Cheesy Tortellini Bake

So, it has been slow on here- I think with the heat there hasn't been many people cooking. I made a yummy dish tonight that I would like to share. I got the recipe from the person who cooked the meals at girls camp when I went as a leader this year. It is way easy and very creamy and yummy. I forgot to take a picture until it was too late, but it looks just like a lasagna dish when it comes out of the oven. It tastes similar to lasagna, but creamy and so much faster and easier to make!!!

Ingredients:

1 20 oz pkg Tortellini
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground ital. saus.
4 oz. cream cheese (I use light)
1 reg. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese (shaker can)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350.

1) Brown beef/sausage and drain. Put back in pan and add sauce- simmer on low.

2) While browning meat, boil tortellini according to pkg directions. Drain.

3) Put tortellini back in pan. Dice cream cheese and put in pan with tortellini and stir until cheese is mostly melted and spread evenly among tortellini (if you really want it thick and creamy, throw in the whole bar- but it will be thick!)

4) Layer in square baking dish lasagna style- sauce, tortellini, sauce, mozz cheese, parm cheese, tortellini, sauce, mozz cheese, parm cheese.

5) Bake uncovered for approx. 20 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!!

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas

I got this recipe off of the Picky Palate It's a really easy and great recipe! It has all the taste of lasagna but on crusty bread!! Enjoy! The second time I made this, I added fresh spinach leaves in between the ricotta cheese mixture and sauce!

Garlic Toasted Open Faced Lasagna Ciabattas
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground Italian Sausage
1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped (taste great if you have them, but not necessary..I used a teaspoon of dried)

15 oz container ricotta cheese
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning

8 garlic roasted ciabatta rolls (I just used a loaf of ciabatta bread)
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Cook sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes; reserve ¼ Cup of sausage for ricotta. Reduce heat to low and stir in pasta sauce and basil leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Place reserved ¼ Cup sausage, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning into a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Split each ciabatta roll and place cut side up onto a large baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over each roll, about ¼ Cup (*you probably won't use all of ricotta.). Top with a couple spoonfuls of pasta sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Creamy One-Pot Pasta

This is actually a recipe from one of my Pampered Chef cookbooks. It was very easy and really good and also lower in fat. Makes for a simple but yummy weeknight dinner. I forgot to buy the can of sun-dried tomatoes, so I used regular petite diced tomatoes and drained the can. I sauteed the garlic in a tsp of olive oil. I also didn't have fresh basil, so I sprinkled on some dry basil and it was good! I made it a meal by adding 3 sliced chicken breasts that I had grilled and seasoned. You can leave chicken out and have a meatless meal or a hearty side.

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
1 jar (7oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth (5 1/4 cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (or 2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
grated fresh parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Place garlic and 1 TBSP oil from sun dried tomatoes into an 8qt stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner, increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm. Stir occasionally. DO NOT DRAIN!

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets and place into a bowl. Slice carrots and add to bowl. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel. Slice tomatoes into thin strips. Add to bowl with carrots and broccoli.

Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegis, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegis are tender. If desired, top with grated parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.

6 servings: each serving contains 410 calories, 11 grams total fat, 5 grams fiber.

Simply Lasagna

Sorry for the lack of photo- but take my word that it not only looked good, but was easy and delicious. This is from the Kraft Food and Family magazine.

Simply Lasagna

1lb ground beef
2 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese- divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water- I used a bit more (almost a full jar, and it wasn't runny)
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown meat in large skillet, drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Stir until well blended. In separate bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups of mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan, the ricotta cheeese, the parsely and egg. Mix until well blended. Set aside. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce unto bottom of 13 X 9 dish, top with a layer of 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of meat sauce over noodles. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining meat sauce. Sprikle with remaining 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with greased foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 15 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Easy Pizza Sauce

I have tried a couple pizza sauce recipes and this is kind of my own combination of what I found I personally like best based on those I have tried. I never buy pizza sauce anymore, because I think this tastes better and is easy to do with stuff I normally have on hand.

Also, the last few times I have made pizza, I have made the crust Katie posted here and it is the best I have tried! (pictured above..) I recommend it!

1 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
(*optional*- for a "bolder" flavor- you can add 1/2-1 tsp Paprika- it is good, but I personally like it a little better without- so, whatever your taste...)

Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic for a couple minutes until slightly browned. Add all other ingredients. Heat through. You can put on crust immediately or simmer on low for a short while as you prepare the crust.

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef

My sister got this recipe from her friend and made it for Christmas dinner. It was SOOOOOO good that I had to get the recipe and make it as well. It is super good and super easy. It tastes really good on a yummy roll with or without cheese, such as provolone/pepper jack/or swiss. It is pictured on a hot dog bun because that is what I happened to have when I made it and wanted to use them up. I would give it 5 stars- the picture doesn't do it justice-try it!

3 Cups Beef Broth (I use low sodium broth)
1 Tsp of each of the following:
-salt (may want to use less, if desired)
-pepper
-oregano
-basil
-onion powder
-dried parsley
-garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced)
2 pkgs dry Italian Salad dressing mix
5 lb. chuck roast

Combine all ingredients, except the roast in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir well. Place roast in a crock pot and pour the liquid in the sauce pan over it. Cook on low 10 hours. Remove meat and pull apart (will be very easy- will be very moist and tender). Put meat back in crock pot and cook on low 2 hours more.

*note- When I took the meat out to pull apart, I also poured the liquid into a bowl. When I put the meat back in, I poured back in the amount of liquid I wanted and didn't use it all.
*also- due to the long cook time, I put it in before going to bed and let it cook over night. Then, at dinner time, all I had to do was heat it back up! It worked great!

Enjoy!!!

Stuffed Shells....

1 pound Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, cooked and well drained
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg, beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated parmaesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
20 jumbo shell noodles, cooked and drained
Prego

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a skillet, brown sausage and onion over medium heat, crumbling sausage as it cooks. Drain grease.

Transfer sausage mixture into a large bowl. Stir in spinach, cream cheese, and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, parmesan, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Mix well.

Stuff pasta shells with sausage and cheese mixture. Arrange shells in a greased 9x13x2 inch baking dish.

Pour prego evenly over shells. (I use about 2 tablespoons per shell... I don't measure just put as much as you want.)

Cover and bake shells in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Uncover shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Return baking dish to the oven and bake until cheese melts. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.
**We really liked these...They are kind of heavy though, so next time I may leave out the cream cheese.**
***** I made these again and added half of the cream cheese and they were AMAZING!***

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

I got this from allrecipes.com. It is light tasting- no heavy sauce, not much sauce at all really. A very quick and easy weeknight dinner. You probably have the ingredients on hand and cooks up very fast- less than 30 minutes to dinner! I will write the recipe as written and then add a note on the few variances I did. Serves about 6.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pkg angel hair pasta
1 carrot, sliced thin
1 pkg frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1) Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute 5-7 min, until cooked through. Drain on paper towels.
2) Boil pasta and drain- set aside.
3)While pasta is cooking, heat 2nd tbsp oil over medium heat in same skillet used for chicken. Stir fry carrots in oil for 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, basil and cheese. Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to low and simmer 4 min.
4) Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Top with chicken/vegi mix and serve immediately.

I followed as is, but I marinated the chicken cubes in a tomato vinagarette for a few hours before cooking and did not use the 1st tbsp of olive oil for this reason- just cooking spray. I also just used a little extra broth, basil and cheese. The cheese I used was a shredded Italian cheese mix I had in the fridge. Also, before putting the chicken on the pasta, I tossed the pasta with a little olive oil and parsley. Goes great with garlic bread and maybe a salad. It was very good- my husband liked it too! An easy, light, fast summer dish! Enjoy!

Pizza Crust

I know pizza crust recipes have been shared before, but Spencer makes the best pizza crust known to man. We have three pizza crust recipes we use for different reasons. This is the one we use for the most delicious pizza ever...when Spencer has time to make it. It takes a little while, but it's well worth the wait.


Pizza Crust

• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 envelope rapid rise yeast
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 200.
2. Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 min. Add oil.
3. Mix flour and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet one cup at a time until ball forms.
5. Spray the inside of a separate large metal bowl with cooking spray. Put ball of dough inside and cover with plastic wrap (also coated with cooking spray).
6. Turn off oven and place metal bowl in oven for 40 min.
7. Remove dough and pound down.
8. Preheat pizza stone at 450.
9. Roll out dough to make crust (makes 2 pizzas).
10. Top with favorite pizza toppings and bake 8-10 min. (until crust is golden brown) at 450.

Toppings pictured (our favorite): BBQ sauce, mozzarella cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, canned diced tomatoes, cooked and cubed chicken, chopped red onion. I dare you to try it. Delish!

We've also made it with the standard pizza toppings, with alfredo sauce and chicken, and with yummy fresh tomato and fresh basil from our garden.

The Best Lasagne Ever!!

This is the Pioneer Womans recipe. She calls it "The best lasagne ever", I have to agree, it is pretty dang good. But, even more, its easy. I made this last night, and my hottie hubby stated "this is really tasty", I asked him to rate it and this one got a 9 out of 10. Its a keeper! Enjoy.

Sauce
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage
2 cloves minced garlic
2 14.5 oz cans whole tomatos
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoons salt

Cheese Mixture
3 cups lowfat cottage cheese
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt

Other Ingredients
lasagne noodles (I used oven ready)
1 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese

Brown beef, sausage, and garlic until browned. Drain half of the fat. Add tomatos,paste,parsley,basil, and salt. Mix and simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile mix the cottage cheese and eggs together. Add parmesan, parsley, and salt. Mix well.

In a 9x13 pan. Layer 4 lasagne noodles. Top with half of cottage cheese mixture. Top with 1/2 lb. mozzarella. Evenly spread a little less than half of sause mixture over mozzarella. Layer 4 more noodles, the rest of the cottage cheese mixture, the rest of the mozzarella and then the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

****If any questions, the pioneer woman website shows pictures step by step!
****the pioneer woman used regualar noodles. I used oven ready, I cooked it for 40
minutes to make sure they were cooked through!

Skillet Noodle Lasagna

Ingredients:
1/2 pound wide egg noodles
1 container (1 pound) cottage cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen creamed spinach, thawed
1 jar (32 ounces) extra-meaty pasta sauce ( *Use whatever sauce you want)
1 package (8 ounces) shredded pizza cheese blend (mozzarella and cheddar)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook noodles for 8 minutes, following package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix together cottage cheese and spinach.
3. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce over bottom of large (12-inch) skillet. Evenly arrange one-third of cooked noodles over sauce. Spoon half of remaining sauce over noodles. Top with another third of noodles. Spread cottage cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese blend over cottage cheese. Top with remaining noodles; spread with remaining sauce.
4. Cover skillet. Bring to rapid hard simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle remaining pizza cheese blend and grated Parmesan over top. Cover and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

** This meal is so fast and easy. I got it out of Family Circle magazine in 2003. I use to make this all the time when I came home from work. It was quick, easy and good. I served it with a salad and garlic bread of course.

Calzones...

I got this recipe off the website where Jeanine got her "yummiest muffins" recipe. Tonight we had Camerons sister and her family over for dinner and thought this was a great idea. They were so good and neat because everyone gets to create their own. Definately a good dinner when you are having people over!

DOUGH:

• 1 package of dry, active yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 tablspoon olive oil
• 3 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

put yeast in one cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Then add the olive oil.

In a mixer mix together the flour with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. With the motor on, pour in the yeast mixture and let the motor run until the dough comes together.

Take the dough out, form it into a ball and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover it and let it rise for one hour in a warm spot. Punch the dough down and divide it into four (or more if you want them smaller) balls. Put the balls on a greased cookie sheet and let them rise for 40 minutes. Then, on a slightly floured surface, roll the balls into circles with a rolling pin. Put the circles on an oiled cookie sheet and fill with toppings. Put toppings on one side of the dough and then fold the other side on top. Leave enough bare around the edges so you can seal the edges with a fork.

Put them in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes-20 minutes. Take out when golden brown.

TOPPINGS:

We used Italian sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, olives, fresh spinach leaves, and tomato sauce. The blog I got this recipe off of also recommended ricotta cheese, feta cheese, ham, red peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms....pretty much anything you want!!

These were super good and this recipe makes 4 large calzones. It was great, I made the dough before everyone came, then everyone filled their own and I threw them in the oven!