Lasagna Soup

Tags

cheese, Italian, mozzarella, pasta, ricotta, sausage

I’ve recently discovered Google Reader and it has since become one of my favorite websites/phone apps. It makes it so easy to keep up on all the blogs I follow! I was reading through some of the blogs I follow and over my shoulder I hear, “Ooo, I want that!” Apparently my husband was looking over my shoulder and had seen the words lasagna and soup. That was all he needed and he wanted some! He loves soup, and he loves the meat-pasta-cheese combo so this soup was perfect for him. And I must say, he made a great decision in picking this soup! I had most of the ingredients on hand so I just needed to grab a couple other things and I was ready to go. This soup was amazing, and perfect comfort food! The taste is very similar to skillet lasagna, which is another tasty and easy lasagna alternative. Stirring cheese into the soup broth makes it creamy and reminiscent of the layers of lasagna, where sauce and cheese and meat all meld into one delicious flavor. Top if off with a nice ricotta mixture, and you have yourself and quick and easy lasagna, but in scrumptious soup form! Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 – 8 ounces spiral or curly pasta
½ cup chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
½ cup lowfat ricotta

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add desired amount of noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the 3 tablespoons Parmesan.

While the pasta cooks, thoroughly mix ricotta with ⅓ cup Parmesan. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a few tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Garnish with additional mozzarella cheese.

Source: Adapted from Spiffy Cookie

Skillet Lasagna

Tags

basil, Italian sausage, mozzarella, Parmsan, pasta, tomato

I’ve only made fresh, homemade lasagna once in my life. I helped my mom a couple times when I was younger, but otherwise it was just one time in college. It amazed me with how delicious it was, especially when compared to frozen lasagna, but it took so much time. Between making all the separate components, then assembling it, I felt that it was a major accomplishment and I was very proud of my yummy lasagna. I had 2 reasons why I made it… One was because I had tons of Italian sausage from Costco and I really just needed to use it up, and two was because my boyfriend’s friend was coming to visit so I figured I’d make a tasty dinner. And then I had 3 guys, with their huge college appetites, devour through the lasagna. And it was pretty much all gone in one night. And it made me a little sad that with all my time and effort put into it, it was gone so fast with maybe one slice left, despite how large the lasagna had been.

So I never made it again, and have been settling for frozen lasagna ever since. Yes, that is my sad, tragic lasagna story. But I found a solution! Browsing online at Cook’s Country, I came across skillet lasagna, and it seemed like such a genius idea that I had to try it. It’s really easy, and only takes about an hour total with prep and cooking time. Sooooo much easier than a layered lasagna. It’s not quite the same as a layered lasagna, but it beats the frozen alternative with less effort. And if you’re like me, and end up with lasagna mush after I cut into bite sized pieces then kind of stir it around, then it doesn’t matter if it’s a skillet lasagna or layered lasagna, because it all tastes the same in the end! So go ahead, save yourself some time and energy, and make lasagna in a skillet!Skillet Lasagna

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed, or ½ pound Italian sausage and ½ pound ground beef
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
Ground black pepper and salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart. Stir in dried basil and oregano.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion begins to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Scatter pasta over meat, then pour diced tomato mixture and tomato sauce over pasta; do not stir initially. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to mix meat, sauce and pasta; cook until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover, and let stand off heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil. Serve.

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Country June/July 2005

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Tags

mozzarella, portobello, tomato

The weather is finally how it’s supposed to be with summer right around the corner. It went from rainy and stormy to being HOT! With temps near the mid 90’s, I find myself eating lighter meals, and trying to avoid hot foods. Grilling is a great option to keep the heat outside, which makes these grilled portobello mushrooms perfect. They are topped with a cool caprese salad, which is a very popular Italian combination of tomato, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. These are another perfect dish from Giada De Laurentiis, and are great as a vegetarian main dish or as a vegetable side dish.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

4 large portobello mushrooms (about 5 inches in diameter), stemmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarekka, drained and cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium-high heat. Brush the portobello mushrooms with 3 tablespoons olive oil, coating the top and bottom of the mushrooms, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through, about 5 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil; toss to make sure everything is coated evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place each hot mushroom gill side up and spoon the tomato salad atop the mushrooms, dividing the salad equally among the 4 mushroom caps.

Source: Giada’s Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tags

artichoke, Giada, mozzarella, pasta, sausage, sun-dried tomato

I love pasta. My husband loves pasta. When it comes time to figure out dinner, a typical conversation is as follows:
I ask, “What do you feel like for dinner?”
He responds, “Um, pasta.”
“What kind of pasta? “
“Pasta with meat.”
Never anything specific, he just wants meat and pasta. But at least we both love it, so we have a very high carb intake. This pasta is one of our favorites. It comes together pretty quickly and has a lot of different components that blend together to make a delicious meal. The mild sweetness of the tomatoes mixes perfectly with the saltiness of the sausage and the nuttiness of the artichokes and Parmesan. I use whole wheat pasta because it really holds its own among the other ingredients, but regular pasta would work just as well.

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

¾ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound ground italian hot sausage
2 (13.75 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1¾ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
13.25 ounces whole wheat penne
½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed

Heat the oil reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-sized pieces, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl, reserving the oils in the pan. Add the artichoke hearts and garlic to the skillet and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces slightly, about 8 minutes, then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Stir often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but firm to the bite. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. Add the pasta, sausage, Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until most of the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Source: Slightly adapted from Giada’s Family Dinners