Spaghetti Pie

taken from (and very slightly adapted) melskitchencafe

12 ounces thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 small-medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or 2 regular cans diced tomatoes pulsed in blender)
16-ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (or ricotta or sour cream)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

1. Lightly coat a deep 9 or 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to
400 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles until al dente according to package
directions. While the noodles boil, heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the
ground beef or turkey, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, salt and
pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and continuing to break up the meat, until the meat is cooked
through, 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and drain the excess grease, if any. Return
the skillet to medium heat and stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil and oregano.
Simmer the sauce over medium or medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
3. When the noodles are done cooking, drain and return to the pot. Immediately stir in the cream
cheese and toss the noodles by lightly lifting them up and over with tongs until the cream cheese is
mostly melted. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the
mozzarella cheese. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Stir in 2 cups of the red sauce. Keep
the remainder of the red sauce warm on the stove.
4. Scrape the noodles into the prepared pie plate and using a flat spatula, press the noodles evenly
into the dish so they are tightly pressed together and evenly flat across the top. Sprinkle the
remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese across the top.
5. Bake the spaghetti pie for 20-22 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden on top.
Let the dish rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with remaining red sauce.

Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

taken from oh she glows
Holy crap this is good!

9 large roma tomatoes slice in half lengthwise
1/2 c. almonds toasted (or pecans or walnuts)
2 garlic cloves
1 c. tightly packed basil
1/4 c. olive oil (or less - I forgot it one time and it was fine)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Put tomatoes on sheet pan cut side up and spray or drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 1 hour and 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 and toast almonds for 8-10 min.  Add nuts to food processor and process until finely chopped.  Set aside.  Add basil and garlic and process until finely chopped.  Add in oil and 1 1/2 c. roasted tomatoes (you'll have some left over).  Process until smooth.  Pulse in nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.
Chop the remaining tomatoes and stir into pasta with the pesto.

Spaghetti aglio e olio (with garlic and olive oil)

from Ina Garten
1 lb dried spaghetti
1/3 c. olive oil
8 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta setting aside 1 1/2 c. cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over med heat in a pot large enough to hold the pasta.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 min, stirring frequently, until it just begins to turn golden on the edges - don't overcook it!  Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 sec more.  Carefully add the reserved pasta-cooking water to the garlic and oil and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, add 1 tsp salt and simmer about 5 min, until the liquid is reduced by about a third.
Add the drained pasta to the garlic sauce and toss.  off the heat, add the parsley and Parmesan and toss well.  Allow the pasta to rest off the heat for 5 min for the sauce to be absorbed.  Taste for seasoning and serve warm with extra Parmesan on the side.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

from Pioneer Woman

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-½ pound pasta

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)

Gemelli with Yellow Squash, Peas and Basil

from Everyday Food

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces gemelli or other short pasta
• 3 medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 2 minutes less than al dente. Add squash and peas; cook until squash is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta mixture, and return to pot.
2. To mixture in pot, add butter, lemon juice, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. If needed, add enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Stir in basil, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan; serve immediately.

4 servings, 340 calories

Pizza Dough

3/4 c. warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 envelope)
2 c. flour (plus extra)
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 T olive oil

Dissolve yeast in water for 5 minutes. Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 T oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to oiled bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Store in airtight container in refrigerator until needed. Roll out dough according to recipe instructions.

$.30 for entire recipe

Ziti with Bacon

2 servings

3oz (1 c.) ziti or other tubular pasta
1/3 c. bell pepper
2 small (2 c) zucchini
2 slices bacon
1 1/2 tsp flour
dash black pepper
2/3 c. milk
1/4 c. parmesan cheese

Cook ziti and drain. While ziti is cooking, dice bacon strips, chop bell pepper and slice zucchini. Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat. Discard all but 1 T drippings. Add bell pepper and zucchini to skillet. Stir-fry until vegetables are crisp tender. mix flour, pepper and milk. Stir into mixture in skillet. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is slightly thickened. Pour over drained pasta. Add parmesan cheese and toss gently.

$2.55

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

Mini penne pasta works well in this dish since it's about the same size as the squash. You can also use elbow macaroni, shell pasta, or orecchiette.

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Yield: 5 servings

CALORIES 469 (28% from fat); FAT 14.4g (sat 7.3g,mono 4.4g,poly 0.9g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 40mg; CALCIUM 443mg; CARBOHYDRATE 66.6g; SODIUM 849mg; PROTEIN 22.1g; FIBER 6.8g
Cooking Light

South Philly Cheesesteak Mac 'n' Cheese

from Rachael Ray

1 lb cavatappi pasta
2 T olive oil
2 large onions thinly sliced
black pepper
3 T butter
3 T flour
3 c. milk
2 c. shredded provolone
1/2 c. beef stock
3/4 lb thinly sliced deli roast beef coarsely chopped, or thinly sliced steak-cooked
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and return to pot. While pasta water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to med high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid for 2-3 min to get them going. Remove the lid and continue cooking the onions until tender and lightly caramelized, 12-15 min, stirring occasionally.,

While the onions are caramelizing, melt the butter in a med pot over med high heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook the mixture for about 1 min, stirring constantly. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture slowly and bring up to a bubble to thicken, about 5 min. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 1/2 c. of shredded cheese, then season with salt and pepper and reserve.

Preheat the broiler

To the skillet with the onions, add the beef stock and the roast beef. Stir over medium heat just to warm through.

Add the cheese sauce and the onion mixture to the pot with the pasta and toss everything to combine. Return the pasta mixture to the skillet OR to a 9x13 dish and top with the remaining cheese. Place under the broiler until bubbly, 2-3 min. Garnish with the parsley

Lazy Lasagna

1 pound ground round
1 (26-ounce) jar low-fat spaghetti sauce
1 (16-ounce) carton fat-free cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray
1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat mild cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return meat to pan. Add sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Combine cottage and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl; set aside.

Spread 1/2 cup meat mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over meat mixture; top with half of cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup meat mixture, and 1/3 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining meat mixture over noodles. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Yield: 9 servings

CALORIES 275 (20% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 28.1g
Cooking Light

Skillet Bowtie Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 ½ c. water
1 can tomato paste
1 T parsley
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 ½ c. bowtie pasta
¾ c. cottage cheese
¼ c. parmesan

In large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic. Drain. Add tomatoes, water, tomato paste, parsley, oregano and salt. Mix well. Stir in pasta, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 min. or until pasta is tender. Combine cheeses. Drop by spoonful into pasta mixture. Cover and cook 5 min.

Fusilli with Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
6 large tomatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), cored, cut in half crosswise, and seeded
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 cups hot cooked long fusilli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Basil sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.
Brush a jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer, cut sides down, in pan. Arrange crushed garlic around tomatoes; sprinkle tomatoes with thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes; drain juices from pan. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove tomatoes from pan; cool slightly. Discard juice and crushed garlic. Peel and coarsely chop tomatoes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped tomatoes and basil, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add pasta, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese; garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)
CALORIES 347 (28% from fat); FAT 10.7g, PROTEIN 11.9g

No Noodle Lasagna

2 lbs ground beef
½ small onion diced
½ bell pepper diced
16 oz ricotta
2 eggs beaten
8 oz tomato sauce
½ small can tomato paste
½ c. broth
2 T Italian seasoning
½ tsp fennel
Chopped parsley
2 med zucchini sliced lengthwise
1 pkg spinach squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic minced
8 oz mozzarella
½ c. parmesan

Brown meat and add onions and bell pepper and sauté until onions are soft. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste and broth. Mix well and add seasoning and simmer until thick. Beat eggs and ricotta together with some parsley, salt and pepper. Spray 9x13 pan and spread ½ meat mixture in bottom. Top with zucchini, then ricotta then spinach and ½ the cheese. Cover with meat and top with cheese. Bake at 325 for 35-45 min or until cheese is bubbly.

Vegetarian Pizza

Sauce:
1 8 oz tomato sauce
2 T Shirley J’s pizza spice mix
2 cloves garlic pressed
½ onion finely chopped

Toppings: sliced tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, grated carrots, yellow squash, cheese. Bake on preheated stone at 500 degrees for 7 min.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

from Giada

1 ½ - 2 lb butternut squash
½ c. water
3 amaretti cookies
¼ c. butter
¼ c. flour
3 ½ c. milk
Pinch nutmeg
¾ c. basil
12 no boil lasagna noodles
2 ½ c. mozzarella
1/3 c. parmesan

Cook squash in ½ c. water until tender. Blend with cookies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make white sauce with milk, flour and butter. After thick, whisk in nutmeg. Blend ½ with the basil until smooth. Mix with other ½. Layer sauce – noodles – squash – cheese 4 times. Sprinkle parmesan and rest of mozzarella on top. Bake at 375 for 40 min covered then 15 min uncovered. Let stand 15 min.

Pasta with Meat Sauce

1-2 T olive oil
¾ -1 lb ground beef
1 ½ c. onions
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ c. broth
1 ½ c. water
¾ tsp salt
½ - 1 tsp garlic powder
12 oz spirals or pasta that cooks in 9-13 min
28 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree
¼ c. fresh parsley
¼ c. grated parmesan
½ tsp red pepper flakes

Heat oil and add ground meat and brown. Stir in onions and fennel seeds cook for 1 min. Stir in broth and scrape up any brown bits. Boil until some of liquid has evaporated. Stir in water, salt and garlic. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and pour tomatoes on top. Don’t stir. Over high pressure cook for 5 min. Quick release. Stir in parsley, cheese and red pepper flakes. Let dish rest

Garden Style Lasagna

2 c. chopped onion
4 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp olive oil
2 c. chopped zucchini
2 c. chopped yellow squash
2 c. thinly sliced carrot
2 c. chopped broccoli
1 tsp salt
½ c. flour
3 ½ c. milk
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 pkg chopped spinach squeezed dry
1 ½ c. cottage cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella
12 cooked lasagna noodles

Heat pan over med-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add onion to pan and sauté 4 min or until lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté 1 min. Spoon into large bowl.
Heat 1 tsp oil in pan and add zucchini and squash. Sauté until tender. Add to onions.
Heat remaining tsp oil. Add carrots and sauté 4 min or until tender. Add broccoli and sauté 4 min or until crisp tender. Add to onion mixture. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and toss to combine.
Place flour in med. Saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over med heat and cook 2 min or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add ½ c. parmesan, ½ tsp salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.
Combine cottage cheese and 1 ½ c. mozzarella, stir well. Spread ½ c. spinach mixture in bottom of 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture and top with half of cottage cheese mixture (about 1 ½ c.), half of vegetable mixture and 1 c. spinach mixture. Repeat layers ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining ½ c. parmesan and ½ c. mozzarella.
Cover and bake at 375 for 20 min. Uncover and bake an additional 20 min or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Cooking Light

Crock-Pot Italian Chicken

½ c. butter melted
6 oz cream cheese
6 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg Italian seasoning mix

Melt butter in crock pot. Mix in seasoning mix. Add chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours. 1 hr. before serving, mix in cream cheese and soup. Stir until it is smooth. Cook 1 more hour. Serve over noodles or rice.

Stuffed Bell Peppers and Zucchini

from Giada

2 T olive oil
1 small onion grated
¼ c. chopped Italian parsley
1 large egg
3 T ketchup
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1/3 c. grated parmesan
¼ c. dried bread crumbs
1 lb. ground turkey
2 zucchini ends removed and halved
3 bell peppers any color
1 ½ c. marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil into a 9x13 pan. Whisk onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the turkey. Cover and refrigerate. Using a spoon, carefully scrape out the seeds and inner flesh from the zucchini, leaving 1/8 in thick shells. Be careful not to go through the skin. Fill zucchini and pepper halves with the turkey mixture, dividing equally and mounding slightly. Arrange the vegetables in the baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over the stuffed vegetables. Bake uncovered until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown and a thermometer inserted into filling registers 165 degrees, about 45 min.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

3 c. hot water
2 T honey
3 c. whole wheat flour
Mix to a paste and then add:
1 T yeast
1 T salt
1 T gluten
Add flour until mixture pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead 10 min. Last 2 min add
1 Tbs dough enhancer

Variation: Add 2-3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp basil and 2 tsp oregano in with the water, honey and flour mixture for a more flavorful dough.

Preheat stone in oven at 500 degrees. Roll crusts and add toppings and bake 7 min.

Pizza crusts can be baked for 3 min and then frozen for later use. Thaw 1 hour before adding toppings and baking.