Pasta E Fagioli

This is one of our favorite soup recipes.  Last winter when my 5 year old was sick she asked for it 4 nights in a row!  I found this recipe on Farm Girl in the Suburbs blog and only made a few changes to give it a bit more liquid.  Cooking the noodles in the soup gives the noodles great flavor but it really sucks up the juice!  (You don't have to cook the noodles in the same pan but why dirty another pot?!)

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart of tomatoes (or 2 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes)
1 15-oz. can red kidney beans (w/ liquid)
1 15-oz. can Great Northern Beans (w/ liquid)
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup beef broth
2 cups tomato juice
1 T. white vinegar
1 ½ t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
½ t. pepper
½ t. thyme
½ lb. Ditali pasta

Directions:
Brown the ground beef in a large stock pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often.  

At 50 minutes in, toss in the pasta and continue to cook.  Add more tomato juice or beef broth if necessary to get the consistency that you want.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until noodles are cooked through.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve with side salad and garlic bread.  

Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

We had a ton of fresh tomatoes that I wanted to use up before they went bad. My girls love spaghetti so I thought I'd find a homemade spaghetti sauce that uses fresh tomatoes. I came across this recipe on food.com that fit the bill. I made a few changes to it and everyone in the family thought it was wonderful. My 3.5 year old kept saying how yummy it was. I couldn't help but smile knowing how healthy it was for her. :)

Ingredients:
4 lbs fresh tomatoes, chopped (I used about 7-10 tomatoes)
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
grated parmesan cheese
Optional - jarred spaghetti sauce

To cook pasta sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large iron skillet or heavy saucepan. Add onion, basil, garlic and salt. Saute until onion is tender, approximately 5 minutes.

Add tomato and sugar; heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 2-3 hours, stirring often or until sauce has thickened. The original recipe asks to peel the tomatoes which I didn't do. You'll need to cook it a little longer if you leave the skin on, which I recommend. Tomatoes have a lot of health benefits in the skin - why would you cut it off?! After the sauce thickened I felt it needed something more. I had some organic jarred spaghetti sauce that I added until I was happy with the consistency. Feel free to omit that step if you want.



Serve over warm spaghetti and enjoy!

Lasagna

I had no boil lasagna sheets in my pantry and decided I wanted to use them up so I made lasagna.  :)  I actually used the recipe on the back of the Barilla lasagna box.  I only added chopped spinach and cottage cheese instead of ricotta but followed everything else exactly.  It was very easy to put together and one of the best lasagnas I've had in a long time!!

Ingredients:
1 box lasagna, uncooked (if you use the uncooked sheets, anyways)
2 eggs
15 oz cottage cheese (the recipe calls for ricotta but I prefer cottage cheese)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
Frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound hot Italian sausage (cook, crumble and drain)
2 jars your choice of spaghetti sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs.  Stir in cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  I also add about 2-3 handfuls of the spinach.  Make sure to squeeze it to get all of the water out.



Now, I make two 8x8 pans of lasagna since we can't eat a huge 9x13 pan of lasagna.  The recipe of course is for a large 9x13 pan so my instructions will be for that size pan.  Just half that amount if you decide to make the two 8x8 instead. 

Spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of baking pan.  Layer 4 uncooked sheets, slightly overlapping.  (1/2 cup sauce and two sheets for 8x8)

Add the cottage cheese layer.

Half of the browned meat. (1/4 for 8x8 pan)

1 cup of the sauce (1/2 for 8x8 pan)

1 cup of mozzarella (1/2 cup for 8x8 pan)

Depending on how deep your baking dish will determine how many layers you can do.  My dishes are only 2 inches deep so I can only do three layers.  Repeat this layer again and then the third layer is lasagna sheets, remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella. 

Bake covered with foil until bubbly, 50-60 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. 

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.  This lasagna was by far the easiest to cut and serve.  You can actually see the layers!  Serve with salad and garlic bread.  Enjoy!

Two Sauce Lasagna

My friend Seanean sent me this recipe a few years ago. It's really easy and nice & light for a lasagna. I like that it has Alfredo sauce as the top layer and tomato sauce throughout the rest. The recipe calls for it to be made in a 9x13 baking dish but I put it into 2 8x8 pans. One I baked that day and the other I wrapped in foil and placed in the freezer for another time. Perfect if you have a small family and don't want tons of left over lasagna laying around!

Ingredients:
1 (16oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (16oz) jar Alfredo sauce
16 oz (or 2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 box lasagna, cooked/drained (I used the no cook lasagna noodles)
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pound sausage, browned (I used Italian sausage)

Directions:
Combine ricotta, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan & eggs.



My measurements are going to be for 2 8x8 pans so if you are using 9x13 just double it.

Spread 1/2 cup red sauce in each baking pan.



Layer pasta



1/4 of the cheese mixture





1/4 of the spinach



1/4 of the red sauce (I forgot that step/picture so I just put the sauce on top of the sausage!) and 1/4 of the sausage



Top with another layer of pasta.



Repeat with remaining ingredients. Top with pasta and spread Alfredo sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.



Now, the recipe calls for it to bake covered in aluminum foil in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Mine was not warm in the center after 15 minutes. I ended up cooking it for about 40 minutes. I would check yours at 15 minutes to see if it's done but expect for it to take 30-45 minutes. I also removed the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.



Let stand for 10 minutes after you take it out.



Serve with salad and garlic bread.



Enjoy!

Stuffed Shells

I know I posted this recipe back in November but I've made a few changes I'd like to share. I tried the cottage cheese instead of the ricotta and it's soooo much better! It has a very creamy texture - I will only use cottage cheese from now on! I have this cooking in my oven right now as I type and it smells delicious!

I love stuffed shells. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and made a few changes to spice it up a bit. I added spinach and hot sausage and also halved the recipe and it still fed us two nights in a row. I made 10 shells the first night and saved the rest of the cheese mixture & sauce for the next night. I used up the rest of the mixture and froze the shells we had left over.

Ingredients:

1/2 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells (I usually cook 12-14 shells)
2 cups cottage cheese
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 eggs, lightly beaten
pinch of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
half of small package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 package ground, hot Italian sausage

Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.

While shells are cooking start cooking the sausage in a skillet until cooked all the way through. Remove as much grease as you can.



Mix together cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, spinach and garlic powder. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Spread 1/3 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a baking pan.



Stuff cheese mixture into the shells. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan.



Add the remaining sauce to the sausage mixture. Stir to combine & pour remaining sauce over top of the shells. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese & a handeful of mozzerella cheese for good measure. You can never have too much cheese. :)



Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



Serve with garlic bread & salad. Enjoy!

Easy Fresh Tomato Sauce

(Last photo with my phone, I promise!)

This is a very basic and quick tomato sauce that you can alter to your tastes. I found this recipe a few years ago on allrecipes.com, where else?! I love allrecipes because you can read other people's reviews to see what they thought of the recipe and any changes they made. I've found a lot of great recipes on that site!

Basic ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion in olive oil until translucent. Stir in tomatoes, cook until juice begins to thicken. Stir in puree, salt and pepper.

Here is where you should taste the sauce and see what you think it needs. I added oregano, italian seasoning, basil, about half the can of the puree. I also sauteed some mushrooms in butter and white wine and tossed in with the tomato sauce as well. Nothing was measured, just tasting as I went until I was happy with the end result. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes more, until rich and thick.

I served this sauce over a linguine I bought at Trader Joe's with toasted bread and a salad. Next time I think I would serve it over rigatoni instead. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Pie

I used to nanny for a family in North Raleigh when I was in college. They made a spaghetti pie that I thought was really good. I've lost the recipe that she gave me but I found one that seemed really similar to hers on allrecipes.com

I thought this turned out nicely and will definitely make this again. It's a neat spin on spaghetti. This seemed to be a bit easier for Saryn to eat than regular spaghetti, for those of you with little children.

Ingredients:

1 (6 ounce) package spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (I used 6 ounces of spaghetti sauce)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir in margarine, parmesan cheese and eggs, while spaghetti is hot. Form spaghetti mixture into a crust in a buttered 10 inch pie plate. (I only had a 9" pie plate so that's what I used.)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet cook the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic. Drain off the fat and stir in the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste or spaghetti sauce, sugar and oregano. Heat through.



Spread cottage cheese over the spaghetti crust then pour in the beef and tomato mixture.



Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the pie then bake for 5 minutes longer, until cheese melts.



The only thing I thought it needed was a little bit of salt but I just added it to my piece of pie. Jordan didn't add any spices to his so you may just want to let people season themselves if they think it needs it!

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

The past month has been a bit off for me cooking wise. I've tried some new recipes that I planned on putting up here but I wasn't satisfied with the results. I really only want to put recipes up here that we liked enough for me to make again. So, I apologize it's been a bit quiet on here! Jordan I am sure has been disappointed as well!



I bought a bag of tortellini in Trader Joe's the other day thinking that it would be a good meal for Saryn. I searched on allrecipes.com for a recipe and found this one. Wow, was this REALLY good! So simple, but it tasted like something you'd order at a restaurant. Saryn thought it was good too!

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini (I got mine in the pasta section, not the frozen kind)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

While the tortellini is cooking, combine the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the Parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.



Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Granny Pat's Spaghetti Sauce

Before we begin I feel that I should let you know that this spaghetti sauce does not have 1 tomato in it. Can you believe it?! A spaghetti sauce without tomatoes....well, it does have tomato soup. Does that count? :)

This spaghetti sauce is a favorite in Jordan's family. His maternal grandmother (Pat) used to make this recipe for Jordan's mother and sister. When they grew up they started making this for their families. You can also find this recipe here on Mathew and Mary's food blog. (Mathew is Jordan's cousin) I think their recipe is a bit different as the recipe I have has been changed a tad.

Since it is such a favorite of Jordan's we make it on a regular basis. When you read the ingredients do not be put off ~ I promise it is very good!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

Brown the ground beef and onion in the olive oil. (I don't use the olive oil as I find that even the leanest ground beef has enough oil)



Drain well. Add oregano, salt, pepper, chili powder to the meat mixture.



Cook about 1-3 minutes. Add tobasco sauce, tomato and mushroom soup.



Stir well and simmer with lid on for 45 minutes stirring frequently. Serve over pasta. I also serve with a salad and garlic bread. I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese over mine but you do not have to.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Yummy!

This is by far the best tuna casserole I've had and I probably won't ever make a different one! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com Normally I make this in the fall/winter but I had a craving for it the other day. I love summer but I'm already tired of just eating meat from the grill!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter divided
1 (8 ounce) package medium egg noodles
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced (I only used 4 oz)
1/4 flour
2 cups milk
2 (6 ounce) cans of tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons bread crumbs (I crumble Ritz crackers)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Boil egg noodles as directed on package, drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, and garlic, cook until tender. Mix in mushrooms (I had to add a bit more butter here) and continue to cook a few more minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.

In a medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter, whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk and continue cooking until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup cheese, and cooked noodles. (Taste here and season with salt and pepper to your liking). Transfer to the baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Mix with bread crumbs and sprinkle over the casserole. (I didn't feel this was enough bread crumbs so I melted another tablespoon of butter and mixed with more crushed crackers)



Bake 25 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.



Serve with toasted bread and salad. Enjoy!