Pasta Recipes for Lent. – The Pasta Venture

Generally known as ‘ricette di magre’ (lean recipes) in Italian, Lenten recipes in Italy are historically easy fare, made with seasonal greens, legumes, and sometimes seafood. Prior to now, the latter was primarily low value or preserved fish like sardines, anchovies and baccalà (salt cod). Many Italian pasta recipes for Lent name for these kind of seafood. It is because, previously, recent fish was unavailable or too costly for the agricultural inhabitants.

Fasting throughout Lent previously.

Italians used to surrender meat for the entire Lenten interval, which they name la Quaresima. In actual fact, there was a time when fasting and abstinence guidelines have been very strict. No meals in any respect on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Then, on the opposite days no meals till 3pm and meals couldn’t embody meat or animal fat, eggs or milk and generally different dairy merchandise too.

Lent these days.

These days, Lenten fasting guidelines are much less restrictive. Consistent with trendy Church doctrine, many Italians over the age of 14 abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and each Friday till Easter. Nevertheless, not like previously, milk and eggs are permitted as are all varieties of seafood.

As well as, meals comprised of meat juices and fat are allowed. That’s the reason, Italian pasta recipes for Lent embody each dried and recent pasta served in clear meat broths.

Click on the title of the dish to go to the recipe put up and directions.

Pasta in broth recipes for Lent.

Do-it-yourself stuffed mezze maniche in broth.

Generally known as mezze maniche dei frati, which means monks’ half sleeves, this do-it-yourself stuffed pasta has a filling of eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, garlic and parsley. I cooked and served these stuffed pasta tubes in a veal osso buco broth. Historically, the broth could be capon, rooster or beef. This recipe comes from Piacenza in Emilia Romagna and is conventional on Christmas Eve and different days of abstinence.

Passatelli in broth.

Passatelli are scrumptious pasta strands made with cheese, eggs and breadcrumbs. The pasta dough is handed by a potato ricer or passatelli iron and dropped right into a boiling rooster broth. A singular sort of pasta conventional in Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria.

Do-it-yourself pastina in broth.

Lengthy earlier than it was doable to purchase dried pastina, Italians have been including small items of pasta to their soups and broths. This Southern Italian recipe for do-it-yourself pastina (millefanti) could be very straightforward to make. The pasta dough of eggs, flour, cheese and parsley is crumbled into small items and cooked in a transparent broth.

Pasta soup recipes for Lent.

Romanesco broccoli pasta soup.

This Romanesco broccoli soup from Rome was once a staple Friday dish among the many metropolis’s poorer households. Prior to now, they made this soup with the week’s leftover dried pasta (usually a mixture of completely different sorts) and skate or ray, an affordable and unappreciated fish. Skate remains to be not a preferred fish right here in Italy, and in addition not broadly accessible. These days, many individuals use anchovies as an alternative.

Tuscan kale, white bean and pasta soup.

Tuscany is known for its rustic kitchen which incorporates a lot of soups and dishes with legumes, beans and seasonal veg. Kale and white bean soup is a Tuscan basic. This model with pasta is an entire meatless meal that’s tremendous wholesome and nutritious!

Umbrian lentil and pasta soup.

This scrumptious one pot vegan pasta soup is a standard dish from Umbria. There they make it with the area’s well-known small mountain lentils. You may as well use Puy lentils or different inexperienced/brown lentils. It is a easy however nutritious pasta recipe for Lent and different meatless days.

Pasta and chickpea soup.

Generally known as ‘pasta e ceci’ in Italian, pasta and chickpeas is a straightforward rustic dish conventional in lots of elements of Italy. Some variations are much less soupy. This recipe is from Tuscany, the place they use tomatoes, dried chickpeas, garlic, rosemary, and egg pasta ribbons like tagliatelle. To make this soup vegan, you will have to make use of a flour and water pasta.

Seafood pasta recipes for Lent.

This iconic Sicilian recipe dates again centuries to the Arab occupation of Sicily therefore the mixture of typical Mediterranean and Arab flavours. The recipe contains saffron, raisins, pine nuts and wild fennel together with the pasta, recent sardines and anchovies.

Anchovy pasta from Naples.

Identified in Naples as spaghetti alla Gennaro, this recipe is known as after the town’s patron saint! Simple and easy to make, all you want is spaghetti, anchovies, garlic, stale bread, oregano, and basil. Takes lower than half-hour to have on the desk.

Pasta with breadcrumbs

This Italian basic is widespread in lots of Southern areas. Pass over the anchovies for a vegan/vegetarian model and add parsley, pepperoncino (pink chilli pepper) or grated cheese if desired. Of all of the Italian pasta recipes for Lent, that is most likely the only!

Fregola with clams

This scrumptious seafood pasta recipe is exclusive to Sardinia. Made with fregola pasta and small clams, that is an iconic Sardinian pasta dish served in most of the island’s seaside eating places! This lovely seafood dish is definitely a lot less complicated than it seems to be and has only a few substances. Fregola is out there exterior of Italy, however you can too use Israeli couscous.

Colatura is the Italian equal of fish sauce that’s a bit of just like Asian fish sauce. In Italy, it’s a delicacy that comes from Cetara on the Amalfi coast. Italians principally use it with spaghetti as on this conventional recipe additionally from Cetara. You will discover colatura in some Italian specialty outlets or on-line.

Garganelli with tuna Bolognese

This pasta with tuna Bolognese is a fast and straightforward pasta dish made with canned tuna, tomatoes and onion. A contemporary however conventional recipe from Bologna that’s widespread throughout Lent and different occasions and days within the 12 months when folks hand over meat.

Olive and tuna spaghetti all’ascolana

Spaghetti all’Ascolana is a straightforward to make olive and tuna spaghetti recipe from Ascoli Piceno within the Central Italian area of Marche. The star of this dish is native giant inexperienced olives known as Ascolana olives, which the world is known for. After all, you should use different varieties of inexperienced olives.

Vegetarian pasta recipes for Lent.

Calabrian ricotta balls in tomato sauce.

This excellent ricotta balls recipe comes from the mountains of Calabria, Southern Italy. the place the normal kitchen is predicated on staple native substances that the inhabitants make, domesticate or forage themselves. These ricotta balls are additionally eaten with out pasta, and they are often baked or fried as properly.

Pasta with asparagus and walnuts

Asparagus season in Italy usually begins on the finish of March, so normally throughout a part of Lent, which means asparagus is a well-liked ingredient for meatless dishes this time of 12 months. This straightforward asparagus pasta comes from the Marche area. It requires simply spaghetti, asparagus and walnuts, together with butter, garlic, cheese and parsley. Wholesome and nutritious and prepared in 35 minutes!

Cavatelli with rocket (arugula)

Though rucola (arugula) and tomatoes are usually in season a bit later within the 12 months than Lent, these days, we will purchase all of them 12 months spherical. So, this easy pasta recipe from Puglia is a superb alternative for a easy meatless meal that takes simply half-hour to have on the desk.

Do-it-yourself pasta recipes for Lent.

Corzetti with marjoram and pine nuts

This do-it-yourself corzetti pasta with marjoram and pine nuts is a chic and scrumptious conventional recipe from Liguria in Northwest Italy. Made with just some easy substances, this lovely vegetarian recipe makes any meatless meal particular!

Pansotti with walnut sauce

Pansotti pasta with walnut sauce is a standard Lenten dish from Liguria in Northwest Italy. It is a stuffed ravioli-like pasta crammed with ricotta and completely different herbs and greens. The walnut sauce is a kind of pesto made with walnuts, bread, milk, cheese, pine nuts and garlic. A scrumptious straightforward to make vegetarian recipe that can be widespread on Sundays and holidays.

Silk handkerchief pasta with pesto.

Additionally from Liguria, this silk handkerchief pasta with pesto Genovese is taken into account the oldest conventional pesto and pasta recipe. The pasta dough is like lasagne pasta sheets, however it’s lower into squares and rolled very skinny in order that it’s high-quality and silky (therefore the title). The pesto is a standard basil pesto.

Let me know what you suppose.

After all, there are lots of different pasta recipes appropriate for Lent on The Pasta Venture. You’ll be able to seek for me within the seafood, vegetarian and soup pasta recipe classes within the recipe index.

In case you make any of the Italian pasta recipes for Lent on this assortment, I’d love to listen to how they turned out and when you preferred them. Please depart a remark right here on the weblog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. Trying ahead to listening to from you!

Buon appetito!