This recipe first appeared here in 2013 and let’s be honest, the recipe is delicious but the photos are baaaaad. I’m trying to get better at updating old recipes here on Eat.Drink.Frolic. because we all deserve better photos. Also I just need to get better at re-sharing old recipes anyway. Recipes that I’ve forgotten about but need to bring back to the limelight. That’s what I’m doing with this spicy gouda pasta.
Even though I made this six years ago, I remember it being delicious. But I can’t remember ever making it again. I’m not sure why. I experiment with a lot of recipes on a weekly basis and I don’t always repeat things unless I’m testing something multiple times or it’s a dish that John and I both really love. You know what? This pasta really needed to be back in the limelight.
I love spicy foods but not so spicy that you can’t taste a dish’s true flavors. And I definitely love gouda (doesn’t everyone?) – so why not make a spicy gouda pasta? When I first made this back in 2013, I used lemon basil (!!) which I’d purchased at a local farmer’s market. This time around, I wasn’t lucky enough to have lemon basil but the good news is you can use regular basil and it will be just fine.
Spicy gouda pasta: it’s what’s for dinner!
This meal is great for Meatless Monday, if you want to start participating in that. It’s obviously not vegan (#cheese) but it’ll do. If you absolutely must have meat, I think rotisserie chicken would be delish AND you can just pick it up from the store. Work smarter not harder is my motto.
You’ll most definitely have leftover adobo sauce/pepper. Make sure you save it and use it in another dish. You don’t want to let this spicy deliciousness go to waste. I wonder if you could make a spicy salad dressing with the leftover adobo? Hmmmm. Will someone try it and let me know?
As I say with a lot of recipes I share here, remember this is merely a guide. You do not have to follow this recipe word for word. Feel free to switch out the cheeses or use whatever pasta you prefer. The choice is yours.
As I mentioned earlier, this post was originally published in 2013. If you’re interested in seeing what this pasta looked like six years ago, scroll down to see the original photo. Yikes.
Ingredients
- 12oz ziti pasta
- 15oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp. adobo sauce (plus chopped adobo)
- Roasted red pepper halves, chopped
- Garlic salt
- Salt & pepper
- Gouda cheese (1oz shredded, cube the rest about 6ish ounces)
- basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cook pasta as box suggests (make sure the water is salted). Drain & set aside.
- To make the sauce: over low heat, combine tomato sauce, cream, adobo, red peppers and seasonings to taste. Stir to combine; taste then remove from stove.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, sauce, cubed gouda and basil. Mix well.
- Add pasta to baking dish and sprinkle shredded gouda on top. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheeses have melted.
- Add additional basil for garnish and serve!
PHOTO FROM 2013
