Knock-Off Pasta Fagioli Soup

Today is a snow day which means Rachael's making soup for lunch! This is the second time I've made this soup and I've determined it's a keeper. This may be my new "go-to" soup for cold weather replacing my Mac & Cheese Soup from a few years ago...

Knock-Off Pasta Fagioli Soup
Adapted from Six Sisters' Tomato Macaroni Soup

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot (or a small handful of baby carrots), diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken/beef stock
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups small pasta shapes (mini wheels, elbow, etc.)

1. In a large dutch oven, saute onion, celery, garlic, and carrots with the ground beef until cooked.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the pasta and bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add in the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.
4. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

Slow Cooker meals are always a tough sell around my house, but I've been trying to find a good knock-off stroganoff recipe for YEARS. My hubby is obsessed with the Mushroom Stroganoff at Noodles and Company, but that's anything but figure-friendly. I saw this on Pinterest (like I do) and decided to give it a shot, incidentally enough the same day another friend was testing out the same recipe, ha!

The results were pretty tasty. The original recipe called for Cream of Mushroom soup, but I had Cream of Chicken on-hand and while I'm sure Cream of Mushroom would have given this a solid mushroom boost, I was pretty pleased with the flavor. I also used fettuccine instead of egg noodles since that's what I had on-hand, but I'm sure either would be super yummy =)

Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

Adapted from Shrinking Jeans

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 8 pts

1.5 lbs chicken breast (4 frozen chicken breasts worked for me)

16 oz nonfat plain yogurt

1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup

1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

10 oz Mushrooms, quartered

12 oz Fettuccine (or Egg Noodles, whatever you have/prefer)

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and put chicken breasts on the bottom (I put mine in frozen; me = lazy one who never remembers to defrost).
2. Combine yogurt, condensed soup, and soup mix in a small bowl and pour over chicken.
3. Layer quartered mushrooms on top.
4. Cook for 7 hours on low.
5. Remove chicken, shred, and return to the sauce.
6. Prepare noodles according to the package instructions.
7. Serve noodles topped with stroganoff sauce.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I love me some down-home casserole action. I had never had tuna noodle casserole until I was in high school (early in their marriage my mother apparently made a disastrous tuna noodle casserole for my father and he asked her to never make it again...she didn't...ever) and had it over at my boyfriend's house for dinner and it was amazing. I have that recipe, but decided to try out this lighter version for dinner. It was definitely a keeper and felt indulgent without being terrible for the waist-line. Not sad about leftovers to be had later in the week, nope, not sad about that at all!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 6

Estimated Point Value: 6pts

6 oz egg noodles (well, no yolk, or whole grain ones)

1 Tbsp margarine

1 onion, chopped

3 Tbsp flour

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup skim milk

1 oz Marsala

10 oz sliced mushrooms

1 cup frozen peas

2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained

Garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste

4 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 and prepare a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Prepare noodles according to the package instructions, drain, and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter.
4. Sprinkle in flour and allow to cook out a bit, then whisk in chicken stoke and milk until smooth.
5. Once boiling add in Marsala, peas, and mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add in drained tune, garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat) to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese.
8. Combine noodles with the sauce mixture and pour into casserole dish.
9. Top the casserole with the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Mac & Cheese Soup

This soup* was sort of amazing...and I can't wait to make it again. I made it for lunch with my gals and we had some cheese bread from Whole Foods that was sort of amazing along side. Granted, me and my gals rarely make poor food decisions ;-)

Mac & Cheese Soup

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serves 5

Estimated Point Value: 6 pts.

4 oz Barilla Plus elbow macaroni

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

Small handful of baby carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp light butter

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup skim milk

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp dry mustard

salt and fresh pepper to taste

10 oz broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces

6 oz 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. Cook macaroni to al dente using the package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, melt butter and saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened.
3. Whisk in flour, dry mustard, salt and pepper and allow to cook out for a few minutes before pouring in milk and stock while constantly stirring/whisking.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add in the broccoli and allow to cook for about 5 minutes (or more if you want softer broccoli).
6. Add in both types of cheese, stirring til smooth, and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni right before serving (so they don't get too mushy).

*Yes, I realize I'm posting a lot of soup recipes...I love soup and I sort of missed out on National Soup Month and have been making it up to myself lately. I also realize that I've been neglecting to take photos of my recipes which was a goal for the year....sometimes a girl just wants to eat all the things...

Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes

I saw this recipe on a friend's Pinterest account and knew I needed to try it from the picture alone. I used my "shrink the crock pot" trick and made the recipe more accessible for my small family (and because I initially read the amount of chicken wrong) and it was a winner. I need to work on the noodle situation as it was sort of weird logistically and we're nerds and like our food to be easy to consume =P

Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes

Adapted from Skinny Crock Pot

Serves 4

1.5 lbs chicken breast (I used tenders)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/4 tsp thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

EVOO

1. In a large crock pot, set inside a smaller casserole dish (one that has a lid!) and drizzle the bottom of the dish with EVOO.
2. Put the chicken in a single layer in the dish and sprinkle with garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.
3. Cover with sliced onions and tomatoes then pour the vinegar on top.
4. Cover the casserole dish and then put the regular crock pot lid on the crock pot.
5. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. (I stirred once towards the end when things were getting a bit too hot...next time I may cook low and slow.)
6. Serve over your choice of pasta.

Smokey Bacon and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

As a result of some poor planning on my part I had quite the assortment of leftover ingredients from recipes that never came to fruition. One thing led to another and Smokey Bacon and Broccoli Mac and Cheese was born.

Smokey Bacon and Broccoli Mac and Cheese

12 oz small pasta (mini penne was my choice)

3-4 oz. bacon, cooked and chopped

1 small box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 c milk (I did a skim and whole combo)

4 oz Fontina cheese, grated

4 oz smoked Gouda cheese, grated

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Pinch cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Using a large pot, boil the noodles according to the package instructions for al dente. Strain and set a side reserving pot for later.
3. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat.
4. Whisk in flour and garlic and cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. (A spatula works just fine as I still haven't replaced my silicone whisk so this is my bechamel go-to at the moment.)
5. Add in milk and continue stirring over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and bubbles begin to form.
6. Remove from the heat and add in your spices, bacon, and cheeses stirring until melted.
7. In the large pot, combine the noodles, broccoli, and cheese mixture then pour into a greased casserole dish (I used a 2 1/2 quart round dish).
8. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese (optional) and bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Baked Spaghetti

I was first introduced to Baked Spaghetti my freshman year. I was in a group through my church that met off campus during the week and had dinner together prior to breaking into smaller groups for our weekly Bible studies. Leadership was responsible for the food and it was always exciting to have something from off campus (even though our on campus dining was insanely good and quite possibly the best college food in the country -- not just mean, it's been voted on before...) My favorite memory was that when one of the girls in particular was in charge you knew we were going to get Baked Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, and Home-made Banana Pudding. I have never attempted to recreate the amazingness, but tonight I decided to give it a go. I found a recipe via one of the blogs I follow and made a few alterations and have now added Baked Spaghetti to my recipe list.

Baked Spaghetti

Adapted from Heir to Blair

Serves 4 (hungry people)

8 oz spaghetti noodles

8 oz mozzarella cheese

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

12 oz jarred spaghetti sauce

Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a pot of water up to a boil and cook the pasta just a minute or so less than the package instructions.
3. Brown the beef and onion together in a large skillet.
4. Add sauce to the skillet and season to taste.
5. Once the noodles are drained return them to the pot and mix with 1/3 of the sauce so the noodles get coated just a little bit.
6. Put 1/2 the noodles down in the baking dish and then another 1/3 of the sauce. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
7. Repeat.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

This was a little light on the sauce for this household, but overall a good, quick, and easy dish. Sure it's pretty much spaghetti and baked ziti mashed up together, but I contend that is okay and they are totally different ;-)

Shrimp Pasta with Old Bay

We have been wanting to get ourselves a shrimp pasta, shrimp scampi, shrimp ____ go-to recipe in this house. I have also been craving some Old Bay of late. We are originally from Maryland and while neither of us grew up anywhere near the Bay, we're Old Bay fans for sure. My favorite part about attending football games at the University of Maryland? Fresh cut boardwalk fries with malt vinegar and Old Bay. Pardon me while I get lost in my food daydream...

I decided to check out several recipes and their comments to see what I could come up with, the two that were most inspirational were from Annie's Eats and The Pioneer Woman (especially her Shrimp Pasta in a Foil Package recipe!)

Shrimp Pasta with Old Bay

Serves 2

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, Minced
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp dry vermouth
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Salt And pepper, to taste

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fresh parsley, minced
4 oz linguine

1. Bring water to a boil and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Prepare a large package made from aluminum foil that will be able to hold your entire dish to go into the oven (make sure you have a cookie sheet underneath for easy transport to and from the oven.)
3. In a large skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil and butter for a few minutes.
4. Add in the diced tomatoes, vermouth, and Old Bay (don't forget to salt and pepper to taste.)
5. Cook the pasta for 5 minutes (or half of the instructed time on the box) and then toss with the sauce and shrimp in the large skillet to coat.
6. Pour the pasta, shrimp, and sauce into the foil top with some fresh parsley and wrap into a package.
7. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (this is where the shrimp will cook through) and unwrap the package when you are ready to serve.
8. Toss everything once last time to make sure the parsley gets evenly distributed and enjoy!

This was pretty amazing and a completely new flavor profile for us at home. I served with some crusty bread to help soak up the deliciousness. Next time I may try and make a bit of a roux before adding in all the sauce ingredients in Step 4, but not very thick at all since you do need some moisture to help the pasta continue to cook while the foil package is in the oven.

This is definitely going on the rotation and may someday even be in the elite group of recipes deemed "fit to serve company" by Hubby.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

The Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for Sour Cream Noodle Bake last week that I thought I would like to try out. After thinking about it a while and getting some feedback from my friend over at Hooked to Books who attempted the recipe the day it was posted, I decided to try and mash-up that recipe with one I had tried a few months ago for Crock Pot Pizza which made a ton of food, but the leftovers ended up being more of a casserole than a layered dish...which for me really just meant that the pepperoni got unevenly distributed and that was sad not to have pepperoni in every bite 0=)

Also, this recipe makes me want a shallow baking dish that is not a pan pie...but I used my deep dish pie pan as a decent substitute since I'm sort of in love with it.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Serves 6

1 lb. ground beef

15 oz can tomato sauce

6 oz egg noodles

1/2 c. sour cream

1 c. cottage cheese

1/4 c. green onion, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 oz pepperoni

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste

1. Brown the beef in a large skillet with some Italian Seasoning and then add in the tomato sauce.
2. Cook egg noodles according to the package instructions, drain.
3. In a large bowl combine the noodles, sour cream, cottage cheese, parsley, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a lightly greased baking dish layer:
   - 1/2 of the noodle mixture
   - pepperoni (I only made a single layer over the noodles, you could add more if you liked)
   -1/2 of the sauce
   -1/2 of the cheese
   -1/2 noodles
   -1/2 sauce
   -1/2 cheese
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

The pie pan turned out to be a great idea although the whole dish got a little runny which would probably be remedied if the tomato sauce had been allowed to reduce a bit. All in all this turned out great and even Hubby liked it and he's been pretty down on casserole-type dishes of late. Granted the Snickerdoodle Blondies I had waiting for him when he came home from a long day of work (during which he forgot to eat lunch) probably helped ;-)

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is Hubby's favorite pasta dish and was on the menu for Valentine's Day this year (granted it actually happened Tuesday night, but whatever last minute decisions to grill steaks to take advantage of unseasonably warm weather are definitely acceptable!) Given that this was something I'd shied away from for a while I went straight to the experts at Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen for help and background reading materials.

After much reading I realized that the technique behind this dish was just as important as the ingredients. I tried out their suggestions, but there were a few hint I picked up along the way so am going to incorporate them into the instructions for next time. All in all, very delicious.

Pasta Carbonara

8 oz pasta

4 oz bacon, sliced into small pieces/ribbons

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup chicken broth (or dry white wine)

1 1/4 oz shredded cheese*

2 large eggs

2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced/pressed

Table Salt

Pepper

Optional Step - Preheat oven to 200 and warm the serving dish you will use to mix and serve this dish. I went ahead and did this step, but if you were baking bread or something that would probably make the dish too hot, but you might be able to microwave it?

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces in the olive oil until they reach your desired "doneness" (since we all know bacon is an ongoing battle between the crispy and the floppy factions).
2. Add chicken stock/wine and reduce a bit then set aside.
3. In a small bowl, beat the eggs together and mix with the cheese(s) and garlic.
4. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (I used a spaghetti) with 2 tsp of salt in the pasta water. Reserve some of the cooking water before draining the pasta just in case you need to add it to your sauce to help coat the noodles.
5. Take the drained pasta (still slightly wet) and pour into the dish you are going to serve out of (potentially the one that has been warming in the oven) and immediately toss with the egg/cheese mixture. Use a little of the reserved liquid if necessary. -->The "immediately" is key here otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs from them sitting on top of the hot noodles for too long before the tossing begins.
6. Once the noodles are coated, toss in the bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away. --> Some people toss the bacon at the same time as the eggs, but from what I read this can get clumpy so I wasn't going to take any chances of the bacon not being as evenly distributed as possible ;-)

Deliciousness personified I tell you, deliciousness.

*I used 1/2 oz of a Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese blend and then an additional 3/4 oz of Parmeasan.

Baked Shells Casserole

I decided to give one of Rachael Ray's Top 10 Recipes of the Year from 2010 a try this week. I love me some stuffed shells and had hoped this would be a quicker, easier way to get the same flavors. I made some adjustments, but in the end, I had the same amount of dirty dishes as if I had actually stuffed shells. Since I have a pretty rockin' stuffed shells recipe, I'm not sure this one will happen again (especially since while I enjoyed it and rated it a 4, Hubby on the other hand barely finished his portion and whined about my forcing him to each spinach as he wandered to the fridge to get some ice cream.) It's meat-free and has a little kick which I thought was pretty tasty.

Baked Shells Casserole

Adapted from Rachael Ray

Serves 4-6

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided

1 onion, finely chopped, divided

Salt and pepper

3/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp parsley

10 oz chicken stock

28 oz can Italian crushed tomatoes

7 oz medium shell pasta

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Nutmeg, to taste

1 cup cottage cheese*

4 oz Shredded Italian Cheese Blend

1 egg yolk

1. In a large pan, saute most of the onion and 2 cloves of garlic in some olive oil.
2. Add in oregano, red pepper flakes, thyme, and parsley.
3. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and allow to reduce a bit before adding in the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Let this simmer while you cook the pasta, undercooking it by a minute or so (according to package instructions). Be sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid before draining your pasta.
5. In a smaller skillet, saute another clove of garlic and the rest of the onion in some olive oil.
6. Add in the spinach to heat through, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Once pasta is done, put it back in the hot pot, pour in the spinach mixture and add in cottage cheese and 2 oz of shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed then add in the egg yolk and combine.
8. Put a layer of sauce down in a casserole dish then pour pasta mixture into the dish. Sprinkle with the other 2 oz of shredded cheese and cover with some more sauce (there will be extra sauce you can use when you serve the finished pasta.)
9. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 and then serve with the extra sauce and more cheese, of course!

*You may remember that I generally hate ricotta cheese...cottage cheese is my go-to substitute and I've found it works out just fine in most recipes calling for ricotta. By all means use ricotta if you so desire (that was what the original recipe called for anyway.)

Spaghetti and Meatballs Take 2

Last night I decided to do a second attempt of some spaghetti and meatballs. As I suggested in my previous meatball post, I wanted to test this out with our favorite sauce recipe and mix things up a bit. The result was pretty amazing, even though I had to make a few judgement calls on some substitutions since I was resolved not to go to the market this week until my Christmas Market Extravaganza (I'm cooking Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Brunch this year since it's our first year with the kiddo which means we get to stay home for Christmas fun...I'm sure lots more recipes will follow...) Anyway, this is what I came up with...

Spaghetti and Meatballs

(Makes 12 meatballs)

For the Meatballs:

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed

1/4 cup skim milk

3 Tbsp. dried minced onion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 1/2 Tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp dried basil (or 1/2 Tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp dried parsley (or 1/2 Tbsp fresh)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the Sauce:

1/2 lb ground beef
small white onion, chopped
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce

8 oz water
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 c. ketcup
Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl tear the pieces of bread into smaller bits and soak in the milk. Mash with a fork until it makes a mushy paste.
3. In a bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together (including your milk-bread paste) using your hands.
4. Make 12 golf-ball sized meatballs and place them on a foil covered baking sheet.
5. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
6. While the meatballs are baking, brown the rest of the ground beef with the onion in a large skillet (you'll want one large enough to hold all the meatballs...and a lid would be awesome as well).
7. Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and turn down the heat to let the sauce simmer (I had to use 8 oz of water because I used up my last can of tomato sauce, if you have an other can, use that...or a larger can to begin with that would be better but the water wasn't so bad since the meatballs brought in some extra flavor.)
8. Once the meatballs are done, put them into the sauce and let it simmer, covered for as long as you want (...mine went for almost an hour but that's just because we eat ridiculously late =P)

We ate ours over penne again (when in the world am I going to get me some legit SPAGHETTI and meatballs?! I'll tell you when...TONIGHT when I eat the leftovers!!) and it was delicious. This was a lot simpler (read weekday friendly) than the previous attempt (all the dried ingredients eliminated the need to saute anything before adding it to the meatball mixture which was the main thing that simplified this endeavor) and I'd say the meatballs were just as good this time around and less fatty since there was no pork. The meatballs didn't dry out as I was afraid they would, but it probably helped that I used 80-20 beef this time instead of my usual 90-10 (I accidentally bought 80-20 last time...so sad...mostly because I buy meat in bulk so I got 7 lbs of it =P)

Crock Pot Pizza

Pizza is Hubby's favorite food. Anything that has the mention of pizza will at least give a first attempt around here and after this recent discovery, we may have may more attempts in our future.

Crock Pot Pizza

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (beef, sausage, etc.)

6 oz. (uncooked) wide egg noodles

24 oz spaghetti sauce

8 oz tomato sauce

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 pkg pepperoni

24 oz shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Italian blend...your choice)

1. Boil noodles just shy of package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. Brown meat in a large skillet and add Italian seasoning.
3. Once meat is browned, add the spaghetti and tomato sauces to the skillet.
4. In your crock pot start with a layer of sauce on the bottom, then add 1/2 the noodles, 1/2 the package of pepperoni, and 1/2 the cheeses. Repeat (cheese should be your top layer).
5. Cook on Low for 3-4 hours.

Super simple and tasty. I used a mixture of cheeses, one 8 oz package of cheddar, one 8 oz package of mozzarella, and one 8 oz package of Italian blend cheeses. I used a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage in my first attempt, next time I think I will go with straight ground beef although I may add in some mushrooms which I mention to do this time, but totally forgot to pick up a package at the market. Delicious and will most definitely be happening again this winter!

Sausage and Mushroom Lazy Lasagna

So on The Rachael Ray Show this week (well really I think it was a show from last week that I still had on my DVR) I found a new recipe that I wanted to try out: Lazy Florentine Lasagna. Now there was no way I was going to sneak that much spinach into Hubby's diet, so I made several alterations to this recipe and this is what I came up with:

Sausage and Mushroom Lazy Lasagna

Serves 8

1 lb lasagna noodles broken into pieces

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 Italian sausages (about 3/4 lb)

2 tsp dried thyme

15 oz can of stewed tomatoes, undrained

4 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups milk

8 oz Fontina cheese, shredded

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Nutmeg, to taste

8 oz Parmesan cheese shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 and bring a large pot of water up to a boil.
2. Break the lasagna noodles in smaller pieces and cook until al dente, reserving a little of the cooking liquid before draining.
3. In a large skillet, brown the sausage with the onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
4. Add in the dried thyme and can of stewed tomatoes, you can break up the tomatoes a bit with your spoon (or whatever) if you want smaller chunks.
5. While that is cooking, melt the butter and then add the flour. Stir and cook for about a minute.
6. Pour in the milk and whisk together with the butter/flour mixture until it comes up to a bubble and starts to thicken.
7. Once thickened, continue whisking and add in the Fontina cheese until melted.
8. In the pasta pot, mix the cooked, drained lasagna pieces together with the sausage mixture and pour into a large casserole dish.
9. Cover with the melted cheese and then top with the Parmesan.
10. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted, bubbly and you just can't stand it any longer!

Delicious. I had some plain tomato sauce on the side which I found to be a good addition although Hubby didn't feel like it was necessary. He did make the suggestion to add in prosciutto next time (this is what kept him from giving it the elusive 5 star rating, he was content with the amount of sausage, just wanted another meat product in the mix.) Hubby loves his pork products!

(But shhh, don't tell him it was CHICKEN Italian sausage!)

Stuffed Shells

Stuffed Shells must be a thing recently as I've seen recipes on several websites as of late. After The Pioneer Woman posted her take, I had gotten the craving for Italian Night as well. I used bits and pieces from her Three Cheese-Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce posting, but made several changes for the ingredients I had laying around and what I thought might be tasty (please note I hate ricotta cheese, it's a texture thing, so I always substitute cottage cheese when recipes call for ricotta...you can definitely change this back to ricotta if it doesn't give you the heebie-jeebies).

Stuffed Shells

Serves 8

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes

2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

Italian Seasoning, to taste

1 box of jumbo pasta shells

30-32 oz low fat cottage cheese

8 oz Italian Blend shredded cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a large skillet brown the sausage together with the onion and garlic (breaking up the sausage just like you would ground beef as you go).
3. Use a food processor to chop up the stewed tomatoes (just a little...somewhere in between the size of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes).
4. Add the stewed tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce to the skillet, and then the sugar, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Let the sauce come up to a bubble and let it thicken, covered for around 30 minutes.
6. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and cook the jumbo shells according to the package.
7. Drain the shells and rinse with cold water so they are easy to handle when the time comes.
8. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together cottage cheese, 6 oz of the shredded cheese, parsley, basil, and egg.
9. Spray a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish with some cooking spray and ladle in a layer of sauce on the bottom.
10. Stuff your shells with the cheese mixture and place them open-side down on top of the sauce layer. I squeeze in as many of these babies as I possibly can. I never use the entire box of pasta, but since inevitably there are broken pieces and torn shells, it usually works out fine in the end.
11. Once your casserole dish is lined up with the stuffed shells, ladle on some more sauce to coat (but don't drown the shells...I've made that mistake before in the past) and just save the rest of the sauce so people can put more on their individual servings.
12. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese (you can totally add more if you like, but one 8 oz package worked out great for me.)
13. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Another grand success! I think I may have finally found a stuffed shells recipe that will be made again (I've made several over the years, but none good enough to keep around for a second attempt.) The only thing I would suggest is letting the sauce cook and thicken up a bit more as it was pretty runny this first round. I'm pretty stoked to the leftovers for dinner tonight and even more excited that I have found a bread option that both Hubby and I enjoy in the Pillsbury French Loaf. It bakes at the same temperature for the same amount of time so I'm calling this a fated combination.

Bowtie Lasagna

Since I was a slacker and did not write down when I made this recipe, I'm just guessing on the date of this post. I got the recipe from Tasty Kitchen after The Pioneer Woman blogged about it back in July.

The only real difference was that I put it in a casserole dish and added extra cheese (go figure) melting the whole thing in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes or so. Delicious. Pretty much just another way to make a baked ziti, but since I love baked ziti, I think it's okay to add another recipe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs for Megan

A month or so ago a dear friend subtly shared a blog post with me in the hopes that I would make these delicious balls of meat for her someday. Well someday has come and meatballs have been made! I made a few alterations to both the meatball and the sauce recipes mentioned in the blog post and this is what I came up with - I believe it was well received as it as leftovers were not hard to pass along ;-)

Spaghetti and Meatballs for Megan

3 slices of white bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup skim milk

white onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1 lb ground pork

1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 Tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cans of San Marzano tomatoes (both whole, or one whole and one crushed)

Handful of fresh basil, torn

Red pepper flakes, to taste

EVOO

1. Preheat the oven to 40o and grease a large cookie sheet (you may need one large and one small...I ended up with around 30 meatballs when all was said and done).
2. In a small bowl, tear the slice of white bread into small pieces and cover with the milk. Mix with a fork until paste-like and set aside.
3. In a small skillet sauté 1/2 of the chopped onion and 3 of the garlic cloves together in some olive oil.
4. In a large bowl, combine (using your hands people, not a spoon...just like yo momma's meatloaf!) your beef, pork, onion/garlic mixture, milky bread mixture, oregano, basil, parsley, Parmesan, cinnamon, and eggs.
5. Roll the meatball mixture into your desired size balls and place on the cookie sheet(s).
6. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
7. While the meatballs are baking, you can prepare the sauce, in a large stock pot/dutch oven sauté the remaining onion and garlic in a good amount of olive oil (the more oil, the more flavor will be added into the sauce...go nuts).
8. If using two cans of whole tomatoes, break out the food processor and pretty much puree one of the cans leaving the other whole. Add both to the stock pot breaking up any large chunks of tomatoes with a spoon to your favorite consistency.
9. Simmer on the stove for around 15 or 20 minutes.
10. Once the meatballs are cooked, add them directly to the stock pot to help flavor the sauce.
11. Right before serving, stir in the torn basil leaves. I served with penne, even though yes, I called this "spaghetti" and meatballs.

I enjoyed the meatballs (KR: 8 Stars) more than the sauce (KR: 4 Stars) for this recipe and will probably continue working on the sauce. Or, boy oh boy, perhaps combine the meatballs with our favorite meat sauce recipe...oh man...can we really handle this potential awesomeness???

Creamy Taco Mac

Since we'll each pretty much any pasta and I have a love for Tex-Mex flavors, but have a hard time getting Hubby to eat actually Tex-Mex foods this recipe on Annie's Eats. seemed like it would be a winner. It was similar to a baked ziti I tried earlier in the year, but definitely boosted the cheese-factor. In the end it reminded up both of Hamburger Helper, but less nasty...if that makes any sense. Not sure if this will make the regular rotation or not, but it was definitely a tasty leftover for lunches the next few days.

Creamy Taco Mac

Adapted from annies-eats.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 8 oz. dry rotini pasta
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook pasta using the package instructions (reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta).
2. Brown beef and onion in a large skillet.
3. Add in garlic, taco seasoning, and diced tomatoes -- simmer until heated through.
4. Transfer sauce into the large pot used to cook the pasta (unless you're using a LARGE skillet...which I do not own).
5. Add in cream cheese, sour cream, and drained pasta. Mix together until cream cheese is melted (add in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on the table to sprinkle on top.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Chicken

Since embarking on this adventure I have taken to cutting recipes out of various magazines and you would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't, but I was) just how many recipes are printed in food related advertisements. I have been noticing that I have clipped several of these and put them in my "Recipes to Try" file-box (yes, I organize my yet-to-be-tried recipes...) I am guessing this is because of their simple, non-intimidating nature. This next dish got a "You're really on a roll!" review from Hubby and a place in the permanent rotation.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Chicken

Adapted from Campbell's Kitchen

Serves 3

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 chicken breasts

1 shallot, finely chopped

4 oz Mushrooms, sliced

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup thinly-sliced sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tsp dried basil

Egg Noodles

Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet and brown chicken on both sides (about 10 minutes). Remove from skillet and set aside (cover with foil to keep warm).
2. Add remaining Tbsp of oil to the skillet and sauté shallot and mushrooms until tender.
3. Stir in soup, water, tomatoes, vinegar, and basil.
4. Once this combines, return chicken to the skillet and reduce heat to simmer.
5. Cook until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through (~10-15 minutes depending on the consistency you like your sauce).
6. Serve with egg noodles and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.

This could probably be made with a homemade alternative to the condensed soup, but every time I try that particular substitute I fail...someday I will master that healthier alternative, but until then, I just try and use the lower sodium, lower fat varieties that are out there to hopefully attempt in making a somewhat healthier dish.

Tortellini and Sausage Casserole

Apparently in March 2004 I purchased and promptly forgot about one of those mini recipe books that are sold in the check-out line at the market. Tonight I put my twist on a Betty Crocker recipe entitled "Creamy Tortellini Casserole".

Tortellini and Sausage Casserole

Serves 4

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 c. Onions, chopped

8 oz Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

2 c. Milk

3 links of pork sausage, browned

4 oz Gouda Cheese, shredded

1 c Frozen Peas and Carrots

9 oz Package of Refrigerated Cheese Tortellini

1/2 c Ritz Crackers, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a small casserole dish (1.5 quart).
2. Melt butter in a large sauce pan and cook onions and mushrooms until soft.
3. Stir in flour and salt then gradually add the milk, stirring constantly.
4. Once bubbly, remove from heat and add in sausage, peas/carrots, cheese, and tortellini.
5. Pour into casserole dish and top with the crushed crackers.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

I used some mild Italian sausage for this batch that I had leftover from Make Your Own Calzone day (one of our favorites!) and some smoky Gouda cheese. This recipe is definitely a keeper and Hubby declared that he would not change a thing (success!)