GUY FIERI'S WHITE LASAGNA WITH SPICY TURKEY SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOMS

This is the best lasagna I have ever had.  Seriously, ever.  In my entire life!  I am not patting myself too hard on the back here because all the credit goes to Guy Fieri.  His recipe was perfection.  Click here to find out for yourself!

This is a tomato-less lasagna and that includes the sauce.  Instead of a marinara, it oozes with a creamy white cheese sauce.  Surprisingly it didn't feel heavy, like a typical creamy pasta dish.  The addition of mushrooms, spinach and zucchini help push it away from the "heavy" category as well.

Speaking of spinach, I made a couple tweaks to the recipe.  Spinach was not listed as an ingredient.  Nor did the recipe call for copious amounts of cheese.  I know you are absolutely SHOCKED to hear that I deviated from the plan, and for that, I apologize.  No, you know what?  I don't!  I will never apologize for using extra cheese.  Anyway, here are the changes:  a full cup of parmesan for the sauce, chopped fresh spinach mixed into the ricotta mixture, aaaaaaaand like maybe double the amount of mozzarella.  What?  Cheese is delicious.

P.S. The people I served this to had seconds.  Gave compliments to the chef with their mouths full.  Asked for leftovers to take home.  Two mushroom haters gobbled it down.  It's that good.

SHORT RIB LASAGNA

I tore another recipe from one of my mom's magazines.  Better Homes and Gardens had this amazing recipe in their February issue.  I was instantly sold because I love tender, shredded meat and I do NOT like ricotta cheese.  This is a ricotta-less lasagna!  Instead, it has a creamy Gruyere cheese sauce.  It was so comforting and delicious.  Short ribs simmered for a few hours with carrots, onions, mushrooms, beef broth and red wine. Layered with the cheese sauce and pasta, baked to perfection!  Yum.  MAKE THIS!

A few tweaks to make this lasagna as flavorful as possible: after shredding the meat, add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Don't completely drain the meat super dry, let it stay juicy; you want those flavors in your finished product.  Season the cheese sauce with salt and pepper before assembling the lasagna.  Taste it and make sure it's to your liking.  Also, my meat took about four and a half hours to finish cooking on the stove top, so don't bank on yours being done after the stated time in recipe.  My meat was thick!  Broil at the end if you want a golden crust on top.

Hello, meat.

Hello, lasagna.

FRESH AND LIGHT TORTELLONI PRIMAVERA

Say it with me, people: EASY MEALS ARE BEST!  WASHING DISHES IS THE WORST!  You'll love this fabulous pasta dinner because it only requires two pots.  Hooray!

This meal is also fab because it's super versatile.  If you want a meatless meal, use cheese filled pasta.  Substitute your favorite veggies, or add even more.  I was in a rush, so I used a frozen steamer bag of broccoli and canned tomatoes (sorry, Adam).  Surely, this would taste even more scrumptious with all fresh vegetables (just ask Adam).  Fresh mushrooms are a MUST, as is refrigerated tortelloni.  The dry kind is cheaper, but those little guys just don't cook up as plumply.  Another plus about this meal is the lack of a heavy sauce.  The simple combination of extra virgin olive oil and pasta water make it perfectly saucy.  Seasoning here is key: use the amount of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper that suits your palate.

The main lineup

The flavor (tomatoes in both pics, oops)

 
Harris Teeter brand is my favorite, especially this flavor.  But use the kind you love!

Begin by sauteing your mushrooms with salt and pepper.  When they look done, after about 10 minutes, stir in your garlic. 

Pour in the undrained tomatoes and add some crushed red pepper.  Toss in the cooked broccoli.  Boil the pasta.  The directions call for 5 minutes, but it always seems crunchy, so I let it go 10 minutes.

When pasta is done, drain it and add it to the veggie filled skillet.

Cheese time!

Mix it up!



Ingredients


2 packages fresh tortelloni (9 ounces each)
1 lb sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
1 can petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, oregano (undrained)
1 bag frozen broccoli, prepared according to package directions (or a fresh head of broccoli)
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup to 1 cup fresh, shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste


Begin boiling a large pot of water for the pasta.  Saute mushrooms in large nonstick skillet with salt and pepper.  When the water begins boiling, salt it and add the pasta.  Your mushrooms should be nicely sauteed by now, so add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about one minute.  Add the can of tomatoes, crushed red pepper and cooked broccoli.  Simmer while pasta cooks, about 10 minutes.  Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1-2 cups starchy pasta water and set aside.  Add drained pasta to skillet with the olive oil and give it a stir.  Add pasta water until it's easily stirrable.  Mix in the cheese, adding additional pasta water if necessary.  Serve immediately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE FRITTATA

I bought ingredients to make some kind of Italian inspired pasta and was very excited about it!  Then, my other half reminded me about the dozen eggs sitting in the fridge that were about to expire.  He also declared his love for frittatas, so this dinner was born.  Mild Italian sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, aged Italian cheeses and of course, eggs.  Easy, filling, delicious and perfect to pack for lunch the next day.  Fresh tomatoes would be delicious, but there were only 6 grape tomatoes leftover from salad night.  I used those in addition to the can of tomatoes.  I may double the tomatoes next time I make this.  I had 3 packages of mushrooms and the jumbo bag of spinach, so this frittata is huge.  It fit in a 9x13 dish and would be perfect for a crowd.  If you're not planning to feed an army, just halve the recipe to fit in a pie dish!

 

This recipe is so versatile: use spicy sausage for an extra kick, a variety of mushrooms, sub Egg Beaters for the eggs, add Italian seasoning or use a different blend of cheeses.  Frittatas are fab because you can suit them to your taste!  My first frittata was very breakfasty: potatoes, cheddar, onions, peppers and Jimmy Dean sausage.  This one has a dinner/Italian flavor.

You guys, it is AGED TO PERFECTION.

Ingredients

1 lb mild Italian sausage
3 containers sliced mushrooms, 8 ounces each
1 can petite diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces, drained of ALL liquid
1 clove chopped garlic
1 bag spinach, 9 ounces
9 eggs
1 container shredded Italian cheese blend, 6 ounces
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste*

Preheat oven to 350.  Brown and crumble sausage in nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Remove to large baking dish, 9x13.  In same skillet, saute mushrooms with salt and pepper until cooked down and all liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Add drained tomatoes and cook until most liquid has evaporated.  Add in spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt.  When liquid has significantly reduced, add sausage back to skillet.  Stir to combine ingredients.  Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.  Add meat mixture in an even layer to dish.  In a large bowl beat eggs with salt and pepper, then carefully pour over meat mixture in dish.  Sprinkle cheese evenly on top, then bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until eggs have set.  Slice and serve immediately.

Note:  Depending on the sausage and cheese you use, you will need to adjust your salt accordingly.  Eggs need lots of salt for flavor, but be familiar with the saltiness of your cheese. 

SKILLET PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH

This simple pasta dish has such fresh flavor.  It came together in about half an hour and only used one skillet.  Perfect for a weeknight dinner, then packing the leftovers for lunch the next day.  This was one of the first ever meals I cooked for my man.  That was way back in the days when I thought putting bagel bites in the toaster oven rather than the microwave made me a true cooking connoisseur.  Seriously.  If this meal was easy enough for that girl, it's easy enough for anybody.

Saute mushrooms until beautiful!

Cook your pasta in delicious, meaty broth

Gorgeous.  Time to add some cheese!

Eat up, buttercup!

Ingredients

1 lb sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 1/2 cups rotini (or any short pasta)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
6 oz baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Add mushrooms to large skillet and cook over medium high heat.  Cook mushrooms until tender and cooked down a bit, 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then add 1 clove of garlic.  Stir until fragrant, about a minute.  Remove to plate.  Add sausage to skillet, crumble and brown until fully cooked.  Drain off fat.  Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Pour in pasta, broth and water.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes, until pasta is done and most liquid has evaporated.  Turn off heat.  Add spinach by handfuls, stirring until wilted.  Stir in mushrooms and parmesan.  Taste, then add necessary salt and pepper.

*Notes: feel free to use spicy sausage, chicken sausage, whatever floats your boat.  Sub sundried tomatoes or another veggie for the mushrooms if you'd like.  This meal can easily be suited to your tastes!

ROASTED BROCCOLI WITH MUSHROOMS

Do you ever buy those bags of frozen veggie steamers?  They're actually quite good.  The veggies are bright, crisp and full of flavor.  However, it turns out you can do that yourself and make them taste even better!  Can you tell I lack experience cooking vegetables?  My friend Aaron was making fun of my blog posts due to the lack of fresh produce.  I explained that I simply do not know how to make them.  He told me that his wife, Emily, the lovely and talented pasta maker, taught him to become a veggie lover.  "She just throws olive oil and salt on them and roasts the crap out of them in the oven!"  Simple explanations are all I really need, people.  Feel free to share with me.

Apparently, the produce section and I have struck up a friendship.

Ingredients

2 broccoli bunches (sold next to the broccoli heads!)
2 packages sliced baby bella mushrooms (or whatever kind you like)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
coarse kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450.  Wash broccoli and break into florets.  Place in large roasting or baking dish.  Add mushrooms.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on seasonings.  Using your hands, mix well until everything is evenly coated.  You don't need to use too much olive oil since the mushrooms will release enough liquid to cook both veggies without risk of drying out.  Bake for about 15 minutes, mixing veggies once halfway through.  When mushrooms look cooked down and broccoli starts to get a little color, take out of oven.  Serve immediately.

GNOCCHI ALFREDO WITH BASIL AND MUSHROOMS

Do you ever have that moment of, "Ugh, I really need to go to the grocery store because I have nothing to make for dinner!" even though your pantry is jam packed?  I took an inventory and realized that our kitchen is housing plenty of shelf stable meal ingredients, which means I can make dinner without a trip to the store.  Time to get creative!

The only fresh ingredient I had on hand: mushrooms.  Pantry finds: gnocchi from World Market and a packet of Alfredo pasta sauce mix.  I love alfredo sauce, but it's not the healthiest option to top pasta.  There are jarred "light" sauces out there, but I really can't get down with the flavor of alfredo sauce in a jar.  Knorr offers a variety of sauce starters, including alfredo.  If you use skim milk and a lighter margarine option, you can have creamy, dreamy alfredo sauce with minimal calories and fat. 

Freezer finds: Dorot garlic and basil cubes.  Have you heard of these?  I found them at Trader Joe's and they are fantastic!  Mincing or crushing fresh garlic can leave your hands reeking for days.  Keeping fresh herbs in the kitchen and using them all before they go bad?  Impossible.

These cubes are perfectly portioned and live safely in your freezer, away from expiration danger.  You can read more about their magical powers here.

How cool are these?

I sauteed the mushrooms for about 15 minutes while waiting for the water to boil.  Throwing dry mushrooms in a pan without any oil or liquid always makes me nervous, but then I remember how much liquid they are holding.  After only a couple of minutes, they release enough moisture to cook themselves way down.  After they've cooked for a bit, add some salt and pepper.

Help me!  I'll burn without any cooking liquid!

Just kidding!  I make my own*

Meanwhile, boil your gnocchi and get started on that sauce.  Once sauce is simmering, whisk in 3 basil cubes and 1 garlic cube.  The gnocchi only take about 3 minutes, then they float to the top and are done!  Drain, then throw in the saute pan with the mushrooms.  Pour on sauce and stir to combine.  Done!  I've also made this alfredo sauce with mushrooms and spinach, then mixed it with hot, cooked pasta or tortellini.  Equally delicious.

Ingredients

1 package gnocchi, 16 oz
1 package alfredo sauce mix, plus required milk and butter
2 packages sliced mushrooms, 8 oz each
3 basil cubes, or fresh basil
1 garlic cube, or 1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil gnocchi according to package directions.  Saute mushrooms for about 15 minutes, while gnocchi water comes to a boil.  Prepare alfredo sauce according to package directions, adding basil and garlic.  Drain gnocchi, then saute with mushrooms for about 5 minutes.  Pour on alfredo sauce, season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine.  Serve immediately, with grated parmesan if desired.  

*Yes, there were talking mushrooms in this post.