FoodChamp Challenge: Pasta results

Pasta is one of those dishes that can satisfy just about every mood and craving. It’s the perfect meal on a wintry evening and a great source of fuel after a hard workout. And don’t get us started on all the many ways pasta can be prepared! Our final FoodChamp Challenge, presented by Cookmore, was focused on, well, you guessed it – Pasta. To say our judges devoured the entries would be an understatement. Now, to avoid making you wait even a second longer, meet the winners of the final FoodChamp Challenge:

Congratulations to the Grand Prize winner, Jarrin123! Jarrin123’s winning pasta recipe was the Flower Pasta. This family recipe was an instant favorite for our judges, Kari Karch, Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe and Beth Peterson.

“One of the most asked questions I get as a chef is ‘how do I get my kid to eat more vegetables?’ Well unless you’re Mommy Dearest and won’t let them leave the table until they finish their plates, there are plenty of sneaky ways to feed the little ones some delicious veggies and this is clearly a winning dish! I love the story behind this pasta dish and it’s traditional format that has been passed throughout the years. If I come over and pretend to be your granddaughter will you make it for me too please?” – Kari Karch

“To win the world pasta championship the dish is going to have to be really creative without crossing over the line to weird. It’ also going to have to use interesting ingredients, it’s going to have to look good and it’s got to taste great. Well to me this dish has it all and I think the other cooks better plan something really good if they are going to beat the Flower Pasta. Nice job!” – Ray Lampe “Dr BBQ”

“I love this recipe from the linguine to the cauliflower to lovely name. Creamy sauce, the nice al dente linguini and then… the sprinkle of crunch. mmmm m. a perfect bite. I can almost taste it. The story of your granddaughter loving this is sweet and the fact that you are able to get her to eat her veggies and pasta, is a delicious trick we can all use a little more of. I think this dish could be a big winner in the Pasta category in Las Vegas. I hope you are lavished with bunches of flowers (cauliflowers?) to celebrate your victory at the Final Table! Good Luck!” – Beth Peterson

See the full recipe here.

The following recipes were some of our judges’ favorites – and also winners of the FoodChamp Challenge:

Colossal Lobster Ravioli Salad by Isabel

Here’s what Beth had to say about Isabel’s recipe:

“Lobster is luscious and satisfying but that’s not why this recipe was my favorite. Ok, well maybe it had a little bit of a lobster advantage. The recipe is well written and unique, plus it made me hungry reading all about it. I would really, truly love to eat this pasta. I’d like to dig right in and eat every morsel and then lick that bowl clean. Yep, I am seriously into this ravioli. This is a winner in my book! Great job and lobster on!”

See the full recipe here!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Chicken Pasta by ChefMike29

Here’s what Ray had to say about ChefMike’s recipe:

“The Creamy Roasted Garlic Chicken Pasta was my favorite pasta dish because it reminds me of something I would cook for dinner. Not too fancy but something everyone would love a plate of. When you use fresh zucchini and roasted garlic with some leftover chicken and a big scoop of Romano cheese you have my attention. This is a worthy winner.”

See the full recipe here!

Pecan Gnocchi with Fall Vegetables, Pork, Apricot, Sage, Brown Butter Sauce and Smoked Gouda by matt3000

Here’s what Kari had to say about matt3000’s recipe:

“Seeing that this is a pasta competition, it was great to see some folks actually making pasta from scratch. That’s why I chose this dish as my personal favorite because I love a tasty batch of homemade gnocchi that you can sop up with a satiating sauce (and especially a dish with all these fabulous fall flavors!) Congratulations and see you in Vegas baby!”

See the full recipe here!

Lastly, though most certainly not least, additional congratulations is owed to mommajones, our final winner of the FoodChamp Challenge, cheese edition:

Pumpkin Ricotta Filled Ziti with Sage Brown Butter