Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

The James Beard awards were just announced, and Arizonans were excited to hear that Charleen Badman of FnB restaurant in Phoenix was named "Best Chef - Southwest".  FnB has been on my list of restaurants to try for several years but I haven't made it there yet, and I suspect reservations are going to be pretty hard to come by for a while.  I was looking at a sample menu on their website in anticipation and one entry made me pause: "pasta, carrots, marjoram, goat cheese, crispy prosciutto".  What?  Pasta and carrots?  Never heard of that particular combination. Chef Badman is known as "the vegetable whisperer" because of her delicious and innovative use of vegetables, so I decided I needed to investigate further.  I did some research online and came up with a recipe that sounds similar even though I haven't actually seen Chef Badman's creation.

I tweaked the recipe by adding sauted cabbage to underscore the carrot's natural sweetness, and added a bunch of fresh herbs from my garden for flavor.  The carrots, pasta, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto work together wonderfully well in terms of contrasting flavors and textures.  You could leave the prosciutto out if you want it to be vegetarian, but it really does add a lot in terms of flavor and texture.

If possible, don't use a box grater to shred the carrots and cabbage because you end up with short shreds that don't work as well with the spaghetti - longer shreds are easier to twirl together with the pasta.  You can buy bags of shredded carrots at the store that are longer, and it's easy to make your own long shreds of cabbage by buying a head of cabbage and thinly cutting it with a sharp knife.

I was really pleased with this recipe and decided to call it a spring pasta because it's light, healthy and full of fresh herbs but it would be great any time of the year.

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Spring Carrot Pasta with Herbs

Serves 4

Note: long shreds of carrot and cabbage work well here because they mimic the shape of the spaghetti and are easy to twirl with the pasta.  You can buy bags of long shreds of carrots at the store, and you can make your own long shreds of cabbage by thinly cutting a head of cabbage with a knife. 

1 lb spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 slices prosciutto, chopped into ½” strips

¼ medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cups shredded carrots (preferably long shreds)

2 cups shredded green cabbage (preferably long shreds)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, dill (or a mix) plus a few more for garnish

3 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt.  Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook the prosciuttos until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  (Do not drain the olive oil from the skillet.)

In the same skillet, sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cabbage and a pinch of salt and stir often until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and another pinch of salt and cook for an additional five minutes until tender but not mushy.  Stir in the caraway seeds and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta to the pot and toss well with tongs to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it looks a little dry.  Add the herbs and toss again, then divide immediately between shallow bowls.  Top with the crispy prosciutto, goat cheese, and extra herbs for garnish.

Healthy Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

If you'd like to receive notification of future Cracked Pepper posts you can sign up at left. I typically post once per week. Last Year's Post: Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

There are few meals that are more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs.  But why take the time to make it from scratch?  The over-riding reason for me is because you can control the fat and sodium while customizing the recipes to your taste.  Both of these recipes - the meatballs and the sauce - are healthy versions but still full of flavor.  In particular, the meatballs are made with chicken and turkey sausage and then baked before putting them in the sauce.  They're tender and delicious and would make a great meatball sub, or made in a smaller-sized version they're great in soups or as appetizers with a dipping sauce.  Before discovering this recipe we had previously bought frozen turkey meatballs that we liked, but they're very high in sodium.  I actually like this recipe better because the meatballs have more flavor and aren't as dense in addition to being lower in sodium.  If you like spicy food you could always substitute hot Italian sausage for the mild version called for in the recipe.

This is a good weekend project because the sauce takes a while to cook.  Make the meatballs while the sauce is cooking and freeze them for later. Tip: if you freeze them on a pan or rack before putting them in a freezer bag, they don't stick together and you can take out as many as you want.  You don't even have to thaw the meatballs - just drop them in a pan of sauce and they'll be nice and hot when the sauce is heated.

Both recipes make a lot so you'll have quite a few meals or you can hold a big family gathering.  The sauce is versatile and can be used in all kinds of recipes - lasagna, baked pasta dishes, chicken parmigiana, etc.

I always use low-sodium versions of canned tomato products whenever possible to keep the sodium content down, and I also like to use one can of fire-roasted tomatoes in this recipe to give it a little extra flavor and because I like the little black flecks.  It's a good basic recipe that you can vary by increasing or decreasing the spices.  Freeze the sauce in several meal-sized containers that you can later thaw and add olives, mushrooms, or whatever you want for that meal.

When I was a kid we didn't go to restaurants because we were "too young to behave properly in  a public restaurant".  Seems like a quaint idea today, doesn't it?  Anyway, take-out was the alternative and spaghetti was the first restaurant take-out food we had, so that fact alone made it incredibly exotic to me.  (Our family isn't Italian and my mother never made spaghetti at home.)  Even today spaghetti is a fun meal to me.  Make it from scratch for (or maybe even with) your family and it will be special for you too.

click here for a printable recipe version

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Makes 9 cups of sauce and 20 – 30 meatballs depending on size

For the meatballs:

¾ lb ground chicken
½ lb chicken or turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic (two cloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup freshly grated Romano cheese
¼ freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper

 For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ dried basil
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Hot cooked pasta

To Prepare the Meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 350d. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Romano, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently but thoroughly with your hands (plastic gloves are helpful).  Make any size meatballs you want, rolling them gently in your hands to make a smooth ball, and place on the parchment-lined pan.  Bake for 30 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned.  Set aside to serve with spaghetti sauce or freeze for later.  To freeze:  wait until the meatballs are thoroughly cool, then place the entire pan in the freezer until the meatballs are solid.  Remove the meatballs from the pan and place in a zip lock bag; freeze.  To reheat, place frozen meatballs into sauce and heat on medium for approximately 15 minutes.

To prepare the sauce:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and sugar.  Cook 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.  Stir in wine; cook 1 minute.  Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1½ - 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve meatballs and sauce over hot cooked pasta with additional Parmesan on top.

Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce

Last Year's Post: Tuxedo Strawberries

Time for a special dinner - Valentine's Day is coming up!  I think nothing is more romantic or special than an elegant and intimate dinner for two that you took the time and effort to prepare yourself.  And when I think about a special dinner, I usually think of lobster.  That good news is that although lobster is expensive in a nice restaurant, it's affordable when you prepare it at home.  You don't even need to buy really big lobster tails for this dish (although you certainly could if you wanted) because the lobster meat is combined with pasta and a delicious white wine-butter sauce.  A small-ish lobster tail per person is plenty (that's what I used in the picture above) and is often on sale at your local store around New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day for a very reasonable price.  I bought two 8-ounce tails for $8.99 each.  Including the rest of the ingredients, a loaf of french bread, and a very nice bottle of wine, I spent about $50 for this meal.  Think about what a bottle of wine and two lobster dinners would cost at a restaurant!

I've always liked the idea of lobster with pasta and spent many years searching for a great recipe.  I noticed that most lobster pasta recipes have either a heavy tomato sauce or a heavy cream sauce.  Either way, they tend to smother the lobster.  What's the point if you can't taste the lobster?    Plus, I love the taste of lobster and butter, so I knew I found the perfect recipe when I found this one and switched out olive oil for butter instead.  The sauce is light but very flavorful, and complements the lobster flavor rather than smothering it. The arugula adds a bit of color and flavor as well. The net result is truly a restaurant-quality dish.  As if that wasn't enough, it's really easy to make and isn't as messy as most lobster recipes because you simply take the raw meat out of the shell and saute it in the sauce.


Butter, wine, garlic, a little tomato puree, and lobster...yum yum

It's also easier to eat lobster this way rather than trying to get it out of a shell after it's cooked.  The Lawyer and I enjoy cooking together and we had fun preparing this meal, which is a great idea if you and your partner both like to cook.  (Not so great if you don't.)


Because the sauce isn't thick and heavy, it's important to add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss it over the heat for a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thoroughly coat the pasta and infuse it with flavor.  The entire meal only takes about a half hour to prepare.  Set a pretty table with some candles and flowers and you're all set!

click here for a printable recipe

Lobster with Pasta and White Wine-Butter Sauce

serves 2

2 small to medium lobster tails (7-10 ounces each), thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 ounces uncooked spaghetti (slightly less than half of a 1 lb package)
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Using a sturdy scissors, cut down the middle of the lobster shells without cutting into the meat.  Pull the shells open and carefully remove the meat.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Sauté the garlic in the butter for 1 minute, watching so the butter doesn’t brown.  Add the wine, tomato puree, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then add the lobster and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer uncovered for 5-6 minutes or until the lobster is firm and opaque.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain the pasta; add to the lobster mixture and toss to coat.  Stir in the arugula, lemon juice and peel; cook for 1-2 minutes or until the arugula is wilted.  Serve immediately.