Pesto Lasagna

If you love pesto, this is the recipe for you! We love pesto in our house, and this lasagna could not be easier!

Prepare sauce by diluting one bottle of pesto sauce (generally pretty small jars) with milk, cream, or half 'n' half (can dilute quite a bit as long as it still tastes like pesto). When I make mine, it looks more creamy than pesto-y (I know, I made that word up). Just taste it with your finger to make sure it doesn't lose its pesto flavor. Layer sauce, mozzarella, & no-boil lasgana noodles. Bake according to lasagna noodle directions.

We're kind of pasta snobs in our home (with Braden serving in Italy and me being Italian) so we only use Barilla. According to their box directions, bake at 375 for 50 minutes (covered with foil). Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes). This can make a 9x13, but I do smaller lasagnas for us.

As a note, if you keep it fairly saucy it won't dry out at all in the oven. Also, pesto is naturally quite oily - a very oil based sauce. Usually some green oil pools up on top of the lasagna and we dab that off with paper towels. We like to put sun dried tomatoes on top for the perfect addition. Yum!
Goes oh-so-well with parmesan rolls. I use Rhodes and roll them in butter and parmesan cheese and bake them as normal.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ok, so this is a Jessica Seinfeld recipe. I saw it on TV the other day and wanted to give it a shot. I've only made it once and it was pretty yummy. It makes a HUGE thing of lasagna, however.

3 (14.4 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (I wouldn't be opposed to it being saucier)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta

2 cups grated mozzarella

1/4 c. parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (not the no boil ones, but DON'T boil them - put them in dry)

5 ounces baby spinach

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. In a separate bowl mix the ricotta, 1 c. of the mozzarella, and parmesan. In the bottom of a 5-6 qt. slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 c. of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach, and cheese. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, and 1 c. mozzarella. Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender - especially in the center of the lasagna - about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

We generally like sauces to be a little spicier, so I upped the quantities of all of the spices for the sauce. I never would have even thought to make a lasagna in the crock pot, and it's not necessarily super authentic, but it was good nonetheless.

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

I had my doubts...but this was amazing!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Another delicious recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/!

6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn’t add spiciness – just the right amount of flavor)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Italian Sausage & Peppers

I just realized that my turn to post has rolled around and I am, again, unprepared! But I anticipate with the end of summer we'll have a little return of normalcy around our house...so hopefully I'll be on top of things with photos and everything by the time my next turn comes.

We love this yummy crock pot pasta sauce. Mmm... It's not as "Italian" as our typical pasta sauces - with a husband who served in Italy and a wife who's Italian - but it is super yummy, nonetheless!

3 bell peppers cut into 1" cubes (mixed colors - I don't use green)

1 small onion cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. hot (or mild, if you're not spicy eaters!) italian sausage (I like to use ground italian sausage with no casings...or you can get links and just de-case them and break them up with a spoon)

1 c. marinara sauce (you can use a jar of sauce, but I make my own - see note below)

1/4 c. red wine vinegar (less)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. water

Coat your crock pot with cooking spray. Place your peppers, onion, & garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. Arrange the sausage over the veggies. Combine pasta sauce & vinegar over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 (sausage needs to be cooked through and the veggies tender). Skim off any fat from the liquid. Mix cornstarch & cold water in a separate bowl until smooth. Add to crock pot. Cook 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Serve over pasta (we also love this sauce over polenta, and it would probably make a pretty dang good sandwich on yummy bread, too).

Sometimes people are intimidated by making their own sauce, so they just use a jar. But you can make a really simple sauce for this - there's so much in this recipe (with the veggies & sausage) that it doesn't need to be ultra fancy. I just use some tomato sauce, a little water, some basil & oregano, maybe a pinch of garlic powder, & we like to add red pepper flakes too (we LOVE spicy). In this case, I just throw them all into the crock pot, and after it's cooked quite a while I stir it all up. Once everything's ok for the taste-testing, I adjust my spices.

Si mangia! (Essentially 'let's eat' - said before every meal in our house!)

Turkey Lasagna

The original recipe for this lasagna is by Ina Garten. I've modified it to the point that I think I can call it my own. It's a bit of a process to put together, as most lasagnas are, but it's definitely worth the time. My friend Rachele even likes this lasagna and she doesn't like meat! (She claimed that she couldn't really taste the meat and so it was okay!:))

1-2 Tblspn olive oil

1 cup onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, either finely minced or I just use a garlic press

1 lb ground turkey

28 oz crushed tomatoes in puree

6 oz tomato paste

1 small pkg white mushrooms, sliced

1/4 c chopped flat-leaf parsley- divided

1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/2 lb lasagna noodles, cooked (6-7 large noodles is all it takes to fill a 9X13 pan)

16 oz cottage cheese

1 extra large egg

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook until translucent, add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Add crushed tomatoes and paste, mushrooms, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat 15-20 minutes. Cook the noodles while it simmers.

Combine cottage cheese, 1 cup parmesan cheese, egg, remaining parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Layer in a 9X13 pan: 1/3 of the meat sauce, pasta, mozzarella, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 meat sauce, pasta, mozzarella, 1/2 cottage cheese, and end with the last 1/3 of the meat sauce on top. Sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese on top and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

* Obviously if you are adverse to mushrooms just leave them out. The original recipe calls for turkey sausage and ricotta cheese. But, I never have turkey sausage on hand and I don't like ricotta cheese, so you can make whatever adjustments you need to for your family. I love this lasagna and will be making it for Sunday dinner this week. I'll take a picture and post it for you so you can see how good it looks. Oh, and it's worth it to spring for the fresh mozzarella if you can. It definitely makes a difference.