Sun-dried Tomato Fettuccine

Here's a new twist on a tomato pasta sauce. Really good! The sun-dried tomatoes give it a different twist.

3/4 lb fettuccine
3 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves, sliced
1 (19 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large pot, cook fettuccine according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, mix together the Greek yogurt and sour cream in a bowl, set aside.

Add olive oil to large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and saute until fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.

Turn heat down to medium low and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Stir until well-incorporated.

Swiftly whisk in the yogurt and sour cream mixture. Add it slowly, but mix quickly so it doesn't curdle. After it has all been added and mixed well, turn heat up to medium high and let simmer and thicken for 5-7 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt & pepper and then add the spinach. Once the spinach is wilted you can turn off the heat and add the pasta. Toss to coat the pasta. Enjoy!

*from http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/02/18/cheesecake-factory-copycat-lightened-up-sundried-tomato-fettuccine/

Red Pesto Ravioli

Thanks Kim for telling me about this recipe. It was delicious! Although I did have a bit of trouble making the pesto in my blender. I may need to invest in a good food processor. My blender, although fairly new, has issues with blending certain things.

1 pound fresh cheese raviolis
12 plump, chewy sun-dried tomatoes (I just guessed, as the sun-dried tomatoes I bought were very small and packed in oil in a jar, the only kind I could find)
2 medium cloves garlic
red pepper flakes (up to you how much you want to put in)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 handfuls of baby spinach tossed with a glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt
2/3 cup oven-roasted tomatoes* (more if you really like tomatoes!)
a bit of crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook the raviolis per package instructions. Drain, but reserve about one cup of the hot pasta water (important!).

In the meantime, make the sun-dried tomato pesto by pulsing the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, olive oil, thyme and salt in a food processor or blender, until it comes together into a textured crumble. Add the walnuts/pine nuts, and pulse a few more times. Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water in a large mixing bowl along with the pesto. Add the cooked raviolis and gently toss. Add more of the hot pasta water if needed to thin the pesto out - it should make a nice chunky sauce.

Arrange the baby spinach on the plates and top with the ravioli, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese.

*To oven-roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F. Cut each tomato in half and arange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt. Pour this over the tomatoes. Gentley toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated. Arrange tomatoes cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.


*From Key Ingredient/RecipeGrazer