adapted from Giada's Family Dinner.
Salt
1 1/2lb fresh or frzoen, thawed spinach ravioli (you can use other fillings)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce *made your own, or store bought*
1/2 cup ricotta cheese *whole milk or part skimmed*
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil * I didnt add any coz I ran out.*
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the ravioli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender but
still firm to the bite, about 5 minutes.
Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water,
and toss the ravioli with the oil in a large bowl to coat.
Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a
medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking often.
Whisk in the ricotta and enough reserved cooking water to thin the
sauce to the desired consistency.
Return the sauce to a smmer and season with salt and pepper,
according to your taste.
Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce over the bottom of each bowls.
Arrange the ravioli over the sauce, then drizzle
the remaining sauce over the ravioli.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil, and serve.
The next dish is, Cheesy Baked Tortellini.
I got the idea from Giada's Everyday Pasta book,
but was too lazy to run to the store,
so I use ingredients in my fridge and pantry.
Olive Oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded mozarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Lightly oil an 8x8x2 inch baking dish or 4 individual gratin dish.
Whisk the marinara sauce and the ricotta cheese in a large bowl
to blend.
Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water
until just tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the tortellini to the sauce and coat.
Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared dish/dishes.
Top with the cheeses and bake for 20 minutes, covered with a foil.
Remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the
cheeses melted, about 10 minutes longer.
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