Meatballs and Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce

These were the easiest meatballs I've ever made and Nate loved them. I used a package of ground turkey (1.25 pounds) instead of ground beef and cut down the water to 3/4 cup. Using my cookie scoop to form the balls, the recipe made 35 meatballs so I froze half for future use.

Meatballs

2 pounds ground beef

1 package Stove Top, chicken flavor

1 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients together and form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake for 16-20 minutes.

Sauce

1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 oz cream cheese

2 TB chopped fresh basil

Heat all sauce ingredients in a pan. Pour over spaghetti and top with meatballs.

Recipe Source: www.addictiveallens.blogspot.com

Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

I can't always find frozen artichoke hearts, so I used canned. Yummy!

Salt

1 pound regular or whole wheat penne

2 TB extra virgin olive oil

3 TB butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

3 TB flour

1/2 cup white wine (optional)

2 cups milk

1 box frozen chopped spinach (10 oz), defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

1 box frozen chopped artichokes (10 oz), defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

Ground pepper

1 1/4 cups shredded fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

1 1/4 cups Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350.

Place a large pot of water over high heat to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, salt it well and drop in the pasta. Cook to al dente, according to package directions. Drain the pasta and reserve.

While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with about 2 tablespoons of EVOO and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the veggies and salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.

Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more of the fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Recipe Source: www.rachaelray.com

Easy Crockpot Lasagna

This was pretty quick and tasty. I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef and it was good. I think it would be yummy with Italian sausage, so I'll try that next time.

1 pound (16 oz) ground beef
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 TB fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
6 uncooked lasagna noodles

In a large skillet, brown the beef with the onion. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 TB Parmesan, egg, and parsley.

Pour 1 cup of meat sauce into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Place half of the noodles and half of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, cheese mixture, and meat sauce. (If the noodles don't fit exactly, break them to fit.)

Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are soft. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Cover with the lid to melt the cheese and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: www.tablespoon.com

Baked Ravioli

More of an idea than a recipe. This got rave reviews from Grant--he couldn't get enough. Putting dinner together doesn't get much easier than this. I used a combination of vodka sauce and marinara sauce to cut the acidity.

1 bag (25 oz) frozen ravioli
1 jar (26 oz) marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400. Spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in the baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce; top with half of the remaining sauce and half of the mozzarella. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: http://www.tastykitchen.com/

Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This was a big hit--really yummy. The original recipe called for hot Italian sausage (but I prefer sweet) and two 8 ounce packages of frozen artichoke hearts (but I was too cheap to pay $10 for the frozen ones and used the one can I had in the pantry. Oh, and it called for 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsely to be added with the basil, but I didn't have it and didn't want to admit I forgot to buy it so I pretended it didn't call for it.

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced--2 TB oil reserved
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
8 ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 ounces fusilli pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
8 oz fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the reserved oil from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-sized pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse). Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and basil to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

Sausage Minestra

This is a delicious soup. Nate likes to strain the leftovers and eat it as a pasta dish for lunch the next day. It has a little bit of a kick with the red pepper flakes--Grant thinks it's too spicy, but it's just right for us.

Parmesan Croutons:
3 c baguette, cubed
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Toast the baguette cubes in 2 TB oilive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Off heat, toss with the Parmesan; set aside.

Soup:
1 lb link Italian sausage, sliced into 1" pieces
2 cups diced onion
1 TB minced garlic
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth (Swanson's Natural is best)
2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Saute sausage in 2 TB olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned. Add onion, garlic, and seasonings. Cook until onion is soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Deglaze with wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add broth, tomatoes, and orzo; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted. Serve soup with croutons on top.

Recipe Source: Cuisine at Home magazine

Pesto-Presto Italian Flag Chicken

This was a hit. The only adjustment I made was to omit the pine nuts.

6 leaves fresh basil
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
2 TB pine nuts, toasted
1 block soft carlic and herb cheese, such os Boursin or Allouette
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

Prehead the oven to 450.

In the bowl of a food processor, combin the basil, parsley, pine nuts, soft cheese, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano Reggiano, and some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.

Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pount them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap of chicken over to enclose the cheese mixture.

Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and lay three slices of tomato over each breast, overlapping them like shingles. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Recipe Source: Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelray.com/)