Need a good simple pasta recipe for a casual sunday dinner?..?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Penne Pasta with Bacon and Spinach



Ingredients

* 1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 6 slices bacon, chopped
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp. Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.
3. Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, and the bacon and tomato mixture.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 518 | Total Fat: 14.9g | Cholesterol: 15mg

Housewife

Beouf Bourguignon. It impresses, but it doesn't have to be fussy. It doesn't have to be the process that Miss Child made it. Below is a more Provencal version that my mother-in-law from Marseilles taught me.

Beouf Bourguignon

1 ? lb. Beef Stew Meat, cut into ?” pieces
3-4 T. bacon grease or vegetable oil
1 med-large Onion, course chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. tomato paste
3 cups good, dry red wine
? t. thyme
? t. herbes d’Provence (Italian seasoning)
1/3 c. parsley
1 Bay leaf
? lb. button mushrooms, sauted in butter separately; or 2 jars of mushrooms, drained
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown the beef in fat, remove from pan and set aside. Add vegetables to pot and saute until onion is sweated. Return beef to pot and all the other ingredients except for mushrooms. Cook, covered, on low for a couple of hours. Remove the cover and continue cooking until the sauce thickens just a bit. Add the mushrooms. Serve over cooked egg noodles. Use a decent wine, the same one that you'll be serving with dinner. A Beaujolais is especially nice but any decent dry red will do.

Bon appetite!

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Shrimp Scampi

4 tsp olive oil

1 1/4 pounds med shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 lemon slices

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, 2-3 min. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter, keep hot.

In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half; spoon over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon slices and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley.
Pour over thin pasta ( Angel Hair)

Simple and elegant....and robust - that may take you two different directions. For simple and elegant, this is what I would suggest for your friend.....

Toss your spaghetti with a little olive oil, some roasted garlic (the flavor is not so strong), some capers, some torn basil, some beautiful shrimp which have been grilled to perfection, a little salt, some tiny tomatoes - sliced in half, topped with some Parmesan cheese - shaved in some wide ribbons, not just grated. Make her a wonderful salad and some crusty bread. She will be interested in you after the first bite!

Boil whatever pasta shape you prefer, until just tender.
Brown ground beef with chopped onion in hot oil.
You can include sliced mushrooms & peppers.
Drain off excess fat & add a can of tomato sauce.
You can add sliced carrots or broccoli florets.
Mix the sauce in a baking dish with the pasta.
Top with grated cheese & bread-crumbs.
Bake in a 400F oven for 40-60 minutes until bubbly.

carbonara is a little different than your normal red sauce dish. elegent, sort of impressive (in my opinion), but not hard. a nice change of pace. ill attach a recipe site. good luck
http://carbonararecipe.net
http://carbonararecipe.net/fettucine-car…

What about spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs?