Baked Manicotti with Sausage

Baked Manicotti with Sausage (From Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:

TOMATO SAUCE
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, hot or sweet, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt

CHEESE FILLING AND PASTA
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can of tomatoes.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, add sausage and stir to break sausage into 1/2 inch pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes to sausage and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and adjust seasonings with salt.

3. For the Cheese Filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl; set aside.

4.  To Assemble:  Pour 1-inch boiling water into 13 x 9-inch broiler safe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of a sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in a single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry dish.

5.  Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape rolling from the bottom up and arrange on baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making sure that pasta is completely covered.

6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, watch closely. Cool 15 minutes, then serve.

Penne a la Betsy

From the Pioneer Woman website.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
•  Fresh Parsley, to taste 
•  Fresh Basil - To Taste
•  Salt To Taste
•  Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Classic Macaroni & Cheese

(From Cooks Illustrated)

Serves 6 to 8, or 10 to 12 as a side. I've taken this to potlucks where there are kids and it's a hit.

Ingredients:

Bread Crumb Topping:

• 6 slices white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 pieces

Pasta & Cheese:

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 5 cups milk (whole, low-fat or skim work fine)
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. For the breadcrumbs: Pulse bread and butter in a food processor until crumbs are no larger than 1/8 inch, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.
2. For the past and cheese: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain and set aside in a colander.
3. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.
4. Transfer mixture to broiler-safe 9-by-13 inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are brown. Cool 5 minutes and serve