Best Christmas Pasta Recipes

CHRISTMAS EVE CONFETTI PASTA

Steps:

• Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the peppers, onion, garlic and seasonings in oil until vegetables are tender., Add the shrimp; cook and stir 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. Drain linguine; toss with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.,

CHRISTMAS PASTA

Steps:

• Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes.
• Chop carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat 5 minutes and add wine. Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.
• Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.
• Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table.

CHRISTMAS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Drop the broccoli into the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into the cold water to stop the cooking. Let sit until cool, then drain and set aside.
• Return the water in the pot to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to the package directions for al dente. Drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. Toss the pasta with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to coat evenly and refrigerate until cooled completely, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil to a blender with the spinach, Parmesan, almonds, basil, lemon juice, chives and 1/4 cup water and puree until completely smooth. Pour the pesto over top of the pasta and add the reserved broccoli, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss gently until well combined. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with more chopped chives. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.

CHRISTMAS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add pesto and lemon juice to the orzo; toss to coat. Mix in tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls, and pepperoni strips. Refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight.
• Mix in basil right before serving.

CHRISTMAS PASTA

Steps:

• Heat a deep pot over medium high heat.
• Add oil, garlic, bay leaf, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 minute.
• Add meats and brown.
• Chop carrot, celery, and onions near stove and add to the pot as you work.
• Cook veggies with meat for 5 minutes and add wine.
• Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.
• Stir in parsley, allspice (or cinnamon), and season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Bring sauce to boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
• Toss pasta with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top with extra.
• Top pasta with lots of grated romano cheese.

CHRISTMAS PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the pasta and cook to al dente, with a bite to it.
• While the water and pasta work, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO (1 turn of the pan). Add the pancetta to one half of the pan, the sausage, both hot and sweet, to the other. Break up the sausage into bits and brown while the pancetta renders, then combine and cook together another minute or so. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, then the beef and veal. Brown and crumble the meat into tiny bits and season with allspice, salt, and pepper. Add the carrots, onions, and garlic and cook another 5 to 6 minutes to soften the vegetables, then add sausage and pancetta back into the pan, draining away some of the fat. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the good bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in the stock, then the tomatoes. Check the seasoning. Simmer over low heat until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes. Stir in half the parsley to finish.
• Drain the pasta and add back to the hot pot. Ladle a few spoonfuls of the sauce over the pasta and add a couple of handfuls of cheese to the pot. Stir to coat the pasta evenly. Transfer to a large serving dish or individual bowls and top with the remaining sauce and parsley. Pass plenty of extra cheese at the table.

CHRISTMAS PASTA - RACHAEL RAY

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt.
• Add in the rigatoni; cook to al dente per package directions.
• While the water and pasta work, heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat.
• Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil; add pancetta to one half of the skillet, the sausage (both hot and sweet) to the other half of the skillet.
• Break up the sausage into bits and brown while the pancetta renders; then combine and cook together another minute or so.
• Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet; then add in the beef and veal.
• Brown and crumble the meat into tiny bits; add in allspice, salt, and pepper.
• Add in the carrots, onions, and garlic; cook 5-6 minutes to soften the vegetables.
• Add the sausage and pancetta back to the skillet, draining away some of the fat.
• Deglaze the pan with the wine, scaping up all the good bits with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the stock, then stir in the tomatoes.
• Check the seasoning to taste and adjust.
• Simmer over low heat until ready to serve, at least 10 minutes.
• Stir in half the parsley to finish.
• Drain the pasta and add back to the hot pot.
• Ladle a few spoonfuls of pasta over the sauce and add cheese to the pot.
• Stir to coat the pasta evenly; transfer to a large serving dish or individual bowls; top with remaining sauce and parsley; pass plenty of extra cheese at the table.

PASTA CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Steps:

• Combine the parsley and 2 of the eggs in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a measuring cup and add enough water to make 3/4 cup puree. Rinse out the blender.
• Combine the beets and 3 of the eggs in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Put 6 ounces of the flour and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the parsley puree and, using your fingertips or a fork, start to mix the flour into the puree. Once it is all combined, turn it out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Put the remaining 10 ounces flour and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the beet puree and, using your fingertips or a fork, start to mix the flour into the puree. Once it is all combined, turn it out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (see Cook's Note). Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Combine the beef with the breadcrumbs, milk, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, two-thirds of the grated garlic, the remaining egg, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Form the mixture into 12 meatballs. Put the meatballs in a medium saucepan with the marinara sauce and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
• Prepare the spinach according to the package instructions. Mix in the remaining grated garlic, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• Prepare the penne according to the package instructions. Combine the penne with the heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan in a medium bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bring 2 large stockpots of salted water to a boil and add a generous drizzle of olive oil to each. Prepare 2 bowls of ice water.
• Working quickly so the dough doesn't get too dry or discolor, cut the parsley dough in half and roll each half through settings 1 through 4 of a pasta roller, ending on setting 4.
• Cut the beet dough in half, wrapping up half of the dough for another use (see Cook's Note). Cut the remaining beet dough in half again and roll each half through settings 1 through 4 of the pasta roller, ending on setting 4.
• Using a pizza wheel, cut the parsley pasta sheets into three 20-by-1-inch strips and four 5-inch squares. Cut each beet pasta sheet into a 20-by-5-inch piece, so you have 2 pieces total.
• Slowly lower the parsley pasta pieces into one stockpot of boiling water, making sure they don't stick to themselves. Cook until the pasta is just cooked through (it will take on a firm texture), about 30 seconds, then immediately drain the pasta. Submerge the pasta in one of the bowls of ice water until completely cold. Remove from the water, liberally coat with oil and set aside. Repeat with the beet dough in the other stockpot of boiling water and the other bowl of ice water.
• Lay 2 of the long strips of parsley pasta in a 7-inch square springform pan so they cross in the middle on the bottom of the pan like ribbons of a present, letting the ends hang evenly over the sides. Neatly line 1 of the pieces of beet pasta across the center of the springform pan, then lay the second piece of beet pasta in the opposite direction, letting the ends hang evenly over the sides. Evenly spread the penne mixture over the beet pasta and top with 2 of the parsley pasta squares, overlapping the pasta as needed. Evenly spread the spinach mixture on top and top with the remaining parsley pasta squares. Evenly spread the meatballs and sauce on top. Fold the hanging beet pasta strips up and over to enclose the filling. Fold the hanging parsley pasta strips up and over to meet in the middle. Tie a bow with the remaining parsley pasta strip and arrange it on top.
• Bake the pasta present until hot throughout and the edges of the bow are light golden, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes, then unmold and serve.

CHRISTMAS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Drain artichokes, reserving liquid and quarter them.
• Place pasta in boiling water and cook according to package directions.
• Drain.
• Mix pasta with liquid from artichokes.
• Add lemon juice, artichokes, beans, olives, green onions, celery, bell peppers and oregano.
• Mix gently and chill.
• One hour before serving, add feta and Italian dressing.
• Mix to coat.
• Serve cool.

CHRISTMAS PASTA SAUCE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO, garlic, bay leaf and pancetta bits and brown for one minute. Add the meats and brown and crumble them for five minutes. Chop the carrot, celery and onion near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook the vegetables with the meat for five minutes and add the wine. Cook for 1 minute; add the stock and tomatoes to the pot. Stir in the parsley and allspice or cinnamon and season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves. Toss the pasta (cook only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every three people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top the bowl with extra sauce. Top the pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table. The sauce will cover up to two pounds of pasta.

CHRISTMAS PASTA

Steps:

• 1. In large pot over medium high heat,place olive oil add carrots,celery & onion, season with salt & pepper. Saute about 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
• 2. Add sliced bacon to the vegetables and cook about 3-4 minutes until halfway done. Add sausage and ground chuck, season lightly with salt & pepper. Cook breaking up meat until meat is all done and no longer pink (bacon will not be crisp, but it will be done).
• 3. Make a well in the center of the meat mixture. Add anchovy fillets and stir until hot & sizzling and mash them until desolved. Add garlic on top of the anchovy paste and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring garlic/anchovy mixture into the meat.
• 4. Deglaze pan with the wine scraping up any browned bits in the pan. Add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT) pasta & cheese, mixing well. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for around 30 minutes over low heat. Taste & adjust seasonings if necessary.
• 5. Serve sauce over pasta, add shredded parmesan cheese to taste. Enjoy

CHRISTMAS EVE CONFETTI PASTA RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the peppers, onion, garlic and seasonings in oil until vegetables are tender.
• Add the shrimp; cook and stir 2-3 minutes longer or until heated through. Drain linguine; toss with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Yield: 8 servings.
• Originally published as Christmas Eve Confetti Pasta in Simple & Delicious
• November/December 2007, p36
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