Category Archives: Italian

February 7, 2011 · 7:37 pm

Gnocchi with Sausage, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil

Heavens to Betsy this is SOOOO good, so simple and SOOOO easy!

Ingredients:
5 italian sausages
1 lb. gnocchi (found in the pasta aisle of most grocery stores)
Several large spoonfuls sundried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Olive oil
Salt, a pinch or two
Pepper, a pinch or two
2 T Parmesan

Instructions:
Cook sausages in olive oil over medium heat until done (or purchase the pre-cooked variety and brown them in a skillet.)

Meanwhile, heat a pan of water to boiling, add gnocchi and let simmer for five minutes. Drain. Set aside.

Slice sausages and add to gnocchi. Add sundried tomatoes, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil and parmesan.

Did I change anything? The only thing I did differently is that I served this with pasta sauce for certain members of my family that refuse to eat pasta without it. I ate it as written.

What did the family think? Love, love and more love! This is so good and everyone really liked it.

from half-assed kitchen

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

January 29, 2011 · 9:54 am

Italian Sloppy Joes

Hubby said this tasted like pizza on a bun.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Hamburgers buns

Instructions:
Add onions, green pepper and Italian sausage to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through. Add spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through.

Serve in hamburger buns.

We had this with carrot sticks and fruit salad.

What did the family think? I was surprised the kiddos didn’t like it more since it did taste like pizza on a bun and they like pizza. I think it was the green peppers that put them off. Oh well, hubby and I liked it.

from Food Network

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Filed under Easy, Italian, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 27, 2011 · 10:31 pm

Lazy Lasagna

You’re not lazy, just resourceful. 🙂

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
2 carrots, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (14-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli, unthawed
1 (14-ounce) jar marinara sauce
1/2 pound sliced provolone
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, then sauté the onion, carrots, garlic, and herbs until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion mix to a bowl.

Arrange the still-frozen ravioli (breaking them apart if they’re clumped) in one layer in the skillet and sprinkle with the onion mix. Ladle the marinara sauce evenly over the ravioli. Over medium heat, without stirring, cook everything until the ravioli are heated through and beginning to brown on the bottom (gently lift one with a fork to check), about 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat, then arrange the provolone slices over the sauce and sprinkle the whole thing with Parmesan. Bake the lasagna in the middle of the oven until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Did I change anything? No, but I won’t add the onions next time. I don’t think I have ever said this before, but I think it had too much cheese. I know. “Too much” and “cheese” just don’t go together normally, but I think next time I will used shredded provolone or shredded mozzarella instead.

What did the family think? The boys loved it. Hubby and I could have used less cheese.

from DisneyFamily

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Filed under Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

January 23, 2011 · 9:15 pm

Poached Cod with Pasta Sauce

This couldn’t get any easier…three ingredients!

Ingredients:
1 lb. cod
1 jar pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
Simmer pasta sauce in a skillet; add cod fillets, cover and cook until just firm; top with parmesan.

We had this with green beans and a baguette.

Did I change anything? I didn’t actually use the whole jar of pasta sauce. I probably used about 3/4 of it though. Also, the cod filet I bought was pretty long, so I cut in half so that it would all fit in the pan and cook more evenly.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this. The boys had fish sticks.

from Food Network

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 21, 2011 · 10:24 pm

Italian Sausage, Mozzarella and Spinach Panini

I saw this on Cooking Light’s website; I just added some mozzarella cheese and some pasta sauce to jazz it up a bit.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 Italian sausage links, cut in half crosswise
4 cups baby spinach
4 (1 1/2-ounce) French bread rolls
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pasta sauce

Instructions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add sausages, and cook 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Remove sausage from skillet; carefully slice each piece in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open the halves, laying sausage flat. Return sausage to skillet, placing cut sides down; cook 2 minutes or until sausage is done. Remove sausage from skillet; set aside, and keep warm. Add spinach to skillet; cover and cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Remove spinach from skillet; set aside, and keep warm.

Slice each French bread roll in half horizontally. Fill with one sausage, 1/4 of the spinach and 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side until cheese is melted.

Serve with heated up pasta sauce in little bowls for dipping your sandwich into.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. The spinach didn’t even bother the boys because they were too busy dipping their sandwiches in the pasta sauce. Yum!

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less

· 10:08 pm

Pumpkin Ravioli

To help save on time, I made the filling and cut the ravioli circles in the afternoon so that when it was time to make dinner all I had to do was fill them and cook them.

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium white beans
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg
72 wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1½ cups jarred marinara sauce

Instructions:
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.

Place the beans, pumpkin puree, ricotta, Parmesan, and garlic powder into a food processor. Process until smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.

Set the wonton wrappers on a cutting board. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto a wrapper. Brush the edges of the wonton with the egg wash. Top off with another wonton sheet. To make a round shape, cut around the base of the pumpkin can. Press the edges of the ravioli together firmly, to seal.

As you fill each ravioli, place them on a baking sheet sprinkled with the cornstarch. When you are done filling all the ravioli, carefully place them in the boiling water using a slotted spoon.

As soon as they rise, about 4 minutes, they are done. Lift them out with the slotted spoon and divide between serving bowls. Top with marinara sauce and serve immediately.

Did I change anything? I couldn’t find any wonton wrappers, so I used egg roll wrappers which I think are essentially the same thing, just bigger, which meant I could made two circles out of one wrapper. I also used my Pampered Chef circle cutter to make the circles and then I filled them and then I used the pumpkin can to seal them by just pressing the empty pumpkin can down around the edges of the wrapper to seal the filling in. In other words, I went through way too much work and I should have just left them in square shapes like the picture.

What did the family think? Both the boys loved it and there were enough leftovers to pack in lunches the next day. I thought it was just okay. I think the texture of the “noodles” is what threw me off a little. Hubby was still out of town, so he missed it.

from Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

January 13, 2011 · 6:18 pm

Italian Wedding Soup

I got one of Rachel Ray’s cookbooks for Christmas a few years ago. This is one of my favorite soups. I know it has a lot of ingredients, but it’s really pretty easy. I love that the meatballs cook in the soup.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettucini or ditalini
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth.

When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir.

Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve.

Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread

What did the family think? We love anything with meatballs! 🙂

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup

January 11, 2011 · 8:49 am

Ravioli and Meatball Casserole

This takes a little while to bake, but it was perfect for last night. We were watching the BCS football game, so it baked while we watched. It was worth the wait, too. There was not one drop of this left…the whole family loved it.

Ingredients:
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
24 frozen cooked meatballs
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese ravioli
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2 quart casserole mix pasta sauce and soup until smooth. Stir in meatballs and ravioli.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, let stand for 5 minutes to melt cheese before serving.

Did I change anything? The only thing I wish was different about this recipe is that it made more food. We all wanted more. 🙂

What did the family think? It was a hit!

from food.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

January 3, 2011 · 9:20 pm

Crock Pot Lasagna

Tried out another Jessica Seinfeld recipe tonight. I don’t think this one is in her new cookbook, but this is one that she made on Oprah a month or so ago.

Ingredients:
3 cans (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes
3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Did I change anything? The only thing I changed is that I couldn’t fit all of the ingredients into the Crock Pot, so I didn’t use all of the cheese mixture or all of the spinach. I also added 1/2 lb. of ground Italian sausage to it which I cooked before I put it in the Crock Pot.

What did the family think? The kids loved it! My youngest said it was the best lasagna he’s EVER had. I would say that it was good, but definitely not the best I have ever had, but if my kids will eat it, then I like it.

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Filed under Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

December 8, 2010 · 10:34 pm

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage

I never buy squash because I think it’s going to be a pain in the tush to cook, but this was actually pretty easy.

Ingredients:
1 small spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 links hot Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey; 1 1/2 pounds)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions:
Halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash, cut-side up, in a large microwave-safe bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave until tender, about 20 minutes. BE CAREFUL when you take off the plastic. There will be some HOT steam that comes out. Scoop out the flesh into a colander (use a towel to hold the squash) and shred with 2 forks.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the sausages, turning, until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to brown, about 4 more minutes. Toss in the squash and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the sausages and sprinkle with parmesan.

Did I change anything? I left out the red peppers and I served this with spaghetti sauce, just like I would regular spaghetti.

What did the family think? Everybody ate it! I was a little unsure if our youngest would like it. I knew he would either love it because it’s “spaghetti” or hate it because it’s “squash”. He loved it!

from Food Network

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Filed under Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian