Category: Italian


Jul
2016

Pasta With Italian Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes And Summer Squash

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta
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Pasta with Italian Sausage is a delicious meal, with seasoned spaghetti noodles topped with sun-dried tomatoes, onion, basil and summer squash.Pasta with Italian Sausage is a delicious meal, with seasoned spaghetti noodles topped with sun-dried tomatoes, onion, basil and summer squash.

Recently I created a recipe for pasta with Italian sausage. I used 2 Italian sausages that I scavenged out of our freezer, added summer squash from our garden, and some sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil) from our garden, as well, so it certainly wasn’t a budget buster!

This dish WAS packed with great flavor! I made the sausage topping while the pasta was cooking, so the entire meal was quick to put together!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Pasta with Italian Sausage

Begin by cooking the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta was cooking, I cooked the ingredients for the “sauce” in my trusty old, large skillet.

The ingredients for the pasta "sauce" are cooked in a skillet.

These ingredients include Italian sausage, onion, green peppers, yellow squash, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, and spices.

The Italian sausage and veggies are cooked until done.

When done cooking, drain off the little bit of grease from the Italian sausage from the skillet. Good riddance!

The grease from the skillet is drained off once the Italian sauce is cooked.

 

Season the Cooked Pasta

For this recipe for pasta with Italian sausage I use spaghetti, but any pasta would work just fine! When done cooking, drain the pasta (don’t rinse), then put it back in the pan. Toss the hot pasta with butter, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and garlic powder. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pasta With Italian Sausage features buttered, seasoned spaghetti noodles.

Serve The Pasta with Italian Sausage

Divide the hot, seasoned pasta with Italian sausage into serving dishes. Top each portion with the Italian sausage mixture. Generously sprinkle the pasta with additional Parmesan cheese, to finish.

The finished pasta with Italian sausage is sprinkled with Parmesan and served in a white bowl.

Grab a fork, and enjoy this tasty pasta with Italian sausage dish! Looks pretty good, and tastes very good! The best part? Pasta with Italian sausage can be prepared and on the table in about 20 minutes!

A slice of buttered sourdough bread is served along with the pasta with Italian sausage.

Hope you enjoy this delicious pasta with Italian sausage! I made it up as I went along (which is ALWAYS an adventure!), but was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was. the pasta is full of flavor!  My husband and I LOVED this simple meal.  Have a great day, friends, and please come back again soon.

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorite pasta recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: My hungry brain.

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Pasta With Italian Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes And Summer Squash
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Pasta with Italian Sausage is a delicious meal, with seasoned spaghetti noodles topped with sun-dried tomatoes, onion, basil and summer squash.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta with Italian sausage
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1187 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Pasta "Sauce":
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 Italian sausages , casing removed
  • 1/4 cup chopped brown onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped green peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves , chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
For Pasta:
  • 8 ounces pasta (½ pound)- I used spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and Pepper , to taste
  • Additional shredded Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). When fully boiling, add pasta and cook per package instructions.
  2. While pasta is cooking, prepare the "sauce", by heating olive oil on medium high in large skillet. Add crumbled Italian sausage, chopped onion, green peppers, yellow squash, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano and minced garlic. Cook for approx. 7-8 minutes, until done. Drain any grease from pan. Keep warm.
  3. When pasta is done cooking, drain, then return to pan. While pasta is hot, add butter, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well, to combine.
  4. Place seasoned pasta in serving bowls. Top with hot sausage mixture.
  5. Garnish (liberally) with additional shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Pasta With Italian Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomatoes And Summer Squash
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 1187 Calories from Fat 657
% Daily Value*
Fat 73g112%
Saturated Fat 24g150%
Cholesterol 119mg40%
Sodium 1055mg46%
Potassium 999mg29%
Carbohydrates 97g32%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 35g70%
Vitamin A 885IU18%
Vitamin C 49.5mg60%
Calcium 122mg12%
Iron 3.7mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Pasta with Italian Sausage is a delicious meal, with seasoned spaghetti noodles topped with sun-dried tomatoes, onion, basil and summer squash.

 

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Jul
2016

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

categories: Chicken, Italian, Main Dishes
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Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!
Today I am happy to share and recommend a unique and delicious recipe I found on Pinterest for stuffed chicken breasts. YUM.

How can you go wrong with Italian seasoned, pan-seared (then baked) chicken breasts, stuffed full of fresh baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, AND ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese? I mean, really… how could this NOT taste good? Here’s how to make them.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Stuffed Chicken Breasts

The first thing you will need to do is mix up the Italian “dressing” in a small bowl. This will only take a minute or less.

An Italian seasoned "dressing" is mixed together before applying to chicken.
This is what it will look like once combined… it’s a bit thicker than a normal dressing or sauce.

The seasoning sauce is fairly thick before it is brushed onto chicken.

Prepare The Chicken Breasts For Stuffing

Carefully cut a “pocket” into each of the chicken breasts. Slice deep into each chicken breast (horizontally), but DO NOT cut all the way through the chicken breast! After cutting, they should be able to open almost all the way (like this, shown below).

Boneless chicken breasts are cut almost all the way through, forming a pocket.
Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian “dressing”. A pastry brush works well for this.

Sauce is brushed onto all sides of the chicken breasts.

Creating The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuff one half of each chicken breast with thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed). I was lucky to be able to use the sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil that I grew in our garden, dehydrated, then packed in oil last Fall! You can find jars of sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed) in most grocery stores nowadays.

Sun dried tomatoes are placed on one side of the chicken breast.
Place the slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Mozzarella cheese slices are placed on top of sun dried tomatoes.
Top the mozzarella slices with a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves. Whoo Hoo… they’re almost done now!

Baby spinach leaves are added to the stuffed chicken breasts.

Seal Up Then Brown The Chicken

Now close the chicken breasts up, stuffing as much as you can into each piece. Secure the chicken breast, top to bottom, with several toothpicks to hold it all together. I used 3 toothpicks for each one, putting them in at a diagonal.

Heat olive oil in an OVENPROOF skillet until really hot. Carefully add the stuffed chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until each side is seared golden brown in color.

Secured with toothpicks, the stuffed chicken breasts are pan seared in hot oil.

Oven Time!

After browning both sides of the stuffed chicken breasts, place the skillet (and chicken) into a preheated 350 degree oven. Cook the chicken for 15-18 minutes for small and medium breasts.

Larger chicken breasts will need to cook a few minutes longer). This is what they will look like when you remove the skillet from the oven.  Lots of gooey cheese and juices!

After baking the stuffed chicken breasts are browned, and oozing with melted cheese.

Serve The Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Place the chicken onto individual serving plates, and for goodness sake… REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS!!! (Just sayin’ – no one wants to bite into a toothpick now, do they?) Spoon a bit of the sauce and/or melted cheese over the top of each chicken breast, and SERVE!  Doesn’t that look GOOD?

A serving of the stuffed chicken breast, on a plate.

I cut this one in half so you can see what the inside looks like! Pretty sure that you’re gonna like this chicken dish. It is really good!

Once cut, you can see the layers of stuffing in each piece of chicken.

I hope you will consider trying this wonderful chicken recipe… we really enjoyed it!  Have a blessed day, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you will come back again soon.

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my chicken recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of them you will enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://www.recipetineats.com/sun-dried-tomato-spinach-cheese-stuffed-chicken-breast/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
33 mins
 

Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

Category: Dinner, Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: stuffed chicken breasts
Servings: 2 servings
Calories Per Serving: 439 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For The Italian "Dressing":
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (may substitute lemon juice, if desired)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For Chicken:
  • 2 small or medium boneless , skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed), drained and cut into thin strips
  • 4 slices mozzarella cheese (2 per chicken breast to cover)
  • Handful of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (for pan-searing)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180C).

  2. Mix Italian "dressing" ingredients in a small bowl until combined.

  3. Slice a pocket in each chicken breast. Cut far into each breast (horizontally), but do not slice all the way through. Cover the chicken breasts inside and out with the Italian "dressing". I used a pastry brush.

  4. Stuff one half of each piece of chicken with a layer of sun-dried (and drained) tomatoes. Cover tomatoes with mozzarella cheese slices, then cover cheese with baby spinach leaves. Try to get as much of the filling stuffed inside of the chicken as you can. Use toothpicks to hold each piece together. I used 3 toothpicks for each breast, and inserted them through at an angle.
  5. Heat oil on medium-high in an ovenproof skillet until very hot. Carefully place the chicken breasts into hot skillet. Sear them (without moving them) for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over and repeat with other side, until golden brown on both sides.
  6. Place skillet with chicken into preheated oven. Continue cooking for 15-18 minutes. Larger breasts may take a couple minutes longer (it may also take a bit longer if you are cooking more than 4 breasts at a time).
  7. Remove from oven. Place chicken onto individual serving plates. REMOVE TOOTHPICKS. Spoon up some of the juices, and melted mozzarella cheese; place on top of chicken. Serve & enjoy!
Recipe Notes

If you are using really large chicken breasts, you can cut them in half once done, and you will end up with 4 decent sized portions (budget stretcher 101)

Nutrition Facts
Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 439 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 660mg29%
Potassium 1487mg42%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 2210IU44%
Vitamin C 16.3mg20%
Calcium 345mg35%
Iron 3.9mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Stuffed chicken breasts, filled with spinach, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are lightly seared, then baked, in this easy dish!

 

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Jan
2016

Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco

categories: Chicken, Italian, Main Dishes
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Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco is a delicious twist on an Italian classic. Braised in white wine, chicken stock & veggies, it’s served on mashed potatoes or polenta!Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco is a delicious twist on an Italian classic. Braised in white wine, chicken stock & veggies, it's served on mashed potatoes or polenta!

I enjoy searching for and finding new recipes to make for our family and friends. It’s especially fun when I stumble onto a recipe, make it, and enjoy it so much that I KNOW it will be made over and over again. Such is the case with this recipe for Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco!

Before making this dish, I had to find an answer to one truly important question. Exactly WHAT IS OSSO BUCCO in the first place? Well, here’s the answer! In Italian “osso bucco” means “bone with a hole”, and refers to the typical way this recipe is prepared – with veal shanks. Veal shanks have a bone filled with bone marrow in the center of the meat, therefore that is how it got the name. Makes sense, right?

Scroll Down For A Pintable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco

THIS recipe uses chicken thighs (bone in, skin on) instead of veal shanks, but the method of cooking is virtually the same. The meat braises for almost an hour in liquid, which results in a very tender piece of chicken.

This recipe for chicken thigh osso bucco originally was featured on the television show “The Chew”, and was prepared by host Clinton Kelly. I stumbled upon a slight adaptation of that recipe on another website, and that is the version I used to make this delicious dinner! Chicken thigh osso bucco is served on top of creamy mashed potatoes (or polenta, if that’s your preference). The dish smells fabulous, and tastes fabulous!

Prepare The Chicken

Here’s how you prepare this dish: *Note: original recipe calls for 8 chicken thighs. I used 4 since I was only cooking for two people, but kept everything else in recipe the same.

Dredge chicken thighs in flour to coat, then season them with salt and pepper.

Chicken thighs coated in flour for chicken thigh osso bucco.

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the floured chicken thighs to the hot oil, then sear the meat on both sides, until golden brown.

Thighs are seared in pan for chicken thigh osso bucco.

Once chicken is browned on both sides (but not cooked all the way through), transfer it to a plate or wire rack. Let it rest.

4 pan-seared chicken thighs, for chcken thigh osso bucco, on wire rack.

Cook The Veggies

Place the diced carrots and onions into the same pan you cooked the chicken thighs in (do not clean pan). Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally until the veggies have softened.

Diced carrots and onions cooked in large saucepan, for chicken thigh osso bucco.

Add garlic, tomato paste, white wine, chicken stock, rosemary and thyme to the veggies in the pan. Stir, to mix these ingredients together. Continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half.

Sauce is cooking for chicken thigh osso bucco dish.

Simmer The Chicken

Once the liquid is reduced by about half, add the chicken thighs back into the pan. Put a lid on the pan. Continue to simmer the chicken on low for about 45-50 minutes, until the chicken thigh osso bucco is cooked all the way through. Once that is completed, you are ready to serve this delicious dish.

Chicken pieces for chicken thigh osso bucco, are added to sauce, to bake.

Time To Serve Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco

To serve, place the chicken thigh osso bucco on top of creamy mashed potatoes (or polenta). Spoon some of the leftover sauce and veggies over the top of each piece of the chicken. Grab your fork, and get ready to dig in.

Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco served on top of potatoes, with broccoli on the side.

That’s it!  Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco is easy to make, fabulous tasting, and very filling! It also looks good on the plate, right? YUM! The chicken and veggies are very tender, and easy to cut. I think you will LOVE it!

Chicken thigh osso bucco served on top of mashed potatoes.

I really hope you will consider making this chicken thigh osso bucco. It is absolutely delicious, and will definitely be making it again! Have a wonderful day… praying we will all seek to be an encourager to someone who might need it today.

Looking For More Chicken Recipes?

There are LOTS of chicken recipes on my website. You can check them out using the Recipe Index at the top of the page. Some of our favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://dinnerthendessert.com/clinton-kelleys-chicken-thigh-osso-bucco/

4.67 from 15 votes
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Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco is a delicious twist on an Italian classic. Braised in white wine, chicken stock & veggies, it's served on mashed potatoes or polenta!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken thigh osso bucco
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 327 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 8 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • olive oil (enough to cover bottom of pan)
  • 1 brown onion (diced)
  • 1 large carrot (peeled, sliced, cut into quarters)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • parsley for garnish (if desired)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place flour, salt and pepper on plate. Mix. Dredge chicken in flour mixture until all sides are covered.
  2. Add olive oil (enough to cover bottom of pan) to large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium.
  3. When oil is hot, add chicken. Sear chicken until it is browned on both sides (you might need to brown chicken in batches). Remove chicken from pan.
  4. Add a bit more olive oil if necessary. Add onions and carrots; cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
  5. Add minced garlic. Cook for one more minute, stirring to prevent burning.
  6. Add tomato paste, wine, chicken stock, rosemary and thyme. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cook until the liquid in the pan has reduced by about half.
  7. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan; turn heat to low. Cover pan, and cook on low for 45-50 minutes (or until is cooked all the way through.
  8. Serve cooked chicken on top of creamy mashed potatoes or polenta. Spoon some of the veggies and sauce over the top of chicken. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 327 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 298mg13%
Potassium 357mg10%
Carbohydrates 10g3%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 1390IU28%
Vitamin C 2.1mg3%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 1.5mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Chicken Thigh Osso Bucco is a delicious twist on an Italian classic. Braised in white wine, chicken stock & veggies, it's served on mashed potatoes or polenta!

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Dec
2015

Florentine Lasagna Roll

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Pasta
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Florentine Lasagna Roll is a delicious, easy, meatless dish with spinach and cheese filled pasta, rolled & baked, covered in an Italian tomato sauce.Florentine Lasagna Roll is a delicious, easy, meatless dish with spinach and cheese filled pasta, rolled & baked, covered in an Italian tomato sauce.
I’ve been making this meatless Florentine Lasagna Roll for almost 20 years… for potlucks and delicious dinners with our family! Filled with spinach, three kinds of cheese, garlic and onion, then covered in a simple Italian flavored tomato sauce, this recipe is easy and FABULOUS!

Even though this meal is “meatless”, you don’t need it with three cheeses, spinach and fantastic Italian flavors shining through in this meal!

The recipe is “simple”; all you do is cook lasagna noodles, mix together a cheese and spinach filling and spread it over the noodles, roll it up, cover with an Italian-flavored tomato sauce and bake. Easy, right? Right. Anyone can make this great dish!  Here’s how:

Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of the Page

How To Make This Lasagna Roll

Cook the spinach according to package directions, and then drain it very well, to remove as much liquid as possible.

Draining cooked spinach for lasagna roll

In a medium sized bowl, combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, cooked and drained spinach, chopped onion, garlic cloves, black pepper, and egg.

Filling ingredients for florentine lasagna roll in white bowl

Mix well, to completely combine ingredients. Set aside.

Cheeses and spinach are combined, for filling lasagna rolls

Cook The Pasta

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions. You need 10 cooked lasagna noodles for this recipe. I cook 12, in case any of them split or break. Think of it as pasta insurance. Once cooked, drain the noodles, then arrange them on a large sheet of wax paper, overlapping the long (curly) sides to form a rectangle.

Cooked lasagna noodles are layered into a rectangle shape

Prepare The Florentine Lasagna Roll

Once noodles are fully arranged, carefully spread the filling over the noodles. I put spoonfuls of the spinach filling over the noodles, then use the back of a spoon to spread out the filling.

Florentine filling is spread onto cooked lasagna noodles

Roll It Up!

Spread grated Mozzarella cheese all over the cheese/spinach filling, then carefully roll up the pasta and filling.

To roll it up: Using the wax paper to help, begin tightly rolling the noodles up (starting with the side of rectangle with straight pasta edges). Use the wax paper to help roll noodles tightly as you go. Tuck the noodle edges under as you complete the first roll,  so you have a tight, firm roll to begin with.

Lasagna noodles and filling are rolled up, using wax paper

I pulled back some of the wax paper as I rolled to show you what it should look like.

Forming the lasagna roll

When pasta is completely rolled up, place the finished roll on a large baking sheet (one with rimmed edges). Carefully remove the last bit of wax paper from underneath the roll. The lasagna roll should look like this (see photo below).

Pasta is completely rolled up into a long shape

Make The Sauce For The Florentine Lasagna Roll

Combine the sauce ingredients (tomato sauce, sugar, basil and oregano) in a medium bowl, and then stir to combine. .

Italian tomato sauce is mixed together for lasagna rolls

Spoon the sauce over the entire surface (top and sides) of the Florentine lasagna roll. Use all of the sauce.

Italian sauce is spooned over pasta roll

When completely covered with sauce, grate Parmesan cheese all over the top and sides of the roll.

Pasta roll is covered with Italian tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese

Time To Bake The Florentine Lasagna Roll

Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from oven, and let the Florentine Lasagna Roll stand for 5 minutes before attempting to slice it.

Florentine lasagna roll is baked, then sliced

With a sharp knife cut slices of the Florentine Lasagna Roll, and place on individual serving plates with a large spatula. Serve with some crusty bread and a great salad, and BOOM! You’ve got yourself a great Italian “meatless” meal… just like that!

Florentine lasagna roll is served with salad and bread, on plate

Trust me… this meal is DELICIOUS. You won’t even miss having meat in it. The flavors are amazing, it’s really EASY to make, and looks quite nice, too! Sure hope you will give this recipe a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised! If you enjoy Italian food, you might also be interested in Florentine Manicotti, which is delicious, and uses ricotta cheese in the filling.

Have a great day during this busy holiday season. My husband and I made an intentional decision to NOT fill up this holiday season with “busy-ness” and looking for “things” to entertain us, as our culture tends to promote. Instead, we are enjoying a simple holiday season this year, trying to focus on what Christmas really means to us… the birth of our Savior, Jesus. His humble birth changed everything, and for that we are GRATEFUL.

Looking for More ITALIAN Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a lot of great Italian dishes you’ll enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: unknown (wrote recipe on a 3×5 card over 20 years ago- didn’t note where I got it from)

5 from 1 vote
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Florentine Lasagna Roll
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Florentine Lasagna Roll is a delicious, easy, meatless dish with spinach and 3 cheeses filled pasta, rolled, then covered in an Italian flavored tomato sauce.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: lasagna roll
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 420 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 10 cooked lasagna noodles
For The Filling:
  • 10 ounces package frozen spinach , cooked, and well drained.
  • 8 ounces package cream cheese (room temp.)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese , grated
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic , minced
  • 1 large egg , slightly beaten
  • 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese (do not add to filling-keep separate!)
For The Sauce:
  • 24 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
For garnish:
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
To Make The Filling:
  1. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Drain well. In small bowl, combine cream cheese, cooked spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped onion, black pepper, minced garlic and egg. Stir well until mixture is fully combined. Set aside.
To Make Lasagna Roll:
  1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Remove from heat; drain.
  2. On wax paper, arrange the noodles overlapping the long (curly) sides to form a large rectangle.
  3. Spread cheese/spinach filling over surface of noodles. Spread grated Mozzarella cheese over the cheese/spinach filling.
  4. Starting at short ends of the pasta (non curly), roll up the pasta (in jelly roll fashion), using the wax paper to help. Tuck the ends under and firm up the roll, as you roll it up, continuing to use the wax paper as a guide. When it is roll completely, carefully transfer (might have to use two spatulas) the roll to a large (9x13) baking sheet. Carefully remove the wax paper. Seam side should be down on the sheet.
To Make Sauce:
  1. In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, sugar, basil and oregano. Stir to combine.
To Finish Roll:
  1. Spread the sauce over top and sides of entire lasagna roll. Grate Parmesan cheese over top of the roll. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven. Let Lasagna Roll stand for 5 minutes before attempting to slice. Using a sharp knife, slice into serving sizes, and using a spatula, place slices onto individual serving plates. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Florentine Lasagna Roll
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 420 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 85mg28%
Sodium 693mg30%
Potassium 469mg13%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 6495IU130%
Vitamin C 6.8mg8%
Calcium 351mg35%
Iron 3.2mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Florentine Lasagna Roll is a delicious, easy, meatless dish with spinach and cheese filled pasta, rolled & baked, covered in an Italian tomato sauce.

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Nov
2015

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Pasta
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Cheese tortellini, enhanced with a cream sauce featuring tomatoes, spinach, garlic and Parmesan cheese is delicious, comforting and filling!Cheese tortellini, enhanced with a cream sauce featuring tomatoes, spinach, garlic and Parmesan cheese is delicious, comforting and filling!

Well, Fall weather has definitely come to the Pacific Northwest, bringing with it LOTS of rain and cooler temperatures, I have felt myself craving pasta lately. It’s funny- in the Summer I want to BBQ our meals; in Fall and Winter I crave “comfort food” recipes, much like this easy recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce.

My husband and I enjoyed this “meatless” pasta dish last week. Store bought tortellini is cooked, then served in a delicious cream sauce, which features the flavors of spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and of course… Parmesan cheese! It’s a very easy dish to pull together, as well, which ALWAYS scores big with me. Here’s how you make it:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook tortellini, according to package directions, while you are making the sauce. Time it so that the tortellini is done when the sauce is ready.

Cook frozen chopped spinach according to package directions (I didn’t have any so I used fresh baby spinach, chopped it, then cooked it for a couple minutes in boiling water to wilt it).

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Drain the spinach really well using a strainer. Set the drained spinach aside. (I drained it so well I BROKE this strainer. Oops. Be careful out there, folks!)

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil until it is tender (3-4 minutes).

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Once onions have softened, add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring well.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Add tomatoes, spinach, basil, salt and pepper to the skillet.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Give it a good stir, then continue cooking the mixture on medium-high heat until almost all of the liquid has cooked out (this will take about 5-6 minutes).

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Pour in the whipping cream.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Grate Parmesan cheese and add it to the mixture.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Give the sauce a good stir. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to LOW and simmer for 8-10 minutes (or until the sauce has thickened). Leave the skillet uncovered while cooking.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

About the time the sauce is finished cooking and hot, the tortellini should be done cooking.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Drain the cooked tortellini, then add to the skillet full of the tomato-spinach cream sauce.

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Gently stir, to coat the tortellini with the sauce. Place tortellini and sauce in serving dish, or serve portions onto individual plates. Grate additional Parmesan cheese on top of each individual serving, if desired, and serve while hot!

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

That’s it! Serve this with a mixed green salad for a hearty dinner! The recipe serves 6 (if using 16 oz. frozen tortellini-see Note Section of printable recipe). We enjoyed the leftovers, too!!

Have a great day! Think of ways you can encourage a friend, neighbor, or family member today, and act on it… be someone who makes a positive difference in someone’s life!

Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks!Recipe Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/tortellini-with-tomato-cream-sauce

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Cheese tortellini, enhanced with a cream sauce featuring tomatoes, spinach, garlic and Parmesan cheese is delicious, comforting and filling!

Category: Dinner, Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cheese tortellini
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 503 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 package (16 oz,) frozen cheese tortellini
  • 1 small brown onion , chopped
  • 2 Tablespoonfuls olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Additional grated Parmesan cheese for garnish , if desired
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Make tortellini:
  1. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. While the tortellini is cooking, make the sauce.
Make Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce:
  1. While tortellini is cooking, sauté chopped onion in olive oil (in large skillet) for 3-4 minutes, until onion has softened. Add garlic to skillet; cook for one minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
  2. Add tomatoes (and juice), drained spinach, basil, salt and black pepper to the skillet. Cook this mixture (uncovered) for 5-6 minutes on medium-high heat, until almost all of the liquid has been cooked away.
  3. Stir in the whipping cream and the Parmesan cheese. Stir well, then bring to a boil. Once it reaches the boiling point, reduce heat back down to low; simmer and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up a bit.
  4. When tortellini is finished cooking, drain it well, then add tortellini to tomato-spinach cream sauce in skillet. Gently stir to fully coat pasta with the sauce, then serve while hot.
  5. If desired (I recommend), garnish each individual serving with additional grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

-No frozen spinach? Use fresh baby spinach. Place spinach leaves in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain. Use as directed.
-Can also use a 9 oz.. pkg. of FRESH tortellini. Makes a couple less servings (and extra sauce), but is good substitution for 16 oz. frozen tortellini.

Nutrition Facts
Cheese Tortellini in a Tomato-Spinach Cream Sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 503 Calories from Fat 279
% Daily Value*
Fat 31g48%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 117mg39%
Sodium 902mg39%
Potassium 257mg7%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 6485IU130%
Vitamin C 4.8mg6%
Calcium 312mg31%
Iron 3.2mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Cheese tortellini, enhanced with a cream sauce featuring tomatoes, spinach, garlic and Parmesan cheese is delicious, comforting and filling!

 

 

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Sep
2015

Easy Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Pork, Sauces and Dressings
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Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage is a delicious, quick and easy meal to make, with tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and Italian spices. Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage is a delicious, quick and easy meal to make, with tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and Italian spices.

When I make spaghetti sauce, I typically cook the sauce for several hours. However, sometimes I don’t have time to spare, so I make this EASY and quick spaghetti sauce. The sauce is is flavored with Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and lots of spices. It’s delicious and filling, especially on a “cool weather” kind of day, like today in the Pacific Northwest.

I grew up eating my Mom’s spaghetti sauce, which she cooked with ground beef in the sauce. While that is good, my husband and I prefer the taste of Italian sausage in our sauce. I’ve been making it this way for YEARS! If you’ve never made sauce with Italian sausage, I hope you will consider it. The spaghetti sauce only takes about 10 minutes of prep work, then the rest of the time (30 minutes) is inactive “simmering” time. Not too much time to invest, and the results are wonderful!

I like to make extra spaghetti sauce to freeze for another day! The recipe serves 4-6 depending on serving size. Even if you can’t use that many servings in a single meal, it’s nice to have extra sauce available, for other meals).

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage

Start the party off by sautéing Italian sausage (which has been removed from the casing) with chopped onion. The meat and onions are cooked on medium heat in a large skillet.

Cooking Italian sausage and onions in skillet for spaghetti sauce.

Add chopped green pepper, and continue cooking until the Italian sausage is fully cooked.

Chopped green peppers are added to sausage, and onions for spaghetti sauce.

Drain the grease from the skillet, then add tomato paste, a large can of diced tomatoes, and water. Sometimes I add in 1/2 cup red wine, if I have an open bottle (optional, though).

Tomato paste, diced tomatoes and water are added to skillet with spaghetti sauce.
Next add the spices (oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper). Stir the spaghetti sauce well, to combine.

Dried Italian spices are added to skillet to season spaghetti sauce.

Add mushrooms. I used some of my dehydrated mushrooms (they ARE kind of handy to have around and re-hydrate wonderfully in the sauce).

Of course, you can use the same amount of fresh, sliced mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, just leave ’em out!

Mushrooms (dehydrated or fresh) are added to spaghetti sauce.
Cook the Spaghetti Sauce

Bring the spaghetti sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or so. The sauce will reduce a bit, and all those yummy flavors will permeate the sauce.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the spaghetti noodles (or any other pasta). Drain the cooked pasta, then place the spaghetti noodles onto individual serving plates. Top pasta with a ladle of this yummy spaghetti sauce, then garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage is served on top of pasta!
That’s it! It’s such an inexpensive and delicious hearty meal, with an amazing tasting Italian spaghetti sauce! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will come back again soon. Have a GREAT day!

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find all of my pasta recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of them, including:

You can find many other pasta recipes in my Recipe Index at the top of each post. Have a great day, and Buon Appetito (Italian, for “enjoy your meal!)!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureRecipe source: My brain, in Italian mode.

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Easy Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage is a delicious, quick and easy meal to make, with tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and Italian spices.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: spaghetti sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 278 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3 Italian sausage links (mild or hot), casings removed.
  • 3/4 cup chopped brown onion
  • 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
  • 1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup water (or substitute 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup red wine, if desired)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil (dried)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (dried)
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • Grated Parmesan cheese , for garnish (if desired)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Remove casing from sausage links by cutting with a knife down the length of the link, and removing the sausage. Discard the casing. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet.
  2. Sauté the sausage and chopped onion on medium heat. Add the green pepper; cook until sausage is fully cooked. Drain the grease out of the pan (discard), and return skillet to stovetop.

  3. Add tomato paste, can of diced tomatoes (including juice), and water to skillet. Add oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add sliced mushrooms. Stir all ingredients well, to combine.

  4. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and continue to cook for about 30 minutes. The sauce will reduce down a bit, and the flavors will permeate the sauce. Taste test the sauce and add additional salt or spices as desired.

  5. While sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta of your choice according to package directions. Drain pasta, then serve with spaghetti sauce ladled over the top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve HOT!

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation does not include pasta of your choice. It also does not include optional Parmesan cheese topping (optional).

Nutrition Facts
Easy Spaghetti Sauce With Italian Sausage
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 278 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 1199mg52%
Potassium 950mg27%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 780IU16%
Vitamin C 28.1mg34%
Calcium 83mg8%
Iron 3.7mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Spaghetti Sauce with Italian Sausage is a delicious, quick and easy meal to make, with tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and Italian spices.

 

 

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Jul
2015

Florentine Manicotti

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals, Pasta
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Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.

My husband and I love Italian food! One of the dishes we enjoy occasionally is this “meatless” recipe for Florentine Manicotti. Pasta shells filled with three cheeses (creamy ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan), spinach, and covered in spaghetti sauce. Yum. I like to think of manicotti as the Italian version of Mexican enchiladas!

For anyone unfamiliar with manicotti, it is a large, tube shaped type of pasta that is typically filled with meat or cheese and is baked in spaghetti sauce. This particular recipe is meatless; it’s delicious, and is a fairly easy dish to prepare. I use a recipe I found years ago on a box of pasta, and tweaked it a bit by adding cooked spinach and a couple additional spices to the cheesy filling, to give it a true “Florentine” touch!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The bottom Of The Page

Make The Filling For Florentine Manicotti

Cook a small box of frozen spinach, according to the package directions. Drain it very well, and let the spinach cool. When it has cooled off, mix up the cheese filling, and then add the spinach.

Preparing the filling for the florentine manicotti.

Prepare The Manicotti For Filling

Here’s what manicotti pasta shells look like BEFORE they are cooked. They’re each about 5 inches long. The tubes of pasta are fragile, so be very careful not to break them.

Manicotti pasta shells BEFORE cooking. Carefully add the pasta to a large pot of boiling, salted water, and cook it for 7 minutes.

The pasta shells are cooked for 7 minutes in boiling, salted water.Once done cooking, carefully remove the manicotti shells to a colander and drain them well.

After cooking, the manicotti pasta shells are drained in a colander.

Before you begin filling the Florentine manicotti put a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a baking pan.

Marinara sauce is spread on the bottom of casserole dish before adding stuffed manicotti.

Make The Florentine Manicotti

Gently fill each of the pasta tubes with the cheese and spinach filling. I hold the shell in my hand and fill one side with the cheese/spinach filling (using a spoon and sometimes a butter knife) clear to the middle. Switch to the other end of the shell and fill the other side. Try to get as much filling into the shell as possible without splitting it.

Stuffing the florentine manicotti shells before baking.Once the Florentine manicotti shells are filled, lay them on top of the spaghetti sauce.

Stuffed florentine manicotti are laid on top of sauce in baking dish.Cover the manicotti with the rest of the spaghetti sauce. I cover the entire pasta shell with sauce, then sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese (or grated mozzarella cheese).

The manicotti are covered with sauce and Parmesan cheese, to bake.

Time To Bake!

Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes longer. when done, the Florentine manicotti is heated through, and the cheese filling is bubbly.

Let cool for a minute or two (easier to serve up) , then remove the manicotti to serving plates using a spatula. The only thing left to do is grab a fork, dig in, and enjoy this tasty dish!

Florentine manicotti are done baking and ready to eat!Hope you will give this recipe a try!  I may not have the most mouthwatering “professional” photos to share, but trust me. Florentine manicotti are delicious, and I really think you will enjoy them! Have a great day, and please come back soon.

Looking for More ITALIAN Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious Italian dishes you might want to check out, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureRecipe adapted from: Box of American Beauty Manicotti Pasta Shells.

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Florentine Manicotti
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 
Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: florentine manicotti
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 332 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6-8 uncooked manicotti pasta shells
  • 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese (1 3/4 cups)
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella cheese
  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach (cooked per package directions, and drained well)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley , chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 3 cups (or one 28 ounce jar) prepared spaghetti sauce
  • Additional Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (for garnish, optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cook frozen chopped spinach per package instructions. Remove from heat; drain WELL. Let spinach cool.
  3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, grated mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground oregano. Stir well until fully combined.
  4. Add spinach to the cheese mixture. Stir well, to combine.
  5. Cook manicotti shells according to package instructions (add to boiling water-7 minutes cook time is typical). When done, remove from heat, drain gently, and let dry.
  6. Fill each shell using a spoon until full of filling.
  7. Spread some of the spaghetti sauce over the bottom of 13x9 baking pan (enough to fully cover); put the filled pasta in a single layer on top of sauce.
  8. Spoon the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the top of the manicotti. Sprinkle with additional grated Parmesan cheese (or mozzarella), if desired. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes; remove foil, then cook an additional 15 minutes. Manicotti should be hot and cheese bubbly when done. Remove pan from oven. Let sit for a minute or two, then gently remove manicotti to individual serving plates using a spatula.
  10. Serve with a green salad and a slice of crusty french bread, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Florentine Manicotti
Amount Per Serving (1 manicotti)
Calories 332 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 45mg15%
Sodium 1270mg55%
Potassium 736mg21%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 6720IU134%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 596mg60%
Iron 2.9mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Florentine manicotti, filled with ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and covered with marinara sauce is a meatless, easy to make Italian dish.

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Jun
2015

Make Grilled Pizzas On Your BBQ!

categories: For The BBQ Grill, Italian, Main Dishes
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Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool in the Summer!Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool this Summer!
Want to beat the heat in the kitchen this summer? Why not make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill? That way you can kill two birds with one stone… keep the ol’ kitchen cool, AND enjoy a great homemade pizza!

I heard someone say they loved grilled pizzas right off the BBQ grill. Wait… What? It sounded like a great cooking experiment so I decided to give it a try. Result? Completely awesome!  It’s really much easier than I thought it would be! Get your hands on some pizza dough. Purchase it at the grocery store or make your own.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make Or Purchase Pizza Dough

I like to make my own grilled pizza dough. If you want to see the recipe for the dough I use, you can find it on my blog post for “Make It Yourself! Pepperoni Pizza”. The most important tip about this way of making pizza is to have all the pizza toppings ready to go (chopped, diced, etc.) before you put the dough on the grill!

Make the pizza dough (or open the package of pre-made dough – whatever). When done, divide dough into 6-8 little balls (if wanting small individual sized pizzas) OR (as in my pictures), divide dough into 2 medium sized dough balls. Roll or stretch dough out into a round shape (don’t worry if they’re not perfectly round shaped… no biggie).

Pizza dough rising for grilled pizzas

Time To Make Grilled Pizzas On Your BBQ!

Heat your BBQ grill on medium high heat. Brush olive oil (important-don’t forget this step – this will keep dough from sticking to grill, and will crisp the dough up a bit!!!) on both sides of the circle-shaped pizza dough. Carefully slide the pizza dough onto the grill rack.

Cook dough for 3-4 minutes on the first side. The bottom should be lightly browned and have grill marks. The top of the dough will look done. Carefully remove dough and turn it upside down (*GRILLED SIDE UP) onto a cutting board.

Quickly add the sauce and toppings to your pizza. If you’re feeling brave, just flip the pizza over and add the sauce and toppings while it is on the grill. (that was too hot for me…I just had a wood cutting board outside and transferred it back and forth. Worked like a charm.

Pizza dough is removed from BBQ and toppings are added, then back onto BBQ grill
Carefully slide pizzas back onto grill and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. We put the lid on the BBQ, which helped the cheese melt. The bottom of the dough should be lightly browned.

Grilled pizzas made on the BBQ are ready to slice and eat!

Remove pizzas from grill, slice and serve, with any last minute garnishes. Serve immediately… enjoy!

Grilled pizza sliced and served... straight off the BBQ grill!
We loved the taste of the grilled pizzas… and I personally loved the fact that our kitchen stayed cool! We loved our grilled BBQ chicken pizza, and our veggie delight pizza, and look forward to making this easy dinner again this summer. It sure helps to keep our kitchen cool!

I am not posting a printable recipe because everyone likes different kinds of pizza, toppings, sauces, AND pizza dough. I simply wanted to describe the “how-to’s” of grilling fresh pizzas on a BBQ so anyone could do it themselves! Hope you will give it a try!

Looking for More PIZZA Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a variety of pizza recipes, which include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a great day.

Author's signature

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Learn how easy it is to make grilled pizzas on your BBQ grill, which helps keep your kitchen cool this Summer!

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May
2015

Fettucine Senese

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta
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Fettucine Senese is a wonderful Italian pasta dish, featuring a cream sauce with proscuitto, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and Pecorino Romano cheese.Fettucine Senese is a wonderful Italian pasta dish, featuring a cream sauce with proscuitto, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and Pecorino Romano cheese.
I made Fettucine Senese  for a pasta-themed dinner party we attended two years ago. Our menu featured several pasta entrees (a variety of fresh pastas were made during the dinner party), and this is the delicious entree I made. The sauce is an Olive Garden copycat recipe, which I found in one of my cookbooks, and it is DELICIOUS!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Where “Senese” Originated

“Senese” is the term used to refer to people from the town of Siena, Italy.  This senese sauce is one of the sauces served on penne pasta at Olive Garden restaurants. Senese sauce  is a cream sauce, with proscuitto, Italian sausage, mushrooms, herbs, and Pecorino Romano cheese. It is fabulous, served on fettucine noodles.

We Made Our Own Pasta At A Dinner Party

All of us at the dinner party pitched in to make several kinds of fresh pasta.  My husband and a friend made the fettucine noodles from scratch used in this recipe, that evening.

Making fresh fettucine for this dish.
How I Found The Recipe For Fettucine Senese

I found th recipe for the sauce in one of my cookbooks, while searching for pasta recipes. The sauce sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. Good move!  The flavors were delicious, because proscuitto and Italian sausage really packed a LOT of flavor into the sauce.

This recipe for fettucine senese is a winner! The sauce is the star, and it is really easy to prepare all in one pan.  Add the cooked pasta of your choice (I used fettucine), and you’ve got a fantastic, and easy Italian fettucine senese that serves 4!

A few of the ingredients used to make the senese sauce for the pasta.
Is Fettucine Senese Difficult To Make?

The sauce and pasta is quite easy to prepare.   It’s EASY, EASY, EASY! If you can stir and cook pasta while making the sauce, you can make this delicious fettucine senese in about 30 minutes!

It was all I could do to stay out of the cooking pan while the sauce was cooking. It smelled and tastes so good!  The recipe is easily doubled, if you have more mouths to feed. Serve it with fettucine, or the pasta of your choice! You’re gonna LOVE Fettucine Senese!

The sauce for fettucine senese cooking in a large pot.
I really hope you will give this one a try. It’s absolutely delicious! Have a fantastic day, friends! Thanks for stopping by, and I truly hope you will come back again soon.

Looking For More PASTA Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few pasta recipes you might enjoy include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureOriginal Recipe Source for Sauce: The book “More of America’s Most Wanted Recipes”, by Ron Douglas, copyright 2010, by Verity Associates, LLC, page 183.

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Fettucine Senese
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

Fettucine Senese is a wonderful Italian pasta dish, featuring a cream sauce with proscuitto, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: fettucine senese
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1259 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 3 cloves garlic , chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces (1/2 pound) sliced portobello (or button) mushrooms, sliced thinly
  • 6 Italian sausage links , casings removed
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons white wine (can substitute chicken broth, if desired)
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 4 cups heavy whipping cream (or half-and-half)
  • 4 ounces proscuitto , chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh sage (minced) OR 1 teaspoon dried sage (plus extra for garnish)
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley OR 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 8 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese , grated (plus extra for garnish)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 pound fettucine pasta , cooked per package instructions)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta) while you are making sauce in another pan.

To make the sauce:

  1. In a large soup pot or large saucepan, heat olive oil and butter until melted. Add and sauté chopped onion and garlic. Cook onions and garlic for a few minutes until softened.

  2. Add Italian sausage (out of the casings); continue to break up sausage as it cooks. Once sausage is cooked and no longer pink, add wine. Bring mixture to a boil, then add in the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly.

  3. Stir in whipping cream, chopped proscuitto, sage, parsley, Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic powder, and salt and pepper (to taste). Stir and cook until sauce has thickened up a bit and is smooth. Continue to cook sauce on a low simmer for 10 minutes. Stir frequently.

  4. While sauce is cooking, prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Toss cooked, drained pasta with the sauce. Mix well, to combine. Transfer pasta to a warm serving plate or individual plates. Garnish with dried herbs and additional grated cheese, if desired, and serve.

Recipe Notes

The recipe makes a lot of sauce! You will probably have some left over.

Nutrition Facts
Fettucine Senese
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 1259 Calories from Fat 927
% Daily Value*
Fat 103g158%
Saturated Fat 48g300%
Cholesterol 321mg107%
Sodium 1135mg49%
Potassium 625mg18%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 2045IU41%
Vitamin C 4.1mg5%
Calcium 422mg42%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Fettucine Senese is a wonderful Italian pasta dish, featuring a cream sauce with proscuitto, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and Pecorino Romano cheese.

 

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Mar
2015

Homemade Italian Dressing

categories: Italian, Sauces and Dressings
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Make an absolutely delicious homemade Italian dressing from scratch in about 5 minutes, to flavor your favorite mixed green salads.Make an absolutely delicious homemade Italian dressing from scratch in about 5 minutes, to flavor your favorite mixed green salads.
I found this recipe for homemade Italian dressing years and years ago (can’t remember where), and wrote it down on a 3×5 card. The only writing on the index card other than the recipe is my description: “GOOD!” Super simple to make, and FULL of flavor, this Homemade Italian Dressing recipe is my “go to” when I want to make a quick “from scratch” salad dressing.

Seriously… from start to finish, this tasty homemade Italian dressing takes less than 5 minutes to make! As an added bonus… there are no weird “shelf-stabilizing” ingredients in it (with names I can’t pronounce) to be found. Most ingredients are basic ingredients and spices I always have in my home. Can’t beat that! Here’s how you make this lickety-split!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Homemade Italian Dressing

To make this homemade Italian dressing, measure the oil, lemon juice and white vinegar into a bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients (salt, sugar, dry mustard, onion powder, paprika, oregano, thyme), and 2 minced garlic cloves.

Whisk these ingredients together until the sugar and salt have dissolved and the mixture is fully blended.

The ingredients for the salad dressing in a bowl, before blending them together.
Why Is This Homemade Italian Dressing Red In Color?

Once blended, the homemade Italian dressing will look like this photo below. The red color does NOT come from ketchup, but from the addition of the paprika!

Homemade Italian Dressing is red in color, due to the paprika in it.
Pour the salad dressing into a bottle or jar that can be sealed. I usually pour it through a funnel for less spills.

Pour the salad dressing into bottle using a funnel.For BEST Homemade Italian Dressing Flavor

Put a lid on the bottle and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This helps the flavors to become fully incorporated. Once you’re ready to dress your salad, be sure to shake the homemade Italian dressing well, before serving.

The homemade Italian dressing can be stored in a bottle with a lid.
That’s IT!!! I think it took longer to write this blog post than it did to make this delicious homemade Italian  dressing. Hope you’ll give it a try on your next mixed green salad. I think you will really like it! Have a great day.

Looking For More SALAD DRESSING Recipes?

You can find all of my salad dressing recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few of our family favorites are:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureRecipe Source: unknown

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Homemade Italian Dressing
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 

Make an absolutely delicious homemade Italian dressing from scratch in about 5 minutes, to flavor your favorite mixed green salads.

Category: Salad Dressing
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian dressing
Servings: 24 (1½ cups total)
Calories Per Serving: 122 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon thyme
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Measure oil, lemon juice and vinegar into bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk well to fully combine. Pour into a container that can be sealed well. Refrigerate salad dressing for at least 2 hours for BEST flavor.
  2. Shake bottle well, before serving.
  3. Serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Italian Dressing
Amount Per Serving (1 Tablespoons)
Calories 122
% Daily Value*
Sodium 97mg4%
Potassium 2mg0%
Vitamin A 20IU0%
Vitamin C 1.1mg1%
Calcium 1mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make an absolutely delicious homemade Italian dressing from scratch in about 5 minutes, to flavor your favorite mixed green salads.

 

 

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