Spaghetti used to be my all time favorite food. I remember getting Spaghetti at IHOP once. Bad idea. I still love spaghetti because it is so easy, but I have realized there is a lot of delicious food out there to be tried! This recipe mixes the same old spaghetti up just a little bit. It's really fast and easy as well.
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup Italian Salad Dressing
1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP cream cheese
12 ounce spaghetti
Cook onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Add meat, cook until browned. Stir in tomatoes and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cream cheese until well blended
Serve with cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pasta. Show all posts
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lasagna Rolls
These look really pretty and are a different version of the usual lasagna. I got the recipe from Giada Laurentiis, the chef from "Everyday Italian." She's the really pretty/skinny lady, which I am always wondering how a pasta ched is so darn skinny.
6 Servings
Sauce:
2 TBSP butter
4 tsp. flour
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
Lasagna:
1 (15 ounce) container of whole milk ricotta cheese (which I am not a huge fan, you could sub. cottage cheese)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 Cup plus 2 TBSP grated parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (fancy ham), chopped
1 egg, beaten
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite brand)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
6 Servings
Sauce:
2 TBSP butter
4 tsp. flour
1 1/4 c. whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg
Lasagna:
1 (15 ounce) container of whole milk ricotta cheese (which I am not a huge fan, you could sub. cottage cheese)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 Cup plus 2 TBSP grated parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (fancy ham), chopped
1 egg, beaten
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite brand)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)
Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese
I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine awhile back. Since then I have seen it on other blogs, so apparantly this recipe gets around.
It is THE BEST, hands down macaroni and cheese in the entire world. I say that with complete confidence. Try it at least once in your life, it is a little work, but the outcome is worth it.
Ingredients
Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces) (you find this in the specialty cheese section in the grocery store)
1 pound elbow macaroni
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.
It is THE BEST, hands down macaroni and cheese in the entire world. I say that with complete confidence. Try it at least once in your life, it is a little work, but the outcome is worth it.
Ingredients
Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces) (you find this in the specialty cheese section in the grocery store)
1 pound elbow macaroni
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Low Fat Fettucini Alfredo
I make this all the time because it is so easy and I love pasta. And it is even a low fat version of a favorite American comfort food.
16 ounce fettuccine
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
6 taplespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (key ingredient)
(I also add just a little chicken bouillon flavoring to give it more taste)
Cook pasta and drain. Add sour cream and then everything else and cook until it gets thick.
16 ounce fettuccine
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can evaporated milk
6 taplespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (key ingredient)
(I also add just a little chicken bouillon flavoring to give it more taste)
Cook pasta and drain. Add sour cream and then everything else and cook until it gets thick.
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
I stole this from the Barefoot Contessa. It is my favorite pasta salad ever.
Serves 6 to 8
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced (I leave these out)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained (I leave this out too, they are kind of hard to find and I am not a fan of their taste)
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
For the dressing: combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and basil, and toss well.
This salad sits well, so you can make it early in the day. Add the Parmesan and basil just before serving.
Serves 6 to 8
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced (I leave these out)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained (I leave this out too, they are kind of hard to find and I am not a fan of their taste)
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
For the dressing: combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and basil, and toss well.
This salad sits well, so you can make it early in the day. Add the Parmesan and basil just before serving.
Easy Pasta Salad
I make this for a lot of family functions. It feeds a lot of people for pretty cheap.
1 package of colored pasta
1 bottle of Italian Dressing (NOT Kraft brand. Yuck. Kraft-barf)
1 cucumber
1 head of broccoli
1 Red Bell pepper
2-3 Roma tomatoes
Cubed mozzarella cheese
parmasen to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Self explanatory I hope. Add the dressing just a little prior to serving. You don't want the dressing to make the pasta all soggy.
1 package of colored pasta
1 bottle of Italian Dressing (NOT Kraft brand. Yuck. Kraft-barf)
1 cucumber
1 head of broccoli
1 Red Bell pepper
2-3 Roma tomatoes
Cubed mozzarella cheese
parmasen to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Self explanatory I hope. Add the dressing just a little prior to serving. You don't want the dressing to make the pasta all soggy.
Olive Garden's 5 Cheese Ziti
The 5 Cheese Ziti is my all time favorite Olive Garden dish. I discovered that the sauce listed below makes a fabulous base. I would double it if you are planning on making it in a 9 by 13 pan. To make it 5 cheese, you basically have to add cheese!
Let me tell you how.
So make the pasta and sauce as described below.
Or if you are lazy, you can just do 2 parts alfredo sauce, 1 part spaghetti sauce for the sauce. I have never tried it that way, but I am sure it would work. I think finding a good bottled alfredo sauce is hard. Anyway...
To the sauce, add some:
ricotta, mozzarella, and fontini cheese (look in the specialty cheese section for this cheese)
You decide how cheesy you want it to be.
I would say about 1/2 c. ricotta, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 3 tbsp. of fontini cheese.
The topping:
3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
To assemble, put the pasta and sauce in a 9 by 13 pan, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then add the topping. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 until it gets bubbly and the top looks glorious and sort of toasty with cheesy goodness.
And you probably should wait a couple days to weigh yourself after you eat this. But it is so worth it.
Let me tell you how.
So make the pasta and sauce as described below.
Or if you are lazy, you can just do 2 parts alfredo sauce, 1 part spaghetti sauce for the sauce. I have never tried it that way, but I am sure it would work. I think finding a good bottled alfredo sauce is hard. Anyway...
To the sauce, add some:
ricotta, mozzarella, and fontini cheese (look in the specialty cheese section for this cheese)
You decide how cheesy you want it to be.
I would say about 1/2 c. ricotta, 1/4 c. mozzarella, and 3 tbsp. of fontini cheese.
The topping:
3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
To assemble, put the pasta and sauce in a 9 by 13 pan, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then add the topping. Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 until it gets bubbly and the top looks glorious and sort of toasty with cheesy goodness.
And you probably should wait a couple days to weigh yourself after you eat this. But it is so worth it.
Penne with Tomato Cream
This makes a nice low fat pink sauce for pasta.
So this sauce is also a good base for my imitation of Olive Garden's 5 Cheese Ziti. I will post that too.
Serves 4
6 oz. uncooked penne
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (newsflash, I love red peppers)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove pressed
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid (14.5) (you can even get the can of tomatoes listed as Italian Style)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. flour
1/4 cup evaporated milk
Cook pasta.
Make Sauce:
1. saute onion and red pepper in olive oil. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
2. whisk flour into milk until smooth.
3Add to tomato mixture.
4.Cook and stir until sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Add pasta.
So this sauce is also a good base for my imitation of Olive Garden's 5 Cheese Ziti. I will post that too.
Serves 4
6 oz. uncooked penne
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (newsflash, I love red peppers)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove pressed
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid (14.5) (you can even get the can of tomatoes listed as Italian Style)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. flour
1/4 cup evaporated milk
Cook pasta.
Make Sauce:
1. saute onion and red pepper in olive oil. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
2. whisk flour into milk until smooth.
3Add to tomato mixture.
4.Cook and stir until sauce is slightly thickened.
5. Add pasta.
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