Cheese-Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

It had been awhile since I had made some delicious Italian Meatloaf, and cheese makes almost anything better, so here is the delicious recipe. 

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Breadcrumbs (Tightly Packed)
Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Garlic Salt, Mediterranean Oregano, Mediterranean Basil, a couple of dashes of red pepper flakes, a pinch of roasted garlic)
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Ground Italian Sausage
1 Cup Three Cheese Cheddar (grated)
1/2 Cup Mexican Shredded Mix (grated)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs and seasoning.  Mix thoroughly.  Crumple the meat over the mixture and mix all together.   Press half of the meat mixture into a loaf pan.  Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the top of the meat.  Pat the remaining meat mixture on top of the cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.  Meat thermometer should read about 160 degrees.  Turn off the oven.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and let sit in the warm oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Serve & Enjoy!

Combine the breadcrumbs, eggs and spices

Mix in the sausage & hamburger

Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan

Top with 3/4 of the cheese

Finish off with the remaining meat mixture

Cook for 50-55 minutes

Turn off oven and top with remaining cheese

Remove after 5 minutes and enjoy!

Italian Meatloaf with Mozzarella

I wanted to change this up a bit by adding Mozzarella and Gouda to my Italian Meatloaf recipe.  Mozzarella takes longer to melt but the taste goes together marvelously! 

Ingredients:
3 Eggs
1 Cup Breadcrumbs (Tightly Packed)
Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Garlic Powder, Mediterranean Oregano, Mediterranean Basil, a couple of dashes of red pepper flakes)
1 1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Ground Italian Sausage
1 Cup Mozzarella (grated)
1/2 Cup Gouda (grated) (or another smoked cheese)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs and seasoning.  Mix thoroughly.  Crumple the meat over the mixture and mix all together.   Press half of the meat mixture into a loaf pan.  Sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese over the top of the meat.  Pat the remaining meat mixture on top of the cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes.  Turn off the oven.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and let sit in the warm oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove the meat loaf from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Serve & Enjoy!

Combine the eggs, breadcrumbs and seasoning in a large mixing bowl

Add the hamburger and sausage and mix thoroughly

Add half of the meat mixture into the meatloaf pan

Top with 3/4 of the Cheese

Pat the remaining meatloaf on top of the cheese and place in oven

Top with remaining cheese and return to oven

Deviled Eggs help add to the tastiness if you want to whip some up with your meatloaf is cooking

Cheesy and delicious

Serve & Enjoy!

Italian Chili Recipe

This is a fairly easy and painless way to make chili.  Although I love chili with sausage in it, it can get a little too greasy so I prefer to use half sausage and half hamburger to keep the Italian flavor but reduce on the grease.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Ground Sausage
1/2 lb Ground Hamburger
Seasoning (Garlic Powder, Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, Crushed Red Pepper, Crushed Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme)
1 6oz can Tomato Paste
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz can Black Beans
1 15 oz can Kidney Beans
1 Red Pepper (Seeded & Diced)
1 Zucchini (peeled & chopped)
1 Banana Squash (peeled & chopped)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
Shredded Cheese to top

Directions:
Put the ground hamburger and sausage in a skillet to cook on medium heat and season.  Cook until thoroughly browned and strain the grease.
In a big pot add the tomato paste and then fill the can of paste with water and add to the pot.  Add both cans of diced tomatoes and both kinds of beans.  Cook on med-high heat.  Add the vegetables and cook until thoroughly warmed turned to simmer.  Add the meat when browned and mix thoroughly, sprinkling with additional spices, cook on simmer for about 5 minutes.  Serve and top with shredded cheese.  Enjoy! 

Brown the sausage and hamburger

Seasonings I used

Add the tomatoes, paste and beans and mix

The beans and tomatoes I used

Add the veggies

Add the meat

Sprinkle some additional seasoning

Top with cheese and enjoy!

My song for the day

Pizza Pot Pies

December Main Dish Winner!  A delicious winning dish.  Pretty easy and great tasting.

Ingredients:

 1 lb Italian Sausage

Seasoning (Basil, Alpine Touch, Garlic Powder, Oregano)

2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts  (softened as directed on the box)

 3 Cups Tomato Basil Sauce

1 Cup Black Olives (chopped)

1 Tbsp Dried Basil

2 Cups Grated Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup  Grated Three Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Add the sausage to the pan and season.  Brown on medium heat.

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove pie crust from pouch; unroll on cutting board. Place 14-oz ramekin  on crust; cut 1/4 inch from edge of ramekin to make crust round. Cut 3 more crust rounds from crust.  You should be able to make a third one from the initial crust if you combine the remaining dough and roll it out with a rolling pin, or you can just cut two from the second crust (they are sold in packs of two anyway)

In a bowl, mix sausage, black olives and sauce. Fill each 14-oz ramekin 3/4 up with sausage mixture. Sprinkle each with mozzarella cheese and basil.

Wet inside of each crust round; place over filled ramekins. Press down around edge of crust rounds. Sprinkle tops with Cheddar cheese. Place ramekins on cookie sheet.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until crusts are lightly browned.

Brown Sausage

Mix the sauce, sausage & black olives together in a bowl

Add the sausage mixture 3/4 of the way into the ramekin

Add the basil

Top with the mozzarella cheese

Cover with the pie crust

Top with the cheddar cheese

Cook until browned and cheese is melted. 

 

To view the past winning main dishes you can click on any of the following links:

Lasagna Stuffed Manicotti 

Pumpkin Risotto 

Burgundy Pork 

Lasagna Stuffed Manicotti Recipe

The winning main course, it was neck and neck with the lamb, but this turned out amazingly delicious.  I send my heartfelt thanks out to those of your that have supported me in this and all of you amazing people that voted!  This wouldn't be a success without you!

Ingredients:

Bechamel Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 tsp Mediterranean spiced sea salt
1/4 tsp basil
Pinch ground nutmeg
 

 Noodles & Filling:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk cottage cheese (Or ricotta)

2 Tbsp Mascarpone
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 lb ground Italian sausage

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1-2 Zucchinis (peeled and chopped)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 tsp Basil

1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 uncooked manicotti noodles
24 oz jar Tomato Basil Sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the seasoning into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Brown the sausage until thoroughly cooked.  Saute' the zucchini in the butter until softened. 
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water.  Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. 

Fill the manicotta noodles one at a time as full as you can without ripping them.  Layer them in the baking dish close together, you will not have any room for an extra stuffed manicotti noodle when you are done.  

Pour the sauce on top of the noodles and top with the remaining cheese.  Spray the side of the tin foil that will be facing the cheese with non-stick cooking spray to keep it from sticking to the cheese.  Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve & Enjoy!

 

 

Brown the sausage and melt the butter

Add the ingredients for the bechamel sauce and get it cooking

Start up the manicotti noodles and finish cooking the bechamel sauce

Saute' the zucchini slices

Add the filling ingredients to a large mixing bowl to whisk together

Lay the manicotti noodles out flat on a baking sheet to dry so as not to stick to one another

Pour the bechamel sauce in the bottom of the baking dish

Fill the manicotti noodles and layer in the dish

Cover with the sauce and add extra basil if you would like

Top with the remaining cheese

Remove the foil and return to the oven to melt the cheese

Remove from the oven and let cool

Serve & Enjoy!

Pizza Casserole Recipe

This was my first attempt at a this recipe, when I came across it looked delicious and I knew that I had to try it.  While making it I of course improvised some things, it wouldn't be my cooking if I didn't do it.  I want to point out that my step by step photos are not as prevalent as they usually are.  This is because the recipe that I used did not match up with the cooking methods, the size of pan and definitely not the way that it was portrayed in the picture.  So although I tried to make it work using what I was given and that is what the pictures reflect I want to give the ingredients and recipe for what it SHOULD be and will be the next time that I cook it.  There was absolutely NO problem with taste, it was very delicious and I highly recommend this recipe, especially my version of it. 

Ingredients:

12 oz Rotini Pasta (I used Penne for lack of Rotini but Rotini would have been better)

1 lb ground Sausage (Seasoned with basil, & oregano)

36 oz pasta Sauce (or more depending on taste)

1 16 oz container of Cottage cheese (also could substitute Ricotta Cheese)

1 can of black olives (sliced)

12 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 6 oz pack of sliced ham (or canadian bacon, the store I went to only had large slices)

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 9x13 casserole dish.  Bring lightly salted water to boil and cook pasta over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes.  In skillet cook sausage on medium heat until browned.  Drain grease.  Mix in the pasta and the sauce and pour into the casserole dish.  (I would suggest adding half of the olives into this mixture).  In a bowl mix the cheese (ricotta or cottage or even softened cream cheese), olives (mushrooms if you would like) and mozzarella together.  Spoon over the pasta and top with the ham.  Add a thin layer of cheese over the ham.  Bake 25 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove from oven allow about 5 minutes to cool before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Boil the noodles and brown the sausage

Mix the sauce, pasta & sausage together

Pour the pasta into the casserole dish and top with the cheese mixture, placing the ham on top and adding a thin layer of cheese, Cook for 25 minutes.

Italian Spaghetti Recipe

Here is the recipe for the spaghetti I made this evening.  Spaghetti is one of those things that I make a little different every time.  Enjoy.

Ingedients:

1/2 Lb Ground Sausage

1/2 Lb Ground Hamburger

1/2 lb Rotini Pasta

1 Jar of Tomato Sauce (I used 4 cheese)

Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Crushed Rosemary, Garlic Salt, Crushed Red Pepper)

Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded, as desired)

Directions:

Add the Sausage & Hamburger to a skillet and season.  Cook on med-high  Add the noodles to a pan and add water to boil.  Brown the meat and add the tomato based sauce.    Lower the heat to med-low and mix together to warm sauce.  Strain the noodles and set aside.  Serve by adding the sauce on top of the pasta and sprinkle the cheese on top to taste.  Enjoy!

 

Garlic Butter for Toast

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Garlic Salt

Directions:
Melt Butter and mix int he cream and garlic salt.  Can use immediately.  Store remainder in fridge.

 

Boil the pasta and brown the meat

Add the sauce to the meat

Serve the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese