A Little Something

Spinach Lasagna

This lasagna is a hearty dish that is easy to prepare and lends itself well to the assistance of little kitchen helpers. Although it needs to bake for an hour or so, with only one bowl to wash it fits my idea of 'quick and easy' to prepare.

Ingredients:

32 ounces ricotta cheese

4 eggs

1 tablespoon parsley (more if you're using fresh)

shredded mozzarella - approximately 4 cups

grated Parmesan or Romano - approximately 1 cup (optional but tasty)

2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce, 24 ounces each

1 box lasagna noodles, raw (I used about 3/4 of the pound box)

fresh spinach, chopped - I used approximately half of one of those big pound tubs of baby spinach

Note: This recipe fills a large 11" x 15" baking pan. In the spirit of 'easy to prepare' I never pre-cook the noodles, I just use them raw and they cook as the lasagna bakes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the ricotta, eggs and parsley together. Pour a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Spread a single layer of noodles. I usually break pieces to fit the pan, but do not overlap them. Spread with half of the ricotta mixture, then half of your spinach. It will seem like a lot of spinach (hence the term spinach lasagna) - it cooks down as it bakes. Follow with a generous sprinkling of mozzarella, then a bit more sauce. Then add another layer of noodles, a generous amount of sauce, the rest of the ricotta, remaining spinach, ending with mozzarella. Finally apply a bit of sauce, one more layer of noodles, and top with remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan and/or Romano if you are using it. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. It will need to bake for about an hour. Check on it after 45 minutes - pull back the foil and make sure there aren't any stray noodles peeking out of the sauce and resisting baking. You can poke the noodles down with a fork to make sure they cook properly. Recover with foil and bake for fifteen more minutes. Remove the foil for the last few minutes if you like your cheese browned on top. When it is done and all cooked - the noodles should be fork tender if you pierce it - remove from oven. Let it rest for 15 minutes or so before cutting to set up. Nice with a side of green salad or a steamed vegetable. The best thing about it is Eliza loves it and calls it pizza. :-)

Basil Cream Pasta

This creamy pasta dish is like a combination of an alfredo sauce and pesto (we've enjoyed Alice's recipe for pesto several times now). This recipe is adapted from The Horn of the Moon Cookbook.

1/2 cup olive oil

4 or five large cloves garlic

3 packed cups fresh basil leaves

2 cups half and half

1 1/4 cups finely grated good Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 pound pasta

Set your pasta to cook. Blend olive oil, garlic and basil together in food processor until it forms a relatively smooth green paste. In a saucepan (nonstick is nice), combine cream, basil mixture, salt and cheese. Stir and heat just until sauce is hot. The pasta should be cooked by now. Drain well and toss with sauce. Nice served with some fresh garden tomatoes on the side.

Pasta Favorites

Here are two of our meatless pasta 'standards' - both are super easy to prepare and are made with ingredients readily on hand.

Pasta Fagioli

We make this as a vegetable pasta dish rather than the traditional soup.

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

few cloves of fresh garlic, sliced (optional)

few handfuls of spinach, escarole, or other chopped greens (optional)

Italian herbs of your liking - basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary (optional)

extra virgin olive oil

1 can (15 ounces) cannelini (or any white beans will do)

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomato

chunky pasta

fresh grated Parmesan

Cook pasta to your liking. While pasta is cooking saute your vegetables in a few spoonfuls of olive oil, stirring occasionally. Cook them until they are beginning to brown and onions are caramelizing. If you are using greens don't add them until the other vegetables are almost done. Add beans and tomatoes and about half a can of water. Heat thoroughly. Serve vegetables over pasta, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan.

Artichoke Pasta

This is one of our favorite meals. It's ready in the time it takes to boil pasta, it's faster and much less expensive than calling to order pizza, and we think it's delicious.

2 large red peppers, sliced

1 can (15 ounces) artichokes

1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 can black olives, sliced (optional)

extra virgin olive oil

pasta

freshly grated parmesan

While the pasta is cooking, saute the peppers in a few spoonfuls of olive oil. Cook until they are starting to brown and caramelize for the best flavor. Add artichokes, tomatoes and olives if desired. Heat through. Serve over pasta and top each serving with a generous drizzle of 'e.v.o.o.' and sprinkling of parmesan. 

Chili (sans carne)

Lent is nearly here so I thought I would get some meatless recipes posted! This makes a rather mild 'family style' chili. If you prefer more heat you can of course use hot chili powder or add additional hot spices as you like.

1 onion, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

10 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 large can (52 ounces) kidney beans

1 can (15 ounces) pintos (or more)

3 cups frozen corn

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Saute onion and pepper in a bit of vegetable oil. When they are about halfway done add the mushrooms and spices. Cook over medium heat until done, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and simmer together until thoroughly heated. Top each serving with grated cheddar and serve with tortilla chips.