Pierogi Casserole

"Full of flavor, this pierogi-layered casserole is nothing short of rich and hearty. It's a wonderful change from the usual humdrum casserole."

Original Recipe Yield 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place the potatoes in a large pot with water to cover over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, drain, then combine with the milk and 6 tablespoons of butter, mash and set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the bacon, onion and garlic in the butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon is fully cooked.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions and cool under running water.

Place 1/2 of the mashed potatoes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top this with 1/3 of the cheese, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat this with the remaining potatoes, another 1/3 of the cheese and a layer of noodles. Then arrange the bacon, onion and garlic over the noodles, then another layer of noodles, and finally top all with the remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives.

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

"Manly Beef" with noodles

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 (1.25 ounce) package Lipton beefy onion soup mix
3 pounds beef stew meat
1 bag egg noodles

Pour the cream of mushroom soup, cheese soup and onion soup mix into a slow cooker, and mix well. Add beef, cover and cook on Low for 8 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

Serve over egg noodles or garlic mashed potatoes. We usually have green beans or a salad with this meal.

No water - no need to brown meat first! This recipe could not be easier!

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

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.

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

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

1 (8oz.) package angel hair pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 4-6 minutes or until al dente (or however you like it ); drain. *I add some butter to the noodles when cooking them so they don't stick together.

2) Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute shrimp for 1 minute ton each side. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon; set aside. Stir in flour and Cajun seasoning. * I add a little more butter (about another tablespoon or so)to the flour/Cajun mixture. Cook stirring for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, then cook until thickened. Remove from heat and season with salt and lemon juice. Return shrimp to sauce, stir to coat and serve over cooked pasta.

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!

Creamy Bacon Tomato and Avocado Pasta Salad

Serves 4

You will need:

* 6 slices bacon, chopped into one inch pieces
* 1/2 pound dried rotini pasta
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* juice of 1 lemon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 1 teaspoon dried dill
* 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
* 1 avocado pitted and sliced

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain. Run cold water over the top until the pasta is cooled.
3. While your bacon and pasta are cooking, whisk mayonnaise, lemon, salt, garlic powder, pepper and dill together in a bowl.
4. Stir cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado and reserved bacon into the dressing. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Asparagus

Serves: 4

• 1 pound(s) asparagus
• 3/4 pound(s) fettuccine
• 4 tablespoon(s) butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup(s) heavy cream
• 1 pinch(s) grated nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettuccine until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add the asparagus; cook until it and the pasta are just done, about 4 minutes longer.

2. Drain the pasta and asparagus. Toss with the butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Angel Hair with Feta and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, softened and chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until done; drain. Return pasta to the pot.

2. Mix in olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, feta, and Parmesan cheese. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup clam juice
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
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 the pasta and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.

Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Chicken Carbonara

1 package (7 ounces) spaghetti
8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream

1. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.
2. While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon in 3-quart saucepan over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon from saucepan with slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 tablespoon in saucepan.
3. Cook onion and garlic in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and whipping cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Toss with bacon

RIGATONI, SAUSAGE AND CREAM

RIGATONI, SAUSAGE AND CREAM
2 pounds short Rigatoni (or regular if you can't find short)
2 pounds Italian Sausage (out of the casing) hot or sweet
4 cups chopped onion (wow that's a lot of onion!!!)
3 large (28 oz) cans crushed Italian tomatoes (w/ added puree)
1 cup heavy cream olive oil
2 cloves garlic
salt/pepper to taste

in a very large skillet, add about 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil simmer on low add garlic cloves, but REMOVE BEFORE THEY BROWN! add onion and cook until wilted remove onion and add sausage, breaking it up, until cooked return onion to sausage mixture add the tomatoes, some salt/pepper to taste simmer for about 30-45 minutes (or longer for do-ahead party)
When your company arrives: Cook your pasta al dente drain into a large bowl remove "sausage" sauce from heat; add cream add sauce to Rigatoni and blend gently Transfer to a pretty serving platter
serve this with a colorful salad (red peppers, cucs, olives, etc)
Also goes great with crusty garlic bread.

Cheese-Stuffed Manicotti

1/2 pound Fresh mozzarella cheese cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 pounds Ricotta cheese
1/4 pound Prosciutto --1/4-inch dice
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Freshly grated ParmesanCheese
Salt and freshly ground Black pepper
1/4 cup Minced fresh parsley

14 Manicotti shells
I lg jar of your favorite Spagetti sauce
1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

To make the filling:
combine all the filling ingredients and Mix well spoon into a large ziploc bag and cut the corner off to use as a pastry bag .
Generously butter a baking dish, 13 x 10 inches. Fill each uncooked shell with some of the stuffing, letting a little of the stuffing come out on either end. Lay the stuffed manicotti side by side in the buttered dish. Pour the sauce over the shells and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake @ 375 for about 60 to 75 minutes. serve with garlic bread and salad...YUMM

Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced
2 cups heavy cream (or you can subsititute 1 cup fat free half & half for 1 cup of the cream)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dill, chopped (adjust if this is too strong a dill taste for you)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and cream. Simmer until slightly thickened. Add poached salmon (flaked) and dill.
Pour the sauce over the pasta, add salt and pepper. Toss. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with some of the reserved pasta cooking water or a bit of milk. Top with parmesan.
This makes 2-3 very generous servings, depending on how "saucy" you like your pasta.

Fettuccini with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
* 1/2 cup boiling water
* 2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
* salt and pepper - to taste
* 2 olive oil - divided
* 1 med. onion - chopped
* 2 cups sliced mushrooms
* 1 clove garlic - crushed
* 1 chopped fresh basil
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 8 oz. fettuccini - prepared as directed
* 1 minced fresh basil

Instructions-
Rehydrate tomatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes; drain, reserving liquid; set aside.-Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.-Brown chicken in 1 Tbls. oil for 6 minutes on each side; set aside.-Sauté onions in oil until tender.-Add mushrooms, garlic, basil, and tomatoes and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.-Stir in sour cream and Parmesan, then slowly stir in enough reserved tomato water until desired consistency is reached.-Stir in cooked fettuccini.-Serve chicken breast over a bed of the pasta and garnish with basil.