Pasta Shells

Edamame contain as much protein per serving as eggs, milk, and meat, and are also a good source of iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Since the corn is not cooked, it’s imperative that you use the freshest you can find. Serve hot or cold as a speedy, summery pasta dish.

Here’s a classic side dish if there ever was one. There’s a thousand ways to make it, and I think you’ll find ours to be a keeper—Creole mustard, fresh diced tomato, and a touch of green pepper all tossed with freshly cooked pasta shells. We like the way shells hold the dressing better than elbows. It’s still Macaroni Salad to us.

Here’s a twist on a classic British pub recipe. The beefy base of the pie gets flavored up Dino-style and topped off with savory mac ‘n’ cheese instead of the traditional mashed potatoes. It makes a hearty meal. Just add salad.

I don’t encounter stuffed shells in Italy much; stuffed paccheri (big and floppy rigatoni-lookalikes) are much more common there. But I have sold a lot of stuffed shells throughout my restaurant days. This is comfort food—pasta stuffed with milky ricotta and topped with oozing melted cheese, and just about everybody loves it. It is a common dish, present in many Italian American restaurant menus and households. It is also very convenient, because the oven does the work, and you can feed a large number of guests.

Because preparing fresh squash can be time-consuming, we used frozen squash as a shortcut here. You can substitute an equal amount of puréed fresh squash (see note below).

I love everything about stuffed shells—love to make them, love the aroma as they’re baking, and even love waiting for the cheese on top to get brown. And, of course, I love to eat them. Here’s the good news: other than the fact that it takes a while to stuff the shells, they’re super easy to make. Plus, you can freeze any leftovers for later.

If you like broccoli, you’ll love this nourishing bowl of comfort.

Here is a good way to use up leftover chicken that makes a full, satisfying meal.

This dish is real comfort food without the meat. It’s great for Sunday family dinners, as a side or a main course, and an equally great way to sneak some greens into your diet. You’ll need a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip for this recipe.

Rosemary and two kinds of pepper ramp up the flavor of this tempting, inexpensive entrée.

Gina: If you’ve never spent a summer in the South, then you don’t know heat like we know heat! Baby, this dish is perfect for a sultry Memphis evening, because it requires very little cooking. The shrimp and zucchini are grilled briefly, and the rest of the ingredients are simply heated in olive oil for a few minutes, to coax out their flavor. Then everything is tossed with pasta shells, and you are done, sugar. We call for cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use Sweet 100, currant, or pear tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes available at your local farmers’ market. Best of all, you’ll walk away from the table feeling satisfied but not too full. Choose a nice Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, and you are set.

Though I haven’t lived on Cape Code since I was eight, this dish proves I’m not just a Red Sox fan but a true New England Patriot. With Chowda and Mac ’n’ Cheese in one dinner, you can get to Massachusetts in 30 minutes or less, even if you live in Michigan.

Tuna casserole was a classic back in the day when I was a kid. I’m bringing it back—Mediterranean style!

This Armenian specialty makes a hearty main dish. It has a pure and fresh quality and is an entirely different experience from eating an Italian or Asian pasta dish.

This is a quick and easy main dish. Although most shrimp you buy have been frozen, this dish is absolutely superb made with fresh shrimp, the largest you can find.

Cavatelli 'ncatenati In times past in poor regions like Molise, when meat was scarce, eggs were an available and affordable source of protein. A dish of pasta dressed with eggs combined the nutrients of two staple foods for a meal that was naturally nutritious and sustaining. I love these pastas sauced withe eggs, and tasty versions can be found all over Italy, especially in Abruzzo, Molise, and Lazio (Rome), where the most famous dish of this type, spaghetti alla carbonara, originated. This Molisano version is particularly appealing, with cavatelli, scrambled eggs, and bacon, and with grated Fontina Val d'Aosta tossed in at the end—a bit out of region, but absolutely delicious here. In Molise they would use grated pecorino, of course, and it is lovely that way, too.

Full of garden vegetables and pasta, this soup relies on a bright basil-and-parsley-based sauce (the pistou) for a last-minute explosion of herbal flavor.

Slowly cooking the pasta risotto-style by ladling hot broth over it allows the shells to soak up all of the broth's aroma and results in a velvety, creamy texture. The bitter bite of the greens adds just enough edge.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands by Kara Zuaro. To read more about the book, see the related story. Patrick Phelan
from Patrick himself Singer-songwriter Patrick Phelan crafts dreamy, lingering music, studies human rights, and has spent time in Italy to focus on his cooking, as he has been a chef for more than eleven years. This decadent dish is something you should save for a special occasion because (a) you're going to have to drop a lot of cash to make it happen, (b) you're going to need to kill a pair of lobsters in the process, and (c) it'll make your special day that much more special. This is a challenging recipe, but if you follow the directions carefully, you'll end up with a dish that's as fancy as it is comforting — and big enough to feed a crowd. If you're cooking for two, just make half — you'll still savor the leftovers for lunch the next day. "This recipe comes courtesy of the great influences of David Shannon, one of my many teachers over the years." —Patrick Phelan