Loving Our Home | Home Tips, Advice, and Easy Recipes

Simple Home Tips and Solutions

italian recipes

Dad’s Manicotti Recipe

By Leave a Comment

My father, who’s no longer with us, always tried out different recipes on us kids when he was on vacation from work. Truth be told, some recipes were really, really bad but this recipe for Manicotti became a family favorite. This homemade Manicotti recipe is a meal that your family will likely rave about and request for years to come. This recipe is for cooks who really cook with love for their family, because it requires some “hands on” work.

Dad's Manicotti Recipe

Ingredients

1 8 oz box manicotti shells for stuffing (cooked al dente)
1 jar marinara sauce
1 12 oz package shredded mozzarella
1 Jimmy Dean Sage sausage roll
1/2 pound lean chop meat
1 large onion finely diced
1 32 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan, on medium high heat, add onions, sausage and chop meat. With a large spoon or spatula mince meat together with the onions. You want no large chunks of meat. The mixture is done when the meat is brown and the onions are translucent. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Next, in a large mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix ingredients until well combined. Now, add 1/2 package of shredded mozzarella to the mixture. Mix everything together gently until smooth. Then add cooled meat mixture to the bowl and blend that as well.

Manicotti Recipe Mixture

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Now, with a very small spoon or a small tipped piping bag, carefully fill your manicotti pasta. It’s important to hold and stuff each shell carefully to ensure they don’t tear. When you’re done filling a shell, place it on a large deep dish baking pan. Lay them close to one another, like this:

Stuffed Manicotti

Manicotti Recipe

Pour desired amount of marinara sauce on top of the filled shells then sprinkle remaining shredded mozzarella evenly on top of the sauce. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking remove foil and turn temperature up to 375 degrees to allow cheese to slightly brown on top. Serve with a side salad.

Thanks for this delicious Manicotti recipe Dad, and also for being a father who provided for and took care of his children, teaching us how to do the same for ourselves. We love you!!

Dad's Manicotti Recipe

Posted by Lorraine

Italian Breaded Chicken Recipe with Ham, Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese

By Leave a Comment

This Italian Breaded Chicken Recipe with Ham, Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese is a hearty meal for a family of four. The flavors are amazing together — it will taste as if you spent all day in the kitchen preparing this meal.

Italian Breaded Chicken with Ham, Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs deboned and flattened between wax paper
2 whole eggs beaten
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
4 slices of lightly salted ham 1/4 ” thick (avoid sweetened ham for this recipe)
1 medium can of seasoned chunk tomatoes (salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup oil
2 cups egg noodles cooked (optional)

Instructions

Place beaten eggs in a large bowl. In another large bowl add bread crumbs. Place oil in a large fry pan on medium high heat. First, take a thigh and cover completely with egg. Then place thigh into the bread crumbs. Be sure to coat both sides. Carefully place in fry pan. Repeat. Make sure to brown both sides. Preheat oven to 350* Place fried chicken thighs in a large casserole dish. Top chicken with one piece of ham. Then pour chunk tomatoes over ham. Lastly, cover with mozzarella cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve over buttered egg noodles if you’d like.

Enjoy this Italian Breaded Chicken Recipe with Ham, Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese with a soft breadstick or salad!

Posted by Eve

Ricotta Mozzarella Calzones

By Leave a Comment

Eating Italian food is always a decadent and enjoyable experience for me. The cheese, the tomatoes, the spices… yum! One of my favorite Italian foods is the classic ricotta mozzarella calzone–I’ve learned that I can make it easily at home instead of buying one for $8-$10 at a local pizza restaurant. When all the ingredients are purchased I can make 2-3 calzones for the price of one at a restaurant.

Flickr/habeshaIngredients

Whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough

* Keep in mind that you can now purchase quality pizza dough at your local grocery store. You can even purchase wheat pizza dough if you prefer. You might also want to get a jar of marinara sauce to dip your Ricotta Mozzarella Calzone into for added flavor.

* You can also add mushrooms, sliced green peppers and/or pepperoni to the mozzarella mixture if you’d like.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375*  Then cut your dough in half so that you have two pieces for two calzones. On a well floured surface, roll your dough out to desired thickness. Now in a large bowl add ricotta cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well. Then add about a 1/2 cup of ricotta mixture to center of the dough. This is the time to add all of the other ingredients of your choice. Top with mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over and pinch edges to keep ingredients inside. Repeat for other piece of dough. Place calzones on non stick cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with a bowl of marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!!!

Posted by Lorraine

 

Photo credit: Flickr/habesha

Homemade Bolognese Sauce with Penne Pasta and Sour Cream

By Leave a Comment

This recipe for Homemade Bolognese Sauce with Penne Pasta is one of my all time favorites. This is not a loose type of sauce but rather a meaty, rich and super tasty meal. Many people use a combination of ground beef and pork, but I really enjoy using just ground beef. As for the pasta, you can use what ever pasta that you enjoy the best. I prefer penne because the hollow middle fills up with the thick meat sauce.

Ingredients

1 box of Penne Pasta (Cooked Al Dente)
2 Pounds of Ground Beef (80% meat, 20% fat)
2 Tablespoons Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 6 Ounce Can Tomato Paste
3 8 Ounce Cans Of Tomato Sauce
1 Teaspoon Of Sugar
1 Small Onion Diced
1 Small Green Pepper Diced
2 Stalks Of Celery Diced
2 Medium Carrots Diced
3 Cloves Of Garlic Grated
1 Beef Bouillon Cube (dissolve cube in 2 tablespoons of very hot water)
2 Tablespoons Of Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Chili Flakes
1/4 Of Red Wine
1/2 Teaspoon Of Salt And Pepper ( to taste )

Instructions
In a large sauce pan on medium heat add the olive oil, diced onions, peppers, carrots and celery and sauté until soft. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, on medium heat, brown the ground beef until done. Remember, not to mince the beef. You want the meat rather chunky. Drain excess oil and discard. Now add the sautéed vegetables to pan. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar and stir well. Bring mixture to a simmer, then set heat on low. Add the grated garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and cook on low for 30 minutes. Remember to gently stir sauce during this time so that sauce does not stick to bottom of pan. After 30 minutes add red wine and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve meat sauce over pasta with a dollop of sour cream.

Make this delicious Homemade Bolognese Sauce with Penne Pasta for family dinner tonight!

Posted by Eve

Quick Recipe: Italian Spinach & Sausage Bake

By Leave a Comment

At my house we absolutely love spinach. Spinach is jam-packed with healthy vitamins and nutrients for the body. Eating lots of spinach has a number of health benefits for diabetics, people with high blood pressure and even bone conditions.

It also goes very well with many Italian dishes. One of my favorite spinach dishes to make is a spinach and sausage bake. It is so delicious, flavorful and healthy.

The ingredients all blend together so nicely to give you a flavorful Italian style vegetable-based dish. It doesn’t take long to make but you really have to stay close to the pot and do some work. Here’s the recipe:

5 Italian Chicken Sausages (I like Premio)
1 1/2 large 20 oz bags of fresh spinach
1/2 cup of peeled garlic cloves (chopped into large chunks)
1/2 box of mushrooms (sliced and chopped)
1 large broccoli crown (optional – chopped)
8 oz bag of shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 pinches of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon of black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
Olive oil

Boil the sausage in a large non-stick skillet. Drain the water and then chop the sausage up into bite sized pieces. Fry the pieces in olive oil until a little browned. Add chopped garlic chunks and cook for a few minutes. Add mushrooms next and cook a few more minutes. Mix in broccoli, seasonings and as much of the spinach as will fit in your lot. Add a little more olive oil. This is where you have to be quick because you don’t want the spinach to reduce too much. Scoop the sausage mixture from the bottom on top of the fresh spinach until it cooks down some then add more spinach until it’s all in there (don’t overcook!)

Scoop the spinach mixture in a square foil baking pan and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake on 350 for 5 minutes then turn it on broil for about 2-3 minutes until it’s browned. Salt to taste.

This recipe serves about 4 people.

Posted by: Jasmine