Italian Macaroni and Cheese

When I was putting together our meal plan a couple of weeks ago, I asked the guys in my life for a little help, since I was feeling uninspired (and, also, way too busy to put a lot of time into the menu). Both of my boys requested mac and cheese, and while I knew they’d be perfectly content with the boxed stuff, I thought I was high time I created a new mac and cheese recipe. It’s been awhile since I did that.

Slowly, it started coming together in my mind.

Roasted tomatoes.

Salami.

Pesto.

An Italian version of macaroni and cheese, which just may be one of the best recipes I’ve created yet.

We all absolutely loved this version of mac and cheese. With all of the additions listed above, plus a little bit of wine in the cheese sauce, it was so luxurious and special – a creamy, cheesy, flavorful delight. Use whatever Italian meat you’d like for this recipe; sausage, pepperoni, pancetta, or prosciutto would all be absolutely delicious in this. I just made this on Sunday night, and I’m already sharing it with you – which should tell you a little something about just how delicious it really is.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

4 ounces Genoa salami, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 cup prepared pesto

1. Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are bursting, about 15 minutes.

3. While tomatoes are roasting, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salami and cook until onion is softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until the ingredients are coated and the mixture is bubbling, about 1 additional minute.

4. Stir in wine and cook until reduced. Stir in chicken stock and milk. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Stir in cheese until melted, then add the pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Combine penne, roasted tomatoes, and cheese sauce. Serve immediately.

Pork Loin Chops with Prosciutto Cream Sauce

It’s Tax Day, a dreaded day in the lives of so many Americans. Hopefully you’re all on the receiving end of funds from our friends in the federal government, rather than on the giving end. If you are on the giving end, though, have I got a recipe to cheer you up. It won’t soothe your pocketbook too much, but it will definitely soothe your soul.

I’ve posted a lot of recipes here on this little blog of mine. Like, about 850 of them. And I’m not fooling around when I say this: This is quite possibly the best dinner recipe I have ever posted here. I first made it years ago and hadn’t made it since. Joe took one bite of his dinner and promptly asked me, “Um, why don’t you make this more often?” And after my first taste, I responded, “I have no idea.”

I will certainly be making this often, monthly if not weekly, in the future. Pork chops are nestled in a creamy, flavorful sauce of prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, and sage. Serve them with mashed potatoes on the side so you have another element to soak up the delicious sauce. This tastes like something that came from a restaurant, and it’s ready in well under 30 minutes. You are going to love this recipe!

Pork Loin Chops with Prosciutto Cream Sauce

1 1/2 pounds pork loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons butter
4 ounces chopped imported prosciutto
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 small red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. Cook on both sides, turning once, until browned. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.

2. To the same skillet, add prosciutto, sage, and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Add sun-dried tomatoes. Add wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits, and let the wine reduce. Stir in heavy cream, pepper, and salt.

3. Return the pork chops to the skillet, along with any juices. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the pork is no longer pink and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

I have a confession that I know is going to put me very, very far in the minority of food bloggers: I’m not crazy about mascarpone cheese.

Wait wait wait, come back, don’t leave! I’ve tried to love it, believe me, I really have. And I don’t completely hate it; in fact, it turns out that when it’s combined with powdered sugar and heavy cream and dolloped on top of booze-soaked cupcakes, I really sort of love it. There. Are we friends again?

I’ve mentioned my cooking club before, and when I asked you guys for dessert recommendations for our Italian-themed feast last month, you came through again. My friend Jessie (a different Jessie from the one who suggested the Mexican spinach dip – you Jessies are awesome!) pointed me towards this tiramisu cake, which looked absolutely amazing. It was just a bit too labor- and time-intensive for me, though, when I sat down and actually read the recipe, so I opted to go for these cupcakes instead. Annie of Annie’s Eats raved about them – and something I’ve learned over the years is that if Annie raves about something, you know it’s really, really good. She came through again, in a big way; these cupcakes are phenomenal.

I think what I love most about these cupcakes is that they’re not too sweet. They’re sweet enough, but not cloying, so the flavors of the coffee and the Kahlua really come through without being overshadowed by sugar. The texture of the cupcakes is perfect, eggy and spongey, and the soaking syrup gives them such an incredible flavor. My father-in-law gave us some of his homemade Kahlua for Christmas, so I used that in the syrup, and it was absolutely perfect. The mascarpone frosting is so creamy and pairs so well with the cupcakes; one of my friends actually said she just wanted to eat the frosting with a spoon, and I wouldn’t have blamed her if she did. Although traditional tiramisu is topped with cocoa powder, I opted instead for miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, which added a great textural element. These were a huge hit with the ladies in my cooking club and with Joe, but I think Andrew and Will are still ticked at me for making “grown-up” cupcakes that they couldn’t eat.

So, for our meal this month our cooking club is doing vegan food. Hit me with your best suggestions for side dishes or appetizers!

Tiramisu Cupcakes
adapted from Annie’s Eats

For the cupcakes:

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
5 large whole eggs plus 4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar

For the soaking syrup:

1/2 cup freshly brewed very strong coffee
3 tablespoons Kahlua
6 tablespoons sugar

For the frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend; set aside. Add the milk to a small saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod into the pan, and add the scraped pod to the pan as well. Heat over medium-high heat just until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar. Whisk lightly to blend. Set the bowl over an inch or two of simmering water and heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is warm and the sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. Return the bowl to the mixer base. Whisk on high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, and able to hold a ribbon when the whisk is lifted.

3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in three additions. Stir 3/4 cup of the batter into the milk mixture to thicken, then fold the milk mixture into the batter just until evenly incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are set and light golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks to cool slightly before removing from the pans.

4. To make the soaking syrup, combine the hot coffee, Kahlua, and sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place the warm cupcakes on a wire rack and place a baking sheet underneath to catch dripping liquid. Use a pastry brush to brush the soaking liquid onto the tops of the cupcakes, repeating until the syrup is used up. If necessary, poke each cupcake a few times with a wooden skewer or toothpick to help the syrup soak in. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

5. To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a separate bowl and return the mixer bowl to its base. In the mixer bowl, combine the mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gently fold in the whipped cream until evenly incorporated.

6. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip (or a plastic bag with a generous corner cut away, which is what I used). Pipe a large dollop of frosting on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the cupcakes with chocolate chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Mozzarella and Pesto

This weather we’ve been having is completely ridiculous, in a really awesome way. We’re projected to have record HIGHS here in Ohio today, and I’m loving it. While I do wish it wasn’t quite so hot already (86 degrees!!!), I’m certainly not going to complain.

The weather has me thinking about grilling, so I thought this grilled chicken recipe would be the perfect thing to share with you today. It’s so simple, and it tastes absolutely amazing. Chicken breasts are marinated in balsamic vinegar, then grilled, then topped with fresh mozzarella, pesto, and a balsamic reduction. Those are literally the only ingredients in the recipe (you don’t even need salt and pepper!), and you won’t believe how delicious this is. The vinegar keeps the chicken moist and gives it tons of flavor, and the gooey mozzarella and earthy pesto are the perfect complements. If you’re looking for a recipe to break in your grill this season, this is it!

P.S. I served this with steamed asparagus, and the balsamic reduction was amazingly delicious on that too. Highly recommended!

Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Mozzarella and Pesto
slightly adapted from Stephanie Cooks

4 chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinegar, divided
1 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 slices
Prepared pesto

1. Place the chicken breasts and 1/2 cup of the balsamic vinegar in a large bowl. Make sure the chicken is evenly coated and marinate for no more than an hour. Any longer than that, and the acid in the vinegar could affect the texture of the chicken.

2. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat. Grill the chicken until cooked through.

3. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cook until the vinegar is reduced, thickened, and syrupy, about 15 minutes.

4. When the chicken is cooked, top each breast with 2 slices of fresh mozzarella. Broil until the cheese is melted. Top each breast with a spoonful of pesto, then drizzle each with the balsamic reduction.

Ravioli with Bacon Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce

(Updated with a new photo in April 2013.)

When I saw this recipe for tortellini and pancetta in mushroom cream sauce on Carrie’s Sweet Life, it was a no-brainer that I’d be trying it sooner rather than later. There are so many things about that recipe that I like, and I knew it would suit my family’s tastes perfectly.

But when it came time to make it, I saw that I didn’t have tortellini on hand. I did have cheese ravioli, though, so I decided to use that instead. I knew I was going to use bacon instead of pancetta, because, duh, I always have bacon on hand. And then I thought, heck, there’s an open jar of pesto in my fridge. Why don’t I get crazy and throw some of that in there, too? The resulting dish was so luxurious and flavorful that no one in my family could get enough of it. Joe took one bite and immediately asked, “Is there any more?” That, my friends, is definitely a sign that he enjoys something. The boys both had second helpings, too, leaving me wishing that I’d doubled the recipe so we could have even more leftovers.

This sauce turned out to be similar to the sauce for one of my favorite chicken dishes, but with the addition of bacon. I loved the way the smoky, salty quality of the bacon paired with the earthy pesto and mushrooms and the sweet cream. This one is so fancy, but so quick and easy, and it is definitely a must-try.

Ravioli with Bacon Pesto Mushroom Cream Sauce
inspired by Carrie’s Sweet Life

1 package frozen cheese ravioli
4 strips bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup prepared pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan or Romano cheese for serving

1. Cook the bacon in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon grease from pan.

2. Add butter to reserved bacon grease. When melted, add onion and mushrooms and cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add heavy cream, stirring occasionally until sauce begins to thicken.

4. While sauce is thickening, cook ravioli according to package directions.

5. Add pesto and reserved bacon to thickened sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. Add sauce to cooked ravioli, stirring very gently to combine. Sprinkle each serving with shredded parmesan or Romano cheese.

Cheesy Sausage Penne

Being a food blogger means that you try lots of new recipes, all the time. And, obviously, not all of those recipes can be good, so some of them you never make again. Some are good enough to make occasionally, and some are so good that you want to make them once a week or more. This cheesy sausage penne falls into that last category – so good that my family could probably eat it three times a week and not get sick of it. It was so good that the instant the dinner dishes were cleaned up, I was on Facebook sharing the link with my family and friends.

What makes this dish different from other baked pasta dishes is the addition of the creamy, luxurious cream cheese-sour cream mixture that’s dotted on top and between the layers of pasta. That sauce is what takes this from good to incredible. There is a lot of the cream cheese-sour cream mixture, so if you’re not a fan of really saucy pastas, you can cut the mixture in half (and also I’m not your friend anymore, because how can you not like a lot of sauce?).

This dish is made with pantry staples and comes together relatively quickly – even more quickly if you make it ahead of time. Joe and my boys absolutely loved this, and I did too. It will be making many, many repeat appearances in my kitchen.

Cheesy Sausage Penne
adapted from Taste of Home

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 26-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 16-ounce package uncooked penne pasta
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and spices to taste.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream.

4. In a greased shallow 3-quart baking dish, layer half of the pasta and sausage mixture. Dollop with half the cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

5. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Farfalle Carbonara with Peas

A creamy, silky, luxurious carbonara has got to be one of my favorite meals on the planet. It's definitely one of my favorite things to order at Italian restaurants. I was so excited when I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest, because I thought it was a brilliant idea to add peas to carbonara. After I made this, the brilliance of that idea was confirmed; the peas add such a bright flavor to what is otherwise a heavy dish, and as a textural element they're perfect. In one mouthful you get the silky, rich sauce, the salty smoky crispy bacon, and the subtle sweetness and the pop of the peas. Heaven in a bowl.

I liked using farfalle for this so much that I'll probably use it or another short pasta every time I make carbonara from now on. It held onto the sauce so much better than a long noodle would have. This is the kind of meal I would serve to my family on a weeknight (since it takes much less than half an hour from start to finish), but that would also be appropriate to serve to guests. Simple, delicious, and a little bit luxurious -- this is definitely my kind of food.

Farfalle Carbonara with Peas

adapted from Jamie Oliver

16 ounces farfalle

1 cup frozen peas

1 egg

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

6 strips bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas. Drain pasta and peas, reserving a cup of the cooking water, and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg, cream, and salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds.

4. Return the bacon to the skillet, along with the pasta and peas. Stir to combine, making sure the pasta is warm, and then add the egg and cream mixture. Toss together and loosen with a bit of the reserved cooking water if necessary. Add parmesan cheese until melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Pesto Stuffed Shells

This meal is my favorite kind of comfort food. It's Italian, but it doesn't feel heavy. It's inexpensive to make. It's filling and comforting and absolutely delicious. Bonus points for being kid-friendly (my boys love this one) and really easy to make...or to make ahead of time.

I'm a huge fan of pesto, and it's definitely the star of this recipe. You can taste its herbaceous, earthy flavor in each and every bite. It worked really well with the ricotta cheese, although next time I make this, I think I'll sub cream cheese for the ricotta. I prefer the flavor and texture of cream cheese over ricotta (she says, as you all gasp in horror). I'd also love to try this with a homemade roasted tomato sauce. You all know how much I love my roasted tomatoes!

Really, though? This is delicious just as it is. It's the perfect warm-you-up meal for the bitingly cold winter days we've been having lately.

Cheesy Pesto Stuffed Shells

adapted from Budget Bytes

12 ounces jumbo shell pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese (or 8 ounces cream cheese, with a bit of milk to thin it)

1 cup shredded Italian-style cheese

1/2 cup basil pesto

1 egg

1 jar pasta sauce (I used a tomato-basil version, but a roasted red pepper one would be delicious too)

Parmesan cheese, if desired

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions in boiling, salted water. Add olive oil to keep the shells from sticking to each other or the pot. Be careful not to overcook the pasta. Drain the pasta and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Let the pasta drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the ricotta, shredded cheese, pesto, and egg. Refrigerate the filling until you are ready to use it.

3. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into the center of each shell. Add enough of the ricotta mixture to fill the shell so that it stays open just slightly (the edges should be about 1/2 inch apart). Fill as many shells as you can with the ricotta mixture.

4. Spread one cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place all of the shells in the baking dish as close together as possible and pour the remaining 2 cups of sauce over top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Mozzarella-Baked Gnocchi

This is one of the few recipes I’ve made countless times and haven’t shared with you guys yet. I made it so often last year, but I never posted about it because I just couldn’t seem to get a good enough picture of it to do it justice. Once you try this, you’re going to be so mad at me for not sharing it with you earlier, because you’ll wish you had this meal in your life a long time ago. So for that, I apologize in advance. The important thing is that I’m sharing it now, right? :)

This dish comes together so quickly, and it tastes absolutely incredible. My boys cannot get enough of this, and would gladly eat it once a week – or more. I love using gnocchi as an alternative to pasta – those little potato dumplings are so tasty! The fresh mozzarella is a must, in my opinion; it melts so wonderfully, and it gets that great blistery texture after it’s been broiled. Although both the gnocchi and the fresh mozz are a bit pricey, there’s no meat in this dish, so that’s really all you’re paying for. It still costs less than $10.00 to make, and that’s for at least four portions, plus leftovers.

I think you’re going to love this one.

Mozzarella-Baked Gnocchi
inspired by Food.com

2 packages vacuum-packed gnocchi (I think they run about 15.75 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can diced Italian-style tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 to 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (I use a full pound, because we like it really cheesy)

1. Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water, one minute shy of directions on package; drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic, and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Heat to boiling. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

4. Add sauce to cooked gnocchi. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese.

5. Broil until cheese is melted and begins to blister. Serve.

Bow Ties with Spicy Sausage in Tomato Cream Sauce

This pasta literally only has a handful of ingredients in it: sausage, onion, garlic, tomatoes and cream. And yet somehow, when those ingredients all come together, the flavor becomes so complex. This pasta is spicy, sweet, creamy, and absolutely delicious. I was going to add spinach to it, but I’m glad I didn’t. I was going to add some parmesan cheese, and I’m glad I didn’t do that either. It doesn’t need a single additional ingredient – it’s already perfect just as it is. And it’s ready in the amount of time it takes the pasta to cook.

I can’t say enough good things about this dinner. It was delicious and it will definitely make an appearance on many of my future meal plans (once a week, if Joe has anything to say about it).

Bow Ties with Spicy Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce

adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking

1 16-ounce package bow tie pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spicy sausage

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can Italian-style plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions; drain.

2. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet (large enough to hold the sauce and pasta) over medium heat. Cook sausage until sausage is evenly brown. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Serve.

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

A couple of years ago I tried Spaghetti a la Philly, and I didn’t like it. I know, isn’t that shocking? Something containing cream cheese that I didn’t like? Unheard of! But I didn’t enjoy the combination of cream cheese and spaghetti sauce in the recipe very much at all. So when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, I was somewhat skeptical. But the picture was so appealing and it looked so good that I knew I had to try it. Even if I didn’t like it, I knew it would get eaten, because Joe and the boys are spaghetti fiends.

Well, I loved it. I don’t know if my tastes have changed or if this recipe is just delicious, or a combination of those two things, but I couldn’t stop eating this. It’s similar to a lasagna in the manner that it’s assembled, but the taste is all its own. The French-fried onions are like the cherry on top of the sundae: the perfect thing to add texture and flavor to the entire dish. So if you make this, don’t skip them!

There are few meals that are as comforting as baked spaghetti, and this version is definitely delicious. If your family is anything like mine, they’ll love this dinner!

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

adapted from Salad in a Jar

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves minced garlic

1 jar of prepared spaghetti sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

1/3 cup chopped onions

8 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons milk

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

French-fried onions (small can)

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.

2. Brown ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Drain excess grease. Return beef to pan and add garlic. Cook and stir for 30 seconds, then add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat through.

3. Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on high until soft.

4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Using a 10 x 6-inch dish, add a thin layer of meat sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with spaghetti, then cream cheese and vegetable mixture, then the remaining meat sauce, then parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French-fried onions and continue baking 5 more minutes or until the onions are crispy and fragrant.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

My husband just finished up his softball fall league, and I am very happy about this. I know it’s good for him to get out of the house and do some physical activity, but the truth is that his softball game nights can be pretty tough on me. I either have to rush around preparing dinner for all of us before he leaves for his game, or I have to make dinner without him there, which means I have two little boys underfoot and no back-up.

I made this particular dinner on the second kind of night, and I’m happy to report that it wasn’t stressful at all. This has nothing whatsoever to do with my sons (although they are both very well-behaved), but rather with the fact that this meal is so easy. You just mix up a few ingredients, throw everything in a casserole dish, and bake it. And that’s it. I was in and out of the kitchen before they had a chance to wreck the entire house.

Not only is it easy, it’s delicious too. My friend Leigh, whose blog I found this on, said it reminds her of an Italian version of Swiss chicken, and I think that’s a great description. It’s flavorful and filling, and according to Joe (who always comes home from his games famished), it reheated very well too. We all liked this one a lot!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake
adapted from One Day at a Time – From My Kitchen to Yours

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 14.5-ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 6-ounce box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch dish with nonstick spray. Place the cut chicken breasts in the bottom of the dish. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the chicken, then sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the cheese.

3. In a separate bowl combine the diced tomatoes, water, garlic and stuffing mix. Spread the stuffing mixture on top.

4. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.

Joe's Favorite Meatballs

Despite his Welsh last name, my husband is Italian. Even though he’s really only a quarter Italian, that’s the part of his heritage he seems to embrace the most. It’s definitely the food he embraces the most. And although I don’t claim to be an excellent Italian cook like his grandmother and great-grandmother, my version of Italian food seems to be good enough for him. These meatballs are one of the meals he requests the most.

I’ve been making these for years, and I can’t believe they haven’t found their way onto the blog yet. What makes these particular meatballs so delicious, in my opinion, is the balance of sweet and spicy. The hot Italian sausage is perfectly complemented by the sweet red bell pepper (which is finely chopped with the aid of a blender, so you get a bite of it in every meatball) and the San Marzano tomatoes in the sauce. If I’m short on time I’ll just crack open a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce (I’m never opposed to taking shortcuts!) but I really prefer the homemade sauce with the sweet tomatoes for these meatballs. I know in the picture they look pretty generic, but wait until you taste how flavorful they are! There’s definitely a reason my husband can’t get enough of them!

By the way, it's November, which is National Blog Posting Month, and I'm participating because I'm a crazy person. So you'll be getting a post from me every day for the next 30 days!

Joe’s Favorite Meatballs

1 pound hot Italian Sausage
1 red bell pepper, divided
1 large onion, chopped, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 cloves minced garlic, divided
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 14.5-ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes

1. Halve red bell pepper and discard stems and seeds. Coarsely chop half of the pepper and place in a blender or food processor; chop the other half and set aside. Chop the onion; add half to the pepper in the blender and set the other half aside.

2. To the bell pepper and onions in the blender, add parsley and 2 cloves of garlic. Pulse until very finely chopped and paste-like.

3. Place sausage in a large bowl. Add bell pepper mixture, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, Italian seasoning and salt. Mix gently with your hands to combine and shape into balls, slightly smaller in size than a golf ball.

4. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. When simmering, add meatballs to skillet and cook until browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels.

5. While the meatballs are cooking, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or high-sided skillet. Add reserved onions and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until vegetables are softened. Add remaining 2 cloves of minced garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Heat to bubbling, then reduce heat to medium low.

6. Add the meatballs to the sauce so they can gently finish cooking through, 10 or 15 minutes. Serve over pasta or on crusty bread.

Italian BLTs

I don’t know when or why this idea came to me. I think I was randomly thinking about BLTs one day (I randomly think about food a lot, don’t you? …Oh, just me?), and it just hit me that pesto mayonnaise would be delicious on a BLT (since it’s delicious on so many other things). It wasn’t a far stretch to add mozzarella cheese to the equation, and substitute shredded romaine for the traditional iceberg lettuce. And thus, this delicious Italian-style BLT was born.

I love the flavors and textures of this BLT. The pesto adds another layer of flavor to the mayonnaise, and it works so well with the smoky bacon. The mayonnaise is slightly grainy, the cheese is gooey, the tomatoes are juicy, the bacon is crispy and so is the lettuce. It’s so incredibly tasty.

You can use fresh mozzarella for these if you want. It would melt on the sandwiches nicely. But if you’re a budget shopper like me and the fresh stuff is a little pricey for you, the shredded version is fine. You could also use sliced provolone. I used an entire pound of bacon (about 16 slices), which yielded four slices per sandwich. Well, okay: A couple of the sandwiches may have had only three slices, because I couldn’t resist stealing some for myself. I’m the cook; it’s my right.

I just thought of something: You could also serve this on garlic bread. Oh, man, I’m going to try that. I’ll report back if I haven’t died from deliciousness.

Italian BLTs

1 pound cooked bacon
1 romaine heart, shredded
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared pesto
8 slices toasted bread

1. Combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread each slice of bread with pesto mayonnaise.

2. Layer bacon, cheese, tomato, and shredded lettuce on four slices of bread; top with other four slices. Serve immediately.

One year ago: Chicken parmesan cakes

Lasagna Sandwiches

Yes, you read that right. Lasagna sandwiches. Lasagna in sandwich form. All of the delicious components of lasagna (aside from the pasta itself), between two halves of a roll. These sandwiches, my friends, are ground-breaking. And, as you would suspect, they taste amazing.

In addition to being delicious, they’re also pretty easy. You could make the sandwiches the night before you want to serve them, wrap them in foil, then just pop them in the oven to heat through a half hour before dinner time. They're perfect for weeknight cooking in that regard. We obviously had sandwiches left over, which I took for lunches for the rest of the week, but I bet they'd freeze pretty well too.

I added even more flavor to the sandwiches by turning the rolls into garlic bread. I hollowed them out, coated them with a mixture of butter and seasonings, and broiled them until crispy before assembling the sandwiches. I definitely recommend using a thicker, heartier roll for these – something more substantial than a hoagie roll. I used bolillo rolls, which I thought worked perfectly. You could even make a long sandwich with a loaf of sweet Italian bread, then cut it into slices for serving.

But come on, these are LASAGNA SANDWICHES. They’re going to be delicious no matter how you serve them.

Try them. I promise you’ll love them.

Lasagna Sandwiches
adapted from 5 Dollar Dinners

6 sub rolls or bolillo rolls
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 to 1 cup jarred marinara
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Slice off the tops of the sub rolls. Then scoop out the bread from the inside. Stir together butter, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Spread each side of each sliced roll with butter mixture. Broil until browned and crispy.

3. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. About halfway through cooking, add onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When beef is cooked through, add garlic and cook and stir 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and as much marinara sauce as you need to moisten the mixture (don’t make it too wet).

4. Spoon some of the ground beef mixture into each roll.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spoon over the meat mixture in each roll.

6. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese over top of each roll. Top with the bread top. Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

One year ago: Chocolate zucchini cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Portobello Pesto Pizza

I’ve found that people have strong opinions about both pesto and mushrooms: They either love them, or they hate them. My family falls into the “love” category for both things, and when I saw them paired together in one delicious pizza…Well. Making this recipe was a no-brainer.

This is an absolutely delicious pizza. The cremini mushrooms and pesto work so well together: The mushrooms provide that deep earthiness, and the pesto is so fresh and vibrant in contrast. Topped with tons of melty, blistery cheese, it’s pretty much perfection.

I definitely enjoyed this more than Joe did, though; he thought the pizza needed “something else.” I expect that “something else” that he couldn’t define was some sort of tomato-y element, which I’ll add for him next time I make this – in the form of roasted cherry tomatoes, which I think would be delicious in the mushroom layer.

And here comes the geeky English major in me: Another thing I love about this pizza is the alliteration. Portobellos, pesto, provolone, parmesan…I’m tempted to throw in some prosciutto or pancetta next time I make this, too, just for one more “P” ingredient!

Portobello Pesto Pizza
adapted from Brown-Eyed Baker

1 pizza crust (make your own, or buy a thin-crust one at the store, which is what I did without shame)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
8 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Arrange pizza crust on a rack or pizza stone in the oven. Pre-bake according to recipe or directions on package.

2. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the sliced mushrooms and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms have released all of their liquid and both the mushrooms and shallots are soft and browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Spread the pesto over the pizza dough, just as you would pizza sauce, leaving a 1/2-inch border uncovered. Spread the mushroom and onion mixture evenly over the pesto, and then top with the provolone and parmesan cheeses. Place your baking sheet or pizza pan into the oven.

4. Bake until the crust edges brown and the cheese is golden brown in spots, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.

One year ago: Baked zucchini macaroni and cheese

Corn and Tomato Risotto

Risotto is something I usually think of as a fall and winter sort of dish, since it involves standing over a hot pan and stirring constantly. But I just couldn’t resist this recipe when I saw it, and I put it on the menu in hopes that the time spent over a hot stove would be worth it.

It was.

This risotto had the perfect balance of sweet and savory elements, and since part of the cooking liquid is milk, it’s even creamier than risotto usually is. There’s something so magical and wonderfully summery about the combination of corn, tomatoes, and basil. I have to be honest and tell you that I used a can of corn rather than fresh, which feels like blasphemy (for various reasons that aren’t really all that important, I wasn’t able to get to the store to get fresh corn on the cob) – but this was still delicious. Next time I’ll use fresh corn for sure, and also replace the chopped tomato with halved cherry tomatoes since they’re so sweet this time of year. I served this alongside rosemary ranch chicken kabobs, and it’ll definitely be a go-to summer side for me from now on.

Corn and Tomato Risotto
adapted from Taste of Home

3 cups chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup uncooked arborio rice
1 1/3 cups fresh corn (about 5 ears of corn)(or 1 can of corn, drained)
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan, heat the stock and milk; keep warm.

2. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender.

3. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add rice; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup stock/milk mixture. Cook and stir until all liquid is absorbed.

4. Add remaining stock/milk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook until risotto is creamy and rice is almost tender. (Cooking time is about 20 minutes.) Stir in the remaining ingredients; heat through.

Pepperoni Sauce

How many of you watched Top Chef All Stars? If you did, you almost certainly remember cheftestant Mike Isabella’s pepperoni sauce in the finale. Gail Simmons couldn’t stop raving about it. It did look absolutely delicious, so when Bravo put the recipe on their website a month or so later, I couldn’t wait to try it.

I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of Mike the first time he was on Top Chef. For lack of a better term, he seemed like a total douche. But in the all stars season he didn't bother me nearly as much, and I actually don’t think I would have minded if he would have won. His food always looked delicious, and if the rest of his dishes tasted as good as this pepperoni sauce? Well, then I would say that he deserved to win.

This sauce has such incredible flavor. The pepperoni adds a wonderful spiciness and it works perfectly with the toasted fennel seed. Next time I make this I’ll double it so I can freeze a batch. This would be a perfect flavorful sauce to have on hand in the freezer for those nights I just don’t feel like cooking.

Pepperoni Sauce
slightly adapted from BravoTV.com

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into small dice
5 medium cloves garlic, cut into very thin slices
1 pound pepperoni, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
14 ounces canned Italian tomatoes, chopped, with their juices
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 fresh bay leaf

1. Toast the fennel seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the skillet often to keep the seeds from burning. They will become fragrant and slightly darker in color.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil simmers. Add the onion and garlic; cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden and fragrant.

3. Stir in the pepperoni; cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and evenly coated, then add the toasted fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

4. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the broth, and the bay leaf; stir to incorporate. Once the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The pepperoni slices will be soft, with a deeper color. Remove from the heat.

5. Working in batches as needed, transfer to a food processor or a high-powered blender (including the bay leaf). Puree until smooth. Serve with pasta.

Garlic Spinach Noodles

When I’m planning meals for the week, the thing I struggle with most is coming up with side dishes – particularly starchy ones. Vegetables are easy, but starches are much harder for me. Usually we have some kind of rice or some kind of potato, but it gets a little bit boring after a while (to me, at least; my husband and sons could eat boxed rice pilaf every day for the rest of their lives and be perfectly happy). When I saw this recipe for garlic spinach noodles, I couldn’t wait to try it. It seemed like a great side dish, and a way to sneak some spinach into my boys’ diet – for which I’m always grateful.

We all really liked these noodles. Their flavor is sweet, tangy, and garlicky – a really nice combination of flavors. Tomorrow I’ll share the chicken I made to go with them.

Garlic Spinach Noodles
adapted from Recipes Straight From the Kowboys Home

8 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with hot water; drain and keep warm.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Add spinach to pan along with vinegar mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until spinach is hot. Stir in pasta and heat through. Remove from heat and toss with cheese.

Kicked-Up Carbonara

I came across this dish on Krista’s Kitchen a while ago, right after I adapted her recipe for Southwestern bacon mac and cheese. It was one of the suggested recipes at the bottom of her post, and it looked delicious. Then I read her post and saw that she and her family didn’t like it, at all. She thought this was probably because of her wine choice, so I thought I’d go ahead and give the recipe a shot. I wouldn’t be in danger of using cheap wine since I don’t drink wine very often and very rarely buy it just for a recipe (other than risotto -- wine is a must in risotto recipes, in my humble opinion).

So I made this, replacing the wine with chicken broth, and we all really enjoyed it. Joe especially raved about it, and kept saying, “This is really, really good” between bites. He was right. This is basically pasta alla carbonara, with a few more ingredients thrown in to make it even more delicious. The sauce is silky, creamy, and yummy, and every bite of this pasta is loaded with flavor.

Kicked-Up Carbonara
adapted from Krista’s Kitchen

12 ounces linguine or thin spaghetti
5 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan; keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet; discard remaining drippings. Add garlic and red bell pepper; cook and stir until bell pepper is slightly softened. Add chicken broth and bring to boiling. Reduce heat; boil gently, uncovered, 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

3. In medium bowl whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Add egg mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until egg mixture coats a metal spoon. Do not scramble.

4. Add egg mixture to pasta along with bacon, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Cook over medium heat 1 minute just to heat through, tossing with tongs to combine. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid to pasta mixture as needed to make creamy. Top with black pepper and additional parmesan cheese and serve immediately.