Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Take a look at the size of this pasta! It's like a giant cork-screw!

 I found this a few months ago at Target. I was thinking about what recipe that I could use this in, maybe a pasta bake or a mac-cheese dish. Or maybe some kind of an unusual pasta sauce to go with such unusual pasta. Well I finally decided to go with the sauce that was written on the back of the package.

The only thing that I changed in the recipe is the amount of tomatoes and tomato sauce that I used because I used what I had on hand. I have written by the change in parenthesis.

I am sure you are wondering about the taste of this sauce. It is wonderful or sure I say it was wonderful because there is none left!

Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

1 package of Archer Farms Girandole pasta

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes (I used 2 (15 oz.) cans)
1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce (I used 1 (16 oz.) can)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; Add ground sausage, onion and garlic. Cook and stir until sausage is cooked through, breaking up large pieces.
Add tomatoes, sauce, paste and seasoning. Break up tomatoes with spoon. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in cream and basil. Serve with pasta.Pin It

Zucchini Parmesan

As I had mentioned before in my post Zucchini Bread, I have a zucchini plant and I am trying to think up recipes that I could make with my abundance of zucchini.

One dish that I have always wanted to try was Eggplant Parmesan, but my husband Richard has always told me that he hates eggplant so I never tried to make it. Well I was thinking why not use the zucchini in place of the eggplant. And that is just what I did.
To make this dish I used my Chicken Parmesan recipe. I just substituted the zucchini for the chicken and I added an extra cup of mozzarella cheese and changed the cooking times.
When I served it to Richard he told me that he loved it. I told him it is usually made with eggplant. He said when he was growing up his mother never made eggplant like this. That she just breaded and fried it. OK then, I guess I might just get to try Eggplant Parmesan after all!

Zucchini Parmesan

2 medium size zucchini, cut into rounds
½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350⁰. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

Cut zucchini into rounds

Pour egg into a shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings and garlic powder in a separate shallow bowl. Dip zucchini rounds into egg, then into bread crumb mixture.

Place coated zucchini onto the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, turn over and bake for another 10 minutes.

Pour ½ of the spaghetti sauce in to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place zucchini rounds on top of sauce, and cover with 1 cup mozzarella cheese

 then top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cup of mozzarella cheese on top and return to oven for 20 minutes.

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Cannelloni Florentine

The other day I bought a package of eggroll wrappers because I had another dish in mind; which I will be sharing in a few days. But let me tell you about how I came up with this dish.

In the package of eggroll wrappers there was a recipe for Cannelloni which is also called manicotti. The recipe sounded good but of course I wanted to do something different. I decided to use my own pasta sauce recipe and to use the ricotta filling that I use in my lasagna roll ups. I just realized that I have never shared that recipe with you. I guess that will have to wait for another day. But this filling is just like it the filing that I use in my roll ups.
Now if you think about it eggroll wrappers are made out of the same ingredients that they make pasta with. So why not use them just like pasta. And it was a lot easier to roll up my filling then to stuff the filling into the manicotti tubes.
They tasted so good that I will be making them again. Next time I think I will try a different filling and maybe a white cheese sauce.

CannellonI Florentinei

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 /2 cup diced onions
1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 (10oz.) box chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
12 large egg roll wrappers sheets

In a medium sauce pan sauté onions and garlic in oil. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and brown sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes.

In a medium size bowl combine spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, ½ cup mozzarella cheese and egg.

Place ¼ cup of spinach mixture onto one egg roll wrapper roll up from end to end.

Place into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish; repeat with remaining wrappers.

Pour tomato sauce over rolled pasta. Cover and bake at 350⁰F for 40 minutes. Uncover and, sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Return to oven; bake until cheese melts 5-7 minutes.

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Skillet Spaghetti

There were so many times when my girls were growing up that I always need to get dinner on the table in a hurry. And being a child who grew up eating Hamburger Helper a lot for dinner I just didn’t want to have my children growing up on it to. It’s all right sometimes I guess but I have notice that over the years the amount of pasta that you get in the box of mix has changed and you almost have to use 2 boxes for the pound of ground beef that the mix calls for.

So over the years I have come up with my own version of a hamburger helper. I believe that this recipe taste so much better than theirs. And it’s such an easy dish to prepare because you make it all in the same skillet.

Skillet Spaghetti

1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1(16 OZ.) jar pasta sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (4oz.) can mushrooms
2 cups water
8 oz. spaghetti, broken in half
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

In a large Dutch over medium-high heat cook ground beef, onions and minced garlic until meat is brown and onions are tender; drain. Add pasta sauce, bouillon cube, Italian seasoning, mushrooms and water; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprikle cheese over top; serve.

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Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions

 

I made these sandwiches a few weeks ago but I never posted them. I take the photos and write down the recipe as I am cooking, we enjoy eating the dish but I just don’t get around to blogging about them. It’s amazing how many photos that I deleted today because I have missed place the papers that I wrote the recipes on. Yes I guess I could just make up a recipe to go with the photos but to me that just wouldn’t be right. So that just means I will have to try making the dish again. I know that this will make my husband Richard happy because he always enjoys eating what I make.

This recipe came about because I had a lot of Italian sausage in my freezer. You know what that is like if you shop at Costco. And I have used Italian sausage in a few of my dishes like Italian Sausage Soup and Baked Spaghetti with Italian Sausage. And I have often used Italian sausage instead of ground beef in my pasta sauce.  But today I wanted to make something different.
So I thought why, don’t  I make a very popular Italian dish that uses sausage I looked up how a few other cooks prepared the dish and read a few recipes that I found in my cookbooks and that is how I came up with this recipe that more suites my taste and is very simple to prepare. It turned out great and I will definitely be making this dish again, not just because I still have a lot of Italian sausage in my freezer. But because these sandwich tasted so good!

Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions

1 pound Italian sausage, sliced

2 bell peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano

In a large skillet brown Italian sausage slices over medium high heat; remove from skillet and set aside. Using same skillet sauté bell peppers and onion with the salt, black pepper and garlic until the vegetable are tender. Return the sausage to the skillet and add the  diced tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on toasted sourdough  rolls.

 

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Chicken Marsala

I love this chicken! The first time I had chicken Marsala was at an Italian restaurant and of course I had to learn to make it myself and I was so glad to find out the recipe was so simple.

Chicken Marsala
4 chicken breast
¼ cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
¾ cup Marsala Wine
¼ cup chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Pound chicken breast until thin, season with salt and pepper; dredge lightly with flour on both sides. In a large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat; add chicken cook on each side until golden brown. Add mushrooms, Marsala Wine, chicken broth or water and dried parsley. Cook until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through.Pin It

Easy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

I have been making this dish for years. It is so easy and fast to throw together when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. It has always been a favorite of Richard and the girls. It doesn’t cost a lot to make because I usually buy the least expensive Alfredo sauce or whatever brand that is on sale. I believe that sometime the simplest dishes taste the best.

Easy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
1 pound chicken breast, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar store bought Alfredo sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 8 oz. box Fettuccine pasta
½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to the direction on the box in a large pot. Meanwhile in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat, add cut-up chicken pieces and minced garlic; cook until chicken is a golden brown. Add Alfredo sauce and Italian seasoning; simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain cooked pasta return to pot add chicken- Alfredo mixture; toss with parmesan cheese; serve.Pin It

Baked Ziti

The first time I had this was at Sbarro’s Italian restaurant in our local mall many years ago. The restaurant has closed but I have learned how to create my favorite dish at home. Sometimes I add ground beef or Italian sausage to the sauce and I love to add extra sauce on top of the pasta. I know your family will love this dish as much as mine does. Just like I heard Ariel saying last night as she was serving herself a portion “I love this stuff”! I know yours will be saying the same.

Baked Ziti
1 (16oz.) box ziti pasta
1 (16oz.) carton ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese; divided
1 jar pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook pasta according to direction on the box; drain and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, egg, parsley, parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and half of the jar of pasta sauce; add drained pasta. Mix until well combined. Spoon pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining pasta sauce and the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with additional pasta sauce if desired.Pin It

Baked Spaghetti with Italian Sausage

Sometimes the same old recipe can become a little boring. Now don’t get me wrong I love spaghetti, it happens to be my favorite dish I could eat it every day. But why not give it a little twist and try something new with it.
Richard helped me prepare this dish tonight after I top the first layer of pasta with cheese he decided that the Italian cheese blend that contains 6 different cheese wasn’t enough that we needed more cheese so he added the blend of cheddar and Monterey jack that I always keep in the fridge. Yes that is his hand adding more cheese and as he is doing this he is saying “You can never have enough cheese.” So when it comes to the amount of cheese that you want to use when you make this dish the choice is yours or in my case, my husbands who just wanted to help me out today.

Baked Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
1 pound Italian Sausage
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (15oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8oz.) can mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1(16oz) package spaghetti
2 cups Italian cheese blend

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown Italian sausage with chopped onion and garlic. Add tomato sauce, can tomatoes, mushrooms, Italian seasoning and brown sugar; allow to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes.
Cook the package of spaghetti according to the instructions on the package.
Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/3 of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish

then layer ½ the cooked spaghetti

 and ½ the cheese; then add the remaining spaghetti. Spread the remaining sauce over the pasta in the baking dish then top with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 350F. preheated oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.

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Meatball Subs for a Crowd

I was looking through my Mixing Bowl magazine when I came across a recipe for meatball subs, in the recipe in the magazine they used frozen meatballs; I don’t really care for the frozen meatball that are sold in the store, so I decided to make my own. I changed the sauce a little, I wanted the sauce to have more of a kick and I add cheese to the sauce because in my family you can never have enough.

Meatball Subs for a Crowd

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup water

Sauce:
1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. In a large bowl combine ingredients for meatballs; roll into 1 inch balls and place into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile combine in a medium saucepan the ingredients for the sauce; heat over medium heat for 20 minutes; pour over meatballs in baking dish and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve on toasted hoagie roll with grated mozzarella cheese.Pin It

Vodka Sauce

This is an easy creamy pasta sauce that I know you will love. You can serve it with your choice of pasta. I have seen this sauce served with penne pasta or raviolis. I served it over spinach and cheese raviolis. I love this sauce so much I could just eat it with a spoon.

Vodka Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
½ cup vodka
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil; until onion are tender. Add diced tomatoes, vodka, red pepper, heavy cream and basil simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cooked pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.Pin It