Baked Ziti

Ingredients

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

2.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

3.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

4.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Read More

Baked Ziti with Crunchy Italian Salad and Garlic Bread

  

• Prep Time 20 minutes
• Total Time 40 minutes
• Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 loaf Italian bread (5 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head Belgian endive, stem end trimmed, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches arugula (3 1/2 ounces total), thick stems removed

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve.
2. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.
3. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare garlic bread: Make deep, even cuts into the bread, about 1/2 inch apart, without cutting through the bottom. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Brush garlic butter between cuts in bread. Wrap bread loosely in aluminum foil, and bake with ziti during last 10 minutes of baking.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and oil; season with salt and pepper. Add endive and arugula, and toss to coat. Serve baked ziti with salad and garlic bread.

Read More

Macaroni and Cheese

• Prep Time 30 minutes
• Total Time 1 hour
• Yield Serves 8

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound elbow pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 cups milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (optional)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded yellow cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
• 1 1/4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
• 8 ounces ham, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 slices white sandwich bread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain and reserve. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in flour to coat onion. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.
2. Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Toss pasta with cheese mixture; fold in ham. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or individual dishes. Set aside.
4. In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form. Toss together with remaining 1/4 cup each white and yellow cheddar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes.

Cook's Note

This recipe makes enough to fill eight 12-to-16-ounce baking dishes. Divide the macaroni and cheese evenly, sprinkle with topping, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden.

Read More

Lasagna

Original Recipe Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

• 455 g sweet Italian sausage
• 340 g lean ground beef
• 80 g minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 364 g canned tomato sauce
• 120 ml water
• 25 g white sugar
• 1 g dried basil leaves
• 1 g fennel seeds
• 2 g Italian seasoning
• 20 g salt
• 0.5 g ground black pepper
• 15 g chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 455 g ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3 g salt
• 340 g mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 60 g grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 448 | Total Fat: 21.3g | Cholesterol: 84mg

Read More

Goulash in the Microwave

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

• 224 g uncooked elbow macaroni
• 455 g ground beef
• 165 g diced onion
• 125 g sliced celery
• 9 g minced garlic
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (10 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 10 g sugar
• 7 g paprika
• 2 g dried oregano
• 0.5 g caraway seed
• 0.2 g cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 6 g salt

Directions

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, crumble the ground beef into a 2 quart or larger casserole dish. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook in the microwave on High for 5 to 6 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink. Stir once during cooking. Drain off the grease.
3. Stir the tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar into the beef, and season with paprika, oregano, caraway seed, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover, and cook in the microwave on power level 8 for about 14 minutes, or until celery is tender and the flavors have blended.
4. Remove from the microwave, and mix in the cooked macaroni. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until heated through. Serve.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 327 | Total Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 46mg

Read More