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Pasta Week 2022

Last year I started a Pasta Week. Why? I was tapped out of ideas for dinners after cooking almost every night for me and the girls during quarantine. So, to get creative juices flowing, I made the last week of January, a long and boring month, Pasta Week. We loved it! 


So we did it again. 

It takes a bit of planning to pick the pasta dishes that fit our criteria: 
  1. New recipe! 
  2. Low on dairy (Leah is lactose sensitive) 
  3. Includes veggies 
But once we get the dishes picked, and the grocery list made, the week has a little bright spot each night to see if we're going to LOVE a recipe or not. And the recipes we love usually make it into our repeat favorites -- like the Leek Carbonara we made last year and at least once a month since. 

Here are the Recipes, and links, if I can find them. 

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Lemon Zest from Martha Stewart Meatless (link) 

This recipe was pretty simple and came together quickly. But it was not a star. We liked it fine. But didn't love it.
 



Lemony Courgette Linguine from Jamie Oliver (link) 

I started out suspicious of lemon flavoring in pasta, but this dish quickly changed my view. Lemon for the win! It was bright and delicious. Plus, Alice made homemade linguini pasta, which makes everything taste better. This was definitely one of the highlights of the week and would recommend you giving it a try. It will likely come back in an upcoming week. 




Beyond Beef Bolognese from Giada (link) 

This one was maybe our favorite recipe of the week. We used the Beyond ground beef in the sauce and ziti pasta (Alice the vegetarian). We had a ton of sauce leftover (I froze it) and I ate it for lunch the next day. It was sensational! Will likely make for a dinner party this year, too. 


One Pot Mac & Cheese with Broccoli 

I generally don't like making recipes I find on Pinterest. They're usually untested and plenty of room for errors. But the girls really wanted a mac and cheese option and this recipe, all in one pot, fit our criteria of low diary. But the overall taste was a little bland, and kids only liked it so-so. 



Overall another successful week of experimental pasta all week.  And fun to get the kids involved and excited for "what pasta dish is tonight?" conversation. Though I will admit all that pasta made me a feel a little sloooow. Carbs are great, right? 

I've started to collect recipes for next year's Pasta-Palooza here. 

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