Authentic Italian Creamy Tomato Sauce

 Tomato Sauce

• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 TB butter
• 1 tsp basil
• dash crushed red chili pepper
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• dash salt
• 3 29 oz tomato sauce
• 7 oz Gouda cheese
• 1 pint heavy cream
• pasta for 10 servings, cooked
• Parmesan cheese, grated

In olive oil and butter, saute' basil, chili pepper, onion, garlic, and salt until onion is tender.  Add tomato sauce and cook until flavors combine (at least 20 minutes, the longer the better).  Add Gouda cheese and stir until melted.  Add heavy cream and remove from heat (cream should not be cooked).  Serve over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese. Makes 10 servings.

We made this the other night and both my husband and I agreed this dish would be better with some chicken.  The chicken that we think would go best with this dish is as follows:

Chicken

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour

1. Wash and drain chicken breasts.
2. Pound until very thin (the thinner the chicken breasts the better).
3. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together.
4. Place milk in dish for dipping.
5. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.
6. Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium high temperature until golden crisp and cooked through.
7. Add more oil as needed.
8. Remove and drain chicken; keep warm.

 

 

Italian-Style Soup with Turkey Sausage

**I used Italian Hot and Mild Sausage mixed because that is what I had at home.  I also used a different noodle, Rigatoni to make it. The point is, you can use what you have in your home most cases and it will turn out just as delicious, if not better!

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sweet or hot Italian-style turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (32 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
1 teaspoon Rosemary Leaves, finely crushed
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta, such as mini bowties or elbows

1. Heat oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add sausage; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes longer or until onion is tender and sausage is browned.

2. Pour chicken broth, beans and tomatoes into saucepan. Stir in oregano, rosemary and thyme. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir in spinach and pasta. Return to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

This is how mine turned out:

Baked Spaghetti

Sounds pretty amazing doesn't it?  That is because it is!  For this recipe I made my own spaghetti sauce from my tomatoes and basil in my garden, so that made it extra scrumptious!  If you do not want to make your own sauce, I am sure your favorite jarred sauce would do just fine.

Homemade Roasted Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce
-10-15 tomatoes from your garden (Roma, Heirloom, Big Boys)
- Fresh or dried basil
- Garlic salt
- Olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut each tomato in half and put on a baking dish.  Sprinkle tomatoes with garlic salt and drizzle with olive oil. Roast tomatoes for 40 minutes.  Let tomatoes cool for about 10 minutes, then blend in blender.  I added my dried basil during this part of the process and then canned the sauce.  If you are making the same day, then just blend and save for later.

Baked Spaghetti
- Homemade tomato sauce (or store bought if you do not want to make your own)
- 1/2 lb of sweet italian sausage
- 1/2 lb of hot spicy italian sausage
- 3 TB brown sugar
- Italian seasoning to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Dried basil
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- Spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

 
Dice your small onion and saute on medium heat until soft.  Add meats and brown.  Add your tomato sauce and all other seasonings and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes and then reduce heat and simmer for 6 hours.  I know it seems like a REALLY long time, but trust me, it allows the flavors to blend well.  I usually cook my sauces for 2 days.  Once the sauce has cooked for what seems like forever, then remove from heat and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

While your oven is preheating, cook your noodles, but make sure they are about 2 minutes under cooked from al dente.  Drain noodles and add to a baking dish, and then pour sauce over it.  Mix sauce and noddles well and add cheese to the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined
• 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processorand puree.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

Tomato sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably organic
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Chicken:

• Cooking spray
• 4 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
• Salt to taste
• 2 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoons dry Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 to 5 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the basil.

Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the cutlets with the salt. Lightly beat the egg whites in a medium bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan on a sheet of waxed paper. Spread the flour on another sheet of waxed paper. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip both sides into the flour, shaking off excess. Dip each piece into the egg whites, shaking off excess, and then press both sides into the breading to coat.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken, in 1 layer, to the baking dish. Spoon the sauce over the chicken then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, covered loosely with a tent of foil, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 12 to 15 minutes.