I like this fun way of serving lasagna. My kids loved having their own individual rolls of goodness. This recipe was taken from "Giada's Family Dinners" by Giada De Laurentis. The recipe calls for 3 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto. I always order from my deli in grams, so I converted from ounces to grams and it works out to 85 grams. The recipe asks to be sure to squeeze the spinach totally dry in order to avoid a watery dish. The " Quick Marinara Sauce" recipe is also on this blog.
Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Lasagna
1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 dried lasagna noodles
Butter, for baking dish
2 cups "Quick Marinara Sauce"
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
To make the sauce:
1. Melt the butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking continuously. 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 salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream sauce.
To make the lasagna:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, egg, the 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper until blended.
2. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread the cream sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.
4. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll the noodles up and arrange the rolls, seam sides down and not touching one another, atop the cream sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the lasagna rooms, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake until the rolls are heated through and sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top is golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot. Transfer the sauce to a sauce boat and serve alongside.
Makes: 6 Main-course servings
Fantastic!! Another gem taken from "The Italian Way - Cooking with the Deluca's".
1 pound fresh spinach
4 skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/2 pound shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons mustard seed or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash and dry the spinach leaves and arrange on a serving platter to use as a base for the chicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Peel the shallots, chop coarsely, and place in a large saucepan with the wine. Allow the wine to boil until reduced in half. Remove the shallots, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer them to a blender or food processor. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard seeds and blend until dressing is smooth and consistent. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a mallet or rolling pin to uniform thickness. Slice in 1/2-inch strips. Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken strips for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the chicken strips to the spinach platter. Top with the dressing and serve.
I took this recipe from the Winnipeg Free Press Recipe Swap (November 23rd, 2011). I've never had the original version of this soup, but according to the article it's supposed to be like the soup served at Ciao. This soup is really good and super easy to make. I used chicken bacon instead of real bacon. The fake bacon doesn't crumble like bacon, so I just diced it. I also used 6 cups of packaged chicken broth instead of the cans. I also used all fresh herbs and fresh spinach.
1 x 796ml (28oz) can diced tomatoes
2 x 398ml (14oz) cans Great Northern beans (or cannellini or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed well
3 x 284ml (10oz) cans chicken broth
750 ml (3 cups) water
1 x 213ml (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 x 398ml (14oz) can chopped spinach, drained, or about 250ml (1 cup) fresh chopped spinach, added just before serving
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
5 ml (1 tsp) garlic powder, or 15ml (1 tbsp) minced garlic
15 ml (1 tbsp) dried parsley, or 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh, chopped
2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried basil, or 10ml (2 tsp) fresh, chopped
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) salt
2 ml (1/2 tsp) black pepper
250 g (about 500ml or 2 cups) seashell pasta or macaroni
Romano or Parmesan cheese, for garnish
1. In a very large pot, heat diced tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, tomato sauce, canned spinach, (if using fresh spinach, add only before serving), bacon, garlic, herbs and seasonings. Simmer for about 20 minutes until flavours merge. Add pasta and cook uncovered on medium until pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Serve with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
This is another one of my 10 ten favorite meals. You can make this ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge until dinner time. My husband doesn't like feta, so I make his with mozzarella or havarti cheese. I also just barbeque the chicken instead of sauteing it. This recipe was taken from The Complete Light Kitchen by Rose Reisman.
Spinach,Tomato,Chicken and Hummus Wrap
8oz skinless boneless chicken breast
1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/3 cup sliced red or sweet onion
1/3 cup low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup diced black olives
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2/3 cup hummus
4 large whole wheat tortillas (or flavor of your choice)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1. Working with one at a time, pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2 inch thickness between two sheets of waxed paper.
2. Spray a non-stick grill pan with cooking oil and saute the chicken for approximately 8 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Slice into thin strips
3. Stir the green and red pepper, onion, feta, tomatoes, olives, oil, basil and garlic together in a large bowl.
4. Spread the hummus over the entire surface of the tortillas. Place the vegetable mixture over the hummus. Scatter the spinach leaves overtop and add the chicken. Roll the bottom of each tortilla up and over the filling, fold in both sides, and continue to roll up tightly. Cut each roll in half before serving.
