White Pizza Dip

Not sure how I lived my first 37 years without this dip! A friend of mine from church made it and I immediately demanded the recipe. Now I take it everywhere. Perfect dip to keep going back to over and over again. And so easy to put together!

1 package Lipton garlic and herb soup mix (comes in a box)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
mini pepperoni (I use about 15 of 'em)
cubed Italian bread for dipping

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, pepperoni and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Transfer mixture to a 1-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Serve warm with the bread.

Chicken Carbonara

Every time I make this dish, Chris says he would marry me all over again. It's darn delicious. Oh the rich and creamy sauce is to die for! Quite a bit of prep, but TOTALLY worth it. And it feeds an army. You could cut the recipe in half, but I like to make it all at once, and freeze the other half in a separate casserole dish.

Chicken:
1 cup EVOO
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 lbs boneless chicken strips
1/4 cup crumbled bacon

Sauce:
1 cup butter (yep, a whole cup!)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
3 tablespoons crumbled bacon
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:
3 tablespoons romano cheese
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (panko are the best here)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

2 lbs. cooked pasta (thicker noodle - linguine, fettucine)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Whisk extra virgin olive oil together with hot water, seasoning and chopped garlic. Add the chicken strips. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Melt butter in an extra large skillet/saucepan (you'll be adding in the pasta and chicken later) over medium heat. Add garlic and bacon. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add flour, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, milk, pepper and salt. Use a whisk to whip all ingredients together. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.

Combine Romano, Parmesan, mozzarella, breadcrumbs, chopped garlic, melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Set aside.

Preheat skillet. Add chicken mixture to pan. Add garlic and bacon. Cook chicken on both sides.

Add chicken (oil and all) to the cream sauce. Stir until well blended. Add in cooked pasta. Place in greased 9x13 glass dish.

Evenly distribute topping over chicken. Place in broiler until top is golden brown (just a few minutes).

Serve immediately, enjoy and then go hibernate!

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

I make a lot of macaroni and cheese. But sometimes I get bored with the traditional stuff so this is a great alternative. The tri-color pasta is just for the color since its an Italian dish, but you could use whatever you like.

1 lb. tri-color pasta

1/2 pt. heavy cream

1 cup (4 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan

3/4 cup ricotta

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 cup melted butter

In a large pot bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Cook pasta 2-3 minutes less than package directions. Drain well.

Combine cream, 3 oz. of the Parmesan, ricotta cheese, salt and pepper. Toss with pasta to coat evenly. Place in sprayed 8x8 dish. Combine bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, remaining 1 oz. of Parmesan and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over pasta.

Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is hot and bubbling and the edges begin to brown. Do not overbake or cheese sauce may begin to separate.

* I've done this with regular bread crumbs too - but the Panko work much better.

Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm sure everyone has a good recipe for stuffed shells, but I just made these tonight and wanted to share. I make it with low-fat ricotta cheese and 2% mozzarella to make it a little more figure friendly. This is a great way to get spinach in kids, I'm learning! :o) E loves these.

1 box jumbo shells

2 cups marinara sauce (I use Shana's recipe for meat sauce)

10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook shells according to package directions; be sure to leave al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix together spinach, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, egg, oregano, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon spinach and cheese mixture into shells and place in bottom of the dish. Pour sauce over shells and top with cheese. Bake for 35 minutes until cheese is melty and sauce is bubbly.

Turkey Meatloaf

I have never made a meatloaf before trying this recipe. I searched for a lot of different turkey meatloaf recipes and combined some things of each in developing this recipe. This meatloaf came out really moist and the best part it is low-cal and low-fat!

1/2 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/4 lbs. ground turkey
1/4 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Shred zucchini and mix with 1/2 tsp. salt. Let zucchini and salt mixture drain from a strainer for up to 30 minutes, then press out remaining water.

Combine turkey, zucchini, salt, garlic, egg, tomato paste, basil, oregano and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray. Shape meatloaf in pan and top with tomato sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Grandma Helen's Red Pasta Sauce

My Grandma Helen always made homemade red pasta sauce. I never ate jar sauce as a kid and to this day I don't eat it. When you grow up eating homemade pasta sauce, you just can't eat anything else. A few years ago, Grandma and I made the sauce together and for the first time, I learned her recipe. The only catch in learning the recipe - my Grandma doesn't cook by measurements, it's all memory and taste. This required me to adapt the recipe a bit on my own. Matt likes a little kick to his sauce, so I added more red pepper flakes than Grandma did. Recently, Grandma had surgery, so I made a lot of homemade goodies to keep her freezer stocked. It was the first time she ate my red pasta sauce. She called and gave me rave reviews and asked me to share my recipe with her. She is truly the inspiration for this recipe, so to me it will always be Grandma Helen's Red Pasta Sauce. Enjoy!

2 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 – 28 oz. cans tomato puree
1 – 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 whole white onion
1 cup chicken broth
1 small can tomato paste
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP salt
1 large bay leaf

Add olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to bottom of large pot. Let garlic and pepper infuse the olive oil for a few minutes.
Add the tomato puree and crushed tomatoes.
Add chicken broth to empty tomato puree can, fill can with water, add tomato paste; add mixture to sauce.
Add whole, peeled onion to center of pot.
Stir in sugar and salt; add bay leaf.
Simmer on low for 2 – 3 hours.

Once sauce is done, remove onion and bay leaf.

Want a hearty meat sauce for lasanga or baked ziti? Add 1 lb. of ground beef and 1/2 lb. of ground sweet Italian sausage to the garlic and red pepper infused olive oil. Brown the meat and the follow the rest of the directions for the sauce. Having the cooked meat simmer in the sauce gives it a great flavor for your favorite baked pasta dishes.

Meatballs in Red Sauce

Our friend Maureen makes some of the best meatballs I have ever tasted. She uses this recipe. It's a little high maintenance for me, with the bread and all. Plus, I prefer an all-beef meatball, so I've adapted it. Or, as Rob would say, I've Janed it up. Either way, you're going to get some tasty goodness on top of your pasta.

2 1/2 lbs ground beef ( I don't recommend the leanest cut here, go with a ground chuck or round for the best taste and texture )

1/2 - 2/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in a medium bowl. (Aysu, I put baggies on my hands!) Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Form meatballs into size of your preference and brown on all sides in the olive oil. Remove meatballs and set them on a paper towel. Drain the oil from the pot, and put meatballs back in. Pour your favorite red sauce over top of meatballs and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

As an alternative, I prepped everything tonight and put everything in the crockpot for tomorrow. I'm going to let it simmer all day. YUM!

My favorite red sauce?? You'll have to ask Shana. :o)