Stuffed Shells

Lasagna has always been on of my favorite recipes.  Here is something very similar but with a slight variation because its shells.  Also a quick tomato sauce is included, but feel free to use any store bought sauce if you are short on time!

Ingredients:
12 oz box jumbo shells
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1/4 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mozzarella cheese, split into 1 1/2 and 1/2 cup
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese
8 oz container frozen spinach
20 oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup store bought alfredo sauce or heavy cream (optional)
4 basil leaves
dried parsley
salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil a large pot of water.  Once water has boiled, add 2 tablespoons of salt and toss in the jumbo shells.  Allow to cook about 14 minutes.  Drain and allow to cool in colander.

In a small sauce pan heat the oil and saute the crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and onions on medium heat until they become translucent.  They will also smell fantastic!  This should take 5-10 minutes.

Then add the tomato paste and stir together with the garlic and onions.  Fill the empty can with water and dump into the pot.  Stir together until completely combined.  Stir in the 2 cans of tomato sauce and fill only one with water and empty into the pot.  Stir until combined. I know this water in a can thing sounds crazy, but it gives it the perfect consistency and flavor!  Leave on a medium low flame and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Put the frozen spinach in the microwave and cook according to the package.  Drain as much excess water as you possibly can.   

Mix the spinach with the alfredo sauce or heavy cream as well as one egg.

Stir in the ricotta,  1 1/2 cups mozzarella, and parmesan cheese until combined.

Line two baking dishes with about 1/3 of the tomato sauce.  Then stuff each shell with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling and line in the baking dish.

Cover the top with the remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes in the oven.  Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.  Serve and enjoy!

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Florentine Lasagna Rolls

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 cup bechamel sauce (recipe to follow)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained completely
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt
pepper

Bechamel Sauce:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour

Lasagna:
1 lb. lasagna noodles
4 cups tomato sauce (I just made a quick one with canned sauce and add some garlic and sauted it for a half hour)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you are making everything else.

In a small sauce pan eat the oil up for the bechamel sauce.  Once it is hot, whisk in the flour until it is thick.  Then add the milk and stir vigorously. Turn the heat to medium and allow the sauce to thicken for about 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave.  Once it is completely defrosted, put it in a kitchen towel and squeeze it and drain it completely.  It should be completely dry. 

In a large bowl stir the ricotta cheese, drained spinach, bechamel sauce, egg, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Be light on the salt as the cheese is very salty. 

Once the water has boiled, salt the water and put the lasagna noodles in being careful not to break them.  Cook them based n the package directions, usually abut 14 minutes.  Once they are cooked, drain the noodles and allow them to cool for a few minutes.  Try to separate them without burning yourself and lay them over the sides of the pan.

In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, lay the sauce on the bottom just to cover.  Take one lasagna noodle and place it flat on cutting board.  Put about 1-2 tablespoons of filling on one end and roll it to the other.  Place it in the pan.  Do this with every other lasagna noodle.  Once they have all been made and are in the pan.  Cover the top with the rest of the sauce.

Bake covered for 40 minutes.  Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the top if desired.  Put back into the oven for another 15 minutes or until top is golden.  Serve and enjoy!

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Spinach Ricotta Flatbread

Ingredients:
1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll dough out extremely thin.  About 1/8 inch thick.  You should almost be able to see through it.  I used a rolling pin and then stretched it further with my hands.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil, red pepper flakes, basil, and garlic cloves until the garlic begins to turn brown.  This will take about 5-10 minutes.  Don't let the garlic burn.

Lightly spray a nonstick baking sheet.  Put the dough on the sheet.  Bake the dough in the oven for about 3 minutes or until the top turns golden.  Then flip it over and bake for another 2 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and brushed the crust with the olive oil mixture.  Spread the ricotta cheese over the top and then sprinkle with parmesan.  Return to the oven for about 3 minutes.  Then sprinkle the top with the fresh spinach leaves and bake for another 5 minutes or until spinach begins to wilt.  Cut and enjoy!

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Pesto, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Grilled Pizza

I ate a similar pizza to this in a restaurant and what made it so delicious was the crispy crust and the soft ricotta cheese.  To get a crispy texture, grilling your pizza is the best way to go (unless you have a huge wood fired pizza oven in your house).  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup basil pesto sauce (For my recipe go here)
1 pizza dough, split into two (homemade or store bought)
4 slices of prosciutto de parma
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll out half of the pizza dough until it is 1/8 inch thick.  Do the same with the other half of the dough.  Oil the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each and spread evenly with a pastry brush. 

Toss the dough, oiled side down, onto the grill. Now you can slice the the prosciutto into small pieces. Close the grill and allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.  Dough should be crusty and golden brown on the first side.  Flip the crusts over.  Spread the pesto on each of the doughs into a very thin layer.  Then using a tablespoon, scoop spoon fulls of the ricotta cheese on the pesto layer.  Then sprinkle with the proscuitto and top with a little pepper.  Don't add salt, the proscuitto is salty enough.  Close the grill and cook for another 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt.  Enjoy.

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Baked Rigatoni

Here is a really easy recipe that is also very delicious. It is almost like baked ziti except I use rigatoni because I like the way the sauce binds to this shape of pasta.  Most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen right now and it is very quick to make and also great for a crowd.  Enjoy this delicious pasta dish!

Ingredients:
1 jar of store-bought tomato sauce or homemade sauce (my mom's recipe for tomato sauce will be up soon, obviously it is WAY better than the store-bought)
1 lb rigatoni pasta (ziti or any other short pasta will work too
1 8 oz bag or block of mozzarella cheese (don't use fresh here because there is too much moisture and will make pasta wattery)
1 lb ricotta cheese
5 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Bring pot of boiling water to boil.  Put a handful of salt into the water, then add your pasta.  Stir pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Drain the pasta and pour into a 13 x 9 greased baking dish. 

To the baking dish add the ricotta cheese until every noodle has been covered with the sauce.  Then add your parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Stir to incorporate.  Next add the sauce to the pasta and ricotta mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.  Now add 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella cheese and all of the parmesan cheese.  Stir until everything is evenly mixed.  Add the additional mozzarella cheese on top and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.  Enjoy!

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