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Cheesy Skillet Gnocchi
dinnersdishesanddesserts.com
Cheesy Gnocchi Skillet is a one pan, quick and easy dinner. A healthified
version of pure comfort food.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package gnocchi
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
12 oz Italian sausage
1½ cups tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, and cook gnocchi for about 7 minutes, or until lightly
browned. Remove from pan.
2. Add sausage to the pan, and cook until browned. Remove from pan.
3. Add tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, until
tomatoes are soft. Add gnocchi and sausage back to the pan. Pour in cream, and stir until everything is
warm.
4. Top with cheese, heat until melted.

....and grate up that FRESH PARMESAN CHEESE...none of that packaged shredded Parm for this recipe...no siree! I love fresh Parm, it's amazing!

       

Make sure to eat some of that Parmesan, don't waste it all on the lasagna. Duh.

This lasagna is worth the time it takes to make!
Now this is not your typical lasagne folks, this has no basil or mozzarella piled on it.
The flavors are much more subtle.  If you have any sauce left over, freeze it! I actually used all the sauce so I had none left over to freeze.

Here's the recipe...by the way, if I'm gonna make a lasagne for Christmas, I would definitely choose this recipe over the others I have made. It's just smoother and creamier and would partner better with the big cookie and candy spread :)

Here's the recipe! Printable recipe is at the end...

Lasagne Alla Bolognese
Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar, Extra Virgin show on the Cooking Channel
www.cookingchanneltv.com New episodes are shown on Wednesday nights
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Total Time:  3 hr 45 min
Prep:  3 hr 0 min |
Inactive Prep: 3 hrs (includes simmering time)  Cook: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
    Butter, for the pan
    1/2 batch Bolognese Sauce, recipe follows
    1 1/2 (9-ounce) boxes no-boil lasagne noodles
   Besciamella, recipe follows
    3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
    Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

    Bolognese Sauce:
    5 tablespoons olive oil
    1 red onion, medium chop
    3 carrots, medium chop
    3 celery stalks, medium chop
    5 ounces pancetta, cut into small cubes
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
    1 pound ground beef
    1 pound ground pork
    1 pound ground veal  Angie’s Note: I used ground turkey instead of veal.
    1 cup red wine
    3 (28-ounce) cans pelati tomatoes*… pelati tomatoes are whole canned tomatoes
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 cup whole milk

    Besciamella:
    1/2 cup butter
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    4 1/2 cups whole milk
    Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Notes
Because you are working with pasta that does not require boiling, you have to make sure that there are no pieces of lasagne sticking out of the sauce because they won't cook.

When you decide to tap into your reserve of frozen lasagne, keep in mind you need to thaw the frozen lasagne overnight before reheating.

Pelati tomatoes are whole canned tomatoes.

Notes
If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk, if too runny, return to the heat and add a pat of butter mixed with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. The most important thing though is: besciamella should not taste floury. If you think your sauce is ready, but you can spot a hint of "flouriness" when you taste it, think again, and keep on cooking it for a few minutes more.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter the lasagne pan well and add a very thin layer of meat sauce.

Add the first layer of lasagne noodles and in order, cover with meat sauce, about 3 ladles besciamella, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the same process until you reach the top of the dish. Make sure the lasagne noodles are soaking into the sauce.

When done layering the ingredients, top the lasagne with a final ladle of meat sauce and some besciamella, add a few thin slices of butter and finish with some grated Parmesan.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Heat a broiler. When your fantastic lasagne alla bolognese is cooked, give it a nice crisp top by broiling it for about 5 minutes.

Always serve this dish with extra-virgin olive oil and some grated parmesan, to taste.

Directions Bolognese Sauce:
Saute the onion, carrots, and celery in about 5 tablespoons olive oil in a large rondeau until soft. Add the pancetta to the soffritto (onion mixture). Cook on a medium-high flame for about 7 to 10 minutes, then add the meat; break it up well with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: You can jack up the heat a bit, and keep stirring until all the ground meat is browned. Add the red pepper flakes and the parsley and cook for just 1 minute.

Add the wine now and cook until the alcohol is completely evaporated, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Pulse the tomatoes smooth in a food processor and add them to the meat, season generously with salt and pepper, lower the flame to medium and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the sauce by adding the whole milk, stir well and set aside, to cool off.

Directions Besciamella:
Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you lose the flowery taste.

Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.




Here's the printable one...

Yes, that is Mindy Peaches's head and floppy ear on the keyboard which is on my lap and yes, that is new Kitty-cat sprawled out on my sweatshirt.... WHILE I WAS WEARING IT, facing the laptop, refusing to get off me.

So that is why I have been a little tardy getting posts out.
Well, that and the lazy factor :)

Okay, have a good Monday night guys! Hopefully I can get another post out sooner than two weeks. :)
I've been cooking, just not very successfully. Wow, there's a lot of bad recipes out there. :):):) hehehe

Talk at ya soon!!

And this is a close-up of the top with that crunchy panko and some apples and penne sticking out.

Yum.

Okay,
so the alfredo sauce is staying warm, let's start on that

Pasta Salad.
Uh, I did not use a recipe, I just kind of threw stuff in that I knew were the basics.

The Pasta Salad That Angie Made That Tasted Good But She Can’t Remember All The Ingredients and Amounts
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
8 oz. whole wheat fusili or spiral pasta, cooked to al dente (I sound so knowledgeable when I say “al dente”) al dente, al dente, al dente.
Package of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved (not the package, the tomatoes)
Fresh Mozzarella, I think 8 oz., cubed
About 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
Maybe 1 Tbsp. capers
A spot of red wine vinegar (maybe a Tbsp. but “a spot” sounds so much hoitier)
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Cook the pasta.
2. Cut up the mozzarella and tomatoes. Eat a bit of each.
3. Mince the garlic cloves.
4. Scour the pantry for that jar of capers that you know is there and get disgusted by how a pantry can get so out-of-control so quickly after Christmas.
5. Look in the fridge for the capers and find them stuck way in back. Opened.
6. Throw everything together in a too small bowl and have lots of the spiral pasta spill out on the counter. Put all the stuff in a larger bowl and curse because now you’ve dirtied two bowls and it’s still not big enough.
7. Get out the third, more appropriate size bowl.
8. Toss the overflowing pasta, mozzarella, tomatoes, capers, and garlic from the too-small bowl in the appropriate size bowl.
9. Splash your red wine vinegar in there with the salt and pepper and olive oil.
10. Look at the floor and hope the dog will eat the pasta that spilled off the counter.
11. Wash hands, take off apron, grab a plate, take lots of boring pictures to bore readers even more so than normal.
12. Eat up!
Yum! This really is an excellent, basic, pasta salad guideline.
Enjoy!

TWO Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-high; add turkey and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add tomato sauce, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and simmer until heated through. 3 to 4 minutes.

THREE  Add turkey meat sauce and penne and asparagus together, stir to combine.

FOUR Lightly coat a 2-QT baking dish with cooking spray; add 1/2 the penne mixture and sprinkle with 2/3 of the mozzarella.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Try garnishing with fresh oregano or basil, if desired. (oops, Angie forgot that one.)