Archives for posts with tag: #Italian

Baked Cheesy Meatballs (Low Carb/Keto/Gluten-Free)

January 31, 2021 //
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We have a house of teen and young adult children, which means I try to be creative in our low carbohydrate meal options. My goal is delicious dishes that are not boring or repetitive for any of us. This Baked Cheesy Meatball recipe fits all requirements. It is a cheesy topped casserole with a tangy, sweet tomato sauce that couldn’t be easier to make or more delicious.

Baked Cheesy Meatballs (Low Carb/Keto/Gluten-Free)

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

4 TBSP olive oil

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 pound Italian Sausage

1/2 cup seasoned Keto breadcrumbs, almond flour or Gluten-Free Panko such as Aleias

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup and 1 TBSP parsley, finely chopped

2 large eggs

1 TBSP fresh chopped basil, rosemary, thyme and/or oregano

Salt and ground pepper to taste

2 cups tomato sauce such as Yo Mama’s Foods Keto brand, Cento Tomato Sauce or Barilla Vero Gusto Sauce

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack positioned in the middle. Butter or spray a casserole dish. Set aside.
  2. In a medium skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, breadcrumbs or panko, parmesan, 1/2 cup parsley, eggs, fresh herbs, salt and ground pepper to taste. Then, add the sautéed onions and garlic. Combine all ingredients thoroughly. (I use my clean, washed hands to kneed the mixture and combine completely.)
  4. Use a spoon to scoop out enough meat to make 1 1/2″ round balls. You can also use a cookie scoop but I like to form them in my hands and roll into balls that are all the same size. Place the meatballs in the prepared casserole dish. This will make about 25 to 30 meatballs.
  5. Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes until fully-cooked and brown. Remove from the oven and drain the grease.
  6. Then, top the meatballs with the tomato sauce and shredded cheese.
  7. Place the casserole dish back in the oven and cook for 5 additional minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
  8. Garnish with the remaining parsley.
Meatballs Ready to Bake!

This serves 6. I added a side of steamed broccoli. The kids got to top these delicious Baked Cheesy Meatballs over a bed of pasta. You can also add a side salad for a complete meal.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

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Categories #Dinner, #Dinner For Two, #Easy Dinner, #Family Dinner, #Gluten Free, #Italian, #Main Dish, #One Pot Dinner, Gluten Free, Italian, Keto, Mozzarella, Sunday Dinner

Classic Meat Lasagna

December 13, 2020 //
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The cheese, sauce and noodles are bubbling in the oven!

Lasagna is something I’ve made endlessly over the years for my family. It can be made ahead and even frozen until you’re ready to cook. This is another recipe committed to memory, which prompted me to write everything down while I made it tonight. My advice is to use the best ingredients and the thinnest lasagna noodles available, which usually are not found in a box.

Although, I’m pretty confident in my lasagna-making ability, I will never serve it to my son-in-law from Naples, Italy since his family’s Italian restaurant makes the best I’ve ever tasted…hands down! It’s his nonna, Mamma Carmela’s recipe. Her lasagna is layers of thin homemade noodles with the most incredible sauce and cheese. It’s something we order whenever we go to their restaurant because it is a delicacy for any lasagna lover.

Although, mine is not nearly as good, here’s my version that begins with meat sauce that cooks all day and thin, fresh, store-bought lasagna noodles (someday I’ll learn to make my own)!

Classic Meat Lasagna

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced small

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano Style Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato puree

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

16 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (such as Bel Gioioso or Galbani)

12 ounces shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese (the one I used tonight was for Pizzas)

16 ounces ricotta cheese (such as Bel Gioioso, Galbani, Lucerne or Maggio)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

16 ounces lasagna pasta (I use thin flat sheets of fresh pasta)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
  2. In a large pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and add chopped onions, carrots and sliced garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until the onion is translucent.
  3. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until completely browned. Drain fat and return to pan.
  4. Add whole peeled tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, red wine, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I emulsify the sauce to thin out the meat but that’s optional and not necessary.
  5. Slice the mozzarella log or purchase pre-sliced.
  6. In another bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper until combined. Set aside.
  7. In a 14 x 11 1/2 baking dish you will begin to assemble the lasagna ladling some of the pasta sauce on the bottom. Top this with the 2 fresh lasagna noodle sheets (you do not need to cook the noodle if it is fresh. If you are using a box lasagna noodle, follow the instructions to cook before this step). Add another layer of sauce, then dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture that you’ll smooth over the meat. Next, you’ll add the sliced mozzarella cheese in three rows of three. You will repeat these steps two more times. After the final layer you’ll add the shredded mozzarella cheese and remaining slices of mozzarella. Finally, sprinkle with some Parmesan.
  8. Cover the lasagna with foil and cook for 50-60 minutes on top of a baking sheet (to catch any sauce that may bubble over). Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the top is slightly browned.

Serve with Caesar Salad and garlic or sour dough bread. Serves 6 – 8.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

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Categories #Dinner, #Family Dinner, #Main Dish, Casserole, Classic Meat Lasagna, Comfort Food, Lasagna, Meat Lasagna, Sauce, Sunday Dinner

Chicken Parmesan

November 10, 2020 //
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Chicken is probably one of the most versatile dishes to make. It is used in many American, Italian, Mexican, Spanish, Indian and Chinese recipes. Besides pasta, chicken is generally something that children and adults will eat without too much fuss. One of my go-to and our family’s all-time favorite is Chicken Parmesan.

I usually make Chicken Parmesan from memory, which means it isn’t always the same. No fear! I have my recipe binder with one I saved from Bon Appetit when my children were younger. The following is sure to be a family winner.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cup chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup peeled, grated and coarsely chopped carrots (you can use a Cuisinart)

3 TBSP thyme

2 28 ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes in juice (I use Italbrand Italian Peeled, San Marzano Whole Peeled or Muir Glen Whole Peeled)

Chicken

10 skinless boneless chicken breasts halved to 1/3″ thickness (you can buy the thin cut chicken breasts or cut whole ones diagonally through the center. A butcher will cut and flatten them for you or you can use a mallet or rolling pin to do it yourself.)

3 cups breadcrumbs (you can purchase Progresso Italian Style or Italian Panko or I like using ALEIAs Original Real Panko that is gluten free)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour

6 TBSP olive oil, divided

3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided

1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

2 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 TBSP chopped fresh marjoram

5-6 Basil leaves torn

Preparation:

Step 1

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until onions are soft and translucent about 10 minutes. Add carrots and thyme; saute until the carrots are soft about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice; bring to a boil, coarsely mash the tomatoes as they cook. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce to about 5 cups about 1 hour. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Spread breadcrumbs on plate. Whisk eggs to blend in medium bowl. Spread flour on another plate. Coat both sides of chicken with flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 TBSP oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Transfer chicken to a platter. Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 15x10x12 inch glass baking dish. Arrange one layer of chicken over the sauce. Spoon 2 cups sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella, Parmesan and Pecorino over. Repeat with remaining chicken, sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and Pecorino. Bake until cheeses melt and chicken is cooked through about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, marjoram and basil leaves before serving.

Serve over angel hair or thin spaghetti pasta with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread.

Few notes:

  1. To save time, you can substitute the tomato sauce recipe for your favorite jarred pasta sauce. This isn’t something I do but it’ll save valuable time for a quick but delicious dinner.
  2. I sometimes buy the Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella and slice it thinly. I place this on top of the chicken along with the Parmesan and Pecorino. I prefer it to the shredded mozzarella cheese but both work.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

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Categories #Dinner, #Dinner For Two, #Easy Dinner, #Entertaining, #Family Dinner, #Recipe, Breadcrumbs, Chicken Recipes, Cooking, Elegant Main Course, Food, Italian, Mozzarella