Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

(about 9 servings)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

2 tomatoes, quartered

1 medium onion, sliced

6-8 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper, sliced

extra virgin olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

no-boil lasagna noodles

24-oz small curd cottage cheese

2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

32-oz marinara sauce, homemade or your favorite store bought brand

fresh spinach

Turn your oven on to broil. Cut your veggies and place them on a cookie sheet. Leave the peel on the garlic cloves while you roast them. Drizzle the veggies with the olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss them with your hands to coat evenly. Place under the broiler for about 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. They are done when they start to look dark brown (but not burned) on the edges. Remove the peels from the garlic and finely chop. I like to remove the tomato skins as well. Chop tomatoes and red bell peppers into chunks. Place these back on the cookie sheet and toss to mix.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Then put a layer of noodles followed by a layer of cottage cheese, then a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and finally a layer of roasted veggies. Top the veggies with sauce and start the process over again. You will want to divide all ingredients into 3 equal portions because that is how many layers you will make. The top layer will be sauce and then mozzarella cheese. Cover the whole thing with foil and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Allow the lasagna to sit for 10-20 minutes before serving to let it set. (I was obviously to excited to let mine set before I served it!) We LOVE to serve ours on a bed of fresh spinach, the spinach gets slightly wilted but not over cooked this way. It is so good!

*You could also use carrots, mushrooms, kale, etc...

Penne Pasta with Basil

Rigatoni alla Vodka
Ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
6 slices prosciutto or pancetta, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1 cup heavy cream
Few basil leaves

Instructions
1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

2. Heat a few drizzles of oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the prosciutto and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for about 15 minutes.

3. To the boiling water, add a handful of salt and the rigatoni. Cook until al dente.

4. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer until peaks form. Fold it gently into the tomato sauce.

5. Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce. Mix to combine and season, if needed. Add the basil and serve immediately.

Pea Pesto Prosciutto & Cream Pasta

Pasta Ribbons with Peas, Prosciutto, Cream and Spring Pesto

This recipe was featured in Every Day with Rachael RayMagazine.

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Ingredients

• Salt and Pepper
• 1 pound curly-edged, long-cut pasta, such as riccia or long, wide pasta
• For the Pesto:
• About 3 tablespoons pine nuts or sliced almonds
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley (a few handfuls)
• About 1/2 cup fresh tarragon leaves
• About 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (a heavy handful)
• 2 cloves of garlic, pasted or finely grated
• About 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• A handful grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
• About 1/4 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• For the Cream Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 pound thick-cut prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 10-ounce box frozen organic sweet peas
• 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream

Yields: Serves 4

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and add the pasta. Cook to al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is working, lightly toast the nuts for the pesto.

Combine the pesto ingredients, including the toasted nuts, in a food processor and pulse into a paste.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the shallot and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the prosciutto and stir for a minute more, then add the peas and stir to heat through. Stir in the wine (or stock) and cook to reduce, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and let bubble; let bubble and thicken for a few minutes.

Toss the pasta with the cream sauce and the pesto, using a splash of reserved cooking water to loosen if desired. Pass the extra cheese at the table. 

fontina mac & cheese

Fontina Mac and Cheese

POSTED IN MAIN DISH, PASTA

Clearly, I have a thing for mac and cheese.  Really though, who doesn’t?  I’ve been having so much delicious fun trying all sorts of flavor variations and they have all been great, but Ben and I both agreed this one is the best we’ve tried yet and that’s saying a lot.  (I’m starting to wonder if this is a “love the one you’re with” mentality – it’s tough not to think that way while you’re eating mac and cheese.)  But really, this was outstanding.  It actually really surprised me because this recipe is far simpler than most mac and cheese recipes I have tried.  With very few ingredients and no roux or bechamel sauce required, this is most definitely the most low maintenance mac and cheese I’ve made.  Normally I like to use multiple cheeses and I wondered if this would be too one-dimensional, but not at all.  The Fontina was perfect and the sauce was so creamy.  I’m drooling just thinking about it now.  Must.make.more.

Other mac and cheese variations I’ve tried recently:
Shrimp and Feta Mac and Cheese
Mushroom Herb Mac and Cheese
Spicy Mac and Cheese

Fontina Mac and Cheese
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Ingredients:
1 lb. small or medium pasta shells
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded
Salt
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions just until 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.

Meanwhile, dice 4 tablespoons of the butter and place in a large mixing bowl.  Warm the cream in a small saucepan or the microwave.  Cover to keep warm.

Once the pasta is cooked, add to the bowl with the butter and toss to coat well.  Stir in the warm cream and the Fontina until the cheese starts to melt.  Mix in salt to taste, and add the nutmeg.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish.  In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.  Mix in the panko breadcrumbs and shredded Parmesan.  Toss with a fork to coat evenly with the butter.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the pasta in the baking dish.

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the topping turns golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Ezra Pound Cake, originally from The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook by Jack Bishop

Manicotti

Monday, October 11, 2010


Manicotti





Manicotti has to be one of my favorite pasta dishes ever! And this one is the best homemade one I have ever had. I have made a couple and hated them so I decided that I would just give up and I did for a while, until I came across this recipe. I decided to give it ONE more try, and boy I am glad I did! This recipe is so yummy! It is adapted from My Kitchen Cafe.







Manicotti

(6-8 servings)





Tomato Sauce





1-28 oz can diced tomatoes, in juice (I like petite diced)

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4-1/2 t red pepper flakes

1/2 t salt

2 t dried basil or 1 t fresh, chopped





Cheese Filling and Pasta





3 cups ricotta cheese (I used low-fat)

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 T chopped fresh parsley (I like flat leaf/Italian)

2 t chopped fresh basil

16 lasagna noodles, large shells or manicotti shells





Preheat oven to 375.





In a large saucepan heat oil. Add garlic and pepper flakes until fragrant but not brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 t salt and simmer for about 15 minutes.





In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, eggs, salt , pepper and herbs. Set aside.



Cook the noodles according to box directions. I loved using lasagna noodles, they were easy to use and gave a cute ruffle to the edge of the manicotti.



Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill noodles. If using lasagna noodles, lay them on a clean dish towel with the short side facing you. Spread 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture on the bottom 3/4 of the noodle, leaving the top 1/4 exposed. Roll the noodle starting with the edge closest to you. Place into the pan. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Put 8 filled noodles in each row creating 2 rows in your pan. Pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the top of the noodles, making sure the noodles are covered.



Cover the manicotti with foil. Bake for about 40 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove foil and top with the other 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Cook uncovered for 6-7 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. The manicotti can be prepared up until the baking step then covered with parchment paper and then foil and stored in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw before cooking. To bake, remove parchment, replace foil and increase the cooking time to 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours.

Penne Alla Pizza- from Baby Center

Penne Alla Pizza


Added by: Marcia Smart

(229 recipes) Mom Rating





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Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 83 minutes

Total time: 98 minutes



This easy pizza-inspired pasta, similar to lasagna, is adapted from Bugialli on Pasta, by Giuliano Bugialli (Simon & Schuster, 1988).





Ingredients

1 medium celery stalk, diced

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, diced

20 large basil leaves

2 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or a 2-pound can of seasoned tomatoes, drained)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound regular or multigrain penne

Olive oil cooking spray

8 ounces low-fat mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

30 Gaeta or Kalamata olives, drained and pitted

Salt, pepper, and Parmesan to taste

Preparations

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine celery, red onion, garlic, carrots, five sliced basil leaves, tomatoes, and olive oil in a saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt and pepper. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne according to package instructions, minus one minute, so pasta is slightly undercooked. Drain. Coat a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine penne, tomato sauce, mozzarella, oregano, olives, remaining basil leaves (shredded or torn), and salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix ingredients and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 15 minutes, covered with foil. Serve hot directly from pan. (Makes 6 to 8 servings)

creamy sausage pepper pasta

Creamy Sausage Pepper Pasta

1 lb. penne pasta 

1 lb. italian hot sausage

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp. basil

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

parmesan cheese 

salt and pepper to taste

2 c. cream sauce

Cook sausage in skillet with peppers, onions and

seasonings. Then, add to prepared cream sauce. Boil

noodles until al dente.  Top with cheese. 

Cream Sauce:

3 T. butter

2 t. flour

1 quart half and half 

1 c. parmesan cheese

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 tsp. ground black pepper 

Melt butter then add flour. Stir together to create a

roux. Then, add the half and half. Stir together

cooking only on low. Once the cream is heated

thoroughly, add the chicken bouillon. Then add

parmesan cheese.  If sauce needs to be thicker add

more Parmesan cheese. Do not cook on a high heat or

it will curdle the milk! Sauce is done when it is thick

enough to coat the back of a spoon.