Pasta e Fagioli

Few things remind me of childhood, my grandmother’s cooking and when my father used to cook, then a big, piping hot pot of fagioli. Growing up, beans were a staple in our home and they still are. Beans are a hearty, inexpensive, healthy and warming food — a food we ate 1 to 2 times a week no matter the season. I was that kid who looked forward to opening a lunch thermos full of beans and pasta, a bit odd, sure, maybe, but my love of cooking and eating, was born from watching the people I love cook their hearts out in the kitchen.

dinner, vegetarian, lunch, mediterraneantina corradoApril 13, 2025beans, pasta, soup, vegetables, vegetarian, vegetarian recipes

Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion, Crispy Kale & Cheddar Quiche

I know, I know. This is the L O N G E S T quiche name ever! BUT it’s worth saying 10 times fast and it’s certainly worth making too. My auntie recently had a hip replacement and, well with my shoulder coming along with healing, I thought it would be a smart idea to have a quiche or two in the house to heat up for easy weeknight meals. So, if you’re looking for a make-ahead meal idea, look no further than the fully loaded, elegant and tasty quiche.

brunch, dinner, lunchtina corradoApril 11, 2025quiche, eggs, vegetables, kale, onions, caramelized onions, butternut squash, vegetarian

The Pasta Diaries: Fettuccine with Mushroom Ragout

Dear Fettuccine with Mushroom Ragout, Every time I pick up my fork your long twirls make my heart skip a beat. Covered in thick heaps of mushrooms, flecked with various shades of brown, I can only imagine that if you were a woman - you’d be that long legged, wild, brunette

Lemony Egg Yolk Sauce

Are you home in the quarantine and hankering for pasta? Don’t want to socially distance from carbs? I don’t, and I’ve been watching a lot of old Nigella Bites episodes on YouTube - a suggestion from my friend Channon who introduced me to the domestic goddess many moons ago.

tina corradoApril 14, 2020lemon, pasta, fettuccine, simple, dinner, quickmeal, easymeals, easyrecipes, weeknight, vegetarian, pecorino, eggs, egg, eggyolk

Homemade Veggie Burgers

The freezer section of my local grocer was tapped out of my favorite veggie burgers which was a bummer. Until I discovered I could make an equally if not more delectable veggie burger by tapping into my vegetable meal prep and pantry. If you roast veggies, have a can of beans on hand, some greens and breadcrumbs you can make this too.

Beans + Roasted Root Vegetables = Meals For Quarantine Queens

Before the quarantine and an NYC food frenzy went down my pantry was lined with beans, while the bottom shelf of my storage closet had a large bowl filled with sweet potatoes for roasting. These are and always will be two of my main cooking staples. Beans were always a staple in our home,

tina corradoApril 2, 2020beans, lentils, sweetpotatoes, dinner, lunch, easymeals, vegetarian, vegetables, rootvegetables, tahini, bowls, simple, vegan, feta

Cooking in Quarantine: Odds + Ends Bean Soup

With ½ a can of chickpeas, ½ of a lemon, ½ an onion, garlic, a few baby carrots and tomatoes lingering on my countertop, I decided to make a single serving soup for lunch. The spice cabinet is loaded and I’ve feta in the fridge from my trip to the Mediterranean market over a week ago.

tina corradoMarch 29, 2020soup, chickpeas, chickenstock, leftovers, feta, carrots, beans, vegetarian, vegetarianrecipes, lunch, dinner, cheese, lemon

Spiced Roasted Carrot Dip A La Quarantine

I didn’t quarantine shop being as my pantry is always stocked for isolation and my refrigerator is a treasure trove of wrapped veggies, greens and more. Cooking in quarantine doesn’t have to be about frozen pre-made meals or bagged snacks, it can still be about smart cooking, using ingredients a few ways and making meals last.

tina corradoMarch 28, 2020carrots, roasting, dip, dips, vegetarian, vegetables, vegan

Pasta Patate, A Tale of Double Dinners

Double Dinner: the instance in which one eats two dinners; often times lying about having just eaten at a friends house - so another dinner can be eaten before bedtime. And, so, I spent the majority of my childhood eating double dinners as I bounced from friend’s houses to home during most weeknights.

tina corradoDecember 8, 2019pasta, potatoes, carbohydrates, carbs, sunday, dinner, vegetables, vegetarian, macaroni, cheese, provolone, pecorino, tomatoes, italy, italian, Naples, tradition

Tourlou Tourlou: Greek Oven Roasted Vegetable Stew

To my knowledge tourlou tourlou translates in Greek to all mixed up. I love saying tourlou tourlou. Roll your r’s and repeat tourlou tourlou as though conjuring up a most intoxicating spell. And, I suppose this rustic all vegetable stew could be likened to an intoxicating spell all its own. Vegan friendly and the perfect hearty crowd pleaser […]

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

I’ve been eating a lot of beans. Shocking. I must begin these blog posts with that line at least 3x a week. And, being as my life goal is to make a bean cookbook before I die or head to some sort of after life where I pray (as much as I love beans) that I can eat more cannoli’s than beans without feeling the wrath of sugar ills and where I can drink more Negroni’s

tina corradoNovember 6, 2019chickpeas, beans, vegetarian, vegan, snack, snacks, spice, spices, spiced, roasting, roasted, cumin, paprika

Ooey Gooey Butternut Squash Baked Ziti

Butternut squash baked ziti is a gooey, cheesy, baked faux-pasta bomb that will leave you wanting more every time. A true transformation of comfort food, you won’t miss a beat or the pasta when you immerse your entire being in the process of making and eating this spin on an old classic. And listen, I love pasta as much as the next human, and carbs are my friend,

Tina’s Ridiculously Simple Tomato Soup

Canned tomatoes, chicken stock (or concentrated bullion) wine, butter and onions are something I always have in my home. And, usually, a few carrots or bag of baby peeled carrots so I have something lying around when I want to snack “sensibly.” All of the above are my cooking essentials, particularly in the case of the aforementioned wine. Anything that allows me to cook and party, well, I’m into it.

tina corradoOctober 29, 2019soup, tomatosoup, tomatoes, cannedtomatoes, recipe, recipes, onions, carrots, veggies, vegetables, vegetarian, dinner, lunch, cooking, homemade, homecooking

The Best $2.49 I'll Likely Spend This Week

As a woman who loves a bargain, I’ve translated the process I have with clothes - often times bragging to my friends that my whole outfit was purchased for $27.76 on a high fashion Old Navy day - into grocery shopping. The thrill of turning the pages of a circular and glancing at signs that read FRESH LONG ISLAND CAULIFLOWER $2.49

tina corradoOctober 27, 2019cauliflower, recipe, recipes, healthyfood, roasting, cooking, greens, dinner, lunch, dip, spread, pasta, vegetarian, vegan, veggies, vegetables

Pasta Con Verdure

Growing up my grandmother, Aunt Jo and my own mother made a very special sauce. This sauce I write of was not just any sauce, you know, it was a cascade of vegetables perfectly cooked - never mushy - made with expert sauteing and an abundance of care. The classic family recipe has asparagus, mushrooms, tomato and zucchini and it is required that each vegetable is

Triple Spiced Canneillni Spread

Tired of hummus? Same old, same old dip? Don’t just spice it up, triple spice it up!
Fresh out of chickpeas after last weeks bean filled bonanaza, I had a can of cannellini to spare. Instead of using them in their standard Italian preparation, I took them on a new flavor journey.

Not Your Nonna's Fagiole (Bean) Soup

Lately I’m dropping beans into bowls like they’re hot …
1) ’Cause they’re easy to cook (hello, can opener!) and prepare well ahead of time.
2) They’re inexpensive, while also being filling. See more on #3
3) Finally, they add a meatless, high fiber protein pop to mealtime.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

If you know my cooking and weight loss story, you know I love lentils. Lentil soup was the first meal I prepared in the summer of 2001 as I was forced to cook for myself while I was living on a small working farm in Ashford, CT. Recalling meals of my childhood, I remade my grandmas lentils until I got the pot of soup just right. Packed with fiber and protein they’re one of my favorite meal bases

tina corradoOctober 1, 2019lentils, beans, recipe, easy, easymeals, easyrecipes, mealideas, sides, lunch, dinner, vegetarian, veggies, vegetables, healthy, healthyfood

Tina To Table