Lasagna Rollups

Lasagna Rollups with 3 different kinds of cheese and dripping in the most amazing meat sauce are made for lazy cooks like me! Lasagna Rollups will feed your Italian food cravings while being EASY to make too! This is a family dinner recipe everyone will LOVE!

Madison's Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

Madison's Shrimp Lasagna Rolls lightens up what is traditionally a heavier dish and gives you a portion controlled serving of the traditional Italian classic lasagna recipe. This easy recipe uses fresh ingredients to maximize flavor and is a real crowd pleaser!

Jambalaya Pizza

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Aidells®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cajun seasoned shrimp, Andouille sausage, the holy trinity of vegetables, and a zesty sauce all atop a soft and chewy pizza crust makes up this Jambalaya Pizza recipe. Who needs a bowl?! 

Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad

This post is sponsored by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad is a twist on the traditional Caprese Salad. Instead of tomatoes, I used sweet Florida strawberries for a refreshing change to this classic flavor combo!

Chicken Parmesan Pizza #SundaySupper

Compensation was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.

Chicken Parmesan Pizza tastes just like the classic Italian dish typically served over pasta, but I'm putting it on pizza dough today! From the fresh breadcrumbs to the homemade tomato sauce, this pizza is layered with fabulous Italian tastes for maximum flavor!

Cheesy Baked Ravioli Skillet

Cheese ravioli swimming in an easy Tuscan beef sauce and smothered in 2 different kinds of cheese, brings a Taste of Italy to the dinner table in under 30 minutes! This Cheesy Baked Ravioli in a Skillet is a deliciously easy recipe the whole family will love!

Caprese Sandwich Recipe

My Caprese Sandwich is a simple recipe that is big on flavor! The softest, most delicious ciabatta roll topped with fresh basil pesto, tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella cheese all drizzled with balsamic glaze just might be my new favorite sandwich! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Skillet Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Easy to make Chicken Parmesan in a skillet. No more dredging the chicken in the breading. Everything, even the sauce, cooks in one skillet, so there is much less mess! I like that! My Skillet Chicken Parmesan recipe is on the table in about 40 minutes, and thanks to fresh ingredients, it tastes like your Italian grandmother made it. You know, if you had an Italian grandmother <wink>

Shrimp Scampi Zoodles

Shrimp Scampi Zoodles is a lower carb version of a traditional Shrimp Scampi recipe typically served over pasta. This recipe still has all the fresh tasting garlic and buttery goodness of the traditional recipe, but is served over zucchini noodles, or the more fun way of saying it 'zoodles', to get rid of all those carbs from the pasta. Just for the record... I didn't miss the pasta at all!

Pasta Fagioli Recipe

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Pasta and Beans Italian soup. It is oh so comforting and delish! I first had Pasta Fagioli at the Olive Garden years ago, and I instantly fell in love. I knew I had to make it at home with fresh herbs!

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce is a little bit dangerous, because once you make this at home you'll never be able to eat Alfredo any other way! NEVER! No jars! No restaurants! Just homemade!

Pesto Burger Recipe

My Pesto Burger Recipe is bursting with the classic flavor combination of basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese all atop a juicy grilled burger. Oh my yumminess! It is so good, y'all!

Mac and Cheese with Marinara Sauce

Mac and Cheese with Marinara Sauce is a tomato based mac and cheese recipe that is easy to make and loaded with creamy, cheesy goodness!

Chicken Florentine Pasta Recipe

Chicken Florentine Pasta is similar to a Chicken Florentine dish, but it is served over pasta...just like it says in the name, so I have no idea why I felt the need to explain it, but I did <grin>.

Florentine recipes typically feature some kind of protein served on a bed of spinach and smothered in a deliciously cheesy Mornay sauce.

Chicken Florentine is a bit boring to me, so to change it up I added the pasta. Plus I've been on a kind of pasta kick recently. Late at night I've been getting hit with ideas for fun new pasta dishes such as Chicken Pot Pie Pasta, Spinach Artichoke Pasta, Spicy Chicken Pasta, Chicken Fajita Pasta, and the list could go on, but you get the idea! Check out my pasta page for more yummy pasta recipes.

This pasta dish has bite sized pieces of pan seared chicken, sauteed garlic baby spinach, and grape tomatoes on a bed of linguine. I topped it all off with a Green Onion and Parmesan Mornay Sauce that is out of this world! The sauce has a little bit of Swiss cheese in it which gives it just a hint of tang. I like that! I'm not a huge fan of Swiss cheese but it sure works in this sauce!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes is a delicious blend of flavors and super easy to make! 

Homemade pesto is a truly beautiful thing. Basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil with a bit of salt - gotta have salt - all mashed together in delicious harmony. It's glorious!! I could eat pesto on just about anything! 

Now, you can buy pesto ready to go, but why do that? It's quick and easy to make homemade and tastes a million times better than what you get in a jar! It freezes well too! Seriously! If you haven't made fresh pesto, you are missing out!! and we can't have that!

I had some basil I needed to use up before it went south on me, so I whipped up some pesto and decided to make some sort of chicken pesto pasta dish, but....

Double Tomato Bruschetta

Double Tomato Bruschetta - I have teamed up with some of my favorite bloggers to bring you an Easy Valentine's Day Dinner. We have created an easy-to-make, four course meal so you can enjoy a delicious, romantic evening at home without a lot of fuss!

For starters we have Double Tomato Bruschetta. Bruschetta is an antipasto that is very easy to make and super delicious to eat!! Antipasto simply means 'before the meal'. My Double Tomato Bruschetta makes a perfect beginning to our Easy Valentine's Day Dinner.

You can prepare the topping early in the day or even the day ahead! Toss it all in a bowl, cover it, and pop it in the fridge until ready to use! It really doesn't get much easier than that! This stuff is very flavorful with all of the fresh ingredients. It is addicting, so be careful you don't fill up! You have 3 more courses to enjoy!!

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

I don't typically use the words Manicotti and Easy in the same sentence. Let's face it stuffing those dern tubes is a messy nuisance, and I just prefer NOT to do it!

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-10-14

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage whips up in a jiffy! This dish gets its flavor from the Johnsonville Italian Sausage. It is sweet and spicy and satisfying! The flavors stick with you and help to curb any cravings all night long! I love that! Bonus - this makes a lot for a little, so you can feed the whole family for about $10!! Let me tell you what - you can't beat that with a stick!!

The gnocchi makes this a hearty dish so a little goes a long way, unless you're like my hubs and then you'll keep eating until you have to be rolled away from the table!! Poor guy - it's so tasty he couldn't help himself :)

Ingredients

• 2 (1 lb) packages gnocchi
• 1 package Johnsonsonville All Natural Sweet Italian ground sausage
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
• 1 medium red bell pepper diced
• 6 ounces pesto
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. After draining return them to the pot.
2. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over mid-high heat and saute the sugar snap peas and red peppers until tender to your liking. Toss into the pot with the gnocchi.
3. In the same skillet, cook the sausage until cooked through - about 8-10 minutes. Add the sausage to the pot with the veges and gnocchi.
4. Stir to combine the contents of the pot over mid-low heat. Combine 6 ounces of pesto with 1/2 cup of whipping cream and pour over gnocchi mixture. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Meatball Sub Casserole

Easy to make, saucy, and cheesy, this Meatball Sub Casserole is a family favorite dinner that's on the table in just 30 minutes!

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmigiana is a Southern Italian dish consisting of breaded chicken smothered in tomato sauce and cheese. It is delicious, of course, but it kind of gets a bad rap from busy cooks who feel it is too messy and time consuming to make.  It can definitely be messy and time consuming - no argument there, but with a little organization it is quite easy and well worth a little extra effort.

I like to make my own bread crumbs for this dish. You can add any kind of herb you want and it really takes the dish to a new level.  Of course, if you don't have that kind of time you can always use store bought Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs. In addition to homemade bread crumbs, I also like to use my Red Sauce recipe. Typically, I will make the red sauce to use with spaghetti and meatballs and save the leftovers for Chicken Parm. The sauce freezes well too, so it's nice to set 3-4 cups aside for when you want to make this. Once again, you can use your favorite jarred sauce for this to save time.

Homemade Dried Bread Crumbs - Ingredients

3-4 slices Italian Bread

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 - 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Start with 3-4 slices of day old Italian Bread. I leave the crusts on, but you can cut them off if you prefer. I used this to coat 3 large chicken breasts. If you are making more, be sure to use more bread slices accordingly

Cut it into strips...

Place bread strips into a food processor or a blender...

and blend until finely chopped. Remove from blender and spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer

Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 - 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning and then drizzle with olive oil. I like to drizzle in a zig zag fashion from one end of the tray to the other. Then use a spoon to mix it well. Be sure to coat all the bread crumbs with seasoning and oil and spread them out into a single layer again.  Bake in a preheated 300 degree F. oven for about 20 mins.

While the bread crumbs are baking, you can start to assemble what you need for coating the chicken. I like to assemble all my ingredients and make an assembly line to coat the chicken and then put it right into the prepared baking dish.

Chicken Parmigiana Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Homemade Bread Crumbs or 

1 1/2 cups store bought Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

3-4 slices Mozzarella Cheese

3-4 cups Red Sauce

or your favorite jarred marinara sauce

Prepare your chicken by laying it on a cutting board with the bottom side up...

Using your hands, open the breast up where both sides come together, so it lays more flat...

sorry for the blurry photos - my old eyes fail me sometimes ;)

Continue to spread it apart until it is all the way open, and looks like a heart shape... sort of

Now turn the chicken over, so the top side is up, and flatten the largest side with the palm of your hand. You don't want to mutilate it, just flatten it so it will cook evenly. Do this for each piece of chicken you are breading.

Set up your assembly line like so....

Measure out 1/3 cup flour into one dish (paper plates work well for this too and make for an easier clean-up), 2 eggs slightly beaten into the next dish, and your home made bread crumbs into the last dish (or 1.5 cups store bought bread crumbs). Spray your baking tray with cooking spray and put that next to the bread crumbs. I've found that this helps to keep things clean and makes quick work of breading the chicken.

Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it into the flour, being sure to coat both sides well...

The flour helps the egg stick to the chicken. Then dip that same piece of chicken into the egg. Again, coat both sides well...

Finish by dipping that same piece of chicken into the bread crumbs, coating both sides well. I like to press down on the crumbs to ensure they get a good stick.  Then place that piece of chicken into the baking dish and repeat with remaining chicken pieces until all are coated and ready to go in the oven. I use a 13x9" baking dish. Be sure to discard any unused flour, egg, and bread crumbs.

You can make this ahead of time up to this point and freeze the chicken for later use.  Sometimes I like to double the recipe and put some in the freezer for the next time, but I prefer to eat it fresh for the best flavor and texture.

If I am making this to freeze, I put the chicken on a parchment lined baking sheet and then put in the freezer for about an hour or two. Then I remove from the freezer and put in a Ziploc freezer bag to store and save space in my freezer. This will keep in your freezer for a couple months and you can bake as normal when ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place baking dish in oven and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.  Next, pour sauce over chicken evenly and continue baking for 10 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160 degrees F. when inserted into thickest part of chicken. Place a slice of cheese on top of each piece of chicken and bake until melted. Serve with a salad or some spaghetti noodles and enjoy!

This recipe is inspired by allrecipes.com Chicken Parmigiana