Homemade cavatelli with leftover sauce is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. Cavatelli are a type of pasta that is similar to gnocchi, but they are made with a mixture of flour, eggs, and ricotta cheese. This gives them a light and fluffy texture that pairs perfectly with a variety of sauces. Leftover sauce is a great way to add flavor and richness to this dish. You can use any type of sauce that you like, but tomato sauce, pesto, or Alfredo sauce are all good choices.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
HOMEMADE CAVATELLI PASTA
Cavatelli is a typical Southern Italian pasta made out of just durum wheat semolina flour and water. The starch contained in the durum gives this pasta its distinctive and firm texture, perfect to go with a simple tomato sauce or with a rich Bolognese. Make sure to use a very fine semolina (called durum or semola rimacinata) or the dough will be too stiff.
Provided by Bernadette
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 1h40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Mix semolina flour and salt in a large bowl or on a marble work surface. Make a well in the center.
- Pour water into the well a little at a time, mixing it with the flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.
- Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is elastic and smooth, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
- Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using. If you are using the cavatelli within a few hours or the following day, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
- Work with one portion of the dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered to keep it from drying out. Dust a work surface with semolina flour; roll out the dough to make a rope, about 1/3 inch thick.
- Cut off little 1/3-inch-thick pieces. Press and gently drag the small piece of dough towards you with your index and middle finger. The two sides will curl inwards, leaving hollow spaces.
- Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough. Transfer cavatelli to a floured surface and sprinkle with more semolina flour. Do not overlap cavatelli or they will stick together. Let dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 338.2 calories, Carbohydrate 68.4 g, Fat 1 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 11.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.1 g, Sodium 41.5 mg, Sugar 1.7 g
CAVATELLI WITH ROMAN CAULIFLOWER
Roman cauliflower (also known as Romanesco) grows as a peculiar spiky, conical head, and instead of florets as in regular cauliflower, it projects cones with tiny cones upon cones-a kind of fractal of nature's making. It comes in various hues of white, purple, and green and has a nutty, more intense flavor compared with regular cauliflower. Unfortunately it's not always easy to find in many stores in the US, though sources like farmers' markets often carry it, as do Italian specialty shops. You can substitute standard cauliflower for this if you can't find the Roman variety. It breaks into florets and cooks the same way.
Provided by Angelo Acquista
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Add 1 tablespoon of the salt and the cauliflower to a large pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Cook for 3 minutes, then remove the cauliflower from the water. Retain the water.
- Put half of the cauliflower into a blender along with 1 cup of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Blend until it turns into a puree. This will be the sauce for your pasta. You may need to add more of the cooking water to reach the desired consistency (as loose as tomato puree).
- Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, red pepper flakes, and anchovies. Saute for 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to high and add the reserved cauliflower florets. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Add the puree to the pan and saute for 30 to 40 seconds while stirring.
- To the pot with the reserved cauliflower cooking water, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt, return the water to a boil over high heat, and add the cavatelli. Cook according to the package instructions until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta, stir it into the pan with the sauce, and cook everything together for 30 seconds. Add a couple more tablespoons of the pasta cooking water for a looser consistency, if desired.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
- Drizzle each serving with olive oil and serve with extra grated cheese for sprinkling.
HOMEMADE CAVATELLI IN 3 EASY STEPS
Learn how to make delicious cavatelli pasta at home in 3 simple steps.
Provided by Italian Recipe Book
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Measure and sieve both flours and mound it on your kitchen worktop (preferably wooden).
- Using your hands, scoop out the center of your mound. Add water and extra virgin olive oil in the center.
- First with a fork then with your hands start to pull in flour to combine ingredients and form the dough.
- Knead for a 5-10 minutes until soft and smooth. Cover with a plastic wrap or a linen towel tucking the edges. Let rest for 10-15 minutes on the counter top to let the dough gain elasticity.
- Using a dough scraper cut off a piece from the dough ball.Roll it into a rope a bit more than ⅓ inch in diameter.Dust the work surface and the dough with some flour.
- Cut the rope into ⅓ inch "pillows".
- Using your index and middle finger press on the "pillow" curling it towards you.
- That's it!If the dough pieces start to stick to your finger, dust cavatelli with some more flour.
- Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
HANDMADE ITALIAN RICOTTA CAVATELLI
Provided by Food Network
Categories side-dish
Time 1h45m
Yield 2 pounds of pasta
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Put 2 1/2 cups of the flour into a bowl, make a well in the flour, and add the cheese and eggs. Gradually work the mixture together, adding more flour if necessary, to make a soft but not sticky dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth. Let the dough rest at room temperature, covered with an inverted bowl or wrapped in plastic, for 30 minutes.
- Form the dough into a round and cut into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time (cover the remaining dough with an inverted bowl to keep the dough from drying out), on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rope 1/4 inch in diameter. With a knife, cut the rope into 1/2-inch pieces. With your index and third fingers held together, gently press down on each piece, beginning at the top and moving down toward the bottom, dragging your fingers toward you and causing the pasta to roll over on itself. Transfer the formed pasta to a lightly floured jelly-roll pan and let dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook until the cavatelli are al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. They're done when they float up to the top. Drain and toss the desired quantity with your favorite sauce. Freeze leftovers.
CAVATELLI WITH SARDINIAN MEAT SAUCE
Make and share this Cavatelli With Sardinian Meat Sauce recipe from Food.com.
Provided by dicentra
Categories Pork
Time 30m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a large deep frying pan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat.
- Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a fork, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Stir in the onion and garlic.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mint, parsley, water, salt, and 1 pinch of the saffron. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cavatelli with the remaining pinch saffron until just done, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the cavatelli and toss with the meat sauce, the basil, the reserved pasta water, and the cheese.
- Serve with additional Pecorino Romano.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 822.7, Fat 35.2, SaturatedFat 9.8, Cholesterol 48.5, Sodium 1764.5, Carbohydrate 92.7, Fiber 4.4, Sugar 4, Protein 31.8
CAVATELLI WITH TOMATO CAPER AND OLIVE SAUCE
Make and share this Cavatelli With Tomato Caper and Olive Sauce recipe from Food.com.
Provided by dicentra
Categories Low Cholesterol
Time 15m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Cook pasta. Drain.
- Meanwhile heat oil in saucepan. Add tomatoes, parsley, olives, caper and fennel seeds. Cook until tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in lemon zest. Toss with pasta.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 262.5, Fat 4.9, SaturatedFat 0.7, Sodium 104.2, Carbohydrate 46.3, Fiber 3.2, Sugar 3.5, Protein 8.3
Tips:
- To make the cavatelli dough, you will need all-purpose flour, salt, eggs, and olive oil. Make sure to use high-quality ingredients to ensure the best flavor and texture.
- When kneading the dough, work it until it is smooth and elastic. This will help to prevent the cavatelli from becoming too chewy.
- To form the cavatelli, roll out the dough into a long rope and then cut it into small pieces. Each piece should be about the size of a pea.
- Use a fork or your thumb to press down on each piece of dough to create the characteristic cavatelli shape.
- Cook the cavatelli in boiling salted water until they float to the top. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes.
- To make the sauce, you will need tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can also add other ingredients, such as onions, herbs, or spices, to taste.
- Simmer the sauce for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- Serve the cavatelli with the sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.
Conclusion:
Cavatelli with leftover sauce is a delicious and easy-to-make meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. With a little planning, you can have a delicious and satisfying meal on the table in no time. So next time you have some leftover sauce, don't be afraid to experiment and make a batch of homemade cavatelli. You won't be disappointed!
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