You can make these restaurant favorite pasta dishes at home.
Pesto Cavatappi and Carbonara Pasta are two beloved restaurant favorites. Now you can make them from scratch at home!
Dina Driggs shares the recipes for these two pasta dishes.
For more recipes from Dina, follow her online at @dinasdiner and dinasdiner.com.
2 Restaurant Favorite Pasta Dishes
Pesto Cavatappi
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. Cavatappi Noodles Also known as cellentani
- 4 Roma Tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp. Oliva Oil
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Pesto
- 2 Cups Basil Leaves
- 1/3 Cup Pine Nuts
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
METHOD
- Boil water for pasta. Once boiling add pasta and set timer for 11 minutes.
- Dice tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat olive oil and then add tomatoes. Cook for 2-4 minutes until soft and cooked through.
- Add chicken broth and heavy cream to tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for 2-4 minutes or until bubbly and thick. Simmer until pasta is ready.
- Drain the pasta when done and pour into a large bowl.
- Add pesto to tomato-cream mixture and heat through. Pour over cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh tomatoes.
Pesto Instructions
- Put the basil leaves, no stems, in a food processor.
- Add the pine nuts and pulse 8-10 times until everything is chopped.
- Peel and mince the garlic. Add chopped garlic and 1 cup of parmesan cheese. Pulse 8-10 times until well chopped.
- Pour the olive oil in a thin stream through the lid of the food processor while the machine is going. You will need to scrape down the sides several times after all the oil is added and continue to blend for about a minute.
Pasta Carbonara
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. Spaghetti
- 1 lb. Bacon
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 Cup Romano Cheese
- Fresh Ground Pepper
METHOD
- Boil 4 quarts of water. Once boiling, add pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook in a frying pan until brown and crispy.
- Beat eggs and add grated Romano cheese.
- Get a large bowl and fill it with very hot water. You will dump out the water before using this bowl. You need it to be warm when you mix everything together.
- Pour 1/2 cup of pasta water in the bowl with the eggs and cheese to temper them.
- Drain the hot water from the large bowl. Add drained, hot pasta, hot bacon and pour warm eggs and parmesan on top.
- Use tongs to mix everything together. If you feel the pasta is too dry, add 1/2 cup of hot bacon grease to bring it all together.
- Garnish with fresh ground pepper and more cheese.
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