Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli  
Olive Garden Copycat
http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-recipe.html

1 lb. ground beef (I used Italian sausages to keep things interesting)
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. carrot, julienned
1 c. celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (I used black beans I had cooked and frozen previously)
1 can white beans (I cooked these from dry as well, soaking them with a sprig of rosemary to add flavor, a tip I read in a Williams-Sonoma version of Pasta e fagioli)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato juice (I used low sodium)
1 TBLS white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 lb. ditali pasta (I used macaroni since I had a huge bag of it on hand)

Instructions:

1.  Brown the meat in a large pot over medium heat.  Drain off most of the fat.

2.  Add onion, celery, carrot & garlic and saute for 10 min.

3.  Add everything else except the pasta and simmer for 1 hour.  (Throughout the process I added homemade chicken stock as was needed.  The recipe as is makes a VERY thick stew.  I think I added about 2 cups or more per batch.)

4.  About 50 min. into the simmering, cook the pasta to al dente, and then add it to the big pot for the last five minutes!

Vegetarian Greek Lentil Casserole with Bell Peppers and Feta

Vegetarian Greek Lentil Casserole with Bell Peppers and Feta

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2013/02/vegetarian-greek-lentil-casserole.html#sthash.Mf3mAub4.dpuf

(Makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed if needed (lentils that come in a package often don't need to be rinsed)
1 large onion, chopped small
2 tsp. minced garlic (or more)
1 cup + 2 T vegetable stock or broth (canned vegetable broth is fine here)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Greek oregano
1 tsp. Greek Seasoning*
1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes, drained and slightly mashed
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese (I used a full cup)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Use a 3 quart casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid. Combine lentils, chopped onion, minced garlic, vegetable broth, bay leaf, black pepper, Greek oregano, and Greek seasoning in the casserole dish and bake covered for 45 minutes.

While lentils bake, drain the tomatoes and mash gently inside the can with a fork. Cut seeds out of the bell peppers and finely chop, and crumble enough Feta to make 3/4 cup.

After 45 minutes, take lentils out of the oven, stir in the crushed tomatoes, put the lid back on and bake for 15 minutes more. Then take out again, gently mix in the finely chopped bell pepper and 2/3 of the Feta. Crumble the rest of the Feta over the top and bake 15-20 minutes more, or until the Feta is starting to melt and get lightly browned. Serve hot.

From frozen:  I mixed in the bell peppers and feta and did not bake the last 15-20 minutes as indicated in the recipe, so you can do that after thawing.  This was at the suggestion of the person who wrote the blog.  ENJOY!  We really liked it! 

*I made my own Greek seasoning from this Taste of Home recipe:

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole

Tomato, Broccoli & Mozzarella Pasta Casserole serves 6

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-tomato-broccoli-mozzare-153919

12 ounces farfalle pasta (I used rotini)
1 pound broccoli florets, frozen or fresh
3 large ripe tomatoes, divided
3/4 pound onion, diced (I sauteed these ahead of time so they wouldn't be crunchy)
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup chopped basil leaves, divided
1/2 pound fresh full-fat mozzarella, divided
3 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese (4% milkfat or greater)
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt generously. Add the farfalle and cook for 11 minutes or until barely al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave or in a steamer basket on the stovetop, just until tender. Drain thoroughly and chop roughly into bite-sized florets. Toss with the cooked pasta. Chop two of the tomatoes into rough pieces, and add them to the pasta. Stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic, along with the drained chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of the chopped basil. Tear about 2/3 of the fresh mozzarella into thumbnail-sized chunks and fold this into the pasta mixture.

Whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese and lemon juice. Stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir this liquid into the pasta mixture until well combined. Stir in the salt and pepper.
Spread the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Slice the remaining tomato into half-moons and arrange on top of the pasta. Tear the rest of the mozarella into bits and scatter between the rows of tomato slices. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese on top has melted and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the remaining chopped basil over top. Let stand for a few more minutes before serving.

I haven't cooked this from frozen, but we did eat it the day I assembled these.  It was good, but the pasta is a bit overcooked!  SORRY!  I also read a lot of reviews on the website and decided to saute the onions ahead of time so as not to be eating them crunchy.  All the veggies I used were from our local farmshare or from our very own little garden!  Next time I'd add more tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Rigatoni with Sausage, Squash, and Tomato

Feb 3

Rigatoni with Sausage, Pumpkin, and Tomato Sauce (Rachael Ray)

Serves 6

salt and pepper
1 lb. rigatoni
1 cup chicken stock
generous pinch of saffron (20-24 threads)
2 tbls. EVOO
1 lb. sweet or hot sausage (I used sweet since I'm not a fan of spicy foods)
1 lb. pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into small dice (I used half butternut, half squash for variety but  won't do that again because the pumpkin cooked faster than the butternut so it's a bit mushy - sorry about that!)
1 onion chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I used minced)
1 fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced, or 1 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper instead, because I didn't want it to be spicy - I figured people who like spice could always add spice, but you can't take spice out!)
1 can (28-32 oz) san marzano tomatoes (I only used half a can per recipe, because it seemed like a lot of tomatoes!)

grated pecorino-romano, served at the table

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• While the pasta is working, in a small saucepan, heat the stock and saffron.  Keep warm.
• In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat.  Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned.  Add the pumpkin (or squash), onion, garlic, and chile;  season with salt and pepper.  Partially cover and cook for 7 minutes.  Stir in the saffron stock and tomatoes.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced, 15 minutes.
• Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce and toss.  Serve in bowls and top with the cheese.

For the freezer meals:  I have never frozen this before, but a website I looked at had a very similar meal listed as a successful freezer meal, so I'm hoping it works!  I tried to cook the noodles a bit less than it called for because I've heard they can get a bit soggy - so I am hoping the noodles hold up!  Everything is cooked, so the meal will only need to be reheated.  You can either pop it in the oven and bake it, or drop it in a pan on the stove.  Enjoy!