Tag Archives: tomato

Artichoke and Spinach Casserole

16 Dec

I’ve been cooking a lot at the Yoga Center I attend.  Last week, I helped my friend Rosani fix dinner for about 25 people.  Sometimes when we do these menus, we buy what’s on sale and use our creativity to develop dishes we have not tried before…  this Artichoke and Spinach Casserole is one of them.  Luckily, most of the time, the inventions turn out fine… we think this one did… I’ll let you be the judge.

 Please bear with me and my adjustments on the quantities… I did a huge tray as the photo shows.

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ARTICHOKE AND SPINACH CASSEROLE

2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed (because Rosani asked me to) and quartered
1 10oz. pack of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out a bit
2  tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 jar of chopped tomatoes or 1/2 carton of POMI chopped tomatoes
2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese
  1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onion for a few minutes and later on add the garlic.
  2. Add the spinach to the onions and garlic.  Saute together to give some flavor to the spinach.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a casserole dish, place the rinsed and quartered artichoke hearts, mix together the spinach mixture.
  4. Add in the chopped tomatoes.
  5. Mix in one cup of the Parmesan cheese.
  6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of casserole.
  7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and a nice crust has developed on top.

It looks like this before putting it in the oven.

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Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes

14 Dec

This is one of my go-to recipes when I am hungry NOW!!! It’s super easy to make. I learned this recipe from an old Martha Stewart show where she cooked this with Oprah. That probably was about 10 years ago.

I like to make this pasta with spinach fettuccine, but you can use your favorite pasta. Noodles are nice because it’s a chunky sauce olive-oil based sauce and it coats them well, but any kind will do. This works as a main dish or as an accompaniment to others. I served this together with my Eggplant Parmesan dish.

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PASTA WITH MARINATED TOMATOES

1/2 pound of spinach fettuccine, or any other pasta you prefer
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  1. Mix the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Let marinate while you make the pasta. Stir a few times so the flavors meld and the fresh tomatoes break up a bit.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally. Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente.
  3. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
  4. Mix in the marinated tomatoes mixture in the hot pot.  The warmth of the pasta and the pot will warm-up the sauce.
  5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

A few additional notes:

  • I never peel the tomatoes, but you can if you prefer it. I just wash them really well using Fit.
  • I’ve done this with regular tomatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes. The results will always be delicious. And if tomatoes are not in season, use jarred chopped tomatoes (Viter is a great brand because they have no additives or preservatives).  If using whole canned or jarred tomatoes, just don’t add the juice they come in… Just take the tomatoes and chop them finely.
  • Make sure the sun-dried tomatoes do not contain sulfites… Sulfites are harmful to your health and a proved carcinogen.

This sauce is really versatile… later on, I’ll show you additional recipes in which yo can use the same marinated tomatoes in other applications.

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