Italian Escarole Turkey Soup

I am a huge soup lover and really love ones that are easy to put together. This is one of these types of soups- if you have some greens (any type of salad greens, really) and leftover turkey or chicken, you can put this together pretty quickly. While this soup makes a larger pot, I like to have some leftovers and if you are a small family, put part of it in the freezer for another meal or two. It is a perfect cook-ahead meal. If you haven't tried escarole, be sure to give it a try. I just love having different types of greens wilted in soups.

Serves- 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably with Italian herbs)
• 1 15oz. can white beans, drained
• 8 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 2-3 cups rice
• 2 heads escarole
• fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
• shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

• In a large stockpot, sauté onion, carrot and celery in oil until onion is becoming translucent. Then add in minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
• Add in tomatoes, beans, broth, seasonings and turkey. 
• Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare rice and escarole.
• Cook the rice per instructions on the package, seasoning it well. 
• Wash the escarole well and chop it.
• When rice is cooked, add in escarole to soup and allow to wilt for a couple minutes. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.
• To serve, put a large rounded spoonful of rice in a soup bowl, then ladle soup over top and garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Good with crusty, rustic bread for dipping in broth. 

Shared with:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 3-27-14

Easy but Amazing Bolognese Sauce (Meat Sauce)

This is the sauce to make when you are short on time and need something full of flavor. Although I have typically kept a stock of store-bought spaghetti sauce on hand and add in herbs and other items to give it more flavor, I have been looking for recipes to make more things from scratch and be more in control of the ingredients in our food. When I saw this sauce recipe from Kristin Porter (Best-Ever Bolognese Sauce), I was impressed with how easy it looked and is similar to how I made some homemade sauces in the past. I have adapted this recipe and was so pleased with the flavors- totally worth a little extra effort over opening a jar and pouring it in a pot. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef (or may use part or all Italian sausage)
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (or a little more)
• 1 cup half and half or milk (not lowfat)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning, crushed in palm before adding
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (or adjusted to taste)
• 1 pound pasta of choice

Directions:

• Brown meat and vegetables together in large covered pot until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. If meat is very fatty, you may drain off/sop up some of the extra fat.
• Add in the remaining ingredients (except the pasta) and cook uncovered on medium-high for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened somewhat. If it is too bubbly, keep lid on partly so moisture can still escape. 
• Cook pasta according to directions and then drain, adding some of the sauce to mix with the pasta and flavor it prior to serving. Serve with parmesan/romano cheese and a little oregano sprinkled on top.

Tortellini In Vegetable Sauce

This was my latest brainstorm recipe that turned out so well that my husband and I could hardly stop eating this. I had a lot of different vegetables that needed to be used up, not enough time to thaw some meat and wanted to do something easy before I had to run off to work in the evening. It turned out that the veggies I had worked wonderful together for this dish, but I really think you could use all different types of vegetables and have a great dish. The cooking time for this is less than 30 minutes and would be a great weeknight meal if you have the veggies already prepped.

Serves about 6 (or 4 adult servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned and finely chopped, including the upper stems
• 1 pint size container of grape tomatoes (or you could substitute 1  15oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice)
• 1 large onion or 2 small-medium onions
• 2 medium carrots, medium diced, or may use baby carrots chopped
• 2 large celery ribs, chopped
• 2-3 mushrooms
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• olive oil
• palmful of Italian seasoning/herb blend
• salt blend like Goya Adobo with pepper
• 1 pound pasta of choice
• cream or half and half
• 2-4 large handfuls of spinach, chopped (or may use 1/2 small package of frozen spinach); may use another type of greens
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
• 2-3 low fat string cheese sticks, shredded and then chopped (optional), or may use handful of shredded mozarella cheese
• chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

• In a large covered skillet, generously drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with seasoned salt blend and crushed Italian seasoning. After it has begun to cook and soften a little, cover the pan so the juices do not evaporate out. Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.
• While the veggies are cooking, start the pasta water. Liberally salt the water. Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than the recommended time as it will cook in the sauce at the end.
• As the veggies become tender as you desire, add in the cream gradually until the sauce is lightly creamy- I used about 1/4-1/3 cup.
• Add in the chopped spinach. 
• Pull out about 1 - 1 1/2 cup of pasta water as the pasta is finished and set it aside.
• Add the cheeses to the vegetable mixture and then add in the drained pasta.
• Combine everything together and add in as much pasta water as you need to make enough sauce to cover the pasta. Cover the pan as it cooks together for a couple more minutes. 
• Garnish with parsley and serve with a garlic bread or other warm rustic bread.

*Note- if using more sturdy greens in place of spinach, add them in with the vegetables at the beginning since they need more time to cook.

Pasta with Potato and Brussel Sprouts

In my family growing up, I ate spaghetti but always just with tomato meat sauce. It has only been in the last few years that I have tried making pasta dishes with different types of sauces. When I saw Rachael Ray make a lightened up version of  Pizzoccheri, I was very interested to see how the Italians combine potatoes and pasta together- I never would have thought of this before. I have made a number of changes to Rachael's recipe. In Rachael's recipe, she cored the brussel sprouts and opened up the sprouts into individual leaves, as well as used some toasted bread crumbs for garnish. Since I had a lot of brussel sprouts to use and I did not feel like coring them, I simply cut them in half. I collected the extra leaves that came off the sprouts and added to the cooking water about 1 minute before the end of cooking. I also omitted the toasted buttered bread crumbs, but these would also be wonderful as a garnish. This dish was also originally a meatless dish but I recently decided to add in sausage- it is delicious both ways.  I also made it one time with sliced cabbage instead of the brussel sprouts- actually would be good with both cabbage and brussel sprouts. This dish is definitely one of my family's favorites lately.


Serves about 6


Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into planks
• 15 brussel sprouts, sliced in half, larger ones quartered
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 pound sausage
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1/2 tsp ground sage or 10-12 fresh sage leaves
• 1-2 Tbsp butter 
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley or 3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
• seasoned salt to taste/pepper
• 1/2 pound pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
• reserved pasta cooking water
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup whole milk, half and half or cream (may also use evaporated milk)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish 
• toasted bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese for garnish
• chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

• Boil sliced potatoes and brussel sprouts together in a large pot of salted water for about 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are just beginning to become tender. Be careful not to cook too long or they will fall apart and be mushy. Then remove the potatoes and brussel sprouts and  drizzle a little olive oil and mix gently. Leave the cooking water in the pot to cook the pasta later.
• In a large skillet, brown the sausage and onion until the onion is translucent. Then stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. If there is a lot of fat, remove most of it from the pan. 
• Stir in the butter, parsley, sage and salt/pepper and simmer for another couple minutes. 
• Meanwhile, start the potato water boiling in the large pot and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. 
• When finished, drain off the pasta water and reserve it. Mix the pasta in with the meat mixture.
• Add in the milk/cream and parmesan cheese and then add enough pasta water to make a sauce- it will thicken gradually. You may need to add some more water later to loosen it up more. Warm through for about 5 more minutes on medium heat, stirring regularly.
• Then add in the potato/brussel sprouts and gently mix in the pasta. Garnish with more parmesan or mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs (if desired) and chopped parsley.

This dish was shared with the following:
     Weekend Potluck #15

Lazy Day Lasagna

This recipe came to my mom quite a few years ago from my Aunt Lydia. We were a large family and this dish was hearty and so good! It is almost a one-dish wonder-- except for boiling the pasta separately. I also love how it is an easy way to get veggies into the kids!

Ingredients:

1 pound ziti, cooked according to directions (may substitute penne, mafalda-mini lasagna noodles, or break up lasagna noodles into small pieces)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp sofrito (optional)
1 small package chopped frozen spinach
48 oz spaghetti sauce
12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound cottage cheese
mushrooms (optional)


Brown the meat, onions and garlic. Drain off fat. Mix all ingredients together, except the mozzarella cheese. Heat well to finish cooking the spinach. Then add 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and stir gently. Remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes. May top with remainder of shredded cheese. 


Serve with salad and bread.  


Serves 6

Potato Sausage Soup

This soup was inspired by Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana Soup and is one of my favorite soups with a hearty bread. This recipe makes a large pot of soup, and this is great for leftovers. For small families or a couple, you could make half the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage, bulk or casing removed (I like to use the sage sausage)
3/4 cup onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 3/4 tsp sage
1 Tbsp chopped dried parsley
1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning blend (or salt- more or less to taste)
1 tsp Italian blend herbs
1 cup carrots, sliced (optional)
6 large potatoes, cubed (may leave skins on if they are good)
4 large kale leaves, center rib removed and leaves cut in half again, then sliced (or you may use other greens, fresh or frozen such as chopped spinach, collard greens, escarole, etc.)
1/2 cup half and half or light cream or evaporated milk
3-4 hard-boiled eggs, diced (optional)
bacon for garnish (optional)
parmesan/romano cheese for garnish (optional)

Prepare hard boiled eggs, if desired. (Bring eggs in a pot with water covering them to a boil and then turn heat off and leave covered- Leave in water with lid on pot for 20 minutes. Drain water and run cold water over them. Continue changing water as necessary to keep cool, for 15-20 minutes or until cooled completely.) Saute the sausage, onion and garlic until onion is tender on medium/high heat in a 12 quart soup pot. Drain off extra grease, if necessary, and add the broth, celery, potatoes, carrots and seasonings. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked. Add the greens and cook for about 10 more minutes. Turn off heat; add milk/cream and eggs and stir well. Place soup in bowls and sprinkle with bacon and parmesan/romano cheese if desired.  Makes about 12-14   1 cup servings.  This makes excellent leftovers.

Fancied-up Spaghetti

I had this spaghetti dish at a diner years ago and absolutely loved it! The amount of ingredients are given in ranges depending on how big of a dish you want to make and how saucy and creamy you like your pasta. Enjoy and have fun playing around with this.

Ingredients:

1/2- 1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
salt/pepper (or Adobo salt blend) to taste
1-2 26 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend (optional)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2- 1 cup cream
1/2 -3/4 cup capers, drained
1/2 - 3/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup sliced green olives (optional)
parmesan/romano cheese, grated for topping
1/4- 1/2 pound spaghetti or any other type of pasta preferred

Saute meat with onions, garlic and mushrooms and salt/pepper. Drain off excess fat. Add in spaghetti sauce and herbs. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, boil spaghetti or pasta according to directions on package. Drain and add a little olive oil to keep pasta separate. To the pasta sauce, add capers and olives and cream. Stir well. Mix in spaghetti and stir well. Serve with grated cheese for topping.

Optional- add more flavor and health benefits by adding some chopped greens (like spinach, kale, collard, etc) to the pasta sauce while it is cooking.

Spinach Lasagna

This recipe was from Kraft and is not that hard- just takes a little time to prepare. Yummy for a meatless meal. This is even better made a day ahead and warmed up later.

Ingredients:

1 container (16 oz.) low fat cottage cheese (small curd is best)
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 heaping Tbsp dried parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp Italian herbs blend (optional)
2 eggs, beaten
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, herbs and eggs.  Layer 1 cup of spaghetti sauce, 3 lasagna noodles and 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 3 noodles, sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, covered except for the last 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 9 servings.

Serve with a green salad and some type of bread- like cheesy garlic bread.

Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage

This recipe was adapted from Ronzoni's recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4-1 pound Italian sausage, bulk or casings removed- may also use Keilbasa instead
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups (28 oz. can) diced tomatoes (best with Italian seasonings)
5 1/4 cups water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups hearty red wine (or may use equivalent beef broth instead)
1  tsp Italian seasoning blend
1/4-1/2 tsp dried sage (optional)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt (Adobo works well), more or less as desired
1 package (8.8 ounces) Ricotta & Spinach or Three Cheese Tortellini, uncooked (or may use other flavors of tortellini)
2 cups sliced, quartered zucchini
1 small frozen package of chopped spinach, thawed and some of moisture removed
1 15 oz. can of cannelini beans, drained (long white kidney beans, or may use other white bean)
1 cup corn (optional)
1 cup peas (optional)
1 cup green beans (optional)
sour cream
parsley, chopped for garnish

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook sausage until crumbly; drain. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic; cook until onions and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, water, bouillon, wine and seasonings; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return to boiling; stir in pasta. Return to a boil and cook 12 minutes. Stir in vegetables and beans; simmer 5 minutes or until tender. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with dallop of sour cream and chopped parsley for garnish.

Spaghetti Pie

This is a great dish- especially for a crowd, in which case you might double it.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti or long pasta, broken into pieces and cooked according to directions on package
1-2 26 oz. jars of meat spaghetti sauce
5 beaten eggs
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 stick butter, melted
16 ounces cottage cheese, or more
1 Tbsp dried parsley
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large baking pan, mix eggs, grated cheese and butter and spaghetti. Spread out in a 9x13 inch baking pan for the crust. Then spread cottage cheese mixed with parsley over the top, followed by the meat sauce (1 jar, unless you like more sauce, then you might add up to 2 jars). Bake covered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Then sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes longer to melt the cheese, uncovered.

Chicken Marabella

This recipe came to me through a roundabout means, and I really do not know where it originated. However, it is so delicious, that it is worth the little bit of extra work and is a must-try. It is something that is perfect for guests, since it is  a large amount, or you could just have some great leftovers! The recipe could also be easily cut in half, also. The name makes it sound like the origin could be Italian (?). Even if you don't like some of the ingredients, give it a try anyways. They all work together to give the chicken awesome flavor- you don't have to eat the other items in the dish, but they may just taste different enough that you like them. Try it once and you will be hooked!

I took the skin off the chicken because that was the way it had been served to me originally and I felt the flavor of the marinade would permeate the chicken meat better. Also, with the oil in the marinade, you really do not need the extra fat from the skin.

This was the chicken after it had marinated in the fridge for about 1 day. The cilantro, sugar and wine were added right before baking.

The chicken has been cooked and ready to serve.











Ingredients:

5-7 pounds chicken (breasts, thighs, legs, wings, if desired)
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup spanish pitted olives
3 oz jar of capers with juice
1 cup prunes
1 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup white wine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine onions, garlic, olives, capers, prunes, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Place chicken and the mixture in a large baking dish/roasting pan. Place in the fridge to marinate for 7 hours (overnight works best). Then pour  wine over it and sprinkle with sugar and cilantro.

Bake uncovered for 50 minutes at 425 degrees.  Excellent served with rice or potatoes or any other starch with a little of the juices over top.

Italian Meat Salad

This salad is a great light meal by itself or a summer side dish with burgers/BBQ or grilled chicken. Acually, I love it anytime of the year! Feel free to use your imagination and try different things in it. All ingredients are optional, depending on what you like. However, be warned- it makes a BIG salad. So if you are cooking for just a couple people, you will either want to cut it in half, or you will be eating leftovers for a long time!

Serves about 8.

Ingredients

1/2- 3/4 pound total of thinly sliced salami, pepperoni, turkey and/or ham cut up into small pieces
1 small-medium onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 green, yellow and/or red bell pepper, chopped small
1/4 cup (or more) black olives, sliced
1/4 cup green olives, sliced
1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, cut up
1/2 pound (or more) cheese, cubed small (jack, pepper jack, colby, sharp cheddar, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, etc)
1 can of beans, rinsed (cannelini, navy, kidney, black, pink, garbanzo/chickpeas, etc)
2 med-large tomatoes, chopped (or cherry/grape tomatoes as desired, chopped- have also used undrained, canned, diced tomatoes, also)
1/2-1 cucumber, partially peeled, quarted and sliced
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 carrots, sliced or grated
Macaroni- 4 cups cooked according to the directions and cooled (or as much as desired)
1-2 heads of Romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn (may use spinach, escarole or other greens)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Any type of Italian dressing (may contain balsamic vinegar, caesar type, or may also add some ranch-type dressing for a little different flavor and creaminess)- usually need to add some more to the salad later if the pasta has soaked much liquid up
Alfalfa sprouts (or any other kind add a nice crunch and pack the nutrition)
1 can drained whole kernel corn- not creamed

Mix all ingredients together in no particular order and chill for 1 hour, if possible. Otherwise, dig in!

*note- the lettuce will wilt eventually. So if you eat it much later, it will be limp but still tasty. If you do not like limp salad greens, you may wait to mix the greens on each plate with the other ingredients when you serve it. Then if there are leftovers, you can keep the greens separate and enjoy a crisper salad next time you eat it.

Italian Escarole Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
1 small onion, ground or chopped very small (optional)
1 tsp chopped dried parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 cup wheat germ (optional- if not using, use bread crumbs)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt (I prefer Adobo seasoned salt)
couple dashes of pepper

Soup:
1 pound escarole
8 cups chicken broth
1 pound white kidney beans (cannelini or other white beans), or may use 2-3  15 oz cans of beans
3 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
1/2-1tsp italian dried seasoning mixture
1 Tbsp tomato paste

Combine meatball ingredients. Shape into very small balls (not more than 1 Tbsp of meat each) and brown in a skillet. Set aside. After cleaning the escarole, cut up into small pieces and cook in small amount of water for about 5 minutes. Add escarole and liquid to chicken broth  with beans, rice, seasonings, tomato paste and meatballs. Simmer about 1 hour. Serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

*Recipe adapted from Carol Ann Lott- found in Whole Foods for the Whole Family La Leche League International Cookbook 1981.