Recipe Rewind: Our Favorite Shepherd's Pie

It makes my life much more stressful, but I'm one of those people who gets very, very anxious about the weather during the winter. You'd think after 30 years of Ohio winters I'd be used to the awfulness but somehow, I'm not. This winter has been very snowy and, lately, very cold, so my anxiety has been ratcheted up pretty high.

For me, the only saving grace of an awful winter is that it pretty much requires us to eat lots of comfort food -- and there is nothing I don't love about comfort food. I've been making this shepherd's pie (one of my very favorite comfort foods) for years now. I posted this recipe in the very early days of my blog, and I thought it was high time I revisited it here -- because it's just that good.

This shepherd's pie recipe has such wonderful flavor -- the cinnamon and cloves make it so interesting and special -- and it's simply ideal for warming you up on the frigid winter days we've been having. The ingredients are humble, but the dish as a whole is exceptionally delicious, and one of my family's absolute favorites.

Shepherd's Pie
slightly adapted from There's a Chef in My Family! by Emeril Lagasse

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large Idaho potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sour cream
3 ounces cream cheese
Splash of milk as needed
1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Grease a casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover with water by 1 inch and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil until fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, the sour cream, the cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper. Add a splash of milk if needed for consistency. Mash with a potato masher until smooth and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, then add the beef and cook, stirring to break up the meat chunks, until cooked through.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Tilt the pan away from you, and carefully remove as much excess liquid as possible from the pan. Discard the liquid.

5. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the Italian seasoning, thyme sprigs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, the cinnamon, and the cloves, and cook until the meat is well-browned, stirring frequently, about 6 to 8 minutes.

6. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and cook, stirring, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir well, then add the beef broth and the peas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.

7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

8. Increase the oven temperature to broil and cook until golden brown and crisp around the edges, about 4 to 6 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Revolutionary Baked Ravioli

When I shared my delicious bolognese sauce with you on Monday, I promised that I'd post a fantastic recipe on Friday that calls for it -- and here it is. I'm calling this "revolutionary" baked ravioli for one simple reason: When you're layering the casserole ingredients, you add the ravioli while it's still frozen. You don't even have to cook it first! That may seem like a small thing to you, but to me, it's huge. I know ravioli doesn't take very long to cook, but it still saved me from having to boil it in a separate pot, thereby dirtying more dishes that I would later have had to clean.

Another thing I love about this dish: It only contains three ingredients. The ravioli, the sauce, and the cheese -- that's it. Layer them all in a dish, stick the dish in the oven, and in 45 minutes dinner is served. You can use whatever kind of ravioli you like, and of course you can use jarred sauce to make this even easier. The version picture above, using my bolognese sauce and cheese ravioli, tastes exactly like lasagna -- and it was about 100 times easier to prepare.

I can't say enough good things about this recipe. I'll be keeping sauce and ravioli in the freezer at all times so I can make this whenever I crave it -- which I'm sure will be often.

Revolutionary Baked Ravioli
adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 25-ounce bag frozen ravioli
4 cups bolognese sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 9×13 rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

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

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

Corn Bacon Cheddar Bake

Since I have now made this dish three separate times, all three times to rave reviews and multiple requests for the recipe, I figured it's high time that I share it with you. This is one of those recipes that everyone needs in their lives.

Basically, it's corn, bacon, and cheddar cheese, all bubbling together in a creamy sour cream sauce. It's perfectly seasoned and incredibly flavorful, with the sweet corn balancing out the smoky-salty bacon perfectly. And it's so easy to prepare, and can be served warm or at room temperature, which makes it perfect for cook-outs this summer. In fact, I think it's replaced broccoli salad as my go-to dish for family get-togethers. And that's really saying a lot, because my family is nuts over that broccoli salad. They may be even more nuts over this corn.

Corn Bacon Cheddar Bake
adapted from Taste and Tell

8 slices bacon, chopped
1 small red or white onion, chopped (I've made it with both, and think I prefer it with red onion)
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups freshly-shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package frozen corn
Chopped chives or scallions for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy; using a slotted spoon, remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3. Add the onion to the bacon drippings and cook until softened. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until completely absorbed. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the sour cream and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese until melted. Stir in the corn and half of the bacon. 

5. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and the rest of the bacon. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with chopped chives or scallions before serving.


 
 
 

Mom's Carrot Casserole

There are lots of things I did when I was 19 that I'm not necessarily proud of, but one of the smartest things I've ever done in my life occurred at that age. I moved out of my mom's house -- which was not-so-smart, maybe, in retrospect -- but before I left I took the time to write down all of her recipes. It turned out, tragically, that I'd be yearning for those recipes to revive her memorty earlier than I ever thought I would, so I am so glad I had the foresight to do that. That foresight is why I have so many of her recipes, my childhood favorites, to share with you here.

Today's recipe is yet another of those forgotten favorites. I stumbled upon it while searching for a pie recipe (which I'll share on Friday), and I think I immediately started salivating. Neither my brother nor I liked carrots very much growing up, but when my mom made this casserole, carrots somehow turned into a magical vegetable and we couldn't get enough.

The carrots are baked in a sauce made of butter, cream cheese, and Velveeta, so this is oviously not very healthy, but as a once-in-a-while indulgence it just can't be beat. The sauce is delicious beyond words, and paired with the sweet carrots, the sharp bite of the green onions, and a buttery cracker topping, it's just perfect. My whole family loves this casserole so much, and I'm so glad I rediscovered it.

Mom's Carrot Casserole

2 pounds carrots, sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

5 tablespoons butter, divided

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed

4 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 sleeve buttery crackers, crushed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the carrots and chicken broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes until carrots are crisp-tender.

3. Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, combine Velveeta and 2 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Add the cream cheese, green onions, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cream cheese is uniformly melted into the sauce.

4. Drain the carrots; stir into the cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish.

5. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Stir the crackers into the butter, then sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the casserole. Cover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly.

Italian Sub Crescent Bake

This dish was all the rage on Pinterest a few months ago, and whenever I saw it my mouth practically watered. That's almost always a sign that I'm going to be trying a recipe. Although the original looked delicious as-is, I made a few changes to my version: adding banana pepper rings, roasting my own peppers, using provolone cheese, and whisking some prepared Italian dressing and oregano into the eggs.

When I initially read the recipe, the addition of the eggs sounded really strange to me, and I almost skipped that step. I'm so glad I didn't. The eggs don't turn this into a brunch dish in the least; they just serve to make the cheese gooey and bubbly and amazingly delicious. This really is reminiscent of eating a warm Italian sub, and my entire family really enjoyed it. That's really saying something when it comes to the boys, because they're not too crazy about lunch meat. As a bonus, this heated up really well the next day for leftovers -- not that there were many. Serve it with a salad and you've got a delicious dinner!

Italian Sub Crescent Bake

adapted from Mr. Food

1 8-ounce package refrigerated crescent rolls

8 slices deli turkey

8 slices deli ham

12 slices deli hard salami

8 slices provolone cheese

1 jar roasted red and yellow peppers, drained (or about 3 peppers, if you roast your own)

1/2 cup jarred banana pepper rings

4 eggs

2 tablespoons Italian dressing

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles. Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line.

2. Place 1 square of dough into an 8-inch square baking dish; using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish. Whisk together eggs, Italian dressing, and oregano.

3. Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, provolone cheese, roasted peppers and banana peppers. Pour half of beaten egg mixture over the peppers and repeat with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers.

4. Place remaining square of dough over peppers. Pour remaining beaten egg mixture over dough and cover lightly with foil.

5. Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden and heated through. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes then cut and serve.

Chicken, Potato, and Green Bean One-Dish Dinner

I hope you'll all forgive me for being MIA the last week or so. I've been busy getting things ready for Christmas (I'm hosting two Christmases at my home this year, which has required a lot of planning), baking up a storm, and hugging my little boys even more tightly than usual. Like everyone else's, my heart was just broken by the events that transpired in Newtown, Connecticut last week. I'm sending up so many prayers for the families affected and for the entire town, that they may find healing and peace in the wake of such senseless tragedy.

My Google Reader is overwhelmed with holiday recipes right now, most of them on the sweet end of the spectrum. I made some fantastic new cookies for my cookie trays this year, but I've opted to save them to share with you next Christmas. I don't want to overwhelm you with even more cookies a week before Christmas, when I'm sure most of you already have all of your holiday baking finished! Instead, I thought I'd share with you what we're having for dinner tonight.

I've been bad about blogging this month, but I've been even worse about cooking dinner. Last night I made sloppy joes, but that was the first time I'd cooked anything at all since the first week of December. My family is in serious need of some comfort food, and this recipe is perfect for that. It's also perfect for this time of year, because it doesn't dirty a lot of dishes, can be made ahead of time, and is very low-maintenance overall. Oh, and also? It's delicious. The chicken is so moist and tender, and the potatoes are so flavorful. My family was especially fond of the green beans. I think this would also work well with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower or even corn instead of green beans -- but I personally won't be trying it, since my guys just went nuts over the green beans!

This is probably the last time you'll hear from me before Christmas. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas with the ones you love!

Chicken, Potato, and Green Bean One-Dish Dinner

adapted from Julie's Eats and Treats

8 baby red potatoes, chopped

2 cans green beans, drained

4 chicken breasts, uniform thickness

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 packet dry Italian dressing mix

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line the potatoes along one side of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Line the other side of the dish with the green beans, and nestle the chicken breasts in the middle.

3. Slice the butter thinly and spread over the top of the chicken and vegetables. Pour chicken stock evenly over the pan, and sprinkle the entire pan with the Italian dressing mix.

4. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through and the potatoes are fork-tender.

Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi

First of all, thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last post! You guys are just the best. It's been so much fun sharing recipes with you and getting to know so many of you over the past four-and-a-half years. I have no intentions of stopping now, so get ready for the next thousand recipes! :)

My family loves gnocchi. We have a go-to recipe that I make often and that we all absolutely love, but every once in a while I get the itch to do something different. Recently that itch led me to combine gnocchi with bacon, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar and broccoli to make a meal reminiscent of a loaded baked potato. And it was very, very good. It was fantastic, actually. It was a creamy, cheesy delight. The next time you're looking for something different to do with gnocchi, I highly, highly recommend you give this recipe a try!

Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi

2 packages vaccuum-packed gnocchi (about 16 ounces each)

10 strips of bacon, diced

2 tablespoons butter

4 green onions, thinly sliced

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups chopped broccoli, steamed

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.

2. While the gnocchi is cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain and discard most of the bacon drippings.

3. Over medium heat, add the butter to the same skillet and let it melt. Add the green onions and saute until they're just softened, a couple of minutes. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream until the cream cheese is fully incorporated and the mixture is bubbling. Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar cheese and let it melt. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little bit of milk. Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency, taste for seasonsing and add half of the bacon, the broccoli, and the gnocchi and stir to combine.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with remaining cup of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling. Sprinkle each serving with the reserved bacon.

Chicken Cheddar Bacon Ranch Rice Bake

People, can we get a HALLELUJAH that the election is finally over? Can we all breathe a collective sigh of relief? Ahhhh. No matter who you voted for, I think we're all happy that we'll no longer be subjected to the phone calls, mailings, and television and radio ads. I am ready to move on with my life, that's for sure.

My son's preschool class also voted on Tuesday, but they voted in a food election: spaghetti vs. macaroni and cheese. Mac and cheese won by a 3 to 1 margin. I hear that mac and cheese had an irresistible platform: a promise to always be creamy, cheesy, comforting and delicious. I don't think spaghetti stood a chance.

If mac and cheese went up against this rice, though? Well, the results might have been very different. Not only is this casserole creamy, cheesy, comforting, and delicious, it's also ranch-y and loaded with bacon. It's simple to make and innovative, too, with the rice cooking directly in the cheese sauce (the rice absorbs the sauce's flavor and thickens it, so there's no need for cream soups in this recipe). It's adaptable, and would be delicious with pimientos and/or broccoli stirred in. It would be very, very hard to beat, in any type of election or at dinner time. Our whole family loved it, especially Andrew, who ate two huge helpings. Chicken Cheddar Bacon Ranch Rice for President! Stay tuned for 2016.

Chicken Cheddar Bacon Ranch Rice Bake

adapted from What's Cooking in the Burbs

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 1/2 cups milk

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice

1 cup sour cream

3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent and softened. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Add flour and mix well for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is bubbling. Stir stock, milk, and ranch seasoning into flour mixture.Turn heat to medium high and add one cup cheese and continue to whisk as mixture comes to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Add rice and lower heat to medium low. Cook until the rice absorbs most of the liquid and is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, then stir in the chicken and bacon.

5. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch casserole. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese evenly over the rice. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbling.

Baked Spaghetti Lasagna

This recipe has been all over Pinterest and the blogosphere recently, and I just have to add my own voice to all of the others that are saying: IT IS FREAKING DELICIOUS. This is a seriously, seriously good dinner. I'm always looking for fun new twists on lasagna since it's one of Joe's favorite dinners, and making it for him the traditional way is an all-day affair. This baked spaghetti tastes exactly like lasagna, with much less fuss.

Now, be forewarned: this recipe makes a ton of food. Yes, it contains 2 pounds of cheese and 1.5 pounds of pasta. I made the recipe as-is, and not only did we have enough for two separate dinners, we also had enough for lunches for all four of us for at least a week. It makes a lot. It can be easily halved if you're only cooking for a couple of people or if you don't like leftovers.

My personal favorite part of lasagna is the ricotta filling, and this recipe has that and then some. The noodles are mixed up with a ridiculously creamy mixture of ricotta, sour cream, half and half, and mozzarella -- and because I have to be me, I threw some cream cheese in there too. The mixture is poured into a casserole dish (a very large casserole dish) and baked, then each serving is topped with a scoop of meaty pasta sauce. It's stupid how good this is. Just stupid.

Baked Spaghetti Lasagna

adapted from Plain Chicken

1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) spaghetti

8 cups (32 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounces ricotta cheese

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup half and half, milk, or heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

3 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound Italian sausage

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Salt and pepper, and any other seasonings, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.

2. In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese, half-and-half, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of the parmesan cheese. Add spaghetti and toss until well coated.

3. Pour the spaghetti mixture into a 9 x 13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Top spaghetti with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover dish aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.

4. While the pasta is baking, prepare the meat sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add onion and sausage and saute until the meat is cooked thorugh and the onion is translucent. Add spaghetti sauce, adjust for seasoning, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

5. Remove the pasta from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pasta into squares and top each serving with the meat sauce.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

It's been a few months since I made this dinner, but I remember that night vividly. It was a Sunday, and right at around 4:30 (when I usually start making dinner), there was a knock at the door. It was a vaccuum saleswoman, and she wanted to come in and clean our floors. I told her that we (obviously) had wood floors, but then she asked to clean our rug. And then, the kicker: "Please, I just have to do one more cleaning today, and then I can go home." Well, then. Okay.

I didn't expect her to take an hour. The entire time, my boys were playing with her equipment and begging to use it and asking her to explain, in great detail, what each piece did. I'm pretty sure she regretted her decision to knock on our door at that point, and I was definitely regretting my decision to let her in. There's nothing like watching a pound of dirt being sucked up from the rug that you JUST VACUUMED to make you feel like a horrible housekeeper.

Thankfully, this horrible housekeeper can still put a delicious dinner on the table. Although it definitely made it to the table later than usual, this casserole was fantastic. It was really simple to prepare and was hearty and filling -- the perfect thing to make me forget all about my dirty rug.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

slightly adapted from Pillsbury

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1 3/4 cups marinara sauce

3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 can refrigerated garlic breadsticks

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 375 degeres. In 12x8-inch (2-quart) ceramic or glass baking dish, arrange chicken and season with salt and pepper. Pour marinara sauce over top to coat chicken. Sprinkle with basil and mozzarella cheese.

2. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and Italian seasoning.

3. Separate dough into 8 breadsticks.  Cut each breadstick into 1-inch pieces and dip dough into melted butter mixture. Arrange pieces over mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over dough.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut and cheese melted and bubbly.

Creamy Baked Ziti

I love September so much, you guys. I know I'm not alone in this. It's just such a magical month, a time of fall decorations and sleeping with the windows open and the return of hearty, rich dinners like this baked ziti.

Unlike most baked zitis, this one doesn't use ricotta cheese. Instead, it uses a combination of sour cream and cream cheese. It's not traditional by any means, but it's so delicious that I highly doubt you'll mind that in the least. The sour cream and cream cheese together make the ziti so creamy and provide such a tangy, irresistible flavor. It's a creamy, cheesy delight, and I think you should definitely make it for dinner this weekend.

Creamy Baked Ziti

adapted from mocha me

1 pound dry ziti pasta

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound lean ground beef or Italian sausage

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

2 26-ounce jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce

8 ounces sliced provolone cheese

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta and cook according to package directions; drain and return to pot. Add butter and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

2. In a large skillet, brown the onion and ground beef or sausage over medium heat. Drain excess fat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer until slightly thickened. Taste for seasoning and season with salt and pepper (and any additional seasonings you like).

3. Stir together cream cheese and sour cream in a small bowl.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add about 1 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread evenly. Layer as follows: half of the ziti, the provolone cheese, the sour cream/cream cheese mixture, half of the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven on top of baking sheet. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Vegetable Tortellini Bake

This is one of those recipes you can modify to include whatever vegetables you have on hand, and it's going to be delicious. In my case...well, I used pretty much All The Vegetables: zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, carrots, peas, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes. Since my boys love pasta so much, I thought I might as well sneak a ton of veggies into the sauce so they'd eat them along with the tortellini. Success! I'm telling you, that method rarely fails.

I adapted this pretty heavily from Better Homes and Gardens. Their method, to me, just seemed needlessly complicated. In addition to upping the amount of veggies, I also removed the chicken called for in the original recipe (this dish doesn't need it; it's hearty enough), used half whole-wheat tortellini, and added pesto to the sauce. The result was a hearty dish that somehow doesn't seem heavy, and one that's healthy and delicious too.

Vegetable Tortellini Bake

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons

1 medium summer squash, sliced into half moons

6 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 8-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature

1/4 cup pesto

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Cook tortellini in boiling salted water; drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add carrot, onion, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are fork-tender. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the milk and chicken stock to the vegetables and heat until bubbling. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add pesto and stir until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

4. Add the cherry tomatoes and the sauce mixture to the reserved tortellini and stir to combine.

5. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbling.

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.

Smoked Sausage Pierogi Bake

Hey, remember that bacon pierogi bake my family loves so much? Well, I was so excited when I saw this recipe, which uses smoked sausage instead of bacon and changes the recipe up in a few other little ways. This is such a delicious adaptation of the original casserole. Smoked sausage is such a natural pairing with pierogies, and it works great with the other ingredients in this dish.

It may not really seem like a summer sort of meal, but smoked sausage is on sale a lot during the summer, and this is a great way to use it. Although I still think I prefer the bacon version, this is a hearty, delicious alternative.

Looks like a hot mess. Tastes delicious.

Smoked Sausage Pierogi Bake
adapted from Lemons and Love

1 16-ounce package frozen potato and cheese pierogies
1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Green onions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the frozen pierogies in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet, cook smoked sausage over medium heat until edges are browned and crispy. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add cream cheese, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and pepper. Heat through until cream cheese is melted.

3. Pour the smoked sausage-cream cheese mixture evenly over the pierogies. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until thoroughly heated. Add cheddar cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with green onions.

Pesto Chicken Alfredo Casserole

During my first pregnancy, one of my major cravings was anything containing pesto. I’ve always enjoyed the flavor, but when I was pregnant with Andrew, my love of the stuff really intensified. I put it in and on everything. Even though that pregnancy ended nearly three years ago, I still find myself using pesto a lot more in my kitchen than I did before I got pregnant. This is partly due to the fact that Andrew loves it too -- which I guess isn’t all that surprising since he got so much of it while he was gestating -- and I will use the heck out of an ingredient if I know Andrew will eat it.

This casserole was a hit with both of my boys. We had this on a day when my husband was working late, so I prepared the casserole during nap time and just heated it up when it was time for dinner. Make-ahead meals are a busy mom’s best friend, for sure. You could even make two meals out of this, freezing half of the casserole for a later date.

Andrew described this casserole as “yummy,” and I think that maybe there’s no better description for it than that. I loved the creaminess and the slightly smoky flavor from the roasted red peppers, and the way that smokiness worked with the bright-tasting pesto. The only thing I thought this was missing was a little bit of texture, so next time I’ll top it with breadcrumbs or a scattering of toasted pine nuts.

Yummy.

Pesto Chicken Alfredo Casserole
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 pound uncooked rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (use a rotisserie chicken, or 2 small chicken breasts)
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped
1/3 cup prepared basil pesto
1/2 cup milk
1 jar prepared Alfredo sauce
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta to al dente in boiling salted water, following directions on the package. Return to saucepan and stir in remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into baking dish.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving if desired.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

I generally tend to shy away from breakfast casseroles that contain eggs in combination with any type of bread product. I’ve tried quite a few of them, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just don’t like the resulting texture; it always inevitably tastes soggy to me.

But when I saw this recipe, I couldn’t resist giving this a shot. Waffles, maple sausage, eggs, and cheese, all in one delicious dish? I mean, how could I possibly not try it? And I’m really glad I did, because the waffles in this casserole don’t taste soggy at all. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they’re toasted before the eggs are added.

I love dishes that manage to be both sweet and savory at once, and this casserole is a perfect example of that. I will admit to using plain old store-brand frozen buttermilk waffles instead of the Eggo waffles called for in the original recipe, and I had absolutely no issues whatsoever. I even took some for lunch the next day, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this tasted even better as leftovers than it did straight out of the oven.

We all loved this so much, I think this has an excellent shot at replacing the breakfast casserole I make every year for Christmas.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Breakfast Casserole

adapted from What’s Cookin’, Chicago?, originally from Cook’s Country

8 frozen waffles
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound maple sausage
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Toast waffles in a toaster until browned. Meanwhile, brown sausage in a skillet until no longer pink and drain on paper towels. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, sauté onions and peppers until softened. Transfer to bowl with sausage.

3. Coat an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Arrange 4 waffles in the bottom and sprinkle with half the sausage/vegetable mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layer, with remaining waffles, sausage/vegetable mixture and cheese.

4. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl with the syrup, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the waffles layers. Cover with plastic wrap and set a weight on top (like a baking dish holding a couple cans of food). Refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, uncover casserole and bake 45 to 50 minutes until edges are puffy. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

If a post pops up in my Google Reader with the word “enchilada” in the title, it’s pretty much a sure bet that I’ll be starring the recipe to try in the future. When I saw this casserole, then, it was a no-brainer. I knew I’d be trying it, and I knew we’d love it. So I did, and we did.

Although you could definitely use traditional salsa for this recipe if you had it on hand, I strongly recommend the salsa verde. It has a different flavor than red salsa, and I love how that flavor works in this dish. There are a lot of things that I love about this recipe, actually -- the mild spice, the creaminess of the sour cream and refried beans, the melty multitude of cheese, the way it reminds me of a Mexican lasagna with its alternating layers. If you love Mexican food like I do, I think you’ll find that this is your perfect comfort food.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
slightly adapted from The Picky Apple

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken works perfectly)
1 packet of taco seasoning
2 cups salsa verde
9 small flour tortillas
1 15.5-ounce can refried beans, warmed
8 ounces sour cream
3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix chicken, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water and salsa verde in a skillet. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Coat 13 x 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover bottom of pan with 3 tortillas, overlapping. Pour half of the chicken mixture on the tortillas. Cover with 3 more tortillas. Combine refried beans and sour cream, then spread over the tortillas.

3. Sprinkle half the cheese over the beans and sour cream, and cover with the remaining 3 tortillas. Top with remaining chicken mixture, followed by remaining cheese. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until bubbly.