Healthy but great tasting Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
(from allrecipes.com)

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups half-and-half ( I used fat-free, as well as many of the reviewers- it was great!)
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. Lightly coat the red peppers with olive oil. Grill peppers under the broiler until the skin is blackened, and the flesh has softened slightly. Place peppers in a paper bag or resealable plastic bag to cool for approximately 45 minutes.
2. Remove the seeds and skin from the peppers (the skin should come off the peppers easily now). Cut peppers into small pieces.( I skipped steps 1 and 2 and just pureed about 1/2 cup jarred yellow and red peppers- find them in the condiments/pickle aisle)
3. In a skillet, cook and stir the garlic, basil, and red peppers in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, so that the flavors mix. ( Add a tablespoon of flour and mix well- this step should thicken the sauce for later)
4. Place mixture in blender (careful it is hot), and puree to desired consistency. Return puree to skillet, and reheat to a boil. Stir in the half-and-half and the Romano cheese; cook and stir until the cheese melts. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Honestly- the kids didn't love this one.  They are so used to their plain alfredo sauce that they couldn't appreciate this sauce.  However, I can't discard this recipe because I thought it was very easy, a lot different than our usual, and it has a great flavor you can use in different pasta dishes.  Therefore, I'm keeping it on file!  I didn't think it was too spicy, but it had a definite subtle peppery  flavor.  

Stuffed Pizza rolls

Stuffed Pizza Rolls
(from bestbites.com)

• pizza dough
• pizza sauce
• 1 T melted butter or olive oil
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. dried italian seasoning
• mozzarella cheese
• 2 T. parmesan
• pizza toppings (ham, pineapple, pepperoni, mushroooms, etc)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out your dough to about 12"x8".  Using a pizza cutter slice into 24 squares.  Place toppings in the middle (obviously there isn't much room), leaving enough room around the edges to be able to seal the bottom.  Pinch closed, place pinced-side down onto a greased cookie sheet.  Brush the tops with butter then sprinkle with seasonings mixed with the parmesan.   Place in oven and cook until top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Dip in warmed pizza sauce.

A nice change from regular pizza.  The kids have fun with these and can choose their own toppings.  Kind of like this recipe that uses crescent rolls, but I like using pizza dough better.  

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

• Tastes Like Lasagna Soup
• (from Paula Deen)
• 
  
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (I skipped)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (threw in a little garlic powder instead)
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (32-ounce) box chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups broken lasagna noodles (I used those cute little Ditalinis)
• 1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large pot, combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Serve with optional cheese, croutons, and/or french bread.

This was a fun take on lasagna!  It was pretty quick to throw together and we found it really good.      Of course, my kids will prefer regular old spaghetti over this soup, but I imagine most kids would find it rather appealing with all the optional add-ins and the fun little pasta.

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Alfredo Pizza

• 15 minute pizza dough
• alfredo sauce, or jarred (Classico is best)
• cooked, chopped chicken
• chopped tomato
• spinach, frozen and thawed and dried, or fresh, chopped
• mozzarella cheese

1. Bake the dough as directed for about 5-6 minutes, without any toppings.  
2. Remove from oven, poke some holes in the crust with a fork.  Add alfredo sauce, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, then cheese.
3. Return to oven and bake for about 5 more minutes or until brown and crispy on the bottom.  

This is a great recipe!  And because of the spinach and tomatoes on there it's really healthy...right! Cooking the pizza this way makes it so crispy, which I really prefer for pizza.  

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

Manicotti
(from cucinafamiglia.com)

• 1 8oz manicotti shells
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade)

Mix the following together:

• 1 c. cottage cheese
• 1 c. ricotta cheese
• 1 c. mozzarella
• 1 c. parmesan
• 1 T. basil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1 egg

 
Boil manicotti as directed on package. Make sure that they are al dente (cook the least time said on package, probably 8 or 9 minutes).  Let cool. Then fill mancotti with cheese mixture.  Line  9x13 pan with spaghetti sauce, place noodles in pan, pour over more spaghetti sauce.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, remove foil, top with parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Enjoy. 


Everyone has a manicotti recipe- and this is pretty basic, but it works and it's great!  I love how the cheeses are all the same measurements- easy to memorize and just throw together.  This is a pretty quick meal, too, and leftovers are really yummy.  Me?  I loved it!

FAST bread twists...worth making!

Pizza Factory Breadsticks

(favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com)

• 1½ cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. yeast
• 
  
• Let that sit for 5 minutes. Then add:
• 3½ cups flour
• 1 tsp Salt

Mix until smooth then let raise for 10 minutes. Roll out dough into a large square on a floured surface. Brush with melted (real) butter mixed with garlic and then sprinkle with kosher salt. Fold in half and cut into 1 inch strips. Twist and place on a cooking sheet. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to raise. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately after baking, brush with more garlic butter and sprinkle with kosher salt and grated parmesan cheese.

Serve with marinara, alfredo sauce, or ranch for dipping.

*Dough also makes a great pizza dough, just roll out into a large circle, add your favorite toppings, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Holy yummy! These were super fast, which is great when you don't have time for rising cycles. We all devoured these babies. They make 2 pans, the picture ain't that great. Next time my twists will be prettier. Try these tomorrow!

Classic Italian Lasagna- fun to make and try!

Classic Italian Lasagna

(melskitchencafe.blogspot.com)

Red Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 t garlic powder)
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano and basil) (I threw in some ready-made spaghetti seasoning instead so I knew I liked the red sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

White Sauce:

• 3 cups milk (not skim, I used 1%)
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 12 of the no-boil noodles, of which I far prefer the Barilla brand)
• 1 pound ground turkey or beef
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or with a napkin dipped lightly in olive oil and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat apart into pieces with a wooden spoon. When turkey is cooked through, drain the grease and set aside.
3. In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. When oil/butter is hot, add the garlic, stirring constantly. When the garlic is lightly browned, but NOT burned, add the onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and browned and the fluid has mostly cooked out. Remove from heat and either using a handheld immersion blender or transferring the vegetables to a blender, blend the vegetables to a paste-like mixture. Return the pot to the heat (pour the pureed vegetables back in, if using a stand-alone blender) and add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and let the sauce sauce simmer for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved ground turkey.
4. Also while the red sauce is cooking, melt the four tablespoons butter and when melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine and letting the mixture cook, while stirring, for a minute or two. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Slowly whisk the white sauce, ensuring it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan, while cooking it over medium heat. Continue slowly stirring or whisking while the white sauce cooks and thickens quite a bit, about 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of mozzarella for good luck, if you wish!
5. To begin layering the lasagna, keep in mind that you’ll have three layers of noodles as well as three layers of the sauces and cheese – so plan on splitting all the sauce and cheese piles into thirds so you don’t run out at the end! On the bottom of your lightly greased baking pan, layer three pre-boiled noodles or four no-boil noodles, slightly overlapping the no-boil noodles. Layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges and top with another layer of noodles. Again, layer the red sauce, white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and top with the final layer of noodles. Layer the sauces and cheeses again.
6. Cover the lasagna with a greased layer of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

I know this recipe takes a little time but it is so much more interesting (to me) to spend a little time making something NEW. We were very impressed with this lasagna, and the kids loved it. Us adults did, too.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

(goodthingsutah.com)

Ingredients:

• 14-18 lasagna noodles (about 1 pkg), cooked al dente (I didn't use all of mine)
• 1 16 oz jar Alfredo sauce
• 1 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 packet creamy pesto sauce, prepared with all milk (found next to the spaghetti seasoning packets)
• ½ C parmesan cheese
• 
  

• 1 lb ground turkey
• ½ lg onion, diced
• 4 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
• 1 2 lb container ricotta cheese
• ½ box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
• Heaping ¼ C sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• 1 ½ C 5 Italian cheese blend
• 1 lg egg, lightly beaten
• spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, & ground nutmeg

1) Cook lasagna noodles until al dente. They should still have a good bite to them.
2) Combine chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté until onions are translucent. Drain all but 2 Tbs bacon grease.
3) Add ground turkey to the bacon & onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp Italian seasoning, or to taste. Cook through.
3) Place meat/onion mixture in large bowl along with remaining filling ingredients. Season with ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt,1/8 tsp black pepper, & ½ tsp Italian seasoning. Combine thoroughly.
4) Spoon ¼-1/3 C filling along entire noodle then roll’er up. Continue with remaining noodles.
5) Spread ½ the jar of Alfredo sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan. Place lasagna rolls, seam side down in the pan. Pour remaining Alfredo sauce, then marinara and finally the pesto sauce atop rolls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
6) Bake @ 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until parmesan is golden and lasagna rolls are cooked through. Enjoy!


These were a hit at our house, well relatively; half the kids ate them happily. I liked the sauciness, and the spinach/ricotta cheese. I used regular ground beef and skipped the bacon and sun-dried tomatoes. Of course you could do it meatless, too. The pesto sauce is pretty optional too but I think it adds a little something.

Fast, easy, different Penne dish *Ziti*

Baked Penne
(from simplifysupper.com)

• 1 pound penne noodles (4 cups dry)
• 1 jar Alfredo sauce, 26 ounce size
  
• 1 jar marinara sauce, 26 ounce size
  
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta. Mix the two sauces together in a large mixing bowl. Add mozzarella cheese and combine. Add drained pasta. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and bake about 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle parmesan on top and bake another five minutes. Enjoy!

This was so fast and even for me, a non-pasta fanatic, great-tasting! Just the right amount of sauciness to noodle ratio. And all the kids loved it. It makes a ton, a full 9x13 pan, but ours was mostly gone the first night.

Different take on Spaghetti

Spaghetti a la Philly

Makes: 4 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each)

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 jar (24 ounces) Spaghetti sauce
  
• 1/2 package (4 ounces) Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1/2 package (8 ounces) spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 2 tablespoons Kraft grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  

1. Cook the beef in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
2. Stir the sauce and cream cheese in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes or until the cream cheese is melted, stirring often.
3. Place the spaghetti into a large bowl. Add the beef mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

The kids loved this. They love white spaghetti most, then this recipe, then red spaghetti. Stinkers. I thought it was good too, in fact, I think I upped the cream cheese to about 6 oz. This recipe is a good way to use jarred spaghetti sauce, because I usually don't enjoy store spaghetti sauce, but the cream cheese mutes the fakey flavor. Try this!

Wonderful Crockpot Alfredo recipe

Crockpot Alfredo Tomato

• 2 jars Alfredo Sauce (I recommend only Classico brand; I've tried many) or homemade Alfredo (takes just 10 minutes)
• 2-3 chicken breasts
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1. Place breasts in the crockpot, cover with sauce and tomatoes.
   
2. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6.
3. Serve over noodles.

This is so good! It thickens as it stands. This is a meal everyone loved. I use just 1 jar and 1 chicken breast with the 1 can tomatoes and that makes enough for our family!

Easy and fast 6 Cheese Lasagna

6 Cheese Lasagna

• 1 lb hamburger (optional) along with 1 26 oz bottle favorite spaghetti sauce
• 12 oz. cottage cheese
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 6-9 strips no boil lasagna noodles (add 1/2 cup water to spaghetti sauce if using these)
• 1 1/2 cup swiss cheese (I used about 5 slices real (not processed) swiss instead of the grated)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400. Mix cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese in a small bowl, set aside. Crumble hamburger in fry pan. Cook until no pink remains, then drain off fat and combine with spaghetti sauce.
2. Place a thin layer of sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 or 8x11 casserole dish. Layer 1/3 of each noodles, cottage cheese mixture, swiss and cheddar cheese. Cut off small pieces of cream cheese and dot over other cheeses. Repeat pattern once or twice, depending on whether you use 6 or 9 noodles. (I use just six, because that makes it tall enough!) End with sauce.
3. Cover with a double layer aluminum foil. Cook for about an hour, or until fork-tender. I added the mozzarella cheese after that hour and cooked about 5 more minutes until it was melted.

I loved the additional tastes of swiss and cream cheese in this lasagna. I also really enjoy using no-bake noodles! They save a lot of time. Anyway, use as much or as little of the cheeses- I think I cut the cream cheese in half, but I would have loved it even more with the other half!

Fun, quick, and dippable!

Pizza Pinwheels
(allrecipes.com)

• 1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 24 slices pepperoni, chopped
  
• 1 (14 ounce) can pizza sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. On a large baking sheet, pinch the 8 crescent roll dough triangles into 4 rectangles. Seal really well!! Layer each rectangle with a couple teaspoons of the chopped pepperoni and even amounts of mozzarella cheese. Roll tightly lengthwise and slice each into 4 or more pieces.
3. 
4. Roll should look like this before slicing into 4 pieces.
   
5. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
   
6. Serve with pizza sauce or ranch for dipping.

We thought these were fun and easy! We don't like pepperoni so I just chopped up some turkey deli meat and used a couple teaspoons on each roll-up, along with a couple T cheese (ham would be great, too). You have to be careful not to over-fill, or log will be messy. These are great for a lighter main dish or a fun appetizer/after-school snack. To make rolls easier to work with, freeze can or crescent rolls 15 minutes before working with them.

Italian Shells

Italian Turkey Stuffed Shells
(picture and recipe from goodthingsutah.com)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, minced

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (cut up and big pieces)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I used about half)

1 tablespoon dried basil (I cut in half)

2 teaspoons dried oregano (I also cut this in half)

1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained

4 cups shredded Italian Style cheese (I used 2 cups from the Italian Blend cheese package)

12 large shell pasta and drain

1 pound of cooked browned ground turkey (or beef)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
   
2. Brown and drain the ground turkey.
   
3. Boil the water and cook the Large shelled pasta, drain and rinse with cold water.
4. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until translucent, about three minutes.
   
5. Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, mushrooms, and 4 cups of the shredded cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is cooking, add the cooked turkey.
6. Place the pasta in a 9x13 inch glass dish sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon the mixture into the shells, saving sauce to spoon around the shell pasta.

Cover the top of the dish with foil. Bake in the preheated oven about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with green salad or green beans and bread.

I saw this recipe on Good Things Utah. We thought it was great! I halved the cheese, didn't melt it before putting it in the oven, browned the onions with the ground turkey instead of separately to save time. The ground turkey is pretty healthy and cheap, too. It tasted good in this recipe! I cut the seasonings in half just to make it less potent for the kids. Season to preference.

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White Lasagna

Alfredo Lasagna
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 6-9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
  
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and dried with a paper towel
• 1 diced tomato (optional)
• 1 c. chopped fresh mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 c. diced red onion
  
• 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
• 1-2 jars Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pint (2 cups) ricotta cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and alfredo sauce, stir together. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta and drained, cooked spinach, add any other veggies, and stir.
3. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, pour a little sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then place one layer of lasagna noodles, edges overlapping. Place 1/3 of ricotta mix, then another noodle layer, then sauce, some cheese, then noodles, and whatever's left...some cheese on top. Layer it however- I never layer it the same way twice!
   
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until top is brown and bubbly.

This was a fun meal. Sure, it's a little fatty- but it is heavy on the veggies and calcium as well, so it all balances out. Plus you can make your own alfredo sauce using low-fat/no-fat cream cheese if you're worried about that. This is a pretty fast meal that switches it out from normal lasagna.

Spaghetti and Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• garlic powder to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (optional)
  
• 1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Drain and crumble. Put crumbled beef in skillet. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, bell pepper and pasta sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. In a small bowl combine sour cream, green onions and cream cheese and set aside. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and add the cooked spaghetti. Spread the cream cheese mixture over it, add the meat mixture and sprinkle with Cheddar Cheese.
5. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
   

Easier to serve than spaghetti and a nice change from spaghetti. The cream topping might not be healthy but it sure is good! Try light sour cream and light cream cheese.

www.allrecipes.com

Spaghetti Sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes, Italian style or regular, or crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. diced onion (I cook mine along with the ground beef)
ground beef
1/2 pkg spaghetti seasoning
1/2 T sugar, or to taste
1 can tomato soup (I use sometimes to use up food storage and to give smooth consistency)
any other seasonings or veggies you want to throw in. I like to cook the ground beef and then throw it all in the crock pot for a few hours.

My kids love spaghetti. It is O's and I's favorite meal; maybe the only one O eats! We eat it with cottage cheese. May sound strange, but we all love it.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna

Lasagna no-bake noodles (I use probably only 4-6 broken up)
Cottage cheese or Ricotta Cheese
1-2 c. mozzarella cheese
Jar spaghetti sauce
Ground beef, cooked and drained (optional)


Layer in the crock pot, starting with sauce, then noodles, then cheese. Cook on high 3 hours, leaving lid off the last 30 minutes to solidify a bit.