Caprese Pasta

The above dish was inspired by a pin I found on Pinterest. But unfortunately, the original person who pinned the picture didn't make sure it linked back to the website. For those who are new to Pinterest, always make sure your pin links to a website!

I decided to start with your basic caprese salad ingredients: basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. From there I just did what I normally do for any baked pasta dish, but instead of doing a plain tomato sauce, I added heavy cream to make it even better.

Look at all the cheesy goodness below. Yum.

Caprese Pasta

Source: Tyler's Taste Test Original

1 lb penne pasta, cooked and drained

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan

4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in half

4 basil leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350º. Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Heat sauce over low heat in a saucepan. Once warm, add heavy cream and grated parmesan.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and mix. Turn off heat and add mozzarella cubes, tomatoes, and 4 basil leaves. Add the pasta mixture to a baking dish. Top with fresh mozzarella. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbly and golden. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Saturdays: Italian Pinwheels

The Super Bowl is tomorrow! Is everyone excited? I hope you have all gotten some good ideas from this little series. My favorites were the Party Meatballs and the Buffalo Chicken Dip. I actually made these pinwheels because they were requested by my husband. He loves these little things and really enjoyed having them for dinner!

Italian Pinwheels

Source: slightly adapted from Pillsbury

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, finely chopped

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 cup pizza sauce, plus extra for serving

1 egg yolk

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 egg white, beaten

Preheat oven to 375º. In a small bowl, mix cheese, pepperoni, oregano, garlic salt, pizza sauce, and yolk. Unroll dough and separate into 4 triangles Firmly press the perforations to seal.

Spread each rectangle with 3 tbsp of the pepperoni mixture. Starting at the shortest side, roll up each rectangle and pinch edges to deal. Cut each roll into 6 slices. Place, cut side down, 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg white.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with extra pizza sauce. Enjoy!

Vodka Cream Pasta

This recipe means another check on my 23 x 23 list. That means I'm 3/20 so far. I think I need to pick up the pace on that list.

Rachel Ray calls this her "You Won't Be Single for Long Pasta." I'm not single but if cooking skills could make a guy fall in love, this recipe would definitely give him a push. The hint of vodka with the cream and tomatoes provides a nice balance of flavors.

Vodka Cream Pasta

Source: Rachel Ray, feat. on Dr. Oz

1 tbsp EVOO

1 tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1 cup vodka

1 cup chicken stock

32 oz can crushed tomatoes

coarse salt and pepper

16 oz pasta, such as penne rigate

1/2 cup heavy cream

20 fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute the shallots for 3-5 minutes. Add the vodka to the pan. Simmer and reduce the vodka by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken sauce and the tomatoes. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta in slated boiling water.

Stir the cream into the sauce. When the sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and basil leaves. Enjoy!

Ragu a la Bolognese

I hope y'all enjoyed all the pumpkin recipes! I had a lot of fun looking for recipes to try and trying out all the ones I picked. I'm still enjoying some pumpkin snickerdoodles with my pumpkin spice latte!

There isn't a trace of pumpkin in this recipe but it sure was good. It does take awhile to make so I suggest picking a day where you have lots of time to prepare dinner. It also makes quite a lot of spaghetti sauce so you may want to think about freezing half and saving it for later.

Ragu a la Bolognese

Source: Christine's Kitchen Chronicles

1 lb ground beef

1 pound italian sausage

7 oz bacon or pancetta, sliced

1 ;arge onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2.5 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp pepper

3.5 cps beef broth

2.5 tbsp fresh basil chopped

pinch of dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes. Crumble the ground meats into the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, until browned.

Pour in milk and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaves, pepper, and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After sauce has rested for a little while, skim the grease off the top of the sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve over hot pasta. Enjoy!

Recipe Swap: Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

The theme for this recipe swap was "Italian." Considering I'm like 1/8th Sicilian, I was excited. I love love love Italian food, more than Snooki from Jersey Shore loves to tan, and that girl LOVES to tan.

Anyways, I can always use some more pasta recipes and this one is a keeper. I received this one from the Jey of Cooking. I knew it would be good since I've made a few of her recipes before and they have all been delicious.

Updated 8/29: Here is the link for the Italian Recipe Swap Roundup.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

Source: The Jey of Cooking

Baked Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup Panko

1/4 cup Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

splash of milk

splash of Worcestershire

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine ingredients and mix by hand. Form into balls and place on a lightly oiled, foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-25 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 jar pasta sauce

1 box rigatoni, cooked al dente

16 oz bag of baby spinach, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 container ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 container baby mozzarella balls, halved

Baked Meatballs (see above recipe)

1 pinch Nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add sauce and cook and additional 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, parsley, ricotta, parmesan, and nutmeg. Add pasta, meatballs, and sauce and mix to combine. Reserve some sauce for serving.

Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until browned, about 5 minutes.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

I thought I had blogged this one a long time ago but when I found these pictures while cleaning out my iPhoto I realized I hadn't! The first time I made this recipe, I substituted the mini shells with stuffed shells-Neil's a big fan of food he can eat with his hands. This time, since it was just for me, I made it easier on myself by just using the mini shells.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

Recipe Source: Cooking This and That

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1.25 lbs ground beef

28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp salt

3/4 cup pesto

1 pound pasta shells

2 cups shredded mozzarella

6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400º. Coat a 15 x 10 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain if needed.Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in pesto.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with sauce. Put half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta mixture and cheese.

Bake until bubbling and slightly brown on top, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Weeknight Bolognese

I can never have enough pasta recipes. There are so many variations of each type of pasta dish and I love trying them all out. This bolognese comes from Annie's blog and was a nice switch from our usual bolognese. The wine taste is very prominent so make sure you pick one you like!

Weeknight Bolognese

Source: Annie's Eats

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground sirloin, or turkey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.25 cups dry red wine, divided

1 28 0z can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp kosher salt

1.5 tsp ground black pepper

1 lb dried pasta, such as shells

pinch of ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground meat into the pan. Cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce, Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked and trained, top with the sauce and add grated Parmesan, if desired.

The first time we had guests over for dinner was a few weeks after we had gotten married and moved into our apartment. Some friends of the hubs from work had helped us so we invited them over to thank them.

I, of course, being Mrs. Newly Married Wifey wanted to impress and also thought making them a home cooked meal was better than taking them out to dinner. So I came up with a menu: toasted ravioli for an appetizer, 3 cheese bread and caesar salad for sides, spaghetti and meatballs for the main course, and angel food cake with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. The ravioli, bread, and spaghetti and meatballs all came from Joelen's Blog.

I obviously overestimated my cooking/timing skills and didn't realize that I had planned two big things that required a lot of work and frying as well as making my own spaghetti sauce and fancying up the bread. I should have just stuck with spaghetti and meatballs, bought some bread and served it with plain butter, and done a pre-maid appetizer. Hindsight would be so much more useful if it was foresight.

Anyways, the meal came together and everyone enjoyed it. The hubs learned a little more about me and how stressed I could (and often do) get and still loved me for it. But I put off making this meal, even though it was delicious, for more than a year! We had this the other night and it was just as delicious and much less stressful since I didn't attempt to overdo it!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 lb 'meatloaf mix' or 1/2 lb each ground beef and ground pork

1-1.5 cups canola oil for frying

1 lb spaghetti, cooked

Your favorite sauce or the one in Joelen's Blog

Place the milk and torn bread in a bowl and mash them together with a fork until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the meat, pasta, and sauce, and mash together to combine. Add the ground meats and kneed the mixture by hand until well combined.

Form the meatballs, using your hands, into 2-inch diameter circles. Place your meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and you can even make them up to a day in advance.

Heat the oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer to fry. Turn them to brown on all sides until fully cooked. Place the browned meatballs onto a paper lined plate to soak up any oil and set aside.

Serve over pasta with sauce and enjoy!

Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna is one of my go to meals for company. I use my mom's recipe and everyone loves it. But when it's just Neil and I for dinner the pan of lasagna is way too big for us. We would be eating lasagna for at least half of week and as much as I love it, too much lasagna can be a bad thing.

So, we make lasagna rolls! Portion control is so much easier when you can make only 1 or 2 rolls for yourself. These are meatless but you can always add ground chicken or beef to add a little more oomph to it. Recipe is from Stephanie Cooks!

5 lasagna noodles, cooked

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese

1 egg white

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1.5 cups tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lay the lasagna noodles flat on a cutting board. In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, egg white, baby spinach, Italian seasoning, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Stir well.

Spoon an even amount of filling over each noodle. Add a tablespoon of sauce to each noodle and spread the sauce/cheese mixture along the noodle. Starting at one end, roll the noodle tightly. Place in a baking dish covered in sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Like I mentioned yesterday, my V-Day will be spent in class and then with some delicious Outback Steakhouse take out and 2 hours of quality time (hopefully) with my husband before he passes out.

This is actually a recipe we had a few weeks ago but since today isn't a crock pot meal I pulled this one out of the archives. It was my first time making spaghetti in the crock pot where I didn't cook the noodles first. I was worried it would be crunchy and not fully cooked, and part of it was. I made the mistake of not spreading the sauce to the edges and covering the noodles and while the center portions of the casserole were delicious and perfectly cooked, the outsides that weren't covered with sauce were still a tad bit crunchy. As long as you don't make the mistake of throwing it together quickly and not using your brain, like me :0, you should be just fine! Recipe from Reservations Not Required.

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 26 oz jar of pasta sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

12 oz can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp pepper

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces

3 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (the recipe recommends sharp but I used a mild cheese and it was fine)

grated parmesan cheese

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet, until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain meet and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into the beef mixture.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and pepper.

Spoon one-third of the meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cook. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese over white sauce. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese (make sure all sides of the spaghetti are covered). Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

With that I'll leave you with this quote and a non-smiling picture of Lucy who really does love her heart bandana.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

Chicken Parmesan

My husband loves this classic dish, absolutely loves it. It's so easy and I think everyone should know how to make it. The ingredients are all things you would normally have in your pantry and it produces a delicious result. No real source for this recipe the measurements can change depending on how many chicken breasts you use.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tbsp water

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

tomato sauce

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

linguini or pasta of your choice cooked

parsley, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350º. Cut the chicken breast in half from right to left. Slice down the middle to cut into two pieces. Pound with a meat tenderizer to flatten.

Prepare your 3 dipping bowls. Mix 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper in one bowl. Combine the 2 eggs with 1 tbsp of water in the second bowl. Mix the last bowl with 1 cup of bread crumbs and 2 tbsp of parmesan cheese.

Take one of the pieces of chicken and dip into the flour until covered. Dip both sides of the chicken into the egg mixture. Cover the chicken with the bread crumb mixture to finish. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken. Heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in a saute pan. Place the chicken in the pan and saute until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a plate covered with a paper towel Continue sauteing the chicken placing a paper towel in between each piece until finished.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in a 9x13 pan. Place the chicken in a single layer along the bottom of the pan. Spread about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of tomato sauce on each piece of chicken. Sprinkle each piece with mozzarella cheese and a little parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove foil and broil for an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve over pasta. Enjoy!

Giada's Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I love cheese. Pretty much any kind will do but I'm especially in love with parmesan. Neil will occasionally bring me home a block of parmesan as a surprise gift to be romantic. He's kind of cheesy like that :) Bad puns aside, any recipe with the word "cheesy" in it is like a flag waving me down. When I saw this recipe on Melissa's blog, I bookmarked it and put it on our weekly menu the first chance I got. I love watching the food network and everything Giada makes look's delicious. This recipe did not disappoint.

I wasn't quite sure how the smoked mozzarella would work out but it was perfect. It was a tad bit smoky but the flavors of the mascarpone and parmesan cheese blended well with it. If you're not a fan of smoky, I would substitute regular mozzarella. Mascarpone is kind of expensive so substituting ricotta is a possibility I recommend splurging for the mascarpone!

olive oil

2 cups marinara sauce

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tsps chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 pound cheese tortellini

2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly oil an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Mix the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on the top melt, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Dinner Fail & a Delicious Recipe

I'm sure that the recipe below, when prepared correctly, is delicious. Even when prepared incorrectly it was still tasty just packed a very big punch. My mistake was misreading tsp as tbsp. Normally this wouldn't make too big of a difference but when dealing with crushed red pepper it was a big mistake. Arrabiata sauce, called angry sauce, is a classic tomato sauce with a heat fueled by crushed red peppers. Instead of adding a little kick, my mistake had our sauce packing a whomping punch. It was still edible but had my nose running because of the heat. Stick with the tsp recommendation and this will be delicious!

This recipe is from Confections of a Foodie Bride, at www.jasonandshawda.com

Fiery Arrabiata Pasta Sauce

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp rosemary, dried

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed redpeper flakes

28 oz can of tomatoes

parsley to garnish (optional)

Parmesan to garnish (optional)

cooked pasta

Add the onion, garlic, EVOO and butter to a heated sauce pan and saute until the onions are clear. Add rosemary, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan. Enjoy!

Chicken Cheese Lasagna

My Taste of Home cookbook is probably the best cookbook I own. I received it as a birthday present from my mother-in-law and it has yet to disappoint. This recipe was no different. It was a nice change from our normal lasagna and the cream sauce was perfect! If you are having company over this is a perfect dish to serve!

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove,minced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 cups milk

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 tsp each dried basil oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

15 oz ricotta cheese

1 tbsp minced parsley

9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drain

2 packages, 10 oz each, frozen spinach thawed and well drained

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter til tender. Stir in flour and salt; cook until bubbly. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, basil oregano and pepper; set aside. In a bowl combine ricotta cheese, parsley and remaining mozzarella; set aside. Spread a quarter of the cheese sauce into a greased 13x9x2 in baking dish; cover with 3 noodles.

Top with half of the ricotta mixture, half of the spinach and half of the chicken. Cover with a quarter of cheese sauce and three noodles. Repeat layers of ricotta mixture, spinach, chicken and cheese sauce. Cover with remaining noodles and cheese sauce. Sprinkle remaining parmesan over all. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cooking. Yields 12 servings.

Baked Ziti

We love pasta and it's on our menu at least once a week. Usually, we go with the same few meals and just alternate them every week but this week I decided to go with something different. We had a box of ziti in the closet waiting to be used with a recipe on the back waiting to be tried. Baked Ziti was very easy to make but it was incredibly satisfying. It reminded me of my moms amazing lasagna without the meat. It was rich, creamy, and super cheesy!

1 box of ziti, cooked

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

15 oz. ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Tbsp parsley

1 egg

1 Tsp oregano

1/2 Tsp garlic powder

1/2 Tsp salt

1/4 Tsp black pepper

3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375ºF. In a large bowl, stir together hot pasta, 1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parsley, egg, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a 13x9x2- inch baking dish, spoon pasta mixture in. Top with the remaining 1-1/2 cups of sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

After making the Mexican Stuffed Shells, I realized how versatile the shells can be. It's basically just pasta, filling, sauce and cheese to cover. I started searching the internet for other things to fill them with and came up with this recipe fro Allrecipes. These shells are by far my favorite and definitely dinner party worthy. We had a few of hubby's friends over for a last home-cooked meal before one of them left for a 7 month boat tour. All three of the guys gave these thumbs up and even though I was planning on freezing half for later on there were only two left!

1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese

6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil

1/4 cup bread crumbs (We didn't have these on hand so I omitted them)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid (This was definitely better than a jarred spaghetti sauce. It added a little more flavor)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″). Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Homemade Manicotti

There is nothing better than homemade manicotti. Tons of cheese and loads of marinara sauce-the thought of it makes me hungry. Whenever I make these, people are so amazed that the noodles are homemade. I prefer the taste of the homemade noodles and they are also a lot easier to stuff than the store-bought variety. It's actually not too hard once you get the hang of it.

This recipe is from the Taste of Home Classic Cookbook. It is just cheese stuffed but I like to add beef or chicken occasionally.

Ingredients:

Crepe Noodles

1.5 cups of flour

1 cup of milk

3 eggs

dash of salt

Filling

1.5 pounds ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

Shredded Romano cheese, optional

Whisk flour, milk, eggs, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour about 2 tablespoon onto a

hot greased skillet and spread to a 5 inch circle or smaller. Cook over medium heat until set; do not brown or turn. The top

will still be a little doughy. Repeat with the remaining batter, making around 18 crepes. Stack crepes between waxed paper and set aside.

Pour half of the spaghetti sauce into an ungreased baking dish.

For the filling, combine the cheeses, egg, and the parsley. Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons into each creep. Roll or fold up and place the crepes over the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. uncover and bake 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with Romano cheese.

The first time I made these I didn't have anything to stack the crepes on so I decided to do it all at once. I made the batter and the filling and then began making the crepes. As one crepe was finished I would put it on plate, add more batter to the skillet, and then stuff the finished crepe and then put it the baking dish. It requires all your attention but I prefer to do it this way. Once you start making a few, you will get the hang of how much batter to use.