Foodie Blogroll

Monday, September 27, 2010

Pastina with Peas an Carrots


I like a nice creamy pasta and my daughter is just starting to like sauces on things...mind you she's a good eater, but she just wasn't a sauce eater. I remember my sister getting her kids to eat broccoli or other veggies by putting a cheese sauce on it, or ranch dressing on potatoes or chicken so they would eat it. Maranda never dipped her chicken strips in honey mustard, BBQ sauce or anything (she never liked chicken nuggets) no mayo on her sandwich. She liked her veggies steamed nothing on it, even her rice just plain steamed rice. The meat was always well seasoned because that is the way I always made it for her, so she never liked the kids meals everything was so plain (unless you dipped or sauced). She is getting better (still prefers steamed veggies without anything) at trying things with sauces on it. Anyway enough about my healthy eater...on to the creamy pasta.
I saw Giada De Laurentiis do this on Food Network and it looked simple enough for one of those quick mid-week meals. I changed it slightly just to add a little kick to it, with some chipotle powder (you know my latest favorite add in) and some tarragon (I'm surprised it wasn't sage...that's my other latest craze, I mean I've been adding it to everything!!) I used a shallot instead of onion. Other than that it was pretty close...except for the pasta. I couldn't find pastina if my life depended on it, so I used again, what I had on hand...some farfallini, then I discovered I didn't have enough so I added all the little bits of pasta I had left over. So I guess the title is a lie! So mine is called Mixed Pasta of Whatever You Have Left in Your Pantry with Peas and Carrots. Edited to add: The day after I finally found some pastina, I found it at Walmart of all places!

Ingredients:
•1/2 pound (8 ounces) pastina
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 shallot, finely diced
•2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
•1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
•1 cup frozen peas
•1/2 tsp chipotle powder
•1/2 tsp tarragon
•1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
•1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
•sprinkle of red pepper flakes (to taste, you can omit this)
•sea salt
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.


In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots, stock and seasoning, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peas to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the carrots are tender. Stir in the cooked pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheeses. Stir until the mixture is incorporated and forms a sauce. Season with salt, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl and garnish with chopped basil.
I probably topped mine with some grated asiago and a little more herbs, knowing me. If you feel you have to add meat I suppose you could and some cooked chicken or diced ham or sausage, or maybe shrimp. It's easy and kid friendly! Hmmm...maybe a little dill?


This is joining
My Meatless Mondays

28 comments:

  1. This sounds great, I bet it's something my kids would really enjoy, too!

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  2. Great looking pasta dish. I'd definitely eat that!

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  3. oh this looks delicious and she sounds just like Jasmine he he

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  4. Yummy...I love any creamy pasta. It's really good your daughter likes plain food...Much healthier that way.

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  5. Looks very yummy. I think it's time for me to go through your recipes again and create next week's dinner menus.

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  6. girlichef - it's nice to find a dish that is apealing to adults and kids.

    Mags - and it's easy to make too!

    Rebecca - she is eating more things that I never thought she would, still nothing on her veggies.

    B0 - she does eat healthy, which is great, I tried to make her aware of that. Her latest thing is sour cream, but I get the "light" but she is so thin anyway! Still no may on her sandwich, just mustard.

    Robyn - I have a chicken tostada that I haven't posted yet, with a fresh verde sauce. I think you'd like it.

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  7. Lynds, beautiful photos! And the pasta sounds really luscious too. Yeah, I know... not easy to due with picky eater huh. My kids are the same but they're getting better now. They don't like cooked veggies except in soup & creamy mushroom sauce. So, whenever I make creamy chowder I'll add in lots of veggies. haha.... Oh yeah, have to play a little trick. ^_^ I'm glad to see the improvement. Hope you're having a great day.
    Kristy
    p/s busy at work?

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  8. I love pasta so this dish is definitely for me.Diane

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  9. I love Pasta so this dish is definitely for me. Diane

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  10. Yum! I love Giada dishes. And I love creamy pasta. I will have to try this one!

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  11. I have a box of pastini in the cupboard just begging me to use it. This is a great recipe!

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  12. This looks so creamy and yummy! I would love to have a try now...:)!

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  13. Mmm... yummy, this sounds and looks absolutely delicious.
    *kisses* HH

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  14. What a lovely vegetarian dish. I love the combinations of the peas and carrots. The chipotle sounds like it would give it a good zing.
    Sam

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  15. Looks delicious, and I love the colors of the peas and carrots.

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  16. I can feel great taste here just by looking at the pics! It looks super delicious!

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  17. Looks so great. Easy and simple. Love it.

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  18. That plate of pasta sure looks good! Nicely presented. I'd probably have to add meat if I were to cook these, my boys are carnivors!

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  19. I am very happy with a meatless meal like this all the time :)

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  20. hi Lyndsey! so nice to hear from you! my husband is a fan of creamy pasta but i think i made it only once at home and it didn't taste very good at all. :)

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  21. Oh my I want that right NOW!! Looks delish and so simple to make. Sorry I haven't visited for a while - I've been sort of out of the bog world.

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  22. This looks very comforting...creamy and delicious. My daughter wants me to make pasta carbonara and I haven't made yet. I have not even tried it before. Would love to try one of these days.

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  23. This looks quite delicious, I like creamy things as well. Nice to meet you seeing as we both participate in both Meatless Mondays and Tailgate Time! =)

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  24. Lyndsey, this looks really tasty! Love the varieties of cheese and I'm sure it's creamy delicious! Funny with the pasta, like your name for it! I've never cooked pastina and must look for it in the store.

    Good for Maranda that she doesn't care for the sauces! I love her name and am wondering how old she is. Have a good evening! I'm sure it's much warmer there than here!

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  25. Looks delicious Lyndsey! One of my boys would love it, the other is like Maranda, no sauces, he likes all his food well seasoned but very separate - meat, starch and veggies - the end. Surprisingly it's my oldest son who is like that and he's the one who would eat anything when he was little. My younger son eats anything now yet I had to cook frozen chicken nuggets for him almost every night when he was little or he'd just prefer to not eat!

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  26. That sounds so good. I really love creamy sauces, and spices...so combining chipotle and chili in a cream sauce sounds heavenly!

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