Lasagna Rolls

There are several things that I love love love about this meal...

1. Its easy to pare down for a small group. You can easily make this for 1-2 people. Great for when you want lasagna but don't want to make a huge pan. Think of these like individual lasagnas.

2. They are easy to make

3. They taste great

4. You can just as easily make this vegetarian and you can mix and match toppings and fillings- whatever you want to dress it up. Leave out the spinach, leave out the meat.. it all works and comes out great.



Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lb ground turkey or beef (browned) (leave out for a vegetarian meal)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Stir the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended

Add oil to boiling salted water and cook the noodles until al dente.

Lay out on a baking sheet so they don't stick

Combine the meat and the marinara sauce and pour some in the bottom of the pan

Spread the ricotta mixture on top the the noodle and then roll

Place into pan. Continue until all of them are done and in the pan

Cover with the rest of the sauce and put cheese on top

Cover with foil

Bake in oven about 25 to 30 minutes.


Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

I have to say out of all the recipes I've tried recently this is the only one I've made twice in two weeks. This picture is from my second attempt where I forgot to put parsley in. Either way it was still good. Lick my plate good.

This is definetly something that is going to be a regular around our house.



Pioneer Woman's Chicken Scallopine

1 pound linguine
6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts
Flour
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup dry white wine
Chicken broth (optional)
1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream (can use half & half)
1 heaping tablespoon capers
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Flatten chicken breasts to uniform thickness. Salt and pepper both sides, then dredge in flour.
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Throw mushrooms into the pan and stir. Immediately pour in wine, then squeeze juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon. Stir to deglaze the pan, then cook vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce reduces.
Pour in cream and stir, then add capers and parsley and stir. Turn off heat. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Don’t undersalt!
Place pasta and chicken on a platter and top with every last drop of sauce. Generously sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the top.

Baked Turkey Ziti

Baked Ziti
1 lb. ground turkey
1 package penne pasta
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (your choice)
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 cups of shredded cheese - mozzarella and asiago cheese

* preheat oven to 375
* boil pasta and set aside
* brown turkey and add tomatoes, sauce and seasoning
* mix pasta and sauce together
* Layer in pan with cheese
* Bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly

Pioneer Woman's Stovetop Macraroni and Cheese

I keep seeing this over and over on different blogs. The pictures make me want to drool. Seriously. I usually eat mac and cheese out of a little box and the one time I made homemade macaroni and cheese it was not so creamy - but still good. This looked so creamy, that I knew the next one I'd try would be this one.

Ingredients
4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated (I used half cheddar and half monterey jack)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook macaroni in a pot until done
Drain and set aside
In a large pot, melt butter and add flour in gradually
Stir together for five minutes
Pour in milk and mustard and stir until smooth
Cook until the sauce thickens
Reduce heat and stir in the egg until smooth
Add cheese and stir until melted
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the macaroni into the sauce and stir to combine

Serve immediately

or you could top it with cheese and bake it, but really serve immediately.

Italian Pepper Pasta with homemade sauce

Macaroni Grill used to have a sausage and pepper pasta. I would order it all the time. It came with peppers, onions, chicken, feta cheese in a spicy tomato sauce or Arrabbiata Sauce.

The sauce is very easy to make on your own. It takes very few ingredients and what you are left with is a delicious dish.

Ingredients
Red bell pepper - chopped
Onion - chopped
Spaghetti - cooked

Sauce from Epicurious.com
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 14 1/2-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay)
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Saute onion and garlic with red pepper flakes. Add the bell pepper
Add the tomatoes with juice and the wine bring to a boil
Turn down the heat and simmer about 10 minutes or until it thickens
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Add to pasta and toss with feta cheese.

Mario Batali Spaghetti Sauce

I saw this on the shelf at the store and I had no idea that he made spaghetti sauce. However it looked good. There were three kinds, we chose Tomato Basil. Its made with san marzano tomatoes and fresh basil. It looked really chunky and good. So I decided to give it a try.

I made it with a package of Trader Joe's linguine, grilled chicken breasts and mushrooms. I sprinkled some shaved parmesan on top. I think it came together really good.

I also made some cheesy garlic bread to go with it. Except this time instead of slicing the bread, I just cut the loaf in half and baked it that way. It came out really good. I think it was less maintence that way.

Pioneer Woman's Pasta ala Marlboro Man

or aka Meatloaf Pasta because thats what the sauce tasted like.. it was delicious. Very meaty, I think next time I'll make it with a smaller pasta like penne. It was good though.

I love meatloaf, My husband does not. I think this is the sneaky way of getting the flavor I love in something he will eat. mwahaha.

Pasta alla Marlboro Man
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 generous teaspoon ground thyme
2 14-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 to 2 pounds rigatoni

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook a couple of minutes, until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic and stir, cooking 1 minute, making sure not to brown the garlic.
Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of excess fat.
Add salt, pepper, and ground thyme. Stir to combine.
Dump in canned tomatoes with their juice. Stir, reduce heat to low, and cover pot. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Uncover the pot and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese before serving

Cook rigatoni according to package directions—don’t overcook! Drain and place individual portions into bowls.
Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan into the sauce. Check and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over cooked pasta, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and serve.

Chicken Romano

Awhile back my friend Jennifer and I went to the cheesecake factory because she had never been. I had Chicken Romano because the people next to me were having it and it looked good. They subbed the tomato sauce on the spaghetti for white sauce .. so I did too. Why not.

It was very good. I vowed to make it again at home and Jenn and I sat there and tried to figure out how. panko bread crumbs - she said and I agreed. Until I found a recipe online - and it said nothing about panko. So I did threw some panko in with the flour to give it some crunch..like we remembered and I thought it turned out perfect. I could be wrong. Maybe I should go again to make sure :)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 teaspoons water

Directions
1. Whisk together the egg, and the water.

2. Pound out chicken breasts to, at most, 1/2 inch thick.

3. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and coat the chicken lightly. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs

4. Then dip in egg, and cover with shredded Romano.

5. Place in frying pan on medium high, with a little bit of oil.

6. Cook until golden brown.

As for the pasta, its regular spaghetti with a white sauce.

Basic white sauce:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a sauce pan and whisk in flour and salt until smooth. Gradually stir in cold milk, cooking over direct heat and stirring constantly until sauce boils; reduce heat slightly and continue to stir until sauce becomes smooth and thick. When sauce thickens, simmer for an additional 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally.
Stir carefully to avoid lumps. If sauce becomes lumpy, use a stick blender or rotary beater to blend out lumps or else press through a sieve. Wondra flour may be used to great advantage since this flour does not have a tendency to lump.

garnished it all with some more sprinkled cheese and served it. It was really good!

Product Rave: Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Parpardelle Pasta

I bought this because I've seen so many people raving about it on the boards that I frequent. It is really good. Its great for an easy dinner because the pasta is already flavored. It can be served either by itself or with something simple.

I choose portabello mushrooms.

I cooked the pasta. While I was cooking the pasta, I sauteed the mushrooms with a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice, some fresh cracked pepper, a little olive oil and thats it. I tossed it all together and had a pretty easy meal in about 10 minutes.

Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake

I wanted to make something easy for my inlaws. My husband and I make baked ziti all the time, so when I saw this recipe, It sounded easy, but different twist on what we normally do. It changes it up without being risky.

When I pitched the chicken sausage bake to my husband.. He didn't seem too enthused. He said - do you really think its safe to experiment on my family? Why not try it another night with just me?

So I said we'll its basically the same thing we always do, but it uses chicken sausage instead, so it shouldn't be too horrible. If anything it will be edible. Just not as good as the other.

Anyways, so he agreed... but he said we should nix the spinach and onions that was in the recipe, just in case since his dad didn't really care for either. So no big deal. If you want to add those back in, go for it. We didn't use them, but I'll probably add them in the next time I make this... and yes, there will be a next time. It was good!! It was just as good as the baked ziti that I normally make. I thought it was a refreshing change.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 c. vodka (optional)
1 onion chopped
1 can whole tomatoes with juice - slightly crushed with hands
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup heavy cream

10 ounces baby spinach

1 pound rigatoni or penne

12 oz smoked chicken sausage (I used 4 links)
6 ounces of fontina cheese - shredded

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al-dente. Add spinach until it is wilted. drain and put back in the pot.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic. Remove from heat. Add the vodka. Return to heat and cook until almost evaporated.
• Stir in tomatoes and oregano. Cook the tomatoes until they are falling apart - about 10 minutes.
• Add cream. Cook until warmed through. Add salt and pepper.

• Add tomato sauce and sausage to the pasta pot. Stir to combine.
  
  

  
  
• Add half to a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with half the fontina cheese. Add the rest and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and the parmesan cheese.
• Bake until browned and edges are crisp - about 30 minutes.