nstructed Lasagna Soup {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}

I made mine in my pressure cooker, and this recipe will be for a pressure cooker.  It would be very easy to make this on a stovetop.  Just remember to cook accordingly.

2 Lbs. Spicy Italian Sausage (You can also use lean ground beef or even ground turkey)

2 16oz. Cans of Chopped Tomatoes (Omit one can if you want less calories)

1 8oz. Can of Tomato Paste (Omit completely if you want less sodium and calories)

1 Whole Yellow Onion, chopped

3 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

4 Cups of Chicken Broth ( Omit completely and just use water, or use vegetable stock if you want less sodium)

Package of Mafalda Pasta, which look like cute little pieces of lasagna (You can use broken pieces of lasagna as well, which is what I did. Or fusili pasta)

Cheese Balls:

• Shredded Mozzarella
• Low Fat Ricotta Cheese

In your handy dandy pressure cooker’s inner cooking pan/pot, put a bit of olive oil and heat up the browning feature if your model has it.  Otherwise you can do it on the stove in a saucepan.
Crumble the sausage or whatever meat you are using and brown the meat in the pot.  Add the Italian Seasoning and lightly saute everything together.  Turn off the browning feature.

Add in the minced garlic and chopped onions.  Also the cans of chopped tomato and tomato paste.

Give everything a good stir.

Now pour in the Chicken Broth or water.  I did a mix of broth and water until my pot was at the MAX line full capacity.  Make sure not to over fill pass this line or you’re going to have a mess.

DO NOT ADD THE PASTA YET!  We’ll do that later.

Close the lid and lock it.  Set the pressure valve to Airtight.  Program your pressure cooker to cook for 10-minutes.  Or if it has a pre-set SOUP function, go ahead and press that.
That’s it.  It’s all ready to go.

Now, I want to make sure everyone knows that when you’re making a large pot of soup that has a high liquid content, the pressure cooker will take longer to come to pressure because it has to take time to heat up the liquid inside it.  Once it is all heated and the pressure has been reached, the cook time will then begin and count down.

While the pressure cooker is doing its thing, you can make the cheese balls!  Lasagna is known for all its cheesy goodness.  And I know cheese is really not the way to go if you’re trying to watch your calorie count.  But it’s okay, you’re just using a little bit of cheese.  It’s nothing compared to the baked lasagna that’s loaded with gallons and gallons of thick fattening cheese in layers and layers.

To avoid making a mess, use a clean plate and put some shredded mozzarella cheese onto the plate.  Then scoop out about 2-3 tablespoons of ricotta cheese and mash it onto the plate and mix it with the mozzarella.  Mash and roll until both cheeses are incorporated and roll it into a nice tight ball.  You can choose to add some dry parsley and dry basil to the cheese balls too.  Make however many balls you want and cover with saran wrap.  Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the soup.

 

Whenever the pressure cooker has finished pressure cooking, adjust the pressure valve to Exhaust to release all the pressure.  For a big pot of soup, it may take almost 2-minutes for it all too release completely.  Once all the pressure is released, open the lid.  The unit should also have gone to the Keep Warm setting automatically.

Give everything a good stir.

Add about 1-2 cups of pasta to the soup.  Don’t add too much because the pasta have the tendency to soak up a lot of the liquid and get really bloated looking.  Add just enough for the amount of servings you want.  Season with salt but don’t go overboard.  I always leave salting my food towards the end or when I’m actually serving it.  Shut the lid to the pressure cooker again and program it to cook for just ONE more minute.

Once that has completed, go through the usual cycle to release the pressure and unlock the lid.

Shrimp Scampi

• 1 lb linguini
• 4 TB butter
• 4 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• parsley, chopped, to taste

Cook pasta al dente.  In large skillet, melt 2 TB butter in 2 TB olive oil over med- high heat.  Saute' shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes 3-4 minutes.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper; add to pan and cook until pink, 2-3 minutes.  Remove shrimp from pan, set aside, and keep warm.  Add broth and lemon juice to skillet and bring to boil.  Add 2 TB butter and 2 TB olive oil.  After butter melts, return shrimp to the pan; add parsley and stir in pasta.  Season with salt and pepper.

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.

 

 

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 ounces each), halved horizontally
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups whole milk
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta, and return to pot.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.
3. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
4. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes; sprinkle each with cup Parmesan.
5. Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note

To Freeze: Prepare through step 4; let cool. Cover tightly with foil, and freeze, up to 3 months.

To Bake From Frozen: Preheat oven to 400, and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts

1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets

2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles, green salad

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

This is a recipe from the menu at Buca Di Beppo. It is very spicy, but you can cut the crushed red pepper in half to cut down on the hot.

ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs chopped garlic
• 6 oz chicken, sliced
• 3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1 lb Rigatoni pasta, cooked according to package directions
• additional 1/2 t crushed red pepper (for garnish)

directions

• 1
  In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic and sauté just long enough for garlic to caramelize and red pepper to release flavor into the oil. Add sliced chicken and sauté briefly to coat in spices and garlic.
• 2
  Add Marinara Sauce first and then Alfredo Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°. Turn off flame, add butter and peas and incorporate into sauce.
• 3
  Drop cooked pasta in boiling water for 3 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds. Toss with the sauce. Place pasta and sauce in pasta bowl, reserving the majority of the chicken to be placed on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from the pan to the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and serve.

notes

Instead of buying alfredo and marinara sauce separately, Bertolli makes a Parm Rosa sauce you can use instead. Use 1 1/2 cups of it when the recipe tells you to add the marinara and alfredo sauces.

Chicken Alfredo Roll Ups

Ingredients:



9 lasagna noodles

2 ½ cups alfredo sauce (optional homemade recipe below)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

oregano

garlic salt

3 cups shredded Mozzarella, or cheese of your choice

Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and pour ½ cup alfredo sauce, or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Boil 8-10 cups water in a large pan, cook lasagne noodles until al dente.

 

Now this is the important part! Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then, lay out each noodle individually and blot dry with a paper towel.

Spread about 2 Tbs. alfredo sauce over each noodle. (if there is too much sauce you will have a big mess on your hands!) Sprinkle oregano and garlic salt on top of sauce. Take 1/9 of the shredded chicken and spread it out evenly over each noodle. Add approx. 3 Tbs. cheese. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. You will need to lift the noodle a little to prevent squishing out the inside ingredients while rolling.

Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam-side down so they don't come undone. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the top. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted on top.

Serves 3, 3 roll-ups each

The Best Garlic Alfredo Sauce

 ½ cup butter

2 ounces cream cheese

2 cups heavy cream (or substitute half and half)

2 teaspoon garlic powder

½  tsp. fresh minced garlic

salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp dried oregano

⅔ cup parmesan cheese

In a medium to large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add fresh minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the cream cheese and whisk to smooth and melted. Whisk in the heavy cream.

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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.

Warm Macaroni and Mozzarella Salad with Herbs

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces (2 cups) macaroni
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain the macaroni and transfer to a medium serving bowl. Add the basil and oregano and half of the dressing. Stir to combine. Let it sit for 1 minute to cool slightly, then add the mozzarella and the remaining dressing. Serve warm.

Bacon and Egg Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 pound macaroni
• 1 pound good quality bacon
• About 1/4 cup grated onion and its juice
• 1 clove garlic, grated or pasted
• 1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
• About 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimientos, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the eggs in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the eggs stand for 10 minutes. Submerge the eggs in cold water to shock them. Crack the eggs and soak in the cold water. When cool, peel and chop.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the macaroni. Arrange all but 6 slices of bacon on a slotted baking sheet and put into the hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. When cool enough to handle, chop and reserve.

Chop the remaining bacon and add to the boiling water along with the macaroni. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain, rinse, and discard the boiled bits of bacon from the pasta.

While the pasta cooks, add the grated onion, garlic, Dijon, and vinegar to a mixing bowl. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil and season with lots of salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add the pasta, chopped eggs, pimiento, parsley, and chopped crisp bacon pieces. Toss to combine and serve.

Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (halved)
  
• 1/2 lb large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  
• 5 quarts water
  
• 6 ounces fettuccine
  
• 6 ounces spinach fettuccine
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 2 medium chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 sliced green bell pepper
  
• 1 sliced red bell pepper
  
• 1 sliced yellow bell pepper
  
• 1 medium onion, sliced
  
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• 2 tablespoons white wine
  
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  

Directions:

1. Make a cajun seasoning blend by combining the white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl.


2. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.


3. Use about one- third of the seasoning blend to coat the chicken pieces.


4. In another bowl, sprinkle another one-third of the spice blend over the shrimp.


5. Start your pasta cooking by bringing 5 quarts of water to a boil over high heat.


6. Add both fettuccine to the hot water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes or until the pasta is tender.


7. While the pasta cooks, heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet over high heat.


8. When the oil is hot, saute' the chicken in the pan for about 2 minutes per side or until the surface of the chicken starts to turn brown.


9. Add the shrimp to the pan with the chicken and cook another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the shrimp from sticking. When the chicken and shrimp have been seared, pour the contents of the pan onto a plate or into a bowl. Do not rinse the pan!


10. Put the pan back over high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan.


11. Add the tomatoes, peppers and onions to the oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with the remaining spice blend and saute' for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to turn dark brown or black.


12. Add the chicken and shrimp to the vegetables and pour 3/4 cup of the chicken stock in the pan. Cook over high heat until the stock has been reduced to just about nothing.


13. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of stock to the pan. The liquid should become dark as it deglazes the pan of the dark film left by the spices and cooking food.


14. Stir constantly, scraping the blackened stuff on the bottom of the pan. Reduce the broth a bit more, then turn the heat down to low.


15. Combine the cornstarch with the wine in a small bowl. Stir until it is dissolved. Add this to the pan and simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly. When the pasta is done, drain it and spoon half onto a plate.


16. Spoon half of the jambalaya over the pasta. Sprinkle half the parsley over the top.


17. Repeat for the second serving.