Lazy Lasagna

This post is for my most favorite and faithful follower, my husband, Devlin. When I asked him what he wanted to eat while I was visiting my sister, he answered Lazy Lasagna! Of course he would pick a dairy infested meal when our allergic son was vacationing with me :-). Enjoy every minute of it babe!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb rigatoni noodles

1 garlic clove
1/2 cup minced onion
1 lb hamburger or sausage

1 can spaghetti sauce (can add 3 Tbsp sugar if desired)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (set aside 1/2 cup) I usually grate more! I like a lot of cheese!
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook noodles, set aside
   
2. In a large skillet, cook hamburger with garlic and onion. Season with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of Italian seasoning
3. Add sauce, sour cream, and cottage cheese.
   
4. Pour meat sauce, and remaining ingredients (except 1/2 cup cheddar cheese) in a large bowl. Mix ingredients with a large spatula or wooden spoon until combined
   
5. Spread into a 9X13 casserole dish
6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top
7. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1/2 hour or until bubbly
   

Focaccia

This recipe is adapted from "No Need to Knead," by Suzanne Dunaway. It's a staple at my friend Aundrea's house and has quickly become a staple in mine.

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups warm water (16 oz at 110 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar 

2 tsp yeast 

2 tsp salt 

4 cups flour (480 grams)

I highly recommend weighing your flour

Olive oil 

Course kosher salt 

Dried or fresh rosemary

Sometimes I have guests so I make a slightly larger loaf but in the same pan. Here's the measurements If you need a little extra but don't want to make 2 loaves. The instructions are the same, just watch the timing, it may need a few more minutes.

LARGER LOAF MEASUREMENTS

2 1/2 cups warm water (20 oz at 110 degrees)

1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 tsp yeast 

2 1/2 tsp salt 

5 cups flour (600 grams)

I highly recommend weighing your flour

Olive oil 

Course kosher salt 

Dried or fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place water and sugar in a large bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle 2 tsp yeast over top.
2. After it becomes foamy (about 5-10 minutes) stir in 2 cups of flour with a wire whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Mix until combined.
3. Stir in remaining 2 cups of flour with a wooden spoon or dough whisk. Stir for about two minutes or until it makes a loose ball. As you stir, scrape the edges of the bowl so no dry spots remain. The dough will be very sticky and wet.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 50-60 minutes.
5. When the dough has about 15 minutes left to rise, preheat your oven to 500.
6. After the dough is done rising, generously drizzle olive oil over a stoneware baking dish (I use the large stoneware bar pan from Pampered Chef) and brush evenly with a pastry brush to coat.
7. Scrape the dough from the bowl onto the baking dish with a rubber scraper.
8. Generously drizzle olive oil over the dough. Oil your hands, then spread the dough evenly on the dish. Making claws of your hands, tear holes in the dough all over.
9. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon course salt evenly over the dough. Sprinkle dried rosemary over the top of the dough if desired.
10. When ready to bake, adjust the oven temperature to 485 and immediately put the prepared dough in the pan on the center rack for 15 minutes. (You really want the oven to preheat to 500 degrees before lowering it to 485 so the oven doesn't lose too much heat when you put the dough in.)
11. Let the bread sit in the stoneware for 5-10 minutes to cool before removing from the pan. You want the bread to soak up all of the remaining olive oil as it cools. 
12. Remove bread from the pan and place on a cutting board. Slice with an electric knife and serve warm. 
13. The bread will keep in a sealed plastic bag for 1-2 days.

Minute Lasagna

My sister called and asked for this recipe today. I haven't made it since I found out about Maxson's allergies because of the cheese and eggs. This is a great meatless dish--you won't miss it!

Bake: 45 minutes Oven: 350ºF Cool: 10 minutes Makes: 16 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:
29 oz can Del Monte Tomato Basil spaghetti sauce
1/2 can water
16 oz can Italian style tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced and sauted (opt.)

Noodles:
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Filling:
2 cups low-fat ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
2 eggs
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed (opt.)
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together ingredients for sauce.
   
2. Mix together ricotta cheese, egg, and pepper.
3. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer: 
1/3 sauce, 4 noodles, 1/2 filling, spinach, 
1/3 sauce, 4 noodles, 1/2 filling, mozzarella cheese, 
4 noodles, 1/3 sauce, parmesan cheese.
   
4. Cook in 350 degree oven, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

1 pizza dough recipe
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese (leave off for those with milk allergies)
2 grilled chicken breasts (seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper), cubed
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 small can of sliced olives
1-2 cups bbq sauce (preferably Bullseye brand)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place dough in stone pizza pan or baking tray
2. Mix chicken, bbq sauce and onions together, reserving 1 cup of chicken.
   
3. Place chicken bbq sauce mixture on dough.
4. Sprinkle with layer of cheese.
5. Sprinkle remaining chicken and olives.
6. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
7. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
8. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
   

Pita Pizza's

Bake: 5-7 minutes
Oven: 400ºF
Makes: 5-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag of pita bread
1 jar garlic and onion spaghetti sauce
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (can eliminate to make milk-free)
pepperoni slices
4 sliced roma tomatoes
fresh basil leaves, torn into bite size pieces
chopped green onion
additional toppings as desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Layer pita bread, spaghetti sauce, cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes, and basil leaves.
3. Place pita bread directly on the oven rack.
4. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until cheese has melted and edges are golden brown.
   

Pasta with Basil and Cheese Sauce by Kip Clark

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup packed coarsely chopped basil leaves or 2 T crushed dried basil leaves
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic
10 oz cooked spaghetti or noodles
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients except pasta and margarine in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until mixture is of uniform consistency.
   
2. Cook spaghetti as directed on package; drain.
   
3. Toss spaghetti with basil mixture and the margarine. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.