Gennaro makes Ricotta Ravioli

This looks amazing!  Fresh pasta is not hard to make but if you do not wish to make it from scratch, most of the larger grocers carry fresh made pastas that will suffice and you can make your own sauces...

Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta

Mushroom and Asparagus Pasta

By Skip Graden in Central Illinois Vegans and Vegetarians 

This is a replication of Healthy Choice: Portabella Marsala Pasta, if you would like to try this, I would appreciate anyone willing to be my test kitchen.  I just ask for your honest feed back and any suggestions you may have.  Also any pictures of the process from start to finish would be much appreciated.

Servings: 6

Categories: Vegan

Source: To Vegan or Not to Vegan

Copyright: Self

3 medium Shallots, minced or small dice

1 large Red Bell pepper, diced small

2 cloves Garlic, crushed and minced

2 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt, Season to taste

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, Season to taste

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, Season to taste

8 ounces porcini mushroom, diced/reconstituted and rough chopped of using dried and reserve liquid

1/2 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup vegetable stock, or use liquid reserved from dried mushrooms

1 pound Asparagus, blanched/shocked cut into 2" lengths

2 tablespoons parma Vegan Parmesan, reserve half

16 ounces whole wheat pasta, Penne or Wide Noodles

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced fine

1. Prepare pasta as directed on box and shock and hold

2. Prepare Shallots, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and asparagus.  Blanch and shock asparagus and hold.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan and saute' shallot and red pepper 3-4 minutes until shallot is translucent.  Add garlic and saute' until fragrant.

4. Add mushrooms, saute 3-4 minutes until juice is released.

5. Add Marsala and either vegetable stock or mushroom liquid.  Cook until liquid is reduced by approximately half and add asparagus and toss in pasta and parmesan.Season to taste with Salt, pepper, pepper flakes and any other seasoning desired.

6. Garnish with additional parm and parsley.

Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara

This is a recipe, that I conceptualized with my buddy Jim while hanging out one evening. He made it the other evening for a date and both he and her were thoroughly impressed! He says, when he wrote down exactly what he did, to serve with favorite pasta and to invite Skip over for dinner to thank him... So if you try it and like it, just let me know and I like Hand Cut Dry Aged Rib eyes - Medium Rare... LOL!

Pan Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara


2 pints of Cherry Tomatoes washed and drained.


Blanch and peel if a less rustic sauce is desired.


3 cloves Garlic, peeled, crushed and finely minced


2-3 medium shallots, finely minced


1 pinch Sea Salt (more if desired)


2 tbsp Rustic Tuscan Seasoning mix. (see recipe for Tuscan Seasoning Mix)


Large pinch of sugar.


Small tomato sauce (12 oz or less)


2c Semi sweet red wine. (I prefer Sangiovese or Chianti)


Red pepper flake to taste


1/2 tsp of fresh Black Pepper, coarse ground





Sweat the shallots with the sea salt in olive oil until clear and tender.

Add minced garlic and heat until fragrant.

Do not brown or burn or the garlic will be bitter.

Add tomatoes and gently heat until they burst.

Stir to break up the tomatoes.Add Tuscan Seasoning, pepper and sugar.

Add wine to De-glaze pan, let reduce by half.

Add Tomato Sauce and continue over medium heat about 20 minutes, reducing until thickened.

If to thick, thin with a little more wine.

This recipe is vegan as written, may add thinly sliced mushrooms if desired.



Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy and garnish with a Fresh Basil and freshly shaved Parmesan Cheese. (optional or use a Vegan Alternative to Parmesan) 

May also add, Chicken, Shrimp, Bacon, or Italian Sausage for additional flavors. (this is for any meat eaters who read this)

I recently added this to my Master Cook program, here is the nutrition facts: (without meat)

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 180 Calories; 5g Fat (34.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 2746mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutrition Warnings:

shallots: MasterCook assumes an average 'whole' size of this ingredient.
Tuscan seasoning mix: MasterCook uses fluid weight to scale this item. Nutritional calculation will be off to the degree that it differs in density from water.