Baked Manicotti

This is kind of a twist on regular manicotti - you roll up lasagna noodles instead of trying to tediously stuff manicotti noodles.

Tomato Sauce
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (in juice)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan chese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soup spoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish). Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil.

Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

The manicotti can be prepared right up until the baking step then covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

What I did: I did make it like the recipe says, but had a hard time with soaking the noodles. Next time I will just boil the noodles, but not completely cook them. Just enough that they are pliable though b/c they will continue to cook in the oven and I do not like mushy noodles.

Source: www.melskitchencafe.com

April 3-10

Sorry about last week, here are the new recipes I used last week:

Fish Topped Au Gratin Potatoes (not bad, but not that great, so I'm not posting recipe)
Stromboli Recipe here
Chicken Tetrazzini (made with leftovers from storebought rotisserie chicken) Recipe below

The plan for this week:

We still haven't gotten to the frozen lasagna and the pork tacos, so they are still on the list, new items are

Barbecue chicken with mashed potatoes and corn
Creamy chicken and Vegetables with Noodles Recipe here
Chicken Ranch Tacos Recipe here
Honey-sesame Chicken and fried Rice (use Sun Bird brand seasoning packet, look for it near the Asian foods and follow directions)
Spaghetti Sandwiches (recipe below)

I guess we are all about chicken this week!


Chicken Tetrazzini
7 oz spaghetti or linguine noodles
2 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 cups cut up or shredded chicken or turkey
1 cup sliced olives or mushrooms
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 350. Cook and drain noodles - undercook them a little so they aren't mushy (they will cook in the oven too)
2. Mix broth, milk, flour, butter, S & P, in 3 qt sauce pan. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
3. Stir in cooked noodles, chicken, olives/mushrooms. Spread in ungreased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.


Spaghetti Sandwiches
my mom used to make these with leftover spaghetti sauce. They sound a little weird, but they're good!

Bread
Mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded)
eggs
milk
spaghetti sauce

1. Mix up eggs and milk just like you would for french toast, but without the cinnamon & vanilla, etc.

2. Dip one side of a piece of bread in the egg mixture, place on hot griddle egg-side down. Top with mozzarella. Dip another piece of bread and place it on top of the mozzarella, egg-side up. Flip the sandwich when one side is cooked and cheese is starting to melt. Cook other side until golden brown and cheese is melted.

3. Serve with hot spaghetti sauce on top.

Rigatoni

I think this is an official menu item at every western Pennsylvanian graduation party - at least that was the experience Justin and I had back home. Anyway, I was surprisingly unable to find a recipe, so this is how I made it tonight.

12 oz rigatoni noodles, cooked & drained
4-6 slices bacon
1 lb ground beef
1 can Hunts stewed tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 regular size jar Ragu Parmesan & Romano spaghetti sauce
handful of shredded mozzarella
3-5 slices provolone

1. Cook the noodles, but undercook them a little b/c they will cook more in the oven & you won't want them mushy & overcooked.

2. Cook the bacon & remove from the pan, then cook the ground beef in the bacon fat. Once the ground beef is cooked, drain off all the fat (we are just going for the underlying bacon flavor here, not the actual bacon...)

3. Add the stewed tomatoes to the pan & break up with a potato masher. Stir in the oregano and Ragu. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Combine the sauce & noodles. Stir in a handful of mozzarella and put in 2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 about 30 minutes. Top with slices of provolone and bake for 10 more minutes.

Stromboli

No, its not healthy, but its easy to put together and get on the table and everyone likes it.

Refrigerated pizza dough (the kind that comes rolled up in the tube that pops open)
ham
salami
pepperoni
provolone cheese slices
Italian seasoning
spaghetti sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Unroll the pizza dough into a rectangle. Place about 3 slices of ham on the dough, spaced out across the dough, then 2 or 3 slices of salami, then some pepperoni and then the cheese. Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning.
3. Roll up the dough, kind of like making cinnamon rolls, and pinch the seam and ends together. Place on greased cookie sheet, seam side down, and bake about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
3. Let stand a few minutes before slicing. Use the spaghetti sauce as dip.

What I do: Sometimes I have used turkey and you can basically put whatever in it depending on what you like, this is just what we usually do. I've used mozzarella, but provolone is better. It seems that making one isn't quite enough for our family, but 2 is plenty, enough for lunch the next day too. Don't let it burn, but you'll want to leave it in long enough that the dough in the middle will be cooked.

Tomato, Basil & Cheese Pasta

A friend gave me some fresh basil from her garden & I made this. I think the fresh basil made a big difference, but you could probably still use dried basil. I put half in an 8x8 pan for that night and put the other half in a foil pan in the freezer for another day.

1 lb. medium shell pasta
extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 15oz cans Italian diced tomatoes
10-12 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or torn
salt & pepper
1 cup store-bought pesto
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella

1. Cook and drain the pasta, keep warm. Preheat the broiler.
2. saute the onion & garlic in a little olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes & simmer a few minutes. Stir in the basil and the S/P to taste.
3. Combine the pasta, tomato sauce, pesto, ricotta and parmesan in a large bowl. Mix well and transfer to baking dish.
4. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Place under broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheeses.

Notes: I use the lower fat, skim ricotta. You can find the pesto in a jar near the spaghetti sauces at the store.

Adapted from Rachael Ray's original recipe