Versatile Lasagna

I've been making variations of this recipe for a few years.  I like to add LOTS of veggies to it.

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 onion, diced
4 cups pasta sauce (I sub part of this for shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, chopped spinach/kale, diced tomatoes, diced mushrooms, etc.)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, to taste
2 cups mozzarella cheese- I usually get by with less than this
6 lasagna noodles

In a soup pot, brown meat, add diced onion.  Add sauce and veggies.
In a bowl, whisk ricotta, egg, and parmesan.  Season ricotta mixture with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, as desired.

In a 9x13 dish, cover bottom with sauce.  Top with 3 noodles, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.  Cover with sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.  Top with sauce.  Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

When ready to cook...
Bake at 375º for 45 minutes COVERED, then remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered.  VERY IMPORTANT: let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving!

If you are baking the casserole frozen, add an additional 15 minutes to covered baking time and 10 minutes to uncovered baking time.

Spinach-tomato-mushroom risotto with goat cheese

I had some leftover arborio rice and some random freezer and pantry items, so I played around with a few recipes (like this one) and made this for supper last night.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
mushrooms- canned, or fresh, sautéed
1 can diced tomatoes, well drained
2 oz goat cheese- soft or crumbled
finely chopped chicken/ham/bacon, optional

I started with Rebecca Lang's risotto technique...

Place 2 tablespoons butter in 9x13 baking dish and place in oven while oven is preheating to 400.  When butter is melted, add broth, diced onion, and rice.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven for 35 minutes.  Meanwhile, thaw and drain spinach, drain tomatoes, prepare mushrooms, etc.

After 35 minutes, remove foil (but keep), fluff rice/onion mixture with a fork, and stir in spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and goat cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and return to oven for 5 minutes so all ingredients are warmed.

Eggplant-zucchini-tomato bake

This casserole from Food and Wine is delicious!

olive oil

3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise in 1/4" slices

2 narrow eggplants, sliced lengthwise in 1/4" slices

salt and pepper

1 large shallot, diced

1 pound plum tomatoes, diced (since it is past tomato season, I used a can of good quality diced tomatoes)

3 oz feta, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (I cheated with a tablespoon of Italian seasoning)

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425. Oil 2 rimmed baking sheets. Place zucchini and eggplant on baking sheets, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté shallot in 1 tablespoon oil, then add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large (10x15) baking dish, layer eggplant, tomato mixture, feta, zucchini, tomato, feta... and repeat.

Top with panko crumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon oil.

Bake in top of oven for 20 minutes.

Creamy Baked Pasta

We made this versatile pasta dish for supper last night. It is another Bon Appétit recipe. There are so many variations you could do with the meat, veggies, and herbs. Its another great potluck recipe like the oven risotto.

Creamy Baked Pasta

12 oz rigatoni (we used penne)

1 1/2 cups diced ham (we only used about 2 slices... you could omit it all together for a vegetarian version)

4 plum tomatoes, chopped... we also used chopped cooked asparagus and frozen peas

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped/crumbled

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 cup heavy cream (we used half-and-half)

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, but still firm to the bite. Drain. Place in prepared baking dish. Mix in meat, cheese, veggies, and thyme. Pour cream over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. After 15 minutes uncover and stir, coating pasta with melted cheese. Bake uncovered another 30 minutes, stirring once in the middle.

Oven Vegetable Risotto

Delicious, easy, impressive, and colorful! I used the risotto method from this recipe but switched the ingredients.

Oven Vegetable Risotto

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, diced

1 cup arborio rice, uncooked

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or 2 1/2 cups water mixed with 2 chicken bouillon cubes)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 zucchini, sliced

5-10 mushrooms, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

8 oz fresh mozzarella, crumbled

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in a 9x13 casserole dish and place in oven for 5 minutes while oven is preheating. When butter is melted, remove dish from oven and place onions, uncooked rice, and salt in dish. Pour chicken broth on top and stir slightly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, saute sliced zucchini in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Combine sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl, then spread over a rimmed baking pan and place in oven (on a different rack than the rice/broth/onion baking dish) for the last 15 minutes of cooking, until mushrooms are brown. Remove rice dish and mushroom pan from oven. Uncover baking dish and fluff rice. Stir in sauteed zucchini, crumbled cheese, cherry tomatoes, and browned mushrooms. Cover and return to oven for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot.

Winter Tuna Pasta Casserole

This recipe was relatively quick and easy and pretty good, too! Next time I think I'll add more veggies maybe add some more mushrooms and green pepper... and maybe some peas for some added color.

Winter Tuna Pasta Casserole

-Spaghetti or other pasta (I used about half a box)

-4 tablespoons butter

-1/4 cup flour

-2 1/2 cups warmed milk

-salt and pepper

-3 tablespoons olive oil

-8 mushrooms, sliced

-1 small yellow onion, diced

-1 red bell pepper, diced

-handful of frozen peas

-2 cans of tuna, drained

1) Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well and set aside.

2) While pasta is cooking, make the sauce: Melt butter in a sauce pan, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 4 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove sauce from heat, cover and set aside.

3) Cook veggies: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sautee pan. Cook mushrooms for one minute, then add onions, and red pepper, adding olive oil as necessary. Add frozen peas and sautee for several minutes until all veggies are tender. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Add drained tuna and drained pasta to the sautee pan and toss to combine.

4) Assemble casserole: Pour the veggie/pasta/tuna mix into a greased casserole dish (I used 9x13). Then pour the reserved sauce on top evenly.

5) Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated.

Serve with toast or crusty baguette.

Tartiflette

Doug made this French winter classic dish a few weeks ago- it is perfect for a cold day!

Tartiflette

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

1/3 lb chopped bacon

2 1/4 lbs sliced white potatoes

½ cup white wine

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 lb sliced Reblochon cheese

Heat oil in a skillet and cook the onions for a few minutes. Add the bacon and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, wine, salt, and pepper, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cover for another 8 minutes. Place half of the potato mixture in a baking dish and cover with half of the cheese. Cover with the remaining potato mixture and remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and bubbly (and cheese is melted!).

in the oven it goes... cheese is just starting to melt

and now melty-bubbly-cheesy-potato bliss...

Pineapple Casserole

There are tons of different versions of this Southern classic... enjoy!

Pineapple Casserole

1 ¼ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

1 ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

2 cans chunk or diced pineapple

¾ cup margarine/butter

1 ½ stacks Ritz crackers, crushed

Mix sugar, flour, and cheese. Add pineapple until mixed well. Spoon into greased 9x13 dish. Melt margarine or butter and mix crushed Ritz crackers. Spread cracker mixture on top of pineapple. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Note- this makes a lot... sometimes I'll cut the recipe in half (kind of estimate the amounts) and make it in an 8x8 dish.

Eggplant Parmesan

I don't know about you, but I had never been eager to eat anything with "eggplant" in it until recent years. Something about egg-plant... it just sounded so gross! Little did I know I had been missing out on a yummy veggie! I have eaten some delicious eggplant dishes in restaurants over the last couple of years, but had never cooked anything myself. Well I purchased my first eggplants this past Saturday at the Franklin Farmers' Market and made Eggplant Parmesan tonight from this months "Everyday Food" magazine. Tonight happened to be a dine-in-date-night for us, so this was a great romantic Italian dish... a good alternative to pasta! Here's the recipe (I adapted it slightly)... ***BTW, this is not the quickest or easiest recipe in the world, but it turned out really well, so if I might direct you to Julia Child's wise words, sometimes the extra effort is worth it!

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 medium sized eggplants, cut into 1/4" rounds

3/4 cup flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

vegetable oil, for frying

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into large chunks

1) Toss eggplant slices in a colander with 1 teaspoon salt; allow to sit for 30 minutes.

2) Meanwhile... puree tomatoes in a blender or food processor, then transfer to a sauce pan, add olive oil, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until thickened (about 30 minutes) and add salt and pepper to taste.

3) Press eggplant slices between paper towels to dry slightly.

4) Place a metal rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place beside the stove. Put enough vegetable oil in a saute pan to fill halfway up the side. Heat until breadcrumb dropped in sizzles.

5) Set up a line of 4 plates: first plate with flour, 2nd with beaten eggs, 3rd with breadcrumbs, and 4th to hold the finished product. Dredge each eggplant slice in flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs.

6) In batches, fry eggplant until golden, 2-3 minutes on each side; set on cooling rack to dry

7) Spread tomato sauce on bottom of 9x9 baking dish. Arrange eggplant slices, then half of the parmesan cheese. Top with remaining sauce, remaining parmesan, and the mozzarella.

8) Bake until lightly browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Note: this recipe can be made ahead and frozen! Assemble the dish but do not bake... wrap tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely and bake as directed.

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was in Real Simple earlier this year. We tried it out and it was good... not so healthy (1 cup of cream, for example!, but good for a special treat!

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

16 oz jar mild green salsa

1 cup cream

2-2 ½ lb rotisserie chicken, meat shredded

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 ¼ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

8 six-inch corn tortillas

salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium bowl, combine mild green salsa and cream. In large bowl, combine the chicken, tomatoes, one cup of the cheese, ½ cup salsa mixture, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Spread 1 cup of salsa mixture in a 9x13 baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish seam-down.

Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes. Serve with salsa.

(Pretty sure you could assemble ahead of time, then cook right before supper)

Sausage (or Beef) Florentine Bake

We made this at our last freezer meal cooking night and it is delicious!! You could substitute beef it you prefer.

Sausage (or Beef) Florentine Bake

¾ lbs bulk Italian sausage
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
½ bay leaf
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon granulated pure cane sugar
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
6 oz extra wide noodles, cooked and drained
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, garlic, sugar, bail, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine eggs, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese and nutmeg; mix well. Stir in spinach, noodles, and onions. Discard bay leaf from sausage mixture.
Grease 9” square baking pan, layer a fourth of the noodles and a fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers. Top with remaining Parmesan.
Cover and freeze. To cook, thaw in the refrigerator and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Easy Tamale Casserole

Easy Tamale Casserole

based on this Whole Foods recipe

(to prepare the recipe ahead of time, wait to make the cornbread topping until just before cooking... cooking time will be longer if the casserole is still cold)

1 lb ground beef

1 15oz can Ranchero Beans

1 jar Medium salasa

1 box Jiffy Corn Bread mix

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, prepare corn bread mix according to package directions; set bowl aside. In a large sauté pan, brown meat, breaking up large pieces. Drain well and return to stove. Add beans and salsa, stir to combine and simmer over medium heat 5-7 minutes. Let cool slightly and spoon into a 9x13 casserole dish (you can freeze the dish at this point to serve later). Spoon the cornbread batter over the beef mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cornbread is lightly browned and filling is bubbling.

Extraordinary mac 'n' cheese...

I got this recipe from a Salud cooking class with Rebecca Lang. It is delicious! It makes a lot, so you may want to use a couple smaller containers to freeze part of the recipe.

Creamy Mac and Cheese

½ cup butter or margarine

½ cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic

2 cups half and half

2 cups milk

2 (10oz) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1 (10oz) block extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (16oz) package elbow macaroni, cooked

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in salt and next 3 ingredients. Gradually whisk in half-and-half and milk; cook, whisking constantly, 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in half of sharp cheddar cheese. Stir in extra-sharp cheddar cheese until smooth. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and cheese mixture and pour into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining sharp cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Bake 15 minutes longer for a crusty top.