Sausage and Pasta Bake II

This recipe is pretty much the same one as I made before, but this time I attempted making my own sort of Alfredo sauce to go along with it...plus I added in some asparagus.

1 bunch of roasted asparagus cut into bite size pieces
1 package hot Italian turkey sausage - of course regular Italian sausage will work as well

1 pound pasta of your choice

1-2 cups fresh spinach

Sauce:

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1-1/2 cups cheese (we used 8 oz of cream cheese and the rest Parmesan cheese)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

black pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. In the meantime, heat up a skillet, remove the casings from the sausage and add it to the skillet. Cook the sausage until there is no more pink.

For the sauce, add the butter and flour to a sauce pan and whisk on low heat until the mixture just starts to turn a light brown color. Add in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. (In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box). Once it thickens a little, add in the cheeses, salt, garlic powder and black pepper and whisk to combine.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot adding the spinach so it begins to wilt. Also add in the roasted asparagus. Once the sausage is cooked, add it to the pot with the pasta, spinach and asparagus. Stir in the Alfredo sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 13x9 baking dish and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Add parsley for garnish if you'd like. Enjoy!

"Homemade" Pizza

Ok, well we really did want to make the pizza dough ourselves, but by the time we got home from the daily errands (a grocery store trip that took way too long) it was just too late to wait for dough to rise. Luckily we thought ahead and bought pre-made dough at the store. I did find a sauce recipe to use though.

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water (I used a small can of sauce instead of paste and water), Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese. Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

We added fresh mozzarella, ham, red onion, marinated artichoke hearts, and Jim put mushrooms on his half.

I can't remember what temp or how long we cooked the pizza, but we just followed the directions on the dough container.

When the pizza came out I added fresh basil on top as well.

This was definitely a different kind of pizza sauce than I was used to. I don't know if it had to do with the sauce I used instead of the paste, but definitely different. It was good though. And it was even better the next day as leftovers for lunch!

Turkey Meatball Subs

I've tried this recipe before with ground sirloin and they were so good! I decided to give it a try with ground turkey and they were just as good. Now, the recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat, but I only used a pound and adjusted the rest of the recipe accordingly. That's why there are some strange measurements. I also made the sauce to go along with it. Enjoy!!!

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey

1 large egg, beaten

2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 small onion, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1-1/3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/6 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/6 cup grated Parmigiano or Romano

Coarse salt and black pepper

5 Minute Marinara Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 sub buns, with or without sesame seeds

1 (10-ounce) bag (2 1/2 cups) shredded provolone or Italian 4-cheese blend

Shredded basil (sweet), for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Divide mix into 4 equal parts, roll each part into 4 balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet. Place meatballs in oven and roast about 20 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven.

Combine meatballs and sauce and pile into sub rolls, 3-4 meatballs per sub. Top with shredded cheese and place under subs under broiler to melt cheese. Top with shredded basil.

Greek red sauce

I'm not sure if this is really a Greek red sauce or not, but I love it! My dad makes it all the time to put over rice when we have shish kabobs and whatnot.

1-2 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning or oregano

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until onion is soft. Add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, allspice and cinnamon. Let simmer for about 20 minutes and serve over rice. Fresh parsley can also be added at the end for a burst of freshness.

Simple spaghetti sauce

This is really easy to make, doesn't take forever and tastes great.

1-2 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic - we like garlic so we tend to use more
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1-1.5 tbsp. Italian seasoning or dried basil - I like to add some fresh basil and/or parsley when I have it
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pot large enough to hold the crushed tomatoes. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. You don't want to burn the garlic. Now add the crushed tomatoes, dried herbs and salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 20 minutes and that's it...a red sauce is made. Add the fresh herbs at the end of cooking if you'd like to add them in. If we want a meat sauce, then I add meat to it.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

I hate getting stuck in a rut when it comes to making dinner. What's for dinner? Chicken again? Oh joy. It just gets so boring. Now I'm not saying this dish is the most all exciting chicken dish ever made, but we never make it and it just popped into my head one day. We had all the stuff, so it was really easy to make. I make a pretty simple red sauce, so that's what I made here as well.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg, beaten

seasoned bread crumbs to coat the chicken

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

4 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese

leftover red sauce, or make some fresh

1/2 lb. cooked spaghetti noodles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken breasts inside a large gallon size Ziploc bag and pound until about 1/4 inch thick. You want them to be about the same thickness. In a pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Next take the chicken breasts, dip them in the beaten egg and then coat both sides with the bread crumbs. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook until brown on both sides. Next place the chicken in a glass dish, I have a square one, but you could use anything really, put a little of the red sauce on top of the chicken then 2 pieces of cheese. Place in the oven until the sauce is heated through and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. Serve it over a little spaghetti if you'd like with some garlic bread on the side...delish!