This dish serves 2 people, adjust according to how many people you are serving.

Ingredients:
Rigatoni pasta, half a box or 8 oz.
5-10 pieces of garlic 1-2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon sundried tomatoes
3/4-1 cup of strained or crushed tomatoes. (I tend to use canned whole tomatoes. Fresh is fine too, preferably skinned.)
2 tablespoons heavy cream.
1 tablespoon vodka
2 pinches of kosher salt
1 of pinch fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
Start by pan roasting garlic till slightly & evenly brown. Keep in mind roasted garlic is sweeter and less strong & pungent compared to fresh garlic. Add in chopped sundried tomatoes. Stir in and then add tomatoes. Let them simmer for at least 10 minutes. You want to see the color change from bight red to a darker deeper color. Mash with potato masher or fork the tomatoes & garlic till desired consistency.
Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Add 1 tablespoon vodka in sauce, more if you need. Add 2 pinches kosher salt, pinch fresh ground black pepper, and additional spices to suit your personal tastes.

Pour water out of pasta but leave a small amount of the water. Pour pasta into sauce pan including 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water. This mixes with sauce and fills the tubes with the creamy sauce. If done right it makes for a different textural eating experience. It’s also why I use rigatoni which is larger than ziti and thus allows for more sauce flow. Sautéing seals the sauce in.

For this pictured version I took a tablespoon of chopped sundried tomatoes and mixed in pepper, chipotle and a bit of balsamic & basil. A note of green garnish will impress with color.

Additional Notes:

Garlic is central to many of my dishes. Browning it evenly makes the taste just right. I love to take leftovers and top with mozzarella cheese and bake till crispy. My recipes are guides. I never follow a recipe exactly. You can but I encourage experimenting with slight changes of your own. Use different tomatoes. Use your own favorite spices. Sauce consistency can vary but should always be well simmered while not runny or dry. You can experiment by adding cream to garlic & sundried tomatoes which will give the cream a richer taste. But careful not to burn by lowering heat first.

Think you can rock this dish? Send in photos of yours by emailing nina@kosherinthekitch.com !

~ Recipe submitted by David Zimand of creagency

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
7 cloves garlic, minced or chopped small
1 jar marinara sauce PLUS a little bit extra
1 15 oz can of tomato puree or sauce
1 lb of extra lean ground beef
onion powder
garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil
Spelt matzah boards

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brown beef in a big deep frying pan. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in a different frying pan. When beef is browned, add the jar of marinara sauce (not the little bit extra that you need for later) and can of tomato puree or sauce and spices. When onion and garlic is ready, add it to the meat sauce mixture. Mix well.
In a 9×13 pan, put the extra marinara sauce in the pan just to coat the bottom. Layer matzah and meat sauce, by first starting with matzah and ending with meat sauce on top.
Cover well with aluminum foil and bake covered for 1 hour. Then bake uncovered for a bit (optional).

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:
1/2 box of spaghetti
chicken breast cut into small pieces
corn starch or flour
olive oil or canola oil for frying
vegetables such as pepper slices, mushrooms, baby corn or whatever you like

Sauce:
Half cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of cup oil
3 cloves crushed garlic or garlic powder

Directions:
Dip the chicken pieces into corn starch or flour. Fry for 1 or 2 minutes until golden and crispy. While you fry up the chicken prepare the spaghetti as directed on the box. Once the pasta is cooked, put it in a 9×13 pan and add the cooked chicken pieces. Add the vegetables such as pepper slices, baby corn & mushrooms. Pour the sauce on top, mix well so everything is combined then bake for about 30-45 minutes on 350′

~ Recipe submitted by Rechy Kaufman

Ingredients:
1 box of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 small eggplant, chopped into little cubes
2 cloves of garlic, diced
spices such as salt, pepper, and basil
about 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Pasta of your choice
feta cheese
fresh basil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Place the cherry tomatoes, eggplant and garlic onto a baking sheet. Add the olive oil and spices. Cook for about 25 minutes or until soft. Once it is ready remove from the oven and put into a bowl. Toss with pasta, feta cheese, and fresh basil. Add more spices and oil if necessary.

~ Recipe submitted by CK Rogatsky

Ingredients:
1 16oz box whole grain or white pasta
3-4 tbs oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 box mushrooms, chopped
1/2 can black olives, sliced
1 tomato, diced
2.5 cups heavy cream and 1 jar marinara sauce of choice
2 small handfuls of grated cheese
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:
Boil the pasta with salt and cook until al dente. Heat up the oil in a medium to large pot. Saute the diced onion and then add the tomatoes, mushrooms and black olives. Saute the vegetables for about 5-6 minutes, until the mushrooms are slightly browned. Add the heavy cream and marinara sauce. Once that is combined, add the cheese. Bring to a low boil and stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Keep the flame on low and add the pasta to the pot. Mix it with the sauce and allow it to sit on the fire for a few additional minutes. Then turn off the flame and it’s ready to serve!

~ Recipe submitted by Rivka Putter

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of small chopped veggies (onion, peppers, celery, and carrots)
2 garlic cloves (or more, to taste)
28 oz can of tomato’s
1 can of white kidney beans or romano beans (drained and rinsed)
1 small can of beans in tomato sauce
4 cups of veggie broth
1 pound of gnocchi
Sweet Basil
Italian Seasoning
Black Pepper
Hot Pepper Flakes
1/4 loaf of stale french bread

Directions:

In a medium to large pot over medium high heat:
Cook chopped veggies, garlic and a couple of shakes of black pepper until fragrant
Add tomato’s - stir, use back of spoon to break up tomato’s
Add white kidney beans/romano beans, stir
Add broth - stir
Add sweet basil (about 5 or 6 leafs), stir
Add more black pepper - a couple of shakes, stir
Add chopped up bread
Lower heat to minimum, let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

Return to a boil, add gnocchi, when gnocchi begins to rise (about 3 minutes) to the top, lower heat to minimum. Spoon into bowls … enjoy!

~ Recipe submitted by ROB/TONI CRANMER

Ingredients:

2 large eggplant
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup oil
1 (16 oz.) jar Marinara Sauce (or 16 oz. tomato sauce mixed with seasonings)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, slice
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Peel eggplant (can be left unpeeled), cut into thin slices. Dip slices into flour, then into eggs, then into crumbs. Heat 1/4 cup oil in large skillet. Brown eggplant slices in hot oil on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Spread small amount of sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Place eggplant in single layer. Sprinkle lightly with seasonings. Pour sauce over and arrange cheese slices on eggplant slices. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

~ Recipe submitted by Yankel Cohen

I recently made this pasta salad for a dinner party and as usual, it was a hit! It’s a great way to make your favorite high carb dish a little more nutritious!

Ingredients:

2 cups Fusilli Vegetable Pasta, uncooked (or substitute your fave pasta)
1 small head broccoli, chopped into big chunks
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup pine nuts and/or almonds
5 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small purple onion, diced
1/4 fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. + 1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. salt

Instructions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Set aside in large mixing bowl.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add broccoli and 1 teaspoon of salt and let cook uncovered until broccoli is just tender (a fork should easily pass through a broccoli floret, but do not overcook!). Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Chop into finer pieces and add to pasta.
3. Over medium heat, in a small skillet or frying pan, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When your pan gets warm, brown garlic and pine nuts. Add your garlic and pine nuts to pasta.
4. Stir in the remaining ingredients to the pasta and serve! Add more or less salt and pepper according to your taste.

~ Recipe submitted by Material Maidel

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast cut into small pieces.
1 can of tomato sauce
1 yellow onion diced
1 clove of garlic diced
1 small red pepper diced
1 small orange pepper diced
1 small yellow pepper diced
salt
pepper
paprika
garlic
oregano
sugar
Ronzoni Garden Delight vegetable pasta

Directions:

Fry up the onion and garlic. Once golden, add the diced peppers. Once those are tender add the chicken pieces. Cook until no longer pink. Add the tomato sauce, spices and sugar. (I never measure the spices, I season to taste adding if I feel necessary.) Combine and cook through. Serve with the prepared vegetable pasta.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
1 box of rotini pasta ( I use whole wheat or whole grain)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper, cut into strips
ground beef
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup of sugar

Directions:
Prepare pasta as directed on box. While the pasta cooked, fry up the onions and garlic in a pan. Once golden add the strips of pepper. Cook until soft and tender. Then add the beef and brown until no longer red. Once that has cooked add the can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce, the ketchup, the sugar and spice with: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and oregano. (I sprinkles in about 2 teaspoons each and taste to see if more is needed) Let it simmer for about 5 minutes then combine with pasta.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar