Stuffed Shells

I started making these long before I got married, the recipe has changed many times over the years, but I think it is perfect now. If you prefer you can easily leave the meat out of this recipe. If you have leftover ricotta mixture do not throw it away, hollow out a red bell pepper or zucchini half and fill it with mixture, bake until vegetable is soft and enjoy!

Make It:
30 - 35 big pasta shells, cooked according to directions on box, and rinsed with cold water to cool off
1 16oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup cup fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dry basil
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with basil
3 oz tomato paste
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, smashed but not chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1/2 cup good red wine
1/2 pound ground beef

Make It:
In a bowl mix together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, salt, pepper and basil. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. Stir in egg, refrigerate until ready to use. Heat a large pot over medium high heat, add meat to pot, break up with a spoon. Cook until browned add onion and pepper to pot. Cook stirring often until veggies are soft. Drain off extra grease. Stir in garlic and wine, allow wine to reduce by half. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste, if to thick stir in a little water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and stir in salt and italian seasoning. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While sauce is cooking for those last 30 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill shells with ricotta cheese mixture. Use a 13 x 9 casserole dish, place one to two ladles of sauce in bottom of dish, enough to cover the bottom. Place filled shells on sauce. Pour rest of sauce evenly over the top of the shells. Sprinkle rest of mozzarella over top of sauce. Cover with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for thirty minutes, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Penne

This recipe will work with any kind of precooked chicken, so use up those leftovers.


Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken
2 cups penne noodles
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 cups pasta sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon italian seasoning

Make It:
Boil water in a large pot for pasta. In a bowl mix together chicken, red pepper flakes and italian seasoning.
Add noodles to water and cook for time designated on package. Turn oven to 375 degrees. Heat pasta sauce, just till it is hot. Drain noodles and add to chicken mixture, stir. Mix in parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella. Pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Chicken and Sausage Lasagna

We love lasagna in this house, it is a very fun thing to try a bunch of different ways! In this one I mixed chicken and spicy italian sausage, it came out great!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
3 italian sausages
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar plus one cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 12 oz. container ricotta
2 1/2 cups mozzarella
3/4 cup shredded parmesan
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, whipped
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked


Make It:
In a bowl mix together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, basil, and garlic. Taste and then add salt and pepper to your liking. Mix in egg, cover and set in refrigerator. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray add chicken to pan, cook till brown on all sides. Add italian sausage, stir, cook until browned. Add onion and bell pepper, stir, cook until softened about 5 minutes. Pour in spaghetti sauce, leaving the extra one cup out. Stir, allow to come to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover stir and cook for 15 minutes. Turn oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish, Pour reserved cup of spaghetti sauce onto bottom, spread to cover bottom of pan. Stir 1 cup water into sauce. Begin layering lasagna, put noodles first, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, then 2 1/2 ladles of sauce, then 1/3 cup mozzarella, and a good sprinkle of parmesan. Continue the next two layers the same ending the top with the rest of the sauce and cheeses. Cover with saran wrap, and then foil. Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes. Remove saran wrap and foil. Allow to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven let sit for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Italian Sloppy Joe's

This is my third version of sloppy joe's. They have become a favorite in this house. They are quick, easy and filling with not to many ingredients. Good for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:
2 italian sausages
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic glove, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
8 pieces provolone cheese
4 ciabatta rolls, sliced in half
salt and pepper to taste


Make It:
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef to pot, cook breaking up and stirring. Once browned drain off grease. Add italian sausage to pan, squeeze out of lining into pot, add bell peppers and onion to pot. Cook and stir, using a spoon to break up italian sausage, until sausage is browned and veggies are tender. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in spaghetti sauce, bring to a low simmer and cover, let cook for 5 minutes. Uncover add salt and pepper to taste and basil, stir to combine. Let cook for 5 more minutes. Put one piece of cheese on bottom piece of each roll. Spoon 1/4 of the meat mixture onto the cheese, place a second piece of cheese onto top of meat, continue with next 3 rolls. Place on a baking sheet, put under a broiler set to low. Broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Place top of rolls onto sandwiches. Enjoy!



 

Creamy Italian Sausage Spaghetti

This is a fast one should take about 30 minutes. So nice to have fresh seasonal tomatoes again. I used spicy italian sausage but mild could be substituted if you do not like spice.

Ingredients:
3 italian sausage
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
7 oz. spaghetti
1/2 cup chardonnay
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic gloves, chopped
1/4 cup shredded parmesan


Make It:
Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat, cover, once boiling add spaghetti noodles, cook for 11 minutes. While spaghetti noodles are cooking, heat a large pot over medium high heat. Put italian sausage in pan by squeezing sausage out of lining. Break up sausage using a spoon, add bell pepper and onion to pan, stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes until sausage is not pink and veggies are tender. Drain of any excess oil. Add garlic and tomato to pan, stir to combine. Add wine to pan, cook for 5 minutes until wine is reduced to almost gone. Drain pasta, do not rinse. stir seasonings and cream and parmesan into pan. Allow to cook for a couple minutes till thickened slightly. Pour noodles into sauce and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Meatball Sandwiches

My husband loves meatball sandwiches, but I have never been brave enough to make them. I don't know why they seem easy enough. So I got brave and they were really good. I'm still on a perfect meatball mission though. Also you can use frozen meatballs for this if its easier for you. This makes 12 to 14 meatballs and I used 3 per sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes(optional)
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce or 2 1/2 cups homemade spaghetti sauce
french rolls
provolone cheese

Make It:
Mix meat, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons basil, garlic, italian seasoning, parsley and red pepper flakes together in a bowl. Once combined, whip egg a little and pour into meat mixture. Stir to combine, I use my hands to get the mixture completely combined. I use a small ice cream scoop to measure mixture, into 1 1/2 ounce meatballs, roll them into a ball in the palm of your hand. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add vegetable oil to pan. Add meatballs to pan, don't overcrowd. Brown meatballs on all sides, then place in bottom of crock pot. Once you have done all the meatballs, pour sauce over meatballs, and stir. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  In last 1/2 hour of cooking add the 3rd tablespoon of basil. Turn broiler on low. Take each roll, open it up pour in 3 meatballs and some sauce, place two slices of provolone over top, place on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Repeat with all sandwiches. Enjoy!

Crockpot Spaghetti and Meatballs

In an effort to become better friends with my crockpot, i'm trying all kinds of new things in it. I thought hmm spaghetti sauce needs to cook for a while to be good, so lets try it in the crockpot. If you don't care for meatballs make the sauce without them. You could also use premade frozen meatballs if you prefer, just bake them first. Spaghetti sauce is also another good way to sneak in veggies on your kids. Add diced carrots, bell peppers, celery or shredded zucchini if you want. Add one or all and see if the kids notice the difference.

Ingredients:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper diced
1 onion diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and inside removed, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, whipped with a fork
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons grated parmesan
cooked spaghetti noodles


Make It:
In a large crockpot combine tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno. Divide the wine into the two tomato cans and swirl to pick up the tomato that is left in the can, pour into crockpot. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and garlic to crockpot. Stir to combine. In a bowl combine meat, granulated garlic, italian seasoning, salt, bread crumbs, parmesan and egg. Using your hands squeeze all ingredients until combined. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat, add one tablespoon vegetable oil. Using a small scooper, scoop out meat into your hand and roll into a ball, place in saute pan. Repeat until pan is full, brown meatballs on all sides and add to crockpot. Repeat this step with all the meatball mixture. Very softly stir so the meatballs are covered with sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over spaghetti noodles. Enjoy!

Pasta e fagioli

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

8 ounces shell noodles

28 ounces diced tomatoes

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

5 cups beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley

Make It:

Heat a large skillet over med high heat, add ground beef and break up with a spoon while it browns. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, add vegetable oil, add onion, carrots, and celery to pan. Once beef is browned throughout, drain of grease and add to pot with vegetables. Stir to combine and add tomatoes to pot. Simmer for ten minutes. Add all the other ingredients to the pot, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Red Lasagna

I have entered this recipe into Presto Pasta Nights, hosted by Kevin at Closet Cooking, so check it out next friday December 11th.

I know this recipe looks complicated but once you do it, it is pretty easy, just time consuming!

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

28oz. tomato sauce or jar spaghetti sauce

1 large or 2 small green bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

2 hot italian sausage

18 oz. ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan

3 cups shredded mozzarella

2 teas. finely chopped garlic

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 bunch italian parsley

1 egg

salt & pepper

1 cup water

Make It:

Heat a large pot over medium, add ground beef, stir and cook until browned. Add italian sausage, squeezing it out of casing and breaking it up with a spoon. Stir and cook until browned, drain off fat. Add bell pepper and onion to pot, cook and stir until softened. Pour tomato sauce into pot, stir to combine. Add a 1/4 of the italian parsley bunch, leave whole. Bring to a boil, stir, lower heat and cover. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Chop 7 of the basil leaves and the rest of the italian parsley. In a large bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, chopped basil and parsley, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, taste, if you need more seasoning add it. In a separate bowl lightly beat egg. Pour egg into cheese mixture and stir to combine, cover and place in refrigerator( this step can be done the day before if you like). Chop 3 remaining basil leaves. Uncover sauce, remove italian parsley and stir in basil, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn off heat under sauce and add one cup water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish ladle in 1/5 of your sauce, should be enough to cover the bottom of the dish, then layer 3 noodles(press noodles in sauce a little) then spread 1/4 cheese mixture over noodles, then sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan, then ladle on 1/5 of sauce. Repeat this step 3 more times. On top layer pour on rest of sauce, and sprinkle on rest of mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil(I spray the side of my foil that will be on the cheese with cooking spray) bake for 1 hour, check and if cheese on top is mostly melted remove cover and bake another 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 jar spaghetti sauce or 1 jar homemade sauce

2 cups bread crumbs

2 cups flour

4 eggs

1 tblsp milk

8 slices fresh mozzarella

3 tblsp italian seasoning

2 tblsp grated parmesan cheese

vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Make It:

Pound out each chicken breast by putting them in between two pieces of plastic wrap and pounding with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Heat sauce in a pan. Preheat oven to 375. In 3 separate dishes, put flour in 1, bread crumbs, italian seasoning and parmesan in 1, and eggs and milk in 1. Mix eggs and milk together with a fork. Mix bread crumbs, italian seasoning, and parmesan together, season with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil in pan to cover halfway. Put chicken in flour, shake off excess, then in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in oil and fry 4 minutes per side. Place on a cookie sheet, ladle tomato sauce on top and place two pieces of cheese on sauce. Repeat with other chicken breasts. Bake in oven until cheese is melted about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Tomato Sauce

This makes two 28oz jars.

Ingredients:

3 pounds roma tomatoes

2 carrots roughly chopped

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic diced

1 large or 2 small zucchini shredded

1/2 bottle white wine

salt

Make It:

Heat broiler to high. Take tomatoes cut them in half and remove seeds, place on large cookie sheet skin side up. Drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil over tomatoes, lightly stir tomatoes with your hand to coat. Place under broiler for about ten minutes or until skins pop and wrinkle. Remove from broiler and let cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, pull of skins and discard. Once you have taken off all skins roughly chop tomatoes. In a large pot heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion cook until softened stirring often. Add wine and let simmer until almost completely reduced this will take about 15 minutes. Add carrots, zucchini and tomatoes and 1 tablespoon salt stir to combine. Cook for two hours over low heat, you want it at a low simmer, stir often. Pour into blender, I did mine in 2 halfs, and blend until smooth. Sauce can be stored in a jar in fridge for a week or frozen in a bag. Use as the base for pasta sauces or in any recipe that calls for tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Baked Penne

Ingredients:

1/2 pound cooked penne(I use whole wheat)

2 italian sausage, removed from casing, browned in a pan and grease drained

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1/2 onion diced

1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese

1c shredded mozzarella

italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Make It:

In a large pot boil water, once its boiling add some salt(about a tablespoon) pour in the pasta and stir. Cook according to directions on box, drain. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once pan is hot add about a tablespoon of olive oil, add onion, and saute until onions are softened. Add italian sausage, stir, add tomatoes, stir well to combine. Add seasoning and simmer(low boil) for about 20 minutes. Pour pasta into a 9x9 casserole dish, pour sauce over noodles. Sprinkle parmesan then mozzarella over sauce. Bake under a broiler until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Chicken Spaghetti Skillet

I usually make pasta two times a week, we only eat half a box per meal. So I cook a whole box with the first meal. Then use the rest for the second meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 box spaghetti

2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces

1/2 head cauliflower(precooked in boiling water until softened, or steamed)

1/4 c. white wine

1/4 c. chicken broth

1/2 red onion diced

Salt, granulated garlic and pepper to taste

1c. shredded parmesan

Make It:

Heat a large pot over medium heat, add chicken cook until browned. Add onion, and cook until softened. Add cauliflower, broth, wine and seasonings, stir and bring to a simmer(medium amount of bubbles). Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spaghetti, stir, cook until heated thru. Add parmesan stir to combine. Enjoy!

Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 28oz. can plum tomatoes(I think Fresh & Easy are the best)

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 onion diced

1 bell pepper diced

2 tblsp. garlic

1 lb. ground beef

1c. red wine

Salt, pepper, italian seasoning to taste

1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles cooked according to package directions

Make it:

In a large pot over medium heat brown ground beef, drain. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic cook until softened. Add wine simmer until reduced by half about 5 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a low simmer, cover and let cook an hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook another hour. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Serve over noodles. Sprinkle with parmesan, crushed red pepper, and fresh basil to your taste. Enjoy!