Spicy Turkey Sausage Lasagna

When my friend Laurabee came into town a few weeks ago I threw together a couple small lasagnas, one for us to share and one for the Parental Units since Mom was still in recovery mode from her knee surgery.  Apparently it turned out pretty well because her first question was when was I going to post it? So finally got a chance to throw another together to share with you guys.

Spicy Turkey Sausage Lasagna

5 hot turkey sausage links
4 cups (32 oz.) crushed tomatoes
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
2-1/2 cups ricotta
2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 zucchini, halved and sliced thin
4 cups fresh chopped spinach
oven ready or regular cooked lasagna noodles (14-16)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Remove the casings from the turkey sausage links and tear the sausage into small pieces.  Cook the pieces over medium-high heat in a deep skillet, chopping into smaller bits with a spatula.

Once the turkey sausage is browned, add in 3-1/2 cups of the crushed tomatoes (set aside other 1/2 cup for final layer).  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.  Reduce heat to low.

In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta with 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella (set aside other 1/2 cup for final layer) and dried parsley.  Set aside.

Chop the zucchini into flat pieces (easier for layering).

Julienne the fresh spinach into smaller pieces. I actually found a spinach-arugula blend that adds another flavor note to the mix.

In a 9 x 13 pan, spread 1/4 cup of the crushed tomatoes you had set aside.  Lay down a layer of noodles.

Cover with half of the spicy sausage tomato mix.  Next add half of the cheese mixture.  Next sprinkle half the zucchini pieces and half of the chopped spinach.

Lay down another layer of noodles and repeat process.

Cover the whole thing with one more layer of noodles.  Top with last 1/4 cup of crushed tomatoes and sprinkle the rest of the shredded mozzarella and the Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees.  Uncover and cook for another 10-15 minutes until baked through.

Buon appetito!

NOTES

If you've never tried them before, oven ready lasagna noodles are pretty good. They do cost a bit more than regular, but if you're into time saving, then they're pretty handy.

The first time I made this I used regular turkey sausage.  I accidentally picked up the hot sausage this time and now I think I would not go back to regular.  It's hot, but not burn-your-face-off-hot.

Penne al Greco

 

With the weather getting cooler, I keep getting cravings for pasta so in keeping with my latest exploration of "exotic" flavors, I bring you a tasty Greek-inspired pasta dish.

Penne al Greco

1 lb. box penne pasta
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. Kalamata olives, minced
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Prepare noodles according to box directions.  While those are boiling, prep the sauce.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Mix in tomatoes and Kalamata olives, drop temperature to medium-low.

When the noodles are done, rinse with hot water and allow to drain.

Meanwhile, add feta cheese, fresh chopped dill and fresh chopped oregano to the sauce and mix well. 

Serve sauce over the prepared noodles, or blend them all together and enjoy! 

Fuselli with Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Edamame

 

When I first envisioned this post, I had an image in my head of a sexy pasta dish with photo appeal worthy of Bon Appetit or the like.  What I ended up with looks like it would be more at home on the cover of a Dr. Seuss book, but...

I thought this pasta tasted great
As I ate it off my plate.
Red and green and twisty too,
I enjoyed it, so will you!  

Fuselli with Slow-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Edamame

10 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
Olive oil
Sea salt
1/8 cup red wine (optional)
1/4 tsp. fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
8 oz. (half box) fuselli pasta
3/4 cup edamame, pre-cooked
1/2 cup fresh basil

Rinse and dry your tomatoes before quartering.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place the tomato quarters on it in a single layer.

Drizzle the quarters with olive oil and roast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. 

After those 30 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt and continue to roast for an additional 45-60 minutes.

Once done, place the roasted tomatoes in a blender or food processor with the red wine, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Blend until smooth.

In a large pot, prepare fuselli according to box directions.  Drain and rinse with hot water.

Place the cooked fuselli back in the pot.  Add in the tomato sauce, edamame, and fresh basil.  Mix together well.

Cook dish over low until heated through.

Sprinkle with your favorite parmesan and enjoy.

NOTES

The longer you cook the tomatoes, and more shriveled they become, the more intense the flavor will be.

The first time I had slow-roasted tomatoes, they were served on crackers with spreadable cheese, like brie or goat cheese.  They are a great ingredient for creative appetizers.

Cold Crab Casserole

 

Picnic food!  Or backyard eating food, whatever your pref is.  What I'm bringing you tonight is an up-scaled fancy pants variation of one of my all-time favorite dishes from childhood.  It's filling and tasty and easy to make.  And because it can be served cold, it's an ideal dish to make in the morning to enjoy later in the day or tote with you to a friend's house for sharing.

Cold Crab Casserole

1 (16 oz.) box small shell noodles
2 (4 oz.) cans lump crab meat, drained
1-1/2 cups mayo
1 (8 oz.) can peas, drained
1 tbsp. capers
1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika

Prepare noodles according to box directions.  Once cooked, rinse noodles with cold water and set aside to finish draining.

In a big bowl, mix together everything.

Yeah, that easy. The best thing about this dish is that it can be eaten at any temperature, but I recommend cold.

NOTES

This is based on my Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole which is cooled cooked elbow macaroni, mayo, peas and tuna instead of crab.  Delish and it never lasts long.

You can use any kind of substantial noodle (would not recommend spaghetti or fettuccine).  We chose small shells because, well, it was shellfish. :)

Pumpkin Lasagna

 

Yummy time!  Back to one of my other favorite ingredients...pumpkin!  So got this crazy idea for a vegetarian lasagna using pumpkin and I've got to say, pretty happy with the results.

Disclaimer:  my lasagnas never have that red saucy delectability, but that's only because I lean towards a cheese heavy lasagna so they tend to be more pink in appearance.  As always, these recipes are just a jumping off point and you can add, subtract or adjust ingredients to suit your palate pleasure.

Pumpkin Lasagna
recipe is for one 8x8" baking pan

1-1/2 to 2 cups roast pumpkin, large chopped
1 cup + 3 tbsp. tomato sauce
1 cup ricotta
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 large carrot, cubed
1cup chopped fresh baby spinach, de-stemmed
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan
lasagna noodles

Roasting Pumpkin and Parboiling Carrots

Cut 1 small pumpkin into large chunks, de-seed, and place on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  Remove rind and cut into chunks.

Peel and chop the carrots.  Put in a small microwave bowl.  Add 1 tsp. of water, cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 1 minute.

Lasagna Layering

You can either pre-cook lasagna noodles or use oven ready noodles. For a 8x8" pan, you can fit three across (though you'll have to trim them to fit).

In a small bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup tomato sauce, and spices.

Cover bottom of pan with 3 tbsp. of tomato sauce.  Lay down your first layer of noodles.

Cover with 1/3 of the ricotta mix, the shredded mozzarella, parmesan, and half the amount each of the pumpkin chunks, carrots, and spinach.

Lay down a second layer of lasagna and repeat the fill process. Top with a final layer of noodles and just the cheeses and ricotta mix.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes if you're using oven ready noodles or 40 minutes if you're using pre-cooked noodles.

Once done, allow to sit a minute or so to firm up, then serve.

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

 

I like to eat a little lighter in the summer so wanted to do something flavorful, but not too heavy on the belly.  This is a little number I threw together in my sleep last night.  Yes, I dream about food. 

For those who aren't familiar with the term, "a la Grecque" is French for "in the manner of Greece" and since this pasta dish was inspired by Greek salad it seemed appropriate.

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

1/2 box (uncooked) multigrain angel hair pasta
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
4 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Prepare the angel hair according to package directions.  When done, drain, rinse with hot water, drain again and set aside.  Meanwhile, back at the stove...

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and dredge lightly with regular flour.

 

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add dredged chicken strip pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat until browned, but not cooked completely through.

Add fresh lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and chopped black olives to the skillet.  Stir well, cooking for an additional minute or two.

Lower the heat to low.  Add spinach and drained angel hair to the skillet, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes to semi-wilt the spinach.

 

Uncover skillet, add in add feta, 1/2 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp white balsamic.

Mix well and serve up.

NOTE

If you are adamantly anti-olive (and I know who some of you are), you can leave them out.

Pasta with Pistachio-Parmesan Cream Sauce

 

I'm usually a red sauce gal when it comes to pasta, but the idea for this cream sauce came to me as I was driving home from the grocery store with one of my household staples, a package of chicken tortellini.  I remembered that I had a basic "pasta con panna" recipe at home that I thought I could manipulate into something new and different.  I love it when a plan comes together. I used my filled tortellini, but you can make to coat your favorite pasta. Will go well with anything.

Buon appetito, y'all!

Pistachio-Parmesan Cream Sauce

1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine, room temp
1 cup Half and Half or heavy cream, room temp
1/4 cup shredded Paremesan
salt and pepper to taste
cornstarch (optional)

Using a food processor, finely chop the pistachios.  If you don't want nut chunks in your sauce, but still want the flavor, you can process to a nut paste consistency and use that in the sauce.  Set aside.

In a medium size pan, saute minced garlic with olive oil over medium high heat until translucent and fragrant.

Pour in white wine and bring mixture to a boil.  Allow to cook until wine is reduced by half. The reduction will intensify the flavor.

Whisk in cream until well blended.  Make sure your cream is not cold when you add it to the pan, otherwise it will curdle and you don't want cream chunks in your sauce.

Whisk in shredded paremesan until melted and blended into sauce.

Add in the pistachios, and still until evenly spread throughout the sauce.  If you went with the nut paste, whisk in until well blended.  Salt and pepper to taste.

OPTIONAL -- if you want a slightly thicker sauce (like I did), spoon out 2 tsp of the liquidy sauce and mix with 1 tsp of cornstarch.  Pour mixture back into the sauce pan and bring to a quick boil.  When it starts to thicken, remove from heat and set aside.

Boil up a batch of your favorite pasta according to directions, rinse, drain, add sauce and enjoy.  Garnish with rough chopped pistachios and/or Parmesan.

Crockpot Lasagna



 

So you all have my friend Chell to thank for this post as well.  We were talking about food and she told me about this recipe she tried.  Another winner for any big football finale gathering...lasagna that you prep in the morning and ignore all day until dinner?  Winner winner!  I gave her recipe my own little twist (and of course encourage you to do the same) and here's the result.

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb ground meat*
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
1 large (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz (1/2 box) uncooked lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups cottage cheese

Brown your ground meat in a large deep-sided skillet. Add in onions and garlic, cook stirring for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add crushed tomatoes, Italian Seasoning, tomato paste, black and red peppers to the meat.

In a small bowl, mix mozzarella and cottage cheese.  Set aside.

Lightly coat crockpot with cooking spray and then spread 1/4 of the meat sauce in the bottom of the crockpot.

Arrange 1/3 of your uncookied noodles on top.  Break into smaller pieces to make them fit if needed.

Spread 1/3 of your cheese mixture on top.

Repeat layers (sauce/noodles/cheese) two more times. Then spread the last 1/4 of the sauce on top of the last layer of cheese.

Put the crockpot cover on, set temperature to warm and let cook for at least 4 hours. 

When it's done cooking, remove the lid and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. This will help the lasagna set so it's more like lasagna and less like soup.

Serve it up with your favorite crusty bread and football fans.

NOTES

*Can use ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork. I used ground turkey for mine.

Chell says she makes hers in the morning before going to work so it's ready to eat when she gets home at the end of the day. You can throw it together in the morning and by Superbowl kick off will be ready to scoop out.

Instead of using canned tomatoes and herbing it up, you can always just subsitute your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce instead.

If you want to add veggies to your dish, can certainly throw in a layer.  If you add zucchini or yellow squash, slice them very thin and you won't need to pre-cook.  Same with mushrooms.  If you want to add carrots, I would partially cook them before adding in.

It's pretty easy to adapt this to your own favorite lasagna recipe, be creative...and then tell me how it goes, always welcome new suggestions.