Baked Ziti

From Becki

 

I received this recipe from a friend and neighbor in my community. It looked different and delicious!

 

1 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained
1 jar pasta sauce
3/4 cup water
1 box penne pasta, cooked and drained
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
8 slices frozen garlic bread
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix cooked sausage, cooked pasta, pasta sauce, water, garlic powder, pepper, basil and parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Toss lightly. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Place garlic bread slices on top of mixture. Cover with shredded mozzarella. Dip 8 slices of Roma tomatoes in olive oil, and place one slice on each bread slice. Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Let set for 10 mins before serving.

Mexican Lasagna

This is a repost of a recipe I put on here 2 years ago! (I can't believe this blog is that old!) It is a family favorite but I never remember to take pictures. Super easy, a kid favorite and if there are leftovers, it reheats well. Plus, it can be made ahead and frozen. My kind of meal!

*See variations at the bottom of post

from a card at a grocery store

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
1 pkg Taco Seasoning -I just do ½ pkg otherwise it can be a little too spicy
1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned salt
1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
½ of a 4oz can of diced green chiles
–I put the other half in a Ziploc bag and freeze it for later. It works really well.
1 cup ricotta cheese – I use cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
10 corn tortillas
2 ½ cups (10 oz.) grated Monterey jack cheese –I just use whatever cheese I have

**Note: the pictures are of a 1/2 batch. It makes just the right amount for my little family of 4. You could make a whole batch in 2 different pans and freeze one for another time.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, stirring until cooked through; drain fat. Add taco seasoning mix, seasoned salt, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chiles; blend well. (I leave out the chiles because my two little kids don't like the spice. But before we had kids, the chiles were in and they're great!) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and eggs. (You can leave the eggs out and just do the ricotta/cottage cheese. You'll just need a little more. I don't even measure anymore... I just make sure the tortillas are covered sufficiently.)

In bottom of 13x9x2 inch baking dish, spread ½ of meat mixture.Top with ½ of tortillas;spread ½ of ricotta cheese mixture over tortillasand top with ½ of grated cheese.Repeat layering, ending with grated cheese.Bake, uncovered, in 350 oven 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares. I know it isn't pretty, it all got eaten before I got a picture! And after this picture, it was ALL GONE!

Variation:

For a half batch, I used 1lb hamburger, NO taco seasoning, 1/2 tsp Lawry's, ONE 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, 8oz tomato sauce, NO green chiles, NO eggs, cottage cheese, and extra thin corn tortillas. I liked it really well. Very easy having the tomatoes and chiles mixed together. It was the perfect spicy-ness for my family without losing any flavor. I liked the thinner tortillas and it didn't overwhelm the dish at all like some tortillas have in the past. Very good. Will probably do it this way from now on!

Yummy Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This is some VERY impressive homemade sauce! If you ever are looking for the taste of Olive Garden's Fettuccine Alfredo then this sauce qualifies!!! It is SO much better than the store bought kind and is the best of other recipes I have tried to make. It is pretty simple too. I added spinach and chicken to mine and also used this recipe to make Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups)



4T Butter
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2T flour
2 C Cream
1/2 C. milk
1C Fresh grated Parmesan
In a medium sauce pan heat butter and garlic and add flour once butter is melted and aroma of garlic is building. Add the Cream and milk and stir then add the Parmesan and bring to a boil and continue to stir frequently over a medium low heat as it boils and thickens. (I added a dash of pepper to it as well)
Serve with your favorite pasta. Add chicken or steamed broccoli (or spinach) if desired for a variation.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups

MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!! This was Olive Garden worthy!!! (in my opinion!!)

I sort of mixed things up on a Lasagna Roll Up recipe... I had the Idea from the Chicken Lasagna... but it really is nothing like it! Try it and you will see!! I found the recipe for the Alfredo sauce here on foodnetwork.com and the way to cook the chicken also... from there it just became what it is.

The Chicken:
2 large *thaw* chicken breasts sliced (fajita style)

2 *fresh* cloves garlic, minced

1 T Olive Oil

1 1/2 C. FRESH Spinach leaves

Heat oil in pan with garlic until the aroma builds... Do not burn or over brown. Cook until chicken is fully cooked then add the Spinach and stir until the leaves are wilted into it.

The Sauce:

4T Butter

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

2T flour

2 C Cream

1/2 C. milk

1C Fresh grated parmesan

In a medium sauce pan heat butter and garlic and add flour once butter is melted and aroma of garlic is building. Add the Cream and milk and stir then add the parmesan and bring to a boil and continue to stir frequently over a medium low heat as it boils and thickens. (I added a dash of pepper to it as well)

The Pasta/Filling:

24 oz (1LB 8oz) cottage cheese

1 egg

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Mozzarella cheese

Parsley

salt and pepper

9 lasagna noodles cooked al dente

Mix the cottage cheese, egg, parmesan, mozzarella, and a dash of salt and pepper and Parsley til it looks good. Spoon on the cooked noodles and roll up and place in 9X13 pan with a little sauce spread on the bottom. **You will have left over filling but only 9 rollups fit in the pan**

Mix some sauce into the chicken... just enough to spoon on top of each roll up (you will have left over sauce I still had about a 1/2 cup or just a little more left over) and then top with a little more parmesan and mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes for color (I added the tomatoes after the picture was taken)

Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Until Cheese is starting to golden and sauce is bubbling.

Let sit for 10 minutes after removal from the oven. Serve and Enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken

adapted from the Lion House cookbook

I have a couple of recipes for Parmesan Chicken and this one is our family favorite. It's easy to throw together and it tastes great every time. Also, if I don't want to make a lot, it is easy to store the remaining crumb mixture in the fridge for another day.

1 cup finely crushed corn flakes (I do this in a ziploc bag with rolling pin)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (the powdered stuff)
1 pkg dry Ranch dressing mix
Milk
4 large chicken breasts, I cut mine in half so they are thinner
Olive Oil

Combine corn flake crumbs, parmesan, and Ranch dressing mix. I prefer to do this on large plate. I find it is easier to coat the chicken that way. Also, if it doesn't look like there's enough parmesan, go ahead and sprinkle some more in. A half cup is not a cut and dry measurement. (Note: if you are making this for fewer people, just put part of the mixture you're not using in a ziploc bag in the fridge to use another day! It stays good for quite awhile.)

Preheat oil in a pan on the stove. Olive oil should not be above medium heat. (If you do it on medium, it should brown perfectly and be slow cooked to tender perfection!) Dip chicken in milk and then coat well with crumb mixture. Put in pan and brown well on each side. Depending on time and desire, you can either cook these half way and finish in the oven (at 375 for 25 minutes) or you can cook them fully on the stove. I kind of like it on the stovetop because they stay crisp. My family also prefers to serve them over the noodles and sauce rather than pouring the sauce over the chicken and baking it. We just use whatever sauce and noodles we have on hand. We're not gourmet when it comes to that kind of stuff. :)

Serve with desired vegetable and, of course, breadsticks. I'll be posting the recipe for the breadsticks soon. They're so delectable and fluffy. You'll be reaching for more, I promise.

Cream Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups

from Rebecca and blogchef.net

I found two recipes I wanted to try and combined them

The picture above was taken after they had set up a bit, so sorry it isn't pretty. But the taste... the taste was pretty good! ***Variation at bottom of post.

12 lasagna noodles, cooked about half way

Favorite spaghetti sauce (homemade or in a jar)

1 lb hamburger, browned and drained

OR

1 lb italian sausage, browned and drained

Filling:

1 pkg cream cheese, softened to room temperature

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tsp parsley

1/4 cup chopped spinach

Salt and pepper

Mix spaghetti sauce and hamburger/sausage together and put half of the mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 375.

Boil lasagna noodles until they are half done. (I always cook 1 or 2 extra in case they tear really bad or I have extra filling.) Then spread the noodles out on a piece of aluminum foil to let the water dry off a bit. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Mix sour cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Spread a thin, but still generous, layer over each noodle.Carefully roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat until all noodles are rolled up. I only made a half batch for my family of 4 (we have two small children so I knew they would only eat 1).Spoon remaining sauce over rolls. (Done after the picture was taken.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375. At about the last 8 or 9 minutes, sprinkle mozzarella over the tops and finish cooking. Make sure cheese is melted. Dish up and enjoy with your favorite garlic bread and veggie.

**Note: Tonight, I just made this as a quick dish with a jar of spaghetti sauce, no spinach and no meat. However, I do think meat is an excellent addition to the dish as well as the spinach. Next time I make it I think that I'll add maybe 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes to the sauce. I think it would be really tasty that way. However, it was still good as a quick dish, but it could have been amazing with some meat, spinach, and the tomatoes.

***Variation:

1 1/4 cups cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 beaten egg

Pinch of onion salt

Sprinkle of pepper

Couple of dashes of parsley

Mix up and spread 1/4 cup across each noodle. Makes 6 roll-ups.

Macaroni and Cheese

from Shannon

It was hard to get a good picture, but I promise it is good.

1 c elbow macaroni
6 c boiling water
2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped small (or minced onion) (the onion really gives it good flavor)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c flour
1 3/4 c milk
3/4 c sharp cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni in rapidly boiling salted water. Heat to boil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover tightly; remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

Heat butter, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until onion is slightly tender. Blend in flour. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until completely melted.

Place macaroni in greased baking dish. Stir cheese sauce into macaroni. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 4-6 servings.

Note: You can use this as a main dish or as a side... I served it with BBQ Chicken and some Veggies... it was a hit!

Spaghetti Sauce

from Barbara & Amy
My sister-in-law's mother made this sauce and it was so good. Pretty simple, too. Close enough to homemade for me! Sorry there isn't a picture. I didn't have my camera with me. You'll just have to trust me that it is good!

1 6 oz tomato paste
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 jar Ragu spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms, cut up to desired size
1 pkg Johnsonville brand mild italian sausage (this brand is the best for this sauce)
Garlic gloves, minced
Onion, minced
Olive Oil
Parsley
1 Tbsp Butter
Sprinkle of sugar, if needed

Brown sausage, onion, and garlic with a little olive oil and parsley. Add fresh mushrooms when the sausage is almost done.

Add Ragu sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes. Let simmer until desired consistency. Add butter and sugar (if needed) at the end. Serve over hot spaghetti noodles with breadsticks or garlic bread.

Artichoke Pasta

from Rachel B.
I got this one from my sister. It’s one of our favorites!

Description:Low fat, great flavor.

Ingredients:
2 jars (6oz each) Marinated Artichoke Hearts
2 C chopped onions
2 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano- or 1/2 T fresh
1/2 tsp dried basil - or 1/2 T fresh
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
Drain artichoke marinade and save. Combine marinade with onions, garlic, oregano, basil. Saute over med/low heat until onions are garlic are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and simmer 30 min. Add artichoke heart (I chop mine small so that kids don't question), parmesan and parsley. Stir 5 and simmer 5 min.Toss with one pound of cooked pasta (fettuccine, angel hair, cheese tortellini.)

Serve with steamed veggies and a tossed salad.

Number Of Servings:6-8
Preparation Time:40 min

Shortcut Chicken Manicotti

from Kraft Kitchen

1 can cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups water
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
12 manicotti shells, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Microwave soup, water and velveeta in microwaveable bowl on high 3 min. or until velveeta is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 2 min.; pour 1/3 into 9x13-inch pan. Set aside. Add broccoli to remaining soup mixture. Stuff manicotti with chicken; place in baking dish. Top with remaining soup mixture and Parmesan; cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 45 to 50 min. or until manicotti is tender and chicken is done.

Chicken Lasagna

from: http://comeandpeek.blogspot.com/2008/05/weeknight-easy-chicken-lasagna.html

This is a great recipe. I didn't want "recipe poach" so I have given credit with a link to the author's website. She has some other great recipes, too.

Here is the recipe with my changes:

Chicken cooked, and shredded (it calls for a whole chicken, but I just did 2 large chicken breasts)
9 lasagna noodles, cooked (it calls for 12, but it was just too much noodle for us)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cottage cheese (it calls for ricotta cheese)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp minced garlic
chopped spinach, cooked (optional)
fresh or dried cilantro (I use parsley if I don't have any cilantro)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or powder)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix sour cream, soups, cottage cheese, garlic, spinach and cilantro. Put small amount on bottom of pan so that the noodles don't stick. Place 3 noodles on the bottom. Put 1/3 of mixture over noodles. Put 1/3 of chicken over mixture. Put 1/4 of cheese over chicken. Layer 2 more times so that you have 3 layers. On the top, put remaining cheese and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes to set up before serving.

This dish is REALLY great the next day as leftovers. My family really liked this dish and it was nice to try something different. It was pretty easy, too.

Lo-fat tip: Substitute sour cream for yogurt sour cream.

Crockpot Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

from Sherri

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, frozen
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1 cube butter

In crockpot, let butter melt. Add dressing mix and then frozen chicken breasts. Let cook on high for 2-3 hours until chicken is done. (I usually turn it over half way through just so the sauce cooks into both sides.) Remove chicken and cut-up. (I usually start cooking my noodles right now, too. I just use whatever I have on hand... spaghetti, fettuccine.)

Leave drippings in crockpot. Whisk 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can water, and an 8oz pkg cream cheese. Mix until blended well and it is smooth. Add chicken and let sauce thicken and heat up. (If it needs to be thinned, add a little bit more water to desired consistency.)

Serve over hot noodles. We like to serve breadsticks and corn with this, too.

Note: I know a lot of you already have this recipe, but a friend asked me to post this so she could have it, too. If you don't already have it, it is a great recipe and turns out great everytime. It is also a super easy recipe to halve if you're just cooking for 2!

Mock Lasagna

from my own brain

1 lb hamburger
1 jar spaghetti sauce
sliced olives
sliced mushrooms
cottage cheese
parmesan cheese
shredded cheese
mini lasagna noodles (or egg noodles or medium shells)

Cook hamburger with dried minced onions. Drain grease. Mix with spaghetti sauce. Cook noodles to desired tenderness.

Set all toppings on the table. We usually start with the noodles on the bottom and then pile on our desired toppings in the order we want. This is similar to the taco salad style of dishing up, but it is with lasagna toppings instead. This is a fun and really easy dinner. And if I am feeling especially lazy, I won't even do the hamburger and we'll just use the sauce plain. But it is good with hamburger or even ground sausage.

***Lo-Fat Tip: Use ground turkey. Add in cooked, sliced zucchini or squash in the sauce. Use whole grain noodles.

Chicken Parmesan

from Ashlee

3/4 cup bread crumbs
Any amount of parmesan cheese
1 beaten egg

Individually dip 4 chicken breasts into egg and then bread crumb/cheese mixture.

In small amount of oil, fry chicken breasts long enough to brown crumbs on each side. Put in 9x13 pan. Spoon spaghetti sauce or marinara over chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 until chicken is done. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each piece. Put back in oven to melt cheese for just a minute or two. Serve over hot, fresh fettuccine noodles.

Note: Sometimes I wait and put the spaghetti sauce/marinara on when I put the cheese on so that the crust of the chicken isn't soggy.

Manicotti

from Amy

2 cups cottage cheese
1 box frozen spinach (cooked & drained)
mozzarella cheese (or whatever kind you prefer)
2 egg whites
¼ cup chopped parsley
dash pepper
8 oz uncooked manicotti shells (15 pieces)
1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or marinara)

Preheat oven to 375

I cook the manicotti shells half way, until they are almost done.While the noodles are cooking, I mix together in a bowl, cottage cheese, a handful of grated cheese, parsley, pepper, egg whites, and spinachPut a layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill the manicotti shells with the filling mixture. Then place them side by side in the dish. Cover shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top. Put foil over dish, and bake for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

***Lo-Fat Tip: Use low-fat/low-cal cottage cheese or ricotta cheese.

Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells

from Better Homes and Garden's cookbook with Jill's changes

12 dried jumbo pasta shells
1 ½ cups cottage cheese, drained if necessary
½ cup shredded cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp parsley
½ teaspoon dried, crushed oregano or italian seasoning to taste or I have a great Mrs. Dash type seasoning that works well... just use what you will think will taste best

1 to 2 Tbsp cooked, chopped spinach, optional

Cook pasta shells about 18 minutes or till tender, but still firm. Drain well.Cool shells in a single layer on a piece of greased foil.For filling, stir together egg, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and oregano. Spoon a scant ¼ cup filling into each cooked shell. Arrange filled shells in a 2-quart square baking dish. Spoon preferred spaghetti sauce over shells.

Bake covered, with foil, in 350º oven for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10 to 15 min.

Ziti Pasta

from mom

1/2 lb mini penne
16 oz cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. In large bowl, mix cooked pasta, cottage cheese, and half the mozzarella. Spread 1/2 the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Add the ziti mixture and cover with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350.