Happy Birthday Maxwell

Last night was my son’s birthday.  I wanted to make a special meal for him, but I didn’t have much time to prepare dinner.  In addition to being a mother of two, I work in finance and am at my office from 8am – 4pm Monday through Friday.  I tried a recipe, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and the Food Network, absolutely worthy of sharing.

Going out to eat can be expensive.  So from time to time, I will share fun, kid friendly, recipes the entire family can enjoy.  I am always on the hunt for easy weeknight meal ideas.   Enjoy!

Round and Round Pasta (Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis)

Serves: 6 to 8 servings (adults)

Ingredients

Pasta:

• 1 pound rotelle pasta
• ¼  cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into ¼ -inch rounds
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼  cup fresh orange juice (I used a little more, probably ½ cup)
• 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½ -inch rounds
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, cooked, cooled and sliced into ½ -inch rounds

Dressing:

• ½  cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (4 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning

Directions

For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Place the pasta in a large bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots, carrots and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the orange juice, zucchini and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cook until the juice thickens and the zucchini is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini mixture to the pasta.

For the dressing: Whisk together the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a small bowl until smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta. Add the tomatoes and sausage slices and toss until coated. Season with salt.