I feely confess that, health concerns aside, I would happily live on bread, pasta, and ice cream. Regular meals often just don't interest me.
But we don't get to ignore health concerns so I need to actually cook dinner.
So one day, while perusing the shelves for inspiration, I discovered these little pasta nests.
I'm sure I've seem them before, but this time they caught my eye and struck my fancy.
So I brought them home and made a variety of dishes.
There are times you want a chewy pasta with more substance, but generally I love angel hair pasta because it doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients.
So the rest was simple and varied. I had assorted meals using these nests because I had a variety of toppings to add. I never used meat sauce, but I"m sure that would work.
I also did it with shrimp, but I accidentally deleted that photo, thinking I'd already shared it. And finally. I did it with chicken - also in honey mustard. It was delicious.
For those of you with grandchildren, I'm thinking this would be a cute way to entice picky eaters.
So, do you decide on pasta by shape or always stick to one?
I love past shapes... I love thick, curly pastas like gemelli and celentani.... and I love thick flat fettucine for cheese sauces.... and I love bowties/farfalle for salads... and plain old spaghetti... and RIGATONI is my favorite. Rigatoni with marinara and meatballs.... I love pasta. It's variations make me happy!!!! And it's simple, comfort food.
ReplyDeleteCate, I wonder how many folks just stick to one???? This will be interesting to see and I've never tried the nests. Thank you for opening my eyes!
I love baked Rigatoni. The thicker noodles hold up to the sauce and cheese so much better than the tiny ziti!
DeleteWe love pasta at our house! Life would be boring if you stick with one shape. It also depends on what is being made. For goulash I always use elbow. No exceptions there. My favorite for other things is penne. My husband could live off pasta.
ReplyDeleteI tried to answer this yesterday, Katie, but my phone wouldn't let me post. It's funny how we associate things differently. I never would have thought of elbows with goulash. For us it was always the wide egg noodles.
DeleteWe used to use a lot of pasta at our house, back when Katie's husband and his siblings were growing up. There's nothing like pasta to help fill the perpetually empty stomachs of growing boys!
ReplyDeleteNow that I'm not cooking for growing children anymore, pasta has become an occasional treat, and I do switch up shapes and textures! I'll have to try these nests, and I love your ideas for using them!
LOL Jan. I never had growing boys, Jan, but I've heard stories about how you can't keep enough food in the house - especially when they bring friends.
DeleteHow cute are those pasta nests, Mary Cate? Paired with that pork and squash, it looks like a very autumnal meal.
ReplyDelete