Cowboy Lasagna

 Once again, another twist on a classic. I love this recipe because it's chock full of meat, just the way my hubby likes it. And the variety of meats give it a great flavor. I also love recipes in a casserole dish because I can make it early in the day, put it in the fridge, then just pop it in the oven. Perfect!!

 

Ingredients:

2T olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Regular sausage)

1/2 pound pepperoni, cut into quarters

16oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (regular can be substituted if you don't like fire roasted)

12oz can tomato paste

1T dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

16oz lasagna noodles

16oz ricotta cheese

16oz mozzerella cheese (or any other grated cheese you like. I like to use a medley of mozzerella and cheddar)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, add the oil and lightly brown the ground beef and sausage with the onion and garlic. Be sure to keep the meat chunky, not finely separated, while cooking. Add the pepperoni, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, pepper and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. (You can always use your own tomato or marinara sauce here, or use a canned sauce to save time. We all know we need a time saving option every once in a while.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, drain and then lay out flat on parchment paper or foil so they don't stick.

In the bottom of a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan, spread a layer of the prepared sauce. Top with a layer of the lasagna noodles and the ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat, ending with the sauce, noodles and cheeses.

Bake until lightly browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Allow the dish to stand for 15 minutes before serving. Cut and serve. Enjoy the rustic goodness!!

*From Recipe Diaries

Pizza Lasagna Rolls

I love a twist on a classic. Who ever thought about putting pepperoni in a lasagna roll? Well, it’s delicious.

It may require a little more time to roll them all up, but guess what…you can do it the day before or even earlier in the day and put it in the fridge until you want to bake it and eat it!! I’d say that’s a successful busy mom dish:)

The kids love it and I love it. Such an outstanding dish and the leftovers are amazing also!

For the Sauce: (You can also just use your favorite marinara sauce if you’re short on time)

1T butter
1t olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced small
28oz can diced tomatoes
3oz tomato paste
1t dried basil
1/2t dried oregano
1/2t sugar
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste


For the Lasagna Rolls:

10-12 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and laid out on wax paper
2 cups pizza sauce from above
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzerella cheese, divided
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1T dried)
1/4t pepper
50-60 slices pepperoni (3oz), cut into quarters

Directions for the Sauce:

In a large pan over medium-low heat, heat the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted. Add the garlic and onion and saute until tender, about five minutes. Stir in HUNT's Tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Place a cover on the pan, tilted slightly to let some steam out.

Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool slightly. With an immersion blender (or a food processor), CAREFULLY blend until sauce has desired texture. I love it slightly chunky. If you like it really smooth you can also throw it in a blender. Store in fridge unless using immediately. (It makes more than is needed for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze extras.) 

For the Lasagna Rolls:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to directions on package -- once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and lay out on sheets of wax paper so they don’t stick together.
Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of pizza sauce into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare filling in a large bowl by mixing beaten egg, ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper until well combined.
To prepare lasagna rolls, lay out one lasagna noodle and spread it with about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling. Lay out 5-6 pepperonis, quartered, on top of cheese filling. Roll up each noodle starting at one of the short ends. Place in prepared baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until all noodles have been filed and rolled. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups pizza sauce over the rolls and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes (remove foil for last 10-15 minutes) or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand about 10 minutes prior to serving.

Note: May be prepared in advance and baked the next day.

*From Rachel Cooks

Italian Sausage Pasta

I saw a form of this on Pinterest, and knew I needed to make it. The original was kind of a spicy Mexican dish, but I thought it would be better Italian style. Our family LOVED this dish!! The best part to me was that it took about 25 minutes to make and it’s ALL IN ONE PAN! I needed a dinner like this to put in my rotation because I’m so burnt out on dinner. There’s basically no prep and you put everything in one pan, put the lid on, set the timer and dinner’s done in about 15 minutes. Life saver. An I can’t believe how delicious it is! LOVE, love love it.

1 lb smoked sausage (beef or turkey), cut into bite sized pieces

8 ounces penne pasta

1 small onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 can Italian diced tomatoes

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, add about 1T olive oil and heat on medium high. Add sausage, onions and garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk and pasta with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to medium low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Then enjoy this one-pot wonder! This fed my family of 2 adults and 3 small children perfectly with no leftovers. Enjoy!

*Adapted from kevinandamanda.com

Cream Cheese Lasagna

 

 It's no secret that cream cheese is one of my favorite things. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it! I love making lasagna, but never do because I never have ricotta on hand. I love how the cream cheese takes the place of the other cheese in this dish! I also love how perfect it stands up. Sometimes lasagna can get soupy, but this is the perfect combo of sauce and cheese. I love a twist on classic dishes!

 

1 box of lasagna noodles (about 9-12 noodles)
2 quarts (64 oz.) Aunties Spaghetti Sauce, recipe found here (or storebought is fine if you must...:))
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
11/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Italian Seasoning

 

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large sauce pan, brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking into small pieces. Once the meat is fully cooked, add the spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
Boil the noodles in a large pot of salty water, according to package instructions. Remove the noodles and lay them out on wax paper.

Spray an 9X13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Smear 9-12 noodles with an equal portion of cream cheese. (The number of noodles used depends on the width of the pan.)

Start assembling the lasagna: One large scoop of meat sauce on the bottom, 3-4 noodles across (cream cheese side up), 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat. After the third layer of noodles with cream cheese, pour the rest of the sauce over the noodles before adding the last layer of the mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle the top with Italian Seasoning.

Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes—until the cheese is toasty and the sides are bubbling. Wait at least 10 minutes before cutting.

If making this ahead, cover well, refrigerate, and bake for 40-50 minutes to heat through!

*From A Spicy Perspective

Chicken Alfredo Calzones

I love pizza, I love calzones, I LOVE alfredo. These are the perfect dinner…all packaged into one little pocket. And making it with the Guiltless Alfredo makes it even more delicious. You won’t be disappointed with these delicious calzones!!

8 Slices of bacon
2 chicken breasts
3 green onions, chopped
1lb fresh Mozzarella, sliced
1 recipe pizza dough (found here)
1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo (found here)
2 T flour
2 T butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Start by frying the bacon.  Once cooked, remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
Carefully remove the bacon fat from the pan and wipe with a paper towel to remove the excess.  Measure 1 T of bacon grease and put it back into the pan. 

Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the pan seasoned side down.  Season the other side of the chicken and let cook on medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and chop into bite sized pieces.  Set everything out for assembly.

Take a large jelly roll (or cookie sheet) pan and dust  with flour.  Take 1/4 of the pizza dough and shape it into an oval. Add a layer of fresh Mozzerella to half of the dough, leaving enough space on the outer edge so you can seal it later. Add the chicken to the top of the cheese.  Add the bacon, green onion, Alfredo sauce and a bit of the parmesan cheese.  Pull the other half of the dough over the ingredients to make a pocket.  Using your fingers pinch and seal the edges.

Take a sharp knife and cut three small slits in the top.  Melt the 2 T of butter in the microwave and brush over the top.  Sprinkle with garlic salt.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.  Check to see if it is golden brown, if not add a few minutes at a time.  Ours took about 25 minutes.
Serve with additional Alfredo sauce and enjoy!

*From mrsschwartzkitchen.blogspot.com

Meatball Lasagna

I saw a version of this on Weight Watchers and thought it looked intriguing and delicious. One of the lasagna layers is just a straight layer of meatballs. Justin thought it was genius. It actually seemed a lot easier than regular lasagna because there’s only 1 layer of each of everything instead of layering the same thing over and over and over. This was so delicious and the perfect twist on a classic. 

12 lasagna noodles

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 t Italian seasoning

2 cups favorite pasta sauce ( I use Aunties Spaghetti Sauce, here)

24 meatballs (I use my turkey meatballs found here, but frozen is fine)

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions and then lay flat on wax paper until ready to use. 

For the filling, mix ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

To assemble, spread 1/2 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. On top place a layer of lasagna noodles. Then arrange a single layer of meatballs over top of noodles. Pour  more sauce over top of the meatballs. Then layer with another layer of noodles. Then spread the ricotta cheese mixture over top, then some more sauce and then about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Then another layer of noodles. Finish it off with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and browned, about 40 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 

From Weight Watchers Reciepes

White Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups

I knew I wanted to try these as soon as I saw them. Anything that is covered in Alfredo sauce is right up my alley:) And definitely don't hesitate to make this homemade Alfredo sauce because it's lower in fat and is super delicious. It's my go-to now and I always have the ingredients on hand. These roll-ups are so delicious and look fancy too, so go ahead and impress your guests with your beautiful food!

1 lb chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzerella chees, plus more for topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Alfredo sauce (Delicious Homemade recipe here)
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, mix the cooked shredded chicken, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic until combined.

Spread a ladle or two of Alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.

Lay out one lasagna noodle on a cutting board, spread about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture along the noodle and roll up the noodle from one end to the other. Lay the roll seam side down in the pan on top of the alfredo sauce.

Repeat with remaining noodles and filling, laying each on top of the sauce. Top with more alfredo sauce and as much mozzarella cheese as desired.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through and cheese is browned slightly on top.

*From Tasty Kitchen

Chicken Provolone Roll-ups

Surprisingly these were a cinch! Justin was drooling all over himself when I popped this in front of him. He also said it was one of the best things I've made. I didn't have enough provolone, so I used some pepperjack and it turned out just perfect. I would assume that any cheese would be great. I also slathered a little cream cheese on each piece of cheese before rolling them up...you know I always have to pop that in there!! They are full of flavor and 2-year-old approved!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8oz bottle Italian dressing
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
8 T parmesan cheese
8 slices Provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken breast, one at a time, in a plastic bag and pound thin. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese together and set aside. Put Italian dressing in a large bowl. Place 2 pieces of cheese on thin chicken and roll-up. Dip in Italian dressing and then in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. If necessary, to keep from unrolling, place a toothpick in each chicken breast. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

*From Tasty Kitchen.

Pizza Roll-Up

This is such a fun spin on traditional pizza!! It was super easy to eat....especially for our 2 year old. I was skeptical if it would cook all the way through or not, but it turned out perfect! I will definitely be making this again!

1 recipe quick pizza dough, found here
Any toppings you like for your pizza (we chose the traditional pepperoni and cheese)
1 T olive oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface. It should be a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches and about 1/4 inch thick.

Arrange any toppings you like for your pizza. We just did the traditional pepperoni with sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni. Just make sure that you don't go overboard on the toppings or it won't cook all the way through.

Roll the dough into a thin cylinder, gently tucking in the ends. Brush the entire roll with 1 T Olive oil and 1 egg beaten together and season with the salt & pepper, Italian seasoning and more cheese if you like (I used shredded Asiago...can't beat it folks!)

Place the dough, seam-side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Cool the roll for 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut it into 3/4-inch slices. Serve with extra pizza sauce if you like. Enjoy!!

*Adapted from Two Peas in Their Pod.

Rigatoni Bake

1 lb box Rigatoni noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 large jar favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1-2 c shredded mozzerella
parmesan
minced onion
seasoned salt
garlic powder

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add 1 t salt and noodles. Cook until just before al dente. You don't want it too overdone because it will continue to cook in the oven. Brown meat with a sprinkle of minced onion, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Once meat is brown, drain fat and add spaghetti sauce (you may need to add an extra can of tomato sauce if it's not enough). Add cottage cheese and cooked noodles. Transfer to a 9 by 13 dish. Top with a layer of parmesan cheese and then mozzerella (I also add a little cheddar cheese for the extra tang...I recommend.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

6 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, saute the chicken, mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour until blended; stir in Alfredo sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning and parsley.

Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo mixture in an 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with two noodles (trimmed to fit pan), half of the cottage cheese mixture, 3/4 cup Alfredo mixture and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 3 servings.

*Justin and Bryce LOVED this! Keep in mind this is a recipe for "cooking for two". If you have a larger family than 3, I would at LEAST double this and put it in a larger pan. I also doubled the alfredo sauce because it didn't seem like enough and used 2 more noodles - making 3 layers instead of 2. I think it definitely would have been too soupy without the extra 2 noodles. Next time I think I would use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese, although it still was good. And of course, I used asiago cheese instead of parmesan, just because that's all I had. I also added Italian style diced tomatoes on the top because I love the combo of tomatoes with alfredo...and I didn't use the mushrooms. When making baked pasta dishes, I also don't cook the pasta beforehand because they become too squishy. I like my lasagna to be al dente, so I either don't cook them before AT ALL or just for, at the MOST, 3 minutes. This is such a great meal for a small family because there really isn't any leftovers.

*From Taste of Home.

Manicotti

1 (14 piece) box manicotti noodles
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2-3 c shredded mozzerella cheese
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/2 c asiago cheese
1 (28 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
1 can Italian diced tomaotes, drained
1 lb ground beef
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with a little seasoned salt and italian seasoning. Drain fat from meat and add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes. Heat through. In the meantime, boil water with 1 T salt for the manicotti noodles. Only cook them for 3-4 minutes max and drain. You want them to still be hard so they won't tear when you fill them. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 c mozzerella, parmesan and asiago. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill manicotti with cheese mixture being careful not to tear noodles. In a 9 by 13 pan, put enough sauce in the bottom to cover with a thin layer. Place filled manicotti in pan side by side. Pour the rest of the sauce over top of manicotti. Top with remaining mozzerella. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

*This is another one of my original recipies...YEAH! I use SO much more asiago because in my opinion it's the BEST cheese there is out there! If you haven't used it I HIGHLY recommend it. I use it in ALL of my italian dishes. It's a lot like parmesan, but is a little sharper and adds such great flavor. You can also make a meatless sauce instead if you prefer.

Sausage Penne

5 links Mild Italian Sausage (about 20 oz)
1 26-28oz jar spaghetti sauce of choice
1 can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bell pepper, julienne
1/2 onion, julienne
1 lb whole grain penne pasta

Heat 1T olive oil and 1/2 c water in large skillet. Add sausage links, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and let rest. In the meantime, boil a pot of water for the pasta and cook till al dente. Deglaze the skillet used to cook sausage with a little water, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove all delicious bits. Add 1T olive oil to pan and add bell pepper and onion and saute about 5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes. Cut sausages 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick and add to sauce. Simmer another 10 or more minutes. Serve on top of penne pasta.

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
15 piece package uncooked lasagna noodles
1 26-28 oz favorite spaghetti sauce
1 can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
Italian seasonings
seasoned salt
minced onion
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
4-6 oz asiago cheese (parmesan or romano can be substituted)
1 lb mozzerella cheese
1/2 c cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef in skillet with Italian seasonings, seasoned salt and minced onion. Drain fat if needed. Add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes. Heat through. In a bowl mix ricotta cheese and asiago. Put a layer of sauce in 9 by 13 pan. Then add a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Add another layer of sauce and then a layer of ricotta mixture. Top with thin layer of mozzerella. Repeat layers 2 or 3 times (depending on how many noodles you have.) Top with mozzerella cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

*I usually add a little cheddar in every layer, but I like the tang of cheddar...you should try it too.
*If you like your lasagna saucier, add more spaghetti sauce to ground beef, or a few cans of tomato sauce.
* I would advise NOT to substitute for asiago cheese because it makes it AMAZING!

Ravioli Bake

1 (26-28 oz) favorite pasta sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 (25-27 oz) package frozen cheese-filled ravioli
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 9 by 13 pan. Spread a layer of the pasta sauce in baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in single layer over sauce. Top with half of the remaining sauce and 1 c mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

*Tastes like lasagna, but is SO much simpler!

TIP: You can also make this without the ground beef for a tasty meatless dish. I also put a little bit of Medium Cheddar cheese in with it, but I like the tangy taste of cheddar in Italian dishes...just another twist!

Italian Sausage Melt

1 ¼ c Bisquick
¼ c butter, softened
2 T very hot water
1 lb Italian pork sausage
½ bell pepper, diced
1 c elbow pasta
2 c Alfredo sauce
1 c mozzarella cheese
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 can Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom of 8 inch square pan. In bowl, stir Bisquick, butter and water until dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Brown sausage in skillet, drain and add bell pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Spread sausage mixture over crust. Spread alfredo over sausage. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Top with tomatoes and then mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a few pinches of Italian seasonings over top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly brown.