Easy to Cook: Italian Pasta Bake

Looking for an easy recipe to make for your family dinner or a picnic? Try our easy Pasta Bake. I was never a fan of pasta bakes for many years until one day while visiting my italian mother in law, she decided to make a pasta bake for a summer picnic. Of course I put some on my plate, and I’m so glad I did. It was the best I’ve ever had.

So I got the recipe and now I have it in my recipe box and on my recipe website. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do here in our home.

Ingredients:
1 box Rigatoni or other short tube shape of pasta
32 oz. tomato/pasta sauce
15 oz. ricotta cheese (low fat is fine)
5 cloves garlic chopped
Grated romano cheese (no specific quantity - but about 2 cups - use what you have)
Romano formaggio
Large sauce pan of water for boiling
Pinch of salt (optional)
13×7 pan or 2 8×8 pans

Instructions:
1. Add a pinch of salt to the water and bring to a boil.
2. Add the pasta (I’ve used either rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni. Mezzi rigatoni means 1/2 size. )
3. Cook for just over 1/2 the normal time (About 7 minutes - depends on pasta type). You do not want the pasta to reach al dente because it will continue cooking in the oven.
4. Drain the pasta.
5. Put one scoop of pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan.
6. Add a layer of pasta (there will only be 2 layers).
7. Put a layer of sauce to sufficiently cover the pasta. The pasta will absorb the sauce.
8. Put a layer of the ricotta. I used about 3/4 of the cheese.
9. Mix all together.
10. Add rest of pasta, then sauce, then remainder of ricotta and the romano. (Make sure all edges are covered with sauce otherwise they will be dry.)
11. Mix all together again sprinkling the garlic around.
12. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 365 for 25-35 minutes. You can tell when it is done when the sauce in the pan is bubbling up from the bottom and the taste test says so!
A Few Tips: Add meat if you want, but make sure it is already cooked. Freeze any leftovers and reheat in microwave or an oven. Keep in mind when frozen it will take long time in the oven to cook evenly through. Try taking the bake out of the freezer a day or day 1/2 ahead and letting it thaw in the refrigerator.

About the Author:
Elizabeth Krause is publisher of http://www.SimpleItalianCooking.com. She enjoys writing about Italian recipes which she has learned over the years from her Italian family. Some of which are new and some have been passed down from generation to generation. She shares these recipes on her website and through her weekly newsletter found at http://www.simpleitaliancooking.com.

© 2010. This article was excerpted with permission from Elizabeth Krause at www.simpleitaliancooking.com. Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Elizabeth Krause from www.simpleitaliancooking.com. Originally published in www.WomensOnlineMagazine.com, April 2010”.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe: The Soup of Marriage

By Elizabeth Krause

Would you believe Italian Wedding Soup actually did not originally have anything to do with marriage between a man and woman? It got the term “wedding” from a slight misinterpretation where “wedding” should have been “marriage” and was referring to the blending (or marriage) of the flavors!

When you have Italian wedding soup, you will understand why it was given this term. The base of the soup is chicken broth, but as the flavorful meatballs cook while in the broth, the flavors begin to transform into something utterly wonderful – just like a marriage.

There are various versions of this recipe ranging from my simple recipe below to ones which take 2 days to prepare. Personally, the recipe here tastes better than any Italian wedding soup I’ve had at any restaurant… but you can be the judge when you make it yourself! It is easy and requires basic ingredients.

Ingredients you will need:
1 lb of ground beef or bison meat (Federal law prevents hormone injections into any bison).
1 egg
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
6 cups of chicken broth
3 cups of water
1/3 cup of unseasoned breadcrumbs
4 Tablespoons Romano cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
¾ lb. (3/4 of the box) orzo past
(more…)

Want to Make a Marinara Pasta Sauce?

By Elizabeth Krause

Who can deny that buying a jar of premade pasta sauce is easier than making your own? No one can I’m sure. However speaking as one who loves to make their own sauce, I’ll explain why many still choose to take the time to create their own. It isn’t because all jar sauces are bad and evil, but when I have bought them they have always needed to be doctored up. Being able to control my own flavors and to know exactly what is going into my sauce is important. Many manufactures think true pasta sauce requires including every Italian herb, this is not true. I once read a recipe for Italian sauce that had over 16 ingredients! A good Italian marinara sauce does not need all these ingredients! Granted there are various types of authentic sauces which use different herbs but my goal is to talk about simple Italian cooking – not complicated Italian cooking.

My recipe is what we use in our house to make a huge pot of sauce. I freeze most of it in freezer containers and date them so I know which ones to pull out first. The recipe below is for a basic sauce, you can doctor it up to your own tastes. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and about 3 hours or so to cook down.

The recipe below is for a basic sauce, you can doctor it up to your own tastes.  It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and about 3 hours or so to cook down.

Ingredients:

Crushed tomatoes (plain – not Italian style) Size #10
18 oz. tomato paste
4-5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Minced garlic – about 5 cloves
Chopped yellow onions – 2 medium size
3 bay leaves
Distilled water
A washed single carrot

(more…)

Antipasto? What is it?

By Elizabeth Krause

I grew up in an Italian home as did my husband, and we always used the term to mean an appetizer. When I look up the word in both of my Italian-American dictionaries, the translation is appetizer. When I took an Italian language course for 2 years, my Italian instructor who was just recently from Italy, used also used the word to mean appetizer.

What it Means?

The word antipasto is singular for antipasti. Many people interchange the two terms, however here are two uses, “In this article I will show you how to make an antipasto dish.” Or I can say, “In this article I will show you how to make antipasti.” One is singular, the other one is plural.

Antipasti can be any combination of basic Italian ingredients such as olives, garlic, artichokes, Italian cheeses, meats and other vegetables. Do not forget the olive oil of course.

The Recipe

Here is my recipe which I use as a base for antipasti. I encourage you to make your own twists to the recipe to suit your own tastes. But remember, this is not an “anything goes” recipe. Keep to Italian ingredients and do not stray too far. If you do, call it another type of salad.

Ingredients:
kalamata olives
3 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
chopped artichokes
roasted red peppers.

(more…)

Easy to Make: Cannellini Bean Soup

By Elizabeth Krause

Did you know cannellini beans are also called white kidney beans?

Cannellini beans should be called Wonder Beans because they are full of wonderful nutritional value. For example, these beans are naturally low in sodium and high in dietary fiber. For a ½ cup of beans, you will get 5 grams of fiber and 10% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance for iron. According to Prevention.com, these wonder beans also contain 40 mg of Magnesium and 114 mcg of Folate. Like most beans, these are packed with protein, approximately 7 grams alone! All that for just a meager ½ cup of cooked beans.

Here is a wonderful heartwarming soup which uses cannellini beans and some basic Italian ingredients found in most pantries. It only takes about 35 minutes to make and best of all you can eat it right away!

Ingredients:
Two cans of cannellini beans rinsed and drained
Two medium sized onions chopped
5-8 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
4 cups chicken stock – you can use veggie stock too. If concerned with sodium mix it with some water, such as 2 cups stock with 2 cups water.
1 bunch of escarole lettuce chopped finely
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ - ½ cup grated Romano cheese

(more…)

Italian Almond Biscotti

The word “biscotti” means “biscuit or cookie” in Italian. They are most commonly used to dip in your coffee which then softens the biscotti so you can easily eat it. Biscotti’s are available in all sizes and varieties such as chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut or almond. This recipe uses slivered almonds which adds an amazing subtle flavor throughout the biscotti. In fact, you can buy chocolate dipping sauce from the store and dip your biscotti’s into the chocolate and let it dry. No matter how you dress them up, biscotti’s are a wonderful Italian treat!

Required Ingredients
4 eggs
¾ cup of sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325F. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until it is creamy and fluffy. Use a hand mixer to do this. In a large bowl mix the sifted flour, baking powder, pinch of salt and baking soda. “Sifted flour” simply means putting it through a sifter. If you don’t have a sifter, just make sure there are no lumps; try using a fork or whisk to remove any lumps. Next, add in the egg mixture along with the almonds and vanilla extract and mix well. Then on a greased baking sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pour the mixture in the shape of 2 logs. Keep in mind, the logs will spread so try to keep them from spreading into each other. Also keep them the same width from one end to the other so the biscotti’s are all the same length. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice to size. This is your preference, however I suggest about 1 inch in width. Return to the oven and bake for 30 more minutes. Then reduce heat to 275F and bake for 30 minutes. This will really dry out the biscotti which is exactly what you want. Remove from heat, let cool and enjoy!

A Few Tips:

If you do not have pure vanilla extract, you will need to add more flavoring. Pure vanilla extract is preferred because you get a greater flavor for a lesser amount.

If you do not have a sifter, just try to remove any lumps. You can use a whisk or fork.

Do not omit the almonds because this will cause the other ingredients to be out of balance. I tried this before when I ran out of almonds and it did not have the same consistency.

Mangiamo!

About the Author:
Elizabeth Krause grew up in an Italian home and enjoys writing about the recipes which she has learned over the years from her Italian family. Some of which are new and some have been passed down from generation to generation. Take advantage of her recipes on her website and through her weekly newsletter found at www.simpleitaliancooking.com.

© 2009 (year). This article was excerpted with permission from Elizabeth Krause (your name) at www.simpleitaliancooking.com. Permission to reprint is granted by the author. All reprints must state, “Reprinted with permission by Elizabeth Krause from www.simpleitaliancooking.com. Originally published in www.WomensOnlineMagazine.com, December 2009”.

DISCLAIMER: The information and opinions reflected in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect on the publisher, editor, or editorial staff of Women’s Online Magazine. This article has been written and reviewed by the author. Any errors should be brought to the attention of the author.

Italian Meatless Meatballs?

The Italian word for meatballs is polpetti. Polpetti can refer to breaded meatless meatballs or meat-filled meatballs. I never heard of a meatless meatball until my Sicilian husband introduced me to the concept, thanks to his mother. I was certain I would not like them, but how could I say no to my mother in law when she pulled some out for us to eat? Of course I fell in love with them. She explained to me when she was growing up in Italy meat was very expensive, and as a result her mother would make meatballs using breadcrumbs instead of meat.

I decided to give the recipe a try when I returned home, but I made one modification. I added a little bit of cooked bulgur to the meatballs. This helped to first reduce the amount of breadcrumbs (which cuts down on carbohydrates) and secondly, it gave a texture closer to an actual meatball. If you do not have bulgur you can buy some at a local grocery store. It is very easy to prepare.

Required Ingredients
1 Cup breadcrumbs
1 Cup cooked and cooled bulgur
1/4 Cup or more grated Romano cheese (adjust to taste)
Handful fresh basil chopped (optional)
3 large cloves of garlic chopped
1 egg
2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

(more…)

Tis the season for leftovers!

Tis the season for leftovers! Holiday food is packed with tons of tradition and lots of leftovers. What to do with that leftover turkey and ham–you have options! Use those leftovers for lunch the next day as nothing beats a turkey sandwich. As author of trim&TERRIFIC Freezer Friendly meals, I recommend freezing turkey and ham in freezer plastic bags to pull out another time to toss in soups, salads or pastas. Remember to always use the proper containers like freezable plastic bags and containers—as that is most important to keep out air and moisture, preventing freezer burn.

One-third of you out there use your leftovers to create another meal says a survey with the American Chemistry Council. If you are one of those that prefer not to eat leftovers, then stretch that turkey and ham into another budget friendly meal. Remember, any recipe that calls for chicken, you may substitute turkey. And, with these two easy, great tasting recipes, I promise you won’t have leftovers again. Here my favorites ‘go to’ leftover holiday recipes. For more trim&TERRIFIC® recipes visit www.hollyclegg.com and http://thehealthycookingblog.com.

Ham Pot Pie with Georgia Pecan Crust
Simple to make, a creamy mixture of ham and frozen mixed vegetables create this classic one-dish meal. No complicated heavy crust here as refrigerated crescent rolls come to the rescue with pecans for a crunchy pecan crust over a scrumptious filling.

Makes 4-6 servings

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cubed cooked lean ham
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 (8-ounce) can reduced fat crescent rolls
1/2 cup chopped pecans
(more…)