Italian Garlic Rolls

These are the most delicious rolls - use whatever rolls you like but I've had great success with frozen Rhodes Dinner Rolls - just heat and eat.

Package of Rhodes Dinner Rolls (6-8)
1/2 c. melted butter
1 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. Italian seasoning

Mix above ingredietns together with melted butter.

3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. grated asiago or Italian cheese blend

Stir cheese together in bowl.

Dip rolls in butter mixture then roll in cheese mixture. Place in baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until brown.

One Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage

This recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian was AMAZING! Super quick and easy and packed with flavor. This will definitely be one I make many times in the future.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups halved grape tomatoes, divided (I used 3 cups diced fresh Roma tomatoes)
1 large onion, sliced (I used 1/2 onion)
1 pound smoked Italian sausage links, precooked (sliced into coins) (I used breakfast sausage links)
20-30 basil leaves, divided
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (fresh is best!)

DIRECTIONS:
Reserve 1 cup halved tomatoes, 10 basil leaves and cheese.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, remove cover and cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (see pasta package for exact time). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking. Liquid will be mostly absorbed when pasta is cooked.

Add cheese and toss to combine. Cheese may clump but will melt into the sauce after a few minutes. Toss in remaining tomatoes and basil before serving.

Serves: 6-8

Lasagna Soup

This winter we discovered our favorite soup: lasagna soup. It is from Our Best Bites and they have a great post with photos and instructions to take you through each step. I suggest you head over there to read it! What makes this soup extra special is a scoop of ricotta cheese mixture that is placing in the bowl prior to pouring in the soup. It really does give it a special lasagna taste and "feel." 


INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage (* I used a 1 lb "roll" of sausage meat and it worked just fine)
3 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
optional: 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken broth
8 ounces fusilli pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, or a heaping tablespoon dried basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
a few cracks of black pepper

optional: shredded mozzarella for sprinkling on top

DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.   If you’re using dried basil, add it at this point.  Cook for about a minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  You can add the dry pasta to the soup in the last 8-ish minutes of cooking, or cook the pasta separately and add to individual servings. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil if you’re using fresh, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a generous dollop of the ricotta mixture in each soup bowl, add pasta if you cooked it separately, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.  Let it sit for a minute for the cheese to get all melty, sprinkle mozzarella on top if desired and eat up.

Garden Fresh Spaghetti Sauce

While my own garden has produced a pitful amount of tomatoes, I was gifted some tomatoes from some more successful gardeners. I used them, along with fresh herbs from my garden and some onions from the root cellar to create this amazing recipe from food.com! 


INGREDIENTS:
4 lbs fresh tomatoes, chopped & peeled
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
3 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 sprigs parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:
To cook pasta sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large iron skillet or heavy saucepan.
Add onion, basil, oregano, garlic and salt.
Saute until onion is tender, approximately 5 minutes.
Add tomato, parsley and sugar; heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring often or until sauce has thickened. *This took about 3 hours for me, but so worth it! It does thicken up if you are patient.

Yield: approx. 4 cups or 28 oz. pasta sauce.

Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 3 cups (1-inch diced) bread cubes from a round rustic bread, crusts removed
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 2 pounds ground turkey (85-percent to 92-percent lean)
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated aged Asiago cheese
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the meatballs
• 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 (24-ounce) jars good marinara sauce, such as Rao's
• 2 pounds dried spaghetti, such as De Cecco
• Freshly grated Parmesan (or Asiago) cheese, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine.

With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked.

Pour the marinara sauce in a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.

Ina Garten Food Network

Mrs. LeMaire's Spaghetti Sauce

When Michelle was in high school, she took a cooking class from one of our favorite teachers, Mrs. LeMaire. Mrs. LeMaire was an amazing cook, and I know this based off the amazing things that she taught Michelle to make. This is her spaghetti sauce recipe. This can be altered to your liking - omit the mushrooms, add green pepper, shake in a bit of marjoram, etc. But the basic recipe is simple and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 med. onion - chopped
1/4 lb. mushrooms - washed and diced
28 oz. can cut tomatoes
28 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. can tomato paste
2 garlic cloves - chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 - 1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
Brown meat with onions and mushrooms. Add rest and carefully bring to boil. Then simmer at least 2 1/2 hours (5 or 6 hours is best).

Yield: 7 cups or 12-14 servings

Chicken Marsala Rigatoni

This is a copycat recipe for Maggiano's Rigatoni "D." I've actually never had this at Maggiano's, but I sure liked the sound of the ingredients. It's been in my recipe hopper for awhile now, but with the rosemary focaccia rising, we needed an Italian meal worthy of it. This was quite good, but could have used even more garlic and a bit more salt. Will definitely make again.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 ounces button mushrooms
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced (*Or more, if you like garlic!)
Salt and pepper
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 quart chicken stock
2 - 4 ounces Marsala wine (* I found some in the cooking wine section)
2 ounces white wine
1/2 quart heavy cream
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2 ounces garlic butter (* I used regular butter)
parmesan cheese, shavings (garnish)
chopped fresh parsley (garnish)


DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oil and caramelize onions over medium high heat. Cook them until them until they brown.
• In a separate skillet, saute mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. The vinegar will reduce down considerably.
• Add onions to the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. 
• Add garlic and heat just until you smell it - about 30 seconds.
• Add chicken and stir to incorporate. Then add chicken stock, Marsala, and white wine. Cook until reduced by half.
• Add cream and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer to thicken the sauce further. (* I sprinkled some flour in a few times to help thicken the sauce a bit. It is a fairly thin sauce.)
• Cook rigatoni al dente.
• Add drained rigatoni to chicken mixture in pan and finish with basil-parsley mix, parmesan cheese, garlic butter, and salt and pepper. Add more Marsala (*Or salt/pepper) for flavor, if desired.  
• Place in pasta bowl and garnish with parmesan shavings and chopped parsley/basil.

Serves: 6

Rav'n Ravioli

Adapted from Pampered Chef and found on Supper Swappers.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium green bell pepper
1/2 C onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar (26-28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 1/4 C water
12 French bread baguette slices
1/4 C butter, melted
1 C mozzarella cheese
1/4 C fresh grated Parmesan cheese
18 ounces refrigerated ravioli (* I used frozen)

COOKING DAY:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop bell pepper and onion. Heat olive oil
over medium-high heat; add pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce, ravioli and water. Bring to a boil.
Spoon half of the ravioli mixture into 9 inch pie plate or similar sized baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining ravioli mixture.

SERVING DAY:
Thaw ravioli mixture.
Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter and add bread slices, tossing to coat evenly.
After 20 minutes of baking, arrange bread slices around edge of baking dish, pressed slightly into ravioli mixture. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over bread and ravioli mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until ravioli is heated through and bread is crisp and deep golden brown.

Serves: 6

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna

This was the first time I made this recipe, so we'll see if it's really the "best ever." Stay posted!

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 cans whole tomatoes (14 1/2 ounce) undrained and chopped (*I used petite diced)
2 cans tomato paste (6 ounce)
24 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (* I used ricotta)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided
12 lasagna noodles (12 to 15)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onion and garlic. *Directions don't call for it specifically, but I strained the grease out at this point.*

2. Add salt and next 5 ingredients; stirring until well mixed.

3. Simmer 1 hour.

4. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.

5. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, pepper, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 of mozzarella cheese; In a lasagna pan, layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture; repeat.

6. Top off with layer of noodles; sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella cheese.

FOR OAMC:
6a. Freeze unbaked.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cheese mixture is thoroughly melted.

SERVINGS: 10

Jamie's Minestrone

This has been a "keeper" recipe ever since I found it on allrecipes.com. My notes are within the recipe, which is pretty much the same as posted.


INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cups celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
1 can green beans, 15 oz
2 cups baby spinach
3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 2 tsp dried basil)
salt and pepper to taste

WHEN READY TO EAT:
1/2 cup seashell pasta (we like to double this at least)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese for topping, grated

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better. (I do it for one hour.)

FOR OAMC: 2a. Cool soup and freeze. A double batch fills 3 ziplock gallon sized bags. FYI: This makes A LOT, so I use a pretty huge pot when I double it.

3. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.

4. Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through, place portions of cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Servings: 8

Dad's Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 - large whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 eggs combine w/ 1t salt and ¼ t pepper

4 C dry bread crumbs – season w/ parmesan cheese

8T olive oil

8T unsalted butter

4C Italian tomato sauce (pre-mixed sauces are good)

1 pound grated mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Slice chicken breasts in half

3. Dip chicken in eggs and then coat w/ bread crumbs

4. Sautee chicken in olive oil and butter until brown

5. Coat bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce, add chicken cutlets, and then cover w/ tomato sauce.

6. Add parmesan cheese over the sauce and bake for about 20 minutes.

7. Add mozzarella cheese to top of the dish and bake for 10 minutes or so until cheese is melted.

8. Cool and freeze. Reheat chicken mixture and serve over fresh spaghetti.

Serves 12

Lazy Lasagna (b/c aren't we all lazy?)

1 pound ground round

1 (26-ounce) jar low-fat spaghetti sauce

1 (16-ounce) carton fat-free cottage cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray

1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles

1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return meat to pan.

Add sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Combine cottage and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl; set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over meat mixture;

top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup meat mixture, and 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers, ending with noodles.

Spread remaining meat mixture over noodles. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, and

bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Cool and Freeze. Serves 8

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

http://food.ivillage.com/recipefinder/display/0,,gc3c,00.html

1 (12 oz) package jumbo shells
1 1/2 pounds sirloin
2 egg whites
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 (8 oz) packages mozzerella cheese

For Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste


For Tomato Sauce:
In skillet, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients; simmer 10 minutes.

Cook pasta shells. Cook sirloin, add egg whites, parmesan cheese and
1/2 package mozzerella, crumbs, seasonings.
Pour half the sauce in a baking dish.

Stuff shells with filling. Arrange shells in dish and cover with remaining sauce.
Freeze. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes then add mozzerella cheese and
bake an add'l 10 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Easy Lasagna Rolls

Serving Size : 6
Categories : Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
12 lasagna noodles -- cooked, drained
2 cups cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese -- shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons parsley -- chopped
32 ounces spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese -- shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Mix cottage cheese, 1-1/2 cup mozzarella and parmesan cheese with eggs and parsley.

Place one lasagna noodle on work surface.

Spread 1/3 cup cheese mixture on noodle evenly.

Roll up tightly like a pinwheel.

Place seamside down in baking pan, that has 2 cup of
spaghetti sauce in bottom.

Continue until with remaining ingredients.

Cover rolls with remaining sauce and sprinkle with additional mozzarella
cheese.

Bake, covered, 350 degrees 1 ½ hours


NOTES :
* Lasagna Noodles come 16 per pkg
* Don't drain noodles, as they will stick together
* Use less than 1/4 cup filling or make slightly more filling

Spaghetti Pie

Serving Size : 6
Categories : Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
6 ounces spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs -- beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
1 cup cottage cheese
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion -- chopped and blanched
1/4 cup sweet red pepper -- OPTIONAL chopped and blanched
8 ounces tomatoes, canned -- (8 ounces) cut up
6 ounces tomato paste -- (6 ounces)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese -- shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and place in bowl.
Add butter, eggs and Parmesan cheese; mix well.
Spread over the bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-in. deep-dish pie plate.
Spoon cottage cheese into crust; set aside. In a skillet, brown beef, onion and red pepper until beef is browned; drain.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and garlic salt.
Spoon over cottage cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges.

http://recipes.tasteofhome.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?addtobox=y&recid=665