Pasta with Arrabbiata Sauce, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

I had a feeling that making stuffed shells might be a mistake, and I was right.  My Italian boyfriend did not even wait for all of the leftovers to be eaten before he started demanding I make them again.  Since the shells are labor intensive I was not ready to make them again so soon so I decided to make the Arrabbiata Sauce from the shells and have it pasta. 

Whenever I make a marinara sauce I like to let the sauce simmer for a long time before serving so the flavors get lots of time to mix.  I start with a basic tomato sauce (I like Classico Tomato and Basil).  I had some leftover onion leftover so I also added it.

I made one of my favorite salads to have with our pasta.  I love pears and they are great in this salad.  I love having lots of textures in my salads and a flavorful dressing.  When making this salad just adjust the amounts to fed the number of people you are serving.  You can make extra dressing to have later.   

Arrabbiata Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, minced

½ Yellow Onion, diced

5 cups marinara sauce

1 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the red pepper flakes. Add the garlic and sauté until you just start to smell the garlic.   

2. Add the onion and sauté until onion are slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add the marinara sauce, parsley, basil, mint, and thyme. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often.  Let simmer until ready to serve. 

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad 

Ingredients:

Lettuce, Romaine or other dark green

Pear, cut into bite size pieces

Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled

Walnut pieces  

Instructions:

1. Put everything into a large salad bowl and top with Balsamic Dressing.   

Balsamic Dressing 

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the Balsamic Vinegar into a bowl and mix in salt and pepper, let sit for a couple of minutes.

2. Slowly whisk in olive oil.  Adjust the amount of oil and vinegar to your taste.