Tag: Italian

Italian comfort dish ‘gnocchi’ed dinner out of the park

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 1, 2024

Gnocchi alla sorrentina is an Italian comfort dish that features gnocchi, lots of fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in a yummy tomato sauce.

Joey and I received an amazing opportunity last week to speak at the Kentucky Press Association’s winter conference.

We had a fabulous time with some really great people. My only complaint was the weather for our drive there and back heavily featured thick fog and switched between torrential downpours and drizzles.

By the time we came home over the weekend, I was thankful for some Kansas sunshine, but I also found myself really craving some comfort food to get the last bit of that dreary weather feeling out of my system.

I poked through some recipes for a bit and landed on a popular comfort meal from Italy, and even better, the version I decided to try comes together a lot quicker than more traditional versions of the recipe, which was a win-win after being away from home for several days.

This is from the blog “Girl Gone Gourmet.” You can find the original post at https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/gnocchi-alla-sorrentina/#tasty-recipes-13873. I added onion, red pepper flakes and extra basil, mozzarella and garlic in my version.

Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

Gnocchi alla sorrentina is an Italian comfort dish that features gnocchi, lots of fresh basil and fresh mozzarella in a yummy tomato sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, easy dinner, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh mozzarella, garlic, gnocchi, mozzarella, olive oil, parsley, potato gnocchi, red pepper flakes, tomato puree, vegetarian, yellow onion

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil I used extra virgin
1/2 small yellow onion diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups tomato puree I ended up using twice that, since I let my sauce reduce
1/2 cup basil leaves loosely packed and torn into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 16- ounce packages gnocchi
8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced
parsley flakes for plating

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until it is cooked through.
Add in the garlic and saute for just a couple minutes until it is lightly browned.
Stir in the tomato puree, basil leaves, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Turn the skillet to medium-low and let the sauce simmer, stirring regularly.
Bring a stockpot of water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi until it rises to the top of the water.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the skillet, and stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
Lay the sliced mozzarella spaced evenly on the top of the gnocchi.
Turn the broiler in the oven on high and place the skillet in the oven, leaving it for a few minutes until the cheese is melty and the sauce is bubbling.
Let the gnocchi cool slightly, and serve, topped with parsley flakes, along with a thick slice of crusty bread.

I loved this one. It’s a vegetarian dish, but it doesn’t feel like it. The gnocchi and all the melty mozzarella kind of make you forget that there isn’t any meat on your plate, and the addition of fresh basil really kicks this up a notch to taste homemade, despite the main part of the sauce coming from a can.

Paired with a big slice of garlic bread, this was exactly what I needed to clear the rainy day doldrums out of my mind.

I hope we get a chance to go back to Kentucky again soon. It’s a beautiful state with lots of neat people. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed for a little better weather the next time around.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 1, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Tags basil, comfort food, easy dinner, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, fresh garlic, fresh mozzarella, garlic, gnocchi, Italian, mozzarella, olive oil, parsley, potato gnocchi, red pepper flakes, tomato puree, vegetarian, yellow onion

Main Dish

Lighten up and try a new lasagna recipe this week

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date August 3, 2023

This lightened up version of homemade lasagna still packs in tons of great flavor, despite using lower-fat ingredients.

I know that most of the recipes I share with you in this space are “sometimes” foods.

From pasta-laden, full-fat casseroles swimming in cheese to decadent desserts with more sugar than a bag of Pixy Stix, I know the temptation is real.

But we all need some recipes that look and sound a bit sinful but actually aren’t as bad as they seem. That’s where this week’s dish comes in. As soon as I saw a lightened version of lasagna, I knew I needed to try it and hoped it would be as good as it looked.

Good news: it was.

This comes from the blog “You Brew My Tea” by Katie Hale. You can find the original post at https://www.youbrewmytea.com/lightened-homemade-lasagna-dish. I added way more herbs/spices and changed the amounts of some of the other ingredients in my version.

Lightened Homemade Lasagna

This lightened up version of homemade lasagna still packs in tons of great flavor, despite using lower-fat ingredients.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, cottage cheese, garlic, green bell pepper, ground turkey, lasagna, light recipe, low-fat, mozzarella, onion powder, oregano, oven-ready lasagna, red bell pepper, red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, tomato paste, tomato sauce, turkey sausage

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 pound Italian turkey sausage
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
8 cloves garlic minced
3, 15- ounce cans tomato sauce
6 ounces tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles

Instructions

Heat a stock pot or Dutch oven with a lid over medium heat. Add the turkey and sausage and saute until it is fully cooked, crumbling the meat as you go.
When the meat is almost totally cooked, add in the bell peppers and onions and saute for another five minutes or so.
Add the garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, onion powder, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well.
Leave the burner on medium and place the lid on the pot. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce simmers, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta and one cup of the mozzarella into a bowl. Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a deep nine-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray.
Remove the sauce from the heat, give it another good stir, and start assembling your lasagna.
Place four noodles on the bottom of the casserole dish. (I had to break one of mine to get fill coverage. It doesn’t have to be perfect.) Spread one-third of the sauce over the noodles, and then dollop one-third of the cheese mixture on top of the sauce.
Repeat twice more.
After the final layer, add the final cup of shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot with some crusty bread.

We really, really enjoyed this. It wasn’t as decadent as making a full-fat lasagna (especially because I love making Paula Deen’s version), but it was still really good, and just like with regular lasagna, we thought it was even better when we reheated the leftovers the next day. I loved the bell pepper flavor in the sauce.

We also put several pieces in the freezer for quick meals down the road, and those have defrosted and reheated well, too.

I’m still going to keep normal lasagna directions in my recipe box for special occasions, but this one is going to go on a card right next to it. I can never give up my “sometimes” foods, but recipes like this certainly help in between.

This piece first appeared in print on Aug. 3, 2023.

Main Dish

Make a ‘rigaton’ of food with this sausage pasta bake

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date March 3, 2022

Sausage and cheese rigatoni is a delicious baked pasta with deep Italian flavors from marinara, roasted red peppers and plenty of cheese.

We decided to have a few friends over for dinner this past week, and I decided it was finally time for me to try this amazing-looking recipe for a baked Italian dish.

Joey was gracious enough to help me out by manning the saute pan. He was busy cooking the sausage and onion and asked, “When do I add the garlic?”

I looked at the recipe and paused.

“Well…um…you don’t,” I said.

“The garlic? What do you mean?”

“I mean, there is no garlic in the recipe.”

He looked at me, appalled, and I laughed and pointed to the large jar of minced garlic I already pulled from the refrigerator.

“Yeah, there’s no garlic in the recipe, but we’re totally adding some in anyway,” I said.

“No garlic. That’s just dumb,” he said.

You have to give the people what they want.

In this case, we ended up with a hearty, cheesy and delicious baked pasta, and it made so much that not only was I not sure it was going to actually fit in my casserole dish, but it barely looked like we even made a dent after enjoying big helpings at dinner.

This recipe comes from the blog “Foodie Crush.” You can find the original post at https://www.foodiecrush.com/baked-sausage-rigatoni/. I added garlic and some other herbs and spices to my version.

Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni

Sausage and cheese rigatoni is a delicious baked pasta with deep Italian flavors from marinara, roasted red peppers and plenty of cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, fennel seeds, garlic, Italian parsley, marinara, oregano, paprika, parmesan cheese, provolone, ricotta cheese, rigatoni pasta, roasted red peppers, sweet Italian sausage, yellow onion

Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausage ground or removed from casings
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 small yellow onion diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
12 ounces roasted red bell peppers drained and diced
25 ounces marinara sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon paprika
16 ounces rigatoni pasta
15 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
6 to 8 slices provolone cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a three-quart baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, fennel and onion and saute until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and saute for another two minutes or so.
Dump in the diced red peppers, marinara sauce, oregano, basil and paprika to the pan and stir to combine.
While the sauce is warming through, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the rigatoni for just five minutes. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to coat it.
In another bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan and parsley. (At first, you’ll wonder how it’s going to come together with all that parmesan, but just keep stirring. It will.)
Pour half of the pasta/sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top it with half of the ricotta, and then place a single layer of three to four slices of provolone on top.
Finish it off with the rest of the sauce, the rest of the ricotta, and another layer of provolone.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Let the bake sit for five minutes before serving with some garlic bread.

Holy moly, you guys, this was delicious. It had great flavor, made a ton of food, and it was almost even better as leftovers the next day. It was also really easy to put together, which was nice for feeding a group. It also reminded me how underrated fennel seeds are as an ingredient. I can’t remember the last time I used fennel in a dish; I’ll have to make sure to do it more often.

I’m still not sure why it didn’t make the cut in the original recipe, but garlic was an excellent addition to the final product. And that was a good thing, considering I’m pretty sure I would have had to tackle Joey to keep him from adding it to the pan.

This piece first appeared in print on March 3, 2022.

Tags basil, casserole, fennel seeds, garlic, Italian, Italian parsley, marinara, oregano, parmesan, pasta bake, provolone, ricotta, rigatoni, roasted red peppers, yellow onion

Main Dish

Spring is time to come out of your shell

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date April 1, 2021

Chicken Alfredo stuffed shells can be made easily with a rotisserie chicken and jarred Alfredo sauce.

With the weather finally warming up, it’s about the time of year when you begin meeting yourself coming and going, it seems.

There are so many activities outdoors, and staying inside after the harsh winter on top of a pandemic makes me want to spend every moment I can out in the yard or taking a walk instead of standing in front of the stove. If you’re a fan of a kiddo involved in spring sports, your life is about to get pretty busy, too.

This week’s recipe pays homage to that. You can make it as complicated or as easy as you like.

If you’re in a hurry, I’d definitely recommend using jarred sauce, shredding up an already-cooked rotisserie chicken and maybe even skipping the pasta shells and cooking some lasagna noodles to layer in there instead.

Regardless of how much time you spend, though, this dinner is a really yummy one.

I found this on the Julie Evink’s blog, “Julie’s Eats and Treats.” You can find her original post at https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/chicken-alfredo-stuffed-shells/.

Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Chicken Alfredo stuffed shells can be made easily with a rotisserie chicken and jarred Alfredo sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Alfredo sauce, basil, chicken, garlic, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, stuffed shells

Ingredients

30 large pasta shells cooked according to package directions
1 pound chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella divided
1 cup shredded parmesan divided
1 egg beaten
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh Italian parsley optional
15 ounces garlic Alfredo sauce

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
While the shells are boiling, combine cottage cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella, 3/4 cup parmesan, egg, garlic, oregano, basil and salt and pepper, stirring well. (If using the fresh parsley, dice up 1/4 to 1/2 cup and add it in, too.) Add in the chicken and stir until everything is well mixed.
In the prepared dish, add about one cup of the Alfredo sauce to the bottom.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the drained, prepared shells and place them, crowded tightly but in a single layer, in the dish.
Evenly distribute the remaining Alfredo sauce over the shells, along with the reserved cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and the dish is heated through.
Serve garnished with more parsley, if using.

This is a great casserole to create ahead of time and slip into the freezer or fridge to bake later. While you’re busy cooking one, why not go ahead and assemble a second one, too?

I often love cooking from scratch and taking some time preparing food, but when the birds are chirping and the temperature is rising, sometimes it’s OK to just go easy on yourself.

Grab a plate, go eat outside, and enjoy the arrival of April.

This piece first appeared in print April 1, 2021.

Tags Alfredo sauce, basil, chicken, freezer meal, garlic, Italian, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, stuffed shells

Main Dish

‘Ciao’ down on Tuscan sausage pasta

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date August 27, 2020

Tuscan sausage pasta only uses two pots and is a quick, 30-minute dinner with lots of delicious Italian flavors.

Is it just me, or has it been particularly difficult to decide what to make for dinner lately?

OK, so I know it’s definitely not just me—it’s Joey, too. If you’re not having this same “let’s stare at each other until one of us breaks and makes a decision” moment every evening, I envy you. Honestly, a few days ago, I just ate a bowl of cereal like I was still in college. Joey judged me pretty hard, but he stopped when I pointed out that he didn’t have any idea of what we should eat, either.

After a few days of this same routine, I decided that I was going to find something new online, make an executive decision, and we were going to have at least one pre-planned meal, and let me tell you, the recipe I tried was not only super delicious, but it was quick and used a minimum of dishes to accomplish, too.

The recipe I found was on the blog “Salt & Lavender.” You can find the original at https://www.saltandlavender.com/tuscan-sausage-pasta/. I increased the garlic in my version.

Tuscan Sausage Pasta

Tuscan sausage pasta only uses two pots and is a quick, 30-minute dinner with lots of delicious Italian flavors.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword 30-minute meal, basil, cream sauce, garlic, pasta, sausage, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked pasta of your choice
10-11 ounces hot or mild Italian sausage
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dijon or spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
about 1 teaspoon fresh basil minced
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, if the sausage is in casings, remove them and then cook the sausage over medium heat in a large skillet until the sausage is cooked through. (Crumble it as you cook it.)
When the sausage is nearly cooked through, remove it from the pan and drain off all but about 1/2 tablespoon of grease.
Add the garlic, broth, mustard, flour and lemon juice and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet as you do so to loosen any cooked-on spots. After about one minute, add the sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream, and cook for two more minutes, stirring regularly. Add the sausage back to the pan (careful to avoid adding grease back in with it), and stir regularly, letting the sauce thicken.
When the sauce has thickened to your liking, add in the spinach, basil and salt and pepper and stir until it wilts slightly. Add in the pasta and stir to coat. Top with parmesan, and serve.

I used spicy sausage, and it was really, really good. I also think you could get away with just using milk in the sauce, although it may not want to thicken as nicely.

Joey was pleasantly surprised by both how delicious this was and that we avoided the normal “What do you want for dinner?” conversation that evening.

Unfortunately, my plan completely backfired, as he announced after the first bite that I should be in charge of always deciding what we’re eating every night, since I’m apparently really good at it.

I told him he shouldn’t push his luck. After all, I doubt he’ll be as keen on the idea when he sees the family-sized box of raisin bran I have in the pantry.

I used spicy sausage, and it was really, really good. I also think you could get away with just using milk in the sauce, although it may not want to thicken as nicely.

Joey was pleasantly surprised by both how delicious this was and that we avoided the normal “What do you want for dinner?” conversation that evening.

I told him he shouldn’t push his luck. After all, I doubt he’ll be as keen on the idea when he sees the family-sized box of raisin bran I have in the pantry.

This piece first appeared in print on Aug. 27, 2020.

Tags 30-minute meal, basil, cream sauce, Italian, pasta, sausage, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes

Main Dish

Let’s embrace the ‘pasta’bilities this week

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date August 20, 2020

Ziti pasta bake is full of lots of cheese and Italian herbs. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Until I began this column, I had no idea how many variations of pasta there are.

I used to think I was pretty knowledgeable until I continued to discover new types that often were tough to find in small-town Kansas grocery stores.

My recipe this week called for ziti, a tube-shaped pasta I’m definitely familiar with, but my local store didn’t have any in stock, so I opted for some penne instead.

That got me to thinking that there are at least three tubular pastas I could think of: ziti, penne and rigatoni, and I decided to do some digging to figure out what the real difference is.

An article online by Brette Warshaw went into great detail about the minuscule differences between the three—most notably, the length. Standard penne is 2.12 inches long, ziti is 2 inches, and rigatoni is 1.8. Other than that, there are small differences in end cut and ridges, but that’s really about it from a visual standpoint. So, when I made this week’s recipe for a ziti pasta bake, I just grabbed what was available as far as tube-shaped pasta and hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Together as Family.” You can find the original at https://togetherasfamily.com/cheesy-ziti-pasta-bake/. I added lots more herbs in my version.

Ziti Pasta Bake

Ziti pasta bake is full of lots of cheese and Italian herbs. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, cheese, cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, marinara, mozzarella, oregano, parsley, sour cream, spaghetti sauce, ziti

Ingredients

16 ounces ziti
24 ounces spaghetti sauce
14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes undrained
8 ounces cream cheese softened
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons parsley
2 teaspoons oregano
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauce, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, basil, parsley, oregano, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Once the pasta is done, drain it (don’t rinse it) and add it to the mixing bowl and stir.
Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish and then spread the sour cream over the top. Sprinkle on about half of the mozzarella, spread the remaining pasta on top, and then finish with the rest of the cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the top of the cheese is melted fully and slightly browned.
Serve with some garlic bread.

This was creamy and cheesy and really yummy. It was also meatless, and I didn’t miss the protein at all. You could easily use a meat sauce in this, though, if you would like to.

And despite the use of penne, it was pretty good. I will warn you, though, that apparently my substitution is not without controversy. Chef Paula Ghosh wrote a blog post about ziti vs. penne, and she notes that despite the two pastas having similar origins, ziti is meant to be used in baked dishes, and penne is meant to be mixed in with sauce.

She claims that even seemingly insignificant differences in pastas can change the entire flavor profile of a dish. Since she’s the expert, I suppose I’ll have to take her word for it, but I can tell you this was great even with the penne. It might be even better if you followed the pasta rules.

This piece first appeared in print on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020.

Tags basil, cheese, cream cheese, garlic, Greek yogurt, Italian, marinara, mozzarella, oregano, parsley, quick dinner, sour cream, spaghetti sauce, vegetarian, ziti

Main Dish

Beef up your dinner menu with casserole

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date March 12, 2020

Hamburger casserole dresses up tomato soup into a hearty, Italian-inspired dish.

A quotation I saw online, attributed to Rob Fee, is one of the best explanations of the conversation Joey and I have every day: “Relationships are just two people constantly asking each other where they want to go eat, until one of them dies.”

In our case, it’s not really asking where we want to go eat so much as what we want to make to eat.

Both of us like cooking, so it’s rarely a battle to see who is going to be tasked with dinner preparations, but we tend to fall into ruts. For me, my common fallback is just to make tacos.

I nearly succumbed to my same rut again this week, but while my hamburger was defrosting, I stumbled across another, just as easy, recipe, and I decided to give it a try.

This comes from the blog “Baking with Mom.” The original recipe only calls for four main ingredients: hamburger, tomato soup, pasta and cheese, but as you can see, I added quite a few more flavors to my version. You can find the original post at https://bakingwithmom.com/hamburger-casserole/.

Hamburger Casserole

Hamburger casserole dresses up tomato soup to make a hearty dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword casserole, kid-friendly, pasta, tomato

Ingredients

16 ounces small pasta I used macaroni
1 small yellow onion
6-8 cloves garlic minced
1 pound ground hamburger or turkey
2, 10.75- ounce cans tomato soup
1 heaping teaspoon dried basil
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
1 heaping teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheese I used a combination of monterrey jack and mild cheddar

Instructions

Prepare a 9-by-13-inch baking dish by spraying it with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Brown the hamburger and onion in a large skillet over medium heat.
While the hamburger is browning, cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.
Once the hamburger is cooked through and the onions are soft, drain as much grease from the pan as you can and then add the garlic. Saute for a couple minutes until the garlic starts to brown slightly, and add in the tomato soup, spices, and fill one of the soup cans halfway with water and add that into the pan as well. Stir to combine.
Let the mixture cook for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
Dump the cooked noodles into the prepared baking dish and top with the hamburger mixture. Just spread the hamburger mixture over the top of the noodles; there’s no need to mix it together.
Top the casserole with cheese and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 10 minutes. Then turn the broiler on high to brown the cheese just a bit—probably about two minutes, but keep an eye on it.
Let the casserole cool for about 10 minutes and then serve.

This was really simple to put together and was yummy, too. Plus, I managed to put away quite a bit of leftovers in the fridge.

If I’m being honest, I doubt neither Joey nor I will ever get sick of tacos, but it was a nice change of pace to try a new casserole, and with such simple ingredients, it was easy for me to make on the fly, which I appreciated.

Now, with plenty of leftover casserole in the fridge, tonight’s dinner should be easy to figure out. Unless, of course, one of us starts craving Mexican food instead.

This piece first appeared in print on March 12, 2020.

Tags cheese, ground beef, Italian, kid-friendly, pasta, tomato soup

Appetizer Main Dish Side Dish

Mushrooms are easy ‘caprese’ for dinner

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 24, 2019

Caprese portabella mushrooms take the flavors of a caprese salad and presents them in a warm, pretty side dish.

On our honeymoon, Joey and I visited a great Italian restaurant in New York City. It was the most expensive meal of our vacation, with us spending a generous gift from a family member that was earmarked for just that purpose.

The place wasn’t all that fancy to look at, but when your waiter is so quintessentially Italian that he’s singing along with the opera music playing in the background, you know you’re about to experience something authentic.

We ordered a bottle of wine, and our waiter suggested an appetizer of some fresh mozzarella that was flown in from Italy the day before, so we decided to go for it.

He plopped a plate in front of us with a giant mound of mozzarella, garnished with fresh basil and tomatoes—and we had no idea how to eat it.

This week, we again enjoyed that flavor combination with a slightly less intimidating side dish, and it was delicious. I will admit this is on the pricier end of recipes from what I normally suggest, but if you’re looking for something special—or you find a good sale—keep this one in your recipe box.

This recipe comes from the blog “Fat Girl Happy.” You can find it at https://www.fatgirlhappy.com/caprese-portabella-mushroom-recipe/. The only difference we made was leaving out the suggestion of balsamic vinegar, and I put amounts to the ingredients.

Caprese Portabella Mushrooms

Caprese portabella mushrooms take the flavors of a caprese salad and presents them in a warm, pretty side dish.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, caprese, mozzarella, mushrooms, portabella, tomatoes

Ingredients

5-6 portabella mushroom caps about two-inches in diameter
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces fresh whole-milk mozzarella
about 5 ounces grape tomatoes
about 1/2-ounce fresh basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and lightly spray it with cooking spray.
Scoop out the insides of each mushroom cap and arrange them, with the insides facing up, on the cooking sheet.
Lightly drizzle the mushroom caps with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Slice the mozzarella into equal slices—one slice for each mushroom cap—and place one slice into each.
Slice the grape tomatoes in half and place four to five halves on top of the cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes. (You may want to drain the sheet pan if there’s too much liquid on the pan, but we didn’t bother draining ours, and they were fine.)
Turn the broiler on high for one to three minutes or until the cheese starts to brown slightly.
Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil and a little more olive oil and salt and pepper and serve while they’re nice and hot.

These were heavenly. We ate them as a side dish to some expertly prepared chicken breasts Joey made for us. It was a great dinner.

As for our Italian meal in New York, Joey and I discreetly glanced around at neighboring tables to see how we should dig into our mozzarella appetizer. Everyone else had opted to dive in with forks, so we did, too.

It was really good, although it was way more fresh cheese than the two of us could handle in one sitting, with entrees on the way as well.

That restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip, and we reminisced about it while we enjoyed our portabellas the other night. We’re no substitute for an Italian chef, but we certainly didn’t go hungry.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 24, 2019.

Tags basil, caprese, Italian, mushrooms, portabella, tomatoes

Main Dish Soup

Ring in winter with bell pepper soup

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date October 17, 2019

Italian sausage and pepper soup contains lots of fresh vegetable flavor along with deep Italian herbs and spices.

This past week, we went north to Iowa and Minnesota for a newspaper conference and to visit some friends.

One of my wonderful friends, who has inexplicably given up her Kansas roots for the big city of Minneapolis, assured us that Minnesota is generally pretty mild in October, so we were excited to experience some nice, fall weather.

But, as often happens, Mother Nature had other plans, as we endured rain—and eventually snow—and some cold winds while we visited. It was still a great trip, but when the northerners are bundling up and complaining, you know you hit a weather anomaly.

We still had a great visit, despite the cold, and upon coming home, it reminded me that soup season is most definitely just around the corner.

With that in mind, this week’s recipe comes from “Parade” magazine and is by Donna Elick. You can find their original post at https://parade.com/217706/donnaelick/30-minute-italian-sausage-and-pepper-soup/. I added extra tomato paste to use an entire can, put in extra garlic, and I got rid of the added olive oil, since I figured the sausage would have enough grease for the pan on its own. I also added some more herbs.

Italian Sausage and Pepper Soup

Italian sausage and pepper soup contains lots of fresh vegetable flavor along with deep Italian herbs and spices.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword peppers, sausage, soup, spicy

Ingredients

1 pound spicy Italian rope sausage casing removed
1 small yellow onion diced
4 bell peppers get a variety of colors, cut into bite-sized pieces
6-8 cloves garlic minced
2, 14.5- ounce cans Italian style diced tomatoes
6 ounces tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil roughly chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions

Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute the sausage in the pan, breaking it apart as it browns, and add the onions as well. Stirring regularly.
Once the sausage is cooked through, add the peppers and cook to your desired tenderness, continuing to stir often. Add the garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and broth, and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any cooked-on bits.
Bring the soup to a low boil. Add the salt and pepper, basil and parsley and allow to boil for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with crusty bread.

The flavor of this soup was fantastic, and it was a really quick meal to make, too. It was a bit of a thin soup overall, though, so it would be a great side dish, or you should definitely serve it with some big, thick bread or rolls. Of course, it’s that same quality that makes it a good, lighter lunchtime option.

We didn’t end up ordering any soup while we were up north, opting instead for everything from a delicious Ecuadorian restaurant to coal-fired pizza and fresh fish and chips.

What we’ve learned about Minnesota over the years is you definitely can’t predict the weather, but you can count on some really good meals.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 17, 2019.

Tags Italian, peppers, sausage

Main Dish Soup

It’ll be tough to ‘leaf’ leftovers of basil sausage soup

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date September 5, 2019

Italian basil sausage soup has deep tomato and spice flavors and freezes easily for quick leftovers.

I recently came across a photo of an adorable indoor herb garden and immediately became interested in having one myself.

I’m not much of a gardener, and I’m enough of a nerd that I love research, so I have spent more time than I’d like to admit over the past few weeks looking at which herbs are easiest to grow indoors and what kind of skill each one requires to keep alive.

Then I went shopping for the ingredients for this week’s recipe, and all my planning to really map out my herb choices went out the window when I realized that it was going to cost me an arm and a leg to purchase the two cups of fresh basil the recipe required.

I noticed, though, that my produce department had fresh basil plants for a much more economical price than the small packages of leaves in the refrigerator case, and I caved.

So now I have a basil plant, which graciously delivered lots of fragrant leaves on its first night at my house. I hope I can keep the poor thing alive.

This recipe comes from the website “The Slow Roasted Italian.” You can find the original post at https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/09/30-Minute-Hearty-Italian-Basil-Sausage-Soup-Recipe.html. I changed up the spices a bit in my version and simplified the directions some.

Italian Basil Sausage Soup

Italian basil sausage soup has deep tomato and spice flavors and freezes easily for quick leftovers.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, pasta, sausage, soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound mild Italian sausage
3 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
8 cups chicken broth
15- ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
14.5- ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
8- ounce can tomato sauce
6- ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
black pepper to taste
1/2 pound small pasta I used macaroni
2 cups fresh basil chopped

Instructions

In a stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, carrots and celery. Stir regularly, breaking up the sausage as you go (You can also use rope sausage. Just remove the casing and slice it into half-inch rounds before adding it to the pot.)
Once the sausage is cooked through, add the chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and spices.
Stir to combine and bring the mixture up to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes (or until the pasta is done to your liking), stirring regularly to keep the soup from sticking to the bottom.
Reduce heat and serve once the mixture is no longer boiling.

I have been in search of some good soups to toss in the freezer for the plethora of nights when Joey and I either need to have a quick dinner or pack something to eat at the office for a late night of work. This recipe definitely fits the bill, and it’s filling several containers in my freezer at the moment.

I poured a little water on my basil plant this morning, where it sits in front of my kitchen window. If all goes well, it will eventually be replanted into an adorable pot, along with some other choice herbs.

If not, I might just stick to dried basil from here on out.

You’d think that having a 10-year-old schnauzer and a one-year-old beta fish would make me feel confident that I can keep something alive, but to be fair, I did a lot of research before adding both of them to our family, too.

Wish me—and my new plant—luck. We’ll both need it.

This piece first appeared in print on Sept. 5, 2019.

Tags basil, Italian, pasta, sausage