Skillet Pasta Forno - Another use for leftovers

These days we are all trying to stretch a buck and for me that means using up leftovers. Sometimes I am appalled at the amount of food I throw away. It's wrong and I'm really trying hard not to do that anymore. I don't know about you but I always make way more sauce than I need. Most of the time I make enough to freeze but sometimes it's just not enough to take up space in my freezer. It's times like these that using up the sauce for a skillet pasta works well. I had some leftover meat sauce and some fresh mozzarella. If you had some ricotta you could through that in too and make some baked ziti, any veggies you have would also be a lovely addition but you don't have to have anything special. Sauce, pasta and some mozzarella is all you need.


There isn't a recipe, it's very easy. Heat up your sauce in an oven proof skillet. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain, toss with sauce. Add diced or shredded mozzarella (and anything else you want to through in), toss again. You'll see the mozzarella is starting to melt from the hot sauce. Sprinkle some romano cheese on top and stick it in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want the cheese to brown turn your broiler on for a few minutes until the desired color is achieved.


Is that easy enough? No more throwing away leftovers!

Skillet Pasta Forno - Another use for leftovers

These days we are all trying to stretch a buck and for me that means using up leftovers. Sometimes I am appalled at the amount of food I throw away. It's wrong and I'm really trying hard not to do that anymore. I don't know about you but I always make way more sauce than I need. Most of the time I make enough to freeze but sometimes it's just not enough to take up space in my freezer. It's times like these that using up the sauce for a skillet pasta works well. I had some leftover meat sauce and some fresh mozzarella. If you had some ricotta you could through that in too and make some baked ziti, any veggies you have would also be a lovely addition but you don't have to have anything special. Sauce, pasta and some mozzarella is all you need.


There isn't a recipe, it's very easy. Heat up your sauce in an oven proof skillet. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain, toss with sauce. Add diced or shredded mozzarella (and anything else you want to through in), toss again. You'll see the mozzarella is starting to melt from the hot sauce. Sprinkle some romano cheese on top and stick it in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want the cheese to brown turn your broiler on for a few minutes until the desired color is achieved.


Is that easy enough? No more throwing away leftovers!

Pesto Pasta Salad

A few weekends ago we went to my friend Jennifer's wedding, Congrats Jen and Brian! At the cocktail hour we had a yummy pasta salad that was dressed in a pesto sauce but had sundried tomatoes and olives in it. Steve and I couldn't remember what else was in it so I threw in some fresh mozzarella. This was a huge hit at our July 4th bbq. I had a feeling it would be because it was good enough to recreate! As usual when I'm making something for an event of some kind I forgot to take photos in a pretty dish so you guys will have to use your imaginations or just make the recipe and see it for yourself!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound farfalle pasta
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 8oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, diced
Pesto sauce, see below for recipe (If you like, add some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pesto in place of some of the extra virgin olive oil.)


Directions:

Cook pasta in boiled salted water and drain. Toss with some oil from the sundried tomatoes. (You can stop here and do this the day before or a few hours before and let cool.)

Toss pasta with pesto, sundried tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Refrigerate and Serve cold.

Pesto Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pinoli nuts
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I always use Locatelli Romano)
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until a thick uniform paste is formed, add more oil if paste is too thick. This amount is enough for 1 lb pasta. Pesto may be stored in refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months. Place in a jar or container and coat with a thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly.

Pesto Pasta Salad

A few weekends ago we went to my friend Jennifer's wedding, Congrats Jen and Brian! At the cocktail hour we had a yummy pasta salad that was dressed in a pesto sauce but had sundried tomatoes and olives in it. Steve and I couldn't remember what else was in it so I threw in some fresh mozzarella. This was a huge hit at our July 4th bbq. I had a feeling it would be because it was good enough to recreate! As usual when I'm making something for an event of some kind I forgot to take photos in a pretty dish so you guys will have to use your imaginations or just make the recipe and see it for yourself!

Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound farfalle pasta
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1 8oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, diced
Pesto sauce, see below for recipe (If you like, add some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pesto in place of some of the extra virgin olive oil.)


Directions:

Cook pasta in boiled salted water and drain. Toss with some oil from the sundried tomatoes. (You can stop here and do this the day before or a few hours before and let cool.)

Toss pasta with pesto, sundried tomatoes, olives and mozzarella. Refrigerate and Serve cold.

Pesto Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pinoli nuts
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I always use Locatelli Romano)
½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until a thick uniform paste is formed, add more oil if paste is too thick. This amount is enough for 1 lb pasta. Pesto may be stored in refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months. Place in a jar or container and coat with a thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly.

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Portabellos

I made these mushrooms last year as a first course when our friends Nick and Kelly came over for dinner. Nick liked them and Kelly asked me for the recipe so she can make it for him. I had to make it again because I didn't remember what I did (this was pre-blog and I didn't write it down). I hope it tasted as good as it did last time and again I don't have exact measurements this is a taste as you go kind of thing but I'll do my best. I bet that won't help Kelly too much. Oops.

Ingredients:

4 portabello mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
1- 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
part skim ricotta cheese
About 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for sprinkling on the top
About 1/4 cup romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms by gently wiping with paper towel or vegetable brush. Do not rinse. Clean the stems and remove the woody ends. Chop and set aside.

2. Saute onion and stems in extra virgin olive oil, then add garlic. Let cook for about 1 minute. Add white wine and let it simmer for a minute or two.

2. Add spinach breaking it up with a spoon and add a little oil if you need to. Combine spinach with onion mixture, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

3. Once cooled add some ricotta a couple of tablespoons and a time and stir until it's a creamy mixture but not an overwhelming amount of ricotta. You want to still taste the spinach. This will probably come out to about 1/2 cup to 1 cup. Add romano cheese and taste it. Add more salt, pepper or cheese until it's seasoned to your taste.

4. In the meantime, heat a medium saute pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add mushrooms to the pan and season both sides with salt and pepper. When mushrooms are cooked, top them with a good amount of spinach ricotta filling and sprinkle with a little more mozzarella. Put under the broiled to heat through and melt cheese.

Serve as a side dish or first course.


note - I didn't use the broiler to melt the cheese this time because it was really hot in the kitchen that day. You can skip this step if you want to.

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Portabellos

I made these mushrooms last year as a first course when our friends Nick and Kelly came over for dinner. Nick liked them and Kelly asked me for the recipe so she can make it for him. I had to make it again because I didn't remember what I did (this was pre-blog and I didn't write it down). I hope it tasted as good as it did last time and again I don't have exact measurements this is a taste as you go kind of thing but I'll do my best. I bet that won't help Kelly too much. Oops.

Ingredients:

4 portabello mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
1- 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
part skim ricotta cheese
About 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for sprinkling on the top
About 1/4 cup romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms by gently wiping with paper towel or vegetable brush. Do not rinse. Clean the stems and remove the woody ends. Chop and set aside.

2. Saute onion and stems in extra virgin olive oil, then add garlic. Let cook for about 1 minute. Add white wine and let it simmer for a minute or two.

2. Add spinach breaking it up with a spoon and add a little oil if you need to. Combine spinach with onion mixture, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

3. Once cooled add some ricotta a couple of tablespoons and a time and stir until it's a creamy mixture but not an overwhelming amount of ricotta. You want to still taste the spinach. This will probably come out to about 1/2 cup to 1 cup. Add romano cheese and taste it. Add more salt, pepper or cheese until it's seasoned to your taste.

4. In the meantime, heat a medium saute pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add mushrooms to the pan and season both sides with salt and pepper. When mushrooms are cooked, top them with a good amount of spinach ricotta filling and sprinkle with a little more mozzarella. Put under the broiled to heat through and melt cheese.

Serve as a side dish or first course.


note - I didn't use the broiler to melt the cheese this time because it was really hot in the kitchen that day. You can skip this step if you want to.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is one of those things that I don't order out. I have encountered too many issues with this dish in restaurants and ended up not enjoying my meal. While I keep the skin on when I make my fried eggplant, I do not like the skin on it on this dish. It doesn't actually need it to stay together because it is breaded and if you do leave the skin on it could create a mess when chewing and trying to pull of the piece of skin that has gotten stuck in your teeth. Not fun. The other reason is that sometimes the eggplant is sliced too thick and is somewhat firm in the center. I like the eggplant layers to meld together and just melt in your mouth. That's how it was always made when I grew up and this is how I make it now. So, if you like melt in your mouth eggplant, you'll like this dish!

Again, I don't measure for this dish but if you've made chicken cutlets before it's the same thing.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
3 eggs
splash of milk
romano cheese
salt and pepper
italian style breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs seasoned with parsley & garlic powder
canola oil, for frying
marinara sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Beat eggs and add a splash of milk, salt and pepper.

3. Season breadcrumbs (whichever you chose) and add romano cheese.

4. Dip eggplant slices (cover both sides) in egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs patting down with your hand to help crumbs adhere to the eggplant. Do this on both sides.

5. Using a large frying pan, brown eggplant slices on both sides in canola oil. Make sure your oil is very hot because eggplant sucks up oil like a sponge. Drain slices on a paper towel (don't forget to eat a piece when it's cooled, it's just as yummy plain!).

6. In a medium sized deep baking pan (I used my medium rectangular pyrex)ladle some marinara sauce to lightly cover the bottom. Add slices of eggplant slightly overlapping (if they are sliced thin you can do this). Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle of romano cheese and mozzarella. Don't put the mozzarella on too thick. Add another layer of eggplant and continue to layer the same way until all of your eggplant is used. The last layer should be mozzarella.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Let eggplant settle for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is one of those things that I don't order out. I have encountered too many issues with this dish in restaurants and ended up not enjoying my meal. While I keep the skin on when I make my fried eggplant, I do not like the skin on it on this dish. It doesn't actually need it to stay together because it is breaded and if you do leave the skin on it could create a mess when chewing and trying to pull of the piece of skin that has gotten stuck in your teeth. Not fun. The other reason is that sometimes the eggplant is sliced too thick and is somewhat firm in the center. I like the eggplant layers to meld together and just melt in your mouth. That's how it was always made when I grew up and this is how I make it now. So, if you like melt in your mouth eggplant, you'll like this dish!

Again, I don't measure for this dish but if you've made chicken cutlets before it's the same thing.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
3 eggs
splash of milk
romano cheese
salt and pepper
italian style breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs seasoned with parsley & garlic powder
canola oil, for frying
marinara sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant and thinly slice about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Beat eggs and add a splash of milk, salt and pepper.

3. Season breadcrumbs (whichever you chose) and add romano cheese.

4. Dip eggplant slices (cover both sides) in egg mixture and then in breadcrumbs patting down with your hand to help crumbs adhere to the eggplant. Do this on both sides.

5. Using a large frying pan, brown eggplant slices on both sides in canola oil. Make sure your oil is very hot because eggplant sucks up oil like a sponge. Drain slices on a paper towel (don't forget to eat a piece when it's cooled, it's just as yummy plain!).

6. In a medium sized deep baking pan (I used my medium rectangular pyrex)ladle some marinara sauce to lightly cover the bottom. Add slices of eggplant slightly overlapping (if they are sliced thin you can do this). Add another layer of sauce, sprinkle of romano cheese and mozzarella. Don't put the mozzarella on too thick. Add another layer of eggplant and continue to layer the same way until all of your eggplant is used. The last layer should be mozzarella.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Let eggplant settle for 5-10 minutes before slicing.