When I joined my kindergartner for lunch at his school last week, I couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic about all the delicious school cafeteria meals I enjoyed during my school days.
That’s right, I said delicious cafeteria meals. Back in my elementary years (waaay back in the 80s), a half-dozen seasoned veteran cooks arrived at the cafeteria every morning to start kneading dough, slicing apples, simmering green beans, and patting out hamburgers. Every meal was made by hand – from an actual recipe. They put the love in, and I swear you could taste it.
These days, school lunches are largely comprised of conveniently-packaged components. My son arrived at the table that day with a paper tray of chicken nuggets, a packet of cotton candy-flavored yogurt, a plastic baggie of apple slices, and a box of milk. Not an unhealthy meal, but just so very… contrived.
I don’t know how you put the love into a tube of Gogurt. So unfortunately for my own kids, they’ll have to get their home-cooked meals exclusively at home. Meals like this baked spaghetti, one of my favorite cafeteria staples, and an easy, retro casserole that’s perfect for weeknights.
My favorite brands of prepared marinara sauce: Rao’s, Giada de Laurentiis (available at Target), Trader Joe’s, Barilla. In that order.
Baked Spaghetti
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Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
1 pound ground pork sausage or ground beef
1 (26 oz.) jar marinara sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 pound spaghetti
2 eggs
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, brown the meat over medium-high heat, breaking it apart into small pieces as it cooks. Drain the fat, then stir in the marinara sauce and seasoned salt. Set aside.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
While the pasta is boiling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, butter, salt and pepper.
When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain it, then immediately add the hot pasta to the egg mixture. Stir vigorously for 1 minute, until the egg mixture is creamy and coats the pasta evenly.
Place half of the spaghetti mixture in an even layer in the bottom of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the cottage cheese, half of the meat sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes longer. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
I’m not just a North Carolinian – I’m an 11th generation North Carolinian. Eleven generations, ya’ll! In a country as young as the USA, it’s hard to find anyone who is an 11th generation anything.
Yes, my Tar Heel roots go down to the bedrock, so it should come as no surprise that I was well into my teens before I realized eastern North Carolina barbecue – which is smoked whole hog, pulled and served with a spicy vinegar sauce – isn’t the only kind. That the bottled “barbecue sauce” sold at the grocery store was some kind of gloppy, ketchupy stuff, and obviously in no way related to what I called barbecue, was one of those anomalies in life that children are so good at ignoring.
Since then I’ve traveled all over the US, and tasted a lot of regional barbecues. Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, even western North Carolina - they’ve all got their own style. But I’ll take eastern North Carolina’s ‘cue any day of the week. The spicy tang of vinegar sauce turns smoked pulled meat into something sublime.
Traditional eastern NC barbecue is whole smoked hog. Period. That being said, this sauce is just as delicious on pulled pork butt, chicken, or even turkey. This recipe uses chicken breasts, brined and grilled.
Traditional eastern NC barbecue sauce does not contain apple juice, butter or Dijon mustard, and it uses red pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper. That being said, this stuff is delicious.
eastern north carolina barbecue
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Serves: 25-35
Ingredients
For the sauce
5 cups cider vinegar
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups unfiltered apple juice
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I suggest Frank’s)
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
For the meat
20 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Kosher salt
½ pound butter
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce, and store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks, shaking occasionally. Refrigeration is not required.
Soak the chicken in big tub of salty water for 30-60 minutes. Put the chicken over medium-hot charcoal, skin-side up, and season with a sprinkle of kosher salt. Cook until the meat is browned around the edges and the skin is starting to brown on top. Flip the chicken and keep cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove and let cool. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, shred meat into a stock pot. Add the sauce and the butter, then cook over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and serve.
If you really want to impress someone with your kitchen prowess, look no further than the sine qua non of hearty French cuisine, Beef Bourguignon. It may sound fancy, but really it’s just a rich, boozy, chunky beef and vegetable stew. A stew that Julia Child famously called “one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man”. Per usual, she was right.
Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those dishes that makes it seem like you spent hours in the kitchen. Depending on your knife skills, you may actually end up clocking over an hour of prep time, in addition to the hour-plus it spends simmering away in the oven and on the stove. The good news, as Ms. Child also aptly points out, is that you can make this dish in advance and reheat it when you’re ready to serve. In fact, that’s the best way to do it because, like good love and good wine, bourguignon only gets better with time.
Don’t stress over what wine to use in this dish – any red wine that’s not sweet will work nicely. I personally like something really dark and rich… so Malbec, Zinfandel, or Petite Sirah are all good choices.
When you read through this recipe, you’ll notice there’s a little fireworks show involving some Cognac (I recommend Hennessey VSOP) and a lighter. Don’t be scared. But I do recommend you make sure your fire extinguisher is nearby and hasn’t expired. Come to think of it, that’s a good idea even when you’re not lighting a pot of alcohol on fire.
One more thing: grocery stores, at least in my neck of the woods, tend to only carry frozen pearl onions during the holidays. I have no idea why. You can always peel fresh pearl onions, or you can leave them out.
Beef Bourguignon
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
2½ pounds chuck beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the diced bacon and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned and slightly crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a few layers of paper towels on a large plate.
Pat the beef cubes with paper towels to dry, then season with salt and pepper. Sear the beef in single-layer batches in the hot bacon grease for 3 to 5 minutes, turning pieces to brown on all sides. Transfer the beef to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
Add the carrots, yellow onions, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper to the same pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have lots of good browned bits on the bottom.
Add the Cognac, then stand back and carefully ignite with a match or long lighter to burn off the alcohol.
Add the beef and bacon to the pot, along with the bottle of wine. Add enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Stir the tomato paste and fresh thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, put the lid on the pot, and put it in the preheated oven for about 1½ hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.
Melt two tablespoons of butter in the microwave, then stir in the flour to make a paste. Stir this into the stew along with the frozen onions. Cover and set aside while you prepare the mushrooms.
Saute the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add to the stew.
Set the pot over high heat and bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
To serve, toss the 1 tablespoon of butter with the cooked egg noodles. Put a handful of noodles on a plate and top with a generous scoop of stew.
nprivetteMain Dishes, Recipesbangers and mash, british food, chicken sausages0 Comment
I don’t get why people are always pooh-poohing British food. If you’re looking for something that will stick to your ribs, warm you up on a cold night, or go perfectly with a tall pint, then a big plate of meat and potatoes is second to none.
British food is often derided for being too heavy, but it’s hearty for good reason. Until recently (recently, at least, in the context of human history), the people of the British Isles depended on that calorie-rich food for the energy and extra fat reserves they needed to survive in their famously chilly, damp climate.
But these days, most of us could probably do without the extra padding. So I love this light version of my personal favorite British dish, Bangers and Mash. Chicken sausages can cut out as much as half the calories and about 80% of the fat versus pork sausages, and the lightened-up potatoes have a delicious mustardy kick.
Cheers!
Chicken Bangers and Dijon Mash
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Author: The Queen Cooks
Recipe type: Main Dishes
Cuisine: British
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1½ pounds chicken sausages
4 tablespoons butter substitute, like Smart Balance
½ cup skim milk
4 oz. light sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoons dry mustard powder
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Put the potatoes, salt, and enough water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat your grill to medium-high heat. Cook the sausages for 4-5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Flip and cook 4-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and cover with foil. Set aside.
Drain the potatoes, then return to pot and mash with a potato masher. Add the butter substitute, milk, and light sour cream, then stir until smooth. Add the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dry mustard, and pepper and stir until combined.
To serve, spread a serving of potatoes on a plate and top with two sausages.
Mmm mmm mmm. That’s a big ol’ plate of diet-busting deliciousness right there.
Okay, so maybe a big plate of creamy pasta isn’t something you’d chow down on every night, but that’s all the more reason to make it fabulous, right? And this one’s got it all: Indulgently thick, wide pappardelle pasta… Check. Creamy gorgonzola sauce… Check. Meaty, flavorful baby portobellos… check. Salty, chewy country ham… check. The nutty crunch of toasted walnuts… Check.
So pour yourself a big glass of chardonnay and enjoy. You can think about how to work it off in the morning.
Gorgonzola Pappardelle
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Author: Niki Privette
Recipe type: Pasta Dishes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
4 cups half-and-half
5-6 ounces crumbly gorgonzola cheese, divided
2 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup chopped walnuts
8 oz. pappardelle pasta
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
½ pound country ham, coarsely chopped
½ cup white wine
½ cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
Parmesan shards, for garnish
Instructions
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half to a high simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for 30-40 minutes, or until the half-and-half has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Adjust the temperature as needed to maintain the high simmer. *Be warned – this pot would like nothing more than to boil over on you and/or burn. Watch it carefully, stir frequently, and don’t go too far. Turn the temperature down as need, but keep the simmer going.
While the half-and-half is cooking, go ahead and toast the walnuts in a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside.
You can also go ahead and cook the pappardelle according to package instructions, less 1-2 minutes of cooking time. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and toss in 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
When the half-and-half is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, pour it through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. Stir in half of the Gorgonzola, the Parmesan, and the salt and pepper, then whisk until the cheeses are melted. Set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and ham, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the wine and stir, making sure to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Bring the wine to a simmer, then stir in the gorgonzola sauce, the pasta, the sun-dried tomatoes, and half of the walnuts. Stir and cook together for a few minutes. Transfer to a large platter and top with the other half of the walnuts, the rest of the gorgonzola, and a few shards of Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Sometimes the best parts of your vacation are the ones you don’t plan. So it was when my husband and I were hiking the south rim of the Grand Canyon last year and overheard a tour guide telling his group about the El Tovar Lodge. Barely visible in the distance, we learned that the hotel, perched on the rim of the canyon and built in the tradition of the grand hunting lodges of Europe, has been in operation since 1905. Nineteen hundred and five! That’s older than the state of Arizona. Impressive.
We learned that El Tovar is the accommodation of choice for celebrities when they visit the Grand Canyon; it has hosted eight presidents ranging from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama. In fact, President Roosevelt, best known for his love of the outdoors, his arrogant jingoism, and for carrying that big stick, is said to have had a special fondness for the hotel. He actually wrote a book about his second visit in 1913.
It looked to us like a good place to have lunch.
We’re not big fans of chili, but we are big fans of meat, so when we saw “Beef Tenderloin and Pork Tenderloin Chili” on the menu, we had no choice but to order a bowl to share. It was ah-mazing. Even more amazing was the fact that a quick Google search turned up the recipe. Not a copycat recipe. The recipe, straight from the head chef. I’ve made a few minor changes to make it my own. Enjoy!
One of those changes I made is not using beef tenderloin – aka filet mignon – because I don’t want to spend $60 at the grocery store to make a pot of chili. So I just use steaks instead, and extend the cooking time to ensure tenderness. Whatever cut of steak you choose when you’re grilling out will work just fine.
The beer you use here really matters. If it’s something light, like Budweiser or Stella Artois, the flavor might not come through in the chili. And you don’t want something too stout or bitter, like Guinness, because the in-your-face flavors that makes those beers so good are not so good in chili. My recommendation: a brown ale like Newcastle. Brown ales are super-smooth, with a rich nutty flavor and subtle hops bitterness – perfect for our purposes.
Grand Canyon Chili
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Prep time
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Total time
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Chili
2 pounds beef steaks, trimmed and large diced
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and large diced
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 (12 oz.) bottles of beer, preferably a brown ale
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Toppings
Sour cream
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
Crushed corn chips
Instructions
Season the diced meats with salt and pepper.
In a stock pot over medium-high heat, get 2 tablespoons of olive oil very hot, then add the diced beef. Turn the pieces so they will get browned on all sides. When you don’t see any more pink, transfer the beef to a bowl and cover with aluminum foil.
Repeat the same process with the pork, transferring it to the same bowl when it’s cooked.
Add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring frequently until the onions are browned, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the beer to the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. When it’s boiling, add the meats and the rest of the ingredients for the chili.
Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 hours, or until the meat is tender. Don’t skimp on the cooking time or the meat may be tough. Adjust the temperature as needed to maintain a simmer. Check in every half hour or so to stir. Add water, 1-2 cups at a time, when the liquid level gets too low (the liquid is too low if the chili is so thick that you can see the bottom of the pan when you scrape it with a spoon).
Season with salt and pepper to taste when it’s done cooking. If you do it before, the flavor will concentrate and it may be too salty.
Serve in a bowl, topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and crushed corn chips.
3.2.1215
King Ranch Casserole
nprivetteCasseroles, Main Dishes, Recipes0 Comment
Recently, I was looking for a dinner to take over to a neighbor who just had some surgery. I needed something with lots of mass appeal, that fit in a casserole dish, that tasted great when reheated, and that wasn’t lasagna. Challenge accepted!
That’s when I found it: King Ranch Casserole. The picture in the cookbook looked ah-mazing. Creamy sauce and juicy chicken, dotted with colorful peppers and topped with golden-brown cheese. Yum! But my balloon deflated when I read the recipe itself. Two different canned cream-of-something soups, bagged pre-shredded cheese… canned chicken? No! That’s where I draw the line! I’m all for convenience, but this was only one step better than just giving up and ordering a pizza.
My mission: to take the King Ranch concept and make it worthy fare without too much fuss (hint: if you have a food processor, use it). After some little-of-this, little-of-that experimentation, I came up with a recipe that got the seal of approval from both my husband and my neighbor. Enjoy!
The poblano is a large, mild chili pepper that you’ll find in most grocery stores. A medium-sized poblano will be 4-5 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. If you can’t find poblanos, see if you can find Anaheims instead. Failing that, you can either use 2 jalapenos, which will add significantly more heat, or a green pepper, which will add no heat.
King Ranch Casserole
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Ingredients
1 (3 pound) pre-cooked rotisserie chicken
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and small diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
4 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 (10 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies
1 teaspoon oregano
1 (14 oz) can whole kernel corn
1 lime, juiced
8 oz. sour cream
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut in half
Instructions
Pull the meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred it by hand. Set aside. Grate the two cheeses and toss to combine. Set aside.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper and saute until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to incorporate the flour. Add the chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer, then cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chicken, Rotel with juice, and oregano, turn heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and stir in half of the shredded cheese mixture, the corn, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Spray a rectangular glass baking dish with cooking spray. Then spread the following layers evenly in the bottom of the dish: ⅓ of the chicken mixture, ½ of the tortillas, ⅓ of the chicken mixture, ½ of the tortillas, ⅓ of the chicken mixture, the rest of the shredded cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cheeses are golden and bubbly. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Ina Garten, Food Network star and my fantasy BFF, has a signature dish called Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic. And since I’m quite familiar with the intoxicating aroma and sweetness of long-cooked garlic, and since I want to be just like Ina when I grow up, it had been on my short list of stuff to whip up for dinner one of these nights for quite a while. The problem is, there’s no “whipping” this one up – you’ll need to allow time to break up 3 whole heads of garlic and then peel the approximately 40 cloves (which is sticky, messy, smelly work). You’ll also need to sharpen your butchering knife and butchering skills to break down a whole chicken. No, TWO whole chickens. Ugh. Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic had been sitting on my to-cook list for at least three years when at last I decided I needed to either make the recipe busy-girl friendly or just strike it from the list.
First, I addressed the garlic. Although I’d never used it, I had seen whole peeled garlic at the grocery store. Sure, it doesn’t keep as fresh and flavorful as long as unpeeled, but who cares? Buy it today and use it tonight. Problem solved.
Second, the chicken. I don’t generally care for meat with bones in it (major exception: chicken wings), and I really, really don’t care for the bone crunching and knife whacking that come along with breaking down a whole chicken. So I decided to give the recipe a whirl using chicken breasts. The result was easy deliciousness.
So here it is… Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, made easy enough for the home cook on a weeknight. Thanks, Ina. You’re the inspiration.
Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
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Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
40 cloves of peeled garlic
2 tbsp Cognac
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Trim the fat from the chicken breasts, then pat them dry with paper towels. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, coating well and shaking off the excess before transferring to a plate.
Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add half the chicken and cook until browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Add the garlic cloves to the pot and saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the Cognac and the wine and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Turn heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Put about ¼ cup of the wine sauce in a small bowl, then whisk together with the flour. Add it back to the pot and stir. Add the cream and stir. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the pot and remove it from the heat. Cover and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then serve.
3.1.09
Beef Stroganoff
nprivetteBeef Main Dishes, Main Dishes, RecipesComfort Food1 Comment
My mom used to occasionally make a dish for dinner called Swedish Meatballs. Now, I know there is an official way to make Swedish Meatballs, and I’m not sure how closely my mom’s version resembled it. But around our house, Swedish Meatballs were ground beef meatballs served in a creamy mushroom sauce over wide egg noodles. It was one of my favorite childhood comfort dishes.
I was pretty stoked when I got to college and realized that Hamburger Helper’s Beef Stroganoff offered a flavor experience that was very vaguely reminiscent of my mom’s Swedish Meatballs. It had beef, noodles, and a brown sauce anyway. A little dollop of sour cream on top and you had some seriously good eating… by college standards.
Well now I’m all grown up, so I figured it was time to come up with a slightly more sophisticated way to cure my stroganoff cravings. It took a few tries to find it, but this is the one. Hearty chunks of beef, simmered in a flavorful broth until tender, served over egg noodles with that creamy mushroom sauce. You know you’ve stumbled upon a winner when you catch your husband standing over the stove and licking the pan after dinner. So it was with this recipe. Enjoy!
5.0 from 1 reviews
Beef Stroganoff
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Total time
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 (2 lb.) beef chuck roast
4 ounces butter
2 shallots, chopped
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 (6 oz.) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
⅓ cup sour cream
⅓ cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
½ pound wide egg noodles, cooked
Sour cream and parsley for garnish
Instructions
Trim any fat or gristle from the roast, then cut into half-inch strips, about two inches long. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the beef and saute quickly, until the meat is just browned. Add the shallots and continue cooking until they are softened, about 3 minutes.
Spoon about a quarter cup of the juices from the pan into a bowl. Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth, then pour back into the pan. Stir in the stock and the mustard, then continue stirring until mixture begins to boil.
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. A few minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve over the wide egg noodles. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley to serve.
3.1.09
Baked Ziti
nprivetteCasseroles, Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, RecipesComfort Food, Italian, Make-Ahead0 Comment
My husband was in the Army when we got married, and we were stationed at Fort Drum in upstate New York. Way, way, WAY upstate New York. We were pretty isolated up there, so I was really excited when my mom and my aunt decided to bring my two grandmothers up to see us. It was the first plane ride for one, and only the second for the other! The two things I remember most about their visit was taking them to Niagara Falls, and making this baked ziti recipe for them. They not only loved it, they raved over it, and now almost ten years later it’s still one of my favorite go-to recipes.
Baked Ziti
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This is a hearty dish that feeds a bunch, freezes well and makes great leftovers.
Author: Niki Privette
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 12
Ingredients
16 oz. Ziti pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork sausage
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
26 oz. marinara sauce
Salt to taste
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. Sour cream
16 oz. Cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella
4 oz. shredded Parmesan
¼ cup minced fresh basil
Instructions
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, then toss in olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
In a large pot, cook ground beef and sausage over medium-high heat until browned. Transfer meat to a strainer, drain the fat, and set aside. In the same pot, cook onion over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic, rosemary, and the meat mixture. Stir in the spaghetti sauce. Season with salt and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a large, deep baking dish with cooking spray.
Spread half of the pasta evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with the Monterey Jack cheese.
Use a spoon to drop small dollops of sour cream all over the casserole. Spoon half the meat sauce over it, then use a large spoon or rubber spatula to spread everything flat and even to the edges.
Spread the other half of the pasta on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
Use a spoon to drop small dollops of cottage cheese evenly all over the casserole. Spoon the other half of the meat sauce over it, then spread it flat like you did before.
Top with the fresh basil and the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
