2 Easy Pasta Recipes (Part 2)

I'm not going to mess around with this recipe, for I have no lovely photos to share. But you can use your imagination with this one. I'm just sure of it.

Yesterday I posted the recipe for an oh-so-nice springy asparagus and pine nut pasta. Today the second pasta recipe makes an appearance, and I have to admit something.

It's a bit naughtier.

Granted, it doesn't sound all that naughty: cream sauce with linguine, courtesy of Real Simple May 2007. (Yes, my recipe stack goes that far back.)

But then you look at the ingredients and realize that although this is a lighter sauce than, say, alfredo, it's no angel.

Yet goodness gracious, it is good. And easy. So you should go ahead and make it anyway.

Here's how:

Cook 1 pound of linguine according to package directions.

In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat, warm 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Add the cooked pasta and 1 cup grated Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens (2 to 3 minutes).

Then enjoy.

Really. That's it.

I told you it was easy. And sinful. But that's to be expected when half of the sauce ingredients are the same as those used to make homemade ice cream.

Not that I did that ... and ate it after I had the pasta with cream sauce ... because that would be over the top even for me, don't you think?

2 Easy Pasta Recipes (Part 1)

You know me. When Conservative Hubby is away, I love a big bowl of pasta. Nothing too heavy or hearty or meaty. Just light and easy.

And I also like to clean out the pantry while I'm at it, which is why the last two pasta recipes I tried on evenings when the hubs hit the links involved linguine.

This is the first. It's linguine with asparagus and pine nuts, from the April 2010 issue of Real Simple.


All you do is cook 12 ounces of pasta according to package directions, drain it, and return it to the pot.

Then heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup pine nuts and 4 cloves garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden (1 to 2 minutes). Add 2 pounds trimmed and cut asparagus and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender (2 to 3 minutes).

Add the asparagus mixture to the pasta along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to combine and sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.

Springy and tasty.

And a bit lighter than the cream sauce I'll share with you tomorrow ...

Crab and Shrimp Lasagna

Last Friday, I decided it was time to dig into another Colorado Classique recipe. The entree du jour, as you may have guessed from the title of this post, was Crab and Shrimp Lasagna.


Ooh la la.

Talk about a nice twist on the traditional lasagna (which happens to be one of my favorite meals, by the way). With crab, shrimp, white wine, milk, and four kinds of cheese (feta, cottage, mozzarella, and Parmesan), this dish is rich. Really rich. And incredibly tasty.

Wanna make it yourself? Yeah, I thought you might. So here goes, with one caveat. The recipe I'm going to walk you through serves 8. I halved it for Conservative Hubby and I, but I'll give you the full measurements rather than the amounts I used.

Begin by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound chopped mushrooms, 1 cup chopped onions, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme. (Oops, forgot that, so I used dried.) Cook until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms soft.


Now add 2 cloves garlic and cook for one minute. Then add 1/4 cup white wine and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until the liquid is almost evaporated.

Stir in 2 - 6 1/2-ounce cans lump crabmeat and set the pan aside.


Now it's time to peel and devein 1 pound raw large shrimp, reserving the shells. (Oops, failure number two: I thought I purchased raw shell-on shrimp but when I got home realized mine didn't have any shells. This led to some improvisation a bit later.)

Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise, cover, and refrigerate them.

Now combine the reserved shrimp shells, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt, and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds in a small saucepan. (Since I had no shells, I tossed in a piece of shrimp. I figured that at least would infuse the mixture with a bit of shrimpiness.)

Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.


Strain shrimp stock through a sieve and set aside. (Don't have a sieve? Neither did I. So I strained mine through the pan cover I have to keep bacon from splattering grease all over the place—don't worry, it was clean. And it worked.)

Now combine 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese, 1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1 garlic clove. Set aside.


Place 1/4 cup flour in a small saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1 cup 2 percent milk.


Stir in shrimp stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. (Remember, I halved the recipe, so you're seeing a much smaller pink Pyrex dish instead.)


Arrange 4 noodles over sauce. Top with one-third goat cheese mixture, one-third crabmeat mixture, one-third of shrimp, 2/3 cup sauce, and 2/3 cup mozzarella.


Repeat layers twice, ending with mozzarella.


Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes. (I know it's hard, but it's much better if you let it set up first.)


Sprinkle with parsley and serve. According to the wine pairing advice in the cookbook, "the lush ripe pear and apple flavors of Chardonnay would be well-suited to the fullness of crab and shrimp."

Or just, you know, pour some Merlot from the box in the cupboard. That works too.