Baked Ziti

Some pictures just look like warm, yummy food to me.  Read – melted, delicious cheese and pasta. Yes, please, and thank you.  Corrie is generally less interested in “simple” pasta/sauce/cheese dishes, so he usually thinks these kind of pasta combinations are just okay, but this one turned out particularly well.  It came to mind the other day as a possible option to take to my friend who has a beautiful new son.  I ended up taking some other things though, one of which her little girl reportedly was a big fan of, so I’ll be sharing that recipe shortly.  This is a perfect meal to feed a crowd.

Baked Ziti

• 1 lb. 1% cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• Salt
• 1 lb. Ziti pasta
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Ground black pepper
• 3/4 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
• 8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 20 oz. turkey Italian sausage or ground beef (optional)

Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350° F.  Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes.  Drain the pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  If using, crumble in the turkey sausage or ground beef, and cook until nearly browned.  Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the meat is completely browned.  Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream.  Transfer the mixture to the now-empty pot over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top.  Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove  foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer.  Cool for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

Recipe found at  Annie’s Eats adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March & April 2009

Cheesy Ravioli Bake

I feel like this could be a contestant for Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade, but a better version!  You’re using help from the store with some store-bought fresh cheese ravioli so this doesn’t take long to put together.  My only “complaint” was that although it comes together very quickly, it uses three different pans.  So, I feel like this would be a great meal to make in bulk, for example, when you’re feeding a crowd, because you could essentially just double or triple (using a larger pan of course) and it would feel more “worth it” to me if that makes any sense.  It’s so simple to put together that it seems like it should only take one or two pots if that’s clearer!  (clear as mud.)

Nonetheless, it’s a super easy weeknight meal, and I’ve been making a concerted effort to put more of those on the menu.  Sometimes the tasks I give myself, coupled with everything else, are just a little too much at times!

Cheesy Ravioli Bake

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (I used half and half.)
• 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil
• Salt
• 2 (8-ounce) packages fresh cheese ravioli
• 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.  Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease shallow 2-quart baking dish with 1 Tbsp. butter or non-stick cooking spray.

Melt remaining butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook until thickened and almost dry, about 10 minutes.  Stir in cream and basil and simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt.

While tomato sauce is cooking, add 1 tablespoon salt and ravioli to boiling water and cook until al dente.  Add spinach to pot with pasta and stir until wilted, about 30 seconds.  Drain pasta and spinach, return to pot, and stir in tomato sauce.  Transfer mixture to baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until top is golden, about 10 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe source: America’s Test Kitchen Best Simple Recipes

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Not exactly on the lighter end of pasta dishes, but it was tasty and different from what we normally make.  I would say I probably don’t derive enough delight out of cream sauces to make it worth the caloric addition (I would definitely rather eat a nice thick sugar cookie or something…yum), but I’ve had weird food interests all day so only strange things are sounding good right now. And particular beverages.  Like Diet Dr. Pepper – we are somehow out of caffeinated pop, and two late nights of watching the Buckeyes and other stuff has left me draaaaaaaaaaaaging.  I’m typically not a stop at the store for one or two things kind of girl, but this might need to be one of those exceptions!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
• Fresh Basil, Chopped
• 1-½ pound Fettuccine

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Turkey & Pork Meatballs/Orecchiette Pasta/Pesto

So the amusing thing is that I just looked up this recipe to share it, and Bravo has already changed several of the things we marked to change for the next time we made it.  Our original recipe didn’t include any oil in the pesto which we ended up adding, but you can see our sauce was more paste like than sauce.  I have adapted a hybrid approach between the sauce they have on the website and the sauce as we adjusted it, so this recipe could potentially be tweaked again.

My mom, Corrie, and I all love Top Chef, so we’ve all made and enjoyed eating this dish!

Meatballs:

• 1/ 2 pound ground turkey
• 1/ 2 pound ground pork
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1 large egg, beaten lightly
• 1/ 2 teaspoon red pepper chile flakes
• 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

Veggies & Pasta:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup baby carrots
• One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, each cut in half
• 1 packed cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta, cooked al dente

SPINACH-ALMOND PESTO:

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1/ 2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/ 2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 4 ounces fresh spinach leaves, plus more as needed
• 1/ 2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEATBALLS:  In a large bowl, stir together all the meatball ingredients except the oil and form into meatballs about 3⁄4 inch in diameter.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking and cook the meatballs, in batches, turning them as they cook, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add more oil to the skillet with new batches as necessary. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Set aside.

VEGETABLES AND PASTA: In a large sauté pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, carrots, and artichokes and sauté until softened but al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until just wilted. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook orecchiette pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions until al dente.

PESTO:  In a food processor, add the garlic, almonds, spinach, cheese, lemon juice, wine, and salt and pepper to taste and puree. Drizzle in olive oil while food processor is running until it just turns into a sauce from a paste.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the dish.

Add the orecchiette and meatballs to the vegetables and stir to combine. Add enough pesto to coat, then heat to warm through. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Bravo’s Top Chef

Addicting Pepperoni Bread

Don’t even try to act like you weren’t warned.  Growing up my two favorite pepperoni breads came from La Puma bakery and one from a local bakery that Heinen’s (ah, momentary sigh of sadness for not having have access to Heinen’s…okay…done) sold.  I love pepperoni bread, but only with cheese in it (DUH!).   So, I decided to make up my own according to my tastes.  Although I’m sure this would be even more delicious with homemade dough, we had no trouble mowing through these two loafs in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

I didn’t measure, but here are a few estimates…obviously increasing the cheese amounts will only serve to make this MORE DELICIOUS!

Pepperoni Bread

• 3 1/2 cups Mozzerella Cheese, shredded and divided
• 3/4 cup Asiago Cheese, shredded and divided
• 3/4 cup of Parmesan, grated and divided + 1/4 cup, reserved
• 8-10 oz. of Sandwich Pepperoni (I found it near the deli, so that’s what I used!)
• 2 loaves Frozen bread/pizza dough or homemade
• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder, divided
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning, divided

Defrost bread dough following manufacturer’s instructions.  (All cooking times and temperatures I’m going to refer to the original manufacturers’ recipes or to your bread dough recipe, because no two brands/recipes are exactly the same.)

Preheat over per bread dough manufacturer’s instructions.  Line baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Roll out dough into a large rectangle.  Then, lightly brush the dough with olive oil, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.  Sprinkle dough with half of the garlic powder and half of the italian seasoning (or as much as you want).  Then lay the pepperoni down so that each piece slightly overlaps.  Cover evenly with mozzerella, asiago, and parmesan.  Roll up dough, and pinch the seams to seal.

Place seamside down on the baking dish, and repeat for the second loaf.  Brush the top of each loaf with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with reserved parmesan cheese.

Bake according to bread dough instructions until golden brown and delicious!

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

Usually chicken parmesan destroys any thought of cooking healthy, so when I saw this Cooking Light recipe on their blog, I decided to give it a try especially since I had some homemade sauce I wanted to use up.  Super crunchy, I really enjoyed this.  My only change for next time might be to butterfly the chicken so I have a high ratio of topping to chicken.

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

Makes 4 Servings

• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 3/4  cup  panko
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  jarred tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; place egg whites in a bowl. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 breast half in flour mixture. Dip in egg whites; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour mixture, egg whites, and panko.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook three minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Turn chicken over; cook three minutes. Coat chicken with cooking spray; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; top each breast half with 2 tablespoons sauce, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 3 tablespoons mozzarella. Bake 6 minutes or until chicken is done.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Stuffed Italian Burgers

This was another delicious ingredients sort of meals.  Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and ketchup (I know, weird.).  I was a happy girl.  Wonderful meal for the summer of grilling I plan to be having, and definitely something I’d make again!

Stuffed Italian Burgers:

Makes 3 burgers

• 1 lb. ground sirloin
• 2 tbsp. yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1-2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
• Sliced fresh mozzarella
• Fresh basil leaves
• 6 slices pancetta (I didn’t use.)

Basil Ketchup:

• ½ cup ketchup
• Handful fresh basil leaves (about ¼ cup)
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes

Preheat the grill.

Combine sirloin, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl.  Mix to combine thoroughly combine.  Divide the mixture into three equal portions then divide each of these further into halves so you end up with six equal portions.   Form each portion into a thin, round patty.  Place a slice of fresh mozzarella and a few basil leaves on top of three of the patties.  Lay the remaining patties on top of these, sandwiching the mozzarella in the center.  Pinch the edges of the patties together to form one large patty with the cheese in the center.  Wrap 2 slices of pancetta around each patty if desired.

To make the basil ketchup, combine the ketchup, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor and pulse until well combined and finely chopped.  Or be lazy like me and just finely chop the basil and make a paste out of the garlic and combine! Set aside.

Cook the burgers and top with basil ketchup and any other desired toppings!

Source: Annie’s Eats, Based on Michael Proietti’s Mulberry Street Burger

(Angel Hair) and Meatballs

I think I’ve mentioned that I grew up in a heavily Italian neighborhood, so although I’m not Italian myself, I enjoyed the benefits of wonderful Italian food growing up.  Sauce is something people take very seriously, and even my non-Italian mom makes delicious sauce.  This sauce though, all I can say is WOW.  Completely delicious, and I honestly have thought about it several times since making it, which, for me, says a lot.

If my brother  were visiting, I’d just pull out some sauce and it put it in its own pan to simmer before I added the meatballs, so it’s easily adapted to a vegetarian meal!

(Angel Hair) and Meatballs

Recipe slightly adapted from Mrs. D Loves to Eat, originally from Brown Eyed Baker

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1, 28-oz., can tomato puree (I used diced as that’s what I had on hand, and since you blend it all at the end, it worked fine!)
• 1, 28-oz., can tomato sauce
• 2 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• Water from rinsing extra sauce and puree from inside of cans (about 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup)
• 3/4 cup.  grated parmesan or romano cheese

To begin, heat the olive oil and saute the onion in a Dutch Oven (or large stockpot) over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic for another 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent.  Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, parsley, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, cheese, water, and sugar.  Once it’s all combined, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and place the lid on the pot with a little bit of a crack to let some of the steam escape.  Let simmer for at least 2 hours. (Adding the meatballs at the 1 hour mark to allow them plenty of time to cook through if not cooking them in the oven.)

Discard the bay leaf, and remove the meatballs to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Blend the sauce until smooth using an immersion blender, or if you don’t have one, blend no more than 2 cups of sauce at a time very carefully in a blender.  Since it’s hot, I would take the pour hole insert out of the top and put a kitchen towel (it will get sauce on it so use an old one) over it to hold on to avoid burning your hand and blowing the top off!  Return the meatballs to the sauce.  Serve with grated parmesan, because there’s no better way than more cheese!

Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

There are two ways to make the meatballs – either simmer in the sauce or cook in the oven.  This time I cooked them in the sauce, although I would try the oven method as well as I think both ways would be/were delish!

In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup of bread crumbs with the milk and allow to soak for 10 minutes.  Mix-in the remaining ingredients and shape into 1 – 1 1/2″ balls.

Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes and add to simmering sauce to finish cooking through or cook the entire way in the oven (40-45 minutes).

Stovetop Method: Allow to simmer in the sauce for 45-60 minutes or until cooked through.