Lasagna Roll Ups

Lately I've been seeing more and more pins of lasagna rolls on Pinterest.  This piqued my interest, because it seemed like a much easier way to approach lasagna than the rickety, slippery layers we all know and fight with when it comes time to serve up that delicious pasta.  I was frustrated when I went searching for one to make, though.  So many with bacon!  I just wanted a regular lasagna recipe that happened to be rolled, with proven cooking times so I didn't have to monitor my stove like a nut trying my own approach.  I finally found a keeper from My Joy Filled Life, and share it here with modifications to just make half of her giant serving.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or 1/2 cup diced onions)
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 jars pasta sauce, divided
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 7.5 oz-container ricotta cheese
• 1/2 egg (sorry- I know this is awkward!)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water with a drizzle of olive oil to boil.  Set out a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, to lay out your lasagna once it's cooked.  Add lasagna noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions (likely ~10 minutes).
3. While your water comes to a boil and your lasagna cooks, brown your beef with the garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Drain and return to pan.  Add 1 jar of pasta sauce and heat through.  Set aside once sauce is heated.
4. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 1/2 egg, parsley, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
5. Drain cooked lasagna noodles and rinse with cool water, to stop cooking and make them easier to handle.  Lay noodles out on cookie sheet covered with waxed paper.
6. Spread 1/4 cup of jarred pasta sauce in bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.
7. Spread the cheese mixture evenly down the center of each noodle.  Top with meat sauce in an even layer.  Roll up noodle and place seam side down in baking dish.  Repeat with remaining noodles.  You may not use all 12 because some tear while cooking or you run out of filling.
8. Once all noodles are rolled up and placed in pan, spread remaining pasta sauce (jarred and/or meat sauce) over top of noodles.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and 1 tablespoon of parsley flakes.
9. Tent baking dish loosely with aluminum foil; make sure it isn't touching the pasta and cheese at all.  Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until heated through.
10. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Mmmmm.  Lasagna-y goodness!

Easy Chicken and Orzo

Another reliable dish for my weeknight meal lineup is this delicious Parmesan and basil orzo from My Tiny Oven with some diced Italian chicken mixed in.  Simple, tons of flavor, and even better you just set things to cook and walk away for most of the cook time.  Love it!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 6 tablespoons fresh basil
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Place chicken in a baking dish and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste.  Bake 28-35 minutes or until cooked through.  Cut into bite-size pieces.
2. While chicken bakes, prepare the orzo.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the orzo and saute for a few minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown (5-10 minutes).
3. Add the chicken stock, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until stock has been absorbed.
4. Remove orzo from heat and stir in the Parmesan, salt, pepper, and cooked chicken.  Serve with additional salt and/or Parmesan on top.

Tasty tasty!

One-Pot Pasta with Shrimp

I should probably just sign up for a daily Martha Stewart recipe or something by now, because I seriously love pretty much every recipe I've tried from this woman's domestic machine.  The most recent of these is a one-pan pasta dish, which I only modified a bit.

What an appetizing bowl of pasta to serve up for the family!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups' worth)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used a little less because I worry about heat, but could have easily done the full 1/2 teaspoon or more)
• 2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for topping
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 to 1 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed (I actually used pre-cooked shrimp)
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (I actually skipped this, and liked it better just with olive oil)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except for shrimp and Parmesan cheese in a large straight-sided skillet or pot.  I used a pot because I was not confident that all of this would fit in my largest pan.  Bring to a boil and toss with tongs occasionally.  Boil 9 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and water is almost all evaporated.  Add shrimp to pot the last minute of cooking time and cook until just pink and beginning to curl.  Do not overcook.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with torn basil, drizzle of olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

Seriously, how easy is that?!?  Some chopping and 15 minutes to boil/cook everything, and you have a pretty impressive dinner to dish out.  Perfect for a weeknight meal.

Everything all situated in my stock pot.

Bubble bubble!  This is the last minute when I tossed in my shrimp.

Caprese Pasta

I recently decided to delve into my older pins that I still haven't made, and had great success with this recipe from How Sweet It Is.  I did make some alterations, like just browning the ground beef instead of making mini meatballs, but in the end my recipe is pretty identical.  Served with a simple salad, this was an excellent meal all around.  My guests loved it, and my family will definitely be seeing more of this dish.  :)

Ingredients

(Serves 4-6)

For the beef

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the pasta

• 1 pound pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 8 ounces mozzarella, diced (or 8 oz mini mozzarella balls)
• 1/3 cup pasta water, reserved
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Set a large pot of generously salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. While pasta cooks, add all beef ingredients to a large pan and cook until browned.  Set aside.
3. At the same time you are browning the beef, heat olive oil in a separate large pan set to medium heat.  Sautee garlic about 1 minute.  Add diced and grape tomatoes and basil.  Stir to coat in pan oil and juices.  Mix in up to 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water to make sauce desired consistency (I didn't use much).  Cook just 2-3 minutes more until grape tomatoes are tender.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl mix the cooked pasta, beef, and tomato sauce.  Add the mozzarella and stir gently to combine.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil garnish, as desired.

Extreme cheesy closeup!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Peas and Chicken

This is one of the recipes I've put together using my Tastefully Simple purchases!  Using their Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix with some typical pasta dish components adds a ton of flavor and makes this more of a special meal than "I tossed things in a pan."  I'm not getting anything from Tastefully Simple for this, just sharing a yummy recipe idea for one of their products.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 prepared packet's worth Artichoke & Spinach Warm Dip Mix from Tastefully Simple, along with required ingredients
• I always use Swiss cheese when I prepare mine
• 1 chicken breast
• 1/2 pound (1/2 box) short pasta
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through.
2. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
3. While pasta is cooking, prepare dip according to package directions.  Set aside.
4. Heat frozen peas according to package directions
5. Remove chicken from oven and dice into bite-size pieces.
6. Drain pasta when done cooking and return to pot.  Stir in dip and chicken, and mix until well combined.  Gently stir in peas.

Baked Cheesy Pasta with Prosciutto

Once again, Giada delivers on her promises of tasty recipes that, with just a little bit of something extra, take normal pasta dishes into something amazing.  She called her recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce, and I just have to say that it's a disservice when she doesn't mention the prosciutto!  Talk about burying the lead.  Anyway, you can have this great dish all wrapped up and ready to serve within 45 minutes.  Add garlic bread and a salad, and you've got a killer weeknight meal here.

Saucy hammy goodness right there.

I usually halve these recipes because I only need 2-3 servings, but here's the full size which will easily serve 4-5.

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart (4 cups/32 ounces) whole milk, room temperature
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Sea salt and white pepper to taste (I cheated and used black pepper)
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
• 1 pound (box) dry rigatoni or other short pasta.
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.  Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside.
2. Set a large pot of generously salted water to boil.  While waiting for water to boil, make the cheese sauce.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.  Stir continually and slowly add the milk, whisking until smooth and creamy.  Simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the fontina, the prosciutto, and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
4. Your water should be boiling by now.  Add your pasta and cook just 5 minutes.  Because you're baking the pasta, it will cook the rest of the way in the sauce in the oven.  Drain the pasta and transfer pasta to the pot with the cheese sauce.  Stir until the pasta is generously coated.
5. Pour the pasta and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining fontina, then dot with the diced butter.  Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Pasta with Spinach Sauce

First off, let me apologize for neglecting my blog so much lately!  It's actually been for a good reason.  I'm operating at a bit of a less-than-whirlwind pace the last couple months, and spending more 1:1 time with my son, so I count that as a good thing.  Now, I've still been trying new recipes and projects around the house, so I actually have a backlog of posts.  Once those start to pile up, I can get a bit immobilized by the "oh noes, where do I start?" feeling.

Anyway, jumping back into it with this SUPER tasty dish.  Giada never steers me wrong.  I'm pretty sure my cooking trinity right now are Martha, Giada, and the Barefoot Contessa.  Also helping: reading The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster.  Hilarious and great.

Ingredients

• 1/2 box of pasta (I stuck with Giada and used penne this time)
• 1 garlic clove (I used 2, and it was WAY too much; stick with 1 for these proportions, and I'd even shy away from the full 3 in the original, larger batch recipe)
• 1 ounce goat cheese (though being generous won't hurt HERE!)
• 1/2 ounce cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 3 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pasta water

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, in generously salted water.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
2. While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, prepare the spinach sauce.  Let me prepare you now: it is going to be a startling shade of green.  Like, you're going to think you're serving Slimer from Ghostbusters on your pasta.  But it's HEALTHY!  ;)
3. Mince the garlic in a food processor.  Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and half the spinach.  Blend until smooth and creamy, and set aside.
4. Place the remaining spinach in a large bowl.  Scoop 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set aside.  Drain the pasta when cooked through, and add the warm pasta to the bowl with the spinach.  Add the spinach and cheese mixture, and stir until pasta is completely coated, adding the pasta water to the mixture as needed to make it smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese to serve.

Simple Spinach and Parmesan Pasta

What an easy yet flavorful meal for a quick weeknight dinner.  If only everything that cooked in 15 minutes tasted so good!  Thanks to Naturally Ella for this one.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1/2 bag baby spinach (I get the 6-oz bags)
• 3 ounces (2 servings) pasta (I love it with spaghetti)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.  
2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, then add thyme and saute another minute.  Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from  heat and set aside until pasta is done.
3. Drain pasta and toss with the spinach mixture.  Stir in Parmesan.
4. Serve with extra Parmesan and thyme on top.

Stuffed Shells with Cream Sauce

Oooooh goodness are these stuffed shells good.  They make me wish I'd been making stuffed shells forever. I never had them much growing up, so just don't think of them as a dinner option.  But when I saw this pin, they had to be mine.  I decided not to be intimidated by something with "Bechamel" in the title, and was encouraged when the actual recipe just called it "creamy white sauce".  :)
Now, the advice here is that all the time it takes to make the sauce is totally worth it.  So be patient!

Ingredients

Shells

• 24 large pasta shells, prepared according to instructions, then rinsed and cooled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse sea salt

Filling

• 30 ounces ricotta cheese
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled finely
• 3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled finely

Topping

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Shells. Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil and shells.  Make a few more than 24 so there are no tears over torn shells.  Cook according to package instructions.  Drain, rinse with cool water to stop the cooking and make them easy to handle, and arrange on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Set aside.
2. Filling. In a large bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients until well incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Sauce.  In a medium pot, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.  Whisk in the flour until smooth.  Increase the heat to medium and cook until the mixture is golden and bubbly, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pot over medium heat, just to the point of boiling.  Stir the milk regularly and scrape the bottom of the pot so the milk doesn't burn.  Add the hot milk to the golden bubbly butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly, until all added and the sauce is smooth.  Bring to a boil and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot, until thickened and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in the salt and cheese.  Set aside until ready to use.
4. Fill the Shells.  Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with Pam.  Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce into the bottom of the pan and tilt to coat evenly.  Fill the shells with the cheese mixture (about 1/4 cup each) and set them in the pan (I had 3 rows of 8 shells, plus a few extra nudged in).  Pour the remaining sauce evenly on top.  Sprinkle with Topping ingredients.
5. Bake 30 minutes, or until the shells are hot all the way through and sauce is bubbling.
6. Leftovers keep really well and taste excellent the next day!

Spaghetti with Butternut Squash

I'm back!  Happy holidays, everyone.  I hope you were all as pampered for Christmas as I was!  As much as I loved visiting with family, it was really nice to be back home and in my kitchen again.  I celebrated with a new meal last night: this very tasty take on spaghetti.  It has a great flavor, and even my picky husband was a fan after he doused his in extra Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced (I cheated and bought mine already diced for me!)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 oz (1/2 box) spaghetti
• 1 cup sliced leek (only use the stem, not the leaves), thoroughly cleaned in cold water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
• 4 sage leaves, thinly sliced horizontally
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add squash and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
3. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet.  Saute the leeks and garlic over medium heat until soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes.  Add pureed squash, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add a little of the reserved pasta water to thin out sauce to desired consistency.  I kept mine pretty thick.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and sage, and mix in pasta until well coated.
4. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese to taste.

Bolognese

For this post, I had to make a drawing.  And by "make a drawing", I mean mash up some things from clip art and word art for you, to convey the depth of my love of bolognese.

There is an entire portion of my brain devoted to it.  I decided it was somewhere in the frontal lobe, because it definitely controls my decision making, or rather impairs it when the other parts of my brain smell it or think about it.  Even though I was content before I started writing this post, I am now voraciously hungry for more pasta.
It's a blessing and a curse, people.  We have Ina Garten to thank for this particular mutation of my disease.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra to use in the pasta water
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sea salt (plus more to taste) for the sauce and 1 tablespoon sea salt for the pasta water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 3/4 pound dried pasta
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spatula, for 5 to 7 minutes until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown.
2. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir t scrape up any browned bits.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.
5. While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce.  Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup of wine to the sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. 
6. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour back into the pot you boiled it in.  Add the sauce and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and stir to coat evenly.
7. Serve hot with Parmesan grated on top.

Creamy Goat Cheese, Chicken, and Vegetable Pasta

I cannot put into words how delicious the sauce is for this pasta dish.  Suffice it to say I just wanted to lick the pan while it was still hot, it was so good.  Yay to the Pinterest gods for bestowing another amazing dish into my culinary repertoire.  Yay for Gimme Some Oven, too.  I will caution you though, that this meal involves 3 things happening simultaneously so lots of jumping around and stirring in sequence.  This is a meal to make when you've got some energy.  This is definitely one of those meals where you get your ingredients all lined up before hand, and have to read the recipe thoroughly first.  No doing it as you go on this one.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch (about 15 skinny stalks) asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2" pieces
• 8 oz fresh button or baby bella mushrooms, halved
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Directions

1. Set a pot of generously salted water to boil for the pasta.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and the center is no longer pink.  Remove the chicken and set aside in a bowl.
3. Add pasta to the boiling water.
4. Now things get fun.  You're going to cook both the vegetables and the sauce at the same time.  Prepare yourself!
5. Add shallots and garlic to the large pan you cooked the chicken in, adding more oil if needed (I did not one time when I made this; needed more another time).  Saute for 2 minutes, then add the asparagus and mushrooms.  Continue cooking for another 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove skillet from heat.
6. While the vegetables are cooking, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk quickly to combine, then let cook for 1 minute.  Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water, the goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper.  Whisk to combine.  Cook for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low and stir occasionally until the pasta is ready.  If the sauce is too thick, gradually add small portions of pasta water until you thin it out to your taste.  Mine was just fine without thinning, though.
7. Drain the pasta when cooked, and immediately toss pasta in the large pan with the vegetables,  chicken (but not the juices), and the cheese sauce.  Serve garnished with additional Parmesan cheese.
8. Try not to lick the serving spoon.  I dare you.

I just had to share that I made it again a couple nights ago, in my brand new apron!

And now I have a new pic to share too, this time with a different kind of noodle. :)

Crock Pot Beef Daube Provencal (Beef Stew)

Now don't let the French name throw you on this one.  It's just beef stew, but there's nothing plain about it.  We're having a crock pot cook off at work tomorrow, and I chose this amazing stew as my entry.  This guy takes a lot of work, but MAN is it worth it.  I'll let you know if tomorrow's judges agree!
Update: 1st place!  Yay fancy name beef stew!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 2-lb boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided (1/2 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon portions)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided (1/4 portions)
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• dash of ground cloves
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional: serve with egg noodles, rice, or other pasta.

Directions

1. Heat oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat.  Add garlic, and cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
2. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add roast to pan, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove roast from pan.
3. Add wine to pan and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Add garlic, roast, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and all the other ingredients (except optional pasta or rice).  Bring to a boil.
4. Carefully transfer roast mixture to a 4-quart electric slow cooker.  This step could get really messy and painful if you just dump the stew into the crock pot.  Take it easy so you don't splatter everywhere (and burn yourself in the process).  Cover and cook on HIGH 5 hours.  Discard bay leaf.  Serve over pasta or rice if desired.

You could also make this in the oven if you'd like.  Instead of transferring to the crock pot, just cover the dutch oven and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.

Creamy Penne and Fall Vegetable Casserole

I have a great Food Network daily calendar on my desk, which has a different recipe or cooking tip each day.  I tend to save recipes from the calendar and forget about them, but this one I had to try right away.  I stayed pretty close to the Baked Penne with Fall Vegetables recipe, with just a few modifications based on family preferences and ingredients I had on hand and only made half the recipe (to make 3 servings instead of 6).

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley (or 1/8 cup fresh)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups thickly sliced leeks (white and tender green parts), thoroughly washed*
• 3 cups large diced butternut squash
• 1/6 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 oz of penne (1/2 box)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

*Leeks can have a lot of dirt on them, especially in the green leafy part.  Wash by soaking in a large bowl of cold water, straining, and repeating a couple times until the water is clear (no grit floating around).

Directions

[Note: For this recipe, you definitely need to chop and measure everything out before hand. There is a good deal of stirring for the sauce, so you can't count on that time to prepare the ingredients while you cook.]

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Pulse the Parmesan and parsley in a food processor until well combined.  Set aside.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.  While it is cooking (probably 10-12 minutes), prepare the vegetables and sauce.
4. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the leeks and squash and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until just tender (5-7 minutes).
5. Uncover the pot and stir in the flour, sage, and nutmeg.
6. Reduce the heat to medium and gradually stir in the broth and milk.
7. Simmer, stirring, until thickened (5-7 minutes).
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. When cooked, drain the pasta.  Then add pasta to the vegetable sauce, along with the mozzarella.
10. Stir the pasta, cheese, and vegetable sauce until pasta is thoroughly coated.
11. Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Pour the pasta mixture into the dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan-parsley topping.
12. Bake until the top is golden, about 15-20 minutes.  Let rest for several minutes before serving.

Golden, bubbly, melty goodness!

Baked Rotini

This recipe has evolved over the years, and has a special place in my heart.  This was the first recipe I really did well when I was first married, and the first one I tinkered with over time instead of following the cookbook version exactly.  It's definitely comfort food in my house: both comforting for me to make because it is so familiar, and comforting to eat all year long.  I know it's nothing groundbreaking, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb (1/2 box) rotini
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 24-oz jar pasta sauce

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic cloves in a large nonstick pan heated over medium heat.  You do not need to coat the pan in oil or nonstick spray; the beef provides its own grease to cook in.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. When cooked, drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
5. When browned (5-7 minutes), drain the ground beef mixture and add to the large bowl.
6. Stir together the pasta, ground beef, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, the pepper, and pasta sauce until evenly mixed.
7. Pour the pasta mixture into a lidded 3-quart casserole dish.  Cover and cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
8. Remove lid, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, cover again, and cook an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serves 4-5

So ooey gooey and cheesy!!!

Vegetable Lasagna

There used to be a restaurant called Spinnakers that I loved as a kid.  They had flower pot bread, and the best veggie lasagna I'd ever had.  I finally found a recipe that, when edited, came close to the magic of that restaurant that hasn't been around since I was in high school.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

8 ounces dried lasagna noodles (9 noodles)

2 beaten eggs

30 oz ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained.  The spinach can be very watery, so be sure to squeeze it out well in colander.  However, stir up the spinach to loosen it up before adding to sauce in step 3.

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and thoroughly drained

1 cup shredded carrot (2 carrots)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces) (divided)

1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain; set aside on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion and garlic until tender (2-3 minutes).  Stir in flour and pepper; add milk all at once.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly (several minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in the spinach, broccoli, carrot, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. To assemble, grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish (I use 9 x 13 inch).  Layer 3 of the noodles, folding or cutting to fit (they fit perfectly in the 9 x 13).  Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, then 1/3 of the vegetable mixture, and 1/3 of the mozzarella.  Repeat the layers two more times.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until heated through.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

I really love Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast cookbook.  I've made just about every recipe in it and they've almost all been fantastic.  This one in particular has been a staple dish in my house for the last couple years.  I made it tonight and my son even went for seconds.  That's high praise.  So here's my modified version of the recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 lb (1/2 box) orecchiette or other short pasta (I always use the orecchiette)

Salt

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

1 lb ground sausage

1/4 cup water reserved from pasta water

1/2 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

1/6 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)

Serves 6

Directions

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil.  When the water boils, add the pasta and cook  according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat a large frying pan at medium heat.  If desired, add oil.  Cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned (7-10 minutes).  Add the peppers and cook 3-4 more minutes until heated through.
3. When the pasta is cooked, measure out 1/4 cup of water from the pot and set aside. Drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.  When the meat and peppers are cooked, also drain.  In the large bowl, mix the pasta, sausage mixture, butter, Parmesan, and as much of the reserved pasta water as you want to get a light saucy texture.  Season with salt and pepper if desired (I don't).  Top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Stuffed Pork Chops and Roasted Red Potatoes

This is a recipe I've been making for a while now, and it's my family's favorite way to have pork chops.  I got some basics of the recipe from What's for Dinner?  I added more seasoning to the pork chops and have my favorite type of stuffing to use.  I also love serving them with my roasted red potatoes- a recipe I made up when I was first learning how to cook as a newlywed.

Roasted Red Potatoes
8-10 mini red potatoes, quartered
1 tsp olive oil
Garlic powder, rosemary, and salt to taste (I usually use about 1/2 tsp each)

Directions
Wash and quarter the potatoes.  Place in an oven-safe, lidded dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, then season with garlic powder, rosemary, and salt.  Toss to coat.  Cover, and place in 425 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Stir, cover, and return to oven for 15 more minutes.  Stir and serve.

Stuffed Pork Chops
Ingredients:
4 lean boneless pork loin chops, relatively thick cut
1 serving Pepperidge Farm stuffing, prepared according to quick stove-top instructions
Garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper for seasoning the meat to taste
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the stuffing per instructions. 

Slice pockets into the pork chops by slicing horizontally in the side, but be sure not to cut all the way through.
Season the pork with garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper, then stuff with stuffing.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large oven safe skillet at medium heat. Sear the pork chops on one side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Flip the chops and place the skillet in the oven for 9 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.