Week 64, Recipe 2: Spicy Kale Lasagna

NOTES

• Recipe modified from Annie's Eats
• I recently said on Facebook that I'd never made anything with kale that I would make again in a hurry. But this lasagna recipe is a keeper. I like that it's meat free but you could add some cooked sausage in with the kale layer if desired.
• Make the night before and leave in fridge until ready to bake. Or make and freeze, then put it in your oven frozen and set your timer before you leave. Make 2 pans while you're at it so you have one for later!
• My kids ate this, kale and all, with no complaints and enjoyed it! It's not too spicy for kids. In fact, I increased the red pepper to 1 1/2 tsp to give the sauce a little more flavor.
• I'm not sure this would be as good with store-bought sauce. It doesn't take much to make this sauce and it's really good! Make it ahead of time if you want for a quicker prep later.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb kale, spines removed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, (preferably with basil or herbs
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• Chopped fresh basil (a small handful will do), optional
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 4 c. cottage cheese (ricotta would also work well or you could use a mixture of both)
• ¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¾ tsp. pepper, or more to taste
• 16 noodles cooked al-dente and rinsed with cool water

DIRECTIONS
1.To prepare the kale, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the kale to the pot and boil for 2 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Give the kale a spin in the salad spinner (if you do not have a spinner, wrap the kale inside a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much excess liquid as possible)
2. Chop the kale, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. To make the tomato sauce, combine the oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon of salt in a cold saucepan. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently. Let cook for 30 seconds once bubbling then mix in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, reduce heat and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste and fresh basil, if using.
4. To make the cheese mixture, strain all of the liquid out of the cottage cheese (use a fine mesh strainer and stir cottage cheese in strainer to let the liquid run out). Mix in ½ cup of the Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
5. Preheat the oven to 375. To assemble the lasagna, spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom. Cover with a layer of noodles, then half of the cheese mixture, half of the kale, and half of the remaining sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining kale. Top with the remaining noodles, then the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, until bubbly and browned.  Let stand at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving to let extra liquid absorb.

Week 63, Recipe 2: Creamy Sausage and Tomato Penne

NOTES

• Recipe modified from the blog From the Girl Who Ate Everything
• My husband asked me to make this again soon!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground sausage (regular Italian or spicy would be fine - turkey or pork)
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 16 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 5-6 big leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• Grated Parmesan for topping
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

 

1. Cook the pasta in salted water just until al dente, according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large skillet until starting to brown, breaking it up and stirring every so often. Then add 1/4 c. water and cover the skillet until the water starts to simmer. Turn down heat a bit and stir every so often until the water has evaporated and the sausage is cooked through.

3. Add the onions and garlic to the sausage and saute for a few minutes.

4. Add the can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and bring to a low simmer.

5. Add in the cream and bring to a low simmer for a few minutes.

6. Stir in the fresh basil and then mix the pasta in with the sauce. Top each serving with some Parmesan cheese if desired.

Week 63, Recipe 4: Quick Baked Chicken Parmesan

Photo from Joyful Mama's Kitchen blog

NOTES

• Recipe modified from Joyful Mama's Kitchen blog.
• That was quick and really good! The picture doesn't do it justice (and Joyful Mama says so herself). I wish I would've gotten my own photo but it was a Saturday night and we were all hungry!
• Serve with these delicious soft Italian breasticks (ready for the oven in just 30 minutes!) from an earlier post (the recipe is within Recipe 1 of that week).

INGREDIENTS

• 4 thin chicken breasts or 2 large, sliced crosswise in half to thin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely shredded
• 1 (5 oz) bag butter and garlic croutons
• 2 c. marinara sauce
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 c. parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan or casserole dish with oil.
2. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and place the minced/shredded garlic evenly over the olive oil.
3. Layer the chicken breasts in the bottom of the pan then pour the marinara sauce over top and sprinkle with the dried basil.
4. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over top of the chicken then top with the croutons followed by the rest of the cheeses. salad and breadsticks.
5. Bake for about 40-50 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts) at 350. Check chicken temp at 35 minutes and do so every 10 minutes until chicken is 160 degrees. If desired, serve with the quick Italian breadsticks (see link above in NOTES).

Week 62, Recipe 2: Creamy Tortellini & Spinach Bake

Photo from What a Dish!

NOTES

• This was really good. The creamy sauce bakes into the pasta and the bacon adds a nice flavor. We all ate it up! Double the recipe below for sure as a 8x8 inch casserole was NOT enough! 
• Modified from What a Dish! website

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pkg (16 oz) cheese tortellini 
• 4 strips bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 c. milk
• ¾ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 
• juice of half a lemon - about  1 1/2 - 2 tbsp
• 1 package frozen spinach, cooked according to package directions and squeezed of excess liquid once cooled
• ¾ c. grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• ¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Cook tortellini according to package instructions and drain. Do not over cook or it will get mushy.
3. Cook bacon until crisp in a skillet at medium-high heat. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain then crumble when cooled. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. 
4. Reduce heat to medium low and add garlic to pan. Cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer. Add lemon juice to sauce and continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a large pot or bowl, gently mix the cooked tortellini, half of the crumbled bacon, spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese with the sauce. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 (or similar sized) baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan and extra crumbled bacon.
6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Week 60, Recipe 2: Lasagna Soup

 

 

Picture from A Farmgirl's Dabbles blog

 

NOTES

•  Got the recipe from my friend Emily who got it from A Farmgirls's Dabbles blog. I modified it slightly.
• Tastes like lasagna and is sooo good! We've made this probably 3-4 times now....and somehow I have yet to take a picture!
• Make this soup the night or morning before you want to eat it. You can also make the pasta and cheesy topping and store separately in containers in the fridge. Then reheat and serve!

INGREDIENTS

 

For soup:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
• 3 c. chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 T. tomato paste
• 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 c. chicken broth
• 10 oz. pasta - I like the mini bowties or mini rotini/fusilli
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Mozzarella cheese, grated, for topping

Cheesy topping:

• 8 oz. ricotta
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces. Cook for a few minutes until skillet is nice and hot then add a few tablespoons of water and let that sizzle and evaporate while the sausage cooks (helps keep it from burning).
2. Once the water has evaporated, add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.
4. Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and run cool water over it. Set aside.
6. Assemble the cheesy topping in a small bowl.
7. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. It will probably need at least 1 teaspoon salt. Start with that and re-taste. If it still tastes dull, add a bit more.
8. To serve, spoon pasta into each bowl then add soup and stir. Top with a good dollop of the cheesy topping and some grated mozzarella. Enjoy!

Week 60, Recipe 3: Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

 

 

Didn't get a photo of my own for this one so I found a photo that looked similar to ours from Just a Taste blog. I did ours on herbed ciabatta loaves instead of a bun.

 
 

NOTES

• This is one good sandwich!
• Serve this with a salad and you have one hearty meal even though there's no meat invovled!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large firm eggplant
• 3 large eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 c. panko crumbs (crushed with a rolling pin in a ziplock bag if large crumbs)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
• about 1/2 c. olive or vegetable oil
• 4 ciabatta or hoagie rolls, split
• 1 c. mozzarella, shredded (or you could use thin slices of fresh mozzarella)
• 2 c. marinara, warm

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the eggplant crosswise about 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick slices. Salt slices well and place in a colander over a bowl. Fill a ziplock bag with water and place heavy bag on top of slices to help drain the eggplant. Leave for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the eggplant slices, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix the bread crumbs with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan and place in a baking dish with sides or shallow bowl.
4. One at a time, dip the eggplant into the egg mixture then into the crumbs, covering all surfaces
5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough olive or vegetable oil to coat bottom of pan and allow it to heat up (you may have to add more oil as necessary during cooking).
6. Add the breaded eggplant slices to the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side, turning after the first side has browned nicely. You may need to reduce heat to medium to keep from burning. Remove breaded eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Brush the cut-side of your rolls with a little olive oil and broil for a minute or so until just lightly warmed and toasted. Warm up the marinara sauce in the microwave or on the stove top.
8. Place 2 or 3 eggplant sliced onto the warmed rolled and top with shredded mozzarella and warm marinara sauce.

Recipe 4, Week 31: Baked Eggplant Parmesan

NOTES:

• Make the night before (or morning of) and store in fridge. When ready to bake, remove a half hour or so from fridge before baking to bring to room temp.

INGREDIENTS
• Oil, for frying
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 c. flour
• ¾ c. + 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds (use 2 eggplants if you have a large family)
• 1 jar tomato basil marinara sauce
• 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch thick rounds and soak in salted water for 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tbsp water. In another bowl, combine flour, ¾ c. parmesan, oregano and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in flour mixture, coating well. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry eggplant in batches, cleaning out pan if needed in between and using new oil to prevent burning. Flip over when bottoms are golden brown then fry opposite side. Remove and set on a plate covered with a paper towel.
4. Spread 1-ish cup sauce in a 9x130inch baking pan. Arrange half of eggplant over sauce and cover with 1-ish c. sauce then ½ c. mozzarella. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp Parmesan. Bake covered for 15 minutes at 400 then uncovered for 5ish minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.