Category Archives: Italian

July 19, 2010 · 11:14 pm

Spanish-Styles Noodles with Chicken and Sausage

I liked this, but if I make it again, I will make some changes. This is how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 in. chunks
Pepper to taste
1 tspn. dried oregano or marjoram
1/3 c. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 cans diced tomatoes
12 oz. spaghetti, broken into 3-in pieces
Grated parmesan

Instructions:
Season the chicken with pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and Italian sausage and cook for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. When cooked, remove the chicken and sausage from Dutch oven with a slotted spoon.

Add the oregano/marjoram, onions, garlic, bay leaves and tomatoes to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat and cook for about six minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the onion mixture. Add water to Dutch oven to just cover the spaghetti and cook for about six minutes. Add the sausage and chicken back in to the pan and simmer for about ten minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Garnish with parmesan after being served into individual bowls.

Did I change anything? I didn’t change a lot, but if I make it again I will change a few things. I would leave out the chicken and add more Italian sausage. I would change the diced tomatoes to Italian-style diced tomatoes.

What did the family think? Everyone liked it. Our youngest REALLY liked it.


from Food Network

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup

July 18, 2010 · 9:32 pm

Italian Sausage Panini with Pickled Peppers and Onions

Yep, I pickled some peppers and onions today…I had no idea it was that easy or really what went into pickling something. You can do it too…it is SUPER easy! The pickled peppers and onion are what made all the difference in this sandwich too!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
2 tspn. salt
1 T sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed, but not chopped up
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
4 Italian sausage links, butterflied, or split down the middle
4 T olive oil
4 ciabatta rolls
4 slices provolone cheese

Instructions:
In a large pot, combine the vinegar, water, pepper flakes, salt, sugar and garlic and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the peppers and the onion. Let them pickle for at least 30 minutes.

While those are pickling, preheat grill over medium-high heat. Cook sausages for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Slice the rolls in half and brush them with olive oil on the inside. Put the provolone on the bottom, put a piece of cooked sausage on top of the provolone and then top it off with some of the pickled onions and peppers. Put the top half of the bun on top and place in a panini press about 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp. If you don’t have a panini press, grill the sandwiches in a large pan like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, but put a heavy pan on top of the sandwiches to flatten them a bit. Cook for three minutes per side.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it! Hubby and I had it with the pickled veggies and it made ALL the difference. The tanginess of the veggies coupled with the spice from the Italian sausage was SO good! The boys had the same sandwich we did, but I left out the pickled bits.

We had this with corn on the cob and watermelon…a perfect summer meal.

from Food Network

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Sandwich

July 16, 2010 · 11:06 pm

Meatball Sandwich

Our oldest child made a request for this for dinner this week. Thankfully, it was a hit with everyone!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, beef or chicken
3/4 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T parmesan, grated
1 egg, beaten
4 sub sandwich-type buns or a baguette
1 T olive oil
1/2 tspn. garlic powder
14 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices provolone

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix ground meat, bread crumbs, garlic, parmesan, and egg by hand. Form into about 12 meatballs and place in a baking dish. (I used a couple of glass pie dishes.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, cut the bread in half length-wise, brush with olive oil and season with garlic powder. (You may want to remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs before you oil and season the bread.) Put the bread on a baking sheet and toast for the last five minutes of the meatball’s cooking time.

Warm the spaghetti sauce in a medium sauce pan. When the meatballs are done put them in the spaghetti sauce and gently coat them with spaghetti sauce. Place the meatballs on the bread, top with provolone and place back in the oven for about 2 minutes so the cheese can melt. Yum!

Did I change anything? I used twice as much spaghetti sauce as this recipe calls for. I couldn’t get enough sauce on all of the meatballs when I just used one jar. Luckily, I happened to have another jar in the pantry.

What did the family think? They all loved it!

from allrecipes.com

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Sandwich

July 3, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Spaghetti Pie

This was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:
6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
2 T olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. pasta sauce
1/2 c. mozzarella

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss spaghetti with olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 9-in. pie plate; form into crust.

Spoon ricotta cheese over spaghetti and top with pasta sauce. Bake for 25 minutes.

Top with mozzarella and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

What did the family think? This was a HUGE hit with everyone.

from Sargento

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 23, 2010 · 11:51 pm

Creamy Summer Squash Lasagna

Hubby found this recipe on-line and suggested I try it. The only problem is that he got the recipe from a British website so all of the measurements had to be converted (or just estimated guessed.)

Ingredients:
6-9 lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
5 summer squash, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. ricotta
1 c. cheddar cheese
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep noodles from sticking to each other.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and squash and cook until the squash begins to soften. Remove from heat and add 2/3 c. ricotta and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese to the zucchini mixture.

In a large casserole dish, spoon half of the zucchini mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of pasta and then 1/2 the pasta sauce. Top that layer with the rest of the zucchini mixture, add pasta on top of that and then the rest of the pasta sauce. Top off the dish by placing blobs of ricotta cheese on top and then sprinkling the rest of the cheddar cheese on top of that.

Place in the oven on one of the higher racks for about ten minutes.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. It was super yummy and pretty easy, too.

from BBC Good Food

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 4, 2010 · 9:04 pm

Spring-Summer Ziti

I will tell you right now that this recipe made enough food to feed my family and the rest of the block. Unless you are having company or have a VERY large family, cut it in half. I will type it as I fixed it, but you should probably only make half as much.

Ingredients:
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
28 oz. can San Marzano plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
4 springs fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 c. fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 lb. ziti
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed of woody ends, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. ricotta
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.

Then stir in tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook for five minutes then stir in basil and tarragon. Remove from heat.

When pasta has been cooking for about five minutes, add asparagus and peas to pasta. Bring back to a boil and cook for another few minutes. Drain the pasta and the veggies.

Put pasta and veggies in a large bowl. Add all of the ricotta and half the parmesan to the pasta. Mix well.

Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large casserole dish. Add all of the zit and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Dot the top of the dish with the mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.

Bake for about twelve minutes.

What did the family think? Hubby thought it was good. I loved the chunks of mozzarella. Our oldest said it was the best pasta I’ve ever made. (Not sure about that.) Even our youngest ate it without much fuss…can’t ask for more than that. 🙂

from Rachel Ray

Leave a Comment

Filed under Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Not so Easy, Vegetarian

May 30, 2010 · 8:35 pm

Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli

I had never made anything with gnocchi before tonight. It was a hit with everyone!

Ingredients:
12-16 oz. gnocchi
16 oz. frozen broccoli
4 T olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. chicken sausage links, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tspn. crushed red pepper flakes
Juice of one lemon

Directions:

Cook broccoli and gnocchi according to the directions on the packaging. When they are done, drain and place in a large bowl.

In a large skillet, add olive oil and Italian sausage, cook over medium-high heat. Break up the sausage while it is cooking so that it is in bite-sized pieces. When it is almost thoroughly cooked, add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook for about five more minutes. Add the sausage mixture to the gnocchi and broccoli and thoroughly toss. Add lemon juice and toss again.

What did the family think? They really liked it! This is the first time our boys have ever had gnocchi. I thought they would like it, but I wasn’t certain. We had this with buttered baguette slices with thinly sliced radishes on top. Yummy!

adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe

Leave a Comment

Filed under Everybody Ate It, Italian

May 25, 2010 · 9:46 pm

Penne with Sausage, Wild Mushrooms and Spinach

I made this for the first time tonight. I am going through an old cookbook of mine and finding several recipes in there that I’ve never tried. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
3/4 lb. italian sausage, thickly sliced into rounds
3/4 lb. fresh wild mushrooms, thickly sliced
3/4 c. shallots
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tspn. dried crushed red pepper
10 oz. package ready to use spinach leaves
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
3/4 lb. penne pasta
1 1/2 c. grated provolone of mozzarella

Directions:
Cook penne according to package directions.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

Add sausage, mushrooms, shallots, garlic and crushed red pepper.

Saute until mushrooms begin to brown, about ten minutes.

Add spinach and broth; toss until spinach wilts.

Add pasta and cheese; toss until cheese melts and sauce coats pasta.

Did I change anything? Yes, I did, sadly I left out the best part-the mushrooms. My hubby doesn’t do mushrooms-ever.

What did the family think? Hubby and I both really liked it and both had seconds. Our oldest really liked it and he had seconds, too…he never has seconds unless it’s pizza or macaroni and cheese. The youngest ate as little as he could get away with claiming “he just wasn’t really very hungry.”

from Bon Appetit

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian

May 16, 2010 · 12:18 am

Bruschetta Chicken

This is great with some pasta, a nice salad, come great bread and a glass of vino.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1 T. butter, melted
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 T fresh, minced basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbspn. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour, then eggs and then place in greased 9×13-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl combine parmesan, breadcrumbs and butter. Sprinkle over chicken.

Loosely cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until chicken is done.

While chicken is cooking, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Spoon over chicken and return dish to oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Did I change anything? I have made this dish like it is written above. I have also made a faster version in the skillet. I cut up the chicken in small pieces and cook in a pan and then add the parmesan through the salt and pepper to the skillet after the chicken is cooked. It’s good either way.

What does the family think? Hubby and I love this dish. Anything that has the word “bruschetta” in it and we are all over it. The boys like this dish without the tomatoes on top.

from Taste of Home

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Italian

May 10, 2010 · 12:00 am

Spinach and Black Bean Lasagna

I got this recipe in a recipe swap a few years ago from my friend, Erin. It’s a fun and yummy twist on traditional lasagna.

Ingredients:
2 cans (15 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
26 oz. pasta sauce
1/2 tspn. cumin
15 oz. ricotta
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. fresh cilantro (optional)
9 no boil lasagna noodles
2 c. Monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place beans in a medium-sized bowl and mash them with a potato smasher until smooth. Stir in pasta sauce and cumin and set aside.

Place the ricotta, spinach, eggs and cilantro in another bowl. Stir until just combined and set aside.

Spoon 1/3 of the bean mixture evenly over the bottom of a 9×13 in. pan. Arrange three lasagna noodles side by side on top of the beans. Spoon half of the spinach mixture of top of the noodles and spread it out evenly.

Scatter one cup of cheese evenly over the spinach mixture.

Spread the remaining spinach mixture over the cheese, then arrange three of the lasagna noodles side by side on top. Spread half of the remaining bean mixture on top of the noodles.

Arrange the last three noodles side by side on top of the bean mixture and cover those noodles with the rest of the beans. Cover the dish with foil.

Bake the lasagna for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil.

Scatter the remaining one cup of cheese evenly over the lasagna and cover with the foil again.

Let lasagna rest for about ten minutes while the cheese melts.

What does the family think? I love this dish. It is a great twist on a classic. It is not my hubbies favorite. It has been a while since I have made this dish so I am not sure if the kids like it or not…sounds like a good time for me to make it again and find out. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under Italian, Mexican, Vegetarian