Lasagna Roll-ups

Lasagna is dish that so many people love, but the recipes usually make so much! This is why I haven't made lasagna for years...that is until I found this recipe. It gives all of the wonderful flavors of lasagna without all of the leftovers.

Lasagna Roll-ups

8 lasagna noodles
1/2 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop noodles. Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente. You want to leave them slightly more firm since you'll be baking the pasta. Drain noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add turkey and brown. When almost cooked through, add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 the basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add ricotta, Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano and stir together. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. To assemble, on a drained noodle, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture. Top with a spoonful of meat sauce and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Continue until you've used all the noodles. Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining crushed red pepper flakes. Bake approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Harvest Moon Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe has a little surprise! The beautiful cheesy color that you see is not actually from cheese...it is butternut squash! It is a great way to camouflage veggies for kids! I like to add a cheers cracker crumble on the top for added texture.

Harvest Moon Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Food Network-Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 pound macaroni such as cassarecci, strozzopretti or ziti with lines
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose four
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg, grated to taste
1 (10-ounce) box frozen butternut squash, defrosted
A few dashes hot sauce
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup extra-sharp yellow Cheddar
A handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Directions
Bring water to a boil, season with salt and cook macaroni to al dente.

Preheat broiler and place rack in middle of the oven.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a sauce pot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic until soft, 6 to 7 minutes and stir in the thyme.

Scoot onions off to side of pan and melt butter, whisk flour into butter and combine whisk 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk, season sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook until thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in butternut squash and a few dashes hot sauce. Reduce heat. When sauce comes to a bubble, stir in Parmigiano. Combine the sauce and macaroni, transfer to a casserole dish and top with shredded yellow Cheddar, chopped parsley and paprika. Brown the macaroni under broiler, 4 to 5 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Linguine with Summer Succotash

I wasn't feeling well the other night, but I had this meal planned for dinner. My sweet husband took the recipe and made a delicious dish! He said that it was pretty easy to make and it didn't take too much time. The blended corn makes for a great sauce! We did make one alteration to the recipe. String beans were less expensive this week so I used them instead of the snap peas and I think it worked just fine.

Linguine with Summer Succotash
Adapted from Bon Appétit.

Ingredients:
8 ounces linguine
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 3 to 4 ears), divided
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups stringless sugar snap peas
1 6-ounce container assorted bab tomatoes, large ones halved
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh basil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Directions:
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Place 1/2 cup cooking liquid in blender. Add 1/2 cup corn; blend until smooth. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add peas and remaining 2 cups corn. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover; cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add pasta, tomatoes, basil, 3/4 cup cheese, and corn puree. Toss until heated through and sauce coats pasta, adding more cooking liquid if dry, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional cheese.

Spinach, Pesto and Fontina Lasagna

I had been wanting to make a vegetarian lasagna for a while when I found this recipe. When I saw that it was spinach and pesto, I knew that it would be great, and it was! It does take a little bit of time, but it is worth it!

Spinach, Pesto and Fontina Lasagna
Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Sauce:

2 tbs unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

Spinach:

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 6-oz. packages baby spinach

Lasagna:

15 no-boil 7x3 1/2 inch lasagna noodles

3 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp finely grated lemon peel

1 large egg

2 cups coarsely grated Italian Fontina cheese, divided

Herb Pesto:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

2 garlic cloves

1/3 cup EVOO

For Sauce:

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute (do not brown). Add milk and wine and whisk until smooth. Cook until sauce thickens and comes to a boil, whisking constantly, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and salt. Season sauce to taste with pepper.

For Spinach:

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic. Saute until shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Add all spinach (pot will be full). Cook spinach until wilted but still bright green, tossing often, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer spinach to large sieve set over bowl; reserve pot. Press out excess liquid from spinach. Drain 10-15 minutes longer.

Return drained liquid from spinach to reserved pot. Boil until liquid is reduced to glaze. Return spinach to pot and toss 1 minute. Remove spinach from heat. Mix in 1 1/2 cups sauce. Season spinach to taste with pepper.

For Pesto:Combine first 6 ingredients in processor. Blend until herbs are finely chopped. Add oil and blend to coarse puree. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl.

For Lasagna:

Place noodles in large bowl. Fill bowl with hot tap water. Soak noodles until pliable, stirring occasionally to separate, about 15 minutes. Place large sheet of parchment paper on work surface. Transfer noodles to parchment in single layer, shaking off excess water.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Mix ricotta, Parmesan and lemon peel in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Mix in egg.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce thinly over bottom of prepared dish. Top with 3 noodles, arranged side by side and covering most of bottom dish. Spread 1/2 of spinach mixture over (about 1 1/2 cups). Sprinkle with 1/3 cup Fontina. Top with 3 noodles and half of ricotta mixture (generous 1 3/4 cups). Drop half of pesto over by teaspoonfuls, spacing drops evenly apart. Continue layering with 3 noodles, remaining spinach mixture, 1/3 cup Fontina, 3 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, then remaining pesto. Top with last 3 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over; sprinkle with remaining Fontina. Cover dish with buttered foil.

Bake lasagna until heated through and bubbling at edges, 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove foil from dish.

Preheat broiler. Broil lasagna until top is browned in spots, turning dish occasionally for even browning, about 4 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes to set up.

Pasta Primavera

This is one of our favorite meals to make during the spring. I think that I have already made it 3 times this year!! I love when spring comes and vegetables start to come into season. This pasta is packed full of all my favorite vegetables and is quite delicious!! (I can't remember where I found this recipe. It was a long time ago.)

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, cleaned, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup sliced button mushrooms (4 ounces)

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup 1% milk (I use almond milk)

1 tbs all-purpose flour, dissolved in 3 tbs water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 large carrot peeled and sliced into strips with a peeler

3/4 lb. whole wheat linguine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbs chopped parsley

1/4 cup shredded basil leaves

Directions:

Heat the oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until soft, about 1 minute. Add peppers and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, asparagus and tomatoes and cook until softened, an additional 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken stock, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrot strips.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with vegetables and sauce. Add pasta water if necessary, to loosen mixture. Serve garnished with Parmesan, parsley and basil.

Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi

This is one of our favorite meals to make when we have company over for dinner and it is always a hit! Before you start, you need to know that this is really time consuming, but it is definitely worth it. Bubba was actually the one who found the recipe and he was so excited to make them. He made them all by himself the first time around and he did an amazing job!
Once you get them made, you can freeze them and they will save for a month or two. The trick for freezing them is to freeze them on a baking sheet. Keep the gnocchis from touching otherwise they will get stuck together. Once they are frozen, you can put all the gnocchis in a freezer bag. You cook them just the same as the directions say, but they may take a few seconds longer.

Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

2 1-lb. sweet potatoes
1 12-oz. container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbs. packed brown sugar

2 tsp. plus 2 tbs. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 3/4 cups flour (about)

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to mixer. Add ricotta and blend well. Add Parmesan, brown sugar, 2 tsp. salt and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkle with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 40 pieces. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tbs. salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until they float to the top.

Serve with Brown Butter Sage Sauce or Homemade Marinara.

*Recipe found on Epicurious

Herbed Pasta with Lemon Butter

This recipe is great because it is so simple and easy to throw together, but tastes amazing.

Whole Wheat Pasta

1 tbs. melted butter

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbs. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup finely chopped herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Tarragon)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Crumbled Feta

To be honest, I really don't measure anything. I just add until it looks and tastes good. You can use any herbs you want. I usually use at least two different kinds of herbs to make is flavorful.