Minestrone Soup

Today was a cold day, and I was craving soup. However, I was low on groceries. I made minestrone with what was in the back of the refrigerator produce bin---and it turned out to be delicious.

pasta pot full of veggie broth
pinch Italian seasoning
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced fine
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
8 oz dry egg noodles
2 onions, diced fine
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
few grinds of fresh pepper
pinch of salt

Before I get to the recipe, I have to talk about one of my most favorite things. Trader Joe's makes these little packets of concentrated vegetable broth. They come in a small green box. Inside are a dozen tubes of...vegetable syrup? Basically, that's what it is. Really concentrated, thick broth. You add 1 tube to 1 cup of water. They save sooooo much cabinet space, are very light to carry, and are perfect for backpacking meals. Also, they have amazing flavor and are low-sodium. Can you tell how much I love them?
So anyway, that intro is just to say--when I made this recipe, I used a pasta pot full of water with 4 or 5 packets of broth mixed in.

1. Bring the broth to a simmer. Add a small pinch of Italian seasoning ground between your fingers. As the broth is heating, dice the celery, then add it to the pot.

2. Dice the carrots, and sautee them in a tablespoon of olive oil. (Don't skimp on the olive oil, it's the only fat in the dish.) While the carrots cook, dice the onions and garlic.

3. When the carrots are "al dente", add them to the pot, and saute the onions and garlic in the pan. When the garlic and onions are translucent, add them to the pot along with the frozen spinach, and bring the pot to a boil.

4. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions. (Mine only took 4 minutes.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.

P.S. This was so good that after we ate the whole pot for lunch, I turned around and made another batch before the stove cooled down. Now that is a good recipe.

Canneloni, My Old Faithful

This is a best friend of a recipe. This is my go-to guy. This is what you will receive from me if you're sick or just had a baby. Toss a little garlic french bread, salad and corn with it and you're golden. It's great for kids-nothing they're offended by. Also meatless, so again, it makes it unoffensive to people. It doubles nicely and reheats like a dream. It's just an all around good guy to have around.

With that introduction, I present to you:


Canneloni

16 oz cottage cheese
2 T butter
1 egg (even when doubling)
8 oz cream cheese
2 T chopped green onions-I always leave these out. But just so you know that the recipe calls for them
8-10 flour tortillas
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 small can sliced mushrooms

I also add a little Parmesan cheese and basil to the filling mix. Recipe doesn't call for it, but I'm a wild kind of gal. :)

Kay, and I'll also be honest again-I use varying amounts and ratios of cottage cheese and cream cheese. Just as long as the filling isn't too runny, you're in good shape.

Grease a 13x9. Blend cheeses, butter and egg (and parmesan and basil and onion, if you want). Spread down the center of a tortilla, then roll. Place seam side down in pan. Spread spaghetti sauce over the whole thing. Sprinkle with canned mushrooms-again, if your family isn't offended by such a thing. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

(by Giada de Laurentiis)

Ingredients

* 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
* 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
* 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
* 1 pound penne pasta
* 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
* 1 cup grated fontina cheese
* 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
* 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
* 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

(Note: I never have fontina cheese on hand, so I've always just made this with all mozzarella. It is sooo delicious and satisfying. You can mix and match the veggies depending on what you like.)

Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken

I made this tonight....DELICIOUS. It comes from this month's Kraft Food & Family magazine. (It's free, which is always good...and always has a few good recipe nuggets in there).

Note: Their recipe is for 1/2 lb of pasta...but I cooked the whole box of fettucine (1lb), so I doubled the ingredients when I made it tonight.

For 1/2 lb of fettucine (uncooked):

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

4 t flour

4 oz cream cheese

3 T parmasean cheese

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t pepper

1. Cook pasta as directed

2. cut chicken into chunks and cook in large, nonstick skillet.

3. Remove chicken from skillet.

4. In the same skillet, mix broth and flour, then add cream cheese, parmasean cheese, garlic powder and pepper. Stir constantly until thickened.

5. Stir in chicken.

6. Mix pasta and sauce mixture in large bowl....sprinkle with parmasean cheese.

Another note: I only used 1 chicken breast and it was PLENTY....even with doubling the recipe. I had some chicken already cooked that I just shredded and added at the end.

Yummy.

Baked Zitti

(By Rachel Ray)

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14oz) can crushed tomatoes
salt
pepper
Basil
1 lb Zitti noodles
3 T Butter
3 TB Flour
Nutmeg
3 Cups Milk
1/2 cup Asiago cheese **
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese**
1 cup cubed Mozzarella cheese

** I get the Parmesan blend (which includes Asiago and other cheeses) that comes in those shakers, and add a full cup.

Directions:

1. Start cooking noodles. Remove when slightly chewy.
2. Saute garlic for 2 minutes.
3. To garlic, add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add 1/4 TB Basil and simmer another 10 minutes
5. To create a white sauce, heat a separate pan and melt butter and whisk in flour, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of Nutmeg. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble. Stir constantly and don't let sauce stick to bottom of pan. Cook 4 minutes, or until thickened.
6. In a casserole dish, mix noodles and tomato sauce. Press down slightly with wooden spoon.
7. Poor white sauce over the top BUT DO NOT MIX.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Asiago cheeses and then top with Mozzarella chunks.
9. Broil on Low until cheese on top is melted and slightly browned. (approx 7 minutes). If broiled on High, watch carefully, remove after approx 3 minutes.

Whole-Wheat Pasta With Green Beans and Ricotta

Mmm! Thank you for this recipe, Giada de Laurentiis! Way easier than making a full-blown cheese sauce. I used rotini pasta and sauteed broccoli along with the green beans to get a double-dose of veggies.

1 pound whole-wheat linguine
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound French green beans, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, zested

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and add the ricotta cheese. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the pasta with ricotta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and gently toss. Transfer to a serving plate and top with lemon zest. Serve.

Lasagna

This is my all time favorite Lasagna. For some reason my Mother-in-law makes it better, but it's still yummy. I really like it made with sausage. Ingredients 1 pound Ground beef, pork sausage, or italian sausage 1 tablespoon Olive oil or salad oil 1 clove Garlic minced 1 tablespoon Parsley flakes 1 tablespoon Basil 2 teaspoon Salt 1 Large Can Tomatoes 2 1/2 cups 6 ounce Tomato paste 10 ounce Lasagna noodles 24 ounce Cottage cheese 2 Eggs beaten 1/2 teaspoon Pepper 2 tablespoon Parsley flakes 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 pound Mozzarella or American Cheese grated
Instructions Brown the meat in the olive oil. Add the garlic, first amount of parsley, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer, uncovered until thick, (about 40 minutes) stirring occasionally. Cook in boiling water the lasagna noodles. Combine the cottage cheese, eggs, pepper, 2nd amount parsley flakes, and parmesean cheese. Place half the noodles on a 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Spread with half the cottage cheese mixture. Add half the cheese. Add half the meat mixture. Repeat the layers. Bake 375° for 30 minutes.
Recipe from Loa Uremovich I usually spilt this into two pans and freeze one.

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:
30 large basil leaves
1 clove garlic
4-5 grains rock salt
2-3 Tablespoons pine nuts
1/2-2/3 c. olive oil.
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Blend basil, garlic, and rock salt in food processor. Add pine nuts and olive oil, combine until it's a medium-textured sauce. Add parmesan cheese. Add more of each ingredient to taste. Serve over pasta, chicken, or anything else. Yum.

Italian Cheesecake

This is the real thing- authentic too. Supposedly this guy's great-grandmother served this on holidays in Sicily. I got this off another recipe website and I have made it many times- it is the best homemade cheesecake I have ever had. It makes a lot so have some friends or family over to help you eat it.


4 pkg. of cream cheese, softened to room temp. (Don't use generic brand cream cheese, it does affect the texture.)
4 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
2 Tblsp. sugar
3 Tblsp. vanilla
1 box of graham cracker crumbs (I didn't know what this meant because a box is too much so I think I used a package?)
Melted butter (no substitutes)


First, butter the sides and bottom of a springform pan. Melt down some butter and add it to the graham cracker crumbs... just enough butter to where the crumbs stick together. Press the crumbs all along the bottom and sides of your springform pan.

Next, beat eggs, 1 c. of sugar, and cream cheese together for 15 minutes. The secret to this cheesecake is the timing- no more and no less than 15 minutes. (It is nice to have a mixer for this) When done, pour this mixture into the springform pan and put into a preheated oven of 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Once again, the timing is very important, no more and no less.

Now set your mixer on "whip" and mix together the 1 container of sour cream, the 2 Tblsp. of sugar and the 3 Tblsp. of vanilla. Mix for exactly 10 minutes. Gently pour (I spoon- I made the mistake of pouring and the topping went right into the center and didn't cook well!) this on top of the cheesecake, then bake in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes. Put in fridge overnight. (It won't completely solidify until completely cooled and it sits in the fridge for awhile.) I like to serve this with canned pie fillings or fresh/ frozen berries. Give it a try, it is amazing!!

Easy Ravioli Lasagna

1 package frozen cheese-filled Ravioli
1 package frozen chopped spinach- thawed with water squeezed out
Grated mozzarella- about 2 cups
1 26 oz. jar marinara sauce (or about 1 qt. homemade)
Grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

1. Place a little marinara sauce in a 9 X 13 pan
2. Put half of frozen ravioli on top of sauce
3. Break up thawed spinach and put over the pasta.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over spinach.
5. Put the rest of the Ravioli over the spinach and cheese.
6. Spread marinara sauce over all.
7. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over sauce. You may sprinkle some Parmesan with the mozzarella.
8. Bake in oven at 350 until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling up on sides, about 30-40 minutes.

Ricotta Filling

I've finally found a recipe for filling for manicotti/lasagna/shells, so I thought I'd share. I've been looking for a good combination of cheese/herbs/creaminess for a while now....EUREKA!!!

mix together:

32oz Ricotta cheese (I really don't like the cottage cheese substitution, especially because ricotta is cheaper where I live, but I'm sure it'd work just fine in this recipe if you run it through the blender).
4oz cream cheese (I use the neufchatel...save some calories where I can)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Lisa's Spinach Calzones

I realized these hadn't been posted... hope it's ok. They are completely Lisa's recipe.

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dried Italian Seasoning
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (32 oz.) pkg. frozen white bread dough (thawed) or refrigerated pizza dough
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the dough. Set aside. Divide the bread dough into 8 pieces (for 32 oz. frozen bread dough) or 4 pieces each if you are using the smaller frozen loaves. Roll each piece out to about a 6-8 inch circle. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the ricotta filling onto each circle, fold over and seal the edges. Place onto a greased cookie sheet. [I then brushed on melted butter with some Johnny's garlic spread mixed in... yum.] Bake for about 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely browned on the tops and bottoms. Makes 6-8 calzones.

Tofu 102: Casserole Filling

To make a simple and versatile casserole component, simply do this:

Crumble pre-frozen tofu with your fingers, pressing the water out as you crumble it.
Add 2 cups of cottage cheese and mix well.

There! Now you can use this to make recipes like these--I don't have exact measurements for them because I have the recipes in my head. But they're not the kinds of recipes where it matters if you're exact

1) TOFU TORTILLA CASSEROLE.

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
diced onion
12-18 corn tortillas
grated cheese
olive oil
1 chicken bullion cube
1 package taco seasoning (or other seasonings--I use adobo, cilantro and cumin)

Put some olive oil in a saucepan until hot. Add the diced onion and bullion cube; cook until the onion is golden. Add the can of tomatoes and taco seasoning (or your preferred blend of seasoning) and mix well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the tofu/cottage cheese mixture, can of black beans and can of corn. Add the cooked tomatoes and onion. Mix well.

In a glass baking dish, place a layer of the mixture on the bottom, followed by a layer of cheese. Place a layer of corn tortillas above, then a layer of mixture, then cheese, then tortillas...as many layers as you have mixture. Bake at 350 until everything is heated through--I don't know how long that takes. 30-45 minutes?

2) TOFU LASAGNA

Since someone posted a lasagna recipe below, I'm not going to rehash it because that recipe looks delicious...but you can use the tofu/cottage cheese mixture instead of the meat.

deep dish vegetable lasagna

- 1 lb ground beef or turkey (optional)
- ½ tsp minced garlic and ¼ tsp salt
- 1 jar of pasta sauce (preferably chunky vegetable)
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 8-9 uncooked lasagna noodles
- sliced zucchini
- spinach*
- 1 lb shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350. Brown meet with garlic and salt, mix in pasta sauce. Mix cottage cheese, egg, basil, oregano, and parmesan in separate bowl. Layer – coat the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with the tomato sauce, layer noodles, pasta sauce and meet, cottage cheese mixture, ½ the mozzarella, vegetables, noodles, pasta sauce and meet, top with ½ mozzarella. Bake 45-50 minutes.

*you can use any vegetables: eggplant, yellow squash, peppers.

P–Dub Lasagna

It is called the "Best Lasagna Ever" and it just might be. Liz, you might notice it mixes meats, and you might remember I think that practice is VILE! This lasagna is the exception to the rule, however. Delish. Absolutely.
However, the Pioneer Woman doesn't write out the recipe on this one; just step-by-step instructions and pictures. So, I am only linking to it, (in five different places, just in case you are not sure it will be worth the effort) rather than typing it out. Check it out though, you will not be sorry. (Photo credit: Pioneer Woman)

Tomato Pasta Sauce

This sauce is very fresh-looking, and doesn't have any paste-like qualities. It is more like seasoned tomatos to eat over pasta. And I like that this sauce is savory instead of sweet.

Ingredients
1 head garlic
2 10 oz. cans whole stewed tomatos
1 10 oz. can diced tomatos
1/2 TB olive oil
1 onion

Preparation
Use a large frying pan or skillet.

1. peel and chop garlic cloves
2. chop onion
3. saute garlic and onion in olive oil until garlic is lightly browned and onions are translucent
4. drain tomato cans but keep juice
5. add tomatos
6. set heat to Medium High and cover for 5 minutes
7. jab whole tomatos with wooden spoon to seperate into smaller pieces
8. add a minimal amount (1-2 TB) of reserved tomato juice if desired
9. turn heat down and let simmer for 10-15 minutes

Serve over hot pasta

Feeds 6+

Maccherun’ ca pummarola

This is an 'authentic' Italian recipe my brother brought back from his mission. It's pretty easy, super healthy, and great for using up basil and tomatoes from the garden (that I don't have... but I hear it's good for that).

Ingredients:
300 g. Penne pasta
6 medium tomatoes
1 clove garlic
7-8 medium-size fresh basil leaves cut into small strips
5-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 tbsp grated Grana Padano (or parmesan, fresh is best, but the other stuff works too)
salt

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump in the tomatoes. Let them boil for about 30 seconds and then remove them to a bowl of cool water. Remove the peel, seeds, and vegetation water and slice the meat of the tomato into ½ inch pieces & set apart.
2. In a small frying pan heat up the 5-6 tbsp of olive oil & add the clove of garlic (sliced into about 5 or 6 slices) into the oil and saute it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Once it begins to brown, take the garlic out of the oil and throw it away.
3. Place the previously cut up tomatoes into the oil and add the basil leaves, cut into strips, into the tomatoes. Add salt to taste (I like a lot). Let it simmer on medium heat for 15-20 min.
4. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil (preferably not the same water you used to boil the tomatoes). When the water begins to boil, add salt to the water (a handful or two). Add the pasta to the water and let it boil, mixing every so often to keep it from sticking. When the pasta is “al dente," drain the pasta, return it to the pot and add the sauce. Mix well and serve immediately. Top with the grated cheese.

Number Of Servings: 2-3

Preparation Time:15 min. preparation, 30 min. cooking