My Great Italian dishes | atksrockinrecipes

Italian Food Forever

Making this lasagna a day ahead and refrigerating overnight allows the spices to meld, and gives it exceptional flavor."

Atkinsons 1# Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

12 dry lasagna noodles

2 eggs, beaten

1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion and garlic; drain fat. Mix in basil, oregano, brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Lay noodles flat on towels, and blot dry.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, parsley and 1 teaspoon salt.

Layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover noodles with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Mr. Minestrone soup

My mother created this soup after becoming tired of the excess salt and lack of veggies in canned minestrone.

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 cups chopped celery

5 carrots, sliced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

4 cups tomato sauce

1/2 cup red wine (optional)

1 cup canned kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can green beans

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed

3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup seashell pasta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

cheese for topping

1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves, zucchini, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.

Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls.

Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Spray with olive oil and serve.

The essence of Italian cooking today is simplicity. One uses the freshest seasonal ingredients possible, and then uses basic cooking techniques to simply enhance the natural flavor of the food. Italian food, has led me to share my personal recipes on this page in my Italian Recipe Collection.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
Freshly grated Parmesan
1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft.

Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them.

Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy.

Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs.

When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Serve hot with spaghetti.

Grandmothers Chicken Parmesan

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 25 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.

To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.

In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.

Just before serving, stir in basil if using.

Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.

Meatballs:

¾ pounds Ground Beef

¾ pounds Ground Pork

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs

2 whole Eggs

¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan

¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced

¼ teaspoons Salt Freshly Ground

Black Pepper

Splash Of Milk ½ cups

Olive Oil Sauce:

1 whole Yellow Onion,

Diced 3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 whole (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes

1 whole (28 Oz. Size) Crushed Tomatoes

½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)

¼ teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley,

Minced 8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves,

Chiffonade (optional)

2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

I love—I mean love—making spaghetti and meatballs. Oh, don’t get me wrong—I love eating it, too. But if I had to choose forever between cooking it and eating it…well, wait a minute. I don’t know which I’d choose. Never eating spaghetti and meatballs again in my life would be pretty devasted.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1/7

These Three Cheese Stuffed Shells are a great way to shake up your dinner routine with a meal the whole family will go crazy over! You really can’t go wrong with a good lasagna. Rich red sauce, creamy white sauce, and lots of cheese all layered between pasta noodles… It’s heavenly! But when I feel like something EXTRA cheesy, I make these stuffed shells! They have the same basic principle as lasagna, but with a triple dose of cheese and stuffed inside a cute pasta shell.

Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

15 ounce container ricotta cheese

8 ounces (2 cups) grated mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 basil leaves, chiffonade

1 egg

1 - 26 ounce jar spaghetti sauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions for al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, 1½ cups of the mozzarella, egg, salt, pepper, and basil. Spread ¾ of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Spoon the cheese mixture into the pasta shells and place in the baking dish. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5-10 minutes more.

Big Boy Jumbo Stuffed Shells

This is the only pizza I make now. We love it! Keeping the spices simple helps the flavor of the chicken and vegetables to come through. The pizza tastes great and is good for you, too

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

2-3/4 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 each small green, sweet red and yellow peppers, julienned

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

3 tablespoons prepared pesto

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon oil, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the remaining flour; beat until combined.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken, onion, peppers and mushrooms in remaining oil until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Punch dough down; roll into a 15-in. circle. Transfer to a 14-in. pizza pan. Build up edges slightly. Spread with pesto. Top with chicken mixture and cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt.

Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until crust and cheese are lightly browned. Yield: 8 slices.

Freeze option: Bake pizza crust as directed; cool. Top with all the ingredients as directed and securely wrap and freeze unbaked pizza. To use, unwrap pizza; bake as directed, increasing time as necessary.