Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb. Ground meat
1 16 oz. box uncooked spaghetti noodles
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ Cup Milk
1 Egg
2 ounces sliced pepperoni (I like Turkey)
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
1 16 oz. can diced Italian style tomatoes
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend
Any other pizza toppings, you can add like Black olives, sausage, onions, green peppers, etc...
Directions:
Boil water & salt for Spaghetti noodles, once it starts boiling, add noodles. Brown meat in a separate frying pan. Once noodles are cooked, drain and put in a casserole dish. In a separate bowl, combine milk & egg & whisk. Poor over pasta & add jar of sauce, can of tomatoes, garlic powder, & oregano. Mix all together well. On top of pasta mixture, layer the ground meat, then add a layer of pepperoni's. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, & Italian cheese. And layer more pepperoni. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pasta House Salad copy cat

This is one of my favorite salads!!! Great for a potluck or Church dinner!!

1 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 red onion (thinly sliced)
1 small can artichoke hearts in water (drained and crumbled into fourths)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tomato (diced)

Dressing
4 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

directions

In large bowl, combine the following: Break head of iceberg lettuce into quarters separating the layers. Break romaine lettuce into thirds. Add sliced onions, artichoke hearts, and grated parmesan. Toss and chill.

Pour dressing on a few minutes before serving--if you do it too far in advance the salad will wilt. Toss well before serving.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/17/Pasta-House-Company-Salad91960.shtml

 

Healthy 3 cheese garden vegetable pizza with whole wheat crust

Post by Cherie Solomon Zimmerschied.

Sicilian White Bread

2oz yeast
1 quart warm water
2 TBSP honey
1 lb flour
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBSP salt
4 TSP garlic powder or fresh pureed garlic
2 lbs 8oz of Semolina flour or durum wheat
NOTE Semolina gives it more flavor!

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix the honey, flour, olive oil, salt, garlic and all but a handful of the durum wheat. Once the ingredients have formed a dough, continue to knead for about 10 minutes adding the remaining flour as necessary to form a smooth, soft dough.
2. Place the dough in an oil bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until double in volume.
3. Punch the dough down. Let rise again until it doubled in volume the second time.
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape the pieces into loaves. put slights on the tops of them.
5. Let the loaves rise until they are 1 1/2 time the original size.
6. Bake at 410F using steam for the first 10 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.
NOTE: to create steam in your oven: place a cookie sheet or pot on the lower racks with water in it and allow you oven to fill with steam. The steam will give you a crispier crust

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

found this recipe at Copykat.com hope it's as good as Olive Gardens!! http://www.copykat.com/2010/02/28/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/

Yield: 8 servings.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
1 pound potato gnocchi – can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets
Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil, over medium heat when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. or make your own from this recipe http://cheriezrecipes.blogspot.com/search?q=gnocchi

Into the roux add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings, simmer until soup is heated through.

Comments about this recipe: You can add more chicken if you like. While you could use left over cooked chicken breasts, I really think using the rotisserie chicken that are found in many grocery stores is the best way to get the optimal flavor of this soup. If you want to make the soup lower calorie you can use milk instead of half and half. Half and Half, does taste better, and it also reheats better than milk does.

Italian beef sandwiches

from Taste of Home




8 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients
8 submarine or hoagie buns (8 inches)
1 pound ground beef
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
Directions
•Make a 2-in.-wide V-shaped cut in the center of each bun to within 1
inch of the bottom. Remove cut portion and save for another use; set
aside.

•In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;
drain. Add the spaghetti sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
Cook 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

•Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, Parmesan cheese and half of cheddar
and mozzarella cheeses. Spoon meat sauce into buns; top with cheese
mixture. Place on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil.

•Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining
cheddar and mozzarella. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until
the cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Rachael Ray's Brown Butter and Black Pepper Gnocchi

found this on Rachael's website www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/meat-and-potatoes-meal

use this in the Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe on this blog also


Ingredients
1 3/4 to 2 pounds (2 large) starchy potatoes, such as Russet
A couple of pinches of fine sea salt
A few grates of nutmeg
About 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg

Preparation

For the Gnocchi:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and boil potatoes in their skins to tender, 40-45 minutes. Turn off heat, remove potatoes and reserve water. Cool potatoes a few minutes until just cool enough to touch but still hot.


Quarter potatoes and scrape away skins with sharp paring knife. Mill the potatoes into a crumbly mash with fork tines or run them through a ricer onto a work surface. Make a well in the potatoes and let cool completely. Season with fine sea salt and nutmeg, and spread flour around the potatoes. Add egg to the well and begin to mix into potatoes

Once incorporated fully, gently kneed potato dough for a few minutes then cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1-inch dowel then cut gnocchi with a small sharp knife. Press gnocchi with the tines of a fork to create ridges.

Return reserved water to a boil. Drop gnocchi and cook until they float

Remove with a slotted spoon and toss simply with brown butter and cheese, pesto or red sauce of choice.
Gnocchi freezes well: Toss uncooked gnocchi with a drizzle of oil and arrange in a single layer, so they lie flat in freezer-safe plastic food storage bag


For the Brown Butter and Black Pepper Gnocchi
Salt
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds gnocchi, homemade or store-bought
6 to 8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
About 1 round teaspoon coarse black pepper
Freshly grated Pecorino cheese, to taste

Italian Beef

3-4lb beef roast,
1 jar of pepperoncinis
1 jar giardiniera drained
1 packet of dry Zesty Italian dressing
10oz beef broth.
hogie rolls
provolone cheese

Cook it for as few as 10 hours, as many as 18, on low. I serve this on French hoagie rolls with provolone. Make sure to spoon some of the juice from the crockpot onto the sandwiches (or put the juice in a dish and dip like French dip).

Spaghetti Casserole

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (26 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce (I used Newman's Own)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
3 cups (12 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ground round and onion in large skillet, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain meat, and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into beef mixture.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and pepper.

Spoon one-third of meat mixture into lightly greased 5 quart slow cooker. Spread half of broken spaghetti over meat, pour half of white sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese. Top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook on Low 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6-8 servings

Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Makes 8 servings
Prep: 15 mins
Slow Cook on LOW for 6 hours

1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsely
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 large carrots, chopped
1 small head escarole (8 ounces), washed, trimmed and cut into 1/2 in strips
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 3/4 cups acini di pepe pasta (such as Ronzoni)

In a large bowl, stir together egg, beef, onion, bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, 1 tablespoon parsely and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Form into 1 in meatballs (about 45 ) and place on baking sheet; refrigerate while preparing soup.

Combine broth, carrots, escarole and oregano in slow cooker. Gently add meatballs. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours. Stir in pasta for last 20 mins of cook time. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle each serving with remaining parsely and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Rigatoni with Bacon and Asparagus

found this recipe here dailydishrecipes.com

Can't wait to try it!

Rigatoni with Bacon and Asparagus
(recipe found in Taste of Home Healthy Cooking)

1 package rigatoni or large tube pasta
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped
8 bacon strips
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil (chopped)
Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In same pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon and set aside. Saute garlic in butter and oil until tender. Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in mozzarella until melted. Drain rigatoni; add to pan. Stir in the salt, asparagus and reserved bacon. Sprinkle with parmigiano-reggiano cheese and parsley.

Olive Oil Dough (can be used for Pizza)

From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Makes 4-1 lb loaves. (This recipe can easily be doubled or halved.)

Ingredients
2-3/4 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.
2. Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
3. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.

Lasagna Soup

found this here http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/



for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste




for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper




2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese





PREPARATION






Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.




Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.




While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.




To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.




Servings: 8

Penne with Ricotta and Bacon

From RachaelRay.com

6 Servings
Ingredients:

1 pound penne
8 slices bacon (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 large onion, sliced
15 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese, at room temperature
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne until al dente. Reserve one ladle of cooking water, then drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. In a medium skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and transfer to a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir the onions and ricotta into the pasta along with the reserved pasta cooking water. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the pasta along with the basil.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

found this here http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/pesto-chicken-stuffed-shells.html

12-16 jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tablespoons prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.




* To make ahead/freezer meals - Prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese

Weeknight Pizza Dough

found this here http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/01/weeknight-pizza-dough.html
2 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water (120-130°)
1 Tbsp. Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 475°.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add hot water and olive oil. Mix for five minutes and then let the dough rest 10 minutes. Roll out dough onto a piece of parchment paper (I trace my pizza stone onto parchment before placing it in the oven as a guide). Prick dough with fork and add sauce, cheese and toppings. Transfer pizza to hot pizza stone. (I use a flat cookie sheet) Bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Homemade Spagetti Sauce and Meatballs

found this here http://luvsclassics.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/

Spaghetti sauce

Into a large stock pot, add:
2 (28 ounce) cans Tomato Puree
1 can water
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 small onion 1 stalk of celery with leaves
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 potato ( raw)- Cut-up and cleaned (a thickening agent)
1 tsp basil

I added 2 cloves of garlic, whole and 1 raw carrot that was scrubbed to the large stock pot.
oregano
parsley (add at the end of cooking)
dash of olive oil
1 pinch of baking soda

Cook on stove on low heat for 3 – 4 hours. If sauce gets too thick as cooking, add water.

After simmering one hour, add cooked meatballs, or sausage or cooked pork chop with bone in.

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb ground pork or veal
1 egg
1 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
chopped onion or 1 TBSP Lipton brand Onion soup mix
ketchup
microwave 5 minutes and turn.
or cook in iron pan on low to medium heat slowly and turn until all sides browned.
or you can bake the meatballs in a 350 degree F. oven on a cookie sheet with a little canola oil for 20 minutes. Then after draining meatballs on paper towels, I placed in the tomato sauce and left to simmer on the stove for 1 hour on low heat.

Fusilli alla Caprese (tomato basil pasta) YUMMY and EASY

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/fusilli-alla-caprese-recipe/index.html

Prep Time:10 min
Cook Time:10 min
Level:Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients
•1 pound fusilli pasta
•3 tablespoons olive oil
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)(I use 2 of those little net bags of cherry tomatoes)
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
•8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups) (or I use a pkg of the small mozzarella pearls,they don't get as stringy as when you cut up the mozzarella)


Directions
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 into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Boil spaghetti noodles, with a little bit of olive oil & salt in the water. While the noodles are boiling crack one egg for every 2 oz of noodles (I do 8 eggs for the 16 oz box of noodles). Whisk these eggs, like you would to scramble the...m. Once the noodles are done, drain them and put them back in the pot (you can ...rinse the pot if you want). Turn the heat down to Med/High and add 1 and 1/2 TBSP of Olive oil (or butter if you rather). Add the eggs and stir. The noodles will cook the eggs through. I cheat a little and add the Oscar Meyer Bacon bits (one bag) and a teaspoon of already prepare garlic or shake some Garlic powder over it to taste. Then I SPP..Salt, Pepper, and Plate. Voila! Twenty minutes and Done! For more nutrition I drop in some peas once in a while, but then it isn't spaghetti carbonara anymore...LOL :)

I hope you all enjoy!!! It is always a hit, and easy to make for a small army!

Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Found this recipe at Copykat.com hope it's as good as Olive Garden's http://www.copykat.com/2010/02/28/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/
Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Yield: 8 servings.
1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half and half
1 14 ounce can chicken broth
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
1 pound potato gnocchi – can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets
Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil, over medium heat when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings, simmer until soup is heated through.

Comments about this recipe: You can add more chicken if you like. While you could use left over cooked chicken breasts, I really think using the rotisserie chicken that are found in many grocery stores is the best way to get the optimal flavor of this soup. If you want to make the soup lower calorie you can use milk instead of half and half. Half and Half, does taste better, and it also reheats better than milk does.