Spinach and Garlic Stromboli

I am forever looking for new things to serve for dinner.  A Stromboli is something typically made with meat or meat slices, but I wanted to make a vegetarian version.  One could easily make this recipe vegan by using a vegan cheese.  

I used the pizza crust recipe that I use for my calzones and for my homemade pizza.  You can use any pizza dough that makes enough for two pizzas or you can use a refrigerated dough or a mix if you so desire. 

I made these rolls in advance, stuck them in the refrigerator, ran out to pick up a kid and came back and baked them up.  You can't beat that with a stick.  Well, you could but then you'd have to clean it up, so don't.

The Ingredients

 pizza dough enough for two pizzas, or refrigerated dough

6 slices mozzarella cheese

10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

egg white

marinara sauce 

 Preheat the oven to 375°. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle-ish shape.  Top this with the cheese, spinach and garlic.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 Roll it up like you would a roulade.

Place the strombolis onto a prepared baking dish or a pizza stone and brush them with the egg white.

Bake for 20 minutes

recipe source: my brain!

Shells Florentine

This recipe was always a classic in my mother's house when I was growing up.  Basically, these are like tiny spinach lasagnas.  Tiny delicious spinach lasagnas.  However unlike with my Spinach Lasagna, I used a homemade Marinara Sauce for these shells.  This recipe captures the taste of lasagna, but it much less labor intensive and does not take nearly as long to cook. 

The Ingredients

16 large pasta shells, prepared al dente

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg white

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups marinara sauce

The Tools

large stock pot

bowl

pastry bag or zip loc bag

9x13 in baking dish

aluminum foil

The Cooking

Add the pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente.  While the pasta cooks, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Thaw and drain the spinach

Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg white, Parmesan cheese and seasoning together in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the spinach to the cheese mixture and spoon the entire into a ziploc bag with a corner snipped off ( of course you can use a pasty bag as well).

Pipe the spinach mixture into the each individual shell

Place the stuffed shells into the 9x13 in baking dish and cover them with the marinara sauce.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes.

Spinach Lasagana

I have posted this recipe before, but this is my step by step version.  This recipe is a classic and all time favorite in our house, and it was originally my mom's recipe. 

While making a lasagna from scratch may seem daunting, it need to be.   You can use any type of vegetables in your lasagna, just swap out about the same amount as I have here for the spinach.  Of course you could also replace the vegetables with a vegetarian/vegan sausage or vegetarian meat product. 

The Ingredients

 8 ounces lasagna noodles

15 ounce package ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 eggs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 ounces marinara sauce of choice

1/4 cup water (sorry, I forgot to include it in the photo)

The Prep Work

Preheat the oven to 350°.  You will need aluminum foil and a 98x13 inch baking dish for this recipe

The Cooking

Boil the pasta for 12 minutes or until al dente

Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, eggs, spinach, and herbs/seasoning together in a medium sized bowl.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish

 Top the sauce layer with three noodles

Spread 1/3 of the filling on top of the noodles

On top of the filling, add a layer of sauce

 Repeat the layering

And repeat, again

Top with the last cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Pour the 1/4 of water around the edges of the lasagna and top with aluminum foil.  Bake for an hour. 



Pin It

White Lasagna with Mushrooms

Several years ago (over a decade) my boyfriend (now husband) came home for a visit to his mother's raving about a white mushroom lasagna that his mother had gotten from Balducci's.  Based on his often repeated description of the dish, I attempted to make a White Lasagna with Mushrooms recently. 

It is not often that I use two pictures in one post, but this turned out so beautifully that I have to include a long shot and a close up.  I made this recipe as I would my regular Mushroom Lasagna but I made a vegetable broth based cream sauce to replace the red sauce and I did not mix the mushrooms in with the ricotta cheese mixture.  I used garlic powder to add some flavor sauce instead of minced garlic because I did not want the sauce to be lumpy at all. I have no idea if I even got close to the original dish that my husband has raved about all these years, but it was delicious anyway. 

9 lasagna noodles, cooked la dente
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 sea salt
olive oil
2 pounds slice brown and white mushrooms
salt to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cook the lasagna noodles as per package instructions, but do not over cook the noodles. 
2. In a saucepan, melt the unsalted butter, sprinkle the flour and garlic powder over the top of the butter and mix with a whisk until a paste or roux is formed.  To the roux, slowly add in the vegetable broth a little at a time while stirring with a whisk to ensure that no lumps are formed.  Add the cream a little at a time, again stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps. Set the sauce aside. 
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, oregano, basil and salt. 
4. In a large skillet warm 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and saute the mushrooms in batches until they are browned and have released all water.  As to do each batch you made need to add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Salt the mushrooms to taste.
5. Place a layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish.  Top this with 3 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, 1/3 of the sauteed mushrooms.  Repeat the layers ending with a layer of sauce.  Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese

Zucchini Parmesan

Every summer my friend Katherine manages to grow the most amazing huge zucchini.  They are truly obscene in more ways then one.  Luckily they are still delicious.  Last summer I created, a Zucchini-Tomato Gratin, a Chocolate Zucchini Bread and a Savory Zucchini Bread with Katherine's massive squash.  This summer I decided in spite of the heat to try something I have been itching to try with Katherine's zucchini.  Because of its size I thought this zucchini would lend itself well to being a replacement for eggplant in Eggplant Parmesan.  It worked beautifully and we could not get enough of this recipe.  I oven-fried the zucchini in an effort to save myself some clean-up.  I got lucky and the oven did not end up too splattered.  When you have a moment, please check out Katherine's blog, Artist of Being Alive.

2 pounds large zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
6 large eggs
3 1/2 cups plain Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups My Veggie Table Basic Marinara Sauce, pureed smooth
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoons salt and set in a colander to to drain for 40 minutes. It is best to do this in two batches or better yet, two colanders. Pat the zucchini dry with paper towels or clean tea towels to remove any excess moisture. 
2. Meanwhile adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower-middle positions, place the a rimmed cookie sheet on each rack and preheat the oven to 425°. 
3. Combine the flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large zipper lock bag and shake to combine.  Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.  Combine the breadcrumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a second shallow bowl.
4. Working with small batches of the zucchini, place them in the bag and shake to coat with the flour.  Remove the zucchini, shaking off any access flour, and dip the zucchini into the eggs.  Remove the zucchini from the eggs, allowing any access to drip off, and then coat evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.  Lay the breaded zucchini on a wire rack until all are completely breaded.  Coat the remaining zucchini in the same manner. 
5. Carefully remove the cookie sheets from the oven.  Pour 3 tablespoons of oil onto each cookie sheet, tilting the pan to evenly coat with the oil.  Spread the breaded zucchini in a single layer onto the cookies sheets. Be careful as the cookie sheets will be very hot! Place the cookies sheets back into the oven and bake the zucchini for 10 minutes.  Flip the zucchini slices over and then switch and rotate the cookie sheets and continue to bake them for 10 minutes longer. DO NOT turn off the oven when done oven-frying the zucchini.
6. Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Shingle half the zucchini slices over the sauce.  Distribute 1 more cup of sauce over the zucchini slices, followed by 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Shingle the remaining zucchini slices in the dish, and dot them with another cup of the sauce so that much of the zucchini is exposed.  Tops this with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 
7. Place the dish in the lower-middle rack of the oven and back for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.  Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese as your serve.  Serve the remaining marinara sauce on the side. 

Potato Gnocchi

I know what you are thinking....that is the same picture from yesterday.  Well, you are wrong.  It is ever so slightly different.  I swear.  This gnocchi is from the Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cookbook.  It turned out perfectly, light and pillow-y.  I was very pleased and it was so simple to make.  I have included salt and pepper in the ingredient list, but I did not add any salt to the gnocchi.  The sauce I used for this recipe was salty enough, so the gnocchi needed not addition salt. 

1 pound baking potatoes

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the potato(es) in a large pot of boiling water and boil for 45 minutes or until the potato is VERY tender. 
2. Remove the potato(es) from the water and set aside.  Pour out the water, clean the pot and re-fill it with fresh water and return it to the stove.  Bring the new pot of water to a boil over medium heat. 
3. Using a pot holder to protect your hand, peel the potato with a small paring knife. In a bowl,  mash the potato(es) with a ricer, a fork or a potato masher.  Add the flour starting with one cup to the mashed potato and combine with a spoon until a dough is formed. 
4. Take the dough and on a floured surface roll it into long 1/2 wide dough ropes, then cut into the individual 1 inch size pieces.  Use the back side of a fork to make the gnocchi appear ribbed.  Set the gnocchi aside onto a piece of parchment paper, but do not allow them to touch. 
5. Place small batches of the gnocchi into the boiling water.  As they float to the top, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place them on another piece of parchment paper.  Again do tn allow them to touch. Repeat until all the gnocchi is cooked.   
6. Serve with the sauce of your choice and enjoy. 

Cheese Calzones

I used my basic pizza dough for this recipe and created a filling based loosely on a standard lasagna filling.  Of course I served it with my marinara sauce.

1 recipe pizza dough (enough for two pizza crusts)
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 ground pepper

1. Prepare the pizza dough as instructed, after the second rising, divide the dough into four equal portions and roll out into four circles.  Set aside.  Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, salt, basil, oregano, and pepper.  Place 1/4 of the filling into each disc, fold over and seal but pinching shut the edges.  
2. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  
3. Serve with marinara sauce and enjoy

Broccoli and Ricotta Cannelloni

This recipe is from the Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking.  I made some major changes to the sauce, which appeared on the blog last week. 

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes (salt free)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (4-ounce) can sliced black olives
8 large pimento stuff green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers

For the filling:
4 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups fresh dried bread crumbs
1 cup ricotta cheese
pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Other:
12 dried cannelloni tubes
2 tablespoons pine nuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an oven proof 9x13 inch dish
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and add the pasta.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile steam the broccoli for 10 minutes or until tender.  Drain the pasta, rinse it in cold water and set aside. Drain the broccoli and let it cool, then place it in a food processor and process until smooth. 
4. Combine the pureed broccoli, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg and Parmesan cheese in  large bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, then set aside
5. For the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are softened, then stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, olives and capers.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. 
6. Spoon the cheese mixture into a large ziploc bag, and cut off the tip of the bag so that you can use it to pipe the cheese mixture into your cannelloni. 
7. Place the cheese filled cannelloni into the prepared dish, top it with the sauce and the pine nuts. 
8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. 

Serves 6 (two tubes each):  Calories 381, 13 grams of fat, and 9 grams of fiber

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

This is my attempt to recreate a classic Bolognese Sauce for the vegetarian.  I used ground up brown mushrooms and vegetarian crumbles to take the place of the meat.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lbs brown mushrooms, grated in the food processor
1 package soy crumbles
2-14 oz cans tomato sauce
2-14 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup low fat milk

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot on medium heat.  Add the onion and saute until translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the mushrooms and cook until the moisture is released.  Add the soy crumbles and cook until browned.  Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook slowly for 1 hour. 
2. Remove from heat, and add the milk. 
3. Serve warm over spaghetti.

Lighter Penne Ala Vodka

Several of my recipes are featured on today's Family Bites sponsored by Hidden Valley on Foodbuzz. Click here to go check it out.

I love Vodka Sauce, but I wanted to make a lighter version, this was the result. When I saw how both my children wolfed this pasta down, I quickly decided to start putting vodka in everything.

1 recipe of my Marinara Sauce or 3 cups of you favorite marinara sauce
2 ounces vodka
1/4 cups fat free half and half
1 pound of penne pasta, cooked al dente(reserve a cup of the pasta water)

1. Bring the marinara sauce to a easy boil and add the vodka. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the half and half and stir until completely blended.
3. Toss with the sauce with the pasta, using the reserved water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
4. Serve immediately and top with grate parmesan cheese if desired.

The calories are for the sauce only as you may desire to serve this sauce with another type of pasta.
1/2 cup of sauce 81 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber

Slow Cooker Mushroom Lasagna

This recipe is entirely from my brain, but don't let that discourage you. It is very delicious and easy to make.

6 no-boil lasagna noodles
15 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese, divided
1 egg
1 lb sauteed mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups My Veggie Table basic marinara sauce or another of your choice
2 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs

1. Combine the sauteed mushrooms, ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, egg, oregano, basil and pepper in a small bowl.
2. Cover the bottom of the the crock of your slow cooker with some of the sauce. Top that with 2 noodles and then some of the filling. repeat until you end with a layer of sauce. Top the sauce with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the breadcrumbs.
3. Cook on low for 5 hours.

Serves 6: 282 calories, 12 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber

Penne with Fennel, Tomato and Blue Cheese

This recipe is from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking. I don't think I have even picked up this cookbook since I got it. When I first received it as a gift years ago I felt intimidated by the cooking techniques and the ingredients. Over time I have become and better and more adventurous cook. I am now thrilled to have a new source to share with you. This cookbook is pretty amazing and this recipe is a fine example. I made only a few changes to how I cooked this dish, but the ingredients where not altered at all. I would highly recommend that you purchase this book!

8 ounces penne pasta
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced and cut into strips
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce ( I used my own, but store bought would be just fine)
pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces blue cheese

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large stock pot and add the pasta, cook for 10 minutes or until just tender.
2. Cut the fennel bulb in half. Cut away the hard core and the root. Slice the fennel thinly and then cut into strips.
3. Warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or medium sized sauce pan, add the fennel and shallots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the marinara sauce, sugar and oregano. Cover and simmer gently for 12 minutes or until fennel is tender.
4. Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Top with blue cheese for serving.

Serves 4: Calories 367. 14 grams of fat, and 4 grams of fiber

Slow Cooker Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the Cooking Light Slow Cooker cookbook. I have changed the recipe quite a bit in order to make it fit in my cooker. I also omitted a store bought pesto sauce which the original recipe called so that I could drastically reduced the calories.

4 cups torn spinach, steamed
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3 ounces shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
3 ounces shredded provolone cheese
1 (15 ounce) container fat free ricotta cheese
1 large egg
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, separated
1 jar tomato basil pasta sauce
6 pieces of the no bake or no boil lasagna noodles

1. Steam the spinach as desired, drain, squeeze dry and coarsely chop. Combine with the sliced mushrooms and set aside
2. Combine the mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs in a medium sized bowl, stirring well. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
3. Combine pasta sauce and tomato sauce in a small bowl.
4. Spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce in bottom of the crock of your slow cooker. Top the sauce with two noodles, and top the noodles with 1 cup of the cheese mixture followed by 1 cup of the mushrooms/spinach mixture. Repeat layers once, ending with remaining 1 cup of mushroom/spinach mixture. Then arrange 2 noodles over the mushroom/spinach mixture, top with the remaining cheese mixture and 1 cup of pasta sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook in LOW for 5 hours.

Yields 8 servings. 273 calories, 9 grams of fat.

Parma-Rosa Sauce

Using my Alfredo Sauce recipe as a base, I have attempted to recreate a sauce mix sold by Knorr. We love this sauce, but it is just too expensive. This was a pretty good remake and probably much better for us in the long run.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of my basic marinara sauce

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. With the mixture at a gentle boil, cook for 3-5 minutes or until it begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until melted.
2. Return the sauce to a heat and add the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly until the red sauce is fully incorporated into the Alfredo base
   
   

Alfredo Sauce

This photo does not do justice to this recipe. It is so easy and so simple. I should have taken the time to put the sauce in another contain, but being a lazy I thought it would look okay in the pot. Ugh, not to so much. This recipe is not low calorie or low fat, but it is delicious. With a little portion control it is doable and it is probably better for you than a store bought sauce that contains high fructose corn syrup.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. With the mixture at a gentle boil, cook for 3-5 minutes or until it begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until melted.
2. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!
   

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Alfredo Sauce

This sauce starts with a basic Alfredo sauce to which the sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms are added. You can add almost any vegetable to this basic sauce. The photo above show the sauce over a store bought tortellini, but you can serve is over almost any pasta.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cups dry sherry (the real stuff NOT cooking sherry)
8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6-8 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and sliced

1. Warm the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet until it is shimmering. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to give off some moisture. Add the sherry, and bring to a boil. Bring the boil down to a simmer and cover the skillet with a lid and allow the mixture to boil for about 3 minutes or until all the liquid is cooked off. Continue to saute the mushrooms until they are golden brown. Set the mushrooms aside, but keep them warm.
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until melted, and add the cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and boil gently until the mixture is thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add to this the warm mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.
3. Serve warm over pasta of choice and enjoy!

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Beurre Blanc

This recipe is from the Weight Watchers Healthy Cooking cookbook. This is probably the first recipe from this book that I have not had to make some heavy adjustments to. Kudos to them from getting one right.

1 (15 ounce) container of part skim milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
6 small sage leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoons fresh parsley

1. Stir together the ricotta, flour, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and salt in a large bowl until a sticky dough forms.


2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a 1/2 inch wide log. Cut each log into 1 inch pieces and place the gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a damp paper towel.


3. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it just begins to shimmer, add the butter and allow to melt. Once the butter and oil are combined, add the sage and cook until the sage is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes.


4. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the gnocchi, in batches and cook until the gnocchi floats to the top of the water, no more than 2 minutes per batch. As each batch is cooked use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the skillet of sage sauce. Cook, stirring often until all the gnocchi has been added. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow to sit for about 1 minute while the gnocchi absorbs some of the sauce.


5. Serve with fresh parsley and the remaining Parmesan cheese.

1 cup serving equals 6 points

Italian Faux-Beef and Pasta Bake

This recipe is adapted to suit the needs of a vegetarian from the Weight Watchers Healthy Cooking Basics Cookbook. By substituting the lean ground beef in this recipe for a vegan and healthier vegetarian soy crumble I reduced the points on this dish from 7 per serving to 5 per serving.

3 cups whole wheat penne pasta
1 8-ounce package vegetarian soy crumbles
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese

1. Move the oven rake to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions omitting an fat or salt. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook the veggie crumbles, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until crumbles are cooked and onion is slightly translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, basil and pepper and simmer stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir the crumbles mixture, ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella into the penne and mix well. Transfer into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake until heated through and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Serving size is 1 1/4 cup and each serving is 5 points.

Italian Skillet Supper

1 (15 oz) can vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo pasta
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
2 cups frozen broccoli and cauliflower
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the broth in a large skillet until boiling and add in the pasta. Return to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, beans and vegetables. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender
3. Serve with a sprinkling for Parmesan cheese.
   

Spinach Calzones

The steps to prepare the dough in this recipe are as if you are using a Stand Mixer. If you wish to knead the dough by hand please see my Pizza recipe for instructions and photos.

Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour


Sauce
1 28 ouce can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves

Filling
1 package baby spinach, lightly steamed
1 15 oz package ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzerella cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregeno
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine yeast and warm water in your mixer's bowl. Allow the yeast to disolve for about 5 minutes. Put the bowl on the mixture, which should be fitted with dough hooks. Add the salt and the olive oil at this time and turn your mixer on to its lowest setting. Then add some of the flour gradually so as not to cover your entire chicken in a thin layer of flour . As soon as some of the flour is absorbed by the liquid in the bowl add more until it has all been added. Turn your mixer up to its optimum kneading setting and let it knead the dough for about 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
2. Turn the dough out into an oiled oven proof bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Set the dough in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. I usually turn my oven on to 200° and then turn the oven off just as it it reaches that temperature.
3. While you dough rises you can make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but not browned. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. You can set it aside until later and heat it up or just wait until further into the rising time to start.
4. When the dough has doubled in size it almost ready to go. Punch it down (my favorite part) and divide it into two equal portions. Loosely cover each piece of dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Move your oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat your oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
5. While the dough rests you can make your filling. Combine the steamed spinach, ricotta, mozzerella cheese and seasonings together and set aside.
6. One a floured surface roll each section of dough out into a ten inch rounds. Fill each round with half of the filling mixture and fold the dough over, foldinding and pinching the edges together until a nice calzone shape is achieved.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the calzones are a nice golden brown.
8. Serve with warmed sauce and enjoy!