Italian Subs

Sooo yummy.  Sinfully delicious and insanely easy.  Just pick up a few deli meats (it's way cheaper than getting 4 packages of presliced meats, since you only need 1/4 lb. of each) and a loaf of french bread, and you're pretty much on your way.  LOVE this recipe!  (We skipped the onions, but feel free to stick 'em in if you like.  Also, we added WAY more vinegar than oil.  Yum!) 


1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

12-inch loaf soft Italian bread

5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 lb. deli-sliced provolone cheese

1/4 lb. deli-sliced Genoa salami

1/4 lb. deli-sliced boiled ham

1/4 lb. deli-sliced mortadella

1/4 lb. deli-sliced capicola

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded

1/4 to 1/2 c. pickled banana peppers (optional)

3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Soak the onion slices in a large bowl of cold water, 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, split the bread lengthwise, then pull out some of the bread from the inside.  Mix together olive oil, vinegar, and oregano; sprinkle half over the bottom of the bread.  Season with salt and pepper.  Layer cheese and meat on bread.  Drain onion and pat dry.  Top the meat with the onion, lettuce, banana peppers, and tomatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the cut side of the bread top with the remaining oil-vinegar mixture, then place on top of the sandwich.  Cut into 4 pieces.

Minestrone (Italian Soup with Pasta)

I've mentioned before that my dear brother (with whom I live) is a very picky eater. In fact, picky doesn't begin to describe it. So whenever I make a dish and he turns around and says, "This is good! ....I would eat this again. ....Yeah, you can make this again," I KNOW I have a winner! This soup really is very delicious and incredibly healthy! I've marked it as a vegetarian dish because 1) most of us aren't strict vegetarians and 2) bacon/pancetta doesn't count as meat if it's only used as a flavoring, right?! ;)

This dish does require a bit of prep work, but because there's a 6-8 minute lapse between adding the onion/carrot/celery mix and the zucchini/potato/bean/tomato mix, it's pretty easy to get everything put together.

Also, this makes a TON of food. I have a 4.5-quart Le Creuset (mmm... I LOVE my dutch oven! But that's for a later post), and it was literally full to the brim - look at the last picture! That's about 18 cups of soup, in case you weren't counting.

I also love that this dish has pasta in it. If I had more room in the pot, I would have added more. As it is, the dish was still delicious and I can't wait to devour those leftovers.

Just look at all that food!!!

I served this soup with crescent rolls (yep, the kind from the tube... we love them around here) but it would easily stand alone or go with a salad or a grilled cheese.

Try this soup! You'll be glad you did.

Minestrone

1 c. (4 oz.) ditalini pasta, cooked to al dente, tossed with olive oil (to prevent sticking)

Extra-virgin olive oil
6 c. chicken stock
1/4 lb. pancetta*, diced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red chile flakes, or more or less to taste
2 c. finely chopped yellow onions
1 c. small-diced celery
1 c. small-diced carrots
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or rosemary, crushed
14-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
14½ -oz. can crushed tomatoes
4 c. small-diced zucchini
2 c. small-diced, peeled russet potatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan

In a 6-qt. saucepan over high heat, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add pancetta and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the garlic and chile flakes; cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add herbs. Raise heat to high. Add beans, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes, skimming off any foam. Season generously with pepper. Add salt, to taste. Just before serving, add cooked pasta. Serve warm with Parmesan and olive oil passed at the table.

*Pancetta is essentially an Italian bacon. It is very delicious and you can find it at most deli meat counters. If not, or if you don't want to spend the money, you can easily substitute a few slices of bacon, diced.

Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato-Vodka Sauce

This is a celebration of Meatless Mondays! I'm really loving cutting the meat out of my diet once a week - I feel so much healthier and have a little more of a spring in my step on those dreary days. It also encourages me to eat lots more fruits and veggies.

This is a really delicious recipe but it is so spicy! If you're feeding little ones or if you aren't keen on heat, go easy on the red chile flakes. Also, you can cut the vodka out of this meal with absolutely no problems.

Serve with a simple salad and crescent rolls for a quick, easy, filling meal.

Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato-Vodka Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes; more to taste

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 Tbsp. vodka

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (can use curly or flat-leaf)

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3/4 lb. rigatoni (about 4 cups)

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil until they’re fragrant and sizzle steadily for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the vodka, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook to intensify the flavors and reduce the sauce slightly (by about one-quarter), 10 to 15 min.

Stir in 1/4 c. Parmigiano, parsley, cream, salt and pepper, and more red pepper flakes if you like. Simmer to incorporate the cream and reduce the sauce slightly, about 5 min. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, 10 to 12 min. Drain well and return the pasta to its pot. Add the sauce, set the pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring, to let the pasta absorb some of the sauce, 1 min. Serve immediately with the remaining 1/4 c. Parmigiano, and extra parsley.

Italian Mini Meatloaves with Mac & Three or Four Cheeses

This is a really delicious way to incorporate some veggies into your burgers, and this is a quick meal, too. Plus, you'll be so amazed at how easy it is to make homemade macaroni and cheese. This one adds the extra special touch of herbed breadcrumbs on top, and then broiled to toast them. Yum!

Homemade mac and cheese with herbed breadcrumbs

Mini-meatloaves with onions, peppers, garlic, breadcrumbs, tomato paste... yummm!

Seriously, so delish! These meatloaves don't need ANY ketchup. :)

Italian Mini-Meatloaves

1 1/3 lbs ground sirloin
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 c. Italian bread crumbs
3/4 c. grated parmesan, divided
1/2 small green pepper, chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 425° F. Place meat in a bowl. Make a well in meat. Fill well with egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 c. parmesan, green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Mix meat and breading, and form 4 individual oval meat loaves, 1 inch thick. Coat loaves with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast 18-20 minutes.

Italian Mac and Three Cheeses

1 lb. dried cavatappi pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded asiago cheese

1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped thyme leaves
2-3 Tbsp. chopped rosemary leaves
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put a large pot of water on to boil. When boiling, salt water generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble. Thicken milk, 2-3 minutes. Add cheeses: cheddar, asiago, parmesan and 1 tsp. black pepper. Stir to melt cheeses (not with a whisk). Add salt to taste. Drain pasta; combine with melted cheese sauce and transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Place bread crumbs in a bowl and add olive oil and herbs. Top pasta with bread crumb mixture. Place under a broiler and brown breadcrumbs, 2-3 minutes.

Classic Lasagna, Olive Garden Breadsticks, Salad: Comfort Food.

This dinner takes a bit of effort, I'll give you that. But it's more than 100% worth it.

"Almost Famous" Breadsticks

Classic Lasagna (my own original recipe):

Dried lasagna sheets (around 15)
15-oz. carton ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole)
1 egg, slightly beaten
2½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
Meat sauce, recipe follows (need to prepare 2-3 hours in advance)

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, boil noodles until al dente. Make sure they do not stick while cooking. When they are done, drain them, then lay them in a single layer on a plate so they do not stick.

In a large bowl, combine egg, ricotta, and parmesan. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish with a few ladlefuls of meat sauce. Cover the sauce with a single layer of noodles, overlapping if necessary. Spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then sprinkle with 1 c. mozzarella, then cover evenly with 1/3 of meat sauce. Repeat the steps: noodles, ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella, sauce. The last layer is noodles then sauce. At this point, lasagna may be refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake.

Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella, then continue cooking an additional 15 minutes. Let lasagna sit and set up for at least 15 minutes prior to serving.

Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 lb. mild or spicy ground Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
Large jar Ragu traditional spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. beef stock
1/2 c. red wine (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter
2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, and onion together. Add spaghetti sauce and beef stock. Allow to simmer for 2-3 hours. (This step is very important.) Right before assembling lasagna, stir in butter and cream.

Serving Suggestion: green salad and breadsticks, served with extra sauce for dipping

Note: Can prepare without boiling noodles – with the amount of sauce in this recipe, the lasagna does not turn out dry. Also, can prepare the night before and allow to sit in fridge overnight. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking, or put lasagna in cold oven before heating.

Baked Manicotti

This is one of my favorites. It is sooo easy, comes together in a snap, cleanup isn't bad, and it makes you feel like a pro. I always use a little bit more spaghetti sauce than the recipe calls for, especially since I don't cook the shells first.  Also, the basil pesto is SO worth it.  It's expensive and goes bad fast BUT... if you store it in the freezer, it will keep (up to 6 months after opening) and it thaws almost instantly when you need to use it. Don't leave that ingredient out! It makes a huge difference!

Also, you can get away with not cooking the shells. Just be sure you overdo the sauce, because the shells absorb a good bit of the moisture while cooking.

Baked Manicotti

2 c. spaghetti sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 c. ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 basil pesto sauce
12 manicotti shells, cooked, rinsed in cold water (or uncooked and add 1/2-1 c. sauce to recipe)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread 3/4 c. of the spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Mix egg, ricotta, 1½ c. mozzarella, parmesan, and pesto sauce until well-blended. Spoon cheese mixture into large resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Fill manicotti shells, one at a time, squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of each shell. Place in baking dish; pour remaining 1¼ c. spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 40 minutes or until heated through. The last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle more mozzarella cheese over top and remove aluminum foil to allow to melt and brown slightly.

I serve this with a simple green salad and some form of bread.