Smoky Marinara

Look for fire-roasted tomatoes (we used Muir Glen) in the organic section or with the canned tomatoes in your supermarket.

This recipe goes with Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

Yield: 6 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano; sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Four-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Smoky Marinara

This dish goes straight from the freezer to oven - no thawing required. The fire-roasted tomatoes in the marinara sauce give the dish a subtle smoky flavor. You can also easily vary the filling by adding basil or oregano and a different cheese. (We tried fontina instead of mozzarella and threw in some arugula for a peppery bite.) Make some garlic bread and a green salad and dinner's on.

Yield - 2 casseroles, 5 servings per dish (serving size: about 4 stuffed shells and about 1/2 cup smoky marinara - at cook-a-thon we use Barilla tomato and Basil jarred sauce to save time and money)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound jumbo shell pasta (40 shells)
• Cooking spray
• 1 (12-ounce) carton 1% low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 (15-ounce) carton ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 6 cups Smoky Marinara
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Coat 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking dishes with cooking spray; set aside.
Place cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine cottage cheese mixture, Asiago, and next 6 ingredients (Asiago through spinach).
Spoon or pipe 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into each shell.
Arrange half of stuffed shells, seam sides up, in one prepared dish. Pour 3 cups Smoky Marinara over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat procedure with remaining stuffed shells, Smoky Marinara, and mozzarella in remaining prepared dish.
Cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover frozen casserole with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the shells are thoroughly heated.

Smoky Marinara

Look for fire-roasted tomatoes in a can

Cooking Light MARCH 2003

• Yield: 6 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano; sauté 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Italian Meatballs

Prep: 20 min., Cook: 35 min. We adapted and scaled down this recipe from Barbara Jean's Cookbook by Barbara Jean Barta, owner of the Barbara Jean's restaurant chain. Make a large batch of these, and freeze them in meal-size portions to cook during the week.

Yield - Makes 30 meatballs (6 to 8 servings)

Ingredients
1/2 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed (or use ground beef)
3/4 pound ground turkey
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
3/4 cup minced onion
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

Preparation
1. Combine sausage, ground turkey, and next 8 ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.
2. Gently shape meat mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Bake until done. Cool & Freeze.
3. Serve over hot cooked spaghetti, and, if desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Southern Living, SEPTEMBER 2007

Pesto

1/4 cup walnuts (we are leaving this out though - because it's weird)
1/4 c pinenuts
3 TB chopped garlic (pressed works better)
5 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Pinenuts & garlic in bowl of food processor fitted with a steel blade for 30 seconds. Add basil leaves, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the Olive Oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the parmesan and puree for 1 min. Serve, or store pesto in the freezer with a thin film of Olive Oil on top to keep it from browning.