Baked shells with spinach and sausage

Baked pasta combinations are a great way to make a filling, delicious dinner out of pantry/freezer ingredients (box of pasta, box of frozen spinach, some sausage, some cheese). I used shells here, but really any shape will do.

3/4 lb mild Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup pesto sauce
10 ounces pasta, cooked
1 box frozen spinach
6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, onion, and garlic, and saute until sausage cooked through, about 10 minutes, breaking up meat with back of spoon. Add tomatoes with juice to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in large bowl. Stir in hot tomato sauce. Mix gently until spinach is wilted. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over top. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheese melt, about 30 minutes.

Beet greens and rice gratin

This is another one of those dishes that's good either hot or cold.

Notes: I used mozzarella instead of Gruyere (and added more Parmesan), and I skipped the blanching/steaming set. I just threw the raw beet greens directly into the pan with the onion and garlic and let them cook until wilted.

From the New York Times:

1 generous bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 eggs
1/2 cup low-fat milk (2 percent)
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup cooked brown rice, arborio rice or Calrose rice
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup, tightly packed)
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin dish with olive oil. Either blanch the beet greens for 1 minute in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, or steam over an inch of boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, until wilted and tender. Rinse with cold water, squeeze out water and chop medium-fine. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cooked greens and the thyme and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the greens mixture, the rice and the cheeses and mix together well. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until sizzling and lightly browned on the top and sides. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Baked rigatoni with mushroom ragout

Mmmm, baked pasta. I used rigatoni, but ziti or penne would work just as well. I also used this recipe from Bon Appetit, without the dried mushrooms; I had a big clamshell of white button mushrooms from Costco which I used up instead.

It's almost mac and cheese with mushrooms added in; but the sauce is a white bechamel sauce, instead of a cheese sauce. Regardless, it's rich and cheesy and mushroom-y and delicious.

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1 3/4 cups finely chopped onions
1 lb fresh button mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
12 ounces pasta (rigatoni, penne, or ziti)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and simmer over medium-high heat 10 minutes.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir until sauce thickens and boils, about 3 minutes. Stir into mushroom mixture. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and chives. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Return to pot. Add mushroom sauce and toss well to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over. Bake casserole until heated through and light golden, about 25 minutes.

Spinach and cheese quinoa casserole

This is a great thing to make when there's not much left in the house--quinoa from the pantry, a box of frozen spinach from the freezer, some odds and ends of cheese.

Reprinted below:


1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
3 cups chicken broth
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I left this out, didn't have one)
3 green onions, chopped (I substituted a shallot)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 box chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and all liquid squeezed out
1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I threw in some goat cheese as well)
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cups grated mozzerella cheese (Used gruyere instead)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large saucepot over medium high heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the chopped bell pepper, scallions and spinach and saute for about four minutes—just until bell pepper has started to soften. Add the garlic and continue sauteing for another 30 seconds. Add quinoa to the pot, followed by the chicken broth, salt, dry mustard and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed. Stir well.

Now, add the grated cheddar cheese and milk. Stir to combine then pour into a greased 9 x 13″ casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine the Panko and the mozzerella cheese. Sprinkle on top of casserole and bake for about 30 minutes at 375 until golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving (or not).

Sriracha pork mac n' cheese

Last week I cooked up a ginormous pork shoulder, to make a big batch of pulled pork. (Why not; I had a lot of jars of barbecue sauce around.) Hubs and I have been eating pulled pork sandwiches all week, which is delicious, but was becoming tiring.

So today I decided to make a big batch of pork mac and cheese.

I used this mac and cheese recipe, without the greenery, with lots of leftover shredded pork added in. (I used regular cheddar cheese; I bet pepper jack would be fantastic in this.)

On the spur of the moment, I added a healthy amount of Sriracha to the cheese sauce, enough to turn it lightly orange.

The result was a slightly spicy, very porky, very cheesy mac and cheese.

Sriracha and pork make everything better, don't they? To celebrate I made myself a Srirazerac, as well.

Butternut squash casserole with leeks and prosciutto

Time for using up random things again, including a bunch of prosciutto. (It's a good problem to have.) This is essentially a savory bread pudding, with butternut squash, leeks, prosciutto, and parmesan.

From Food & Wine, reprinted below:

3 pounds butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 leeks—white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 4 cups)
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
8 ounces baguette, crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 ounces thinly-sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips

Preheat the oven to 400° and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking ceramic baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 25 minutes, until tender, tossing once halfway through. Let cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the half-and-half, cheese, 1 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in the bread and let stand for 10 minutes. Fold in the squash and the prosciutto. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for about 1 hour, until lightly golden on top. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard and mushrooms

Hey, look! I cooked something!

It's been over a month since I cooked anything (Christmas Day, to be exact). In that time, I've been eating a lot of other people's cooking and road food. Also some nice meals out, but probably too many.

To avoid spending unnecessary money on both road food and eating out, I wanted to get my kitchen operational as quickly as possible. Step 1: unpack. Step 2: stock the pantry. I started at Costco, and finished with a couple of trips to local grocery chains. I've discovered that some things are weirdly cheap (eggs are $1 a dozen, eggplants are $1 each) and some things are weirdly expensive (booze has a 35% tax! Can you believe it?).

The pantry is about 85% there, but it's enough to get started. First I made chili with ground pork, then I made a big batch of tomato sauce, then I made some fudge, and now I'm making bread.

For dinner last night, I made baked rigatoni with eggplant, chard, and mushrooms. It's a variation on a theme, but a delicious one.

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped (I used one large shallot)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small package of mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch chard, loosely chopped
3-4 cups tomato sauce
Leaves from 1 small bunch basil
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat some olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add the eggplant pieces in one comfortable layer (you may need to do more than one batch) and cook until golden brown. Set aside in a large bowl. Cook the mushrooms next in the same skillet. Add to the eggplant. Saute the onion and garlic next, and add that to the eggplant. Cook the chard just long enough so that it's wilted, and add that to the eggplant as well.

Cook the rigatoni until still slightly firm. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add both to the eggplant, along with the tomato sauce, basil and any seasonings,  and the mozzarella. Mix well, and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with parmesan and pepper, and bake at 450 until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Bacon, potato and red pepper hash

Ah, hash. I've made white bean breakfast hash, sausage and potato hash, blue potato and corn hash, even sweet potato hash. Really just an excuse to eat crispy-fried potatoes, with other things.

This hash is one of those everything-left-in-the-fridge dishes. I simultaneously used up the rest of the potatoes, the bacon, two giant red peppers, and half a bag of frozen lima beans. And because I'll put a fried egg on top, the rest of the eggs, too.

Feel free to use this as a template, to empty your own refrigerator.

Dice some potatoes, and boil in water until almost but not quite cooked through. Drain. Fry some bacon. Remove the actual bacon and saute one diced onion and two diced red peppers in the bacon grease. When soft, add the potatoes back in, and any frozen veggies. Keep the heat on high and keep an eye on it. Stir it enough to keep it from burning, but not so much that you keep it in constant motion--you want a nice brown sear on everything. (I also threw in four diced mushrooms, just 'cause.)

When sufficiently browned, season with salt and pepper, crumble the cooked bacon on top, and serve with an egg on top. Good any time of day.

Baked shells with spinach and cheese

Essentially baked ziti, with mini shells and a bag of frozen spinach. All the flavors of lasagna, with none of the effort.

Chicken and lentils

This is a great one-pot dish, somewhere between a stew and a big messy pile of goodness. If you want something closer to a stew, add more liquid; if you want something closer to chicken with juicy lentils, add a little less.

Bonus: I've almost used up all the lentils!

1/2 cup olive oil
1 whole chicken, cut up (I used a package of eight boneless chicken thighs)
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon coriander
1 bunch each cilantro and parsley, chopped
4 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils

In a Dutch oven, brown the chicken in the olive oil. Remove from the pan once browned on all sides, and add the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato sauce, coriander, cilantro and parsley. Salt and pepper. Add the broth (or water) along with the cinnamon sticks and lentils.

Cook on low, covered, for about 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Add the chicken back in and cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Butternut squash and bacon baked pasta

This is really a casserole, but nobody likes the word "casserole," so we'll call it baked pasta instead. Any shape of pasta will do. I threw in an acorn squash, too.

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
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 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. 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.

Baked rigatoni with butternut squash and goat cheese

Baked pasta is a quick and easy way to elevate a box of pasta into something more than noodles and sauce. This is particularly delicious, with all the flavors of fall.

From foodess.com:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb rigatoni
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium onions, cut in half then sliced thinly crosswise
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
pepper
pinch nutmeg
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash cubes with oil, and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet; season with salt. Bake until tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta as directed; drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium pan over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towel. Pour out all but 1-2 tablespoons of fat – enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add onions, sprinkle with sugar, and cook over medium-high heat until meltingly tender and deeply caramelized, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes). Stir in balsamic vinegar; set aside.

While onions are caramelizing, make the sauce. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat, cooking until butter smells fragrantly nutty and is a warm brown colour. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. Very slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a very large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, roasted squash, bacon, caramelized onions, goat cheese and sage leaves. Transfer to a large baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until edges are crispy and breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Baked ziti with spinach

We're going on a mini-vacation soon (visiting family, and the Big Easy), and so you know what that means. Time to clean out the fridge. I won't be buying any groceries between now and the time we get back.

First up: baked ziti. Uses up a box of pasta, a tub of homemade spaghetti sauce, some cheese, and a box of frozen spinach.

1 box ziti, cooked until softened but still too hard to eat
4-5 cups spaghetti sauce
1 lb grated mozzarella
handful grated parmesan
1 box frozen spinach, thawed

Mix the cooked and drained ziti with the spinach, sauce, and half the mozzarella. Pour into an 8x13 casserole dish. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly on top.

Spinach gratin

2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
1 1-lb bag frozen spinach, thawed, with all the juice squeezed out
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onions 10 minutes or so. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook for another minute. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Add the spinach and the cheese and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a baking dish, sprinkle more cheese on top, and bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Chicken pot pie

What better way to use up a bunch of summer vegetables and leftover chicken?

This is not so much a recipe as it is a guideline. Feel free to use different vegetables. Peas, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and other kinds of squash are easy substitutions. If you like more sauce, use fewer vegetables. (I like my chicken pot pie not very saucy.) This made two big 8x13 casserole dishes of chicken pot pie, so scale back if you need to.

2 zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 package mushrooms, sliced
Cooked leftover barley or rice (you could substitute potatoes too)
Cooked leftover chicken

For sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
Tabasco

2 pie crusts
1 egg, beaten

Saute the veggies in olive oil until they begin to soften. Add leftover barley or rice to heat through. Stir in the chicken to heat through. Season with salt and pepper, and whatever fresh herbs you may have. (I used parsley, basil, and a little oregano.)

For the sauce, combine the flour and melted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together. Slowly add the chicken broth, and then the cream and milk. Continue whisking over medium heat until it boils. At this point it will be visibly thicker, like a cream sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in a few drops of Tabasco, and combine with the chicken and veggie mixture.

Pour into two casserole dishes. Place a rolled-out pie crust on top of each. Slice into the pie crust to create vents, and brush each with the beaten egg.

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, or until the crusts are nicely browned.

Zucchini and polenta casserole

Any summer squash will do. I used green and yellow zucchini, and doubled the recipe.

1/2 tablespoon each olive oil and butter
1 small onion, minced
2 small green peppers, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium-to-large zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup parmesan
1 teaspoon each fresh thyme, salt and pepper
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Saute the onion and peppers in the olive oil and butter until partially softened; add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the zucchini and cook 4-5 minutes.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs; whisk into the cornmeal mix. Add the cooked veggies to the batter and stir together.

Pour into a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 until firm, 30 minutes or so. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ratatouille

I've made ratatouille salad before, and ratatouille pizza, but here comes the real thing!

Some ex-co-workers of my husband's are leaving town, headed for a new job, and they graciously donated their last garden haul to us. Several nice zucchini, a bag of onions, a few pantry odds and ends. Combined with the eggplant currently in my fridge (bought on sale) and the jar of home-canned tomatoes from my mom,  all these things will make a really nice ratatouille.

I'm using this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, sans red pepper, since I don't have one. I'll probably serve it over rice, maybe quinoa.

Ricotta pudding

Like spoonbread, only cheesy!

3 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups whole-milk ricotta
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and pepper

Whisk together eggs, egg yolk, and ricotta. Add rest, mix together. Pour into a buttered 9-inch square baking dish, cover with foil, and set inside a larger baking dish. Pour tepid in, about halfway up the sides of the 9-inch dish, to form a water bath. Bake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the middle is set.

Spinach and fresh mozzarella lasagna

It's the last lasagna of the season, folks. Using the first of the spring spinach!

Lasagna is another great way to use up random ends of stuff. Veggies and cheese lend themselves particularly well. I use no-boil noodles, this tomato sauce, and a ricotta mixture made up of ricotta, an egg or two, a splash of milk, and some pesto.

I've also made spinach and red pepper lasagna, sweet potato and red pepper lasagna, beet lasagna, chard lasagna, and butternut squash lasagna. But I think this one is especially tasty, as the spinach is really fresh, and the fresh mozzarella gets ooey-gooey.

You can use this lasagna  recipe as a template. Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta mix, slabs of fresh mozzarella (3-5 per layer), handfuls of fresh spinach to cover, parmesan cheese, in that order. Continue until you run out of something (noodles, sauce, an ingredient, or room in your lasagna pan). Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Orzo with feta, tomato sauce, and spinach

This is one of my standard recipe templates; I've written about a couple of different variations on this theme, here and here. Orzo (rice-shaped pasta) + feta cheese + some kind of tomato sauce + vegetable, baked. It makes a yummy cheesy pasta casserole type thing. I've also done it with shrimp, but since shrimp tends to be expensive, I usually leave that out.

1 box of orzo, cooked and drained
2-3 cups of tomato sauce (depending on how saucy you want it)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed, with excess water squeezed out (a box of frozen peas or green beans also works well)
1 block of feta cheese, broken into crumbles

Mix everything together in a bowl and dump into a large casserole dish. Cover with more crumbled feta, and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot.