Gluten-Free Summer Pasta

Yummmmm. This is good stuff. It tastes so fresh. A friend of mine sent me a recipe from the New York Times called Summer Pasta. It is delicious. After making it a few times, using both regular pasta and gluten-free pasta, I have adapted my own version of it based on my personal taste and feedback from dinner guests.

Quick Disclaimer: For this particular time, I used regular pasta, but that is the only thing that is not gluten-free in the recipe so it can be easily substituted. That being said, I have made it using Trader Joe's Brown Rice Fusilli, and it was equally as delicious and fresh. You can use any type of gluten free farfalle, penne, or fusilli.

Another quick disclaimer: I really love garlic, so I don't mind it but some have told me the garlic taste is too strong in this recipe, since the garlic is added raw. If you aren't a huge fan of garlic, you may want to cook your garlic first over the stove in some olive oil. Personally, I like it the way it is.

The roasted tomatoes can be time consuming, but you can leave them for awhile without really paying attention to them. I think they are best slow roasted as the recipe states.... but there is an alternative. You can use grape tomatoes and get a similar taste in about a half hour. But, if you have the time, do it the 4 hour way. It's worth it.

SUMMER PASTA

What You Need:

For the roasted tomatoes:

Roasting grape tomatoes

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes (or as I mentioned, grape tomatoes if you don't have the time to slow roast, I used grape tomatoes this time, but I like it much better the other way)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar

For the pasta:

Salt to taste, pepper optional
1 pound gluten-free pasta, like farfalle, penne, or fusilli
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced and mashed

2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ears corn, can be raw if very fresh, or lightly steamed if not
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (can be red, orange or yellow) halved or quartered
12 ounces fresh mozzarella

fresh mozzarella cut up
(some basil remained from cutting board)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup mixed herbs, cut or torn into small pieces (mostly fresh basil, with some mint and parsley)

What You Do:

Roasting the Tomatoes:

1. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice tomatoes about 3/4 inch thick. Lay slices on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake 15 minutes and reduce heat to 200 degrees. Continue baking, cooking halfway through until tomatoes shrink and are chewy but not crisp, approximately 4 to 6 hours. As I mentioned previously, if you don't have time to do this - an alternative is baking grape or cherry tomatoes (1 pint) after being halved, in the same mixture, olive oil, sugar, and salt at 350 for 30 minutes or so, turning halfway through. It will give a similar taste, but the best way is to do it the long way.

herbs, tomatoes, raw garlic

Chopped herbs

2. When tomatoes are roasted, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, cook until al dente. While pasta is cooking, chop roasted tomatoes very finely and place in a large serving bowl, along with the chopped garlic, butter and olive oil. Slice kernels from cobs of corn, and chop the other grape tomatoes, and herbs (finely) while pasta is cooking as well. Place tomatoes, corn, and herbs in a separate bowl. Slice fresh mozzarella into small pieces, and place in a separate bowl with the shredded parmesan.

3. When pasta is cooked, drain well. Add to the bowl with butter, garlic, and olive oil while still hot, and toss pasta.

4. Add the corn, cherry or grape tomato mixture and the cheese mixture. Toss well. Add herbs and toss well again. Add salt and pepper to taste while tossing.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

I didn't actually get to use the corn this particular time because unfortunately, it's October and sweet corn is out of season. However, it is SO good with the corn. This is the first time I have made it without and I definitely missed it. I thought it was strange at first to add the corn raw but it's actually delicious and very fresh. If you are able to get sweet corn, don't leave it out. It is delicious with these ingredients.

So good! You should definitely try this one.

Enjoy!

Chicken, Artichoke, and Wild Rice Casserole

This recipe was DELICIOUS, easy, and gluten-free. It could also be made ahead if necessary.

I used some ingredients I had around and modified a few recipes I had found online to make it gluten-free. We loved it. Very hearty and warm and delicious!

What you Need:
1 can Progresso Creamy Mushroom Soup (it's gluten-free!)
1 cup uncooked wild rice (I used Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley b/c it includes veggies. Any wild rice would do, or white or brown rice if you prefer those)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb cooked chicken breasts
1 bag frozen artichokes (I used Trader Joe's frozen artichokes, could also use a can of artichoke hearts or fresh artichokes)
1/4 cup low-fat mayo (could use regular if you'd like)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (optional) for topping

What you Do:

1. If necessary, cook chicken breasts over stove. I used fresh chicken breast tenderloins and chopped them up first and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I cooked them with olive oil in a skillet for about 5-7 minutes or until browned.
2. Prepare 1 cup of wild rice (or white or brown rice) using 2 cups water and 1 tbsp olive oil. Prepare according to package directions.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine creamy mushroom soup, artichokes (defrosted if frozen), mayo, cooked chicken, and cooked rice. Stir until mixed thoroughly.
4. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Top with cheddar cheese (optional).
5. If making ahead, cover with foil and place in fridge. If ready to cook - preheat oven to 350 and cook for 30 minutes with foil covering the top.

Remove from oven and serve.

It was really good and really easy! Very hearty!

Enjoy!