Pizza Casserole

2 cups uncooked rotini pasta

1/4 pound ground beef

1/4 pound Italian sausage, turkey sausage or pork sausage

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into bite sized pieces

16 ounces pizza sauce

4 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese*

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Spray 2 quart casserole with cooking spray.

In large skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and sausage with garlic, onion and pepper. Drain excess fat. 

Stir in pasta, pepperoni, mushrooms, pizza sauce, milk, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella cheese.  Mix well and pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

based on this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-Casserole/Detail.aspx

*I didn't have enough mozzarella so used 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup Mexican blend cheese and it was great

Cool Veggie Bruschetta Appetizer

I turned the Pampered Chef cool veggie pizza recipe into a bruschetta appetizer. Some measurements are estimates because I didn't measure.

1 (10 ounce) can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent roll dough
Olive oil

1 (8 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. Ranch dressing
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. (approx.) dried basil (fresh would be better)
1 tsp. (approx.) dried minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. (approx.) olive oil

1/2 cup (approx.) shredded Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Unroll crescent roll dough and arrange in a single layer on lightly greased 9x13 pan, cookie sheet or Pampered Chef bar pan. Spread out to cover pan and pinch together seams. Brush with olive oil. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 30 minutes.

Mix tomatoes, garlic, basil, onion and olive oil and allow to marinate while the crust cools and cream cheese mixture is prepared.

Mix together cream cheese, ranch dressing, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Evenly spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Top with tomato mixture and then sprinkle shredded Parmesan on top.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Lasagna

1/2 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup minced onion
1 24 oz jar Barilla roasted garlic pasta sauce
8 Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
8 oz reduced fat cottage cheese
1 small jar sliced mushrooms
16 slices reduced fat provolone cheese
Parmesan cheese

Brown turkey and onion together until turkey is done and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray 2 qt square casserole or 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Spoon approximately 1/2 cup sauce into bottom of dish and spread to coat.

Layer 2 lasagna noodles, 1/3 cottage cheese, 1/3 turkey, 1/3 mushrooms, 4 slices provolone, sauce and sprinkle with parmesan.

Repeat twice. End with remaining 2 noodles, sauce and 4 slices provolone.

Bake covered with foil or lid for 50-60 minutes. Remove cover and bake 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serves 4.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken & Veggies

• 1 13 oz. package pasta (I used whole grain penne)


• Olive oil


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1/4 cup minced onion


• 1 zucchini squash, sliced and quartered


• 1 yellow squash, sliced and quartered


• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces


• 1 small jar sliced mushrooms


• 2 6-oz. packages Perdue Italian Style chicken shortcuts


• 10-oz. jar Classico Traditional Basil Pesto sauce (more or less, to taste)


• Sea Salt


• Fresh ground pepper


• Italian seasoning


• Parmesan cheese (I used approximately 2 Tbsp.)

This is a very flexible recipe - add or change vegetables and adjust seasonings to suit your taste.

Cook pasta according to package directions. While it cooks, saute garlic, onion, zucchini and yellow squash in olive oil, approx. 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms and chicken and cook until warmed through.

Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add pesto sauce and chicken mixture and toss to coat evenly. Add enough olive oil so that it's not too dry. Season with remaining seasonings to taste and stir in Parmesan cheese.

Heat up again if necessary (by the time I got the seasonings the way I wanted them, it needed to be warmed up a little) and serve.

Serves 6.

Chicken ala the Fighting Sophias

My office recently had an iron chef competition, and the name of my team was The Fighting Sophias. Long story. Anyway, I tried to recreate the turkey dish we made at the competition using chicken. It is not exactly the same but it is good nonetheless. Problem is, I didn't measure anything so you have to guess at how much of everything to use. If you're up for that challenge, give it a try!

CHICKEN

• Marinate chicken breast (thinly sliced or pounded flat) in a mixture of white wine, olive oil, fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, basil, fresh ground pepper and sea salt for at least 30 minutes, turning a few times.


• Bake on aluminum foil 10-15 minutes or until done (or better yet, grill)

CHUTNEY

• Mix chopped red pepper, chopped onion and minced garlic.


• Add Italian seasoning, pepper, salt, a little olive oil and a dash of crushed red pepper.


• Saute 5 minutes over medium heat

Serve chicken topped with the chutney. At the competition, we also included yellow peppers in the chutney and served it on a bed of sliced grilled zucchini. I just had sauteed zucchini and yellow squash on the side.

Italian Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground turkey
2-3 slices stale bread or buns, crumbled
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/3 cup minced onion
2-3 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. Seasoned Salt
2-3 tsp. Italian seasoning

IMPORTANT NOTE: I don't measure the seasonings, so you may need to experiment with the amounts to your taste. Turkey is a little more bland than beef so keep that in mind.

Mix all ingredients well and form into walnut-sized balls. Spray frying pan with Olive Oil cooking spray. Add meatballs and cook over medium heat, stirring and turning frequently, until done. Add to your favorite pasta sauce.

Pizza

1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm water - 110 degrees
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Garlic powder
Pizza sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (I like the Kraft mozzarella/provolone mix)
Your favorite pizza toppings

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water; allow to rest for 8 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture and mix well with a heavy spoon. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. Coat hands with olive oil and pat dough into ball Working from the edges to the center, press dough into a 12" circle.

Place dough on a lightly greased pizza pan and stretch dough to edges, leaving a thicker crust around the edges (I use a Pampered Chef bar pan).

Spread sauce over crust and top with garlic powder, cheese and desired toppings.

Bake in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes (mine usually takes about 15) or until edges are golden brown.



Original Crust Recipe: Robbie's Recipe Collection Thin Crust Pizza Dough (I made minor changes)

Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning
2 tsp. olive oil
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
28 oz. can tomato sauce
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
12 oz. can tomato paste
28 oz. water (using large can) -- maybe more

Not measured:
Garlic powder
Seasoned salt
Oregano
Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning (just a few shakes)

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and italian seasoning and cook until onions are tender. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, add meatballs and simmer for several hours.

I've only made this once, and I made the following notes for next time: Cut down recipe by cutting out tomato sauce, and use less tomato paste. Add green peppers with the onions.

Thick pizza crust

(this makes enough for 2 pizzas - stick the unused portion in the freezer)

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready in: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
4 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir salt and oil into yeast solution. Mix in 3 cups of flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Place dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

Roll crust out and place in pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Sprinkle crust with garlic powder. Add pizza sauce, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and toppings.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Based on Jay's Signature Pizza Crust, modified only slightly by me.

Italian Bread

1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 Tbsp. coarse cornmeal*

Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees). Mix well and let stand 5 minutes.

Mix flour and salt together. In large bowl, combine dissolved yeast and 1 1/4 cups water. Slowly add flour mixture, stirring well after each addition, to form a stiff dough.

Turn out on floured board and knead 10-15 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until smooth and elastic (I used my mixer with dough hooks for about the same amount of time, and added flour until it wasn't too sticky).

Place in greased bowl and rotate to coat surface of dough. Cover and let rise in warm place 1-2 hours or until double in bulk. Punch down.

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly flour a smooth surface. Toss dough with flour until no longer sticky. Divide into 2 parts.

Roll each part with a rolling pin to a 12x8" rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, beginning with a 12" side, to form a long loaf. Pinch edges to seal. Taper ends of loaf by rolling between the palms of the hands.

Sprinkle a large baking sheet with cornmeal*. Place loaves on baking sheet and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk (1-2 hours).

With a razor blade (I used a sharp knife) make 3 diagonal slits in the surface of the loaf. With a spray bottle, mist loaves with water.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400. Reduce heat to 350, mist loaves with water again, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool on rack.

(*I did not have any cornmeal. I just baked it on a Pampered Chef stoneware bar pan and it was great)

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Good crusty, chewy bread

Baked Ziti

8 oz. penne pasta
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
4 oz. sour cream
3 oz. mozzarella cheese slices
3 oz. provolone cheese slices
Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil (I used Pampered chef Italian Seasoning)

Brown ground beef with onion; drain. Add spaghetti sauce to ground beef and let it simmer while you get everything else ready. Boil pasta for 10 minutes; drain.

Lightly grease 2 qt. casserole dish. Layer half of pasta; half of cheese; half of sauce; and half of sour cream. Repeat. Top with Parmesan cheese and seasoning.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Serves 4 (you can also double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan)

Italian Meatballs

1 lb. ground chuck
2-3 slices stale bread, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. Accent
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Seasoned meat tenderizer (or Seasoned Salt )
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 cup minced onion

IMPORTANT NOTE: I don't measure the seasonings, so you may need to experiment with the amounts.

Mix all ingredients well and form into walnut-sized balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. In dutch oven or crockpot, add meatballs to your fav pasta sauce. Simmer at least 1/2 hour or several hours in the crockpot. Serve over hot buttered pasta.