Awsome 3 Cheese and Meat Lasagna

Ingredients: alfredo sauce

3/4 cube margarine
3/8 cup flour
5 1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 teas pepper
3/4 teas. onion powder
1/2 teas. garlic powder
3/4 teas. oregano ( dry )
3/4 teas. parsley ( dry )
5 oz. romano cheese ( freshly grated )
3 oz. parmesan cheese ( freshly grated )

Method: alfredo sauce

Melt your margarine in a 5 quart sauce pan then add your flour and cook for about 5 minutes over medium low heat to make a roux ( stir almost constantly ). Add the chicken stock a little at a time. Adding it a little at a time will ensure that your roux will not get lumpy ( adding a cold liquid to a hot roux is the best way to avoid lumps, or, a hot liquid to a cold roux ). Stir in the 1/2 and 1/2 ( you can substitute whole milk or a mix of lowfat milk and heavy cream ). Add all seasonings and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add your cheeses and simmer just long enough to melt the cheese and remove from heat.

Note: A traditional alfredo sauce is made with roux, whole milk and/or cream, with cheese. I just like to add a little more flavor to mine.

Ingredients: chicken

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast ( 3-4 breasts )
1 teas salt
3/4 teas. pepper
1 teas. oregano ( dry )
1 teas. basil ( dry )
1/2 teas. garlic powder
1 teas. onion powder
1/2 teas. paprika
2 tbsp. olive oil

Method: chicken

Thoroughly wash and dry your chicken first. Place all ingredients into a large ziplock bag and “smoosh” it around to evenly distribute seasonings onto your chicken. Marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag and place in a casserole dish or on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and let cool. After cooling, cut into bite size pieces.

At this point you have the makings for chicken fettuccini, all you would need is cooked fettuccini noodles.

Vegetables for primavera: ( really, you can use anything you like ):-)

1 onion ( sliced )
2 cups broccoli florets ( steamed )
2 cups cauliflower florets ( steamed )
2 carrots ( cut in 1/2 and sliced on the bias )
1/2 green pepper ( sliced )
1/2 red pepper ( sliced )
2 zucchini ( cut in 1/2 and sliced on the bias )
4-6 cloves fresh garlic crushed
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. fettuccine noodles ( use package instructions to cook )

Note: An easy way to steam the florets is to place them in separate bowls, add about 1/4 cup of water to each bowl and microwave covered for about 1 1/2 minutes and drain. This will give you the right texture when you saute.

You are now ready to set up and cook the dish. I like to cook in batches to let everyone pick and choose what they want in their individual dish. If you have a really big skillet you can cook about four plates at one time.

Place chicken, garlic, noodles, sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper and all prepped vegetables in containers near your stove for easy access. The next step is to saute and is very important, here’s how it works.

Start by heating a skillet ( nonstick is best ) to medium heat. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil and garlic ( to taste ) saute for about 30 seconds. Add desired amounts of vegetables for ONE plate in this order onions red and green peppers ( cook until they start to sweat, about 1to 2 minutes ), add carrots and zucchini and saute until soft ( another 4 to 7 minutes ), add broccoli and cauliflower and saute for about 1 to 2 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chicken and sauce. When sauce starts to bubble add cooked fettuccine noodles and cook for about one minute ( until noodles are heated ). Remove to a plate and serve.

Italian Style Pepperoni and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

If you like chicken parmesan you’ll love this! Tender chicken breast pounded thin and wrapped around slices of pepperoni with mozzarella cheese, then breaded and baked until golden brown. I’m serving it with spaghetti and marina sauce and garlic bread. This makes for a wonderful fall dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Pepperoni and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients: Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8oz. mozzarella cheese ( sliced or grated )
4oz. pepperoni ( sliced )
2 eggs
1 cup milk
8oz. italian breadcrumbs
1 teas. salt
1teas. pepper
2 teas. onion powder
1/2 teas. garlic powder

Method: Chicken Breasts

Wash and dry the chicken and place each breast on a separate piece of plastic wrap 2 to 3 times larger than the breast. Make sure to place the breast on one side of the plastic wrap so you can fold it over and pound it out flat. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, pound the chicken to about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Peel the top layer of plastic wrap off the chicken but leave the chicken on the wrap, you will be using it to wrap up your stuffed breasts in a few minutes. Repeat until all the breasts are pounded out.

Add salt pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to a small bowl and mix. Sprinkle the seasoning onto the breasts. then add sliced cheese, pepperoni and more cheese to one side of the breast and fold it over to cover the pepperoni and cheese making sure that the pepperoni and cheese are completely sealed in. Wrap with the plastic wrap. Here are some pictures to help you.

Place the wrapped chicken breasts into the refrigerator for 1 hour to set up or in the freezer for 30 minutes. If you use the freezer technique keep in mind you don’t want them frozen, just cold enough to where they will hold their shape.

After the chicken has set, add eggs and milk to a shallow bowl and mix well. Add breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl. Moving either right to left or left to right, unwrap the chicken and dip one at a time into the egg wash and then into the breadcrumbs coating the entire piece of chicken, place on a piece of foil. Repeat until all breasts are done. Dip them back into the egg wash and breadcrumbs a second time and back onto the foil. Double dipping will give you a nice crispy crust. be gentle with this step, you don’t want them to fall apart.

Place the chicken on a lined baking sheet and put in a 375 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over and bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes and there you have it.

I served mine with spaghetti with marinara sauce and garlic bread with a little salad on the side.

Baked Ziti with Broccoli & Meatballs

This recipe is fantastic and very filling! This would be great if you were cooking for a group, it makes quite a bit. This is actually a recipe from "Granato", an Italian restaurant here in Salt Lake. I made some adjustments and additions because the recipe I found was pretty vague. Serve with fried mozzarella sticks and salad.

baked meatballs

2 cups broccoli florets
4 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups Marinara ("Barilla" brand)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
fresh basil
more cheese, if needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta til al dente. In the meantime, pour pasta sauce in a large, deep skillet, add meatballs and just bring to a simmer. Mix the pasta with the meatball sauce, broccoli, mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Transfer to an oiled casserole dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs with the rest of the parmesan and chopped fresh basil if desired.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese of top gets golden and crispy.
Serve with more sauce, basil and cheese.

Baked Meatballs:

1 1/2 Lb. ground beef
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp. onion powder
red pepper flakes (to taste)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients, roll into medium-sized meatballs and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (if you want to keep it even lighter, place meatballs on a wire cooling rack, then place that on top of the cookie sheet lined with foil, that way the grease drips down off of the meatballs). Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until no longer pink.

Lasagna Roll-ups

Sauce :

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. Spaghetti sauce (you can use your favorite spaghetti sauce or you can click HERE or HERE if you want to make your own)

Filling :

2 c. cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
9 lasagna noodles (cooked)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Method :

In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion and garlic until the beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat from the pan. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for about 15 minutes. Spread half of the meat sauce on the bottom of a glass baking dish. In a bowl combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spread a little of the cheese mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle.

Roll up and place seam side down in rows in the baking dish. Top with remaining sauce. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. About 5 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese has melted.

Italian Style Mouthwatering Meatball Burgers

Ingredients: Meatball Patties

1 1/2lb. ground beef ( 15% )
1/3lb. sweet Italian sausage
3-4 cloves fresh garlic ( about 2 tbsp. )
1/4 green pepper ( small dice )
1/4 red pepper ( small dice )
1/4 onion ( small dice )
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. pepper
1 teas. dry oregano
1/2 teas. dry basil
1 tbsp. dry parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs ( plain )

Method: Meatball Patties

Simply add everything to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine using your hands. Try not to over mix as this will make your patties tough. Divide your mixture into 8 equal portions and form into patties.

Cook in a skillet or on the grill using medium high heat for about 3 minutes per side. Your patties are now ready for the oven.

Ingredients: Marinara Sauce

1 15-20 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 teas. salt
1/2 teas. pepper
1 teas. dry organo
1/2 teas. dry basil
2 teas. dry parsley
2 teas. onion powder
1 teas. garlic powder
OR, your favorite jar spaghetti sauce

Method: Marinara Sauce

Combine all ingredients into a amall sauce pan, bring to a boil covered. Once your sauce reaches a boil, turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the flavors to blend. Your sauce is ready.
(If you’re using your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce you can skip this step) .

Ingredients: Meatball Burgers

8 cooked meatball patties
30-40 thin sliced pieces of pepperoni ( about 3-4 oz. )
marinara sauce
8 good quality hamburger buns ( I’m using potato buns )
8 thick slices of mozzarella, provolone or jack cheese

Method: Meatball Bugers

Spread about 6 to 8 oz. ( for 4 burgers ) of your marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking or casserole dish and place your patties on top of the sauce. You might need 2 baking dishes. Arrange your cheese an pepperoni on top of the burgers. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and pepperoni starts to get crispy.

Arrange your buns on a sheet pan and place in your oven when the burgers are about half way through their cook time. This will insure the patties and buns will be done at the same time.

When your patties are done and the buns are toasted remove them from the oven and spoon some of the sauce onto both the tops and bottoms of the buns. Place a burger on it, close it up and dig in!