Zuppa toscana translates to "soup in the style of Tuscany" and is an Italian soup made with Italian sausage, crushed red peppers, diced white onion, bacon, garlic puree, chicken bouillon, heavy cream, and potatoes. Aside from that, you may have had it at a popular Italian chain restaurant here in the United States. It's a fantastically hearty soup for a cool evening and is oh so simple to throw together. This version even has the benefit of a healthy dose of kale, which my kids are super cool with... making it even better for the whole family!
If your family hasn't been introduced to kale, this is a great recipe to start with, as it really has no taste but is SUPER healthy for you. Chop it super small and let it pass as just another seasoning. Your "meat and potato" lovers are sure to appreciate this one! I was at my mother's house one evening when she was making this and it blew my mind... "Where in the world has THIS been all my life?" and "Oh my word, my kids are going to LOVE this!"
Cook 1/3 cup bacon pieces (~ 4 slices) either separately or in the same heavy pot that you are going to make the soup in. Cut them into lardons about 1/2" pieces. You can remove them to a separate dish.
*Tip - I've even tried making this soup "out of order" by sautéing the bacon and onions first and keeping them in the pot the whole time. It worked just fine. Moral of the story.. I don't think you can really mess this up.
1/3 cup bacon (about 4 strips)
Brown 1 pound Italian sausage, breaking into small pieces as you go.
1 pound Italian sausage (I used mild. Use spicy for more kick)
Chop the kale as finely as you'd like it! We remove the outer spine first.
Tip - * I'm always looking for parts of a recipe where I can elicit help from my kids. They love being involved, it makes them curious about the dish, and definitely helps them feel ownership of the recipe. Oh - and of course they learn cool techniques, new vocabulary, and are eager to try new things! Win - win -win!
2 cups fresh kale
Add the 2 cans chicken broth and 1 quart water to the pot and stir.
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
Add 1 large chopped onion, 2 cups chopped small red potatoes and 2 -3 large minced garlic cloves to the pot and bring to a boil.
1 large onion, chopped as finely as you'd like it
*Tip - The red potatoes hold together during the cooking process better than the other kinds without mushing up or falling apart! The yellow ones fall apart. You're welcome.
2 cups small red potatoes, cut uniformly in chunks
* Tip - In a hurry? You can use the garlic paste that comes in a squeeze tube for faster soup prep! I've tried it with this recipe and it works fabulously!
2-3 large garlic cloves, minced finely
Add the chopped kale after bringing to a boil.
Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, then it's time to add the cream.
Turn down to a simmer, add in the 1 cup cream and simmer an additional 10 minutes on low.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Add in the cooked bacon pieces.
Add in the 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste). *this soup traditionally has red pepper flakes as well. You could add them here but I knew my kiddos might not appreciate them, so I didn't.
black pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp)
kosher salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp)
Doing a check to see how it all looks... how thick it is, etc. Colors are nice, eh? But it feels a little bit thin to me, so let's add a little thickener.
Add in a roux made of 2 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp melted butter (made into a paste). Mixed together, they won't clump up. This needs to be stirred into the soup and cooked a good 5 minutes or so. Allow it to come up to a nice bubble so the thickeners can do their work and the floury taste can cook out.
1 tsp melted butter + 2 Tbsp flour
Now as a final touch just before serving, we hand grated about a half a cup of Parmigiano reggiano! Of course this magical touch makes everything just right! :)
Optional - 1/2 cup Parmigiano reggiano freshly grated
We like to pass around a big chunk of Parm and the grater so everyone can grate a little cheese right over their soup after they ladle some into their bowls. Sorry, just being completely honest. LOL
Also, if you have some really good vrea
This isn't a very savvy photo, but here are two very happy little kitchen helpers who LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup! At the end of the day, that's really all that counts. Not a fancy photo. :)
The kitchen crew! :)
Written Method: 1 - Cook 1/3 cup bacon pieces (~ 4 slices) either separately or in the same heavy pot that you are going to make the soup in. You can remove them to a separate dish. 2 - Brown 1 pound Italian sausage, breaking into small pieces as you go. 3 - Add the 2 cans chicken broth and 1 quart water to the pot and stir. 4 - Add 1 large chopped onion, 2 cups chopped red potatoes and 2 large minced garlic cloves to the pot and bring to a boil. 5 - Add the chopped kale. 6 - Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. 7 - Add in the 1 cup cream and simmer an additional 10 minutes on low. 8 - Add in the cooked bacon pieces. 9 - Add in the 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste). *this soup traditionally has red pepper flakes as well. You could add them here. 10 - Add in the roux made of 2 Tbsp flour and 1 Tbsp melted butter (made into a paste). 11- Add in the 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano and serve.
The new school year is just a few weeks away, and that means starving kids walking through the door in the afternoons! It also means lots of busy "taxi cab" moms and dads in a hurry to get everyone to this practice, that club meeting, and all sorts of other activities before dinner time. Over the summer break, I was telling my kids that I used to make pizza out of all sorts of things when I would come home from school as a kid. It was one of my favorite "go to" snacks before starting my homework.
These ingredients are fairly common items that most of us have on hand in the fridge and pantry, so we got creative and had some fun for lunch over the summer. Everyone agreed that while they weren't what you would typically find in a quesadilla, they sure were darned good! And just like pizza, you can customize each of them to everyone's tastes. You could even set up a "design your own" bar with different toppings... er... fillings. :) By all means, though - don't forget the warm pizza sauce or marinara to dip them in. Yummm!
These are our players. By all means, feel free to choose your players of choice. I've loved Pizza Quick sauce since I was a child. (giggle) I'm using a shredded "pizza" cheese blend, dried oregano to make it smell and taste like pizza, pepperoni slices which I'm cutting in half first, and a little bit of red pepper flakes for a little bit of a kick.
To a dry skillet, add the flour tortilla. You don't need to add oil or cooking spray. The size tortilla you use is up to you. I had some leftover tortillas in the fridge. The point of this is to use what you have. Add a couple spoons of pizza sauce (I didn't measure), and a handful of cheese. I had the fire on about medium. I added the cheese near the bottom to give it time to start melting while I was adding the other stuff.
Next I added the pepperoni pieces. I cut them in half with a pizza wheel. That seemed to work great. I felt like whole pieces were too large and may just pull out when you bit into the quesadilla. Feel free to use deli meats (leftover ham/turkey/ground beef/Italian sausage) cut into small pieces.
Season this baby up! I added dried oregano as I mentioned. But you could use Italian seasoning, or dried basil as well. If you have older kids (or men watching a ballgame), they may like the red pepper flakes. Consider leaving them off for the younger kids.
Now notice that I have TRIED to keep my ingredients contained on one side of the tortilla. Now take the other side (the side without the goodies), fold it over to match, and press it down. If you don't have a panini press, use another skillet. This first side shouldn't take too much longer before you need to flip it to the other side.
Slide it onto a cutting board, cut with a long knife or pizza wheel, and watch them go fast! Isn't ooey gooey cheese just the BEST?!
Don't forget that warm pizza sauce for dipping! - oh. And some extra napkins. Ha!
I hope you enjoyed this simple and delicious recipe!
There are hundreds more in my Recipe Index, just waiting to be chosen and cooked! You can also visit my Film strips for pinning page, to see whole recipes at a glance, and to click-and-go right to the recipe.
The Menu Musings cookbook is sure to be a hit at your house, and will make great gifts! For more information, here is a link!
If you are new to MenuMusings, click here to subscribe so you won't miss a thing! I'll send you notifications of new posts to help you avoid that proverbial cooking rut. You can also follow me on Pinterestand on the MenuMusings facebookpage.
Also, Please be sure to visit my YouTube Channel for short video tutorials on selected videos. Watch me explain the steps of the recipes in just a few minutes! Just one more way that I'm giving you the tools to get in that kitchen!!! Aren't you curious? Click and see how many there are! :)
To a dry skillet, add the flour tortilla. You don't need to add oil or cooking spray. The size tortilla you use is up to you. Add a couple spoons of pizza sauce (I didn't measure), and a handful of cheese. I had the fire on about medium. I added the cheese near the bottom to give it time to start melting while I was adding the other stuff. Next add the pepperoni pieces. I cut them in half with a pizza wheel. Feel free to use deli meats (leftover ham/turkey/ground beef/Italian sausage) cut into small pieces. Season this baby up! I added dried oregano as I mentioned. But you could use Italian seasoning, or dried basil as well. If you have older kids (or men watching a ballgame), they may like the red pepper flakes. Consider leaving them off for the younger kids.
Now notice that I have TRIED to keep my ingredients contained on one side of the tortilla. Now take the other side (the side without the goodies), fold it over to match, and press it down. If you don't have a panini press, use another skillet. This first side shouldn't take too much longer before you need to flip it to the other side. Slide it onto a cutting board, cut with a long knife or pizza wheel, and watch them go fast! Isn't ooey gooey cheese just the BEST?! Don't forget that warm pizza sauce for dipping! - oh. And some extra napkins. Ha!
Let me quickly point out (before some people I know start freaking out) that you do NOT need to make your own pasta to enjoy this recipe. Oh yes, you CAN totally cheat your way through it and go out and purchase some pasta at the market. On the other hand... if you WANT to make your own pasta, I gotcha covered! Ha!
The first time I made this was quite the experience. I thought it would be a fun afternoon project (on a weekend) for me and the kids to make a new style of pasta together. The little ones were VERY hesitant to try the leeks. The didn't at all like the sound of it. Leeks just sounded "odd" to them. I told them that it was our "responsibility" to explore new things if we were going to tell other people to do the same thing. You know what? It worked like a charm, and they bought it! LOL!!!! Then, I didn't realize that we had a couple of extra teenaged friends in the house from.... somewhere? Ha! When I called everyone down for dinner, I told them what we were having. The title was met with a bunch of big - blank - round - eyes. Zero recognition. One kid had heard of leeks. Pappardelle? Nope. Pancetta? Nada. And the others had no clue of the leeks. This was going to be fun. You might think they would be pretty skeptical, but they've all been around here for quite a while, so by now, they've learned that even when it's something completely foreign to them - they are probably not going to be disappointed. Wow... by the time my husband and I finished serving food and drinks and peered into the pot to get ours, we were lucky to scrape together enough for our own dinner!
So the bottom line... even if you make this with purchased pasta.. go for it!!! But make sure you get your serving first! LOL!!!! (kidding)
This is really the only part of the recipe that takes up time. If you have an afternoon and want to enjoy it with someone, go for it. If you enjoy how absolutely tender fresh pasta is, go for it. If you are in a bit more of a time crunch, purchase premade pasta and skip ahead. But it really is a lot of fun to make your own. :)
Start by mixing your flours together on a clean surface or large cutting board. Do seek out the semolina flour if you can. (See Food Nerd Notes* at the bottom of the post.)
1 1/2 c AP flour
1 1/2 c semolina flour
And apparently, mixing them together is GREAT FUN!
The first thing we are going to do is to season our flour. Yep, that's right! And then we will make a well right into the flour for the eggs. A big pinch of salt (about a teaspoon), and get some little cutie pie to grind some black pepper for you.
Okay, lets get that pepper in there (1 tsp) and then make a well for the eggs. Make it carefully, because you don't want the eggs to all run out. This is where things really get fun.
Crack the eggs into the well, then add the olive oil. We are doing a 5 egg pasta because I wanted a nice rich, silky dough. Then add the 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
Now if you squeamish about it, I suppose you could use the end of a wooden spoon to incorporate the eggs into the flour. But really, it is a LOT more fun if you get in there with your fingertips and mix it up. Take my word for it. Old school! Just start in the middle and start pulling in a bit of the flour into the eggs a little at a time. You do NOT want to break the dam! When all the flour gets incorporated, knead the dough for about a good 10 minutes, using more bench flour as needed if it's sticky.
You will notice that it starts off very sticky and scraggly looking (is that a word?), and starts getting pretty darned smooth at the end.
Once you wrangle it into shape, form it into a ball.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Tip - I have read that you can also wrap it and store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To use the refrigerated dough, bring it out to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After resting 30 minutes, the dough has relaxed enough for us to roll it out. Now we can cut it into quarters. Keep the quarters you are not using wrapped up so they won't dry out.
Now I will use my pasta machine to roll out my pasta into strips that are about 1" thick. I am starting on the widest setting, which I will use several times as this helps to further knead the dough.
fold
fold
Then I start passing the dough through successively narrower settings until I get the pasta so thin you can actually see the light through it.
I would like to tell you that I remember how it feels to work this machine, but I never get to! If you have children or grandchildren around... they seriously think this is the coolest thing EVER! All I get to do is "catch" the pasta. HaHa!
So while I was over there catching the pasta, I was giving some serious thought to "How in the world are we going to cut this pasta in straight lines?" So I went and dug out my fondant mat - which I never use because I really really really dislike working with the stuff. And as it turns out, it made the perfect surface for cutting the pasta without scratching my cabinet; AND it was covered with straight lines. TaDA!!!
This was going to work like a charm! Something I could do.
Well.... I spoke too soon. As quickly as I got excited about my new job, I lost it to Lovely Lily. The pasta was so thin that she could see the lines showing through the pasta dough from the mat. In my opinion, the pizza wheel was the best tool for the job by far!
Pretty cool, huh? It's interesting that the black pepper doesn't show up nearly as much as the pasta dries as it did when it was wet. Hmmmm..
Everything else -
If you purchased your pasta, this is where you will pick up the story. Be sure to read the package directions for your particular pasta. Fresh market pasta will take less time to boil than dried pasta.
Okay, let's get going on the rest. We need to get those leeks prepped. We will only be using the light green part of the leeks, discarding the tough fibrous ends.
3 large leeks
If you are wondering what leeks taste like, they have a mild, onion-like flavor that pairs very well with the bacon flavor of the pancetta.
We will cut them lengthwise...
Then across.
Now you should know that leeks are very dirty. The reason that there is a dark green and light green part, is that they mound up the dirt around them as they grow. The light green part is the area where the sun doesn't hit it. So expect there to be lots of dirt. So we need to clean them. This can be a lot of fun if you have a kid around. :) My daughter likes to be "the washing machine."
Fill a bowl with cool/cold water. Use more water than you have leeks. Add the chopped leeks to the cold water. They will float. Find someone to swish them around for you.
You will be able to see the dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl, while the clean leeks float on top.
Now you can use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the clean leeks to a different bowl by just skimming them off of the top. This is also a lot of fun for a kid to do. (At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just here to be the official photographer.)
TaDA! Now we won't be eating gritty leeks. :)
I guess the only thing left to prep is the pancetta. My seven year old son calls this "circle bacon."
8 oz pancetta
You can dice it up into little squares, or run a pizza cutter through it and cut it into strips. Do it ANY way you please. Tip* - If you put it into the freezer for just a little bit before cutting it, it can be a little easier to cut. Since the pancetta is usually sold really thin, it can be really wiggly and hard to get a nice straight line on if you are concerned with that.
Let's make the flavor base - On one burner, you may want to get a large pot of water going for your pasta. On a second burner, heat up a large heavy skillet or saute pan for our recipe. I'm using a 14" cast enamel skillet over a medium-high heat.
We will start with the extra virgin olive oil.
4 Tbsp EVOO
Once your EVOO is hot, add the diced pancetta. Cook the pancetta for around 4 - 5 minutes until it is golden brown and crispy, stirring it frequently. You may need to turn down the heat to medium.
To the browned pancetta, add the butter, sliced leeks, chopped garlic, and white wine. Saute the leeks in this over medium-high until they are softened and just the slightest bit browned.
4 Tbsp butter
chopped, cleaned leeks
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon blanc)
This will be our flavor base. I think if you try hard, you can just about smell it.
Now let's not forget we have a pot of water boiling on that back burner! Homemade pasta only takes a few minutes to boil. It doesn't have all those preservatives in it that dried, boxed pasta has. But if you are using pasta from a box, please do follow the directions on the package. Go ahead and drop your pasta in the water. Also, do yourself a favor and generously salt that water once it is boiling. If you don't, the unsalted pasta will take away from the flavor of the sauce.
Gentle reminder - get your pasta on to boil!!! Just gather it up loosely. It has been sitting over there drying a bit. Drop it in the boiling water. Give it a stir to make sure none of it is sticking together. It will only take around 4 - 5 minutes. Start checking it around 3 minutes until it gets almost done. We will allow it to finish the last little bit in the sauce.
our pappardelle
Okay. Back to the sauce. To finish, add the heavy cream, fresh thyme leaves (stripped from the stem), water and parmesan. Stir all the ingredients together. Bring all the ingredients up to a simmer (you don't want to boil the cream) and reduce the cream for a few minutes until it is thickened. While all this is happening, you can season it up with salt and pepper.
2 cups heavy cream
8 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
~ 1 cup water
Season with salt and black pepper. Add in the 6 oz Parmigiano reggiano (freshly grated, please).
You can see here that when I stir it, it is thick enough to hold its place for just a second. If you would like it thinner, just add a bit of the pasta water to it.
All together now... Our pasta is ready. There's no need for a colander in this case. We are going directly from the pot, to the pan. Using a set of long-handled tongs, transfer the pappardelle from the boiling water to the cream sauce. You don't really even have to worry about waiting for it to "drain," as the extra pasta water on the pasta will just help to thin the sauce out a bit. It will be fine.
Toss it around in the cream sauce to coat the pappardelle. The pasta water will also help the cream sauce to coat the pasta better.
By this point, you will want to have turned off the heat. If you know me at all, you know I'm going to add in a little extra parmigiano reggiano. Just because. :)
A bit more parmesan
Serve immediately, garnished with fresh thyme leaves and grated cheese.
BIG Time Saving Tip! My children and extra friends INHALED the entire pan full of this, and I had nothing left to photograph. The recipe was too yummy not to put on the blog. So in a pinch, I went out and found these No Yolks Dumplings that look so much like pappardelle that have been cut. I used these the next time I made this recipe (as I had no pasta helper around). So if you are shaking your head "no way" about your own pasta skills, these make a darn fine stand in! Believe me, the kids did NOT mind me making it again.
Food Nerd Notes*
What is semolina? Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, breakfast cereals, and couscous.
I hope you enjoyed this fabulous and family friendly recipe!
There are hundreds more in my Recipe Index, just waiting to be chosen and cooked! You can also visit my Film strips for pinning page, to see whole recipes at a glance, and to click-and-go right to the recipe.
Connect with me.
If you are new to MenuMusings, click here to subscribe so you won't miss a thing! I'll send you notifications of new posts to help you avoid that proverbial cooking rut. You can also follow me on Pinterestand on the MenuMusings facebookpage.
You can also visit my YouTube page to check out short cooking video tutorials.Here is an example of one for Louisiana Crab Claws Bordelaise! YUM!! Just click the picture and view it right in this page.
This is really the only part of the recipe that takes up time. If you are in a bit more of a time crunch, purchase premade pasta and skip ahead. But it really is a lot of fun to make your own.
Start by mixing your flours together on a clean surface or large cutting board. Do seek out the semolina flour if you can. The first thing we are going to do is to season our flour. And then we will make a well right into the flour for the eggs. A big pinch of salt (about a teaspoon), and get some little cutie pie to grind some black pepper for you. Okay, let's get that pepper in there (1 tsp) and then make a well for the eggs. Make it carefully, because you don't want the eggs to all run out. This is where things really get fun. Crack the eggs into the well, then add the olive oil. We are doing a 5 egg pasta because I wanted a nice rich, silky dough. Then add the 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Now if you squeamish about it, I suppose you could use the end of a wooden spoon to incorporate the eggs into the flour. But really, it is a LOT more fun if you get in there with your fingertips and mix it up. Take my word for it. Old school! Just start in the middle and start pulling in a bit of the flour into the eggs a little at a time. You do NOT want to break the dam! When all the flour gets incorporated, knead the dough for about a good 10 minutes, using more bench flour as needed if it's sticky. You will notice that it starts off very sticky and scraggly looking (is that a word?), and starts getting pretty darned smooth at the end. Once you wrangle it into shape, form it into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Tip - I have read that you can also wrap it and store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To use the refrigerated dough, bring it out to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. After resting 30 minutes, the dough has relaxed enough for us to roll it out. Now we can cut it into quarters. Keep the quarters you are not using wrapped up so they won't dry out. Now I will use my pasta machine to roll out my pasta into strips that are about 1" thick. I am starting on the widest setting, which I will use several times as this helps to further knead the dough. Then I start passing the dough through successively narrower settings until I get the pasta so thin you can actually see the light through it. I would like to tell you that I remember how it feels to work this machine, but I never get to! If you have children or grandchildren around... they seriously think this is the coolest thing EVER! All I get to do is "catch" the pasta. HaHa!
So while I was over there catching the pasta, I was giving some serious thought to "How in the world are we going to cut this pasta in straight lines?" So I went and dug out my fondant mat - which I never use because I really really really dislike working with the stuff. And as it turns out, it made the perfect surface for cutting the pasta without scratching my cabinet; AND it was covered with straight lines. TaDA!!! In my opinion, the pizza wheel was the best tool for the job by far!
Everything else -
If you purchased your pasta, this is where you will pick up the story. Be sure to read the package directions for your particular pasta. Fresh market pasta will take less time to boil than dried pasta.
Okay, let's get going on the rest. We need to get those leeks prepped. We will only be using the light green part of the leeks, discarding the tough fibrous ends. If you are wondering what leeks taste like, they have a mild, onion-like flavor that pairs very well with the bacon flavor of the pancetta.
We will cut them lengthwise... Then across. Now you should know that leeks are very dirty. The reason that there is a dark green and light green part, is that they mound up the dirt around them as they grow. The light green part is the area where the sun doesn't hit it. So expect there to be lots of dirt. So we need to clean them. This can be a lot of fun if you have a kid around. My daughter likes to be "the washing machine." Fill a bowl with cool/cold water. Use more water than you have leeks. Add the chopped leeks to the cold water. They will float. Find someone to swish them around for you. You will be able to see the dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl, while the clean leeks float on top. Now you can use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the clean leeks to a different bowl by just skimming them off of the top. This is also a lot of fun for a kid to do. Now we won't be eating gritty leeks.
I guess the only thing left to prep is the pancetta. You can dice it up into little squares, or run a pizza cutter through it and cut it into strips. Do it ANY way you please. Tip* - If you put it into the freezer for just a little bit before cutting it, it can be a little easier to cut. Since the pancetta is usually sold really thin, it can be really wiggly and hard to get a nice straight line on if you are concerned with that.
Let's put it all together! On one burner, you may want to get a large pot of water going for your pasta. On a second burner, heat up a large heavy skillet or saute pan for our recipe. I'm using a 14" cast enamel skillet over a medium-high heat.
We will start with the extra virgin olive oil. Once your EVOO is hot, add the diced pancetta. Cook the pancetta for around 4 - 5 minutes until it is golden brown and crispy, stirring it frequently. You may need to turn down the heat to medium. To the browned pancetta, add the butter, sliced leeks, chopped garlic, and white wine. Saute the leeks in this over medium-high until they are softened and just the slightest bit browned.
Now let's not forget we have a pot of water boiling on that back burner! Homemade pasta only takes a few minutes to boil. It doesn't have all those preservatives in it that dried, boxed pasta has. But if you are using pasta from a box, please do follow the directions on the package. Go ahead and drop your pasta in the water. Also, do yourself a favor and generously salt that water once it is boiling. If you don't, the unsalted pasta will take away from the flavor of the sauce. Just gather it up loosely. It has been sitting over there drying a bit. Drop it in the boiling water. Give it a stir to make sure none of it is sticking together. It will only take around 4 - 5 minutes. Start checking it around 3 minutes until it gets almost done. We will allow it to finish the last little bit in the sauce.
To finish, add the heavy cream, fresh thyme leaves (stripped from the stem), water and parmesan. Stir all the ingredients together. Bring all the ingredients up to a simmer (you don't want to boil the cream) and reduce the cream for a few minutes until it is thickened. While all this is happening, you can season it up with salt and pepper. If you would like it thinner, just add a bit of the pasta water to it.
All together now... Our pasta is ready. There's no need for a colander in this case. We are going directly from the pot, to the pan. Using a set of long-handled tongs, transfer the pappardelle from the boiling water to the cream sauce. You don't really even have to worry about waiting for it to "drain," as the extra pasta water on the pasta will just help to thin the sauce out a bit. It will be fine. Toss it around in the cream sauce to coat the pappardelle. The pasta water will also help the cream sauce to coat the pasta better.
By this point, you will want to have turned off the heat. If you know me at all, you know I'm going to add in a little extra parmigiano reggiano. Just because. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh thyme leaves and grated cheese.
If your family hasn't been introduced to kale, this is a great recipe to start with, as it really has no taste but is SUPER healthy for you. Chop it super small and let it pass as just another seasoning. Your "meat and potato" lovers are sure to appreciate this one! I was at my mother's house one evening when she was making this and it blew my mind... "Where in the world has THIS been all my life?" and "Oh my word, my kids are going to LOVE this!" 
.jpg "boeuf bourguignon (beef burgundy) @ menumusings.com")
.jpg "parmesan zucchini gratin @ menumusings.com")
