Pasta Dishes that don't require cheese?

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Cook4984

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Tomato and pasta I found stinks without cheese and i dont like using hard cheese cos its too fatty and the softer cheese turns into rubber when it gets hot and melds itself to anyhting it touches.

Also tomato sauces seem to taste awful the day after.

What are some good pasta dishes that are tasty without having to add cheese? I only really use cheese for pasta so I dont often bother given the above rigmorale.
 
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Interesting. My experience has been that tomato sauce tastes better the next day. What recipe are you using for the sauce?

I don't believe hard cheeses have more fat than soft cheeses, so there's no need to make a distinction. I usually use imported Italian Parmigiano Reggiano on spaghetti with tomato sauce. Ricotta is a good choice for a soft cheese that doesn't get rubbery. Manicotti stuffed with seasoned ricotta topped with tomato sauce is good. Frutti di Mare (fruit of the sea) doesn't need cheese. It's linguine with seafood and a light tomato sauce.

Let us know if you have other questions.
 
Nothing wrong with the unsullied taste of pasta. Seafoods are good. Shrimp with butter, Italian parsley, and herbs, tossed with oil works. Mussels do well. Also various roasted vegetable, roasts sliced, tossed in pasta with more oil. (All of this with garlic, of course.) For that matter, for garlic lovers, roasted garlic tossed with butter and herbs in pasta. Cream can work in with nearly all of these, but I don't think it lets them be as bright tasting as without. Long penne type pastas toss will salad-style with vegetables. Alternate pastas, like spinach and other vegetable pastas and whole wheat and pastas made from other flours, like quinoa, can change things around some.
 
@ Original Poster: Interesting, I do not use any cheese with any pasta dishes that have meat and i love it. With a good crusty garlic bread. But, alas to each his own, cannot argue about taste. To answer your question, how about spaghetti.
 
Nothing wrong with the unsullied taste of pasta. Seafoods are good. Shrimp with butter, Italian parsley, and herbs, tossed with oil works. Mussels do well. Also various roasted vegetable, roasts sliced, tossed in pasta with more oil. (All of this with garlic, of course.) For that matter, for garlic lovers, roasted garlic tossed with butter and herbs in pasta. Cream can work in with nearly all of these, but I don't think it lets them be as bright tasting as without.

I didn't suggest these, tasty as they are, because the OP was concerned about the fat in cheese. Cheese and tomatoes have a lot of nutrition to offer along with the flavor.
 
Tomato and pasta I found sucks without cheese and i dont like using hard cheese cos its too fatty and the softer cheese turns into rubber when it gets hot and melds itself to anyhting it touches.

Also tomato sauces seem to taste like crap the day after.

What are some good pasta dishes that are tasty without having to add cheese? I only really use cheese for pasta so I dont often bother given the above rigmorale.

I'm not sure what types of pasta dishes your're talking about. Do you mean something like spaghetti with a red or other sauce on top---- then Parmesan or similar is sprinkled or dumped on top?

Or do you mean something like lasagna where mozzeralla and ricotta cheese are in the body of the food?

If it's the first type---- when I've been out of Parmesan I just eat the spaghetti without it. Sure, it's not quite the same but still good, at least for my tastes.

You might want to check out vegan sites----- they would have recipes with no cheese.

Also, if you think hard cheeses have too much fat (a statement that may not be true) look for all the cheeses that are offered today in low fat or no fat versions but sometimes that lowering of fat content is attained by doing other 'stuff' to the cheese, making it not quite as healthy.

"The fat variation between hard versus soft cheeses is quite small, particularly when you consider that harder cheeses generally have sharper flavors, so you can use less and still get a wonderful taste effect.

Your best bet for limiting saturated-fat intake from cheese is to buy ones that are labeled “reduced-fat” or “low-fat”. These federally defined terms identify foods that contain 25 percent less fat than their regular counterparts."

Cholesterol: FAQs | Eating Well
 
Pasta doesn't require cheese around here and I would agree that tomato sauces for pasta is better the next day. I've never had Parmesan go rubbery. How simple can it get? Noodles are great with just butter, salt and pepper. Add some bacon or pancetta and it gets gobbled up even faster. I grabbed some of my thawed pasta dough, ran it through the pasta cutter while the water came to a bowl, cooked the pancetta while the pasta boiled and we were eating some buttery deliciousness in 10 or 12 minutes..... no cheese.
 
A simple dish of pasta with olive oil, red pepper flakes, anchovies and garlic. No cheese required or you can add it as you like. Fresh grated parm reggi, that is.
 
A simple dish of pasta with olive oil, red pepper flakes, anchovies and garlic. No cheese required or you can add it as you like. Fresh grated parm reggi, that is.

YUMMY! I think I could figure out how to do that, maybe----- but do you have the directions using anchovy paste?

(I have to use anchovy paste most of the time because the friend I cook for most days shudders at the sight of a fishy. But when I sneak it in as paste .....)
 
YUMMY! I think I could figure out how to do that, maybe----- but do you have the directions using anchovy paste?

(I have to use anchovy paste most of the time because the friend I cook for most days shudders at the sight of a fishy. But when I sneak it in as paste .....)

I usually steep the garlic, which allows the anchovy to melt away into the sauce. You add as much or as little of each ingredient to your taste. This is one of those where the sauce is done when the pasta (dried not fresh) is ready. I would think that a teaspoon of paste is equal to one filet.
 
I sometimes do a pasta dish ( whatever shapes you like ) with smoked Ham or smoked Salmon thinly sliced, garden peas, fresh herbs of choice or availability and run through with plenty black pepper and cream.
Another one is pasta with selection of roast mediterranean vegetables, coated in EVO and seasoned to taste. Include any or all of the following; sliced aubergine, onion, garlic, fennel bulb, courgettes, red or yellow peppers. Mix together just before serving. See, no tomatoes!!
 
I usually steep the garlic, which allows the anchovy to melt away into the sauce. You add as much or as little of each ingredient to your taste. This is one of those where the sauce is done when the pasta (dried not fresh) is ready. I would think that a teaspoon of paste is equal to one filet.

Thank you! :yum:
 
I still can't get over how great Anchovies are cooked in a sauce. I had only ever had anchovies on caesar salad.

There are all kinds of pasta sauces that don't require cheese. I am not sure hard cheeses/ parm are more calories or not. You can always just grate some on top and use as little as you want for flavor. Likewise, you can skip the cheese and garnish with any fresh herbs you like for a flavor booster -- starting as simple as parsley or chives, or stronger tasting herbs like basil, sage, cilantro or mid size herbs like tarragon or mint. Depends on the sauce and the other parts in your menu.
 
Ohh plenty of great suggestions here! :)

Ill work thru them and give a cpl a try.

I agree you can get cheese which is lower fat and has good qualities such as high protein but here in the uk i at least havent seen any hard cheese which is reduced fat.

Using soft cheese is out of the question imo for a tomato sause.

Yes when we say pasta here it usually means spaghetti bolognese or maybe its just me who assumes when someone says pasta it just means spag bol' :P
 
Think ill try the fish/pasta suggestions first. i love me some muscles, muscles prawns pasta and hmm spinach maybe, aye got my mind working now :)
 
If you want to escape the tomatoes and the cheese then I would go with an Asian style soup made with noodles, broth and a few vegetables.
 
Lo Mein, or other Chinese/ Asian (stir fry) pasta dishes. I know it's probably cheating, but I use spaghetti noodles rather than egg noodles. Shrimp or chicken and veggies. No cheese.
 
I like pasta (any shape except large to be stuffed or sheets) with simply salt, red pepper flakes, minced roasted garlic, fresh (lightly steamed if needed) vegetables (grape tomatoes, squash, spinach leaves, kale, etc...) and a bit of the cooking water form the pasta to wilt the leafy greens and, moisten the dish. No oil, no cheese, no sugar.

Personally I like to vary it by using different pastas - whole wheat, gluten free, vegetable pasta, buckwheat noodles, etc....
 
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Marcella Hazen's pasta sauce is outrageously simple and tasty and requires no cheese. (Healthy fats in real butter aren't your enemy!)

2 cups tomatoes, with their juices (for example, a 28-ounce can of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes)
5 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt
Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.

Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.

Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.
 
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