Scenes from an Italian Restaurant: Baked Cheese Manicotti Recipe

Here is a recipe by request!  I had a viewer email me a week or so ago and asked me if I had a manicotti recipe.  I love manicotti, so easy and delicious and when you make it you can make a bunch with very little effort!  So I promised I would put it on the list.  The weather is starting to get slightly cooler.  The humidity is starting to subside and summer is starting to thankfully take a hike on outta here!  So it is a good time to get these delicious pasta bakes underway.

Baked manicotti is a great dish to make in bulk.  I went ahead and prepped enough for two pans.  One for dinner that night and one for the freezer.  I did not bake the one for the freezer.  In a few weeks when we are busy and I don't have time to cook, that is going to come in handy!   You can divide this up any way you like.  I made two pans, but you could easily make four, six or eight.  You can even get the smaller foil pans and put one serving each if you are a single or if you are the only one in the house to enjoy this delicious cheesy pasta meal.  

I used my homemade pantry shelf marinara to make this dish but you can easily use your favorite jarred or home canned sauce.  You use what fits your life.  No worries there.  I have used foil pans, you can use what you like.  These make life easy for me and make clean up a breeze.  Also note that one pan feeds my family of four, dinner twice.  So technically, what I prepped is good for four meals.  Add bread and a salad and you are good to go.  

My filling is super simple.  Good quality ricotta cheese, NO STORE BRANDS PLEASE!  Use the whole milk version because it will hold together better and bleed a lot less water.  I prefer the Galiano brand or Polly O brand.  These two are super thick and need no draining.  They are pure cheese with no added fillers or gums or thickeners.  They are worth the extra money for a great final result.   I added shredded mozzarella, not fresh, because it is too soft for this application.  I also added grated Parmiggiano Reggiano and Peccorino Romano cheeses along with some salt and a bunch of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley.  You can also add in a bag of fresh baby spinach as well.  Your choice.  Don't forget the eggs because that is what holds this all together in the end!

Now that the filling is made we move on to the pasta tubes.  Manicotti is the best because you don't have to pre cook the pasta!  Just stuff those tubes and put them in the pan and bake.  I put my filling in a pastry bag.  If you don't have one, no worries. Just use a gallon zipper top bag and cut one of the corners off and use that like a pastry bag to fill your manicotti.  You can choose to fill the pasta tubes from both ends like I did or you can just stuff from one end until it is filled.  Either way it will be fine.  

I put 2 cups of marinara in the bottom of my pan and then laid the filled manicotti on top.  I used one box of manicotti or 14 pasta tubes per pan.  Then I used about 4 cups of marinara to cover the pasta.  It is important that the manicotti be completely covered because the moisture from the sauce is what is going to cook and soften the pasta.  

I had a bit of filling leftover after stuffing all of my manicotti so I divided it between the two pans because I figure there can never be too much cheese!  I also topped each pan with more mozzarella and Parmesan.  Then I covered everything with sauce. Covered the pans with a layer of parchment first then with foil and baked them for about an hour.

This is such an easy and delicious meal to make for any time and squirrel one away for later!  I hope you give this baked cheese manicotti a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can get the recipe on my website: http://bit.ly/2czpd0s

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video here:

Noreen's Kitchen

 Baked Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients

1 box manicotti pasta shells 1, 32 ounce container whole milk ricotta cheese 3 cups shredded, mozzarella cheese, divided ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped 6 cups marinara sauce

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine ricotta, 1 ½ cups of Mozzarella and ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.  Add eggs, salt and parsley.  Stir well to combine.

Place cheese mixture in a pastry bag or in a zip top bag with one corner snipped off.

Place 2 cups of marinara in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Fill the uncooked manicotti shells by squeezing the filling into the shell from either one or both ends.  Place the filled shells into the baking dish with the sauce.

When you have finished filling the shells you may have extra cheese filling leftover.  Just spoon that around the manicotti evenly. 

Spoon over 4 cups of marinara sauce, making sure to cover all the pasta and cheese.  You should not see any exposed pasta. 

Top the past with the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, evenly over the top.

Cover with a layer of parchment paper and then with a layer of aluminum foil sealing tightly.

Place casserole dish on a baking sheet for stability and to prevent spill over in your oven.

Bake for 45 minutes. 

Remove from oven and remove the foil and parchment.  Return to oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

Remove from oven and allow manicotti to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Old World Comfort! Slow Cooked Garden Style Pork Ragout Recipe!

Here is a super delicious, quick to put together pork ragout that will make everyone at the table happy!  This has a bit of a Neopolitan flair with all the different and rich flavors that I have incorporated.  It is very "caccitore" tasting, but oh so delicious!  The slow cooker makes easy work of this rich and decadent tasting sauce and you are going to love it!

In the summer, making pasta sauce can be a daunting and hot prospect, but the slow cooker comes to the rescue and I love to employ it during those dog days when the heat tends to get the better of me.  See, I am NOT a summer lover.  In fact, I would love it, if winter could be all year.  But, alas, Mother Nature has other ideas and I must deal.  

A typical "ragout" is a thick sauce that includes meat, veggies and lots of seasonings.  It can be served alone or with pasta, rice, potatoes or noodles.  If you are inclined, this would be great with some homemade egg noodles or spaetzel.  Instead of using a jarred pasta sauce as a base, I built one for myself using a couple 28 ounce cans of good quality crushed tomatoes along with one standard small can of tomato paste.  I added 1, 10 ounce jar of roasted red pepper strips,  and an equal sized jar of pitted and halved, Calamatta olives.  Then I added some green bell pepper, sweet onion, celery, shredded carrots and lots and lots of garlic.  For meatiness I added four Portobello mushroom caps that I diced and then for the real meat of this dish, one package of beautiful pork tenderloin that I cubed like stew beef. 

all the ingredients got tossed into the slow cooker and then I seasoned that bad boy up with some dry spices like roasted garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, thyme salt and pepper.  I did not add a ton of salt because the briny olives will add saltiness as well as the final ingredient the Parmesan rind.  This will slow cook and add a deep and delicious flavor that will be mellow but salty to this sauce.  In the end, it did not require further seasoning once it had cooked all day.  It was perfectly delicious.  

If you are not familiar with using a Parmesan rind in your sauce or soup, then this is going to be a real treat.  If you shop at a store where they offer better cheeses and freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano, they will always have cheese rind off of those giant wheels.  They will want to recoup their cost because those wheels are no laughing matter to the wallet so when you see them, they will usually sell them in a tub filled to the brim.  They are not expensive.  Like I sometimes can get a quart container of Parmesan rinds for less than three dollars.  Take them home vacuum seal or store in a freezer bag and stick them in your freezer for the next time you make a pasta sauce or tomato based soup or even a chicken soup.  You will love what it does for the flavor.  When the dish is ready to eat, simply fish out the rind and discard.  It has given you all it has to offer and you won't want to eat that.  

My pork ragout cooked on high in my slow cooker for six hours.  The meat was fork tender and fall apart, delicious.  Everything married amazingly well and the four of us enjoyed this sauce over chunky rigatoni pasta that evening for supper,  I also filled a two quart container for the freezer and that is in the slow cooker again, as of this writing a few weeks later getting ready for an easy, freezer banked dinner for a busy night of meetings.  I also had another quart which fed Rick and I for lunch a few days after I initially made this meal.

I hope you give this slow cooked, garden style pork ragout a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can find the recipe on my website:

http://bit.ly/2cpJk1q

You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video

Noreen's Kitchen

 Slow Cooked Garden Style

Pork Ragout

Ingredients

2-3 pound pork tenderloin, cubed 3-4 Portobello mushroom caps, diced 1 medium sweet onion, diced 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, grated 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 4-6 cloves garlic, minced 1, 10 ounce jar Calamatta olives, drained 1, 10 ounce jar, red pepper strips, drained 2, 28 ounce cans, crushed tomatoes 1, 6 ounce can tomato paste

¼ cup Balsamic vinegar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon roasted garlic powder 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 3 –4 bay leaves, fresh or dry 1 Parmesan rind, optional

Step by Step Instructions

Add both cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to the crock and stir well to combine. 

Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.

If using the Parmesan rind, tuck it into the center of the crock and sink it in. 

Cover and set on high for 6 to 8 hours on low for 8 to 10 hours.

When meat is fork tender the sauce is done. 

Remove the Parmesan rind and discard.

Taste for seasonings and serve.

This Ragout is delicious served over pasta, rice, mashed or boiled potatoes or egg noodles.  This would even be nice served over hot cooked grains such as wheat berries, qunioa or barley.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.  In the freezer this can be kept for up to three months.  I like to cook from frozen by tossing the block of frozen sauce right into the slow cooker and setting in on high until it is warmed through.  Then keep warm till ready to serve.  This is a great option for freezer banking when you are getting ready for a busy night! 

Enjoy!

Meatless Never Tasted So good! Vegetable Stacks ~ Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner!!

Here is a great dinner option for meatless Monday or any day!  Vegetable stacks, vegetarian sheet pan dinner is easy to make and nobody in your family is going to miss the meat!  We really enjoyed this meal and served along with some ancient grains blend that I cooked up in the pressure cooker, this meal was simply delicious!  

We have been wanting to share this for a while and we have had it a couple of times so far this summer and we all really enjoy the simplicity of this meal.  Super simple to make and even the leftovers can be folded into leftover rice, quinoa or couscous for an awesome riff on a tabbouleh salad the next day!

I used some giant portobello mushroom caps from the warehouse store and some thick sliced eggplant, yellow and zuccini squash along with some thick sliced Vidalia onions.  I marinated each veggie in a zip top bag with some of our favorite zesty Italian dressing for 15 to 20 minutes then laid them on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat.  

We baked off the veggies for 20 to 25 minutes until they reached our desired doneness and then created our vegetable stacks on top of the prepared quinoa blend that had been prepared pilaf style.

You can always change up the dressing/marinade and make this with a delicious teriyaki or Asian sesame dressing, or Greek, French or even just some oil and balsamic vinegar would be great!  You decide which direction to take.  No matter what you choose I know it will be delicious!

I hope you give this vegetarian sheet pan dinner a try and I hope you love these vegetable stacks!

Happy Eating!

You can get a printable version of the recipe here:  http://bit.ly/1UwjWb2



You can see how I did this in my YouTube video:

Noreen's Kitchen

Vegetable Stacks

Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients

4 portobello mushroom caps 2 medium sized eggplant 2 large sweet onions 2 zucchini

2 yellow squash 2 cups marinade or dressing of choice salt and pepper to taste

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Clean the gills from the portobello mushrooms and set aside.

Slice eggplant, and squash into 1/2 inch slices.

Slice onion in 1/2 thick slices and place on skewers to make turning easier.  I put two slices per skewer.

Place 1/2 cup of dressing or marinade into a zip top bag and add the mushroom caps.  Seal the bag and distribute the dressing to coat the mushrooms.  Set aside for 15 t0 20 minutes.

Do the same with the rest of the vegetables and allow them to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Lay the vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans that you have lined with either foil or silicone mats.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables reach your preferred doneness. 

Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes before preparing the stacks.

Build stacks by arranging a bed of quinoa, rice or couscous on the bottom of the plate and stacking a mushroom cap on the bottom then squash, onion and topping of with a slice of eggplant.

You can sprinkle with parsley or drizzle with more dressing or marinade if desired before serving.

This is a dish best eaten fresh, however leftover roasted vegetable can be chopped and mixed with any of your leftover rice, quinoa or couscous to make a version of tabbouleh salad that you can eat as a lunch the next day.

Easy Peasy & Fancy Schmancy! Pork Scallopini!

Today I want to share my quick and easy pork scallopini recipe with you!  Yes, you read that right!  Pork!  I accidentally took out a package of hand cut, boneless pork loin chops out of my freezer thinking they were chicken breasts because I forgot to label them.  So I needed to do something with these beauties.  Since I live in pork country, this is a super economical meal to make for my family and they love it.  You can, of course do this dish with thin chicken cutlets or even with the traditional veal cutlet if you prefer. 

This dish could not be any easier to make.  The end result is a silky, rich dish that is a mushroom lovers delight.  The light sauce is super flavorful and the perfect accompaniment to hot buttered pasta, rice or couscous.    

I started by slicing my pork chops in half.  I had hand cut some fairly thick chops off of a large whole pork loin I purchased.  So I got between two and three pork cutlets off of each chop and I had a total of four.  Then I pounded the cutlets with a meat mallet or something closely resembling a meat mallet.  In my case that would be a mini cast iron skillet.  That gets the job done.  You should use what you have available to you.  Then I dredged the meat pieces in a seasoned flour to coat.

The meat was sauteed in a mixture of butter and olive oil, in batches until they were all cooked and a bit browned.  Then I removed the meat to a warm plate to build my sauce.   I added onion garlic and a passel of mushrooms to the pan.  I also added a splash of chicken stock to de-glaze.  Then I let all the veggies steam saute for a bit to soften.  

Next I added chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan and gave everything a good stir.  Again I let this simmer for a few minutes to reduce and build flavor.  Then I added some additional butter to finish the sauce and give me a beautiful rich and glossy finish.  

I added the meat back to the pan and nestled those cutlets down in all that lovely sauce and mushroom loveliness.  I turned the heat down just a bit and let that simmer for a few additional minutes before turning the heat off and letting everything come to a peaceful rest before serving.

I served this on a bed of cooked and buttered angel hair pasta, but this would be just as delicious served with rice, plain or pilaf, couscous, quinoa or even cauliflower rice if you are on a low carb diet.  In which case, you can always leave out the flour and just sautee the meat in the butter and olive oil.  

This dish is quick and simple.  It has tons of flavor and a satisfying air about it.  I love this dish for a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend evening when I don't really want to do a bunch of work.  This is excellent served as I have shown or it can be dressed up for company and nobody has to know how easy it was for you to make!  I promise you though, they will be asking for the recipe!  So your secret won't be a secret for long.  

I hope you give this recipe for pork scallopini a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Get a printable version of the recipe here:  http://bit.ly/1tdjvbx

Noreen's Kitchen

Pork Scallopini

Ingredients

2 pounds thin boneless pork loin chops 4 tablespoons butter, divided 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 pound Crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 large onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced Juice of 1 lemon 1 cup chicken stock or dry white wine

Step by Step Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat.

If necessary, pound the pork chops with a meat mallet until they are about 1/8 inch thickness.

Mix together flour, salt and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish.

Dredge the pork chops in the flour mixture to cover completely.  Set aside on a dish until all of your chops are finished.

Working in batches, brown the pork chops for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they are browned and slightly crispy looking.  Remove to a covered plate to keep warm while to finish the rest.  Remember not to crowd the pan or you will not get a nice brown coating.

When the pork chops are cooked, add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Using a flat spatula, gently coax the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  If needed, add a splash of chicken stock to help you along.

Allow the vegetables to cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are softened.

Add the remaining chicken stock and the lemon juice to the pan with the veggies.  Stir well and allow the mixture to simmer for five additional minutes to reduce the sauce just a bit.

Add the butter to the sauce to finish.  Stir until it is incorporated.

Add the pork chops back to the pan and nestle them into the vegetables and sauce.  Allow to simmer for five more minutes.  This will help to thicken up and bind the sauce even further for a beautiful silky finish.

Turn off the heat and allow to sit for five minutes before serving over rice or pasta.

See how I made this in my YouTube video: