I'm not quite finished with this week's dinner menu since I haven't had a chance to browse the weekly grocery ads OR check out what's in my freezer OR sit on my couch and look though magazines for some new recipes OR breath today. So in the meantime, here are a couple of recipes you might enjoy. I made the French Bread Pizza Friday night and the Baked Spaghetti tonight. I was quite pleased with the results of both.
I love it when I can cook once and eat twice. Why dirty the same pots twice if you don't have to? This time, I was making both dishes within a few days of each other, but sometimes I'll freeze half of what I make for a future recipe if I'm not planning to use it right away. Either way, it certainly makes those crazy-busy days go a little more smoothly. So, here's how I did it.
French Bread Pizza
Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage, your choice of mild, sweet or hot
1/4 lb salami, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 large loaf of sturdy French or Italian bread
2-3 cups of pizza cheese, mozzarella, provolone, or a blend
Directions: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Brown sausage and salami with onion over medium heat. Add garlic when meats are browned. Then, add spaghetti sauce and simmer a while. Thirty minutes is good, but less will do. In the meantime, split the bread down the middle. Toast the bread, bottom side up for about 5 minutes; then flip it over and toast the other side for 5 minutes. Then, put about a fourth of the meat sauce on each half of bread. Spread it as close to the edges as possible. Top with cheese and bake about 7 more minutes at 500 degrees. Set aside the remaining sauce for Baked Spaghetti another night.
Notes: If I had them, I probably would have added some diced green pepper and sliced mushrooms during the meat browning part of the cooking. I only added the salami because I had some leftover, but I thought it was really good in there. I also had accidentally opened a can of stewed tomatoes with oregano and basil when making soup last week so I used them and only about 1 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce. It worked just fine.
Four Cheese (Or Three Cheese or Five Cheese or However Many Cheese You Like) Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Meat Sauce leftover from French Bread Pizza
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
1 cup shredded cheddar (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti and drain. Stir in sauce and shredded cheddar. Put half of the spaghetti mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Mix together cottage cheese, egg and shredded Italian blend cheese. Spread on top of spaghetti. Cover with remaining half of spaghetti. Top with thin slices of mozzarella. Back 30-40 minutes covered with casserole lid or foil. Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes: I used the cheeses I had on hand, and you can use whatever you have too. Please let it cool so you can get it out of the pan without injuring anyone. It is hot like lava.
I love it when I can cook once and eat twice. Why dirty the same pots twice if you don't have to? This time, I was making both dishes within a few days of each other, but sometimes I'll freeze half of what I make for a future recipe if I'm not planning to use it right away. Either way, it certainly makes those crazy-busy days go a little more smoothly. So, here's how I did it.
French Bread Pizza
Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage, your choice of mild, sweet or hot
1/4 lb salami, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 large loaf of sturdy French or Italian bread
2-3 cups of pizza cheese, mozzarella, provolone, or a blend
Directions: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Brown sausage and salami with onion over medium heat. Add garlic when meats are browned. Then, add spaghetti sauce and simmer a while. Thirty minutes is good, but less will do. In the meantime, split the bread down the middle. Toast the bread, bottom side up for about 5 minutes; then flip it over and toast the other side for 5 minutes. Then, put about a fourth of the meat sauce on each half of bread. Spread it as close to the edges as possible. Top with cheese and bake about 7 more minutes at 500 degrees. Set aside the remaining sauce for Baked Spaghetti another night.
Notes: If I had them, I probably would have added some diced green pepper and sliced mushrooms during the meat browning part of the cooking. I only added the salami because I had some leftover, but I thought it was really good in there. I also had accidentally opened a can of stewed tomatoes with oregano and basil when making soup last week so I used them and only about 1 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce. It worked just fine.
Four Cheese (Or Three Cheese or Five Cheese or However Many Cheese You Like) Baked Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Meat Sauce leftover from French Bread Pizza
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
1 cup shredded cheddar (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (or mozzarella or Parmesan or provolone or whatever)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti and drain. Stir in sauce and shredded cheddar. Put half of the spaghetti mixture in a buttered casserole dish. Mix together cottage cheese, egg and shredded Italian blend cheese. Spread on top of spaghetti. Cover with remaining half of spaghetti. Top with thin slices of mozzarella. Back 30-40 minutes covered with casserole lid or foil. Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes: I used the cheeses I had on hand, and you can use whatever you have too. Please let it cool so you can get it out of the pan without injuring anyone. It is hot like lava.
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