Sausage and Peppers Tortellini

This quick and easy dinner took no time to make. It was hearty and delicious and will definitely be making another appearance one day soon, especially since school is about to start.

Remember being a kid and coming home starving after school? Well, I’ve got news for you. It happens to the teachers, too! I’ll be adding this recipe to my quick, fast, and in a hurry arsenal to use on one of those “must have food… now!!!!!!” nights.

The sweet peppers in this recipe compliment the sweet spaghetti sauce and both pair perfectly with thick slices of smoked sausage and cheese filled pasta.

Sausage and Peppers Tortellini

Servings: 2
Time: 15-20 minutes
Level: Easy

1 c. tortellini, uncooked
1/2 c. tri-color  peppers and onions (frozen)
1/2 c. smoked turkey sausage, sliced (you can use beef)
1/2 c. spaghetti sauce (I used an Italian vegetable variety)

Cook pasta according to packaged directions. During the last 2 minutes of boiling, add peppers and onions to the pasta. Drain. Put pasta and peppers and onions back into the pan, add sausage, and top with spaghetti sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat until heated throughout. Yum!

Tips
– This is also very good cold the next day so keep your leftovers and pack them in your lunchbox!

Ratatouille Pizza

This pizza is perfect for summer! I LOVE all of the veggies sautéed in olive oil. They work perfectly with the pizza sauce. The whole pizza reminds you of a brighter version of Ratatouille.

I came up with this pizza on my way home from work. I knew had half of a zucchini and a squash and just a few other veggies that needed to be used. I wasn’t in the mood to grill and I wasn’t craving a pasta dish. Whenever I’m in an indecisive mood, I always turn to pizza. Tonight, I’m glad I did.

You will truly enjoy this pizza. It far exceeded my expectations and has easily become a family favorite.

Ratatouille Pizza

Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes
Level: Easy

1/8 c. olive oil
1/2 of a zucchini, sliced
1/2 of a summer squash, sliced
1/4 c. onion, sliced
1/3 c. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. bell pepper, sliced
1 tbsp. sweet and hot jalapeños, chopped (can substitute regular jalapeños)
1 clove of garlic, minced (can substitute a sprinkle of garlic powder)
generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning
pizza dough
1/2 c. pizza sauce
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Bake dough for 8 minutes. In a pan over medium-high heat, sauté vegetables, sprinkled with Italian seasoning, in olive oil.

Top dough with pizza sauce, bacon, veggies, mozzarella cheese, and cherry tomatoes.

Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil dough on top oven rack for 1 minute, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Sprinkle with pepper. Yum!

Tips
– Try adding cubed or sliced eggplant.
– An Italian cheese blend would be yummy with or instead of mozzarella.
– You can use spaghetti sauce if you don’t have pizza sauce.

Thin Crust Pizza

I have recently become a huge fan of the pizza dough that comes in a bag… you know, the kind you have to add hot water to and let rise for 5 minutes… Anyway, I’ve become a fan, not just because of the 57¢ price tag, but because of the golden and crispy thin crust it produces.

I’ve never considered myself a thin crust girl. But lately, I’ve been craving the crunch!

Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Time: 20 minutes
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 or so…

1 bag  pizza dough mix, prepared according to package directions
1 c. pizza sauce
1 handful pepperonis
1 tbsp. jalapeños
1/3 c. bell pepper and onion blend (found in the freezer section)
1 c. mozzarella or Italian blend cheese, shredded
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle Italian seasoning
sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 475°. Prepare crust according to package directions.  Roll out dough as thin as you can on a greased baking stone or cookie sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes. Top with remaining ingredients and sprinkle with spices. Bake an additional 9-12 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Yum!

Tips

– Obviously, all ingredients are optional. Try your own combo of meats and veggies. Mushrooms and olives are always a good addition. I just didn’t have any on hand.
– I accidentally bought sweet hot jalapeños instead of the normal hot kind. They were surprisingly yummy. I like the normal kind the best, though.
– If you don’t have pizza dough, try using spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti sauce is thinner that pizza sauce so you might want to thicken it a little with cornstarch to avoid a soggy crust.

H.B.’s Lasagna – A TRUE family favorite

My mom has a great friend named Helen and Mrs. Helen makes the BEST lasagna in the world. No joke! She also makes the best face wiper in the world… but that’s another story for another blog.

For the amount of ingredients, time, and effort that you must put forth to make this recipe, this dish is a true winner. It’s easy and quick and it uses ingredients you already have on hand. Plus, it will happily feed your ENTIRE family.

Since it was just Jason and I, I used a small baking dish and  made 1/3 of the original recipe. I reduced the cook time to 40 minutes and it worked out perfectly. I only had two layers of noodles and it still fed us twice. The first night, I paired it with Brussels sprouts (my new favorite veg.) and a small green salad. The next night, we had green beans and bread.

H.B.’s Lasagna

Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Servings: 6-8

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar (32oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. cottage cheese
3 c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 eggs
1/2 c. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Lasagna noodles, at least 9, and uncooked

Mix cooked ground beef with spaghetti sauce and water.

Simmer, uncovered, for  a few minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.

Pour 1 cup of sauce in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Place 3 strips of the dry lasagna noodles on top.

Layer the following in order:

1 1/2 cups of sauce
1/2 of the cheese mixture
3 more dry noodles
1 1/2 cups of sauce
The rest of the cheese mixture
3 more dry noodles
The rest of the sauce

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand, uncovered, for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Yum!

Tips
– If you run out of sauce before you can add the last layer, don’t worry! I ended my 1/3 of the recipe version with the cheese mixture and it turned out great!
– This recipe freezes well, with before or after you bake. If you have a ton of leftovers… freeze them in individual portions. It will make a quick and easy dinner later on.