Italian Spiral Meat Loaf

I love my Taste of Home magazine.  There isn't really any recipe in each issue that I would NOT want to try.  I found a recipe for this meatloaf and it turned out really yummy.  I made a little mistake in rolling up the meatloaf because I forgot to seal the ends.  When it was done cooking in the oven, almost all of the mozzarella cheese had melted out of the meatloaf.  Oh well, I'll learn for next time!  There will definitely be a next time because this was delicious!



Source:  Taste of Home, February 2011

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pizza sauce, divided
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lbs lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 lb. bulk italian sausage
1/2 lb. sliced deli ham
2 cups shredded part-skin mozzarella cheese, divided
1 jar ( 6 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, 3/4 cup pizza sauce, bread crumbs, onion, green pepper, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.  Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well.

On a piece of parchment paper, pat beef mixture into a 12 in x 10 in rectangle.  Layer the ham, 1 1/2 cups cheese and mushrooms over beef mixture to within 1 in. of edges.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling parchment paper away as you roll.  Seal seam and ends.  Place seam side down in a greased 13 in by 9 in baking dish; brush with remaining pizza sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 1 hour.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until no pink remains and a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Using two large spatulas, carefully transfer meat loaf to a serving platter.

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

This was a really fun dish to make.  One of the reasons that it was so fun was because my good friend Stacy and I made it together for a dinner with our husbands.  We both wanted to try something new and this recipe seemed perfect for us.  The recipe was so large that we had to use two dishes:  one 9x13" and one 8x8". This actually worked really well because we tried a little experiment.  We followed the recipe below for the bigger dish and then used pasta sauce and mozzarella in the smaller dish.  Both dishes turned out really well, except that if you decide to take the pasta sauce/mozzarella route, bake the dish at 350 degrees.  The sauce burned a little bit at the edges on 375.

Source:  Annie's Eats, adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″). Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.

Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Lasagna Supreme

Of all the recipes I can make, this is mine and my husband's favorite. I found this recipe in a little cookbook that I got as a stocking stuffer a few years ago. This lasagna is perfect for us because we prefer the cottage cheese mixture over riccotta. Sometimes I substitute the mild sausage for spicy for the extra kick. This is definitely a family favorite and I hope it can be a favorite for you, too!

Source: Comfort Food

Ingredients:

8-10 uncooked lasagna noodles
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 tsp. dried majoram leaves
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 eggs
2 cups (16 ounces) cream-style cottage cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain

Cook meats, onion, and garlic in large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is brown, stirring to separate meat. Drain drippings from skillet. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, basil, and marjoram. Reduce heat to slow. Cover; simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Stir in mushrooms; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Beat eggs in large bowl; add cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Place half the noodles in bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Spread half the cottage cheese mixture over noodles, then half the meat mixture and half the Cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake lasagna 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Zuppa Toscana

This recipe was outstanding. I LOVE the Zuppa Toscana soup from Olive Garden, and this recipe tasted exactly the same, if not better. I HIGHLY recommend this recipe. I definitely plan on making this at least once a month. In this recipe I cut the potatoes in chunks, but next time
I want to slice the potatoes thinly with the skins still on them. Also, I recommend removing some of the grease from the sausage after you brown it. I used the grease to help sautee the onions, but when the soup was finished, the red grease floated to the top and I had to spoon it out.

Source: Annie's Eats (adapted from Recipezaar)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan (I used Sauvignon Blanc wine)

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

2 cups fresh kale, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2.5 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot.

Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.