Italian Cuisine Recipes

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Pasta with mushrooms

Difficulty: 1/5

Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 500g whole-wheat spaghetti/linguine
• 4 cups diced mushrooms
• 5-7 cloves crushed garlic (depending how garlicky you want it to be)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Black pepper
• 2 1/2 tbsp miso paste (or salt to taste if no miso is available)

Instructions:

• In a medium pot, add the mushrooms, the garlic, the rosemary, the thyme, the sage, the miso paste, and the black pepper, with a little bit of water to steam until the mushrooms are cooked and most of the water has evaporated.
• Turn off the heat and mix in the nutritional yeast, which will help making a gravy-like sauce with the mushroom liquid and the miso paste.
• In the meantime, bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain.
• Mix the pasta and the mushroom sauce together.

Serving:

Serve the pasta in a plate. You can add more rosemary, thyme, sage or other herbs to taste. You can squeeze in some lemon juice for acidity. Ideal served with a salad on the side.

Pasta alla marinara (garlicky tomato sauce)

Difficulty: 1/5

Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 500g whole-wheat pasta
• 2 cans unsalted tomato sauce
• 1 handful sliced cherry tomatoes
• 5-7 cloves crushed garlic (depending how garlicky you want it to be)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 3 tbsp miso paste (or salt to taste if no miso is available)
• Black pepper

Instructions:

• In a medium pot, add the tomato sauce, the garlic, the oregano, the basil, the miso paste, and the black pepper.
• Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In the meantime, bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain.
• Mix the pasta and the tomato sauce together.

Serving:

Serve the pasta in a plate. Add the cherry tomatoes as garnish for freshness. Ideal served with a salad on the side.

Margherita pasta

Difficulty: 2/5

Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

FOR SAUCE

• 2 1/2 cups soy milk
• 3 tbsp miso paste (or salt to taste if no miso is available)
• 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp whole-wheat flour

FOR PASTA

• 500g whole-wheat spaghetti/linguine
• 2 cups finely chopped arugula (or spinach/kale for different taste)
• 2 cups quartered cherry/grape tomatoes
• 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (hazelnuts and almonds also work)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 lemon (optional)
• Chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, stir together your arugula, tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Let sit on the side.
• Bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain.
• In the meantime, heat up the soy milk on medium heat in a pot for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent it from sticking to your pot.
• Whisk in the miso paste, nutritional yeast, and black pepper until no lumps remain.
• Once the sauce starts lightly bubbling, reduce your heat to low and slowly whisk in your flour until no lumps remain. Increase to medium-high heat and bring to a boil while you continue to whisk.
• Put your drained pasta in the large bowl with the arugula, tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Mix together until evenly distributed.

Serving:

Pour a small ladle of sauce on the bottom of your plate. Add in your pasta, and pour a little more sauce on the top. You can garnish your plate with chopped walnuts, and squeeze in some lemon juice for added acidity.

Risotto with mushrooms

Difficulty: 3/5

Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 10 cups of water (you can also use vegetable broth for more flavour)
• 2 finely sliced big-sized leeks
• 4 cups cubed porcini mushrooms OR mushrooms of your choice
• 2 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• Water OR olive oil to cook the vegetables
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Bring the water or vegetable broth to a simmer in a pot. Cover to avoid evaporation and keep it simmering.
• In a large pot, add the mushrooms with a little bit of water, cover, and steam for 10 minutes. Strain on top of a bowl, put the liquid back into the large pot, and set the mushrooms aside in a bowl.
• In the same large pot, add the leeks with, cover, and steam until the leeks become translucent.
• Stir in the rice with the leeks. Sauté for 5 minutes so that the rice absorbs the flavour of the leeks and the mushrooms.
• Slowly start adding your simmering water or vegetable broth to your large pot, one ladle at a time, until the rice and leek mixture is just covered in water. Let simmer and stir to ensure that the risotto does not stick to the bottom of your pot.
• Keep adding water to ensure that the rice is just covered in water until the rice begins to soften. Note that you might not use all of the water of vegetable broth you simmered. What is important is that your rice has just enough water to cook and remain al dente.
• Once the risotto is cooked, stir in the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper. Adjust the flavour to your taste (more nutritional yeast will add more cheesiness).

Serving:

In a plate, scoop a ladle of risotto. Top with fresh parsley. Sprinkle some nutritional yeast for added cheesiness. Sprinkle freshly cracked black pepper.

Home-made gnocchi alla bavarese (cheesy thick sauce)/ alternative with store-bought gnocchi

Difficulty: 3/5 (2/5 with store-bought gnocchi)

Time: 1 hour (20 minutes with store-bought gnocchi)

Servings: 4

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Meatballs with tomato sauce (polpette al sugo)

Difficulty: 3/5

Time: 1 hour

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

FOR THE MEATBALLS

• 200g diced eggplant
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp water
• 240g cooked, rinsed, and drained lentils
• 3 leaves fresh sage (or 1/2 tsp dry sage)
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• Salt
• Black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 diced medium-sized onion
• 800g peeled tomatoes
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a small pot, add the eggplants, the garlic, the water, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and steam until the eggplant is starting to become transparent.
• In a food processor, add your steamed eggplant (with the water), and the rest of the meatball ingredients except the flour. Blend using the "pulse" option 5 times. Pour the mixture in a large bowl.
• Slowly add the flour to your meatball bowl. You want your meatballs to be a little firm, but still soft, so they should hold themselves together if you form them into a small ball.
• Put some water on your hands and start shaping your meatballs with 1 tbsp of the mixture. The water will prevent the meatballs to stick to your hands and will allow you to shape them as roundly as possible by rolling them into your hands. Put the meatballs on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220°C. Once your meatballs are rested, put them in the oven and let them cook for 15 minutes. Flip them around after 15 minutes, and let them cook for another 15 minutes.
• While your meatballs are resting, add the onions with a little bit of water to a pot, and steam until the onions are transparent.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, miso paste, and black pepper to taste to your onions. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
• Once both your sauce and your meatballs are ready, put the meatballs in your sauce and give it a mix until each meatball is coated in sauce.

Serving:

In a plate, pour a ladle of the sauce, and put the meatballs on the top. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or arugula, or add a little bit of nutritional yeast for extra cheesiness.