Crockpot Lasagna

We really love pasta. lt's filling, delicious, and comforting. I serve it with a side of garlic bread and salad and my boys eat it up. They LOVE pasta! Because of Son #2's egg allergy, he has never eaten lasagna because restaurants add egg in the ricotta mixture. I found a recipe for crockpot lasagna and I was all over it. I knew I had to make lasagna for my allergy boy, and because it was a crockpot recipe, I knew I had to give it a try. It was tasty! 

In my opinion, the point of a crockpot meal is a one-pot, easy meal but this recipe requires you to cook the ground beef first. The extra step and dirty pan was well worth it. 

Crockpot Lasagna  

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef (I used packaged ground tofu from Costco)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 29 oz can tomato sauce (add 1 tsp each:  Italian seasonings, basil, oregano, garlic salt)
• 8 oz pkg. lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used 2 c)
• 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (I used 15 oz Ricotta) Cottage cheese

Directions

1. Spray the inside of the crockpot with cooking spray.
2. Spray pan with oil, and when heated, saute garlic and onions.
3. When onions become translucent, add the ground beef (or ground tofu) and continue sauteeing until cooked through. Add seasonings to taste (I used garlic salt and pepper).
4. Add the tomato sauce and 1 tsp each Italian seasonings, basil, oregano, and garlic salt.
5. Spread ¼ of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crockpot.
6. Arrange ⅓ of the uncooked noodles over the sauce (break them up so they fit better).
7. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta over the noodles. Sprinkle handful of mozzarella over the ricotta.
8. Repeat these layers twice and top with remaining sauce.
9. Cover and cook on low for 4 hrs.
10. Let the lasagna stand in the crockpot with the lid off for 5-8 minutes before serving.

Optional:

* Use Italian sausage in place of ground beef or in addition to the ground beef.

* Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to the cheese mixture.

* Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup additional shredded mozzarella cheese to the top of lasagna 5 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Creating Through LIFE

Thick & Hearty Meat Sauce

I love a fantastic thick and chunky meat sauce. I love when sauce has TONS of meat AND veggies and it's more "stuff" than sauce. MMMMMM...that's THE BEST! Thick and chunky sauce is great for my boys because it's not messy like a runny saucy-sauce and they fill up on protein and veggies. :) Good stuff for sure!

I don't make spaghetti often, but when I do, my boys are STOKED! They LOVE spaghetti and meat sauce and think it's such a treat when I make it for them. The sauce is great over breaded chicken for a quick chicken parmesan, on a piece of bread with toppings for an easy "pizza bread" snack or over sauteed veggies. I could eat the chunky sauce on its own. YUM YUM! 

I've made sauce a few times and I made this version with canned tomatoes this time around to make things easier. This sauce is fast, easy and delicious! No photo opp for this spectacular sauce as it was so good it got eaten up before I could take a pic. :)

Thick & Hearty Meat Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1- 28 oz can peeled crushed tomatoes in puree
• 2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbs garlic, minced (We LOVE garlic so I use 2 tbs.) 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tbs sugar (counteracts acidity from canned tomatoes)
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1 c beef stock if you like a saucier-sauce.
• 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage (if using links, remove casing and then cook like ground beef)
• add sauteed veggies if desired (I added a zucchini, squash, onion and garlic mixture.)
• parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over med heat. Add garlic, bay leaf, onions and saute for 3-4 mins.
2. Add tomatoes and herbs to garlic mixture. Stir occasionally until sauce thickens slightly. 
3. Add sugar and wine, stir well and simmer 1-12 hrs. Simmer as long as possible for best flavor. I usually make a 2 hr sauce and it tastes great. 
4. In separate pan, cook sausage thoroughly. To remove excess oil when sausage is fully cooked, place wire rack on plate, cover rack with paper towels and then scoop cooked sausage onto paper towels. Bring up sides of paper towels over sausage and press sausage to squeeze out oil. Add to sauce and simmer some more.
5. If adding veggies, saute veggies first and then add to sauce. Let it simmer some more. ENJOY!

Marinara Lasagna Rolls

I made lasagna rolls with bechamel sauce a few months back and they were soooooo delicious!  I've been wanting to make them several times since then but I haven't had time. I finally bought the ingredients and made the rolls again but this time without the bechamel and I used sausage instead. My boys LOVE lasagna rolls!  They can easily eat two of them and Son #1 would eat three if I let him.  Serve with a salad, grilled/roasted veggies and garlic bread...delish!

Lovely.

Yummy. Really yummy!

Marinara Lasagna Rolls

Yield: 8 rolls

Ingredients: 

• 8 lasagna noodles: cook according to directions, drain and set aside on wax paper in single layer.
• 3-4 c marinara sauce 
• 1-2 c Italian five cheese mixture

cheese: Mix cheese ingredients thoroughly. Set aside till ready to spread on lasagna noodles.

• 8-12 oz ricotta cheese (8 oz for thin layer of spread but 12 oz would've been perfect.)
• 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 eggs, beaten (I omitted due to son's allergy)

filling: Cook sausage thoroughly and set aside. Then saute veggies 3-4 mins and mix in with sausage.

• 1 lb ground sweet Italian sausage (if you have sausage in the casing, remove the casings and cook like ground beef)
• 1 bunch swiss chard, washed, dried and chopped (can sub spinach)
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• add veggie of preference: bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In 9x13" dish, cover bottom of dish with some marinara sauce.
3. Spread ricotta mixture on entire lasagna noodle.
4. Place sausage over ricotta.
5. Spread veggies over sausage.
6. Carefully roll noodle from skinny end till completely rolled up. Place in prepared 9x13" dish.
7. Roll remaining noodles and place in dish. 
8. Top rolls with marinara and bake for 20-30 mins.
9. Add cheese during last 10 mins and bake till cheese melts.

Vegan Lasagna

One of the girls from my Bunco group made a super tasty vegan lasagna back in January. It was bursting with veggies and it was delish. I had a pretty good idea of how MG put it together but I asked for her recipe just in case. I figured it couldn't be too different from regular lasagna but I didn't want to screw it up since Vegan Lasagna was the main dish for my Weirdos Reunion with my high school friends.

My version of vegan lasagna came together beautifully. It was good but would've been better had I not over-baked it. I kept it warm in the oven because we were waiting for AD to arrive from her last minute trip to Vegas. The top layer of lasagna noodles were a little too dry and the lasagna itself didn't have enough sauce (I love LOADS of sauce!) but I thought it was still pretty darn good. Everyone ate it up so it couldn't have been that bad. Maybe they were just plain hungry. ;)

I served the leftovers to my boys the next day and they loved it. Son #1 picked out some pieces and asked how it was vegan if I put chicken in it. He was referring to the crumbled tofu he found and was amazed at how it tasted just like chicken. Hehe! This was an easy way for my boys to eat more than their usual servings of veggies. Yahoo!

This was WAY better when I added homemade marinara from GK's mom.

Thanks, G, for leaving the tasty marinara. SOOOO YUMMY! 

OHHHHH...layers of deliciousness!

Vegan Lasagna

Yield: 12 servings in 9x13" dish

Ingredients: 

• 3+ c marinara sauce
• 9-12 lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions
• extra virgin olive oil
• 4-6 garlic cloves
• sweet onion, minced
• broccoli crowns
• shredded carrots
• swiss chard
• firm tofu, water squeezed out and crumbled

Directions:

1. Boil pot of water and cook lasagna noodles al dente according to package directions. Cut 2-3 pieces of wax paper and lay out noodles on wax paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. In large saute pan, heat oil. Add garlic and onions and saute for 3-5 mins.
4. Add broccoli, carrots and chard. Saute another 3-5 mins.
5. In 9x15" dish, cover bottom of dish with marinara sauce.
6. Place 3 lasagna noodles over sauce.
7. Add a layer of the veggie mixture and crumbled tofu.
8. Repeat layers of sauce, noodles and veggies.
9. Cover and bake for 1 hr or until heated through. ENJOY!

Source: Adapted from MGG.

Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

When we go out for Italian, we go to Romano's. Let me clarify that it is not affiliated with Romano's Macaroni Grill. Our Romano's is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a strip mall about 5 mins from our home. I try to order a new dish whenever we eat there and I have yet to be disappointed. So far, EVERYTHING I've tried has been dangerously delicious. My last meal ordered at Romano's was penne pasta in a creamy tomato sauce. It was so good that Son #1 ate my leftovers for breakfast. I had to replicate the sauce so this was my first attempt. Not bad for my first try. The boys ate it up. Yes, the greens and all!!!

E 'delizioso!

I loved this thick, chunky sauce with all the veggies.

Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta
• 1/2 lb chicken (I used leftover Crockpot Chicken)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 c cooked greens
• 1- 15 oz tomato sauce (if you like a lot of sauce, add another can)
• 1- 6 oz tomato paste
• 1/2 - 3/4 c half and half
• shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Boil large pot of water and cook pasta according to directions till al dente. Drain, add a little extra virgin olive oil, toss well, cover pot and set aside.
2. In large pan, heat leftover chicken over med-high heat. If you don't have leftover chicken, boil or grill the chicken you have.
3. Turn heat to low and saute garlic and zucchini about 3-5 mins. Add to chicken.
4. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste to zucchini/chicken mixture and stir well. Add half and half and mix thoroughly.
5. Add cooked greens to sauce mixture and heat through.
6. Place pasta on serving plate, top with sauce mixture and parm and ENJOY!

Chicken Piccata

Here's the chicken piccata recipe from my in-laws' 41st wedding anniversary dinner. I thought I had chicken breasts in the fridge but they were actually thighs. It was too late to run out and get chicken breasts so I made chicken piccata with thighs. It was delicious! We ALL loved this!

Oh, capers!

My in-laws LOVED their special dinner I made them. :)

Chicken Piccata

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• approx. 15 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 tbs grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 c flour
• salt and pepper 
• 3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbs butter (I omitted)

sauce:

• 2 tbs butter (I omitted)
• 3/4 c white wine
• 4 tbs Meyer lemon juice
• 1/4 c capers (I like to add more)
• handful parsley, chopped (I forgot to add it)

Directions:

1. Mix Parmesan, flour, salt and pepper in a low bowl.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Dredge in flour mixture until well coated.
3. Heat oil and 2 tbs butter in large skillet on med-high heat. Add chicken pieces but do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side about 3 mins per side.
4. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm in oven. Cook rest of chicken and keep warm.
5. When all chicken has been cooked, prepare the sauce. Add wine, lemon juice and capers to same skillet. Use spatula to scrape up browned bits. Reduce sauce by half then add 2 tbs butter.
6. Plate chicken and serve with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes

Chicken Marsala

There's something wonderfully delicious about chicken, garlic, marsala and mushrooms. YUM! The first time I made chicken marsala was in Dec. and we all thought it was fabulous. It was a quick dish to put together yet it tasted like I spent countless hours in the kitchen. :) The fam was quite impressed with the incredible flavors of the chicken and the sauce. SUCCESS!

I used white mushrooms the first time but I wish I would've made more sauce...it was SO good!

For mock marsala, I baked a whole chicken and used baby bella mushrooms for the sauce.

BOTH meals were great!

Because I had a whole chicken that had to get baked, I took a major shortcut when I made "chicken marsala" the second time. I cooked a whole chicken in 35 mins in the microwave using my Pampered Chef Covered Baker. Dinners are a breeze with that thing and the chicken turns out tender, juicy, moist and delicious! Don't be afraid of the microwave. :) I could go on and on about how much I LOVE that baker. Anyways, I whipped together a modified version of chicken marsala. Since the chicken wasn't pan-fried/sauteed, the second version was a healthier one. It worked out well and tasted great! All I had to do was steam organic broccoli from my CSA basket, make the mushroom sauce and slice organic pears for dessert. Easy peasy!

Chicken Marsala

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken cutlets (or 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4-1/2" thick)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 tbs oil

Sauce:

• 3 tbs butter
• 1/2-3/4 small onion, minced
• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c Marsala wine
• 3/4 c chicken broth
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs fresh parsley, minced (I omitted since I didn't have any)

Directions:

1. If you have thin chicken cutlets, go to step 2. If you have chicken breasts, place between sheets of wax paper and pound with flat side of kitchen mallet until flattened to 1/4-1/2" thick. If using whole chicken, cook your chicken then skip to step 5.
2. Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets in flour to coat and shake off excess.
3. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add cutlets and cook until golden brown, 2-3 mins on each side. Transfer to large plate and tent with foil.
4. Reduce heat to med-high and melt 1 tbs butter in same skillet used for chicken. Saute onions and mushrooms 3-5 mins until browned. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 mins. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl and tent with foil.
5. Prepare sauce. Add Marsala and broth to empty skillet and bring to boil over high heat. Cook about 5 mins until reduced to 1/3-1/2 c. 
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, return chicken and their juices to skillet and heat through about 2-3 mins. Transfer chicken to serving platter.
7. Turn off heat, add remaining 2 tbs butter to skillet, lemon juice, parsley and mushroom mixture. Mix well and then pour sauce over chicken. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Source: Adapted from Houseboat Eats

Marinara Sauce

The boys LOVE pasta and their favorite is spaghetti and meatballs. I had a very ripe flat of tomatoes from Costco and what better and faster way to use them all up than to make marinara sauce. A small jar of good sauce is expensive so making my own sauce would be cheaper taste better, too. I found a basic marinara sauce recipe and then added my own fling to it...

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
• 2-3 carrots, minced
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced (~2 tbs)
• *2 tbs dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, etc.)
• 2-3 Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1 c beef stock
• **12 c ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 1 sm can tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook slowly on medium heat until they start to caramelize. They should be evenly browned and soft. Add carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes. Set veggies aside and cook ground sausage. When done, set aside in the veggie mixture. 
2. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of red wine and beef stock and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in veggie/sausage mixture and add tomatoes, their juice and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Simmer and cook on low stirring occasionally for 4+ hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. *Dried herbs hold their flavor much longer than fresh herbs when slow cooking. If you want to use fresh herbs, add them at end of cooking process just before serving. 
4. **If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use 2- 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, 1- 28 oz can of whole tomatoes and 1- 6 oz can of tomato paste. When using canned tomatoes, add 2 tbs sugar to counteract acidity of canned tomatoes.

Source: Adapted from Former Chef


UPDATE: 1/14/10


I thawed some homemade marinara sauce in the fridge overnight and added the following as I was re-heating the sauce:

• 1/2 cup of cooked Italian ground sausage
• meatballs
• yellow bell pepper, diced
• handful of Italian parsley, chopped
• add as many sauteed veggies as you'd like for a chunky marinara: eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushroom, etc..

I let it simmer for a couple hours and served over bowtie pasta. It was REALYYYYYYY tasty!

(drool)

Meat sauce is my weakness.

I love this stuff.

For reals.