Joe Bastianich - Pasta Perfect

Perfect Pasta

by Joe Bastianich

Table Of Contents

Pomodoro Sauce-based Pasta Recipes from Runner's World

Pomodoro Sauce

Pomodoro (or tomato) sauce is the base for all of

Chef Joe Bastianich 's pasta dishes featured in these pages. Use a full batch of pomodoro for each recipe.

1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 16-ounce cans of peeled, whole Italian plum tomatoes, such as San Marzano
1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) Today's food marathon begins with what
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about three minutes. While garlic browns, pour tomatoes into a bowl. Squeeze with your hands to break them up. Add tomatoes and their juice to the saucepan. Add oregano (if using), salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Add a little water if needed to keep sauce from becoming too thick (it should be bright red; if it turns brick red, it's too thick). To make oreganata, simmer sauce with sprigs of fresh oregano. Make arrabiata by adding red pepper flakes to taste. Makes six one-cup servings.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 139
CARBS: 9 G
PROTEIN: 2 G
FAT: 9 G

Pasta Pomodoro

Simmer on low. Add one pound of pasta to a pot of boiling, salted water. Two minutes before it's cooked, remove pasta from water and add to sauce. Cook until tender, allowing pasta to absorb sauce. Add a little pasta water if needed to keep sauce liquid. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian cheese, such as Grana Padano. Garnish with basil. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 470
CARBS: 66 G
PROTEIN: 13 G
FAT: 16 G

Spaghetti allo Scoglio

"Reef spaghetti" is a classic seafood pasta made with lots of shellfish, which are high in both protein and omega-3s.

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons, divided
6 scallops
8 shrimp, peeled, with heads on
3 fresh sprigs of oregano
3 fresh sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
8 mussels
8 clams
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
1/2 cup white wine

Boil a pot of salted water. Heat pomodoro in a saucepan. Add one tablespoon oil to a saute pan and brown scallops (one minute per side). Set aside. Saute shrimp until just pink. Cut off heads. Set shrimp aside. Return heads to the saute pan along with a cup of water, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes to make a broth. Add mussels and a teaspoon oil; cover. Remove when mussels open. Repeat with clams. Add pasta to boiling water. Strain broth in a sieve; return it to the saute pan. Add wine; simmer a few minutes. Return scallops and shrimp to pan with 1/2 cup pomodoro. Two minutes before pasta is cooked, remove from water and add to saute pan, stirring to coat with more pomodoro. Simmer until tender. Fold in clams and mussels. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 513
CARBS: 68 G
PROTEIN: 20 G
FAT: 14 G

Rigatoni a la Norma

"The very best eggplant is like filet mignon," says Bastianich. Here it's lightly fried "and incredibly tender and flavorful."

1 medium eggplant, peeled, then cut into one-inch cubes Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons flour
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 pound rigatoni
6 tablespoons ricotta cheese

Boil a pot of salted water. Heat pomodoro in a saucepan. Sprinkle eggplant with salt. Place on paper towels to drain for 10 minutes, then dust with flour. In a saute pan on medium, saute one garlic clove in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil until golden. Add half the eggplant; saute until brown on the outside but tender inside. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and remaining garlic and eggplant. In the same pan, saute onion in last tablespoon of oil until tender (seven minutes). Add to pomodoro sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add pasta to boiling water. Two minutes before pasta is cooked, remove from water and add with the eggplant to the pomodoro sauce (with some pasta water if needed to keep the sauce liquid). Cook until pasta is tender. Divide into six servings. Top each with a tablespoon of ricotta.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 559
CARBS: 74 G
PROTEIN: 14 G
FAT: 21 G

Penne Primavera

Primavera means spring, but Bastianich says you can make this dish year-round using whatever vegetables are in season.

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into
1/2-inch slices, or diced
1 yellow pepper, sliced into
1/4-inch strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup peas
1 pound whole-wheat penne

Put a large pot of heavily salted water on high heat to boil, and simmer pomodoro in a saucepan on low. Place the onion, zucchini, yellow pepper, and mushrooms on a 9x13 baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with the oil and toss lightly. Broil at 400 F until almost tender (about 10 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through). Add cherry tomatoes and peas to the pan, and broil for two more minutes. Set vegetables aside. Add pasta to boiling water. Two minutes before pasta is cooked, remove it from water and add to the pomodoro sauce, along with a little pasta water if needed to keep sauce liquid. Stir and simmer over low heat until pasta is tender. Add the vegetables and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 489
CARBS: 75 G
PROTEIN: 14 G
FAT: 14 G

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

Make this with or without . Use the broccoli rabe florets and stems for a balance of sweet and bitter flavors.

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1/2 pound fresh sausage (pork or lamb), sliced into coins
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 pound broccoli rabe, cut in one inch pieces (discard tough ends)
1 tablespoon butter (or omit and use warmed pomodoro sauce)
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound dried or fresh orecchiette
1 tablespoon olive oil (to drizzle)

Boil a pot of salted water. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a saute pan over medium. Add sausage and cook, letting pieces brown on one side before turning. Remove and set aside. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in the same pan. Add garlic and saute until golden brown. Add broccoli rabe and four tablespoons water. Cook until tender. Add sausage and butter (omit butter if using ). Season with dried red chili pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add pasta to boiling water. Two minutes before it's cooked, remove it from water and add to saute pan, along with a splash of pasta water. (Alternatively, add pasta to the saute pan along with heated pomodoro sauce.) Cook until pasta is tender. Drizzle with olive oil. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 466