Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Ingredients

1  Tablespoon butter                                                                

1 package (20 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts                                                                

1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce with roasted garlic                                                                

1 jar (7 oz) sundried tomato strips, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)                                                                

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese                                                                

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning                                                                

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Linguine if desired.

Steps

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned.

In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, place chicken breasts. 

In medium bowl, mix Alfredo sauce, sundried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning until well mixed. Pour over chicken breasts. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in center (165°F). Stir in spinach; cook 5 minutes longer. Serve over linguine, if desired.

Source: Pillsbury

Paleo Italian Meatballs

(Adapted from Meatball Nirvana at Allrecipes.com)

1 pound grass fed beef (ground pork would probably be awesome!)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup onion minced (I grate mine!)
1 small garlic cloved minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup almond flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.  I form the mixture into two inch meatballs but you can make smaller ones or bigger ones.  Just adjust the bake time.  Put the little guys on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

Source: http://www.changeofpaceforme.com/2013/01/paleo-italian-meatballs.html

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

1 lb ground meat
1 16 oz box uncooked spaghetti noodles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 C milk
1 egg
2 oz sliced pepperoni (can use turkey)
1 26 oz jar pasta sauce
1 16oz can diced italian style tomatoes
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1 8z package shredded italian cheese blend
Any other pizza toppings you like: black olives, sausage, onions, green peppers, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
2. Boil water and salt for spaghetti noodles. Once it starts boiling add noodles.
3. Brown meat in a separate pan.
4. Put cooked noodles into a casserole dish.
5. In a separate bowl, combine milk & egg, whisk. Pour over pasta and add jar of sauce, canned tomatoes, garlic powder and oregano. Mix all together well.
6. On top of pasta mixture, layer ground meat, then add a layer of pepperoni. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and italian cheese. Add a layer of pepperoni.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 mins.

Piruletas Italianas

Ingredients (12 lollipops):

12 cherry tomatoes

1 soup spoon tomato tapenade

12 minimozzarella

½ c grated lemon peel

Virgin olive oil 2 c/s

1 soup spoon chopped parsley

Preparation:

Cut 1 cm. of tomatoes, empty seeds. Fill with a little tapenade and end with the minimozzarella. Puncture.

In a small bowl, mix the lemon zest, oil and parsley. Batter mozzarella skewers and place them in a glass or dispenser of skewers.

Gnocchi & Tomato Bake (With Freezing Instructions)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes

17 1/2 ounces gnocchi

1/2 cup fresh basil, torn

4 1/2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into chunks

Directions:

1 Heat grill / broiler to high.

2 Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion and pepper for 5 minutes.

3 Stir in the garlic, fry for 1 minute, tip in the tomatoes and gnocchi, then bring to simmer.

4 Bubble for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until gnocchi is soft and the sauce has thickened.

5 Season, stir through the basil, then transfer to a large ovenproof dish.

6 Scatter with the mozzarella, then grill / broil for 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.

7 This dish can be frozen for up to a month. Just defrost and bake in a medium oven for 20 - 30 minutes until piping hot.
Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/gnocchi-tomato-bake-with-freezing-instructions-318100#ixzz1yy0MEDb6

Slow Cooker Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1

pound bulk Italian sausage

1

medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

3

cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce

2

teaspoons dried basil leaves

1/2

teaspoon salt

2

cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

1

container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

1

cup grated Parmesan cheese

15

uncooked lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS

1Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.2Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)3Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.4Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender. (Note: some of the reviewers cooked theirs for 5 hours and said it was too long so try 4 hours)5Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

Something as simple as chopped fresh parsley will dress up this lasagna. Sprinkle on the parsley just before serving.

For lasagna with a kick, look for hot or spicy Italian sausage. Links can be used if bulk sausage isn't available. Just squeeze the meat out of the casings and cook as directed.

Eggplant Timbale

2 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound penne pasta
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian pork sausage
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups diced smoked mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or pre-heat a gas or charcoal grill. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the eggplant slices with 1/3 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender and colored with grill marks, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and pork, and brown the meat, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the peas and marinara sauce and stir to combine. Add the cheeses, basil, and cooked pasta. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the springform pan with the grilled eggplant. Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale. Bake the timbale until warmed through and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set.

To serve, invert the timbale onto a serving plate and remove the springform pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese over the top. Slice and serve.

Source: Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis