I always love finding new recipes, so I figured I would share a few of my recent finds.
Roger is one of the pickiest eaters I've ever known. It seems like every time I make something he has a suggestion for what I should try next time I make it. He'll say, "I think next time you should use a little less of this or a little more of this or leave this out." When I made these two recipes he had nothing to say, so I knew they were definite keepers.
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
I found the original recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-penne-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/index.html. I made a few revisions before trying it. Here is my recipe.
1 red pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
8 ounces penne pasta
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/8 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/6 cup for topping
(You can compare my recipe to the one online. I left out mushrooms because we don't like mushrooms and I left out the butter to make it lower in fat. I used Monterey Jack cheese instead of Fontina cheese because I didn't know what Fontina cheese was and I figured it would be expensive and finally, I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil because we didn't have any olive oil.)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, and squash with vegetable oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/6 cup Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees F until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.
I almost didn't buy Italian Herb Seasoning, but I am SOOOOOOO glad I did. I'm pretty sure it makes the recipe. Use it generously!
The finished product. Roger doesn't like peas, but he tolerated them in this recipe which is good because I LOVE peas and they are a great source of fiber.
The second recipe is one for Mexican Lasagna. I found it at http://lillyella.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-kitchen-mexican-lasagna.html. I didn't make any revisions to this one. Not only did Rog not comment about anything he would change, he raved about it for days. It made A LOT and the leftovers were just as good as the first time we had it.
Roger is one of the pickiest eaters I've ever known. It seems like every time I make something he has a suggestion for what I should try next time I make it. He'll say, "I think next time you should use a little less of this or a little more of this or leave this out." When I made these two recipes he had nothing to say, so I knew they were definite keepers.
Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
I found the original recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/baked-penne-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/index.html. I made a few revisions before trying it. Here is my recipe.
1 red pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
8 ounces penne pasta
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/8 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/6 cup for topping
(You can compare my recipe to the one online. I left out mushrooms because we don't like mushrooms and I left out the butter to make it lower in fat. I used Monterey Jack cheese instead of Fontina cheese because I didn't know what Fontina cheese was and I figured it would be expensive and finally, I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil because we didn't have any olive oil.)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, and squash with vegetable oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/6 cup Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees F until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.
I almost didn't buy Italian Herb Seasoning, but I am SOOOOOOO glad I did. I'm pretty sure it makes the recipe. Use it generously!
The finished product. Roger doesn't like peas, but he tolerated them in this recipe which is good because I LOVE peas and they are a great source of fiber.
The second recipe is one for Mexican Lasagna. I found it at http://lillyella.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-kitchen-mexican-lasagna.html. I didn't make any revisions to this one. Not only did Rog not comment about anything he would change, he raved about it for days. It made A LOT and the leftovers were just as good as the first time we had it.
I didn't read this one because I don't really care as long as it taste good.
ReplyDeleteRoger - you are so fortunate to have a wife who loves to try recipes. Come to think of it, I used to try more recipes during the first yesrs of our marriage too.
ReplyDeleteDo you still eat bowls of peas as a snack? I laughed when I read that part of this blog entry...right now I am sitting down to read blogs with a bowl full of peas at my side...all thanks to the good example of a wonderful roommate :)
ReplyDelete