5 Fantastic Fall Recipes from Francesca

Francesca is the dietitian of the family & always has some great ideas for healthy, seasonal meals. Here’s a list of some great Fall recipes – some that are vegetarian and light & others using leftover turkey – to hold you over until Christmas.

Butternut Squash Pasta (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

· 1 8oz bag of Cucina Calabrese Pasta (Classic or Hemp recommended)

· I tablespoon of Olive Oil

· 4 oz of diced pancetta (or bacon, thick cut)

· 1 medium sized butternut squash- cut ½ inch diced

· 1 bunch of Kale (or other green leafy vegetable)

· Pecorino Romano to taste

· Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Dice pancetta and Butternut squash lay on baking sheet with olive oil

3. Roast for 30 minutes

4. Remove from oven and add Kale and toss, roast for another 12 minutes

5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook Cucina Calabrese Pasta according to instructions

6. After cooked to desired texture, Drain and add back into pot.

7. Take the pancetta, butternut squash and kale from oven and add to pot of pasta.

8. Stir gently, you can add more additional Olive Oil if need be.

9. Finish with salt, pepper and Pecorino for taste

**Tip, rosemary a is a good herb to pair with butternut squash when roasting**

Tofu Pasta (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

· 1 8oz. bag of Cucina Calabrese Pasta (Sriracha, Chesapeake Bay recommended)

· 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

· 1 lb extra firm tofu, cut into ¾” cubes

· ¼ cup corn starch

· 1/4 cup cream/milk

· 1 cup panko style breadcrumbs

· 3/4 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

· 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

· freshly ground black pepper

· jar of your favorite tomato sauce

· Parsley or other fresh herbs to garnish

· Pecorino Romano to taste

**Tofu prep instructions: Cut the block of tofu lengthwise to make two halves, wrap in paper towel and place something heavy on it for about 20 minutes to drain excess water before you start breading**

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 ºF.

2. Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil on the bottom of a baking sheet

3. **Tofu prep instructions: Cut the block of tofu lengthwise to make two halves, wrap in paper towel and place something heavy on it for about 20 minutes to drain excess water before you start breading**

4. Cut the tofu into cubes and toss with ¼ cup of corn starch until coated.

5. If the tofu looks damp add more cornstarch

6. Pour in cream and gently stir to make sticky.

7. In a separate bowl combine breadcrumbs, salt, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, and black pepper.

8. Dip each of the sticky coated tofu cubes into the breadcrumbs and place on the greased baking tray

9. Drizzle of olive oil over the top of the tofu

10. Bake the tofu for 20-25 minutes flipping after 15 minutes. It's done when crispy!

11. While the tofu bakes, make the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot to toss with your favorite sauce.

12. Plate pasta and top with crispy tofu

13. Add pecorino romano cheese and enjoy!

One Pot Ricotta Pasta (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

· 1 8oz. bag of Cucina Calabrese (Italian Herb or Classic recommended)

· 1 cup whole-milk ricotta (8 ounces)

· 1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (2 ounces), plus more for serving

· 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)

· Black pepper

· Red-pepper flakes, for serving

· ¼ cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

2. In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.

3. Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.

4. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that’s pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.

Leftover Turkey Pesto Pasta (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

· 2 bags of Cucina Calabrese pasta (total of 16oz)

· Ambrosia apples

· 1 small red onion

· stalks of celery

· 1 & 1/2 lb. turkey breast from Thanksgiving Dinner

· 1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce (or if using Italian Herb pasta, you can skip this ingredient)

· 1/4 cup Olive oil or avocado mayonnaise

· Salt and Pepper for taste

· 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente, then drain the pasta

2. Cut apple into chunk, dice red onion and celery. Then take your leftover turkey and either cut into chunks or shred, however you prefer!

3. Combine all of the ingredients into the pasta, and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Top with pomegranate seeds.

Notes: For Cucina Calabrese pasta, you can use two different kinds of flavors, try combing the Italian herb and the Classic, or for some kick the Italian herb and Sriracha flavors!

Apples, you can use honey crisp or pink lady.

Chicken/Turkey Caesar Pasta Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Dressing-

· 1/2 cup mayonnaise

· 1/4 cup tablespoons olive oil

· tablespoons lemon juice

· 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

· 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad-

· 1 8oz bag of Cucina Calabrese pasta (Italian Herb or Classic)

· 1 large bag Italian salad mix (romaine lettuce with red cabbage)

· 1 English cucumber, seeded and chopped

· Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

· 1 cup chopped cooked bacon/pancetta

· 1 cup diced pepperoni

· 1 cup chopped marinated artichokes (drained)

· 1 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Before serving toss with desired amount of dressing until evenly coated.