Meaty Manicotti

This is the first time I've ever made manicotti, don't know why, but my family loved it so I am sure I will make it often now. This one was super easy to make and has pretty basic ingredients in it that I typically  have on hand. I made all 14 which is an entire package of noodles and it was too much for my family of four. Just one filled me up and my husband only ate 2, so super filling!

INGREDIENTS:

14 uncooked manicotti shells

1 pound Italian sausage (I like sweet the best)

3/4 lb. ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3oz. cream cheese, cubed

1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups of meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook manicotti shells according to package. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook sausage and beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, Drain and remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.

2. Drain shells and rinse in cold water. Stir mozzarella, cream cheese, salt, and meat mixture together. Spread 2 cups of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. 

3. Stuff each shell with about 1/4 cup of meat mixture, arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake and additional 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner

This is another one skillet meal from America's Test Kitchen, although I ran across it first on Teresa's blog,  A Blog About Food. The recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes as well, but for some reason they seemed to have missed my grocery list that week so I made it without- and it was still good. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, minced

salt

pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine

8 ounces penne

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)

1 (5 oz) bag spinach

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sausage & Pepper Baked Ziti

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know we did. Santa always seems to bring more than he's supposed to! The holidays were great and so was the food. Now I am working on taking down Christmas and actually decorating our new home.

I got this recipe out of a Woman's Day magazine and finally got around to trying it. It was really good and even the kids liked it. The sauce has a slightly creamy taste to it with the ricotta cheese....yum! Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

8oz uncooked ziti pasta

2 tsp. oil

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

12oz sweet Italian sausage links, about 4

1 cup part skim ricotta

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cook pasta till al dente.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, onion, and sausage and cook until sausage is browned. Remove from heat and slice sausage into 1/4-in. slices.

3. Mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and parsley in a medium bowl. Drain pasta, toss with cheese mixture, sausage mixture, and 1 cup marinara.

4. Pour mixture into a 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered, 400 degrees, for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Sausage & Mozzarella Calzones

This recipe was so easy to make! The most time consuming part was browning the sausage, which is nothing. The dough took 5 minutes in the mixer and it was ready to go. I love quick easy meals, especially when everyone eats it too! I found this recipe on a blog called Eat at Home.

Ingredients:
Filling-
1 lb. sausage
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 6oz. can tomato paste + 1 can water
basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
mozzarella cheese, the amount depends on how cheesy you like it.

Brown the sausage with the onion and garlic. Drain the grease. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese, and combine them well, letting them heat together for a few minutes.

Crust-
1 pkg dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. oil
2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the other ingredients (I used a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step.) Beat the ingredients until well mixed. Let the dough rest 5 minutes.

Directions:
Now it’s time to assemble the calzones. I made 4 medium sized calzones, but you can make any size you'd like.
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll into circles. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread 1/4 of the meat mixture onto one side of the dough and add the cheese.Fold the dough over the top and seal the edges. (I used the prongs of a fork to seal my edges.)
2. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. You'll need to adjust your baking time depending on the size you make.

Biscuits N' Gravy

Biscuits and gravy are a favorite at our house. We had this last night for dinner and everyone cleaned their plates. They always taste best made from scratch and the ingredients are so basic that they are usually ones I always have on hand.

Biscuits
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup shortening (I use butter flavored)
1 cup milk

Directions:
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, you may not need the whole cup. Mix well.
2. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll out to 1" thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Sausage Gravy
Ingredients:
3/4 lb. sausage roll
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Crumble and cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over hot biscuits.

Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. In a Dutch oven or skillet, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.