My Easy Cannelloni Recipe

My EASY Cannelloni recipe has only 5 ingredients and takes under and hour to make. A must for any busy work day. Change it up a little and use ground turkey or shredded chicken instead. Experiment using feta or ricotta instead of cottage cheese. Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef
16oz cottage cheese
1 egg
Cooked lasagna noodles
Ragu Thick and Zesty with Meat sauce or Homestyle Thick and Hearty with Meat sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Cook your lasagna noodles al dente, drain and rinse in cold water. While the noodles are cooking, in a bowl combine your cottage cheese and egg. In a skillet brown your ground beef, drain grease and let cool. Mix the ground beef to the cottage cheese mixture.  Roll the mixture in the noodles and place in the prepared baking dish. Cover with the Ragu sauce. Bake 45 minutes. Serve hot. Gnam Gnam!

This would go great with a Iceberg Wedge Salad with a Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing 

Homemade Marinara Sauce

This easy homemade marinara sauce can be used for any pasta dish, to add flavor to meat (meatloaf, meatballs) and can be served cold as a dipping sauce for appetizers; like mozzarella sticks. Serves 4 Total Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, sliced 
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion 
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes 
1 bay leaf 
Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat oil on medium heat add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the parsley and onions, stir to combine; then slowly add in the tomatoes. Stir to break up tomatoes the add bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Serve hot with pasta, meatloaf, meatballs or even pork chops. Let cool and refrigerate if serving as a dip. Gnam Gnam! 

Lemon Basil Pasta

This fresh five-ingredient summer pasta has a dose of lemony zing that's complemented by sweet basil and hearty cannellini beans. It's fresh, easy, and delicious—exactly what we're looking for on a sweltering summer night. Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

10 ounces dried linguine or desired pasta 
1 19 oz can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained 
1/2 of a lemon 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves 

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquids; set aside. Drain pasta and beans; cover to keep warm. 

Meanwhile, finely shred peel from the lemon half (about 2 teaspoons). In a small skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add lemon peel; cook and stir 1 minute, or until lightly golden. 

In a food processor combine cooked lemon peel, basil, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice from the lemon half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency, processing mixture after every addition. To serve, toss hot cooked pasta mixture with lemon-basil mixture. Makes 4 servings. Gnam Gnam! 

Applebee’s Tuscan Garden Shrimp Salad

I had this new Tuscan Garden Shrimp Salad at Applebee’s and fell in love with it. If you haven’t tried it yet, here is the recipe to make it at home! You’ll ❤️ this Gamberetto Insalata! Serves 1 Calories 530 
 
Ingredients:

2-3 cups mixed greens
10-15 medium size shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4th cucumber, diced
1/4-1/2 cup bruschetta tomatoes
1/4 cup edamame
1/4 cup red onion, chopped

Bruschetta Tomatoes:

6 or 7 ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced* or chopped

Sea salt and pepper, to taste 

Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette:

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest.

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.

1 teaspoon sugar.

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste.

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Directions:

In a small bowl combine all the bruschetta tomatoes ingredients and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate while cleaning, deveining shrimp. In another bowl combine all the vinaigrette ingredients together, transfer to a oil & vinegar dispenser. 

If you buy frozen shrimp that’s already been cleaned and deveined (I do), just thaw them out in a bowl of cool water. Drain then season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a skillet on med/high heat and add the oil. Once the oil glistens add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque, 1-2 minutes. Turn over and remove from heat, let sit 1-2 minutes. 

Arrange salad in a medium size serving bowl, add in the mixed greens, then the diced cucumber, bruschetta tomatoes, edamame and chopped red onion. Top with shrimp and drizzle on the lemon olive oil vinaigrette. (Or serve on the side) Serve with a bread stick (optional). Gnam Gnam 

Italian Tomato Soup Pappa al Pomodoro

All of your favorite pizza flavors-tomatoes, pepperoni, Italian seasonings and cheese make a delizioso soup. Just add your favorite garlic crusty bread and a salad..oh and don’t forget a glass of red wine 🍷, Serves 4-6 Total Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon dried oregano 
2 teaspoons dried basil 
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup uncooked rice 
1 cup diced, canned tomatoes with juice 
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 
1-2 oz thinly sliced pepperoni 
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 
Garnish: 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions: 

In a large saucepan heat oil then sauté the onions and peppers until softened, add in the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add in the seasonings, rice, diced tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes or until rice is done. Stir in pepperoni and sprinkle on the cheese; cook another minute or two. Serve in individual bowls with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Gnam Gnam!