Minestrone with Hot Italian Sausage

This is a great spicy soup for a cold day.  It is very hearty and filled with vegetables.  It makes a ton so that you can freeze some for later.  Thanks to my mother-in-law for the delicious recipe!

Minestrone with Hot Italian Sausage

5 links hot Italian sausage
6 oz elbow macaroni
onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 can small lima beans, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 bag frozen corn
1 can green beans, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, peeled and diced
3 cups cabbage, chopped and cooked
1 large carton beef broth (don't use low-sodium, I made that mistake and had to add salt later)
4 cups water
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Remove sausage from casing.  Brown with onion and garlic in large skillet, drain.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Combine all ingredients in large stockpot, bring to boil.  Simmer for at least 30 minutes.  Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and it is such a good one!  It can feed a crowd pretty easily, so it's great for tailgating or parties.  It's a little different take on pasta salad.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

1 16oz pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
8 oz pepperoni, quartered
2 green onions, diced
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 small jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 7oz jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
8 oz mozzarella cheese, diced
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Place tortellini, pepperoni, green onion, olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and mozzarella in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour over pasta mixture.  Toss to coat and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Italian Shepherd's Pie

I've never had shepherd's pie before.  It never really sounded appetizing to me, but after seeing this Italian-style recipe on Rachael Ray a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to try it.  I changed the recipe some to make it a little easier.  You must try this one!

Italian Shepherd's Pie

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c milk
3 tbsp butter
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese (I bought the real stuff...Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1 lb ground sirloin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 lb hot Italian sausage (I bought links, removed the casing, then broke it up as I was cooking)
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
5 tsp minced garlic, divided
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 c dry red wine
1 1/2 c beef broth
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover potatoes with water, bring to boil.  Salt water and cook potatoes for 12-15 minutes, or until tender.  Drain potatoes and return to warm pot.  Add 3 tsp minced garlic and 1/2 c milk.  Add butter and mash with a potato masher.  Stir in beaten egg and half of the parmesan cheese.  Mash until smooth, adding more milk if needed.  Cover until meat mixture is prepared.
Brown ground sirloin in large skillet.  Once brown, season with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Add sausage and brown, breaking up into small pieces as cooking.  Add onion, red pepper, and 2 tsp minced garlic.  Stir in tomato paste, cook 1-2 minutes, mixing well.  Add 1 cup of red wine and reduce by half.  Add stock and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until most liquid has boiled out.
Transfer meat to large casserole dish, top with potatoes and remaining cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes until potatoes are brown and crispy on the edges.

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

Wow, Pinterest has really good recipes!  This is my adaptation of another recipe I found on there.  I have frozen half of these since this recipe makes way more than 2 people can eat.  We'll see how the frozen ones turn out in a few weeks!

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 lb hot sausage, browned

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 c frozen spinach, cooked and drained

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

16-18 pasta shells, cooked and drained

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

Brown sausage with garlic, drain.  Cook shells according to package directions and drain.  Add cooked shells to a bowl of ice water to cool.  Return sausage to skillet, add tomatoes and spinach, heat for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in ricotta.  Stuff shells with a fork and place in a greased glass baking dish.  Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.inspiredtaste.net/

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

This is another great Pinterest recipe.  It's super easy and makes a delicious slow cooker meal.  I hope you enjoy!

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

3 chicken breasts
1 8oz box cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
Soften cream cheese.  Mix cream cheese, dressing mix, and cream of chicken soup in slow cooker.  Heat on low about 30 minutes, or until smooth.  Add chicken and cook on high 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Serve over rice.
Adapted from http://forkinit.blogspot.com/

Spicy Sausage Teragoni

Yes, I know Teragoni is not a real word.  But this recipe is a creation of mine and Brent named it "Sausage Teragoni"!  It's basically just a spicy sausage pasta dish.  It's an easy two pot meal and you can tone down the spicyness if you prefer.

Spicy Sausage Teragoni

1 lb link sausage, diced (I buy Hillshire Farms spicy)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat rigatoni pasta
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegarette dressing
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
oregano and basil
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.  Brown sausage in skillet with garlic.  Once sausage is browned, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, dressing, and seasonings.  Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes.  Toss in pasta and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese until cheese is melted.  Top with other 1/2 cup cheese.  Serve with salad.

Lasagna

This lasagna recipe has a lot of ingredients, but is the best I've ever had.  It would make a great Valentine's dinner for your loved ones.  My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and has been making this for years!

Lasagna

1 lb beef
1/3 lb hot sausage
1 large onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp basil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c tomatoes, drained
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
10 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb mozzarella
3 eggs
4 c cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp parsley
1/2 c grated parmesan
Brown meat with onions and garlic.  Drain.  Cook noodles.  Add next 7 ingredients to meat, simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine cottage cheese, eggs, seasoning, and parmesan cheese.
Place layer of noodles in bottom of pan.  Place layer of cottage cheese mixture, meat sauce, mozzarella cheese.  Repeat layers, top with mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan.  Bake on 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Can be made 1 day before.

Baked Spaghetti

Yum...baked spaghetti!  This is one of my absolute favorite recipes.  I must credit the original recipe to my sister, although I have made some changes to it over the years.  I also have to give a shout out to my husband's college roommate before I list this recipe...it's Kevin's favorite!

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef
1 8 oz box thin spaghetti noodles
1 jar Ragu traditional
1 small can tomato sauce
3 cups mozzarella cheese
pepperonis
Italian seasoning and garlic powder, to taste
Cook noodles according to package directions, drain.  Brown ground beef, drain.  Return beef to skillet, add Ragu and can of tomato sauce.  Add Italian seasoning and garlic powder to taste.  Allow to simmer 5 minutes.  In a 9x13 glass dish, layer sauce, noodles, pepperoni, cheese, noodles, sauce, pepperoni, top with cheese.  Bake at 425 degrees until bubbly and cheese is browning (about 10-15 minutes).  Serve with garlic bread and/or salad.