Spaghetti and Meatballs

You can't really get more basic than that, can you? Yesterday was kind of a stressful day for me, and I just wanted something for dinner that I could throw together quickly and easily. This definitely fit the bill.

I decided to jazz up my meatballs a little bit by stuffing them with some mozzarella cheese as a nice, gooey little surprise. I think I remember Rachael Ray doing something like this before, and that's where I got my inspiration, but I can't seem to find the recipe.

I kept the sauce very simple because I wanted the meatballs to speak for themselves; I just used a can of store-bought spaghetti sauce (roasted garlic-flavored, I think) and a can of diced tomatoes with olive oil and onion. Also, whenever I make spaghetti, after I drain the noodles I always add a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese directly to the noodles themselves. This really gives the pasta itself a lot of added flavor!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

Source: inspired by Rachael Ray

1 pound ground chuck

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

2-3 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Cook onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent; remove from heat and let cool.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooled onions and mix well.

3. Before rolling each meatball, place a piece of the mozzarella cheese in the center and roll the meatball around it. If the meatballs are the size of a golf ball, you should end up with about 15 total.

4. Pan-fry the meatballs in a deep-sided skillet in olive oil until brown on all sides. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer so that the meatballs can finish cooking gently and flavor the sauce.

5. Add spaghetti and enjoy!

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara

I have never been a big seafood person, but my husband is. Since I'm not a huge fan, we don't eat a lot of seafood in our house. I know I should eat more fish (it's so lean, it's full Omega 3 fatty acids, etc. etc.), but I just can't bring myself to enjoy it. I do, however, enjoy shellfish, so I decided to put a little something for my husband on the menu last week. When I told him we'd be having Giada de Laurentiis' shrimp lasagna rolls, this was his response: "If she cooks as good as she looks, it should be a good dinner." Hahahahahahaha. Ha. Ohhhh, I am so amused.

Anyway, he was right about one thing: It was a very good dinner. Low-maintenance, too; the rolls were really easy to assemble. The filling was nice and creamy, and so was the marinara sauce. The only change I made to the recipe was adding some chopped red onion. Thanks, Giada! I guess I still like you, even though my husband has a huge crush on you.


Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara
Source: Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis (pages 196-197)

1 pound lasagna
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 5 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp, the garlic and the onion to the pan and saute until the shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a large bowl with 2 cups of the ricotta cheese (one container and about 1/3 of the other), the Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

4. In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup of ricotta cheese and stir to combine.

5. To make the lasagna rolls, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara mixture. Lay four noodles flat on a dry work surface. Spread about 1/4 cup of the shrimp mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 12 lasagna rolls. Drizzle the rolls with the remaining marinara mixture and top with grated mozzarella. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Artichokes, Lemon and Goat Cheese

I was a little bit disappointed with how this meal turned out, I think because I have been wanting to try this dish for so long. When I first came across it, I was pregnant, and goat cheese was off limits. Then, Andrew was born, and I was busy doing other things besides cooking. I never forgot about this recipe, though, and as soon as I got back in the kitchen full time I was still just dying to try it.

I think part of the problem with this meal was the herbed goat cheese I bought. The only kind the grocery store had was pre-blended with roasted garlic and tons of basil. Normally I would love this, but since the recipe calls for lemon zest in the filling, the basil in the goat cheese made it taste waaaaay too lemony. Also, if I were to make this again (and I probably will, because I'd like to see how it tastes with just regular goat cheese), I think I'd use artichoke hearts in water instead of the marinated ones. I understand that Cooking Light was trying to bump up the flavors so taste wasn't sacrificed in favor of healthfulness; but there was almost too much flavor in the filling. The meal did have its good points, though: The chicken was very moist; the filling was flavorful, even if it was a bit too tangy; and the boxed rice pilaf I served as a side dish was quite tasty.

Without further ado, here's a photo of my (hideously monochromatic) plate and the recipe.


Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Artichokes, Lemon and Goat Cheese
Source: The Best of Cooking Light (page 213)

2 1/2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 3-ounce package herbed goat cheese
4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray (I used olive oil)

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well.

3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Top each breast half with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides, and secure each roll with wooden picks.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto

I have been cooking a lot lately, so I'm a little bit behind on my posting. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up this week!

I made this meal for dinner one night last week, and my husband and I were both shocked by how absolutely delicious it was. This was seriously a restaurant quality meal, and I was surprised to find it in a cookbook geared for quick family suppers; it could have been in the pages of Gourmet and been right at home! The flavors worked so well together, and don't even get me started on that incredible sauce! I served this with broccoli, but next time (oh, and there will definitely be a next time!) I'll serve it with mashed potatoes, because mashed potatoes + the sauce on this pork would surely = HEAVEN. This is a meal you could entertain with very, very easily, and it took absolutely no time and very little effort to put together. I think chopping everything actually took longer than cooking everything! The prosciutto, the sun-dried tomatoes, the sage, the cream...it was the perfect marriage of flavors. It's seriously making my mouth water just thinking about it.


Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto
Source: Betty Crocker One-Dish Family Favorites (pages 116-117)

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped imported prosciutto
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup) (I used red onion)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Cut pork diagonally across grain into 1/2 inch slices. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook prosciutto, sage, parsley, tomatoes and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender.

2. Add pork to skillet. Cook about 10 minutes, turning pork occasionally, until pork is light brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer pink in center and sauce is thickened.

Quesadilla "Pie"

This meal idea was shameless swiped from my stepsister, Anne, who made something similar for our whole family a few weeks ago. My husband absolutely loved it, and he's been pestering me ever since to make my own version. With a little help from Betty Crocker's fajita chicken marinade, I have to say I whipped up a winner. Next time, I'm going to add black beans, too; I think they'd be really good in this.

I served the "pie" with tortilla chips and homemade guacamole. I don't have a recipe for the guacamole; in addition to the staple ingredients (avocados, cilantro and lime juice), I just use whatever I have on hand: usually some combination of red onion, garlic, tomatoes, sour cream and Frank's Red Hot. This meal was delicious -- so filling, yet the guacamole made it so refreshing at the same time.


Quesadilla "Pie"
Source: "pie" adapted from Anne; marinade from The Betty Crocker Cookbook

For the chicken marinade:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the "pie":

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package flour tortillas (8 tortillas)
2 jars medium salsa
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 can fiesta corn, drained

1. Cut chicken into chunks (for easier shredding) and marinate for at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours. Cook chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink; set aside to cool. Shred cooled chicken.

2. Preheat oven to 350º.

3. To assemble the pie, place one flour tortilla on a nonstick baking sheet. Top with salsa, chicken, corn and cheese. Repeat layers so that the stack is 4 tortillas high. On the top tortilla, use salsa and cheese only. Repeat process with a second pie.