Event & Recipe: Chorizo and pineapple pasta recipe at Ragu

30 Oct

This past Tuesday, I attended an event at Unilever Test Kitchen in New Jersey that enabled me to cook my own recipe using Ragu’s brand new pasta sauce. I met a bunch of mommy bloggers, which I thought was interesting, since I don’t have kids (or a husband) for that matter. But everyone was so friendly, which made it easier for me to feel comfortable!

The kind folks putting the event together asked me to send them a recipe so that they can prepare the ingredients. I was talking to my friend Sharon about what to make, and she suggested putting chorizo and pineapple in the pasta sauce. People seemed to really enjoy it, so I was happy. Thanks for the great suggestion!

We heard from the marketing folks at Ragu, who told us that they created a new pasta recipe that packs 2 servings of veggies per 1/2 cup. We did a little taste test – new sauce on the left, and old sauce on the right. The new sauce was thicker and more flavorful, and unlike the old recipe, there was no excess liquid coming out of the sauce. And note the subtle color difference.

Some people submitted recipes while others experimented with ingredients on the spot, which I thought was a super fun idea. Just look at the ingredients we could choose from! I love it.

Since I had given them a recipe earlier, they handed me this tray full of ingredients. Everything chopped already! I almost felt like I was on a Food Network cooking show or something. It was great. =)

I added a bunch of red pepper flakes to contrast the sweet and the salty flavors. I think the smoky flavor added a third dimension of flavor. After I was done cooking, I felt like the pasta was too monochromatic, so I added the basil on top. Such a simple addition made the dish look much more appetizing!

Recipe: Chorizo and pineapple pasta
Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

2 jars of Ragu Traditional sauce
1 box of dried linguini
1 pound of chorizo, cut into 1/2″ chunks
1 10 oz. can of pineapple chunks (drained)
1 medium yellow sweet onion, diced
6 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of olive oil
Sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper
7-8 leaves of fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (for garnish)

Procedure:

1. Set a large pot with 3 cups of water over high heat.

2. In a frying pan over high heat with oil, cook onions until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add chorizo. Cook through until chorizo has a nice brown color on the outside, another 3-4 minutes.

3. Lower heat and add fresh garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Over medium heat, add sauce to the pan. Stir until it simmers. Add pineapple chunks.

5. Add pasta to the pot and cook for no longer than 5-6 minutes, checking to make sure the pasta is not overcooked.

6. Combine pasta and sauce. Add fresh cracked pepper. Sprinkle basil leaves over the top.

After I was done cooking, it was time to eat! Everyone explained what they made and then we all sat down for a meal. Look at all the delicious stuff other bloggers made – vegetable lasagna, jambalaya, eggplant Parmesan, a Mexican style dish, and so much more!