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Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,246
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

[ Edited ]

I love this, and in servings it warms in the microwave so that you'd think you just made it!  My students made this in Adv. Foods and the moms couldn't thank me enough!

 

Chopped Noodle Bake

 

Heat oven to 350

Butter a 3 qt or larger casserole

 

2 lbs ground beef

2 cans tomato sauce

garlic powder

3 Tbs. chives (opt.)

1-16 oz  pkg small egg noodles

1 8 oz sour cream

1 lg soffened cream cheese

2 Tbs butter

1 cup cheddar cheese

 

Butter casserole and set aside

In a lg skillet brown ground beef; drain (I put mine in a strainer and pour                 hot water over to remove all the grease)

Add the tomato sauce and garlic powder to taste

Simmer 20 minutes.

 

Cook noodles in water.  Drain( toss with small amt of butter to keep from sticking.)

 

Use a small hand mixer and mix sour cream with softened cream cheese.  Add opt. chives.

 

Layer 1/2 of the noodles in the casserole.

Layer 1/2 of the sour cream mixture.  (I dot spoonfulls then connect the                   dots).

Layer half of the meat.

 

Repeat above procedure.

Sprinkle on cheddar cheese.

Bake on 350 for 30 minutes (may need to cover cheese, don't brown).

 

Serve by going to the bottom of the casserole with a spoon.

 

*May be made a day ahead.  Warm on 350 for ONE HOUR for 45 min. and add cheese the last 10 min.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 947
Registered: ‎10-24-2015

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

[ Edited ]

This is EXCELLENT. You can use ziti or penne instead of rigatoni. I use chicken sausage because I don't eat pork.

 

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage (Tyler Florence Recipe)

Serves 8

 

Ingredients

kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

6 links Italian sausage

1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces ( about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

28 ounces peeled whole tomatoes

1 bunch basil ( small bunch)

1 lb rigatoni pasta

1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese

fresh ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
  2. Oil a 9x13 pan with olive oil.
  3. Heat a 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium.
  6. Add 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.
  7. Add another 3 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet, then the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent.
  8. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

 

Directions

  1. Add the rigatoni to the boiling pasta water, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  3. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water.
  4. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula until combined.
  5. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
  6. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,246
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!


@italia8140 wrote:

This is EXCELLENT. You can use ziti or penne instead of rigatoni. I use chicken sausage because I don't eat pork.

 

Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage (Tyler Florence Recipe)

Serves 8

 

Ingredients

kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

6 links Italian sausage

1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces ( about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

28 ounces peeled whole tomatoes

1 bunch basil ( small bunch)

1 lb rigatoni pasta

1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese

fresh ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
  2. Oil a 9x13 pan with olive oil.
  3. Heat a 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the sausages and toss in the hot oil for 3 to 4 minutes, you want them nicely browned on the outside but still rare on the inside. Put the sausages in the baking dish.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium.
  6. Add 1/3 cup of oil to the skillet and get it hot. Add as many eggplant pieces as you can comfortably fit in a single layer and sprinkle well with salt. Cook, turning, for 7 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is nice and browned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Use a spatula to put the eggplant into the baking dish with the sausage. Cook the rest of the eggplant pieces, adding more oil to the pan, as needed, and putting the finished eggplant into the baking dish.
  7. Add another 3 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet, then the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent.
  8. Dump the whole can of tomatoes and their juices into a bowl and crush the tomatoes with your hands to break them up; add that to the pan with the basil and cook it down until pulpy and relatively thick. This will take about 15 minutes.

 

Directions

  1. Add the rigatoni to the boiling pasta water, give it a stir, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, it should be slightly firm as it will cook further in the oven. Ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve; the drain the rigatoni.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  3. Chop the sausages into nice big, bite-size chunky pieces and return the pieces to the baking dish. Add the tomato sauce, rigatoni, and the reserved pasta water.
  4. Break up half the mozzarella over the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and gently mix with your hands or a spatula until combined.
  5. Dust with the Parmigiano and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
  6. Spread the remaining mozzarella in an even layer over the top and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

*********************Can't wait to try this!  I can see this with cut up grilled chicken also, or without the meat as a vegetable with roast!!!

Valued Contributor
Posts: 812
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

Your recipe sounds good and reminds me of something I used to make years ago. What size is the bag of noodles? 8 ounce or 16 ounce? TIA

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

I love a great lentil soup and my Mom made the best. However I can't seem to get it just right. Not that I haven't tried. I would love a recipe for the world's best lentil soup. Her's was soooooo good. I just don't seem to know the secret.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,246
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

I get the 16 oz small (of course they increase when they cook) since you have two pounds of ground beef.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,458
Registered: ‎04-26-2013

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

@QPrincess, funny you should ask, I have a big pot of this on the stove right now, it sounds weird but really very good, it's an old Francois Pope recipe

 

Lentil Weiner Soup

 

1/2# lentils

8 cups water

simmer for about 2 hours

 

4 strips bacon diced  -  saute till almost crisp

 

1/2 cup chopped fine celery

1/4 cup chopped fine onion    

add to bacon, saute a few minutes (I also s & p at this time)

 

Add 2 tbsp flour, saute a few minutes & add all to lentils, then add

1/2 cup tomato paste or sieed tomatoes  (I use tomato paste)

& cooke 1/2 hour

 

1/2# hot dogs, sliced 1/4" & sauteed in butter, (I like mine a little browned) add to lentils, cook another 15 min, Enjoy

 

I usually double the recipe, freezes well

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,354
Registered: ‎03-21-2010

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

These recipes sound good.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,246
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!


@151949 wrote:

I love a great lentil soup and my Mom made the best. However I can't seem to get it just right. Not that I haven't tried. I would love a recipe for the world's best lentil soup. Her's was soooooo good. I just don't seem to know the secret.


*****I'm not a lentil girl, but did you try Cooks.com and Recipes.com?

I could see using the chicken broth base and adding all or part (if the batch is small) if Lipton's Onion Soup Mix.  I'd also add some spinach or cut up boc choy cut up stems (great crunch there) and greens.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,802
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Let's Share a good "Italian" (Tomatoes, basil...)Other than spaghetti)type of recipe!

not so much a recipe but  for Italian tomatoes in the summer, we just love to cut roma tomatoes on a bed of romaine and slice green and red peppers, sweet onions and mozzarella cheese than season with basil, olive oil and rice seasoned vinegar.